Wundahoo

Yes, this has happened twice in my experience. The first time, the owner was a breed Club member and had many friends in the breed.... it was easy work. The second time was quite confronting. The owner was not a breed Club member nor an exhibitor and had been a thorn in the side of many reputable breeders for a very long time. However when the owner died suddenly and the relatives couldnt cope with the dogs, the Club members rallied to help, for the sake of the dogs involved. There were many dogs, around 26, and most were poorly socialised. Some had major medical issues and the conditions in which they had been living were not good. We managed to house all the dogs in one of our member's kennels and over a period of 5 months all were health checked, sterilised, heartworm tested, socialised, lead trained and rehomed successfully.

You need to contact the breeder and tell them of the problem. Keep it nice and dont make them feel as though you are blaming them. HD is considered to be polygenic and multifactorial so it isnt wholey and soley a problem of genetics. If the diagnosis is adequate ie radiographs are of sufficient quality and have been reported by someone who is known to be experienced, then you may have grounds for some compensation. The accuracy of the diagnosis needs to be established in the first instance and then you can take things from there. While your dog is very young and is too young to be officially scored it isnt too young for a diagnosis to be made. Sometimes it's very obvious from radiographs of young dogs that all the growing in the world will not fix the hips. It really depends on how bad they truly are. When speaking with the breeder, the best results for you will be obtained if you are not portioning blame but simply and politely state facts. Present the evidence that you have and allow the breeder to seek a second opinion if they wish. Give the breeder and the vet that made the diagnosis permission to speak with each other about the case. Dont make any threats or argue. Keep it sweet and simple. If the breeder is reputable and reasonable they will show concern and will want to get to the bottom of the issue, particularly from the point of view of a planned and continuing breeding programme. This just might be the spoke in the wheel that they will not want ! They may be as disappointed as you, perhaps even more so.

I rescue dogs of my breed. Having said that, I dont take every one that comes to my attention. I am selective about which dogs come into my care. I find it upsetting that I HAVE to turn some away but I MUST be practical about it and not let my heart rule my head. Unfortunately there are some that do not fall within the category of "suitable" and so I will not assist in their rehoming. That is left up to the owners or the organisation that has the dog in their possession. I have one dog here at the moment that was surrendered to me by the owners because he digs HUGE holes in their lawn and garden. He is a very sweet dog and gets along with anyone he has met, both 4 legged and two. He has been here for over 3 months while I assess him and then teach him to accept being crated at night, because that is mainly when he digs or gets into other mischief. I have had to microchip him, have him vaccinated, wormed and flea treated and treat his ear infection. I am the one that is paying for all of his medical costs and his upkeep, not his ex-owners, who said that they would contribute to his upkeep while he was here...... yeah, sure...... not a word from them since I picked him up. I am left to pay his upkeep and to rehome him, and of course if he doesnt work out in that home I will also be expected to take him back and find somewhere else for him. I did not breed this dog but I have become 100% responsible for him. Is this fair ???? I dont think so, but I have decided to do this and when I agreed to take him onto rescue I knew that this would probably be the very familiar pattern of promises from surrendeering owners who quickly disappear after their "problem" has been taken away. In the same time frame I have also been asked to take on several other dogs (neither of which I bred) but I declined on the grounds that both of these dogs have shown signs of aggression. One has already bitten a child and the other has attacked but not made physical contact. Both of these dogs have major resource guarding issues. The dog that has bitten a child was not originally from this state but was placed in the home by an eastern states rescue group who were aware of this dog's resource guarding issues when they placed it. Now that its behaviour has escalated to the point that it has bitten, they are very reluctant to take the dog back and do what needs to be done !! I was then contacted because I run rescue for my breed in this state. I refused to accept the dog and voiced the opinion that I believed that this dog was not safe and should be returned to the original rescue group that placed the dog in the first instance. Another local rescue group has taken the dog and is apparently looking for a home for him. He has been advertised on their facebook page as a "sweet boy" !!! My prediction is that he WILL bite again and his behaviour will escalate further. I am firmly of the belief that this dog should NOT be rehomed but it seems that in spite of it having bitten and also showing other aggressive behaviours, there are some who believe that it should be rehomed yet again. For some reason these rescue groups now feel that I am not truly committed to rescue because of my refusal to "help" this dog !!! There are some that simply are NOT suitable to be rehomed and I fail to see why I should be responsible for them, simply because I happen to be someone directly involved in the breed ! I will help a dog if it is temperamentally safe. I will pay for its medical needs and will rehabilitate it IF the dog is one that does not pose a risk to the safety of the community. I will not be made to feel that I am responsible for the care and up keep of every single dog of my breed. If I run breed rescue in this state I should be able to run it in a fashion that means I can devote the time and care to those dogs which are suitable. I should not have to run this group as others external to it want it to be run ! My time, resources and funds are limited and as such can only help a certain number. Taking on and placing a dog of dubious or known bad temperament is irresponsible and unfair on all concerned, the dog included, yet there are those who feel that I SHOULD do this. Edit for S & G.

My dogs get three puppy vaccinations using C3, then one C3 12 months after the last puppy vaccination. After that, they are only revaccinated if their titre test result indicates that their immunity levels have fallen below, or close to below, protective minimum. I do not see the virtue or benefit in vaccinating for canine cough. In almost all cases it is a mild, self limiting illness that generally leaves no lasting effects. The issues surrounding yearly vaccinations for anything are, in my opinion, too risky to warrant vaccinating for an illness such as canine cough. It's akin to vaccinating yearly for the common cold in humans.

I have always pointed out that Limit Register is not a contraceptive !!! Many people seemed somehow to believe that because a dog was registered with Limit paper it automatically meant that it couldnt be bred from...... as Steve has pointed out all this has done is to prevent the pups from being registered within the ANKC system. ANKC breeders who use the Limit register for their puppies need to be aware that there are now alternative registries which will register litters from dogs that have ANKC Limit register papers, in spite of the clear indication from the breeder of these Limit register dogs that they are not to be used for breeding. It appears that these alternative registries are prepared to go against the wisdom of those breeders who place their puppies on Limit register and will register litters that are produced from two parents which have Limit papers.

Those who work within the Veterinary industry are very aware of the stats and it isnt only vets who are affected by the stresses of the job. Veterinary nurses and veterinary technicians are also a part of the scenario. In W.A. there are systems in place to tackle the problem and as has been reported this has had a dramatic effect on lowering the suicide rate within the industry. Help is easy to obtain and the issue of depression is de-stigmatised.... those who seek help are welcomed warmly and immediate assistance, day or night is available through the mentoring scheme for new veterinary graduates or through other support systems set up via the AVA W.A branch or the Veterinary Nurses Council. It will be a dreadful pity if this current scheme cannot continue due to a cut in Government funding. This system truly is worthy of the top level support and if implemented on a national scale could make an enormous difference to very many people. It's been a huge success in suicide prevention within the industry in W.A. and surely this must be a model for the wider use of the plan and greater support from the government, rather than forcing the scheme to become self funded. Last year Paul Davey was awarded the Order of Australia Medal, one of Australia's highest awards, for his work with this scheme which, since its inception, has reduced to zero the number of new grarduates who have taken their own life. Brian McErlean is a retired veterinarian who is now working hard to develop a system similar to the hugely succesful New Graduate programme in order to help others within the industry. These two dedicated men have raised the focus of the problem to an open level where it is easy for help to be obtained. The results within the industry in W.A. have been nothing short of amazing.

I agree that crating her is a good idea but you can also apply Aerogard roll on to the places that she is chewing. Dogs hate the taste and also the smell. Once they have learned that it tastes terrible simply the smell of it is enough to keep them away from the general area.

I have travelled extensively with my cockers (in full coat) around Australia by car and believe me they found some dreadfully PONGY things to roll in along the way !!! Travelling for hours and hours with stinky dogs in the car was definitely not something that I could tolerate !! A really good, long soaking and sudsy bath is the best method but if this isnt possible then try this one ......Firstly remove as much of the offending solid material that might be adhered to the coat.... baby wipes are great for this, then spray the area lightly with water. Sprinkle liberally with bicarb, rub in well with a paper towel. Brush vigorously. Spray again lightly with water then apply potato flour. Repeat the paper towel and brush. Spray again with water then liberally cover area with Johnsons baby powder, rub it well into the area and then brush. Repeat the cycle several times and things should be sparkley pretty quickly. The bicarb helps to neutralise much of the PONG, the potato flour is great for drying and whitening so that the next stage can work better. The JBP is great for getting rid of any remaining odour (it's originally designed for babies bottoms !!) and it also helps to whiten a little.

Where was this? Could happen in WA. Not all pups registered. Rules have now been changed, all pups must be registered. Not in Qld. All pups must be registered ; this has been the rule for decades. Not sure about other states; think it is so in Vic and NSW OP - run as fast as you can. Without registration, the pup could be anything, and if the breeder wont register, they are dodgy. And report them to the VCA Well done for going elsewhere It's been a requirement in W.A. for quite a few years that all litters and all pups in a litter must be registered, however it isnt required that registration papers are signed over to new owners. Regulations require that the purchaser's receipt must indicate whether or not the pup is sold with or without papers and if sold "with papers" must state Main or Limit. Many breeders here use this as a tool to weed out BYB's who are looking to breed from a Limit registered puppy sold as a pet. I use a number of things including the retaining of any pedigree and breeding information until such time as I receive a certified copy of the sterilisation certificate that includes the dog's microchip number. Potential purchasers are told prior to purchase and agree to this in writing at the time of purchase. In whichever state the OP's problem has happened it really doesnt sound at all like a cautious breeder trying to sus out a potential BYB and sounds very much like a BYB that is trying to pretend that they are legit. You are right to run far away and very fast !!

I think that the rules need to be changed. If enough people voice an opinion then it is possible for this to happen. Some years ago, I had an issue with another rule within the C of E and put pressure on sufficient people for the matter to be taken to ANKC and there was a change made. Of course it didnt make a difference to the problem that I had at the time but at least it (hopefully) prevented it from happening again and allowed the controlling bodies to make a case against anyone who breached that rule in the future. One lone voice of protest often doent make them listen but if enough members put a reasoned case forward it can change things. Not always an easy task but one that is possible.

Yep, I can attest to this ! Under the current C of E all that a stud dog owner is obliged to do is to ensure that the bitch presented for mating is on Main Register. Even if the person who presents the bitch is not the registered owner and even if the registered owner has said that the mating CANNOT take place, in the terms of the C of E, the owner of the stud dog is not guilty of any breach !! This has happened to a bitch which I bred and which lived with another person. She was still in my name, which is not a breach of our regs and is common practice here. When I heard about what had been planned I contacted the owner of the stud dog and said that the mating should not take place. Unfortunately it did, in spite of my protests. Even worse was that at her next season the bitch was again presented to the same stud dog owner and was mated yet again. I had sent the owner of the stud dog a written statement saying that the mating was not to take place but it happened anyway. The owner of the stud dog told me that she had not done anything wrong because she had checked to make sure that the bitch was on main register before she did the mating. The person that presented the bitch for mating paid the stud fee and this is all that the owner of the dog was interested in...... ka-ching $$$$$. Well known breeder too ! Obviously there is a huge divide between compliance with the C of E and compliance with certain moral standards.

I agree that it sounds like it could be ascites. He may have cushings or a cardiac problem, but if you say that he is not showing any other signs of being unwell then it's unlikely to be heart related as to produce so much fluid he would probably be showing other signs of cardiac insufficiency such as exercise intolerace and coughing. My bet will be that he has cushings disease. There is also the possibility that it could be enlarged organs caused by liver failure or tumour. In any case this is a dog that is probably quite unwell but is not letting you know. Many dogs can hide the signs of severe illness until things are fairly advanced. A trip to the vet should tell you what the problem is.

If this person has advertised on Gumtree as a registered breeder and has asked more than $500 for the puppy then Gumtree will take action to remove the adverts and caution the advertiser. Of course they need to have this brought to their attention so you will have to report the advert to them. At least Gumtree have a set of advertising rules pertaining to the age at which pups may be sold and require those who claim to be registered breeders to state the association with which they are registered. It's unfortunate that there are still so many shonky people around who will try to decieve others into thinking that they are legitimate but you have done well to ask questions and not to be taken in by her talk. I hope that you find a wonderful pup that will give you all the fun and love that you deserve.

Special Lady. You know there are no words. And you know how I feel. They are waiting, but it will be long time before you meet again. They are patient. You have your Rainbow Bridge to remind you of their patience.

Keep a very close eye on her. If she continues to drink a lot over the next couple of hours then take her to a vet as soon as possible. Excessive thirst coupled with dark coloured urine can be a sign of serious problems. Some of these conditions can become apparent very quickly and can need urgent attention. Schnauzers are predisposed to several conditions that can cause these signs so if you are concerned it's best to get her checked ASAP.