Jed

Sloughi (sp? I think that is correct)

I don't know about rare breeds, but more Cavaliers are now being dumped, because more are being produced by puppy farms, and byb, and the homes are not being assessed properly .... you pay the money and you get the pup, whether it is the breed for you or not. I Registered breeders are more likely to take the dog back, or to help rehome it, where puppy farmers, or pet shop dogs don't have that safety net. RSPCA, and rescues are finding the above is the case. I have no idea why people would buy a Cavalier and find it unsuitable. I can't think of an easier, more agreeable little dog, who is happy to fit in with anyone. I am always happy to sell them to first time owners because I know they will manage.

I think that is a very good idea.

I am interested in this, as most vets advise splitting it. Do you have a link to the original research please?

Thanks for posting that link. Very interesting. When you read that, you get a fair idea why it happened. How horrible. However - A Pit Bull? 40kg?

He is in pain. Get a vet who can do diagnosis - I have no idea who. Are you in Melbourne?

I have had a tick on a dog with Advantix and a tick on a dog with a Preventic collar.

Ruin Maniac They wouldn't!! Never. Remember, because the governing body says members can do something doesn't mean they must do it. Just sayin

A person purchased a pup from me. It came with the 6 weeks free insurance which I had been doing for years. Within 48 hours the pup had a fatal accident. Despite having veterinary information available, Petplan would not honour their obligation. They will only pay up if something happens after 72 hours from purchase. I don't see much point in that, so I am not providing the 6 weeks insurance any more. Just another waste of time.

Some registered breeders do sell to pet shops, although the majority of pups sold in pet shops are not from registered breeders. Selling to pet shops demonstrates all too well the ethics of those breeders who do, and I wonder whether it is better to buy a pet shop pup bred by a byb, or bred by an unethical, uncaring registered breeder, who although not flaunting the rules of their CC are in fact flaunting the ethos of the CC and all registered breeders

Thanks for the link Mashlee. Looks a bit long for now, but will read it when I have more time.

Sounds horrible, but you are on the right track. You need something on the dog which will continue to kill the fleas - but it is going to take a few months to eradicate them. Every treatment kills living fleas, but not the eggs. The eggs are on the ground, or in the bed or whereever, and vibrations hatch them so millions of newly hatched fleas jump on whatever is making the vibrations (ie your dog). I don't know anything about dishwashing liquid. I personally wouldn't use it, but I would flea comb the dog and drop the fleas into a flea rinse or metho. Eucalyptus Laundry liquid --- when this stuff was first marketed by Martha Stewart or whoever it was who brought it out, it was reasonably safe for dogs, apart from being poisonous - and yes, it did leave the fleas dead, and the coat soft. However, the company was sold, and the wool wash now contains other chemicals. The Ph is not correct for dogs. Usually there are no bad effects in the beginning, but if you continue to use it, it breaks down the skin, and a few years on, you are visiting the vet with horrendous skin issues, which it is mostly too late to fix ... the damage has already been done. I know the old "wool mix" recommendation does the rounds, and it might have been ok once but it is not any more. It is the long term damage which is the problem. There are things to kill fleas which are animal specific - use them. The Flea and Tick rinse made by Aristopet or Fidos will kill every flea stone dead and not damage the animal. They can be diluted and sprayed on for a quick fix.

I would keep them apart 100% of the time. Too dangerous otherwise

I disagree with the fact that other breeds will be next as this has been tested with the Amstaff........if a breed is ANKC recognised it's as safe as houses from the BSL list. No government is going to overturn BSL and release import restrictions on Pitbull's Fila's Dogo's etc, absolute nonesense. As it is a numpty law which has not prevented any dog bites, and it is the same law which has been repealed in numerous places around the world, I believe it will be overturned. If it is not repealed, Australia will be the same as other countries, and more breeds will be included in the mix. Newspapers are already speaking of banning staffords and rottweilers. Do you have any research on import restrictions to allow you to say "absolute nonsense" with confidence, or is that your opinion?

Thanks for posting. Such terrific achievements and so good to see the "younger generation" out there. Well done to everyone

More people are killed by sharks and horses in this country than dogs. trouble is, m-sass, that many of the dogs being blamed and vilified are not restricted breeds at all. And your breed - whatever it is - could well be in the same situation with a change in attitude by the government. BSL has been overturned in a lot of countries, as not working. It will happen here. Unfortunately, these findings do nothing to help prevent another dog attack tragedy. It is all too easy to see how this could have happened. Too easy to never release photos of the dog, but say it was a restricted breed. Who knows? How disappointing.

Is this your new dog, Mantis? Sounds really nice :)

If a puppy is born blind, it expects that that is how life it, and uses the other senses to overcome blindness. Dogs cannot miss what they never had. I reared a blind foal taught it to lead, lunge, be handled, brushed, washed etc. She thrived - with some concessions - and was put down due to old age. I don't think there would be a lot of difference. She was not unhappy.

Rev Jo, I am aware there are tests. Howevever, there are not enough, and they are not detailed enough, at this time. 40 - 50years ago, if I said that animals felt pain, everyone would have laughed. Beasts (cattle sheep goats) were (and are) marked, dehorned, castrated, mulesed, and branded without any aneasthetic because it was generally believed they did not feel pain as humans do. Some people who run properties still believe they feel no pain. It was never usual to give pets any pain relief following operations - because vets believed they didn't need it - because they didn't really feel pain as people did. And that was happening until 15 - 20 years ago. If you asked for pain relief, I am sure vets thought you were a doper who was after some dog dope to give you a high!! Scientific studies proved animals felt pain, and our ways of handling them changed, as they should have. People who were even marginally empathic already knew they felt pain. But a study was needed to prove it. History often shows us the way forward. The woman who wrote Black Beauty did so to try to highlight and prevent the endemic cruelty to working horses at that time. I have had a lot of animals over my life and when I have anecdotal evidence that "X" is so, I go with that. I don't want to convince someone else, because I can't prove it. In time, there will be scientific studies to prove most of these things but they don't exist now. When people believed the world was flat, they were happy with that --- when CC proved it was round, I am sure there were people who did not believe that - because it was anecdotal evidence. Science doesn't always have all the answers. Mostly, but some answers are in the future

I don't believe there is any point arguing about anything in this spectrum, so I don't bother engaging in these threads. Science has no way of qualifying anything much attributed to animals and in particular, dogs, and if there is no way of proving it, why bother? I believe there were references given for that article, but I didn't bother copying and posting them. No one is forcing anyone to believe anything, read it, and make what you will of it.

This is an extract from Dr Becker's website in the USA.

Hi LB I have had mostly ex battery hens - because I think they should be free - and I love the way they sit on the ground looking at the sky, going "waaaaaaaaaark" when you first put them on the grass. And mine have all lived until they were drooling old geriatrics, getting about on walking frames and having to reread the directions on "how to lay eggs" because their minds had gone because they were so old. Well over 7, most of them. And they religiously laid an egg a day. Even in the off season. Look up "hatcheries" in the phone book. There used to be one on the New England highway which had all sorts of fancy chicks - not even sure if it still exists.

I believe that it is better to desex large dogs at 12 months or over, due to the issues (and others) that you mention. I would ask the vet why the dog needs to be desexed at 6 months? Many dogs with retained testicles are desexed at all stages of life without any drama. There is some added risk of the retained testicle becoming cancerous, but I would think that desexing at 12 - 15 months would solve that problem. Dane breeders can probably tell you what is the optimum age for desexing for this breed. Have you spoken to the breeder? They should have information and assistance Good luck :)

Personally I would put an ad in Saturday's Courier Mail - in the weekend shopper - if you are anywhere near Brisbane. I used to advertise all my rescues there, for good response. That was a while ago. It is not that expensive, from memory, and lots read it. I would maybe try gumtree too.

You can only declare the item does not carry free title, as in, someone else has an encumbrance on the item - such as a bank. You can not by pass this portion of the consumer gaurantee "Sellers also guarantee that no-one has a legal right to take the goods away or prevent the consumer from using the goods." Either way, I don't intend to debate this. I am simply passing on what the law actually says, and what the ACCC has to say surrounding the issue. Feel free to disagree - we still issue contracts with our rabbits and snakes. I am confident mine will not hold up in court, but that's not really important. I wouldn't go to court over it anyway. Me neither, but unless you are a person of high responsibility with the ACCC or a lawyer, I will take the word of my lawyer, thanks. That is what I pay him for. But thanks for the heads up. :)