Dog_Horse_Girl

I think this shows not only the owner's devotion, but that of the vet and associated staff. I wouldn't hesitate to spend whatever I could afford, beg or borrow, to save my dogs' lives if need be. We spent quite a bit on Ruby at Christmas to remove her spleen and tumor and then a few months later, she had the cruciate surgery which was supposed to happen at Christmas. I really don't understand why people think spending money on a pet is wrong...to me that way of thinking is wrong...would these people spend that sort of money on a child, spouse or other loved one? Would they begrudge the same money if it was for a human companion rather than a non-human one?

I've had problems with Dogtainers too and wouldn't use them again. Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience Hogwartz but hopefully the pups are okay and over on the west coast now?

Now do you see why people have been complaining about their treatments as tenants all these years. You are just experiencing what the rest of us have to go through as tenants, doesn't matter if you do everything right there are so many property managers and agents who screw us over. That's why I'm not a property manager in QLD - the industry here is completely unethical and full of people who appear to be on a real power trip. As my former manager said to me, "Just because you can, does not mean you should". This was in relation to going through managed properties if the time/day didn't suit the tenant. Yes, the law says an agent CAN go in for certain purposes. But if the tenant has a difficulty with the time and offers a substitute time, this should be open to negotiation. Not in QLD. They just come through anyway. Because the law says they can. BTW - we've been tenants for years. And have lived in our own home. And have had investment property. And I've worked as a PM. So really have seen all sides of it, just didn't expect the industry here in QLD to be full of idiots on a grand scale. I think it's partly because they don't need the property & law education required in some other jurisdictions. I doubt many agents here would pass the required study modules! And it's not *that* hard.

The main reason I'm looking to buy a house (due to marriage split) is because it's impossible to rent a unit here in Brissy with dogs. And house rentals are far too expensive for a single person to afford. So I'm leaving Brissy to head for a regional town next year. I need to find a new job and buy a house...both of which will be a struggle but less difficult than trying to find an affordable and dog-friendly rental in Brissy. Oh, current landlord has put our house on the market (we moved in four weeks ago, went up for sale two weeks later) and we had a whole load of "buyers" come through today. One bloke was taking photos until I asked him to stop. Where do these tools get off? This is OUR home, you can't just come in and start taking photos. Another family were horrified that we had three dogs and two of them wouldn't stop barking...well, you come into THEIR space and stand in their home staring at them, what do you expect??? Tenants have no rights it would seem. We tried to enforce our rights with the selling agent, only to have his boss bully us into allowing people through today at a time which was completely inconvenient to us (we had to cancel our plans thanks to this agent). We had offered THREE other times this weekend but no, it had to be to suit the agent, regardless of the impact on ourselves. Bloody arrogant tool.

My thoughts exactly.

Do they do a better price on vaccines if you vaccinate both your dogs at the same time? Ive head of some that will do the second dog for half the normal price if they get done at the same time, havnt had a chance to ask the vet Ive been using if they do this Don't know...and might never find out as I don't want to vaccinate any of the girls again. Lilly and Ruby are both 10 and Molly is almost 7 and epileptic so I'm wary of vaccinating them again. Have previously done annual jabs for various reasons including boarding kennel requirements, but over the life of the dog, I wonder how safe it really is?

Without knowing the specifics of the local laws in place, it's hard to tell why your application was rejected. Did you seek guidance or info from the council before you moved address? Does the council not have a reciprocal registration arrangements with your previous council? In Brisbane, for example, our council recognises rego held in other QLD LGAs and grants rego until expiry date at no charge. I wouldn't move to an area with a dog limit without extensive dialogue with the council first - this helped us decide on which council in the Brisbane area would be most likely to approve our three-dog permit. I can only wish you all the best...if all else fails, you may need to tell council that you have rehomed one of the dogs to a family member and then make sure you do that. There's no law which says visiting dogs must be registered, as far as I know. ;)

Found one at Sam's priced at $39.99 so bought it. Will see how it goes.

Some of what I like about Susan's practice: Great staff, willing to fit us in even when they're just about to go home for the night, explain things in plain English but don't treat us as dummies, ask relevant questions, don't overcharge and often don't charge for a consult just meds, is great at routine surgeries including doing a FABULOUS job with Ruby's cruciate ligament repair, fantastic after-care and free phone advice when needed, don't push any particular food line etc and happily cuddle and smooch with the girls...I could go on but I won't. Prices are always reasonable and there is never an up-sell or request for credit card details before the consult!

Yep, Susan is fantastic! Wouldn't go anywhere else. She was away last week and the locum was great too. I understand he is easy on the eyes Dunno, would have to ask my OH (he took Lilly in!). Maybe I should have gone instead...dammit!

So sorry to hear that Ivan has been given his wings. You did the best thing for him... as hard as that is to feel right now.

Every time I've checked, they haven't had them. I'll have another look - maybe this time I'll be in luck.

At her bloods just over a year ago, the levels were below clinical effectiveness so the vet's advice was to take her off pheno...we hadn't noticed any seizure activity since leaving Canberra 2 yrs previously. I think we got a little complacent then, assuming that the issue had resolved itself. So the cluster was a HUGE shock and since resuming pheno, all has been well as far as we can tell. Molly's due for bloods again so we'll see what our new vet has to offer once results come through. Hoping the dose doesn't have to go up...and looking for info on alternatives if there are any.

Molly had only had a few (that we knew of) and our vet recommended meds straight away. I did a lot of reading too...just to be sure it was the right choice. Since witnessing her cluster seizure last year and seeing her almost die, there isn't a chance I'd take her off the meds again. In prolonged seizure activity, the body and brain heat up to dangerous levels and this can kill the dog within minutes. We were just so lucky that we got hold of our vet by phone (we were in Tenant Creek NT and nearest vet was 4 hours by road away in Alice Springs). Without his advice/assistance by phone, we would have lost her. Her temperature had risen so fast that we could literally feel the change in her body as we were trying to get valium into her and as we were cooling her off in the shower. I don't mean to frighten you, just alert you to the possibilities. Since Molly has been back on meds, we haven't noted any more seizures - that's not to say she's had none, but none that we've been around to see. She was mostly fitting in the late afternoon/early evening which is when one of us is usually home.

Is there a reason your vet doesn't want Tag on seizure meds? Our vets advice is that meds are a good compromise due to the possibility of brain injury during or as a result of seizures. Molly had a very nasty episode last November after she had been off meds since May. A huge cluster of seizures which almost killed her and would have without quick action by us as guided by our vet by phone - she's been seizure-free as far as we know since resuming meds. Sending you and Tag hugs. It's not an easy thing to watch them go through.

We are super-fussy about our dogs and the best boarding experience we had in Canberra was at the Canberra Pet Care centre in Queanbeyan. It cost a lot because we used the executive suite but the dogs were well-cared for and the staff friendly and professional. Do visit kennels before making a booking. Do talk to others about their experiences. When I worked for a shelter, the number of people who came home from a break to find their animal missing was extraordinary. Dogs and cats go missing when owners are away, especially if someone is supposed to come in to care for them daily. Would you prefer to know your dog is safe and sound in a kennel or that it may escape the yard in search of you if left at home? There is no right or wrong way to go, but make sure you make an informed decision.

Yep, Susan is fantastic! Wouldn't go anywhere else. She was away last week and the locum was great too.

I added some of this to Lilly's RC and I was far from impressed. She stank for days afterwards! Not going to bother with it again.

We don't have a shower...and the dog toilet posted is far too expensive - it does look good though. We can't give her access to the bathroom due to the house layout. So she has to be able to toilet off the kitchen area, near the back door (I know that sounds terrible but it's the only place with a non-carpeted floor other than the bathroom).

Deals Direct has these too. I'm thinking about it but it doesn't look very big...so not sure if Molly would need more than one. If anyone has one of these, your thoughts would be appreciated.

The back doorway (only door to the yard) has a timber door then a security screen door. That would mean two dog doors I think...plus Molly is scared of so many things that move so I am unsure if she would learn to use a dog door. Puppy pads are great when she goes solely on the pad but she sometimes goes on one edge if she has to use it more than once, this has caused seepage in the past and I only use them on tiled floors for that reason. Tried a litter tray but she wouldn't use it, I think because the sides are too high (she wouldn't jump in and out) and the tray wasn't long/wide enough. I also tried the tray from a plastic crate lined with towels but because it moved, she got scared and wouldn't go near it. The tray is slightly warped so doesn't sit flush to the floor. I might try it again on carpet and see what happens because it wouldn't make a noise if it moved on carpet.

So our new rental house is mostly carpeted with cork tiles to the kitchen. I'd like to use something other than towels for Molly to toilet on during the day...towels work well on hard floors but not so well on cork tiles and definitely not for carpet. So I'm in the market for a dog loo but I can't afford more than $100 including postage. Any recommendations? Molly is a mini foxie cross chi and is trained to toilet on towels, so I'm sure she would pick up a new system quickly. Have seen something called the Ugodog which looks good...linky here: Ugodog Any feedback greatly appreciated on this and other systems which don't break the bank. TIA.

Chaining a dog isn't recommended for many good reasons. If you can't get a dog run can you keep the dog inside when you're not there to supervise yard-time? I would hate to think of a dog in suburbia chained for hours on end. ETA - thank goodness she came out on her own.

Done. When is this country going to catch up to the rest of the civilised western world? Dogs are welcome just about everywhere in the US, UK, and much of Europe. How do people in those countries cope so well with dogs visiting hotels, restaurants, travelling on public transport and in the passenger part of aeroplanes when we are apparently "too allergic" to allow dogs in public places in Australia?

Fantastic, great work everyone! :D