Trisven13

No more news at this stage. Ros (the carer) sent her brother around to try to restrain the two remaining dogs but even he was too scared to enter the yard and he goes there normally a few times a week, not to mention had fed them the day before. Last time we spoke she was waiting for her husband & son to be within phone range and then they would have to try to sort everything out when she got home. The rangers told me that they could see the body of a blue heeler and it wasn't moving - from that we're assuming that he has passed. If he hasn't, after this long, he is most likely very badly injured. Poor Ros - she has been caring for us from the beginning and, until her move to Swan Hill, has been one of our only big dog carers. Its just shattering for everyone involved.

The rangers are still at the property and have removed two of the dogs who don't appear to have been actively involved. Long story but the carer is a solicitor who has had to move to Swan Hill. Her husband and son still live at the property until it is sold and they can all move to Swan Hill - but they went away camping overnight. They can't be contacted at the moment. The carer's brother is on his way out to see if he can restrain the remaining two dogs - who are actively trying to eat the ranger. If he can't get there the carer has given the ranger's permission to shoot the dogs if necessary. They haven't been able to see Rowdy's body so I suppose there is a chance he is alive but the neighbour apparently saw him killed last night. I just can't believe it, the poor carer (who is close friend) is devastated but too far away to be able to do anything - her dogs are her family - we just can't work out what happened. We can only assume that there was a dispute between the dogs which led to Rowdy's death and that, somehow, this has triggered some kind of pack killing spree afterwards. The neighbours have young children and a GR pup and have had to keep everyone inside as the dogs are trying to get next door. The dog who is causing most of the problem is 10 years old - maybe some kind of dementia brain snap???? I just can't explain it, understand it, comprehend it. RIP Wednesday the goat who was rescued from the pound aged approx 2 days - my friend adored her.

Rowdy, one of the dogs currently being fostered by Albury Dog rescue, was killed last night by his foster carer's dogs in a very out of character event which also claimed the live of the carer's goat and many chickens. The carer is devastated and unsure on what to do about her dogs. The exact details are unclear as they were away when it occurred. Rowdy - you were a beautiful boy who wormed your way into my heart when you climbed into my lap for a cuddle. You were so scared of so many things - I'm so very very sad that your life had to end the way it did. Run free at Rainbow Bridge - I'm sure there will be someone there with a lap for you to climb in.

I'm so sorry - Shepmax71 has been keeping me up to date with Asher's progress and I had been hoping so hard he would recover. It is not fair - my thoughts are with you.

The prices quoted & information provided by Bomabec's vet are almost identical with what I have been told. We have attempted to include the cost of a heartworm test into our dogs but are just not able to factor it into the price without making our adoption price beyond what rural people will spend. We speak with adopting families about it, offer to have the dog tested for them prior to adoption and advise that it is an additional expense payable by them. Everyone has been happy with that and most people get their dog tested. They are all well aware though that the dog hasn't been tested. My vet (in Albury) has also advised that heartworm is a very low risk issue here in Albury, she recommends treating pups for it BUT believes that our protocol is completely in line with local risk factors.

How much is in one of these patties??? I would never pay that amount when for 10 minutes of work I can make my own.

That is the problem - byb of course! I just thought if I could find somewhere that showed what the standard thyroid level is for each breed (if there is such a thing) they'd have an idea of how bad it is. They've been advised to treat it with medication - does that sound normal? Some of the reading I've seen says that adding kelp for iodine may help but other reading has said that the dog would need crazy levels of those things to improve it. They were told that the normal level is 19 to 40 and their dog's level is 13. Some reading has shown that the breed does have this (Boxer) but I can't find anywhere which shows what an average level is for that breed. I found a list showing those breeds which are more highly represented but nowhere that shows a breed's "normal" level.

Any idea on where I can find this information? My cousin's dog has been diagnosed with an apparently low T4 level and I can't find anywhere where it states what the average is for each breed.

I borrowed a friend's Billinghurst books and also read the book by Kymythy Someone (wish I could remember her name) and just made it all up from there. I add different things on different days and it is fed alongside their RMBs.

Why not make your own? It really doesn't take much time and if you're only feeding a couple of dogs you can make a big batch and freeze it. I feed a few dogs and make a big batch every second night on average (they get RMBs the other night) and it takes about 10-15 minutes to make up enough to feed 10 dogs.

Oh I am so so sorry. Poor Harvey and how terrible his carer must feel. Hugs to everyone.

I can't believe you've lost another one Hannah. Hugs to you.

WE had a dog in care that developed similar symptoms and it turned out to be a type of Meningitis - he was very ill but antibiotics got him right. A local lady I know lost her dog with the same symptoms.

First thing I'd be doing is worming him (though I'm sure the vet will tell you that ) - probably not a bad idea to worm him again in a couple of weeks. A lot of his dry coat will be a combo of worms & poor/no food. Second thing would be a good bath BEFORE he gets desexed - it will wash out the obvious things like dirt but it will also wash out the old coat. With a clean coat, good food & no worms he will come good quickly. Your diet sounds good - I would feed him extra of that to start with to get his weight up and then when he is at a good weight drop it down. Twiggy gets feed three or four times a day to get her weight up - once its at an okay level I will drop it down to just twice a day. She also gets extra treats :D like the fat off the meat we're going to eat, left over kids cheese sandwiches etc. She is a real scavanger so I have to be careful of her looking for food in some crazy places - you may need to do the same - my kids can't walk outside with food as she would steal it. He may have a problem with food around other dogs too. In a couple of weeks he will start looking fantastic - you won't believe how quickly it can happen. Trish

Oh I'm so sorry..... Look after Tonkey Donkey for me Houndee - he will need a lovely grey like you.

There aren't words for how I feel at the moment - and I'd only known you a short time. RIP Dianne - your face will be one that I will miss at all my local shows - a constant next to your dog's trailer, friend to many I know and respect. An honest lady at a time when that is so rare - I may not have always agreed with what you said but I always respected your sincerity.

Poor Tonka, the 10 month old greyhound puppy, was put to sleep tonight with a tumour in his bladder. Tonka fought hard for his life from the word go - born by c-section and one of the four pups (of 8) that we revived he was always my favourite. A sweet little sooky boy with amazing colouring he was such a screamer! The only time he stopped screaming was when he fell asleep but sometimes he did that mid-scream. He grew from a pretty puppy into a beautiful dog That last photo was taken only about 4-5 weeks ago and show an apparently healthy and happy boy. Today surgery to discover the cause of the blood in his urine found a massive tumour. His coat was dull, he had lost weight. My poor Tonky Donkey - I really did love you and whilst you weren't my dog and haven't lived with me for a few months I could have happily lived with you for years. I hope that there is a big dam over Rainbow Bridge for you to run splashing through. You were one of a kind in looks and personality.

Oh Hannah - I'm so sorry!!! I know how much you loved her. Digby will look after her

Puggles - Alison who runs ADR with me lost her little terrier earlier this year to Pancreatic Cancer - it was sooo fast and she went from being an overweight little girl with attitude to a sickly thin dog who could only be kept alive by a drip. Obviously no life so she was pts. Pancreatic Cancer, in humans and animals, is a quick, sudden & painful killer. Poor little Molly.

Oh Puggles - I'm sooooo sad for you. There is something about a DOLer friend losing their dog that makes to so personal. Hugs to you today. Trish

So sad and my nightmare too. I have it planned though - kids and family out first, own dogs & cats next, fosters last..... God though - the nightmare of actually having to live it!

Thanks guys - have emailed my husband the link to this thread ( honey!) and he will go searching. We have used a combination of Frontline Plus and Advantage on the animals. My vet thinks that maybe the fleas are immune to Frontline Plus???? I have 5 dogs of my own who have all been treated with Frontline Plus - some dogs have no fleas but two have heaps. I also currently have 6 nine week old rescue pups and one mum & 3 pups - I think that is making it harder as we are at full capacity dog wise and so it is quite expensive to treat all the animals AND the environment and of course treatment of everything is essential. We're not giving up though!!!!

Thanks for that! I'm going nuts - and just paranoid that after all our work I'm still going to have them. Think I'll flea bomb again in 4 weeks time to be sure.

We have done all the things we know of to treat the fleas we seem to have at the moment - flea-bombed the house completely (9 bombs in an 11 square house), treated every animal, used lime in the backyard. If, after all this, we still get fleas on the dogs within the next week I will have to spend the money on professional treatment - our yard is approx 800 square metres. Does anyone know what we're looking at cost wise? ETA to change dog to animal

Thanks jdavis. I'm having a serious attack of the guilts over poor Jessie. Because for 18 months we've been told she overgrooms through stress we hadn't even considered a flea allergy. I don't know how we've missed it because it is now soooo very obvious - I just want to make sure that we get rid of them and she can live in comfort. Would I buy garden lime from a garden supplies place?