sandgrubber

I'll bet high script prices are found in practices where a practice manager, rather than a vet, calls the shots.

I claim no expertise, other than having read many many accounts of fully blind dogs doing remarkably well. Would it be worth having the other eye removed, given that it is causing pain and not providing much in the way of vision?

It requires far more than the normal puppy check to diagnose this condition. Unlikely that it will be diagnosed when pups go for their jabs. From a specialist vet website "a full diagnostic work-up is advised. Some of these diagnostics may be completed by your primary care veterinarian, but you may also be referred to an ACVS board-certified veterinary surgeon or veterinary specialty center for additional diagnostics. A full work-up may include blood work, urinalysis, liver function tests, radiographs, ultrasounds and potentially advanced diagnostics such as a CT scan with contrast or nuclear scintigraphy." There MAY be a genetic component to the condition, but there are no genetic tests available. Due diligence is not sufficient to prevent or catch it. There are a lot of complaints about the price of pups these days. If breeders are held responsible for this and like congenital conditions, expect those prices to keep rising.

Scraps of high pile carpet are good

I sympathize and agree with your intent, but I don't specially like the farmer analog. Farmers generally care about reproductive capabilities, true, but generally they don't care much about longevity or morbidity in middle / old age, and breed to meet market demands. What I would call true puppy farmering, like the Amish puppy mills in the US, are likewise inclined, although they see $$ in number and cuteness of puppies instead of weight gain or milk yield. I may be wrong, but I suspect there are few, if any, true puppy farmers in Oz. As to ANKC tendencies, health testing, etc.... yes there are some snobs who think they are superior because they check some boxes concerning health tests, but do a poor job of breeding for overall health and temperament. There are also many breeders who will remove a dog from their breeding program for reasons such as chronic skin problems, aggressive behavior, uneven temperament, or being slow on the draw when it comes to learning things expected in the breed. As for testing, I'd almost rather see several generations of good health and longevity than any formal tests of health. The need for formal health testing is, in part, testimony to many generations of breeding pedigree dogs without due regard to health.

If you get nowhere, there are a few working cockers breeders in NZ. More upland game hunting there.

In the US you can buy the C3, C5, C7, etc. and DIY. When I left it was under $10/jab, and half that if you buy in bulk. The only problem with DIY is that you don't have certification as required for kennels, etc.

No lockdown in NZ. Puppy prices are up, and mixes are often more expensive than purebreds. Trademe prices seldom exceed $4k (this seems to be the going price for a daschund). I've been following Springers.... usually $1500-$2000. Lab Springer crosses are a bit more expensive, as are pups near big cities. Huntaways and heading dogs and mixes thereof are still under $1k.

Curious. Is the fear of GST levy another factor driving people away from pedigree breeding?

I agree, in general. Harsh punishment to a baby puppy for wound up behavior is like giving a human baby a belting for messing its diaper.

At 10 weeks, be very careful about freshness, especially with chicken. Healthy mature dogs can handle Salmonella. It can kill baby dogs. I've encountered chicken mince sold for dogs that smelled putrid.

Thought : might be worth trying a whistle. I've been doing whistle based recall training with a Springer who does more alert barking than I'd like. She gets a treat when she comes. If she's barking when the whistle sounds, she immediately stops barking and comes.

Can't you talk to a vet nurse?

I don't know about mini poodles, but bitey Springer babies can often be convinced to cuddle and stop biting.

Deleted

I think once you have had several lipomas diagnosed, it's fairly safe to assume further lumps that look familiar are more of the same. Of course there's a risk, and a lot of dogs die of cancer. But I don't think many of the cancer deaths present like a lipoma. Based on experience with Labs, yes, some old dogs get lipoma like some teens get pimples.

Probably not, unless you can restrict him to a tick free area. Given the big coat on a Newf, tick control will be a challenge. Diet has little effect on the blood suckers. Rural VA offers great tick habit. You're lucky not to have paralysis tick.

Absurd. Too many hoops to jump through. Restricting entry is the last thing clubs should be doing when membership is in decline and unregistered pups are costing thousands.

Sympathy. I'm not of the hugging persuasion and not about to gush. I've lost two dear dog friends to cancer this year (diagnosis complicated, never clear, but it was clear that the future was bleak and painful, even if I chose to spend big $ on further diagnosis). It's hard to decide, when they still wag and show pleasure, when to make the awful choice.

IMO it's an evil trend. Breeders want monopoly and are closing the field to newcomers. One reason that puppy prices have risen. If you have no interest in having puppies it's not a big problem. I would ask them to sign a contract with you saying that they relinquish all claims to ownership and simply cross out the bit saying that they hold the papers.

Only if you are allowed to take the pup as cabin luggage (carry-on).

It's a hard one. I had a neighbor whose favorite Rotty bitch would kill her puppies, given a chance. They literally had to strap her down and muzzle her to let the pups feed. The puppies survived through a mixture of bottle feeding and nursing, but the whole thing was pretty traumatic. Here's hoping your problem isn't that bad.

Said goodbye to Bonza this afternoon. She developed a small lump on her belly. The vet aspirated it and found the wrong kind of cells. She had been waggy, but clearly uncomfortable. There seemed no hope of getting better and certainly of getting worse. Sad... but relieved it's over.