longdogs

Have sent you a pm

Thank you Jemapelle and Papillon Kisses, I will pass on your information. Paws and Whiskers sounds great. I know a few people use that vet and swear by them.

Yes Mjosa, I have offered, but I now live nearly 4 hours away from them. The dog has been boarded at the same kennel for a few years now and has been fine with it, always happy to go the kennels, regardless of him being an inside dog.

Sandgrubber I have no idea how to edit the heading to include location

One of my puppy owners is looking for a boarding kennel in Brisbane southside preferably, but will consider northside. The kennel she has been using for the last few years has changed hands and she doesn't feel comfortable going there anymore. Dog is a 7 year old Dachshund Smooth Haired. Any and all recommendations greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Qld main reg papers are now blue and have Certified Pedigree written across the top

Huge congratulations to Glenn and Jan Scott and their standard smooth dachie Ch. Bekkri Oh So Smooth on winning BIS and his Grand Ch. title. I am so proud to be his breeder.

I go to Cityvet in Waterford, both clinics are owned by the same person, Alan Cornick. Alan is my vet and an excellent vet and surgeon, not just my opinion, but the opinion of others too. I have had bitches desexed, lumps removed etc, and the scar is almost non existant. He is also a lovely caring man.

Huski, There is a fish market on Logan Road at Underwood, near Pattons Big Gun butchers that sells whole sardines for $6 a kg

It doesn't sound like a back problem to me given the results of those tests you tried, but I am neither a vet nor a chiro. Might be a good idea to let your vet have a look at her. I would still keep the chiro appointment though. Hopefully it is only something minor and easily fixed.

[so the calcifications are linked to the spine collapsing? How interesting that they come and go. ] The spine doesn't "collapse" per se. The disc explodes, and it is this exploded material that causes swelling of the spinal cord and either partial or complete paralysis. [i guess it would throw a spanner in the works of some breeders if they had to xray every dog before breeding with them. And because the calcifications only appear after 18 months that would mean that they couldn't breed before then.] Oh I am more than happy to "throw a spanner in the works of some breeders" There are a lot that deserve it. [What age can hip scores be done?] When I had my gsd's done it was not before 12 months, but I have been out of that breed for quite a few years now, so it may have changed.

They are looking for calcifications. Xraying needs to be done between 18 months and 3 years of age. They don't show up before 18 months and are usually gone by 3 years of age. Is there any testing available either here or overseas for hernivertebra in pugs?

Often when there is a back injury the tail is held down and slightly tucked under in an arc. The chiro is a good idea. These are a couple of checks you can do while waiting for the chiro appt. Feel his tummy, is it tight like a drum? Turn the toes on his back feet under and put his foot back down, 1 foot at a time. Does he correct his foot immediately? Hold a piece of his favourite food in front of him and move it slowly towards one side of him then the other. Then move it down to his front feet, then over his head towards his back. Then let me know the results. ETA oops sorry, just reread she's a girl

Thank you KellyLouise and Nattylou. That is my dream for the future, that it will be the norm rather than the exception

I just need to share my excitement. I am in the process of starting back xraying for ivdd in dachshunds in Australia. There is currently no testing for this at present in this country. I am so sick of hearing about paralyzed dachies, and it seems to be happening more and more. A lot of breeders just don't care what they breed with, and I just get so irate. I have been looking for nearly 2 years now for a suitable dog to put my girl to, but there is nothing in this country, bar one, I can use. Either they are too close or they carry health issues, of which ivdd is only one. I am in the process right now of bringing in frozen semen from the US. Denmark introduced back xraying for dachies a few years ago and it is now mandatory over there to xray before breeding, which I think is fantastic. I can only hope in years to come that Australia will follow, probably not in my lifetime, but if I can be instrumental in starting it, I will be very happy for the future of my beloved breed. I have gathered as much information as I can from Denmark and passed it on to my vet, who I must say is fantastic, and is more than willing to purchase the necessary state of the art xray machine, going to cost him a pretty penny no doubt, and me too. The films need to be sent back to Denmark to be read, and the first xray may not be acceptable, so I could need to do it a few times. This happened when Denmark first started it, took a few xrays before they got it right. I am hoping within a few months my vet will be ready to go ahead with xraying my girl. I am quietly confident of a good result as I have been very, very selective over the years what I breed with, and to my knowledge, none of the pups I have bred have ever had a back problem. Thank you for letting me share my excitement.

That is great news about Valentino. Sounds like he will walk again if he is already able to wee and stand. It may take months, but I think he will get there. Keep up his physio and if you are able to get him to swim, do it. It doesn't have to be a pool, the bathtub will do. Make it deep enough so he can't quite reach the bottom. You will have to support his rear to start with, but because there is no pressure on his legs, you should find he will start to use them sooner than he would on a hard surface. It will help to build up his muscle tone. Also give him some vitamin c daily, I recommend Ester C. Keep him on it for life, and give it to your others too. It helps to strengthen the ligaments around the spine. If he is a mini give him 500mg daily, for a standard give 1000mg daily. I wish you and Valentino all the best for a complete recovery.

I have had dachies for over 30 years, and have had 2 with back problems. The first was my own fault, she used to go up and down a full flight of stairs many times a day. I didn't realise at the time that it was damaging her spine. The second was my boy Basil, who I lost to heart failure earlier this year at 10 years of age. He had 3 back episodes, none requiring surgery. Cortisone, vitamin c and crate rest got him back on his feet each time. When a dachie descends stairs they tend to bounce down 1 step at a time because their legs are too short to be able to walk down. This constant jarring is what does the damage. The three major contributors to IVDD, commonly known as slipped disk, are: #1 - It is hereditary #2 - Being overweight #3 - Jumping down and descending stairs Slipped disk is an incorrect term for IVDD, the disk actually ruptures, and it is the swelling around the rupture that compresses the spinal cord to cause paralysis. Settrlvr, you said very few showies have back problems in their dogs. Wrong, I know of heaps, all registered breeders and showies, yes they are registered breeders, but in my opinion not ethical when they knowingly breed from a bitch or use a dog at stud when they know for a fact that they carry the defective gene. Yes, it can be bred out with very select breeding, a handful of us are trying, but when you have a large number of "breeders" who don't give a rat's, we are fighting a losing battle. I did have it behind my dogs 12 to 15 years ago, but with very careful breeding, I am now 99% certain I have bred out the defective gene. KKKD you said you were reluctant to get another dachie, because all 3 of yours have gone down. It could well be that your 3 came from lines that carry the defective gene or it is because of the stairs. If you consider getting another one, do your homework, ask plenty of questions, although some breeders are great liars, so it does make it hard. However if you do want another one, i am more than willing to steer you towards some reputable breeders, you only have to ask.

Village Veterinary Care Clinic Is in Wharf Street at Logan Village. Ph. # 5546 3909. Ask to see David. He is an excellent vet. I am not sure if they have an avian specialist though.

Yes, I asked them a few weeks ago, but couldn't remember the name of it then, told them it was an enzymatic toothpaste, and could they source some for me. I rang them again today after I remembered the name and manufacturer.

I have been trying to find C.E.T. Enzymatic toothpaste. It is made by Virbac. I used to use it years ago, and it was fantastic, but I can't find a supplier any more. I have since used other brands, but they aren't anywhere near as good as the c.e.t. Hopefully someone will know where I can get it.

longdogs: This is the site I was actually looking at. It's my understanding that you don't need a prescription from this site. Did you just order it? Did you contact customs? Also how did your dogs respond to this medication? Mine was on Fortekore but the vet thinks that Vetmedin will increase his life expectance. ETA: I just received an email from Inhouse Pharmacy stating that they aren't able to send Vetmedin as it's destroyed upon entry into Australia. Any other suggestions?? TIA! Wildfire. I just ordered online from them, no prescription required. I did not contact customs, I received it in the mail just over 1 week after ordering. They must have changed their shipping rules since I got my last lot in January. That is very strange, as it is actually manufactured in Australia, either Sydney or Newcastle, can't remember which. My boy Basil died in February. He had been taking it for about 6 months and there was definitely an improvement in his quality of life after he started on it. His was not cardiomyopathy though, he had a leaking left mitral valve, it was only a matter of time.

Hi Wildfire, I was getting my Vetmedin from www.inhousepharmacy.com/pet-carevetmedin.html It was way cheaper than from my vet, even with the exchange rate and postage. I also got Flusapex from them cheaper too.

You cannot give too much calcium, provided it is from natural sources [ie bones or chicken mince made from ground carcasses]. I would be concerned about the calcium in the Vets All Natural mix. Artificial calcium can and does cause bone problems in dogs, whereas natural calcium does not. Any excess natural calcium is excreted via the bowel, this is what makes the poos white. If you are noticing white poos, give extra oil to help them pass through. The oils I use are cod liver, extra virgin cold pressed olive, and flax seed. I feed mine very much what you are feeding, [minus the commercial food] plus juiced vegies and juice. I have reared a few litters this way, I increase the chicken wings and necks while the puppies are growing, and never add artificial calcium. It is quite common for puppies to go down on their pasterns while teething, not all but a lot do. Ester C may strengthen the ligaments and certainly won't do any harm. Mine get Ester c daily.

My dogs get fruit as part of their barf diet. I buy whatever is not too expensive at the time. definitely no grapes as they are toxic to dogs, but pretty much everything else. Their favourite fruit? They would kill for mango but they have to get it off me first, and that is not likely to happen lol

I would have the vet test for lupus [ discoid lupus erythematosus] It looks very like it to me, but I am not a vet. I had a GSD with discoid lupus many years ago, and his nose looked identical.