Blackdogs

Yep. A few days after I wrote this (and considered ditching them) my dog ended up needing a $5000 surgery.

How traumatic for you to have such a sudden loss. What a beauty he was.

So sorry to hear of this. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?

Ugh. Just called them because I realised they'd not taken payments out for three months. (Called them the day before with an enquiry and they didn't mention any problems). Apparently they'd lost my account details in their database transition. I have two dogs and a cat insured, so I asked them to hold off until after I'd been paid Monday to take the whopping sum out. They agreed. And then promptly took the entire sum out two hours after our phone call. What is up with this company? Do they actually not want clients? I recommend this company several times a day. I'm hesitant to do that now.

I would definitely look into a show line Kelpie.

If it's dementia related, you don't actually have to live with that, there is s drug called Vivitonin that increases the blood flow to the brain and reduces the effects of dementia. It's been known to be very effective. Perhaps you should mention it to your vet.

Interesting about the link between thyroid issues and cruciate disease. Some studies have linked early desexing to thyroid issues and cruciate disease but not linked them.

Spinosad is the active ingredient in Comfortis. Might be worth researching. Very effective against fleas.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=92f_1391726537 Full vid if anyone is interested.

Has he been titred? The presence of a dog of questionable immunity at my local vets would piss me off big time. What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing. Actually Haredown, The dog with "questionable" immunity, according to the WSAVA paper will have adequate protection. It has been vaccinated several times and a normal dog will seroconvert. Also, if it regularly visits a place such a a vet hospital it will have developed a good "wild" type of immunity (or street immunity as it used to be called) simply because it has been placed in a situation where it will have exposure to all sorts of bugs and viruses...... sick dogs go to vet hospitals too !! It will be a very healthy and strong individual. "What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing." I dont understand what you mean by this. Could you please elaborate a little bit more. Just one more word on KC. It's possible for KC to be passed from human to dog. Some of the bacterial upper respiratory bugs that we get can be transferred to our dogs via aerosol contamination (ie when we cough), so to blame another dog for passing on the disease is not always correct. Some of the bordatella infections that we get are also the same as those that dogs get. We dont quarantine people who have a cough..... half the country's population would be locked at home if we did. Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying that coughing dogs should not be kept at home, I'm just drawing attention to the fact that there are other sources of U/R infections in dogs and the matter is not as simple as many would like to think. A lot of people dont understand immunology well. Do you have any sources to support the idea that humans can transmit KC to dogs?

I'm not a big fan of over-vaccinating, but I have to say that I've watched KC spread like wildfire through local populations and an outbreak in a kennel can be incredibly difficult to get rid of. While it's less serious in young, healthy dogs, older dogs can be adversely affected. Should the immunity of many to the more serious strains be considered for the safety of a few? If everyone stopped vaccinating against KC, wouldn't there be a much higher rate of affected dogs? Just thinking out loud.

As far as I'm aware, the Kennel Cough component of the annual vaccine doesn't tend to last more than 12 months in the system. Do titre tests cover this component?

If you want a fairly independent dog who is a whole lot of terrier a Jagdterrier will certainly do the job. It just depends how much terrier you can handle!

Probably the fire in frankston, tintin.

Hope everyone has this tab up: http://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/#now A bit worried about the Grampians as I have friends there.

I love doing this too! The only problem is I don't know anyone else who enjoys this very much, so I'm stuck doing it solo like a sad, lone little dog geek. :D

I would be kennelling them in an air conditioned boarding facility in a low risk area while you're at work.

You sound well prepared, Spotted Devil. For those who have more unusual pets like livestock, horses, reptiles and small mammals, do you have any tips? I wouldn't even know where to start, personally.

Great idea Leah!

For any people who are unaware the fire authority predicts the worst weather conditions in Vic on Friday since black Saturday with winds reaching 100km after four days of high temperatures. Keep yourselves and your babies safe and for those in high risk areas, make sure you have a solid evacuation plan. ETA: If anyone has any evacuation or 'keeping pets cool' tips for others, feel free to post them here. My number one and probably most obvious tip is to make sure your pets are inside and out of the heat and they have plenty of water!

Yeah, my kelpie had been trained to stay very still while I balance all manner of things on his head. No doubt he would do the same with the blanket.

Mine make absolutely certain that I exercise daily and will not take no for an answer! Excellent PT coaches.

Wow - your dogs' ages are terrific - great to hear. They obviously have a wonderful life with you. :) Yes. I want to know the secret.

My dog hates GSDs. Apart from one. As soon as he laid eyes on her he flirted endlessly (she is deseed, BTW). I think they do.

This is how I interpret things and it's reflected on most product packaging size charts. However, I've always had small dogs (JRT size) before my Kelpie and so has my family, so he's always referred to as a 'big dog'. As far as what is normal physically, I always gravitate towards dogs that have similar proportions to wolves. Dogs with short legs, long ears, long or curly coats, long or short noses, huge jowls and a lot of skin don't seem 'normal' to me, although I admire all breeds of dogs and fantasise about owning many of these 'abnormal' breeds. I have so far stuck with the 'normal' proportions: Kelpie, Schipperke, Terrier cross.