PossumCorner

Thanks - I'm with Marg, recall as children it was in every butcher shop and we had it with a meal just now and then, maybe once a month. Steak and kidney pie was an irregular regular also as an offal inclusion. And weight-pressed tongue. (And eel). Lamb and mutton were the basics and butchers gave 'lamb flap' free to anyone with dogs, along with lamb shanks. Ribs and shanks are now trendy/expensive but no-one much praises up tripe for the home table. I must be having a more cynical than usual day, I've just now read through a lot of stuff on tripe green and otherwise - some sounds credible and some sounds more like just a gimmick to move a fairly weighty piece of offal into the pet food market at a substantially higher per-kilo price than just going into mystery cans and kibbles with other offal waste. I'll ask the local butchers - I think they buy in from registered home-farm suppliers occasionally. And this Sunday the Farmers Market will have locally produced beef, I'll see if they are a source or have any leads for local. Not convinced it is up to its advertising, but open mind.

Ooh great site, didn't know Snowys, good sale prices for Coleman gazebos as well. Market stall holders have told me Coleman are the best buy. I had a red Oztrail, looked smashing but was hot as, bad choice. Was destroyed by wind at home. Its replacement white (blue top) also destroyed by wind (we have bad gales). I did buy a cute little Proton Jumbuck ute to carry it/them, it made packing them so easier doing markets. Now I've stopped cards/farmers markets for the time being but still drive the ute, these small 'girlie utes' are so handy for dogs and for horsey stuff and nimble to park etc and the canopy back makes them a mini mobile gazebo in themselves, depending on need/use required of course.

What are the benefits of feeding it, aside from being high protein? Does it contain food value goodies that other less difficult to prepare parts of a carcase do not?

That's my dilemma, there is no answer to it of course. Wild birds need water left out in summer, so do my dogs when not in the house, so do the chooks when in what passes for a garden. I get heartsick looking at the drought-stricken country around, and if I had to make my back-yard as bare and featureless - well I'd give up. So we have shrubbery, and pots of water on the ground for echidnas or anyone else who needs it, and a massive wood-heap because we rely on wood for heating and just a little cooking, and chooks, and horse feed, hay bales, snake heaven in other words. Some aspects of life I can't do without - people around here do, with yards like billiard tables, shedding so far from the house you need to drive to it, no animals within cooee. Miserable way to live whether town or country to have no aspect of a little wilderness or naturalness to enjoy in the back or front yard. Circular problems, no solutions, live with crossed fingers.

That's miserable Bridgie-cat, and constant sick worry. The mouse-proof wire that also keeps snakes out is very expensive - and they can burrow under as well, I've seen that. There is no way to fence securely without spending big - more than most people would be able to or prepared to. Bird netting will catch snakes up, like Cazablanca said it comes with risk to snakes and catchers alike. But not chicken wire - nylon type bird netting is the one to use if they must - but the dogs are then at more risk if they approach so it is not a solution. Snakes need water and frogs are their main diet - even if a very accessible low tub of water is supplied outside of the fence, it won't "bring" snakes because they are already there. But it does give them a drink without having to come into a reasonably proofed house yard. Same with echidnas if you have them around, they must drink, and a reliably filled ground level tub will protect them from coming into the yard to be attacked by dogs. Works for possums too, give wild-life its most driving basic need off-property gives them less of a driving need to seek it in the house-yard. We have probably the same as your area, blacks and browns and tigers, and they come in for the chook-pens and feed-shed, after mice and the odd egg or chicken if they can access them. Ongoing worry, I am lucky that our two little dogs are now totally terrified of them so don't get up close and personal.

No words. Tears though. So sorry Boronia.

BB have they ruled out Lupoid? It is pretty miserable for you whatever it is. Around 13 or so years back Frodo developed Lupoid when about 3. (He is a smallish poodleterriercav cross type, now aged around 16). We were 'lucky' that our vet had experience with it, and had a friend doing current vet research on it a Melbourne Uni. But Frodo had to have three or four nails surgically removed, and that is hell for them to go through. No doubt you have found most of the dog nail problem issues with google - I just came across this one which I hadn't seen before: http://germanshepherdhealthproblemshere.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/hells-nails-symmetrical-lupoid.html Frodo's nails did not fall out, they became horrendously infected, and it was some kind of immune syndrome, ABs didn't help. They certainly don't grow back once removed to that extent. And the pain is referred to in the literature - they were never positive whether the ongoing pain is 'real' or a bad pain memory from the disease. I hope you can find a vet or specialist who is more up to date on the causes and treatment. Our vets said that greyhounds suffered from Lupoid quite a lot, and that it was thought in their case to be very much stress related as much as any more physical immune problem.

Thanks Steve, good link. So it is discretionay and does not set a precedent (I was some concerned just reading it about issues like puppy farming or battery egg farms). Really need to listen through the audio clip for a better understanding, and yes the discretionary decision can go to the Court of Appeal, so it's not a done deal yet. Lhok - as he said in Steve's link - to make it squeaky-clean legal the film-crew would have to have been invited to the property to film. Hollow laughter, like that would ever happen! Sometimes the RSPCA would not be considering an investigation where there was no prior information. I don't like invasion of privacy either, but with issues like this and it is the only way, so be it.

True in so many fields - there were plenty of known dingo-crosses around when I was a little kid - and when my Dad was young (he'd be 105 this year) they deliberately used a dingo-cross with greys or deerhounds in WA as kangaroo dogs - no doubt in other states as well. There would have been no shortage of base stock for anyone wanting a quiet dingo infusion for any reason, not only stock-work. Perseph you reminded me of the quote from Lord of the Rings: "And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge." — Lady Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Couldn't read the clip, subscription only. Agree there are thug types in every strata of society. But likening them to Nazis is an insult to those who were there (just referring to the quoted response).

Couldn't agree with you more Maddy. Mystify you can't leap onto a forum you have not previously joined, lash out and vent your anger, then sort of apologise the first time you are called out on it, and simply delete it when you insult people again. Well, you can I suppose, your choice, but it has done your arguments no good.

Another issue with older doggies like Fleming and Frodo can be a touch of arthritis - not much incentive to leap to the feet when they know it is going to ouch the joints a little or a lot - so they put it off too long. Plus like older people, they need to pee a bit more often than when muscles were younger and well toned. And if it's cold outside they feel the cold more keenly. All the issues combine, including what Trifecta said. Frodo used to bark near the door when younger: now he gives a tiny whine from his bed, need to be tuned in to it constantly to pick up on it in time. Funny he can still bark if he thinks a meal is running late: hasn't lost his sense of what's important to tell me.

Great shot of dog aggression Casowner, thought I heard them giggling for a moment, must have a hearing problem.

They are nice shots, especially the last one, lovely - any news on whether she found a home?

Thanks again Kisses - I just found Steve's ad for it in the Marketplace at OT. Tks for this bump, and to Erny for all the detail.

Oh yes, calendula, knew there was something that someone on dol recommended or sold or both. Thanks PK for the remind, yes, as soon as I can organise I will order - for both dogs, Frodo's skin is also developing all the old-doggie problems so it should suit him, shampoos are too harsh.

Didn't think I'd be needing this so soon. Rheneas has some self-inflicted hot spots on his upper front legs. He is an obsessive dog at best, so the carry-on to lick and scratch has been to the max and damaging. My fault, I was given some bags of bread for the horses: not to be ungrateful I took them, though I don't feed bread out to ponies, just a special treat maybe but not daily or even weekly. So Rheneas found the bread bags and cleverly just took a little and often in secret over a couple of weeks, thought he was trotting in and out of the feed shed to chase mice til I checked up. Yeast overdoses much. The socks came to mind after we had a couple of sleepless nights of scratch slurp lick: I don't want cortisone unless as a last resort, so will try the socks and a well controlled diet til it settles down. Any hot-spot recommendations welcome - and can say thanks Boronia as the socks absolutely work to give it a rest, and are ten times better than an Elizabethan collar.

Bunnings have it - $12 or $15 I think, it's about a 50metre roll so will last yonks, good for front gates etc, handy stuff. Also Persephone mentioned click and collect in another thread as being useful: Woollies and BigW have a good reflective tape on their click and collect stock.

Our first pet sheep was a stray Dorper. Finally found the original owner who was graceful enough to gift it to me or take it back whichever I chose. I chose please please take it back - the sheep in question was a Sherman Tank. Turned out it was bottle-reared and had no fear of people, friendly but dangerous. Either had no idea of its own strength, or knew and didn't care. It would have been just a matter of time before a serious injury, seriously. Our current six pet sheep are Awassi, East Friesian, Corriedale and Merino/Comeback. All bottle-raised, they are confident but well mannered, huge difference.

When Dorpers were introduced here and the 'industry' widely held conferences and information days etc extolling their benefits (meat, shedding, twinning, profitability, all that) they did not mentioned their strength and determination and need/cost of required fencing. Funny that. In their favour I'd say that the ones from farms near us constantly getting out onto the road do have better road-sense than the odd Merino Comeback Corriedale on the roads. They get more practice in the long paddock. On the OP wildlife, yes Steve I find some of that pretty gut-wrenching. I'm not in favour of a kangaroo industry at all, I don't put "using" wildlife as always a good thing: just a "people are so important" thing. Australian soils are impoverished in general, better to let organic matter compost in than to profiteer on it. SD the virtual fences sound interesting. I don't like electric collar used on dogs, the mis-use can be unpleasant. But that is what CSIRO were talking about for stock control when I worked there yonks ago, I thought it had all been shelved with funding cuts. Is it finally being trialled successfully more widely??

Some cute shots here, clever idea. (Might look at my black sheep view nursery-rhyme photoshoot). http://sachablackburne.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/little-red-riding-hood.html Thordale has some more background on the wolf-looking dogs, plus their hair for sale for charity. http://myshetland.co.uk/direwolf-fur/

And this item from this evening's news could be used to support argument. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-03/greyhound-live-baiting-transcripts-discredit-tony-gannon-nsw/7686916

Last time until 2019 to be able to see such an interesting planet alignment in the west. Nothing I could photograph, but the moon-shot people might have a look, view attempting an image. If it's not too cold outside. We had a few minutes clear sky tonight and Mars was easy to pick out. Friday the 5th is to be the best viewing, just after sunset so will spend a bit more time on it. If it's not clouding or freezing or both. This site gives a clear idea of what to look for and where. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/august-sky-guide/7669430 (bless the ABC as always, spot on).

Very nice. The first one is it, (the second one has the top blown highlight and the green-spot lens reflection against it). You could do a few crops to choose between - square format would look good too if you move the light source more to a 'rule of thirds' spot to the right. Or try crop out the tree trunk on the right as it's a bit of a distraction. Lovely image to play around with.

Looks good for a small dog, collar might not cut well for large dogs, worth a try. Two-dollar shop socks then for trying it, then lovely Argyle socks from HorseLand for stepping out. http://www.horseland.com.au/euro-star-argyle-socks-steel-blue-navy-taupe-adults-large-591433-0.html