Her Majesty Dogmad

Sorry to hear this Mita, my old IG Luigi was diagnosed with this awful disease after many months of special diets and tests. He finally had an endoscopy and that showed IBD. Initially he was put on the special Hills Science only diet plus Pred. It was awful and his behaviour was difficult. He didn't like the food and as a rescued dog who'd had a life of cruelty most likely including starvation, it was a difficult to manage situation. In 2003, after 3 years on the diet/Pred, I felt I could no longer cope with his behaviour and if it hadn't been for a wonderful vet, I probably would have made a sad decision. She changed from the Pred to an old fashioned pill - Salazopyrin. Once he went on that, he was no longer such a basket case. I also went on the web and found a woman whose dog had IBD, she gave her dog sweet potato - I tried it on Luigi and he loved it. I became a bit braver and tried different things such as carrot, peas etc. It all helped to make his dried food more palatable. As it is the protein in meat that causes the internal bleeding, I occasionally put tuna/salmon and other fish into his food, no more than twice weekly though. I also occasionally tried a dried biscuit made from duck, can't recall the brand but its pretty expensive. About once a year he'd find some discarded food on our walks (I was very careful but you can't predict everything) and he'd end up in the vets on a drip for a couple of days. A couple of years ago they brought out a canned version of his food which he quite enjoyed intially but got bored eventually. He died last year, aged about 16, and not from IBD.

You can buy a CD by Dr Harry that desensitises dogs to thunder storms. For about $25, it could be money well spent - haven't tried it myself but keep meaning to. I have sedatives for my dog who barks throughout storms, it is really annoying.

Congrats! Sounds like she might have a bit of dementia happening, just keep an eye on her as they tend to get lost even in places they know well.

Frontline simply doesn't work for fleas. I stopped using it quite a few years ago. I now use Advantage or Advocate. Won't use Sentinel for instance because it just sterilises fleas and I don't want fleas on my dogs, full stop. Advantage is great but you still need to cover Heartworm protection so I prefer Advocate which covers fleas, heartworm, worming (not tapeworm), lice and mites - fantastic! I buy it on: www.pricelesspets.com.au - it's much cheaper than vets or petshop but there are other websites you should check out for deals etc. If you also need to cover ticks, I'd recommend buying a tick collar or look at Advantix.

Storm phobia is very common in working breeds but I've certainly had it with my terrier types. I haven't done it but there is a Dr Harry CD for storm phobic dogs which you use to desensitise - I think it is well worth a go. I've used sedatives on my dogs, one of mine barks throughout the storm and when it happens in the middle of the night and you need to get up for work in the morning, it can be very difficult to be patient.

Yay - you've got to admire the terriers!

The dog that was returned to us (after the alpha roll lady) did appear to have been traumatised but is a happy little guy. He is in foster care and the foster carer observed how scared he was at certain times, as if he'd been abused. I would NEVER advocate an alpha roll but it was completely unnecessary and irrelevant in this case. It has done nothing but harm an innocent dog. But, how to protect future rehomings against such people - the only way I could have forseen it is if I'd asked "by the way, do you do something called an alpha roll". It appears to be what you don't ask and what they don't tell you that gets you in strife. No matter how thorough you are, you cannot possibly be ready for every single scenario that may crop up or imagine what a person's behaviour will be under certain circumstances - nor may they even know themselves. You can only ask reasonable and hopefully insightful questions AND know that things can still go wrong.

steve11 - your reply is offensive. If you are suggesting I don't know what a purebred staffy looks like then you are completely wrong - how do you know what my background is? No point sticking your head in the sand. I'm stating facts here. The only dogs on building sites that I personally have been rushed by have all been staffies. Sure, there are other dogs out there - there's probably a chihuahua somewhere but that hasn't been my experience. You are obviously a stafford fan, due to my experiences (outside of the above described) - I am most definitely not nor am I a fan of people who seek to destroy the truth because it suits them.

A purebred dog (of a super gentle breed and small size) I rehomed recently went to a supposedly "years of experience with difficult dogs" home, similar types of dog blah blah. Checked it all out very thoroughly and was convinced the person was an ideal placement, I was not the only one to make this judgement either. The dog was unable to gain access to get outside during the night, this was an unknown, unknown that he needed to pee in the night so he did it inside. This alone caused the owner to believe she had to inflict the "alpha roll" on the dog, to show who was boss. As an experienced person who asks all the right questions, I was totally stumped. I had asked what would happen if there were any toiletting accidents and was met with the reassurance that it wasn't going to be a problem, had years of experience in training dogs, any incidents were met with kindness and understanding. And the alpha roll???

Unfortunately staffies seem to appeal enormously to builder types who like to take them and have them sitting there, it's a power thing. As someone who has been rushed by one of these unrestrained builders' mates on more than one occasion, I can confirm they were all purebred staffies. The last one I saw a few months ago was with someone doing some fencing work down the road, I shouted to the man before I went by (I'm not even game to try crossing the road to get away because this hasn't stopped the dog flying across the road to get to us) to get his dog under control and not to allow it to roam loose in an unfenced front yard situation as it is illegal etc etc. The answer I often get is "oh he won't harm a fly" - actually I don't give a flying ---k. People are such morons - there needs to be far more control on their part and some comprehension of a) what their dogs are capable of, b) how potentially terrifying it is to be rushed at by one and c) the consequences if an attack goes ahead.

I only have desexed bitches - I own two and am fostering one atm. I lost my dominant bitch in July. I haven't had any troubles for a couple of years but I really prefer to foster and own male dogs, generally easier to manage I find. I've had 4 desexed bitches at one time over the years and 3 yrs ago had trouble with 1 foster female who after a few months decided to have a go at a very gentle male foster. Once I came home and worked out what had happened, she was immediately shipped out and so was he. Both were adopted but I would not have let her go to a multiple dog situation as she couldn't be trusted I felt. More recently another female foster that I'd had for 8 months suddenly turned on my elderly maltese and began seeking him out to have a go at him, I suspect she was trying to change her place in the pack as my dominant female had become unwell at the same time. I immediately kept the female foster separated, outside and she now lives in a new home. I would not tolerate any dog that carried out a vicious attack or killed another, no matter how long I'd had them, they would be euthanased - wouldn't care if they were young, won't tolerate it and won't pass them on.

As a very experienced rescuer and rehomer, I'm afraid I have come across a number of situations like this. I'm very glad that they returned Banshee to Yellowgirl and I'm sure she's delighted to be back as well. I once had an active young dog returned after 5 days. I had explained that because she was young there was a typical level of destructive behaviour - I tried my best to dissuade the person from adopting but they were adamant they had the right situation - a part time worker, planned on doing agility, had another dog for company and so on. She did not return the dog to me but after unsuccessfully trying to place her with an 82 yr old, returned her to my organisation, 2 days after telling me she was a perfect fit and was never coming back. The dog's heinous crime? She chewed up 1 toilet roll the day before she was returned and "turned the house into something like a Christmas scene" and there was no way this lady was going to put up with this behaviour. No, she would not shut her bathroom door as I'd told her at the beginning because this dog liked toilet rolls. I'm not complaining, I was glad to have the dog back and eventually rehomed her again to a different type of person/scenario and human behaviour disappoints me enormously sometimes, as in this case.

One of my dogs has stopped when his knees are sore, I've had another with cruciate ligament issues - best to get a vet to check.

Definitely not suitable for the dog park, he could get attacked just because he's growling etc.

Well done, she's a beauty!!

Why can't bloody smokers be more careful, poor dogs, RIP.

I feel this was a terrible waste of money - I remember the little dog they adopted but they would not have adopted 4 more rescue dogs BUT they could have donated that money to either Doggie Rescue or another charity. I would have just paid the fine!

If only everyone was responsible and had a well trained dog, we would all be better off I'm sure! Training is not a lifetime commitment, I went for 2 months and my dog did very well but because he wouldn't sit for the required amount of time, he couldn't pass through to the next level. I knew he never would so left it there and that was OK for me. Just about to start with a new dog!

Definitely get your dog spayed, unless you are breeding or showing there is no need for an entire dog and it causes many other hassles in certain situations plus it is better for the dog's health, especially female (and this comes from vets, not me personally). If you don't get a behaviouralist soon, you will probably end up with a terrible situation happening. Not nice and preventable if you are prepared to follow advice given which may mean a radical change in the way you all live. Better than a severely injured or dead dog though.

Got a 16 yr old here and he's just had 2 dentals within 4 months unfortunately - still full of beans at times!

Sorry but I find the idea of stopping them cruel too, it's not good for their health - like humans, they should be able to go without having to hold on. Take poo bags with you and pick up, not that hard and part of being a responsible, good dog owner. Was teaching my neighbour's son yesterday, now allowed out with the dog in the local oval where people play sport. Let her do a big poo. Had a bag with him, looked and walked away. Unlucky for him - the poo nazi was on patrol. Asked him to pick up and he couldn't work out how to do it, poo kept plopping to the ground. Gave him a demo so let's hope I don't keep finding the large poos he's been leaving for others to clean up.

My friend was looking for someone to housesit from Dec 14 to Jan 14 in Sydney. House with a beagle, cat and pool, right near the bush! Are you still available?

So sorry to hear about Herbert, what a tragedy for one so young and so treasured. You did your best for him and still lost him, my heart goes out to you. RIP Herbert, what a beautiful soul you are.

Poor sweet Eric, thank you so much for giving him a loving and wonderful home for his last few years. I'm just so sorry it couldn't have been for a lot longer. Hugs to you.

Definitely get any excess weight off, it's not only bad for the heart but can cause other health problems. No reason why a 2 yr old dog should be overweight - it's different when they are old and develop other issues. Check the fat content of everything you give her - you'd be really surprised about the content of some things like biscuits - some brands have very high fat contents. I hope you are walking her daily and for at least an hour, that's what young dogs need.