pennysvn14

The other thing to keep in mind is that vet clinics do not pay the same amount of money to buy a drug that your chemist do. Vet clinics may buy and keep in stock maybe 2 or 3 packets of a certain drug, whereas a chemist probably buys 100 or more at a time. Like with most things, buying in bulk results in a cheaper price for the purchaser. Some chemists (especially online ones) can sell you a drug for cheaper than what the vet can buy it in the first place.

Have you tried the Eukanuba Skin & Coat Plus (formally Response FP)? My dog is doing well on it. He was on the RC Hypo previously. The Euk is a bit cheaper too although not a lot.

I have read this thread with hope that's turned to sadness. I am so sorry about Cookie. I hope that karma gets the SCUM that did this to her and that they suffer a cold, painful death. Unlike Cookie who found peace and love with you and your family. Sending you hugs at this horrible time. RIP lovely Cookie.

Hope it is ok to poke my nose into this thread... I love all staffs, and also have a secret weakness for pitties. I just love the look and personality of bull breeds. My old staff who died last year basically ruined me for any other breed. Least favourite breed? I would have said GSDs a while ago but have now met some LOVELY ones who have completely changed my mind about them. So I will just say anything that is small and yaps. It's not their fault they weren't born a staffy!

Ah, I know. Fingers crossed!

Hey again All, Yeah, I told her that whippets aren't the best dogs for being left alone. She ignored that. She obviously likes the thin, leggy look because her initial thought was to get an Italian greyhound. We can thank Jenna Marbles for that, I think. Maybe the price tag of those particular dogs put her onto BYB whippets? I have mulled over this all day. I wish that I didn't feel as strongly as I do about this sort of thing. It makes me feel physically sick. I guess that everyone probably has someone in their life who doesn't listen to them when we think they should. It's just frustrating when it's the dog that will suffer in the end

Ugh, I've just realised my whole weekend will be ruined if I keep dwelling on this. So with that, I wash my hands. Thanks anyway all. Hopefully next time I post it will be with something nicer to talk about!

I had written her a list of the things she would need to pay for, just in the first year (ie vaccinations, microchip, sterilisation, hw prevention, etc etc etc) and the actual cost of these. I also said that if the whippet parents of her puppy were so great, why didn't the registered breeder who bred them want to keep them themselves. She said that maybe the breeder didn't mean for the girl dog to get pregnant so she just "gave" the parents to these *enter appropriate expletive* backyard breeders. When someone is really just that naive, then what hope have I, or anyone else, of convincing her otherwise? I use the word naive instead of mind-numbingly stupid, just so I don't sound like a complete b***h!

She has the maturity of a child in primary school. Don't get me wrong, I am not basing my concerns on her age. I also owned pets at that age. I have just had a long conversation with her which has not ended well unfortunately. She cannot see past the $350 price tag. I have warned her about genetic problems and about diseases such as parvo. I have said that a registered breeder is providing you with a dog that has generations of knowledge behind it. I have even directed her to dogswest and its list of breeders. Her friends all have lovely designer dogs that are healthy (wonder if their vets agree) so she cannot see that spending a bit more now on the puppy may result in saving thousands over its lifetime. Obviously there's nothing I can do now except offer her advice when its here. Sigh. Quite depressing.

You may be right Gayle. I don't think that she is going to listen to me. She seems to think that she can get the "breeder" to sign a contract to say that the puppy is healthy, and that she can take it back to them and get a refund if it's not! I guess that I am just distressed that I can't convince her not to do this. And I can see me ending up with a whippet at the end of it all.

Unfortunately, no such laws currently exist in WA. Much to my disgust. I told her that given how huge a commitment this is, surely she wants to do things right, right from the start. She just argues back about all her friends with their cute pet shop puppies who are all "really healthy". I want to sit down and tell her all the stories about the "not so healthy" puppies that I see...

Hello everyone. I have been lurking here for a while but never posted... I am actually a Vet Nurse, have been doing it for almost 8 years, and love it. I am struggling to find the right words to educate the girlfriend of my husband's brother... She has decided she wants a whippet. This came about after 2 weeks of umming and ahhing over breeds after a friend of hers bought a pet shop puppy. My brother in law has emailed me asking me to help, as they don't know a thing about whippets. Or any health protocols that should be followed. They have found some puppies that are being sold at 6 weeks of age, for $350 only, because by selling them at 6 weeks they don't have to pay for vaccinations. I am distraught. I am struggling to find the words to let them know what potential things can go wrong here. If this was a client, or a person on the street, I would have no qualms about how to explain things, but I guess that the family thing has got me tongue tied. Any suggestions gladly taken. I am also trying to explain to them that this is potentially a 15 year commitment. This girl is 22. She rents. My BIL works on the mines and is never home. She is still at TAFE and works part time. Should I be letting her take a dodgy, back yard bred puppy, because frankly, I do feel sorry for any registered breeder that sells a puppy to her? Unfortunately, my damn ethics won't let me just stand by and let some poor puppy end up being dumped when she realises that she has no time for it anymore. Or when it stops being cute. So I need some words. Thanks in advance. Penny