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Ok, showing my ignorance here, but what are the symptoms of ear mites?

If the swelling has come up suddenly, it could be an abcess. Could she have caught herself on something and scratched or punctured herself? The onset of the infection would account for the dogs demeanour. Have a feel around and see if there is a scab in that swollen area. That is generally a good indication of an abcess. Pulling the scab and hair off will allow it to start draining. Wash with warm water, and keep the wound open. She is already on antibiotics, so that would be helping to combat any infection. If you do find an abcess, the vet will want to open it up and put a drain in, to allow all the infection out. I hope it is something minor Good luck.

She's looking fantastic, and her eyes look much better too Well done all

What is the difference between these products? There doesn't seem to be a description of them all, they obviously just expect you to know which is which, and what they do. I don't need tick control, but have had a real problem with fleas this year! I have been using frontline, but was wondering if there is a better product. Any advice gratefully accepted.

Hi Gail If you are only going to be doing the little dogs, a babies bath on a picnic or bbq table outside will do the trick. You can just bucket warm water out to fill it up, and have another bucket there for rinsing when you have finished. Then you can just lift them straight out of the baby bath onto a towel on the table and dry them there. I either do mine in the bathtub inside, or use the baby bath outside. You can pick a baby bath up for next to nothing in the paper or at Trash and Treasure. You might even be able to get one that is built in to a change table, so it is already at a good height. Cheers Jo

I bought some blades off Colin and he was incredibly helpful. The blades I bought were supposed to fit the model clippers I had, but didn't. He sent me very detailed emails about some adjustments that could be made, including photos (mine are quite old, and have a slightly different tongue fitting than the ones he had), back and forth. Incredibly helpful, no question was too difficult, and when I decided that I would rather stick with the same brand blades as clipper, it was no problem at all for him to exchange the blades. I haven't used him to sharpen any blades yet, but if the customer service I have already received is any indication, I think he would be great. :rolleyes:

He is married. Don't be starting a Polygamy club too! DOLOFA is more than enough :D ETA: Glad to hear Tasha is on the mend. Fingers crossed on the test results.

Casper. Best wishes to you, and please pass my thoughts along to your friend. I did have the pleasure of meeting Zell a number of times at Netball. She was a wonderful dog, and deserved a happy retirement. Although it wasn't as long as expected, she was happy having a relax after a life of service. The very best to all who loved her. Jo

I'm so sorry for you and your family Salli. My 17yo cat was killed by dogs just two weeks ago, so I know where you're at. My best wishes to you all. RIP Tiger

Thanks again everyone. It was a very long week. Last night was very hard. 1 week. God, it seems so long ago. The dogs have been identified as responsible for the attack on the other cat, although apparently only the Rottie was responsible on that occasion. Because of this, they (pound) are only recommending that the owner surrender the rotty for destruction. They are possibly just going to get a dangerous dog declaration for the kelpie. They were giving the dogs owner a few days to make a decision, so at this stage, I'm unsure what the end result will be. I feel sorry for the dogs. It's not their fault, but I would hate to think that someone else has been put through the same thing I have because I didn't do something about it.

My thoughts are with you Anastasia. Rats are special people, and until you are owned by one, I don't think you quite realise just how wonderful they are. I had lots of rats when I was younger, and they were great friends. RIP Pippin

Thanks again everyone. I have heard from the Inspector today. One of the dogs had ID, but all numbers are disconnected. No ID on the other dog at all. The owner of the other cat that was attacked is away, but they will get them in during the week to see if they can identify the dogs as responsible for the attacks. If no body attends to claim the dogs as theirs, they will be PTS. If they do, the Rangers will be pursuing the matter. Poor dogs, it's not their fault. But, they need to be off the streets. Our street goes up to horse and cattle paddocks. I'd hate to think of the damage they would cause if they continued their killing spree up there. My thoughts are with you too Anastasia.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. It's been a very long night and day. I didn't sleep at all last night, and have had a very fractured day. The poor kids didn't get their easter egg hunt this morning, but to be honest, I don't think any of them noticed. We buried Monty this morning in the garden, near his favourite sunning spot. We went to the garden centre, where no 2 daughter chose some shrubs to plant. Many thanks again for your kind wishes.

Helping my son play cars

My poor old Monty Puss was attacked by two dogs this afternoon and died as a result of his injuries. We were just returning home from watching my daughter play water polo. Turned the corner in the car, and saw two dogs in the gutter outside my house with my cat. I abandoned the car in the middle of the road, jumped out and grabbed the dogs. Made my husband race down and get some leads so we could hang onto them. Only one had a collar on. As soon as we had the leads on them, I grabbed the cat and raced inside with him. His injuries were pretty horrific, but he was still alive. I immediately rang my vet, but long weekend etc, got a number to an emergency after hours surgery. Tried another local vet I have used before, but got the same number. Spoke to them, said I was on my way. Tied the dogs up in my neighbours yard (we have two dogs of our own) and raced off to the vets. Sadly, he died before I got there. The vet was fantastic. He has written a report for us, detailing all his injuries for the dog inspectors. He cleaned him up as best he could, and has wrapped him up in calico. Poor old Mont was 17yrs old. He was in our front yard, and has been dragged out into the gutter by these dogs. He basically spent his entire days asleep, either in the house, or under a bush in the front garden. He has had both hips replaced over his lifetime, so wasn't able to run anymore. I hate to think how terrifying it must have been for him. The rangers had been and collected the dogs before I returned from the vets. They told my husband that two dogs had killed a cat two days ago, not far from where we live. One of them was described as a rotty. (The dogs we caught were a rotty and a kelpi-ish dog). The vet also said that they had had a cat brought into them from our suburb, where two dogs were involved in the attack, no description of the dogs though. I don't recognise these dogs as from our local area. Because of the holidays, it will be Tuesday before I speak with them to provide a statement. I just hope there is no way the owners are able to get them released before I make a statement to them, as the ranger who collected the dogs will be on leave next week, and I have to deal with a different person. They were collected afterhours, so hopefully the relevant paperwork will be completed, preventing them from being released until I have been spoken to. Poor old Mont. I've had him since he was 8 weeks old. He was older than any of my kids. He really didn't deserve an end like this, after all he has been through in his life.