trinabean

How about this attack in Broken Hill: My link And even the generally reliable ABC like to illustrate a dog attack story with a 'scary breed' stock photo. In stories about the cattle dog mix attacks and aftermath, they used a GSD photo here: My link And then a Boxer here: My link The attack that the thread is originally about was horrific. I hope the injured people recover. I also hope that the owners of the offending dogs are punished. And if I could dream a little, prohibited from owning ANY dogs again. As Staffyluv said so well: "Sadly that statement alone shows how little people realise what they are doing to a whole range of dog breeds and types by stuffing 'bully breeds' into one category. That is everything from French Bulldogs to American Bulldogs and Bull Terriers, Amstaffs to SBTs and Pit bulls all in the same group. They are all very different breeds/types and in each breed/type, you are going to get some dogs that are alike and some that are not.. It isn't about the breed, it can't be that simple. There are so many variables in 'bully breeds'. Education goes a long way these days. I agree with an earlier statement that the owners of these dogs need to feel the full force of the law when horrors like this happen. If the law isn't strong enough, then it needs to change to start making an example of the people that own these dogs and don't protect the public from them.."

Noting down the daily routine is a great idea. I have a daily diary of food and medications given/ applied and always note any vomiting/diahorria. It's the only way I can remember if I've given all his medications. As an added bonus, it shows some patterns that are helpful for the vet, as my dog has a few health problems (and some of the symptoms overlap). As Futuredogtrainer already mentioned, some dogs vomit if they have an empty tummy for too long. My dog does this. I feed several smaller meals a day and try not to run late with breakfast. The 'clear egg white' vomit with no smell' you described, is the sort of vomit my dog does when his tummy is empty. I agree with Minimax too, ask the people in the Dane thread about it.

I agree with Tazar, it might be a good idea to go with someone next time you go there. My kids play Auskick at a large oval/ park. It's not fenced near the road and there are always people walking and exercising their dogs there, mostly off-lead. Strictly speaking, it's supposed to be an on-lead area but the club has never had any issues there. I think because the park is unfenced, the people who have their dogs off-lead there are ones who have a reliable recall/ training. Little wonder so many kids have no idea how to interact with dogs (with the kind of fearful over-reaction being modeled by the parents/club). An ignorant over-reaction by the club (and that mother) IMHO. A lot of people are more fearful of large dogs too (not sure if yours are). In your case, your dogs were under control, and were nowhere near the kids. I wonder if they have mistaken you for someone else they've faced with problem dogs? Or if they've had problems in the past? Not an excuse, just a thought...

I think Petplan offers 6 weeks free insurance on puppies to registered breeders? Worth asking them about it. My pup came with 6 weeks free insurance.

And another No, and I wasn't waiting at home for my dog to develop allergies either, but he did. I'm glad I already had pet insurance though, as his allergy treatment is expensive. Petplan are covering the condition and have been good to deal with.

How heartbreaking and awful. Please don't blame yourself for this, you did everything you could for her. Shelby looks so beautiful in those photos, and very much loved. My heart goes out to you. RIP gorgeous Shelby.

Love the mud monster pic Donatella!

Many people think of non-shedding coats as 'hypoallergenic' compared to shedding coats too. I know of people who are allergic to dogs saliva, so coat type is not the only allergen to consider. I have a shedding breed and find that he doesn't shed much at all, and has no doggy odour. He is washed regularly but rarely brushed. On the other hand I have friends with non-shedding breeds who, if life gets busy and grooming falls by the wayside, have a distinct doggy 'lanolin' smell after a while. I recognize that I'm too lazy to have a non-shedding or long-coated breed. I'd rather walk a dog than fiddle about with grooming any day. To each their own though.

I dremel Bruno's nails every couple of weeks. He gets walked on concrete paths daily, but our backyard is mostly grass so that doesn't wear the nails down. Some of the nails don't need much done but there's one on each paw that doesn't wear down enough naturally. I find the dremel gives a smooth finish and reduces the amount of scratching on our wood floors. Plus Bruno hates clippers but is fine with the dremel. I find doing it regularly is best as he's calmer about things that are just routine.

Sorry, double post.

I'm on my phone, so I can't see what state you live in Booge. I second OSoswift's suggestions. First contact his breeder and if they can't help, your state Boxer Club and Boxer rescue. So sorry that it's come to this. Take care.

Both of you raise an interesting point about how well the RSPCA is able to judge the health of a sighthound. While waiting at the vet last week, an RSPCA officer brought in a borzoi. She was lean, but I just assumed she was a typical borzoi (having never seen one in the flesh before) and thought nothing of it. It wasn't until we later that a staff member commented on the underweight condition of the borzoi and mentioned that she was 'an abuse case.' Now the staff member probably shouldn't have shared that information with me, but I've been pondering it ever since. I know that the 'abuse' could relate to the conditions the dog was kept in, or any number of things, but I do hope that she is fairly assessed by a vet who knows the breed. Particularly if her weight was part of the complaint that was made against her owner.

JulesP might have a better suggestion, but the dermatologist had us using Lamasil on a suspected fungal outbreak (it turned out not to be fungal in Bruno's case!). I think Lamasil is a tinea cream, available from pharmacies. Again, I'm no expert, but my allergy dog has redness and itching in totally different areas to what you've described. I think he is a fairly classic allergy dog from what the dermatologist has said. His itchy areas are his paws (chews them), belly and underside, axillary/'armpit' areas, ears, muzzle and to an extent his rear flanks. The fact that your dog had the itchy symptoms at the same time last year is interesting though. That could be a coincidence but it could suggest some sort of environmental allergen (eg. a plant that releases pollen in autumn).

How frustrating Stan's mum. Not good for Maddie's confidence to be rushed and barked at. We have an on-lead only nature reserve nearby and so many people seem to think the rules don't apply to them. The people who flaunt the on-lead rule so often have dogs that are not under effective control. We've been rushed so many times that I hardly walk there now.

Ooh fingers crossed for little Lewis swimmers....and baby whippets OSoSwift.

Not quite unfortunately. For environmental allergies there's a skin prick test and a blood (serum) test. For food allergies you still need to put the dog on an elimination diet. I don't think there is a blood test available to test for food allergies yet.

Allergies are frustrating. So no redness on her feet, but do you see her chewing/licking her paws or legs at all? I found that I was going in circles seeing our regular vet regarding skin issues. I started to get definitive answers once we saw a dermatologist. Maybe ask for a referral?

Oh I missed the episode too, thanks for the link Gillbear. Jed, like many others, I've read of your ordeal on Dol. I admire your strength in getting through such terrible circumstances and loss. And I marvel at the fact that you have retained a sense of humour despite it all.

Nope. Not funny at all to me. And as you described, no fun at all for the little dog to experience that sort of fear either. I had a first hand experience of the phenomena when visiting my sister interstate. She asked me to walk her 2 Chi's while she was at work. Her female Chi has issues (has bitten my sister numerous times) the male is as happy as Larry. While I was walking them, the female suddenly lunged, growling and barking at a woman. I apologised and moved on quickly, but the woman laughed and thought she was 'cute and hilarious.' When I told my sister about it, she agreed that if a dog as big as mine (boxer) did the same things, it would be no laughing matter.

Have you travelled anywhere or stayed in hotels etc. recently? From what I understand, bedbugs can be accidently transported home if they've hidden in suitcase seams/ lining. The first thing many of us do when we arrive home is plonk our luggage on the bed to unpack it. I'm itchy just thinking about that.

Two quite different breeds, but what about a whippet or a pug?

Just thinking a little more about it, I would definitely wipe it after the walk as it is greasy. I don't know if it might therefore make her more susceptible to sunburn if it's left on? I would just ask the pharmacist before buying it. Edited: A Zorro mask would look awesome on a BT!

I use Dermeze as a barrier for one of my kids who has eczma (on Doctor's advice). It's available from pharmacies and is more 'spreadable' than Vaseline. It almost liquifies with the heat of skin contact, so is easy to apply. I also use it on my allergy dog on outbreaks of flaky dry skin. It's cheap, non-perfumed and human grade. Might be worth a try? Dermeze Edit: I would wipe it off with a soft cloth after the walk.

Here we go. Media beat up. Frankly, I find it hard to not get passionate about someone being bailed up by several large dogs. Hard to imagine a much more terrifying situation. What a shame the man wasn't mauled to death, then maybe it would be worth getting a bit heated and passionate about it, hey? Why don't you try it and see how you fare. Good point but not admissible in Court based on the evidence presented here. It could have been set up. Maybe he hurt his arm somewhere else, knew the dogs, and is stiching someone up to pay the costs. Huh A Tralee post that makes no sense. Inconceivable! :laugh:

Good point about the footpath etc. Rosetta. We live in Perth and I've only been there on a holiday, without our dog.