Her Majesty Dogmad

It is a miracle that Spongey is still alive. The GSD is not a suitable dog for your home. Either your flat mate moves out and your other dog dies or you keep them separate 100% of the time and I doubt those options are feasible. The GSD probably needs either an extremely experienced owner or has to go now.

She was so good with her dew claw bandages, never touched them. She's cute in her pink jacket.

I've put in 2 pics of Eliza when she came from the pound 5 weeks ago and returned from the vets after being desexed, having deformed dew claws removed, a dental etc etc. My vet's estimate was that she was definitely a Chinese Crested cross. The pound listed her as a maltese cross, she was all white (with black filth stuck in her coat right down to the roots, she was putrid and had to be shaved to the skin by my vet). I honestly thought she had Italian Greyhound in there too and she's super fast with a chest like an IG. The most amazing transformation has begun to take place, as her coat has grown some colours have come through including a couple of large black spots on her back and some smaller tan ones. Her coat is wiry in places and more like a Malt in the others. Her eyes weep like a maltese too unfortunately. She runs like an IG, acts like a Crestie but now looks more like a wiry Fox Terrier cross. She sits in my window (has to get up and under the curtain) waiting for me when I walk my old dogs. SHe's wearing a pink coat in the last photo that Yellowgirl kindly sent her. THanks Jo! She has been bred from which is appalling, considering she's probably got 4 breeds in there ... this is what is beginning to make it almost impossible to identify which breeds have been crossed in the first place. I love her no matter what but don't know if her hair will regrow completely, she was sparse when I picked her up and still is.

I find it does give some of mine some loose poops and they poop a lot. I am currently buying the Natural Balance food from www.pricelesspets.com.au - it will work out cheaper for you and none of my dogs have issues with NB food.

I never use more than one thing at a time either. I've had dogs vomit after Drontal and I've read that Comfortis causes nausea and obviously vomiting. To cover all the parasites (except tape worms and ticks), I use Advocate - it does fleas, worms, lice and mites. My dogs all do very well on it. I did have 2 dogs that couldn't have on the skin preps because they both had allergies. I gave them a tablet I bought from the vets, had to be given twice a week for fleas and they both did well with that. For tape worms, on the first day of each quarter, I buy tablets that cover tapeworms, from the vets. Never bath the dog within 48 hours of an on the spot application. Mine eat their tapeworm tabs hidden in meatballs or cheese, haven't had many probs. I think Drontal are the really big ones? Break them up into smaller parts and put them in food.

I'd definitely stop the chicken wings for now. If you do want to give him a bone, I've been told by a dog trainer/showperson that lamb shanks are the best thing for small dogs. As I say, most of my dogs can't tolerate raw meat. You might also try adding "Slippery Elm", just half a teaspoon in their dinners helps with digestion. Get a bag from the healthshop - it's not expensive

Non-smoking? A typical halfwit BYB. Delivers in Sydney so can't ever be traced .... and God forbid someone would see the conditions the parents doubtless endure.

I often get dogs that are too thin from the pound - to build them up (and not stress their system at the same time), give them 3 or 4 small meals a day. If you work fulltime (as I do), I give them breakfast at around 5.30 am, something before I leave at 8.30 am, dinner at 6.30 pm and supper at 9.30 pm. Weekends are much easier of course. If he's a fussy eater, you can get something called "Nutrigel" from a pet store or vet, it's not expensive and it gets dogs started eating again - if they've been underfed for a long time, they sometimes start giving up. I've had to force feed the skeletal ones sometimes with a formula like mix. Then I graduate onto soft food (usually tuna or sardines mashed up because it's very smelly and more appealing). Only get the brine or springwater though, nothing too oily or salty. I mix that with rice and veggies too. Re the servings, once we get to a large biccie in the morning and dinner at night routine (it's about a month or so generally), I give them half a cup of dried biscuits and then a cup of the meat mix on the top, stir it all round. Best sardines are the Homebrand in Woolies. About 60 cents per can, they come in packs of three. My latest foster goes crazy for them!

I've been buying Natural Balance from www.pricelesspets.com.au. Haven't come across a dog that didn't like it yet (and I've had loads and loads of dogs as I foster and rehome them). I pay about $80 for 15kg, it's good quality but not overpriced. Less poops than the cheaper brand and that's got to be good when you've got a large dog! Priceless Pets also sell the on the spot neck treatments for the best prices in Australia as far as I know so this website could save you money in other ways!

Poor fellow, I've seen similar on a couple of occasions. Hope he's feeling better very soon. Even if the vet did the surgery, if you aren't happy I'd be getting a second opinion, he must be so sore.

Most of my dogs get the runs if I give them any raw meat. Changing diets / stress also gives dogs the runs. Puppy food is too rich for adult dogs as well. Tinned food generally gives dogs loose poo. I agree with just giving him some cooked chicken and rice (Basmati is best). I cook mine a risotto of rice, turkey mince (almost no fat) and veggies. I add that to some dried biscuits and their poops are pretty good.

I'm so very sorry for you, what a terrible tragedy and ordeal. Whilst I don't have children and I feel the very young ones have short memories and also cannot understand death and the implications, my suggestion would be to have a spot in the garden called "Riley's place". Plant a tree with your daughter and say that this is Riley's special plant. My friend lost one of her dogs to cancer recently, we all loved him and he had had a tragic life until she rescued him but only had him for a few months before cancer was diagnosed, he was still quite young. Four of us got together and said some words, we each planted something for him and cried. Now we all go and look at his special place and we all find it helps. She has done this for several of her dogs, one also has a stone angel. Children might like to go and talk to their lost pets, I know I certainly did when I lost my cat when I was 9. Hugs to you and take care of yourself.

Had someone stupid telling me they walked their two dogs off lead today but they had no road sense. They are sighthounds for God's sake. Anyhow I said to the person that it only takes one car, one time and that's it. I told them I work in rescue and am forever getting people looking for a new dog as they lost the last one in a similar accident to that described in this thread. WTF is the matter with people? Aren't dogs precious to them? I cannot believe they deliberately take these risks.

Something occurred to me - what did she eat during this whole period??? She obviously ate something. Did she wee/poo where she sat? I seriously doubt it. As for having been through something terrible in my life, well I certainly have on a number of occasions. One that hit me really hard though was when I had two close friends both die of cancer within 6 months, neither of their deaths were quick. I was quite a mess for a while but I have a mortgage to pay so off I went to work every day. I had dogs to feed and a house to run. Probably wasn't perfect and I really wasn't up to much but here it's just me, I had noone to lean on for support either. Some days I'd just open a can and give it to the dogs, I really wasn't thinking too much, probably didn't look after myself all that well but no way did I let my dogs suffer in any way.

So very sorry to hear about your loss. He sounds likes a wonderful boy, 22 months is nothing, such a short life for a beautiful boy. RIP Hammy. Hugs to you, life is so unfair sometimes.

Absolutely don't allow this behaviour for a minute or there'll be a fight. It may not be about sex but domination, neither is acceptable. He should not go off lead until he can behave completely. It does take about 2 months for testosterone to go, that's my understanding. It may not be that though - I've got a new foster female that is a serial humper - she has to be kept separate from my other dogs because at 2.5 kilos, she could get hurt in a scrap caused by her dominant behaviour.

Poor little mite, she'd have been FROZEN in Victoria living outside. WTF is the matter with people. I'd say that she's a Chinese Crested cross - send a pm to DOL member "Yellowgirl", she's very knowledgeable and can most likely suggest the best coats etc. I think she's gorgeous - I do like an unusual looking dog!

I work at rescuing/rehoming dogs in my spare time - I'm going to be honest and probably unpopular! I cannot recommend getting a puppy to people with children under 5. There are several reasons for this - generally speaking, people with one young child and certainly more than one young child, have their hands very full. I ask if you wanted another toddler? Mostly people say no. A puppy is the equivalent to having another toddler. Children under 5 don't generally have the cognitive abilities to know how to behave appropropriately around dogs. Once kids are 5, they are able to respond much better to our instructions on what to do. Also, think how you will manage the exercise needs - can you honestly walk your three young children and a puppy, safely, at the same time? I wouldn't think so. It is not fair not to exercise a young dog properly and that is every day, not when you have someone to mind the kids and a spare 5 mins, chances are you won't want to spend those precious minutes doing your duty by the dog. If the person insists on proceeding, I would recommend no tiny breeds and no bouncy breeds - labradors are big and bouncy. They are an extremely strong breed. To be well behaved, a puppy needs a huge amount of input from the owner. For about the first 2 years they will generally be very busy, very active and destructive but particularly so if they become bored. In rescue, we do see many dogs being given up because the people have young children, often because they cannot cope with a dog as well. The pounds are full of young dogs mainly because people can't cope with their behaviours and got the dog intending just to leave it in a backyard, not walked and/or not part of the family so the dog starts digging, barking and so on.

I find this very hard to fathom, at 13 you can do something, you don't have to leave the dogs unfed. Did they not have any relatives or friends at all??? You can speak to your teacher perhaps. I accept she was obviously having some sort of mental trauma but there is no excuse for what she did.

She's been to the vet and they were no help. With the Chinese herbs I've used on my other dog, one of the issues would be getting her to eat them, she's not your average dog where food's concerned. The lady spent $3,000 on her 3 mths ago after a horrific dog attack that fractured the poor little mite's leg. Council are still searching for the culprit. She really loves her no doubt but it is getting her down.

Glad she was fined, $5000 isn't enough though for all the suffering that poor creature would have endured. I've just taken my 4th dog in the last 8 months whose flea treatment was non-existent. 2 were completely bald - 1 was almost euthanased because of it!! Both those dogs have now got very full coats of hair. One was putrid and shaved all over and the latest has no hair on her back/rear end. Sick to death of morons who can't spend $7 per month to look after their dogs, it's their responsibility. Ask your vet if you don't know, it's not hard. Apart from anything else - 2 of these dogs had huge wriggly worms when I brought them home, utterly revolting. Again, not hard giving a worm tablet, is it?

I rescued a little old shihtzu cross a couple of years ago, she was actually blind and I never intended to rehome her but then a wonderful lady came along and she was just what she wanted. A few months ago, this lady had an explosion in her kitchen and had to call the fire brigade so the dog had 2 frights - one from the loud bang and then the next from the hordes of firemen coming through the house. SHe's never been the same. Now, even when people she knows very well come into the house, she just sits and barks. The lady has tried everything, putting her outside, putting her in the bedroom but she barks constantly and will not stop until whoever it is has left. She is not a big eater and cannot be made to make friends with food or distracted etc. It's gotten to the point where the lady's family won't come round any more. She's very upset about it and doesn't feel she can go on. I've had difficult dogs myself and had one a bit like this for 2 years but she was OK with some people after a while, usually through feeding treats. ANy suggestions please because I fear she will end up feeling like she will have to put her to sleep possibly as she's having trouble coping.

To my horror, a colleague who owns a Moodle was berating her son for buying a purebred Dobe from a breeder. She said to me, well it can't be a great dog because he only paid $400 for it. I said "are you comparing the dog to what you paid for your Moodle". She said "yes", I said you and I need to have a long chat - we are having lunch in a couple of weeks ....

If it is not the actual breeder, I'd be doing a search for Peke breeders, they are a pretty rare breed. There is a member in Sydney that rescues them and surprisingly they numbers are increasing sadly.

Hugs to you at this hard time, what a huge hole they leave in our hearts.