rubiton

I would have thought above all make sure the future breeding stock have have all the health checks for their breed (eg hips, elbows, eyes, etc) to avoid passing on any genetic problems

Trishm - our dog has been kept on low fat where possible due to a gastro attack two years ago (and trying to get her right after another one at the moment). In the last few weeks since her dental have been trying to change her over onto kidney dry food but cant use it at the moment due to having to be on ID til her insides work properly again (and Im late with the heartworm tablet as it was due the night she got sick with gastro). We also got the slightly high levels from the pre dental blood tests and the plan is for her to be on the kidney food (eventually as its 16% fat compared to the ID of 9 %) and she is also on daily tablets. Apart from the blood test there are no other real symptoms BUT having seen the afghan suffer back in the 80s when there was no treatment for kidney disease in dogs I an see why the vet wants to be proactive before problems arise. The kd food is 12 % protein compared to the ID of 22%.

Are you strolling walking or power walking? And yes is there any off lead time? 25 minutes is all I was doing when it was warmer and on holidays and that was everyday but we did cover about 2 1/2 km including a few minutes off lead at the local park (gave her the chance to stop and sniff and run while I kept going at the same speed). BUt that was power walking and kept us both fit. Thing is the more you increase the walk the fitter the dog will eventually get so you wont be able to 'tire them out' as they just get fitter but its also about the outing too. However if you are just going for a quiet walk or stroll they wont get the heart rate up and wont use up energy as a brisk walk will.

On the sheets from the vet that we got with all the gastro info is says exactly what you have Jules - high in the wrong type of protein and is no good for kidneys.

Animal shelter and she was the one that was sitting there quietly right at the gate while the other barked and went of their heads. And when taken out for a closer look she sat when told.

Glad we are different to Qld - SA is like NSW (if I read the post above correctly) . YOur dog is not at fault if someone or something is trespassing on your property according to teh dog and cat management website in SA (saw the actual ACt ruling on there).

Magnets to keep away bugs. OK when it comes to magnetic knee strap I can gurantee that I still get mozzie bites right where the strap goes so since that happens when the knee strap is on guess those magnets dont stop mozzies. agree with nekhbet dont think magnets would keep the pests away somehow

Exactly - plenty of labs like cats. My lab x thinks cats serve only one purpose and that is to act as a chase toy. She will try to get around behind them to make em run. If ones in her yard its there to be chased, its taken 9 years and she is just under control when in harness and choke chain and use of the word left (ie turn left down the path) when she spots one of the 10 or so in the yard of the cat house in cat alley. You cannot guarantee one particular breed or any particular animal will be fine with cats (its like saying what breed of cats is good with dogs) - have heard if they are introduced as puppies and trained correctly they dont learn to think of chases as chase toys.

Our dog got gastro and $150 later she had food, antibiotics and instructions including the exam. So $300 for sedation/GA (some dogs may lay there but cannot see a 3 month old lab going OK Ill keep still!!) and xrays plus consultation fee is not too bad. As has been mentioned find a vet you trust and you are not just paying for the actual treatment but their expertise as well.

Home & Contents will cover it for amateur photographers but if you have a photographic business and derive an income from the camera gear its best to get separate insurance for it.

My camera is insured but a small amount of gear insurancecame with the public liability insurance

That linkis brilliant - things to be aware of if wanting to breed dogs. And Im assuming a quick google search would also show that things going bad is not all that unusual.

I have offered to take photographs on the day via those fliers that comes with the magazine several times now but have heard nothing back so I assume they have more than enough help for the day (thats a day of photography for free which has a value to it as if I am booked for an event I do charge a fee). Probably a good thing as thats the Sunday after the Royal so Im usually exhausted by then anyway and usually have a million photos to sort out.

OK - I see it this way in humans we boost our immune system if around sick people with various things (be that getting plenty of vitamins etc) in order to 'prevent' getting sick. In reality we might be infected with the germs but the immune system fights off the problem before we get sick. The heartworm tablets killing off the larvae in the system before they mature and get into the heart thus preventing heartworm (which is what I meant by infected - actually being positive to heartworms). I'd rather kill the issue in the larvae cycle with the monthly tablet in my mind preventing the problem than risking exposure during seemingly non mozzie months. At least these days there is the monthly tablet or annual injection when it first appeared dogs had to have daily tablets there was no other option.

Im more blunt Id be asking doesnt she care if her female dog has complications and dies as there is always that risk no matter how vigilant a 'newbie' is to breeding. You dont have to lose the friendship over not agreeing - I work with people who think horse racing is evil but its basically an unsaid agreement thats a subject that wont be argued over again (it has in the past). However you have every right to say they are mad risking everything including thehealth of the female because she basically wants some 'cute puppies' for a while and gets to keep one.

Reckon heartworm tablets are a preventative not a treatment (if it gets heartworm its treated differently which is why they get tested before being put on the monthly tablets, etc) - yes I guess it does work like a treatment as its suppose to kill anything in the dogs system before it turns into heartworms but it doesnt actually treat infected dogs. And while for example there are not many mozzies about I can remember being eaten alive in Adelaide on an August day by gigantic mozzies in the parklands - out of season for them but they were coming along just nicely in the end of winter weather. So while I have seen a highly recommended OS website mention not having to give them monthly heartworm tablets during winter I disagree with that due to August giant mozzies around here. However normal worming may not be necessary on the dot of every three months it depends how likely exposure is - our vet asked a few questions and said our dog did not need 3 monthly treatment due to her lifestyle and exposure risk so only gets a worming tablet once or twice every year or so.

Just one thing - make sure the footage if any is obtained of puppy farms is actually taken while production is done and from Australia. Don't just go to the Animal liberation and get stock footage. The second stuff about Australia is stock footage from unnamed US places credibility is out the door for me and regardless I have no interest in whatever the point is. The Animal Cops show from last Friday night was exactly the right angle to expose puppy farms - it showed how the animal cop people investigated with help of former workers and removed animals. It then went to the bloke who did the full investigation for news reports (he did indeed trace from pet shop back through brokers to puppy farms) and finally they showed what became of a number of the dogs and the issued they had. Not overly emotive to the point of OMG look at these awful images and be shocked - it showed footage but didn't overdo it and did the education view not the 'we must protest etc' view. Though they did show people protesting at the start of the pet shop section and then went into where they come from (no outraged protestors were interviewed but their point was made in the few shots of the placads).

But talking to the vet if you trust them in regard to how it may be affecting their immune system and perhaps getting the titre test if you dont want to vaccinate each year is better than just going ok I aint doing it and ending up being unlucky and finding your dog doesnt hold its immunity by catchng something very nasty like parvo.

OUr dog gets the monthly heartworm tablet but she likes the chewable one (I am late this month due to her gastro last weekend that she is still recovering from) however the vet said that her limited exposure to where she could catch worms means that she only has a worming tablet from the vet once or twice a year. Dont worry about fleas - dont treat that problem unless she actually ended up with said issue. However she is around horses and therefore has had the tetanus injections (though the next booster isnt due for another 3 years). Luckily in SA we dont have ticks like are found in some eastern states

Vaccinations speak to your vet if worried however with the worming that might be something to also check to see if you can cut down a little as ours said we didnt need to worm her that often as she was at low risk. So she only gets wormed maybe once or twice a year (apart from heartworm tablets each month).

Most people would dump them in the paddock as a last ditch effort to get rid of the lameness after treatment then offload them at some stage later when a sale comes up. SO unless its a really long lasting drug (steroid of some sort???) youd think it would be close to being out anyway. The one that sells to the human export apparently keeps them for 6 months to ensure they are clear but he also sells on if they are sane & sound and he thinks they would make a good ridden horse in that time.

Peanut butter inside - you do have to make sure you clean it later but they love peanut butter

Apparently the zoo no longer takes unwanted horses they get their meat supplied by a contractor (from someone who looked into it more recently from a horse forum). Many years ago when they had I think it was a Condor there was a big rib cage in there and it looked like it was from a horse (right shape & size for horse wrong for cattle). The zoo also use to end up with the old police horses that had soundness issues (this was from a former police person who said they asked for the lower legs & hooves back to see why a horse had had so much trouble and inside they were in a shocking state). WOuld wonder though why unwanted horses would be treated with bute and antibiotics before being sent to the knackery (as mentioned in various posts above) - would have thought like the ones in SA that go to Peterborough from various sales that they are held somewhere for a required time. You cannot send a horse that has been put down with drugs to the knackery for their use (though have heard some will dispose of the body for a fee in one of the eastern states)

The family Golden Retriever got this (the vet at the time called it a dog stroke - the eyes darting and couldnt stand up) in Easter 97 or 98 - with anti inflammatories and anti biotics and stayed with the vet surgery over that weekend. When he came back he was a little unsteady and had the head tilt. Never was quite the same but lived until Dec 00 when he was 17 and was put down due to unrelated issues.

Skylight filters on everything (well except one that I should get a filter for). No difference in photos and protects the lens.