cmkelpie

After 8yrs of studying to become a doctor I can assure you that nothing your could say would offend me. That you talk about yourself in the 3rd person is rather intriguing however. If junior doctors not carving up a pig every now and again is the only reason you are keeping your private health insurance then so be it. At least it will cut the waiting time for others requiring surgery.

I don't object to students studying on a dog that is due to be PTS. However I fail to see the correlation between this and a human being whose condition/injury is incompatible with life, donating an organ to either save or improve another's life. There are very few people in society who do disagree with organ donation, and those that do tend to do so due to religious beliefs. Could you explain this further? As I read it, benefiting through surgery on a being that is going to die anyway - either directly in the case of organ donation or indirectly through educational use (but potentially more benefit in the long run since a student can go on to save many lives if they have great training). I had a friend who didn't want to be an organ donor, not because he was religious but because he wanted all of his 'bits' with him when he died. It was actually quite a contentious point for us. I should have made my point clearer. Does your friend object to organ donation full stop? Does it infuriate him that people are using donated lungs, hearts etc? Or did he simply find the thought of his own organs being donated distressing? Many people do not want to donate their own organs, but if they were going to die without a new kidney etc, they would be more then happy to be the recipient of an organ. So there are two levels of people who disagree with organ donation, those who are flat against it and those who do not want to donate their own organs. Back to the actual topic. I remain unconvinced that human organ transplants should be brought into this topic. It seems very much like a troll's argument. If you read through these posts people that are against the use of dogs for vet practice state so for a variety of reasons, including- a) Vets should be able to get enough experience in real surgeries i.e. in which the animal is meant to wake up b) The animals must undergo a lot of distress in the lead up to the surgery and subsequent euthanasia c) They disagree with euthanasia full stop Organ donation does not really gel in with either of these arguments and I feel there is a risk of people correlating animal euthanasia with human transplants. This is the only reason I stepped into this argument. Believe it or not plenty of people still believe that if you are an organ donor, doctors will not 'try as hard' to save you. This is a complete fallacy. Discussions regarding human transplantation should remain completely separate from an argument such as this.

I don't object to students studying on a dog that is due to be PTS. However I fail to see the correlation between this and a human being whose condition/injury is incompatible with life, donating an organ to either save or improve another's life. There are very few people in society who do disagree with organ donation, and those that do tend to do so due to religious beliefs. Could you explain this further?

I agree 100%, cadaver work is completely different to dealing with living tissue. Cadavers are so heavily preserved that they don't even look or feel like a human anymore. Great for learning anatomy from and practicing procedures e.g. inserting a chest drain. But they really cannot be used to simulate surgery. Edit to add- Human cadavers are treated with the utmost respect inside medical schools. We appreciate that people have donated their bodies to assist with our learning. We follow very strict guidelines in anatomy labs and if a student acted inappropriately they would be dealt with very severely.

Not sure how long ago it was stopped, I actually did not even realise it was once the norm, makes sense though. First time cutting flesh was on a cadaver in first year so no real pressure there, apart from fear of getting told off if you messed up the anatomy First time cutting on a patient in surgery was a little scary but we are very closely supervised, no surgeon is going to risk a medical student doing harm to a patient that is under their care.

I am a final year medical student, we do not do any pracs on livestock, nor does any other medical university in Australia. We do use human cadavers in anatomy class during the first two years of the course. Apart from that all our surgical training is done next to an experienced surgeon in hospitals. As a medical student I have done 13weeks of surgical pracs, mainly holding instruments, suturing etc. As a junior doctor I will do at least one term in surgery, and then if you decide to become a surgeon you become a surgical registrar and you start performing surgeries (senior doctor is always meant to be present during these). Edit to add- I am not entering into the vet student should/should not use animals for practice argument. I am simply correcting an incorrect statement.

Congrats on the puppies! Traveling with 2 pups would be very challenging to say the least! The first 2wks or so you have them you are really aiming to get them into a routine and also start getting toilet training underway. The biggest problem however is that these pups are not vaccinated and protected against all the nasties! You will have them out and about in areas that may be contaminated. Even if you keep them away from other dogs, parvovirus for example can remain in soil for well over a year. You do not want these littlies ending up with parvo!

Glad you had a good time! I love going away with my dogs, we always have so much fun. However this weekend we just stayed at home. We have a trip planned in a month, as we are going up to a working dog clinic. Very much looking forward to that!! I always keep there routine very much the same as at home e.g. they sleep in the same place (crate or on my bed) and have the same food. I find this helps them remain (relatively) calm and in control Two kelpies under 14mths would be a nightmare otherwise

I was hoping to go but starting to think it will be one hell of a hike. Would want to bring my two kelpies so that would mean a 12/13hr drive.... Will see how I go :p

Deleted.

I am sure you will have a great time! If you are regular campers around water it may be worth investing in a lifejacket at some point (once Maui moves out of the sand and into the water). Tilly comes kayaking with us when we go camping, in calm water and with a lifejacket on, and she thinks it is the best thing ever Silly question time, where would one go about getting a life jacket for a JRT??? I like the Ruffwear lifejackets but not sure what the smallest size is.... Cheapest place I have found to get them (even with postage) is from an overseas company called Backcountry K9

I am sure you will have a great time! If you are regular campers around water it may be worth investing in a lifejacket at some point (once Maui moves out of the sand and into the water). Tilly comes kayaking with us when we go camping, in calm water and with a lifejacket on, and she thinks it is the best thing ever

I have taken my girl camping on a number of occasions and we love it. Similar to you I did not have anyone else to care for her and would prefer to take her then board her. I simply made sure where ever we went she would have something to do e.g. beach, river, bushwalking. I always camp with others that like and know my dog(s) so it is never a problem. It means we always have someone to play footy with or take for a swim I am sure you already know that other campers around may not like dogs around, but it is easy to keep your dog in your area so should not be an issue! Now I have dog number 2 it will be more challenging but we will be heading off in a couple of weeks. I love bringing a dog along. It does create more work but also a lot more fun. And Tilly loves camping as well. We went towards the end of last year and it was FREEZING, having her in my swag made all the difference My list to bring includes: - Crate: VERY helpful if you have one, just good to know they are safe if you have a fire going etc - Bedding: may be cold - Food & water bowls - All the normal food - A few meaty bones in the esky: helpful if they are getting annoying - TOYS! Fetch toys, soft toy etc - Extra lead and collar: ensure ID tag has a number on it. Remember if you are camping you may not have reception so not a bad idea to put a home number for a friend etc on it just in case. - Towels: if you are going near water - Portable water bowl: bushwalking - Google number and addy for the nearest vet ahead of time. If there is an emergency you will be much calmer if you already know where to go. - Basic first aid kit not a bad idea Have a great time!

If the replies above have not convinced you I suggest you try it out yourself (i.e. YOU not the dog). Hop in the back of the ute and under the cover with the engine running and sun streaming down (I would not recommend being driven along though)! If that is bad just imagine what it would be like to be sliding around etc when the car is actually moving! It would be an oven in there! And imagine if you had a car accident!! There are strict laws to protect dogs in cars now and if your dog died in there as a result of heat stroke or in an accident you will face fines of up to $22,000 and jail time. A properly secured crate really is the way to go when you have a ute

I purchased my lifejacket through http://www.backcountryk9.com/ They were by far the cheapest I could find for the ruffwear jackets, even with shipping I saved about $80!

There are certainly some really interesting discussions! I loved the comment by the correspondent, in my experience so far this is very true Unfortunately when he talks about culling he does mean killing the pup/dog. It happens all too often with working dogs

I am so so sorry. You have a lot to deal with, by all means take strength from those poor people that were involved in the floods. Just don't underestimate your suffering by comparing to others, it does not help. It is highly unlikely your grandchild's father will be successful. Legally the importance of grandparents in a child's life is well recognised, especially as you say he is a huge part in your lives. Perhaps talk to your own solicitor, it may help ease your concerns.

Firstly do you have a puppy or older dog? What you are describing is sort of what an off lead dog park is for, however many refuse to use them as they can be quite dangerous. Perhaps a training club would suit your needs? Dogs don't really get a chance to play (or at least mine don't until AFTER training) but they get use to being around other dogs and learn (hopefully) to follow directions with a lot of distractions. You will also find that you meet people there who you can arrange 'doggy playdates' with. That way you choose what type of dogs your dog is exposed to and it is more controlled then a dog park. Not really sure if that answers your question Hope it helps

Not that expensive really, the textbooks I have to buy for uni are rarely under $100, I think the most expensive I have purchased to date was >$250.... and it only gets worse (fell in love with a textbook the other day and it was $480- won't be buying that for a LONG time) Besides books are worth it And at least reading Parson's is fun, much more enjoyable then studying or working

I bought it just before Christmas as a reward for getting through my uni exams I love it! But yes, packed full of info!! I have only got through 2 chapters so far

Can you put up some lattice (or some other material) and secure it to the fence? Even if the other dog is friendly it is not wise to let them have that sort of access to each other. Best to be on the safe side Good luck!

Perhaps send K9 Pro an email, Steve may be able to recommend someone up your way

What a concern for you! You need to contact a professional immediately, many people on here will recommend Steve from K9 PRO. Everything you have planned is great but you need more help Edit: to add I just noticed you are not in Sydney.... I am sure someone can recommend a professional closer to you.

Disgusting Punishment should fit the crime!! The government wonders why people often take the law into their own hands