cavNrott

I've been using Enzyplex for about five years for my Cavalier who's prone to pancreatitis attacks if she eats even a tiny amount of fatty food. Since being on Enzyplex she's never had another attack. This dog is also on a raw BARF diet of kangaroo and vegies. It's an expensive product but it lasts for a long time because so little of it is needed. I think it's definitely worth the cost. From memory I'm only on the second tub and it's still at least one third full.

Best to take the dog to the vet. The ear may need to be bandaged to the head to allow time for the cut to heal.

My dog is not a Pug, he is a Cavalier who had invasive spinal surgery after a ruptured disk caused pressure on his spine and rendered him paralysed from the shoulders down. No fall or accident caused this, it just happened. The messages from the brain were not getting past the area of the pressure on his spinal cord so there was complete paralysis of his hind end. He had imaging that clearly showed the problem and this dog would never have walked again without intricate spinal surgery. No surgery is a guaranteed procedure. You need to trust that your specialist has the expertise and experience to perform a successful surgery. In my dog's case there was much debris to be cleared away from around the spinal cord so it was a delicate procedure. It was a fairly lengthy surgery as most spinal surgery is. You can rest assured that the surgeon wants a successful outcome for his surgery. You both hope for the best knowing that anything can go wrong but also that everything can go right and usually does. After a short rehabilitation period where my boy was a bit wobbly as he learned to walk again and needed me to express his bladder for a few days he recovered perfectly and in no time he was walking, running and playing normally. The surgery was expensive, it cost $7000. This was 4 1/2 years ago so it's probably more expensive now but it was worth every cent and more. My much loved dog is living a normal life.

A 'sishon'? What on earth is a 'sishon'? A Bichon X ???

Yes, this is why I took my beloved Rottweiler to my vet to be put to sleep. My dog would have known something was not right at all if our vet had come to the home, though he offered to do so even though we live a few suburbs away from his practice. My dog loved her vet and he too was very fond of her, she was such a compliant, easy patient to treat. He always called her his favourite patient. She was 7yo when she was PTS and he had treated her all her life. She was suffering from cancer so frequent visits to the vet surgery and to the oncologist were second nature to us. I thought it would be best to maintain the status quo and take her to the vet who I knew would ensure the procedure was as peaceful and stress free as possible. I would not take any of my other dogs along to the vet surgery because that was not my normal practise. Also I wanted to give my complete attention to my heart dog, who I was about to lose. I would not want my other dogs getting in the way and seeking attention due to feeling stressed because they too would have known that this was not what we usually do.

I wouldn't exaggerate the weight of any of my Rotties (R.I.P.) to appease anyone. Why bother getting into a pissing contest or a 'mine is bigger than yours' contest with people? Contrary to popular opinion, bigger is not always better. The Rotties were kept at their ideal weight as are my Cavaliers. IMO lean and fit is the best for our dogs.

If you feel cold then so does the dog. Bring him inside at night.

Agree. Off to the vet with him. Unless the vet thinks it's something very easy to treat I would be asking for a referral to a canine eye specialist.

Yep, you can change over to oral heartworm chews without a test because your dog hasn't had a break of more than a 4-6 weeks without being on a heartworm preventative. Just wait until the expiry date of the current heartworm injection to fall due before you start the dog on the chews. It's good that you're changing over to oral meds. I don't like the idea of the annual injections.

The best/worst I've seen was someone stating their Rottie was 80kg, then producing a pic of said Rottie who looked more like being around the 48kg. mark.

I'm so sorry the time has come for your old boy. When quality of life is diminished it is our duty to make that very difficult, very sad decision. I would not take your other dogs to the vet. Dogs are usually stressed when at the vets and you too would be quite stressed knowing what was to come. To manage a group of stressed dogs would be difficult for you and for the vet. Your old boy would pick up on the stress and anxiety and you want his passing to be as peaceful as possible for him. My vet who is quite some distance away has always offered to come to my home. Perhaps your vet will come to the home if you request this. If not there are mobile vets who will do so. My thoughts are with you.

Mesocephalic I think, not brachycephalic. The term "cephalic" is actually an index used to measure head/skull measurement (width by length). Brachy is short, meso is medium. A Cav would be mesocephalic I believe although I am far from expert on how the measurements are determined. Some Cavaliers are Brachycephalic. I have two Cavaliers, both are registered dogs. One certainly does fit the description of a brachycephalic dog, going by the width/length definition. The other dog has a longer muzzle and does not fit the description of being brachycephalic. Irrespective of your opinion or mine on whether or not the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a brachycephalic breed it is classified as being so and is definitely in the firing line. Did you read the reply from The Australian Veterinary Association Ltd? They list the CKCS breed as a brachycephalic breed.

I would be interested in the paper too thanks Steve. My Cavaliers are considered to be a brachycephalic breed in some quarters.

I'm not with PetPlan and my two Cavaliers have been insured for 5 years with another company. The current policy renewal was a 98% increase! I suspect they take full advantage of the fact that when dogs reach a certain age they're too old to be accepted by any other pet insurance company. If I want to keep my dogs insured I'm stuck with them and have to suck up the 98% increase. I made just one minor claim in the previous year which was for an xray for one dog and no claims for the other dog for three years and even that was minor claim.

It is excellent news that it was proven in court that there was no dog attack. Was it understood to be an accidental fall by the elderly woman as a result of the local council failing to maintain and make safe the footpath? Why then were the dogs taken away and impounded? Are we also to understand that these are pure bred pedigree dogs that were purchased from a registered breeder? I note you disagree that they were BYB dogs. The fact that they are mother and her pup from a very loving family does not mean they are not BYB dogs. You seem to be confused about registration. The registration being discussed on this forum is that the dogs are pedigree dogs bred by a regstered breeder. The dogs pedigree papers are then registered with the registering body of the state in which the dogs were bred. It does not mean the registration of pet dogs with the local council, which is a requirement of all pet dog owners. Absolutely agree with your comment re: the media. edited to change a word to make sense.

Cavaliers do shed like mad but I have a lung disease (COPD) with asthma and I have two Cavs. My Cavaliers lived happily with my two Rottweilers without any issues. I suspect my Cavaliers think they're Rottweilers. They have no fear of large dogs.

Tazar do you think it's a good idea to pre-empt the other knee going and have TPLO done now instead of waiting for evidence of a partial rupture? I get it that you're concerned about arthritic changes but I think I would wait to see evidence of this before doing TPLO on a knee where the ligament is ok. I don't understand the surgeon saying the less damage to the cruciate because the ligament itself isn't a feature of TPLO, it's about bones. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you. It's good news to hear he's doing ok with his recovery. This poor dog with osteoarthritis at only 3 years of age and poor you with all the associated worry.

Both of my Cavaliers are fed a raw diet. They don't have anal gland problems and rarely scoot. My little 9yo girl last had her anal glands expressed two years ago and has had no issue with them since. She rarely scoots. I had her to the vet this morning for a general health check. One of her anal glands didn't need to be expressed and the other was expressed and produced very little content.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.

No necessarily, fleas can be picked up from other dogs very easily..

I agree. ShootMarty there are many things and many expected and unexpected expenses to consider before deciding to take on ownership of a dog. You appear to be obsessing about one element only of dog ownership. The members of this forum have no obligation to explain or discuss their reasons for holding a particular view on any subject to you or anyone else. Call it etiquette if you will, but this is a relatively casual, friendly forum where we respect that our fellow members are entitled to their own opinion without the necessity of explanation. We are also for the most part very appreciative of the advice and assistance our fellow members are happy to offer us.

Excellent suggestions Whiskered :) As the OP is in Queensland, paralysis ticks are a real problem. She should definitely do a lot of research about the prevention of ticks.

I always respect your opinion Wreckit but in this case I disagree with waiting for dog/s to become flea infested before treating. I strongly believe prevention is better than cure. Once there is an established flea infestation there will also be tapeworm. It will take quite a sustained effort (and chemicals) to not only rid the dog/s of fleas but to effectively clear the fleas, eggs and immature larvae waiting to hatch in the environment. The dog/s will also need medication to get rid of tapeworm. For tapeworm to be discovered in a fecal test there needs to be a segment present in the feces. In my area we have mosquitoes and I know of once case of a dog contracting heartworm near this area. I wouldn't take the risk of leaving my dogs unprotected against heartworm in any area where there are any mosquitoes. We can't know if the mosquitoes carry heartworm unless a dog is infested.

Why are you reluctant to purchase the correct dose of the product of your choice? To provide cover for this tiny dog by purchasing the correct dose is not an expensive purchase. It will cost peanuts. The very reason retail exists it to sell the manufacturers product. Of course they will promote their products. It's their job to sell them. Again, if you want professional advice, consult a vet to ask your questions. Retail employees are not qualified to provide you with professional advice. This may be correct for tablets but not necessarily so for flavoured chews.

The join date and number of posts by members on here means nothing. Many newer members with few posts may well have forgotten more than some people will ever learn. Just choose the product that best suits your needs from the wide variety available and strictly follow the manufacturers instructions. Your dog is tiny and the annual financial outlay would be negligible. I fail to understand why you want to cut tablets in half. Buy a product that is correct for the weight of your dog, follow the instructions and your dog will be adequately covered. With respect, we have no obligation to fulfil your criteria of competency in order to reply to your questions. We are not applying for a paid position in your employ. The forum members here are helpful people who are taking the time to share their experience with you for no other reason than to assist you. If you require 'more weight with explanation and substance' then consult a vet to ask your questions.