Netti

IMO you should be talking to the Guide Dog people. Maybe they can find a trainer that has more patience and someone who has time to put into the pup. The pup will be picking up on your attitude.

Thanks for that info. I will try and convince the RSPCA to leave him my care for as long as possible.

Poodlefan, is that something to do with hormones and growth?

Not sure of his breed but the RSPCA inspector thought Staghound/Smithfield/Spanial X ??? He has huge paws, I am trying to upload a pic but not having a lot of success lol

Thanks for that, wow I hope they leave him in my care for that long!! He came with his sister as she was very shy but during the last week with food, love and attention she has really come out of herself. I am sure she will be found a forever home very quickly.

I have an 8 week old RSPCA foster puppy in my care. He cannot be found a forever home because he cannot be desexed due to having one undesended testilce. I was wondering if anyone has past experience with this issue and may be able to give me any information on the subject, like what stage would the testicle be likely to drop? He is a sweet little dog and I would like to see a happy outcome for him. I have made a search but it didnt return a reply.

That is so sad. My thoughts are with you.

Yes biker girl, its me. At puppy training (years ago now) Flynn was called "Hairy Mclary from Donaldson's Dairy"

My dog and I competed in Launceston today, there were about 12 dogs competing. The whole day was very well planned with a "dummy run" course set up that you take you dog through to practice. When the competing course was set up handlers had 10 minutes to walk through and get to know the it with out the dog. We were also given maps of the course to help understand it. My dog and I ended up with a score of 88/100. My dog perfomed really well but I lost lots of points for having too tight a lead and at one station we were meant to halt but in my nervousness I rushed though so lost 10 points for that. I loved the day and the more experienced handlers were very happy to answer any questions. The judge was Jan and she was very informative. Cant wait for the mext meet.

Thanks Jo I will follow them up Netti

Hello I would like to know if there are any clubs that hold training in agility and/or flyball in the north of Tasmania. I am on the NW and I cant find any here but would be willing to travel if clubs are operating in the north. I have a Smithfield and a friend has a Goldie and we are keen to get our dogs involved in some dog sports. We walk regulary on beaches between Burnie and Penguin. If there is anybody out there who would like to join us you are very welcome. Cheers Netti

Thanks for that Dasha. He just seemed unusually sleepy but that could just be a stress reaction rather than a physical one. Your poor dog that got tangled, that must have been awful.

Hair loss can be a side affect of an underactive thyroid. A trip to the vet for blood tests may be in order. Cheers Netti

Hi everybody, Today my 9 year old silky terrier X was zapped by our electric fence. I dont know how it happened but saw him running and yelping after the event. The fence has been there for years and he usually keeps well away. He ran inside and hid under my bed for a while and would not come out when called so I left him there. Later I went in and he was asleep on top of the bed, I talked to him and went to pat him and he seemed to be coming out of a very deep sleep. He wagged his tail, got up and stretched (which is always a good sign), and went staight back to sleep. I have been zapped myself at times but my 70kg weight is far different from his 8kgs. Has anybody else had a dog who has reacted like this after an electric shock? Any info would be gladly received. Cheers Netti

I purchased some horse meat some time ago from a pet food outlet. My dogs who normally eat anything wouldn"t eat it. It was very lean and dark in color, smelled alright to me but the dogs sniffed it and turned away. I have nerver tried it again.

I had never meet a pug before, he cracks me up he is such a little character, and this was before he had vet attention. He will be a real ball of fun now that he is not in pain.

Thanks P P A condition of the sale was that he was to be desexed within a month, my DIL did the right thing but another buyer may not have been so compliant.

Thanks for your replies. He was desexed and had all but eight teeth removed. Poor little darling. The vet also found a strange lump with his testicles which was removed and sent for testing. When my DIL contacted the breeder she said that when he was young he had an undesended testicle and because they wanted to show him he had an op to anchor it (my words not the breeder). The breeder had no explanation about his teeth. Just as well the family love him as he has cost them over $1000 so far and he is seven years old!!!!!!! The vet was disgusted with the breeder in that she allowed a stud dog to get in such a state and then to sell him. Vet said that he would have been in considerable pain with the condition of his teeth. Just proves that not all breeders are reputable. Anyway he is now vey happy, pain free and in a loving home. Netti

My DIL is trying to everything in his best interests, I can't beleive that a breeder would sell a dog with such dental probelms. The breeder who has had him for the 7 years obviously neglected the poor little darlings dental hygene. I did give him a chicken neck which he loved but had trouble chewing it, he kind of gummed it to mush and then swallowed it.

I dog sat my DIL's pug over the weekend. He is a dear little fellow and we enjoyed having him except for the extremly bad smell coming from his mouth. I had a look at his teeth and they are either black or very decayed along the gum line. His gums also seemed swollen to me but he wasnt real keen on me looking so I am not so sure about them. At the moment he only eats mince, when he was with me I blended some raw vegies and put it in his mince and he ate it. He wont eat anything hard but I dont blame him as I am sure his teeth and gums would be very sore. The pug is 7 years old and was purchased as a retired stud dog, he is being desexed tomorrow. My DIL is concerned about his teeth and asked the vet to have a look at them while he is under te anesthetic. I read up on the subject but I could only find out about prevention of tooth decay, not what to do if they are already bad. If the teeth need to come out how do you feed a toothless dog, are pugs prone to tooth decay, any suggestions, experiences or information would be appreciated. Cheers Netti

Good news everyone, Flynn's limp is gone. He so much better that I took him to the beach yesterday for a swim. I thought that might give him a change of scenery and be gentle exercise for him. Tide was in so he didnt need to walk far. The look on his face was priceless when I kept him on the lead so he wouldnt run about, he is not used to walking on a lead at the beach. He is still on the anti-inflamatorys for a few days so it looks all down hill from here. I will start more gentle exercise when he has finnished them. Thankyou so much for all the advice, info and reports of your dogs limps. Its nice to know that other people care. Cheers Netti

Wolfhound Lover you shouldn't have to pay for an old tyre. Just go to a tyre dealer and they would give you an old tyre, it saves them having to pay a levy to dispose of tem. I know this as my partner is a "tyre man". If any body is in the N.W. of Tasmania and wants some old tyres PM me and I will see what I can do.. Saying this I havent even thought of giving my dogs a tyre to play with We have one hanging up in the back yard for a swing for the grandkids and sometimes Flyn plays tug of war with it, usually when one of the kids is on it. Cheers Netti

Well I took Flynn to the vet this morning and the vet as prescibed Rimadyl for the next nine days. He thought the pain was more in his paw rather than coming from the shoulder. At this stage he doesnt think X-rays are warranted. Complete rest was also recommended. Poor Flynn, he so loves getting outside and running around, everytime I put on my shoes or even a jumper he thinks we are going out and gets all exited. I bought him some new chew toys today to try and keep him occupied. Thanks for all the info and support, looks like there are lots of limping dogs out there, poor darlings.

Thankyou so much for all that info monsterpup. I have made an appointment for him to see the vet tomorrow. I checked out some glucosamine/chondroitin products today but wanted to see what the vet recommended before I made the purchase, now that I have read the info I am glad that I waited. I will keep you informed of what happens

I would love to try a dog chiro but dont know of one in Tassie, there is a horse one down here that advertises in the local newspaper, I wonder if he does dogs No I havent crated him, so he able to walk around during the day. He is such an energetic dog, and used to being exercised that he doesnt like being confined. I get on well with my vet but I was just seeing if there was anything else I could try before going. I would be there n a flash if Flynn was showing any signs of being in real pain, but as Shellbyville pointed out some dogs do have very high pain threshholds. Dogmad, I would be very interested in the results of your dogs x-rays. What did the chiro say it might be. Thanks for your help Netti