bommy

Katey, I am so sorry. RIP Gypsy In relation to cheering up your mum or giving her companionship, are they allowed Birds? We got Jason's Gran a cockateil & she loves it! It has its wings clipped & is hand reared, she has had it about 6yrs now. I never thought a bird could be a companion, but this one sits on her shoulders, whispers in her ears & sings to her! Jacqui

Spinach is the one vege molly loves she cant get enough spinach! that & the little yellow squashes! Mushrooms she used to spit out the mushies after she had sucked out the juices! So we will see! But I figure if I keep her mainly on a diet of the following I should be right: Raw chicken frames & bones Chicken breasts/ thigh fillets (she likes these cooked) lamb flaps carrots green leafy vegetables yellow wvegetables mushrooms (shitake) raw Org Honey salmon/tuna/sardines - she loves all these shark cartilidge - (would glucosamine or sashas blend do?) natural yoghurt eggs PLus total factor plus! I also every now & then cook her up some mince & pasta....... Jacqui Will keep up with the weekly updates!

Stitch, if the pup is monorchid, you should also get the one that hasnt "dropped" removed as well. It would depend on the breed of dog, but in all honesty I wouldnt do it before the dog was 6mths (at a minimum) ideally 12mths for a male. Jacqui ETA: Once I would have said 12-16 weeks but have changed my mind after reading alot of info & speaking to our vets at length about it. J

Thats it Abz, every day she just keeps surprising us. Thank goodness its going the right way now! Jacqui PS THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS & GOOD THOUGHTS GUYS!

Cant believe it! Had molly weighed today at 5pm & she is up to 24.31kgs almost 1&1/2 kgs in 2 days.... go figure! He hasnt been this weight since november! We are ALL really happy about this. Jacqui PS Aatanic looks like you may have been right! J

Rozzie, I am so sorry. My heart is hurting for you. May Zoe run free at the Bridge. Godspeed little Zoe. Jacqui

That is fantastic news Byott. Jacqui

I agree byott, I would be straight to the vet, are his stools firm or runny? Chief had hookorm when I bought him & he had blood in his stool! So it was a transfusion & hospital stays for him... Najor had diahorrea & blood & it was a gut infrction, hospital stay again & IV so it could be meny things, best to get the vet to check him out! I hope everything is ok. Jacqui

We went of the drugs - no lumostine, the results as to whether it is hystacidic or lymphatic are still not back yet anyways & I didnt want to force to have chemo if there was not at least a high percentage it would work. I have decided Idexx are hopeless they have had the lumps since 14th January & it is still going on, all because they didnt do the complete testing in the first place! I know they are probably busy but I need to vent my anger & they are who we are waiting on! We are using Total Transfer Factor Plus which has had a good result on cancer dogs in the US (though theirs is the animal one & we cant get that here so it is the human variety). We decided we would try that instead of the lumostine at least for ow. Thanks Jacqui

aatanic Its true she has improved a hundredfold to when I pmed you, I am just so bummed out by the weight loss. The locum vet today didnt say that she couldlose before she put back on! We go for another weigh in with our "normal" vets Monday they will be back then, I guess I'll just have to play it by ear till then. Jacqui GUYS JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR CARING IT MEANS ALOT!

Thanks guys, now I'm crying again, feel terrible I just wish that she would go peacefully in her sleep one night so I dont have to take her to the vet when it is time. Jacqui

I am so sad atm, Molly had seemed to be picking up & she is actually standing o eat & is looking for her food, but after todays weekly checkup (which was free I am oing to miss my vet) she has actually lost another kilo. I just feel like crying.... when I got home & told Jason we realised that we are going tohave to make some hard decisions, and stick to them. Friday we had decided that this week was going to be it then PTS on the weekend, but then she just picked up so much, she is eating about 1.4kgs of high fat & protein food daily & is just not putting any weight on, she is just breaking my heart . Sorry guys, just had to get that out. Jacqui

Chris, Thinking of you. The pain never goes away does it, it eases some but there is always a void & a dull ache. Take happiness in the fact he is running free at the bridge. Jacqui :D

Abz, Hi it is the bovine based meats i cook, beef, mutton, goat, I still feed raw chicken (though Molly loves chicken breasts sauted in butter & garlic). I still follow all the other BARF principles (raw vegies, etc). But I add in a bit of cooked pasta or rice as well & also Vets all natural supplement (started that friday after talking to the vet) to make sure she doesnt miss out on anything else. Jacqui

Aatanic, Thanks for that I hope youdont mind but I have PMed you. Jacqui

RIP Mr Troy May you runfree at the bridge. Jacqui

Hi Jeanne, I think it is something in the Hills diet, it is a special oe developed specifically for dogs with cancer, they have told me not to let Major near it. Abz is actually referring to the neospora side of my post in relation to the diseases, she has pm'd & asked me privately what I do I advised I now cook all bovine meats but feed raw chicken & RMB's. She wasnt aware of all the parasites in the raw bovine that a Boxer with their immune systems what they are being at a higher risk of picking up.. Also how is Lillian going? & have you heard from B/F yet or have I got my dates mixed up? Jacqui Pipers Mummy Thank you. Jacqui

Hi Jed, She just turned 7 on January 21. I am still in contact with Beth (her breeder) & she had cry with me, she is to me the epitomy of a good ethical breedr, I hope I am as good as her one day She apologised to me for Moo getting cancer yet we both know it is nothing to do with her. The neospora specialist & the cancer guys are working together on this which is beneficial, She actually finishe her mth of Neospora treatment this week (Saturday) so we start the lustomine then. I asked my vet today (she's on hols has a locum in & rang me to check how Molly was, I dont think I will ever find as good a vet again) & she is happy to give me steroids for Molly as well to help combat any chances of the annorexia kicking in which is good. Jacqui

Thanks guys, Well fate has just put pressure on us even more! The cancer guy in Brissy feels we should try chemo, not that it will cure her but prolong her life, going for the drug lumostine (sp??) & using hills science diet for Cancer dogs, we were not going to try chemo but he feels it may give us longer.... so now we need to decide what to do. Info I have read all point to lumostine causing annorexia in the treated dog which is a worry she is down to 23kgs, she eats 5 small meals a day, but the specialist (Ken ??? sorry didnt write down his last name) feel the science diet will help her combat weight loss... Has anyone out there used lumostine on their dogs? Thanks Jacqui

Awwwww Gibbo he is so cute! Jacqui

abzndbonnie, Chicken Necks are fine for your dogs, so are chicken carcasses & wings, I would feed those more regularly than the beef/liver. A good person to chase up re this though is aatanic, she will be able to point you in the right dirction Actually if you do a search in health & nutrition on her name you should be able to find a thread recently where she posted some useful info. Jacqui

This is a post I believe by GIBBO!!! PLEASE DO NOT HI JACK IT. Gibbo, look I used the same method Sidoney has described not only on my dogs but also on my kids except for the it was described by Dr Richard Furber & is designed for kids I just applied the same principles for my dogs,WHICH BASICALLY IS IGNORE hey no barking early in the morining, my dogs like my kids are well adjusted, happy social creatures who love my companionship but also love their time! LETS FACE IT, try as you may thoughthere is no way you can substitute human behavious for dogs or vice versa to do so could lead to a grand failure. So I would think that letting them be a dog get used to the PACK ORDER but also isolation is a good thing. SO I WOULD SAY FOLLOW SIDONEYS ADVICE, many other experienced people here have said go for it they would be the ones to take heed of. BTW Hubby is a fireman & poodlegirl is right! Jacqui

Susie, copied this from the NSW Health site: Worms Summary: What are worms? Having them does not reflect on the hygiene of a child's home. Signs of threadworms, treatment, after treatment, other worms, prevention. Text: Worms Worms Worms are parasites that live and breed in the digestive system. They can affect people of all ages, but are most often found in children. There are several different worms. The most common and easiest to get are Threadworms. Threadworms are usually caught when someone swallows the worms' eggs. Inside the stomach, the eggs hatch into worms which travel through the intestines to the anus where they, in turn, hatch eggs. The eggs are picked up and swallowed and the process starts again. Children are most likely to swallow or pass on the eggs if they don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, then share food or lick their fingers. Threadworms are not spread by pets. Not fussy Threadworms aren't fussy about who they choose, and having them does not reflect on the hygiene of a child's home. Because of the way children play together, they are all at risk of getting Threadworms at some stage. Signs of threadworms Threadworms aren't always easy to detect. Sometimes there are no signs at all. Children may have them if. * They have an itchy bottom, particularly at night. *They are irritable, restless or "off their food". To check for Threadworms you can: Examine your child's poo. (They are only visible when there is a heavy infestation.) Examine your child's bottom at night with a torch. The worms come out at night to hatch their eggs. Treatment Although they don't cause any serious medical problems, Threadworms are easily given to others so it is only fair to treat your child as soon as they are discovered. Because there may be no sign of them, it is important the whole family is treated. You can buy a worm treatment from your local chemist. You don't need a prescription and only one treatment is necessary. Follow all instructions on the product carefully. It isn't necessary to treat your child on a regular basis just in case they have worms. After treatment After treatment, wash all nightwear in hot water and dry it in the sun. Threadworms do not cause any long-term problems such as recurring stomach pains. Other worms The advertising for worm products often refers to other worms such as Hookworm and Roundworm. Despite the advertising claims, these worms are not a problem in this country. Occasionally they may be picked up overseas, but the climate in NSW and the effective sewerage system mean it is virtually impossible for them to be spread here. Prevention * Make sure children wash their hands after using the toilet. * Take extra care when changing dirty nappies and wash your hands afterwards. * Clean toilet seats and potties regularly. * Keep children's fingernails short. * Discourage children from sharing food or putting things into their mouths. * Don't allow children to eat in bed while they have Threadworms. The best way to stop Threadworms spreading is to make sure all the family follow these personal hygiene tips. Jacqui

Susie, We worm regularly, whether symtoms are present or not I have 3 small kids under 4 & with daycare/playgroup & just going to the park, it isnt something I want them to get, A good sign of it though is they cant stop scratching at their bums! Jacqui

okay back, At this stage it is believed that a dog if caught early enough can be treated & survive neospora however if exposed to it again could have relapses or may end up immune, it varies from dog to dog a bit like how most ppl when they get chickenpox as a kid should not get it again yet some people do get it again.. The roached back will stay. We are using trisaprim & diaprim in conjunction to treat the neospora, the big side effect here is that you cant use any other drugs (it is preffered not to) whilst treating for that. I hope I have answered your question We speak to the specialist again this afternoon/tomorrow so I will have more answres for you then if you want to put down any other queries you have I will see if I can get answers for you. Jacqui