Kazm

When Zena was a young pup ( 9 years ago) we bought her a pink fluffy thing which her first litter of pups got hold of. It survived and went through 2 more of her litters and then finally had to be thrown about a year ago. It could only be washed so many times. It always amazed me as even the boy puppies adored this "pink" thing. Everyone loved it. The next toy to be used and abused by a multitude of puppies and still lives on is a "skunk". A black and white ( not any more) long toy. Perfect for those rough tug of war games. A favourite with all. And gets tonnes of use. And lastly I have one male pup ( my Mollys brother) a 3 year old who visits us regularly and he will hunt through the dog toy box and find his favourite toy. A grey plastic squeaky shark. Never fails to find it.

Sooooooo cuteeeeee

Other than the early start, how lucky are you

I feed my girl around 5 pm and then send her out for sniff/pee etc and then she comes in and sees what offerings she can get from us while I cook and then eat dinner. She will then wander around until we are ready to sit and then she will spend her time snoozing on the lounge with us. I send her out again before we go to bed, usually around 10 - 10.30

I hate to jump in on someone else's topic but I too am considering changing vets. Very unsure though. We have been using the same practice for approx. 20 years now. It is a small home based practice so he has always been very good on prices. His care (after hours also) has always been extremely good. Everyone is very friendly and knows us and our animals. Our first problem arose when our vet passed away a few years ago. All the good ones go too soon. The practice is still run from his home and everything is still the same except now there are 3 different vets working on alternate days. I always like the idea of seeing the same person. Unfortunately we can't always see the same one now. Animals don't need attention just on the days the favoured vet works. When my Zena first showed symptoms of something being wrong the vet that we saw couldn't find anything wrong with her although she did do a blood and urine test. These tests showed nothing Four days later Zena was unwell again and due to a problem with the vets phone service ( I couldn't contact them about getting an appointment)I decided to take her to another practice. This guy I have heard exceptional comments about and within minutes of Zena being examined he had detected a mass on her spleen. My mind went frantic and thought how come 4 days earlier at my other vets nothing had been picked up. Her belly to me hadn't changed and neither had her symptoms. Now I am left wondering how good are they. Is this new guy that I went to a bit more experienced. I only want my pets to receive the best of care. Obviously in Zena's case even if they had found it earlier it was always going to be the same outcome but I just don't know if I can trust them. But I feel my loyalties lie with my original practice. I honestly don't know what I am going to do.

I am so sorry to hear about your sweet Kirra. At least it sounds like she went very peacefully. I guess our fur babies are very clever and give us a helping hand in knowing when to make the decision. My girl let me know. My thoughts are with you. It's a hard and difficult time. I guess one day the pain will ease but for us it's taking time. All the best to you and your family.

Thankyou LFF . Life would be pretty dull without our four legged friends .

So happy to hear Kirra is continuing along peacefully. Fingers crossed you get to use extra cortisone. Our thoughts are with you. It's tough on the other side.

Tough decision. And it never feels any better even when you are told it's the right thing to do but we love our fur babies and never want to see them suffer. Thinking of you.

I'm just paranoid about all lumps. I'd get it checked out.

Nasty news, like we don't have enough to worry about keeping our pets healthy as it is. Agh.

1. How many dogs do you have, and what are their names, ages and breeds? Just 1 now, said goodbye to my other dog 3 weeks ago. Molly is a mini schnauzer and she is almost 6 years old. 2. Do you have plans for a new addition? Not at the present time. 3. Did you have dogs growing up? Yes, a corgi x and a mini foxie x 4. Do you have names saved for any future dogs? Yes I do but that could change when I see the pup. 5. What is your favourite breed? Mini Schnauzer 6. What is your favourite group? I don't really have a favourite group 7. Is there a breed that you admire, but probably wouldn't own? Giant schnauzer 8. Do you compete with your dogs in any discipline? No 9. Have you had an achievement, large or small, with a dog that you're particularly proud of? No 10. What games do your dogs most enjoy playing? Fetch, tug of war, chasing balls or another playmate. 11. Are you drawn more to male or female dogs? Female 12. What are your favourite coat patterns or colours? In a mini schnauzer I love the black/silver and other dogs I love a nice glossy coat 13. What discipline or sport in the dog world do you find most interesting? Agility 14. What would be your dream household of dogs? Having our Zena back with us and Molly 15. Where is your favourite walk? Any bush track along a creek bed 16. Does your dog have any funny habits? Where do I start. Of course she does. She's a schnauzer. 17. Do you have a favourite piece of dog gear? A fold up off the ground dog bed. Ideal for camping 18. What are your goals for your dogs? To live a long healthy, happy, fun filled life 19. Have you had what you consider to be a heart dog? Yes, my Zena, who we just said goodbye too. But I think I may be lucky in having a second one in my Molly now. Her daughter. 20. List five things you love about your dog Her stunning looks playfulness loyalty cheekiness intelligence

Sorry to hear of your loss. She certainly sounds like a lovely girl. We all miss them way too much I think. Hugs to you and your family.

I'm with you DDD. I have been watching this thread and after reading today's posts I just feel like enough is enough. The poor woman just wanted a sweet little dog to cuddle. And thank goodness, she now has one

Hey Phyl. Love the name Pebbles. And I applaud you taking on a pup at your age and totally understand that she will make you and your husband so happy. She will give so much love and put laughter back in your lives after all that has been said here. Our little fur babies give love unconditionally and do not descriminate. Wish you all the best with Pebbles - lots of games, fun and puppy cuddles.

Thankyou C and M. I think so too but then I'm totally biased My girls mean the world to me.

Here are my 2 girls. As you look at the photo Molly is on the left and Zena on the right.

Think I'm getting the hang of this.

Just working out how to get photos here. I'm not too tech savvy

She's beautiful Selkie. I own a black and silver mini schnauzer. She has had 2 litters and the stud we used was black so naturally she has produced a few pure blacks. They have grown to be stunning dogs. A friend of mine owns a few mini schnauzers too but also has a black giant schnauzer. Gorgeous animal. Love my schnauzers

Reminds me of a Christmas Day many years ago. I had my 2 small children and a male mini schnauzer, on lead, at the beach in Hervey Bay. All of us having a great time playing at the waters edge when next thing my dog was in the jaws of a Rottweiler, off lead. Owners nearby but doing nothing. Thankfully my dog was not injured. Once free the kids, dog and myself all went straight home rather shaken. Too many people out there believing their dog can do and go anywhere it likes. My dogs are only off lead in designated areas or when I know we are absolutely all alone.

I have also been following this thread and I am over the moon that you are finally getting a new family member. Good luck to you and here's to many good times and memories made. Can't wait to hear what you name her. Happy cuddles to you.

So sad to hear of another lovely dog leaving their family. Brodie looks like he was quite a character. We said goodbye to our sweet girl 2 weeks ago and it is hard. I still cry each day for her but at other moments we talk and laugh at things she used to do. She was only a little girl ( mini schnauzer) but she has left a huge hole in our lives. Just take it one day at a time. Our thoughts are with you. Hugs to you and your family

Isn't she sweet Lovely photo. Hand feeding is just what we do when necessary. I hand fed both my girls when they got picky with food during their pregnancys and I hand fed Zena almost every day of her last few weeks with us. We do it because we love them.