trinabean

I can also recommend Steve Metcalfe at Applecross Vet hospital as a really good vet, who is good with difficult cases.

As an added bonus, you might be lucky like I was, and meet Raffikki and the lovely Electra. :D Good luck with your dog Jessg.

Maybe they are outside cause they are after all dogs and it's good for them, rather then be cooped up in a pen for 3/4 of their life. Pups need to feel rain on their back, sunlight on their face, wind ruffling through their fur, chase a leaf blowing along the ground. I appreciate this is not always possible for people living in flats/units but if you have a backyard, then yeah I think the dog should be allowed to enjoy it, on his own terms, not with a human hovering over them. I guess, it's a calculated risk and knowing your dog though Fluff1234. We have 6ft fences and gates, our gates and house doors are all keylocked. My dog is 29kg, so would be awkward to lift over a high fence, and without a security door key can't be let out the front door. He has shown no escape tendencies and has never gotten out of the house or yard accidently. He is awkward getting into the car (even though he's big enough to easily jump in) and I lift his rear end in. He's never even jumped the 1m high baby gate inside the house. So I don't think he'll attempt to escape the 6ft fences anytime soon. :laugh: I think dogs gain so much from some freedom to be outdoors. Mine loves a bit of sunbaking, chasing butterflies and doing the odd zoomie...

Yes, me too. Luckily my dog rarely barks. For a while our neighbours didn't realize we had a dog. He might bark once in 24 hours, if that. Pretty much he only barks if a stranger approaches our house, or if he spies a cat. A previous neighbour had a couple of little never-walked dogs who barked incessantly. Bruno never once barked back at them though. I swear, he used to look at me sometimes as if to say "WTF is wrong with them?" :laugh: I'm not claiming any credit though, he's just a quiet dog.

That's interesting LisaCC. Yes, probably best to check with the specialist then.

I have done a roo and sweet potato elimination diet in the past. I used raw roo, as the vet said it didn't matter either way with the meat. Like Persephone said, the smell of roo cooking put me off. And the dog was happy enough with it raw. Just a thought, is your derm vet happy for you to email him questions? Mine is, and often there is a question that arises in between appointments that needs clarification. Good luck with your itchy dog.

Bruno has access through a dog door to the living areas of our house. Bedrooms are blocked off with a baby gate (mainly to protect the kids toys from being stolen, Bruno loves toys). Mine is not a destructive dog, and he mostly sleeps when we are out. He likes to watch the street from the lounge room window too. I block the dog door and keep him outside if he has a bone to eat though. No one needs to find a manky roo tail inside that way.

Yes, I take Bruno to a vet that is a good, thorough vet who keeps up with the latest research. He's probably not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, and not a franchise. He genuinely likes animals too (that might sound odd, but I have met at least one vet who had no affinity for dogs). He sits on the floor and checks my dog over while patting him, allowing Bruno to feel relaxed. It's like visiting a friend rather than a scary vet visit. Some of what my vet has recommended has made him less money, not more. For example he brought it the new vaccine protocols before the AVA recommended it, doing away with yearly vaccinations in adult dogs. He doesn't charge the earth for titre tests either. So I go to this vet, because I trust his expertise. He also gives straight answers to questions and explains things well.

It's hard to know if the breeds I see are all local to my suburb, or if they have been brought here for exercise. I live near a large nature reserve with numerous pathways, popular with runners, cyclists and people walking their dogs. The dogs I mostly see are Labradors, BC's, kelpies, JRT's, staffy crosses, ACD 's, various bitsas and 'oodles. I get a little excited when I see a less common breed for this area, like a nice Weimaraner, Great Dane, GSP, or another Boxer.

Dear old girl. Loved her waggy tail when she could see people coming down to her.

I'm not arming myself, not on panic stations either. Just pissed that I can't find anywhere to walk my dog where people can't manage to consistently: a). shut a gate/ keep their dogs contained or b). snap a lead on their dogs' collar So 'panic stations' -no. But am I going to report menacing loose/ rushing dogs in on-lead only public areas? You betcha.

You have absolutely done the right thing, everyone should report an incident like this, why should these people be allowed to control the road, this definitely meets the definition of menacing, so be sure to put that word in your report. One day there won't be anyone to drag the dog back inside and he may attack you or some other dog walker, like a child with a little dog for instance. If they shouted he's old and deaf at me I'd shout "Does he still have teeth". if they have gates they should try shutting them to keep the dog in, this kind of thing really gets up my nose, the way they make it sound, like its you thats overreacting and upsetting them. I try to walk my little dog everyday, because we both need the exercise, but I have to force myself to do it because I almost feel like I'm risking her life every time I take her out, most of the time its fine but now and then some son of bitch who shouldn't own a dog, has his pet running free in the park. Then my walk turns into a shouting match, even though I am clearly in the right because my little dog is leashed and his horse sized dog isn't. I rang animal control and the nice lady told me that if she had a little dog she wouldn't walk it at all, its far to dangerous to take small dogs outside. WTF is that what I pay my rates for. Anyway she wanted the guys name and address, which of course I don't have. Not wanting to derail Kirty's thread, but I think this may be relevent to emphasize the importance of reporting incidents. As a post-script to my report on being rushed by a dog (through open front gates) on a footpath on Thursday morning, the ranger has spoken to the dog's owners. They made a lot of excuses, their dog is "old, deaf, sneaky" -ranger responded that it was up to them to contain him and shut the gates. They also said that their dog "didn't actually bite" -ranger explained that a dog escaping it's property could run up and lick someone, it's still classed as a dog attack if it rushes someone. The last excuse/disclaimer was a doozy. The owners said that my dog was a "pitbull" and would have killed their cattledog X anyway, if things ramped up. Nevermind that my pedigree Boxer has a sweet temperament and been well-socialised with dogs and people. In fact the ranger responded with "Well, aren't you lucky that the lady had socialised her dog, and it didn't react to yours!" The dog I reported has a history with the council, going back years. The problem is that not many people report these sort of incidents, and there are years in between reports on this dog. The ranger has asked that I report this dog every time he is out, so that she can start issuing infringements. It's the only way owners like this will learn.

Yes, for those of us who avoid off-leash areas, is it really too much to ask that people obey the law elsewhere, and put it on a lead? Yes, precisely. Keep your dog leashed in an area where it is legally required to be on-lead. And keep it adequately confined when in it's yard. It's not rocket science to shut and lock a gate. So many problems and dog attacks could be avoided if these laws were respected.

I will let you know RidgieMal. It will be a few weeks yet.

And now I have the Monty Python 'Spam' song stuck in my head.

I can give you an answer in a few weeks. My dog has been on a goat and quinoa elimination diet for most of this year. We have another couple of weeks of testing a challenge food to go. As I was concerned about the long term effects of an unbalanced diet our dermatologist has organised a phone / email consult with a US university to help us balance things. They look at what the dog can/ can't tolerate and then suggest appropriate supplements that will correct any imbalances.

I thought of this thread this morning when we were rushed by a medium-sized snarling dog through it's open (yet again) front gates. I yelled at it, a lady came out and dragged the dog forcibly inside, telling me "It's alright." It's not alright, it's the 4th bl**dy time this dog has rushed us through open front gates. Luckily each time, someone has dragged it off the footpath and away. A verbal altercation ensued with the homes' occupants (adult son threatened me for 'swearing at his mother') Adult son pointed at my non-reacting dog and said "Your f*ck'n dog would kill my dog anyway!" Yes, because you can tell that by looking at a dog. *Sigh* I feel sorry for the dog. This is largely why I haven't reported it previously. Last time it rushed us the person who dragged him away was apologetic "He's old and deaf." His eyesight is spot-on though. He spots us and an open gate, every chance he gets. And if he's deaf, well, all the more reason to shut the gate and keep him away from the road. You'd think. I've called the council and they are sending a ranger for me to make a statement to. It's clear that the owners of this dog are never going to learn unless action is taken.

It is only my opinion too, but Boxers to me are evidence enough that dogs can indeed display a sense of humour. :laugh:

What's a "pookie" dog? Do they mean lil fluffies? Not sure either, but I assumed that's what they meant.

Well done police dog. Let's hope it reduces the thug's chance of breeding.....

I agree. I can't stand going to 'people things' and dogs are there. I work with dogs, I have dogs, so chances are other peoples dogs hone in on this and don't leave me alone. I resent taking my daughter to kiddies parks and people having their dogs there. I should be able to relax and not watch out for other peoples dogs in a dog free zone. Other people assume that everyone loves their dogs because ohmydogtheyresocute. Even yesterday, I went to an Open House for a friend and they had a huge GSD there in the yard. He stunk and would not leave me alone, I got GSD hair all over my pants and then they stunk too. The owners should have locked him up or taken him out with them - lovely old boy but I was not in dog mode and so not in the mood. I also had my daughter with me and nobody knew if the dog was friendly or not so had to make her sit out on front step on her own. Don't inflict your pets on others if it's not a suitable environment for them. Half the time I think they become peoples' security blankets. Good post Clyde, and some excellent points made. I think a comparable analogy is: If you have kids, and work with kids, when you get a rare opportunity to go out, the last thing you might feel like is being seated next to a table with noisy children in a restaurant. That might just be me though... My children and my dog mean a lot to me. But I don't expect or feel a need to take them everywhere with me either. Some people don't like children or dogs. Some places/events are unsuitable, and that's just how it is. Yes. It's bad enough now.

Dogs are not allowed on our primary school grounds either. People do tether their dogs to the outside perimeter fence sometimes. The school currently tolerates this, (but I have seen one particular dog tied up, and looking very uncomfortable about the passing kids). It's no doubt a liability/ insurance issue. Election day would be no different in terms of risk to the school. To be fair, it should be consistent. They shouldn't have let the other dogs in either.

Yes, same as Rosetta, I use Eucalyptus wool wash and hot water to launder dog bedding etc. I do it weekly. For wood floors, regular vacuuming and I mop with hot water and a splash of eucalyptus oil. This helps keep dust mite numbers down (Bruno is highly atopic to dust mites.) I don't use a particular dishwashing liquid. But I use ceramic or stainless steel bowls rather than plastic. And food. Hooley dooley. I can't help there. We are still doing an elimination diet with periodic re-challenges. Elimination diet is currently goat and quinoa. Hydroxyzine (antihistamine) and fish oil twice daily help. As does Cortavance on flare ups on the skin.

Just today I heard this one again. When I explained that my dog has allergies and can't eat many foods, someone said "Maybe you're just letting him be fussy." Yeah, totally. Nevermind that he chews himself until he bleeds... There is a woman that I avoid at the local park, she seems to be always there with her dog. She doles out beef treats to any dog that sits, drops heaps of it on the ground, and I had to protest strongly to get her to refrain from giving it to Bruno.

Excellent post Anne. You explained the elimination diet much better than me in my late-night post. :) Agree. I don't think any dog with severe allergies should be considered in a breeding program I agree. As a pet owner, I have spent thousands of dollars treating allergies and their complications. We make frequent trips to the vet and a dermatologist vet, and have spent many hours preparing various elimination diets too. I only found out relatively recently that my dogs mother was allergic to some foods - and possibly some environmental allergens too. She was still bred from, and I think this is wrong. Breeders should be breeding away from allergies. I wouldn't wish the heartache and expense on any pet owner. Not to mention the discomfort and decreased quality of life for allergic/atopic dogs. Edited to add: We were posting at the same time Will_454. I've just seen that you think it is likely she will be speyed. Sounds like the best option. I hope I didn't seem harsh in my above post. :)