ellz

You're welcome. It's very much a case-by-case scenario and your vet is one of the best so let him be your guide. There are so many variables, that's what makes the whole situation so difficult. Hang in there lovey!

It was just one operation and all of the hardware remained in place forever. It was a judgement call really. We could have had it taken out but it had healed well and there were no obvious lasting effects so we decided against another procedure.

I had a 17 week old Stafford absolutely shatter his elbow and it required pinning, screwing and plating. Lengthy recovery. Crate rest only for 6 weeks, gradual increase in walking and swimming after that. There was some concern that it would compromise the growth plate but didn't thankfully. We opted to leave the hardware in place upon recovery as it wasn't causing any issues. At 10 months of age, that dog entered the show ring and won a Specialty Best In Show at his first show. Nobody could ever detect he had an injury unless they were very close and you pointed out the L-shaped scars along his leg and elbow joint and the slight "knobbles" on the inside and outsides of his "arm" where the ends of the screws sat. He started to show some slight signs of arthritis at around 10 but not enough to slow him down. I'm told that Charles Kuntz is one of the best and would have every faith in him myself. Just follow rehab orders to the letter and with luck, your outcome will be as good as ours was. Hugs to you all. I know how stressful, scary and heartsickening it is. :hugs:

In an ideal world, the steward would be on the ball, however in OUR world, there are many stewards who don't cut it. That said, it's a thankless task so in many cases it is far easier for the exhibitor to take responsibility for their own actions and deal with their own ringcraft. And this is an example of YOU using your nous and knowing what speed you need to take for your dog. And, as I said, OWNING the space in front of you. As for not freaking out the little dog in front....that's very courteous of you and I'm sure that most show exhibitors feel and/or do the same, but at the risk of upsetting other people I would have to say that if a dog running behind another dog is sufficient to freak it out, then perhaps the dog doesn't have a good "show temperament" anyway?? Exhibiting dogs is about you presenting your dog in the best possible way YOU can, not you worrying about the handling or temperament of the dog in front of you. Personally, I don't like judges who split the group by their particular interpretation of speed. Unless they are very experienced, it is easy to assume that a smaller dog won't move out as well as a larger dog when the opposite can be completely true.

This. Poke the nail through an old stocking or even the corner of a plastic bag. Having had American Cockers since 1986, I can tell you of some pretty close shaves and rather interesting experiences with the dremel for long ear furnishings and foot hair until I got wise! :laugh:

Yep...crowding whilst gaiting, make sure your dog is safe and then stop. Suddenly. The person pushing you along will look like a tosser! :laugh: Seriously though, if they are really annoying you, you are within your rights to stop and ask them to back off (politely). Alternatively, step slightly sideways and allow them room to go around you on the outside. Crowding in a lineup is easily managed. YOU own the space directly in front of you. Always leave room in front. Wait until the person behind has set their dog up and then move your dog into YOUR space and set it up. If they crowd you then, move forwards (into ring centre) until you have the space you need. If the ring steward has half a brain, this will cause them to notice your difficulties and they SHOULD intervene and ask the lineup for better spacing. As a funny aside, I've seen an entire lineup trying to outdo each other and gradually inch forwards until they were ALL standing in the centre of the ring almost on top of a rather bemused judge who saw what was happening and decided to have a little fun! :)

Until recently I had a Greyhound, a Lowchen and a Stafford. The Greyhound crossed the bridge a few months ago and sadly my dad passed away not quite a month ago and I inherited his dog so I have his old American Cocker, the Lowchen and the Stafford. All boys. And some of the comments we get are priceless.

Yep, on a few occasions I've been in hospital for various things (one of them being high blood pressure during pregnancy, another before an induction of labour) and I've been allowed home briefly on a "leave pass" to attend to animals. I think it really depends upon what is actually wrong with you and what the liability is for the hospital if they let you out of their care for whatever period of time.

Yeah but in defence....sometimes you are damned if you do or damned if you do. If you win and address other exhibitors, you're being a smartarse, if you lose and address other exhibitors you're being a suck hole. In some cases, it's just best not to say a word. And then of course, you might be like some exhibitors who get themselves so totally "in the zone" that they simply don't hear or see anything else around them. I know of at least one who is absolutely PETRIFIED in the ring, kind of like a stage fright thing. She is so "po-faced" that people think she is a really hard faced cow. She's not, she's just not feeling the love even when she wins, which she does...A LOT!!!! :laugh:

I'm a registered Stafford breeder and I live in Hobart. There are certainly breeders here in Tasmania, however there only a couple who I would recommend and certainly none of those who I would personally feel comfortable purchasing a puppy from have puppies available at this time. In my opinion your best bet would be to contact some of the clubs and/or breeders on the mainland and after doing your homework and asking the necessary questions to satisfy your own requirements, get on their waiting lists and wait until they have a suitable puppy for you. Oh and don't listen to anybody who tries to tell you that it is unwise, unsafe or otherwise difficult to bring a puppy from the mainland to Tasmania. It is easy, quite safe and not necessarily that expensive to freight a puppy. And the main requirement is that the puppy has been wormed with Drontal (or equivalent) within 7 days prior to arrival in Tasmania (and evidentiary documentation such as letter from vet or the packet from the wormer attached to the crate for AQIS inspection). This is simply a safeguard against bringing hydatids into Tasmania and no other reason.

One of my favourite books, Firefly Summer

I think a lot depends upon the dog and the circumstances. I've seen this first hand in the past few months. For example, my Stafford, Woger is MY dog....almost exclusively. If I go out of the room for more than a few minutes (and he hasn't come with me) he'll go looking immediately. If I'm away for a few days, he's an absolute PITA until I return and then pays out on me by being a bigger PITA. He really doesn't know what a stranger is, but his sun and moon rise and set in me. Then you have Buddy who was a young rescue Chi X that my parents took in about 8 years ago. He was my mother's dog. She was somewhat of a hypochondriac and so was Buddy. Wherever she was, he was. And he was a yapping, clingy, insecure MESS. When she passed last September, my father was really worried how Buddy would settle. But Buddy settled. And in many ways became a new dog. He was more confident, seemed happier, wasn't as yappy or clingy and was actually starting to look like he was enjoying his new life with my dad and his canine buddy Duncan. The funniest thing was that he was STILL a hypochondriac and if he wanted attention, he'd sneeze or he'd get up and start limping (different leg each time and only until somebody said "oooooohhhhhhh pooooooooooor Buddy, got a sore leg Buddy? Oh deaaaarrrrrrr" and then the "malady" would disappear. Sadly, my dad passed away on the 19th May. Before he went into hospital on the 14th, he'd taken Buddy to the vet and it was revealed that Buddy had listened to my mum too much and had a heart problem which required treatment and ongoing medication. So Buddy was admitted to hospital too. When he was released he came back to my dad's house to await him coming out of hospital with friends visiting and feeding Buddy and Duncan every day. When I arrived on the following Monday, Buddy looked dreadful and allowed me to pick him up for a cuddle. He had NEVER allowed that previously. Next day, I took one look at him and realised that I had to do the inevitable. I believe that my dad knew it too but couldn't bring himself to sever that tie with my mum so left it for me to do. Fast forward to Duncan, my parent's other dog. An American Cocker, I'd given Duncan to my dad a few years previously to replace his old Cocker x Corgi who passed away in his sleep. Duncan is aging now and is mostly deaf, partly blind but still food driven. He hasn't missed my dad at all. It was kind of like he said "yep, I remember you, this is my house still, where's the food?" I think because I was his "mum" first, it made the transition easier when it came to the time that my mum, dad and Buddy weren't here. So yes, different dogs, different responses.

Also knowing where your friend is located and whether or not she is willing to purchase a puppy from a breeder interstate would be helpful too. And does it specifically NEED to be gold? Or is your friend happy with a well-bred, properly reared English Cocker Spaniel??

In a word....NO!! My mother bought one when they first came out (against my advice). It actually stopped when she put the chihuahua X nails on it. I have an Ozito brand grinder which is fabulous. Under $30 from Mitre 10.

Actually, I'd be checking that carefully. In some states, the ruling is that the dog is eligible for the age class as at the first day of the show, so under that ruling, she would be eligible for Junior. I had a situation like that myself where a dog was Baby Puppy for the Royal Hobart Show but Minor Puppy for the Specialty Show held on the same day as judging at the Royal. Editing to add: Give the canine a call, I would say it would be the same Australia wide and she'll be Junior.

Don't go shaking a can of snakes just to see if it will hiss.....leave it well enough alone for now. If she wants something from you, you'll no doubt hear from her.

Another vote for PP black brushes here. I like them so much I use them on my own hair as well. I used to use the PSI pin brushes, I believe the prestige brushes are the same. I have had #1 All Systems, CC, Madan and a few other pin brushes but keep coming back to the PP brushes. For slicker brushes, I like Doggyman (which are getting harder to source I believe) and I love, love, LOVE my Les Pooches.

I don't think I've ever NOT had a litter with pink faces and feet, particularly noticeable in lighter coloured puppies. I'm far more concerned when they are more purple or showing signs of cyanosis.....

It's not uncommon for a bitch to have an occasional split heat, or even a silent heat. BUT, if she does it all the time, then I'd definitely be seeing a repro vet. Every time a bitch has a season, the symptoms within her body tell her she is pregnant. When she is mated and eggs fertilise, she continues into full pregnancy. If she isn't mated, the symptoms end until she is next due in. A bitch which is cycling almost constantly with split heats or silent heats is copping an absolute BATTERING hormonally and this itself makes her more prone to major health-risk issues such as pyometra. In most cases, vets who are the equivalent of GPs in human terms, simply don't see enough complicated hormonal issues to be able to treat them properly so personally, if she were mine, I'd be seeking the advice of a specialist just in case, especially if she is to be a part of a breeding program. And remember too that things like this can be genetic so if you do intend to use her in a breeding program, maybe check with her breeders to see if there have been any similar issues with bitches from the same lines previously.

Sounds about right. Have always tried to impress upon puppy purchaser that Staffords are "watch dogs" and NOT "guard dogs". Most of mine would sit the intruders down and get them a cuppa, then help them carry the goodies out to the car and hop in as well. However, my current boy's mother worked slightly differently....she'd let anybody in, but woe betide if you tried to get out!!

Yep, they emailed me today to tell me that with a lot of cartwheels and cheering, it is on the boat and on its way. Any update on this product being available in Oz? Ta It is on the way. As soon as I hear anything I'll post.

They're not ANKC recognised I don't think so importing will probably be your only option.

I feed frozen. If I feed thawed, they last 5 seconds. If I feed frozen, they may make it to 5 minutes! :laugh:

Feathering or long coat on some dogs. Ahhhh...thankyou. Do you mean like the feathers on the legs & pants on a border collie?? Yes, among other areas. Furnishings can be on the face, legs, body or anywhere.

Feathering or long coat on some dogs.