Joycie

Today I had to say goodbye to Sox, and 8 year old English Fox Terrier. He had been waiting for a forever home for nearly 2 years, yet no-one wanted him. What a special little guy he was, what a character, I loved him so much, and I will miss him terribly. He had cancer in his spine and over the last 5-6 weeks he lost the use of one of his back legs, but even as a tripod he zoomed around like a lunatic. Last week his good leg started to weaken and over the last 48 hours he gradually lost what use he had. But what a little trooper! He lasted 4 weeks longer than the vets expected and I am so grateful to have had that time with him. Run free, my brave Sox, now you can bark and chase the horses as much as you like! :p

Pampa, keeping my fingers crossed for you poor girl. Big (gentle) hugs to her. After putting it off and putting it off, begging and pleading with my resident mice to vacate the premises, last week I had to buy mice bait for the first time (I even cried when I purchased it). Humane traps didn't work, the mice worked out how to get out of them. I am totally paranoid about the baits and the possibility of my dogs getting to them. I've put baits in the spare bedrooms that the dogs don't have access to, and a couple up high in the kitchen. One night it occurred to me that what if the dogs ingest a mouse poo? The next morning I got up to find that what I thought was a poo in the middle of the loungeroom floor was in fact a chewed up mouse. I phoned the manufacturs of Talon, made here in Oz and was told the following: While the packet states most deaths occur within 4-7 days, it can take up to 12 days for the animal to die. Mouse droppings will not harm domestic pets as the poison stays in the rodent's body and any poison that may be in the poo would be of such minor volume it would have no effect. Chewing on a dead mouse killed by Talon will not harm your pet, apparently the amount needed to kill a dog is in the region of 400grams. (Not sure I believe that one.) While it was reassuring, I am still not taking any chances! My dogs used to be able to get under the house, but I've now tied up some old gates to the area they could sneak in to, just in case there are carcasses around. The Talon guy also said that the poison makes the rodents very thirsty so they often will leave the house in search of water. I've put water bowls in the spare rooms in the hope they'll use them instead of my dogs water bowls. I've recovered 2 chewed-up mice so far - and keeping a close eye on the dogs too. I've got into the habit of doing a quick reccie around the living areas and verandahs before I let them out the bedroom in the morning, just in case. Living in a rural area means that mice are going to be an ongoing problem for me, but the sooner I can get rid of the baits the better. The mice have even got onto the spare bed, and I noticed they took a pellet up there with them. So those sheets will be put onto the hottest cycle my washing machine can handle! Someone showed me some industrial mouse traps used with baits - like big box with a hole in them, lockable so that domestic animals can't get to the baits. Very hard to get hold of unfortunately. So everyone needs to be vigilant, if you think your pet has eaten a bait get it to a vet, 12 days is a long time to wait, and it amy be too late. Pampa, your girl is very lucky, she is obviously a fighter!

I've had to contend with this in the 6 months. First was a 2 year old rotty girl (foster) who didn't respond to the propalin, but stilboestrol worked like magic! She's now in a great home. I currently have a 12 year old lab x rotty who is incontinent. Stilboestrol didn't work, so now we are trying Incurin to see if that works (doubled the dose yesterday). Plenty more options to explore though if that doesn't work. The hardest part is keeping up with the cleaning - I have hard floors so that's not so bad, but it's the dog beds I have down that she plays musical beds with that I find hard to keep up with all the washing. Hopefully over the next few weeks it can be sorted.... Bottom line is Mana, there are lots of options out there, it may just take a little while to find out which medication your girl responds to best. What your girl is experiencing is probably to do with the sphincter muscle around the bladder (leaking happens when the dog is laying down) - the meds which are hormone-based help to tighten up the muscles. Good luck, let us know the outcome!

Love you...

You may have to spend a bit of time trialling different foods to see what works and what doesn't. First thing I'd do is cut out the pet mince - the red meat is probably the likely culpit. Change to chicken mince which is much blander than red meat and try that for a month. Otherwise, a premium brand puppy kibble and supplement with chicken necks/wings/carcasses is also the way to go. I stopped feeding my dogs red meat years ago, they had smelly poo and often had the runs - chicken or fish is what they dine on now and thye LOOOOVE it! I have heard that some dogs have allergies to red meat too. Good luck!

Once a week is a bit much - his natural oils are being stripped from his skin hence the flaking. You shouldn't wash more often than once a fortnight unless absolutely necessary (like rolling in something )! Oatmeal-based shampoos are very good for the skin, as well as feeding a small can of sardines once a week - the oil give them a glossy coat! Or you could try and cheat - you can but this stuff that you spray on which makes them smell nice (so you wouldn't have to bath him so often), and no-one would know the difference! Sorry don't know the name of it, a friend of mine is a dog groomer and I've seen her use it. Goodluck and enjoy your visits!

I think they are great - I've never had any problems, but like anything, there can be side effects in a small number of dogs. However I recommend it to all our rescue dog adopters, and most get the yearly injection, that way you don't even have to think about it.

The effect of paralysis ticks can take up to 3 days to show symptoms - why don't you just pop into your vet with the tick and ask them to identify it - I doubt they'd charge you for that, and you will then either have peace of mind or can whip you dog straight in if it's a nasty.

Doggy chocs and biscuits aren't made with human chocolate - usually carob instead.

A few suggestions: Frontline spray rather than the applications can be very good - a freind of mine is a groomer and she recommends it to people who have simalar problems. I use Advantage Duo on my dogs and they never have fleas (hope I haven't just jinxed myself!). When you wash your pet's bedding add a couple of drops of tea tree oil into the final rinse, or if it's not washable, add a couple of drops to a laundry squirt bottle and mist over all the beds - fleas HATE the smell of tea tree oil, it worked wonders when I had a problem about 15 years ago. I also added a drop or two to the final rinse when I washed the dogs. They didn't like the smell much either, but at least the fleas were gone! Garlic as suggested in an above post is also great, add in a little every day, acts as a natural insect repellant. Good luck!

Hi Mel About 6 weeks ago I took on foster dog with brain damage - he has been with us for about 4 years, and has little chance of being adopted, he had been in a few foster homes, but they couldn't cope with his particular behavioural problems! Luckily he seems to be very happy with me, and I haven't had any problems with him - but then I have known him for 3 1/2 years so knew what I was dealing with. We do not know if he was born with the neurological problem or suffered an accident, but his behaviour has not really changed since we have known him - he's about 8 years old now I suppose. He's lost his sight in one eye, and cannot be walked on a lead, he just goes in circles if you try, but he loves to belt around the garden a couple of times a day. The problem with what you are asking is that brain damage can vary so widely from dog to dog - from quite minor things like a head wobble etc, to more serious things like being unable to walk. Most of the time you wouldn't know with young pups - until they get older. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would be unlikely for you to encounter two dogs with the same problems - once the vet assesses them, then you can decide what to do. Sounds like you wouldn't be asking the question unless you thought you had a pup you were concerned about. Don't lose heart, we've had quite a few rescue dogs with minor brain damage, and they have all found homes - we just call them "Special Needs" dogs, it's surprising how many people want to take the one that no-one else wants! Hmmm, don't think I've been much help now I've read this through, but since I've typed it, might as well post it!

Poor Lulu - lots of hugs and kisses coming her way - and yours! Maybe YOU need some RR too! Lulu will be fine - my angel is looking out for her. :p

Yesterday I had to send my little angel, my gorgeous girl, Flissie, over the Rainbow Bridge. She was a chronic epileptic, and the years of medication finally caught up with her, and her kidneys were failing. I know I have done the right thing, but I miss her so much…..I can hardly see through the tears but I had to pay tribute to her. Flissie was a special kind of girl, I called her “My Little Healer” – if another dog was sick I would ask her to think of them and heal them. It always worked – if only she could have healed herself. We had 3 ½ wonderful years together, she was the first dog I adopted from DoggieRescue. So to Flissie, my darling little angel, your sweet face will be dearly missed, but now you are in a place where you will never have to suffer another fit again, and you can run free. I know I will always have my little angel on my shoulder, and we’ll never be apart again. One day we’ll be together again, in the meantime I hope Mum has found you and introduced you to all the other babies. Be happy, my love. ;) :D