aliwake

yep, all the ones that I initially picked for aesthetic reasons got crossed off the list once I saw them because the sloping windows made the cargo area so useless.

That pic doesn't look too bad - though the back window slopes so much there would be very little headroom for a dog standing in there - and not much hope of putting an erect crate in there if that's what you want to do.

But that's an american website - it may not come here? Or if it does, it will no doubt be a couple of years after everywhere else, so you might be waiting a while. Looks like the cargo area is tiny too...

I know what you mean. In the end we only test drove two - we looked at a lot but given what we wanted was fairly specific, it was pretty easy to cross a lot off the list just by looking at them. Car salesmen suck so much! One guy wanted me to hand over my credit card details just to make an offer on a car, which i didn't even know if it was in the ballpark or not cos he wouldn't tell me anything! Needless to say he didn't get my business!

we had a look at the ix35, and the cargo area is very small. we looked at a lot of suvs and whittled the list down based purely on cargo area being a good size, and comfortable for our labrador. I would look at: cx-5 outlander forrester honda cr-v rav4 (if you're looking new - I didn't like the side opening door on the old ones either) x-trail (this wasn't on our list cos neither of us like them, but I agree they are a very practical option dog-wise) that list has deliberately only included 4cyl options - if you're open to 6cyl there are probably some others, including the toyota kluger. I'll try to take a pic of our dog in the back of the outlander this arvo - ours is the newer shape and I think may be a little bigger than the older style with the split tailgate? It has plenty of room anyway. There is also under floor storage, and the seats lay completely flat which is great. For short trips I usually tether him by the collar to an anchor point on the back of the rear seats - longer trips we do the same but use a harness.

We've had our Mitsubishi outlander for just under a month now, and I'm stoked with it! Really roomy, and very economical for a car that size. Nice to drive, and heaps of room in the cargo area! So, so happy to have the dog off the back seat, and I'm loving the high driving position.

Yeah, I've thought about getting them in bulk, but they're not that expensive to just get what you need from our vet anyway - usually costs me about $8 I think, and Nixon weighs about 33kgs at the moment. They just give me the exact amount for his current weight, which is handy when they're still growing!

p.s. and you only need the tapeworm tablets every 3 months

We use the popantel with panoramis too - just be careful - popantel is the brand and they make an allwormer too, but you only need the tapeworm tablets (they're much cheaper!!). I'm sure another tapewormer would be ok too - just see what your vet sells maybe?

Thanks Erny - I googled it earlier and already fell backwards!! :) He gets yoghurt every day so I usually mix any extras in with that. I checked on him quickly at lunch and he seemed fine - didn't hear him cough while I was there. I'm wondering if it's the same/similar strain to the first lot of KC he had last year, because he seems to be recovering really well, and symptoms are similar.

Where do you guys find the 20+? I was actually looking at this in coles last week but I think they only had 8+ and 10+. Health food store? Also - how do you give it to them? Mix with something, or let them lick the spoon?

Thanks Pers, me too! I think if it was the bone he would have been coughing on saturday night, and he definitely wasn't. If it is KC I don't think it's a particularly bad batch. Lucky I still have a supply of the world's most expensive cough medicine from last time :)

Aussielover, I've been thinking about it all night, and I think you might be right... I think the bone has been a bit of a red herring that's put me off the scent. Having KC 3 times in a year is getting ridiculous though

He had kennel cough twice last year. I suppose it's possible he has it again, but my gut feeling is it's different. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Thanks guys. He was doing zoomies around the backyard when I got home, and there were some very big fresh poos in the yard. I also haven't heard him gagg in the 2 hours I've been home. The vet hasn't called yet, so I'll give her a call after dinner. If she's concerned we'll can either see the emergency vet or head in first thing tomorrow. I'm inclined to see how he goes cos he's been extremely perky this arvo!

If it does need a GA and they're already busy - it might be better to drop him off in the morning... They're not going to want to do surgery at 5.30pm unless it's life threatening.

you paint a vivid picture Pers - I'm freaking out a bit now! I don't remember him gagging saturday night after we got home at all, but he did have a 2nd run at the bone on sunday morning. I would have thought the end pieces would have been long gone by then though, so who knows. I'll be able to wrap up at work shortly so will take him to the vet and they can find a way to squeeze him in! Thanks for sharing the first hand experiences S&T - did the dog have to be anaesthetised for the 2nd one? He's 14 months old and has had 4 GAs already. I know the vet says it's not an issue but I don't like it. Hooray for insurance though.

Makes sense - thanks :)

I just found this pic with the same kind of bone on Christmas day

Thanks guys - I just called our vet and they're really busy this arvo, but a friend of ours is a vet there, so they're going to get her to call me when she's out of surgery. she'll either squeeze us in or come have a look on her way home I'm guessing. Thanks for the suggestions pers - I've managed to get lamb necks before, so might try to stick to those - I've always wondered if they were too soft to do the teeth any good though? I have what I think are some beef brisket bones in the freezer at the moment, but for some reason they make me nervous - sharp edges maybe? ETA sounds like they're a better option than the marrow bones though. It is typical - if there is anything that might go wrong, it will happen to Nixon.

It was a huge marrow bone - um, not really sure on other details. It was split at the butcher lengthways so he had half. I can take a picture of the other half when I get home if needed. I think it could be one of the end bits from the joint, cos the large middle section is still present and accounted for... There was one other occasion where he brought up a big chunk of bone at 5am and it sounded the same, so that's why I think that's what's going on here. He just hasn't had any luck getting it up yet, and it's obviously still bothering him. I saw him squat to poo this morning but I was in the middle of putting the whippersnipper away - then when I went back to check if he'd had any luck I couldn't find the exact spot... I'm pretty sure I saw him go yesterday though, which was also after he started gagging. I think if there's no improvement by tomorrow I'll take him to the vet. Any suggestions on SAFE bones he could have - primarily for teeth cleaning and good old doggy pleasure?! ETA we usually give him small lamb marrow bones, and haven't had any issues with those yet. We use these huge ones on special occasions like christmas or birthdays or actually trying to have a night out for once :)

We gave our boy a huge bone on saturday night cos we were going out for a few hours. He then spent most of sunday trying to vomit at regular intervals (I assume a chunk of bone, because he's done this before...). He hasn't managed to bring anything up yet, and was still gagging occasionally when I just checked on him at lunch today. He's still otherwise bight and happy, and his tummy doesn't feel uncomfortable. He's still eating fine, and hasn't brought his dinner up (we fed his dinner in two batches to make sure it stayed down ok). I'm guessing he's not very comfortable, but I'm not quite sure at what stage a vet visit is in order? What would a vet be likely to do in this situation?

Maybe it would be best to just call the vet and ask?

Not a problem at all. I have PM'ed you Rosetta :) This is it exactly :) I have firsthand seen the difference between somewhere with dogs being entertained, and somewhere they are just let free to play rather unsupervised. Theres a big difference between the two. Hi Denali, I'd love to know which one you recommend too - if you don't mind? Not sure I'll need it anytime soon, but it's good to know these things I think! Thanks :)

Gorgeous! Do you have any pics yet you can share?