Possumeyes

BoldNFearless, I am yet to discover a hard and fast rule with what a dog will give you count wise. I have a 6 year old dog who is only 500 million and I've had a 10 year old still producing billions. Some bloods lines in my breed seem to produce less sperm younger then others. 1) A fresh count anything over 100 million of healthy sperm is enough to get a bitch pregnant according to the experts but it varies greatly between breeds and dogs Ive found 2) A frozen semen report should have pre and post thaw number on it and the final count with the straws should be post thaw as they are the numbers you/your vet are working with when using the semen down the track. Some semen does not freeze well and despite being in the billions when fresh post thaw can be significantly less. 3 & 4) Preferred count comes down to the vet your using preference. I have had success with frozen with just over 100 million (post thaw) and I've had a failure with 250 million (post thaw). When bringing in from overseas and i have semen from a number of countries they seem to count 100 - 120 million (post thaw) as 1 mating . I have done fresh AI's with older dogs that vets had said very small chance and produced reasonable size litters & i had fresh AI's with proven dog to proven bitch and got 2 pups. Mother nature gets a say here and with our interference some times i think she has a wicked sense of humour

OMG so sorry to hear RIP Roger

Having lived with both pure bred Amstaffs and pure bred Staffords not only are there significant physical differences they have very different personalities in my experience. English Staffords or Staffordshire Bull Terriers are 14 - 16 inches are quite stocky in appearance. There heads should be approx 1/3 muzzle 2/3 skull. Amstaffs or American Staffordshire Terriers are 17 - 19 inches and have more leg, a more elongated head with not as distinct stop I find Staffords more energetic and exuberant then Amstaffs. Staffords like to be "doing" things with you whereas I've found even from a young age Amstaffs are more willing to just be with you even if that's laying on the lounge.

I have a boy with a sore shoulder he's been x rayed and nothing obvious. He's been on anti inflammatory medications and been rested. He's now getting muscle wastage on the shoulder. He was improving with a trip to Nelson (Chiro/Muscle man Sth Brisbane) but Nelson has been away and is expected to be away for a while. I guess I'm asking can anyone recommend a canine massage therapist / chiropractor or similar south side Brisbane area or Gold Coast? Thanks in advance

QUESTIONS 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Owner/Breeder - First Cairn born in 1994 but have only bred a couple of litters due to my involvement with other kennels 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Breed developed in Scotland to hunt vermin in small piles of rocks called "Cairns" 3. How common is it in Australia? Very popular with those who know what they are :) Certainly are a few around but id say they aren't that common 4. What is the average lifespan? 10 - 14 years but my first boy lived to be 17years and 10 months. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Cheeky, outgoing and busy. They can be quite independent animals when required but will be excited to see you and enjoy pats and cuddles. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? A decent back yard will keep a cairn happy as long as you spend time with him/her and provide them with things to entertain them. They love to get out and investigate the outside world so as a general rule i would reccomd a walk a couple of times a week to satisfy there need to investigate :) 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? They are a low maintence breed on a whole so as long as you have a secure yard and understand they are terriers and can display those instincts. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I find they will amuse themselves during the day as long as you give them things to do and play with. If you leave them with nothing to do they will find their own entertainment such as digging up your gardens, barking at the birds or getting up to mischief. I find on a whole they are good when occupied mind you I have a barrel of toys and play objects that i rotate through. Cairns like to be on things so simple things like a box can provide hours of entertainment. 9. How much grooming is required? As a pet they are relatively low maintence. Their coat does not matt on a whole nor shed. A good brush everynow and then and a trip to the groomer twice a year would probably be all that is reuired. I reccomend hand stripping which although sound painful is actually quite good for there coat and skin. If you clip your cairn be aware that it will soften there coat and no longer have that rugged appearence. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? The cairn is a small hardy breed so yes can be quite good with small children HOWEVER like any dog there is a point where they have had enough so always supervise children with any dog. I generally reccomend older people dont take on a puppy but an older cairn past the puppy stage can be an ideal companion. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Slipping patella's and PSS (Livershunt) 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Pups should be shunt tested and paper work supplied with pup.

I unfortuantely think restricting the LR will only mean more breeders desex their pups before they go to new homes. There are already a number of breeders that I know of doing this. So yes they go on Main Register but they cant be bred from registered or not. DOgs Qld need to approach this differently ... numbers are dropping not becuase breeders wont sell but becuase the show world is no long fun its a win at all cost caper. I dont need to purchase a dog (have several "pets" of my own) how ever i regularly choose not to enter shows as I can mark the catalogue before i turn up so why waste the money. Yes its a cynical view but its honest ... the numbers will not increase until people treat it like a hobby to be enjoyed and not a competition for sheep stations. I will sell on main and have done but when a new potentional show person turns up and views my litter and says they wont be good enough I get a bit upset. Thankfully the pup found a wonderful home and is doing relatively well in the ring. LR is the least of QLD's problems and there are far greater issues that need to be addressed.

I would think that a late stage abortion is a bitch problem and nothing to do with the quality of the semen. Did you do prog testing through the pregnancy? Ultrasounds? I was not blaming Phil at all he is a fantastic vet and great at what he does however its a very costly exercise compared to what others pay. I also live about 45 mins - 1 hour away and he has no boarding facilities so it is difficult to get time off work to do all the running around required given its about a 3 hour round trip on a good day ie work to home to phil to home to work.

Thanks guys for the info :) The semen is supposedly good quality I have used Gerry, Phil and previously Manly road and all have said semen was good. The bitches have susequently fallen pregnant to either natural matings or fresh AI. Gerry missed a girl to chilled and next season she had 7 pups to a natural mating based on prog results from the same machine. Phil had success but the bitch aborted the litter between 5 / 6 weeks I have also noted a lot of 1 pup litters being produced from insemination in qld when the same semen was successful (4 - 8 pups) interstate. Im seriously considering travelling to use a different vet but worried about the stress on the bitch?

I know there has been general threads regarding who recommends who in to use of frozen semen but after having had multiple attempts with what was according to the vet/s good quality semen and achieveing nothing I am curious as to who has had success with frozen semen? If you have had success which vet did you use (specifically for me from Brisbane area)? I am considering sending a girl interstate after so many failures in Qld has anyone done this and had success? If you dont wish to publically name a vet feel free to PM.

Hi All, Is anyone traveling from Brisbane to Perth between now and mid to late September that could take a dog as excess baggage? I was supposed to take her back as excess baggage but have now been scheduled for surgery and hoping to avoid a $600 bill to send her as freight. Thanks everyone Kristy

Hi All, I havent posted in ages but figured this may be the best place to start for some ideas Have just bought a property (very excited) we have previously always rented houses with kennels and land. The new house has land but no existing kennels or runs. I have plans to put 4 runs / kennels using the exisiting lined double garage as the base. Having their sleeping quarters inside the shed and runs out the front through the doors. I hope that makes sense. I'm not at all contrsuctionally minded so I know Im not doing the contrsuction side of things LOL. I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of someone / company who could do the building to my specs? Negotiable on costs and happy for it to be "cash in hand" for some to come do the job. The new property is near Jimboomba in SE Queensland and hoping for the install to start in September 2011. Thanking everyone in advance

Thanks everyone for your advice. She gets sardines in oil every second day but i will try the Malaseb. Vet has examined the dog and has said it is not mange.

Hi Everyone, Have never had this problem well at least never this persistent. One of my Staffys has Dandruff and I can't get rid of it. It looks terrible, all these white flakes on a near black coat. I have tried a few basic things but nothing seems to work, any suggestions???

HI Everyone, Would highly reccommend Big Dogs I have been feeding my guys The Edge Chicken for over 6 months now. They love it always have clean bowls, shiny coats, firm stools, generally everything seems to go down well. Hope you guys can get it don't kno what I did before they came along.