Her Majesty Dogmad

Maybe she can climb fences and just never had a reason to do so before? If she was put outside on the first night she might have had the impetus to do that if she felt abandoned or got a fright. That was the case with our second foster dog that disappeared - the cat had gone over the fence and he followed some time later apparently. Someone found him and held him for 3 days before they saw our poster, they had decided to keep him ... Is she wearing a collar with a tag?

He's reminds me of the little dog we had called "Sienna" that we thought was a Min Pin/Iggy cross, very similar looking indeed.

Oh dear, it's an awful worry. We lost one of our fosters last year - she escaped the second night she was there. The foster carers and I walked the area for a couple of hours, door knocking etc. It was freezing cold and wet and our dog was 4.5 kilos and skinny - at least it's not such bad weather for a dog to be out in right now. We think our dog was hiding, she was found by the garbage truck 3 days later eating out of a bin. Have the family been walking her to a nearby park at all? Often the dogs will head there if they are nervous and want a quieter hiding place. She could be under a house or shed not far from where the family live and will hopefully come out for your husband's voice, especially as it gets closer to dinner time. Hope he finds her tonight.

They are very close at the moment but it is understandable. Originally they were rescued from a cruel home as puppies and rehomed to different members of the family across the country. Those family members then gave both dogs to the father who had them for the last 3 yrs. He loved them but passed away suddenly and noone else was really in a position to keep them. Both dogs do like the company of Ella's other dogs and have curled up with them separately but we will reassess the situation when they are well again. It is much easier to rehome single dogs and we only rehome with other dogs for company but we will wait and see how they are when they are feeling back to normal. They have lived with cats and been good, our hope for them is a fantastic home (preferably together), they deserve nothing less.

Shampoo in Alloveen and add half a teaspoon of Olive Oil to his dinner each night and that should work. Maybe you do need to bath more often, in colder months I bath mine every couple of months but in summer it is every couple of weeks. Depending on where he's swimming, that may not help either. He shouldn't be bathed or allowed to swim 48 hrs either side of flea treatments.

Thanks Kirislin - that's a great tip and I will let Ella know, we don't want any more harm done to these precious boys.

Make sure you are feeding somethign premium which helps to keep poos solid. You could also get a petloo? With regards to removing the smells from the pavers, I have a patio where my dogs sometimes go and another rescuer gave me this tip: Bicarbonate of soda & vinegar Sprinkle the bicarb over the stain and then pour the white vinegar over it - this creates a bit of fizzing. Once that's done, get some water/disinfectant and scrub over as usual. Try not to stress over it - at least your dog is going outside and in my books (200 foster dogs later) that is always a blessing in itself.

The heat pads we are getting hold heat for up to 10 hours which is fantastic. I've nursed a few very sick dogs and gotten up in the night to reheat the wheat packs etc, this will be much more practical!

Ah T, you know us too well!! Seriously though, these boys had already been booked in to the vets on arrival, for all their vet work to be done - desexing, dentals (if needed), vaccination, worming, heartworm test and pre-op blood tests as they are older. Of course that was completely scrapped and the vet and all their staff were as horribly shocked at the state of them as I was. Anything else that needs doing at the time of surgery is also done either then or shortly after - nail clipping, ear cleaning (we recently rescued an Iggy whose ears could have grown potatoes), anal glands, lump removal, dry eye tests and so on. We are ethical rescuers and have a strict protocol to follow which is imperative for the dog's health so that they go to a new home at their best. And we rehome with full disclosure to the owner of everything that needed to be done - they can then make a choice if they want to continue. Last year one of the older Iggies we took on had desexing and dental at a different vet from our preferred vet due to circumstances at the time. 2 months later, before rehoming I took her for a check up and my vet found a tooth that had been missed by the first surgery. So I had her put under and the tooth removed. When advised, the new home decided they didn't want a dog that had had to have two dentals in 2 months - even though I explained why it happened. She was adopted eventually - by me! Our worry is with the boys that if they manage to shake off a blanket in the night, even with coats on they will struggle to stay warm. It's getting much colder in Sydney now and we thought that the heat pad will definitely help them. Even healthy dogs use them at night/during the day so for optimum comfort we will give it a try and see how they feel. They've got a long way to go yet and we don't want them using their energy to try and stay warm.

Our foster carer has just reported that Dusty has picked up a squeaky toy to play with! Happy days .... :)

I always use preventative and Advocate covers heartworm as well as fleas, lice and mites. Sometimes I use Advantage for a change but I've had pound dogs with fleas even in winter so I always use prevention of some kind.

I wouldn't recommend a poodle just because of their tendency for separation anxiety. An Italian Greyhound would def. NOT suit, as you said. I've found Pugs are wonderful but shed heavily. What about a Chihuahua? I also think a Tibbie is a great suggestion.

If he's got little hair and it's cold, have you put a coat on him? I rescue and own Italian Greyhounds and they don't like going out when it's wet or very cold but are more comfy with a coat. Also, a female terrier I had a few years ago who was housetrained, suddenly started weeing inside and it was due to a bladder infection. Def. need to get a vet check done if it's a change from normal behaviour and you haven't had another animal come into the house and urinate.

Luckily our foster carer is a prolific photographer!

I have a strong preference for males. I have been fostering for 10 yrs now and it's normally been the females in the house or the females coming in that have caused most issues. My males are just wonderful, welcoming to every foster dog whereas my JRT cross girl gives them a hard time. That said, I've adored the females I have owned.

Our vets are very good and I'm sure both boys will come good but it will take a while. For me it was so rewarding to see a bit of a spark in their eyes today, they are truly lovely dogs :) We very much appreciate the assistance and support from the kind people on DOL, you are all amazing.

I'd give them a ring. Iggy Rescue found the RSPCA at Dubbo only too happy to send up pics and info on an Iggy in there!

Sorry, Ella had somehow switched their names over, easy to understand in all the cafuffle. Phoenix is the quiet and shy one, Dusty is more outgoing. I've visited tonight, they are eating heartily, they are very comfy in a big new bed and they are already much better than when I picked them up yesterday morning with regards to how they are interacting etc. We do have a few concerns, although it's early days I think in a day or two we'll head back to the vet with Phoenix.

good to hear he's feeling better, hope the eye gets sorted.

Unfortunately I can't recall the herbs as the vet puts a blend together and gives you dosage instructions. They were based on the blood test results my own vet faxed across, it was truly an amazing miracle at the time but I've had other amazing results with Chinese herbs in different cases and would say it is worth a shot when things look desperate, if the vet believes they can assist.

bloody hell, I am horrified, I actually feel sick. I thought at the time, at least someone is caring for them, they are safe, obviously that wasn't the case. Our vets thought that perhaps the food they were being given wasn't the right food/good quality because I couldn't understand why they were so thin if they'd been fed daily for the last few weeks. I asked if they were too far gone or if they needed to go on a drip but their coats are soft and it seems that this situation is a recent occurrence rather than long term so the vet said they will recover in time.

These two dogs arrived today. Although I was expecting two thin dogs, I had a terrible shock when I picked them up. I raced them to the vet who said they are lucky to be alive. They are so thin that you can see every bone in their body and see right through some parts of their body when the sun shines. They have some ulcerated pressure sores. They are in foster care with someone who is home all day and will be feeding them up with nutritious meals, 4 times a day. They'll be warm and well cared for, following vet instructions, until they are a normal weight. Their owner suddenly died out in the country and a neighbour was supposed to feed them but only visited once a week which of course was nowhere near enough. I don't know what happened to the ohter animals. These boys were collected and have been with family for 3 weeks - I hate to imagine what they were like before that. Thanks so much to Scallywags Rescue who donated the transport costs to help us get the boys to safety. The transporter was horrified at the state of them of course. Indigirl and I will be updating this thread as the boys (Dusty and Phoenix) make some progress ...

Hugs to you, she was very special and very loved, thank you for sharing your story with us.

I should add that i only give them soft food for a week, follwoing a dental but in the latest dog's case, it was for 2 weeks as he was so sore.

Exactly the same as me. I saw someone walking along Blaxland Road, Ryde at 8am one morning last week with a pitbull running along ahead of them. My thoughts were wondering what would happen if someone with another dog, let alone a small dog, came along the same path. If I saw that I would crap myself as I would be expecting the worst. With so many attacks I don't like to see any other dog coming towards me with no collar or other means of control. I'm not so worried about small dogs - it occasionally happens but generally it is larger dogs and my dogs have been attacked without provocation.