*kirty*

Jolie was a complete hussy and would shove her butt in all the other dogs faces.

There are plenty of older, more experienced vets who are so stuck in the dark ages that they don't know about the most current treatment regimes etc. There are plenty of newer vets who are extremely well trained and up to date with current protocols. I agree 100% with Rappie and get sick of the conspiracy theories about vets doing deals with drug companies and vets rolling in cash. Our clinic (specialist) sells no merchandise, no food, no parasite treatments. Most of our medications are human medications so we give our clients scripts to get them from a chemist. Yet people still complain!

I think that is really discrediting the vets. The vast majority of vets want to help you and your pet. They are not in cahoots with big pharma companies. If anyone cared to do a bit more research you would find that there really isn't much money in veterinary industry. Practice owners and specialists certainly earn more, but GP vets aren't rolling in cash. New grad vets starting wage is $40-50,000. They also have tens of thousands of student debt. They will never earn the money people think they do.

Has he been health screened or DNA tested?

Might be time for a referral to a medicine specialist.

Just thought I would share my 'breeders terms' story... My breeder wanted a litter from my bitch. I agreed and we worked out terms - she would organise everything, pay for everything and sell the puppies. She advertised and screened the homes but I got a say in where they went. I would care for my girl throughout the pregnancy, then whelp and raise the litter. I got to keep a puppy as a thank you, and with encouragement to show the puppy. There were no written contracts, just a verbal agreement and thorough understanding of how it would all work. Everything went perfectly to plan, the breeder and I both got exactly the puppies we wanted, the pups went to great homes and the breeder and I are good friends. The end. Breeders terms doesn't have to be a nightmare. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. :)

Meningitis?

Bunnings is a shop for PEOPLE. If your dog doesn't want pats from strangers, don't freaking well take it to a busy shop full of people. It's not rocket science. Maybe the kid shouldn't have tried to pat the dog (if she did) but she didn't deserve to get bitten.

Panlu said the bitch is being returned to her when the puppies are 4 weeks old

Pailin I had the same thing happen to me. My 3yo daughter asked to pat a dog, owner said yes. As my daughter went to pat it, I saw the dog back off so I stopped her. The dog then lunged at my daughter's face, missing it by centimetres. Then the woman tells me the dog doesn't really like kids?? People are so oblivious to their dog's behaviour and body language. Every time I hear stories where the owner says 'my dog has never been aggressive before' I just think 'yeah right'. I bet these dogs were stressed and over stimulated and the little girl coming close was the final straw.

Having just raised a litter, I can't believe anyone thinks its OK to take a bitch away from the puppies at 4 weeks of age?? They are still little babies at that age, they need their mother to feed them and teach them.

Porridge is meant to be great for fattening up dogs.

Do you know why the dog revolution doesn't cover as many parasites as the cat one?

Nope, exactly the same thing! Other spot ons do differ though. Revolution is the only one with the exact same composition i believe. Frontline / fipronil is the same drug different volumes for different sizes. So is Advantage.

Do you mean check ups with the specialist or the local vet? Local vets rarely prescribe drops for PRA however we ALWAYS recommend them! They will not fix the PRA or help the vision, however the idea is to delay or prevent the onset of inflammation which then leads to cataracts, glaucoma, etc. I would be starting the drops ASAP on the good eye at least.

Hi, I work at an animal eye specialist so I can help. :) Cost wise, eye removal at a local vet will cost anywhere from $600-$1200. A prosthetic will cost around $1700. Recovery wise, eye removal sites generally heal in 10-14 days. We always recommend strong pain killers for at least a week (we use a non-steroidal PLUS tramadol). There will be external sutures that need to be removed after two weeks. There are generally very very few concerns post-operatively and no ongoing concerns. With a prosthetic, healing time is longer (3-6 weeks). The only suture that will need to be removed is the temporary one holding the eye partly closed while the prosthetic heals. The procedure is thought to be less painful because the optic nerve is not cut. We still put them on nsaids and tramadol post-op though. Risk of complications is extremely low post-operatively. Long term, the eye is pretty much like a normal eye. They still have a cornea so can still get ulcers but again, very low risk. We do these prosthetics every week and we very rarely see issues. It is a great option for dogs that may need both eyes removed. Can I just ask - does Collie have PRA? If so, is he on any eye drops?

Denali are you sure that dog Revolution is safe for cats? My understanding was that the dog version had different ingredients to the cat version. ETA Never mind I just googled and saw same ingredient, different strength. I wonder why then the dog version doesn't cover as many parasites as the cat version?

I'm so sorry for your loss xx

Sars, nobody is having a go at you. We have all been there sadly. Surely if you tell your vet that it is urgent, they will fit you in? I am not meaning you must have him PTS, but just get him seen and some pain meds maybe? If he isn't eating or drinking he will feel very poorly. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I have lost three dogs in about 12 months so I know how much you are hurting. Hugs xx

If you think he is struggling, ask the vet for an urgent appointment or take him to a different vet.

Not always. We use it at work a lot and have fantastic results.

If his bloods are good, I would ask about carprofen/rimadyl in conjunction with Tramadol.

I miss him so much. So often I crawl into bed at night and cry. It's just not fair. The house and my work isn't the same without him. I'd do anything to have him back.

Can I just mention something regarding the dog/car issue - you are talking about a car parked in the sun. Most dogs are not sitting in the full sun all day. They are lying in the shade or in the house etc so insulation from direct sun is irrelevant.

My babies are now 10 weeks old, and have all gone off to their new homes. This is my keeper, Bindi (Karindi Rainbow Bright). :)