sandgrubber

I cry for you. It's hard. I haven't done this one with a dog, but my Mum had a similar rather hopeless diagnosis. Thankfully her brain stayed clear. She wanted the pain meds kept on, but no heroic measures. Sometimes the old are ready for death. Sometimes all we can do is keep the cruelty of pain at bay.

Looks like the dogs aren't the only thing that's gone out of control. I'm not sure I want to hear the gruesome details, but I wouldn't take it for granted that the dogs were the problem. Looks like the dogs may have plenty problems of their own.

This has to be the saddest story I've heard for years. My heart bleeds for the poor bloke and his family. Good that he's out of a coma, but sounds like he'll feel the effects for the rest of his life -- and quite likely his life will be shortened. Sometimes I wish I believed in heaven and hell, and could have confidence that the person who allowed their dog to attack would be roasted in the flames of. Sounds unlikely that the person will be found and charged.

Yah, but we all know what happens to greyhounds that don't come up to scratch. On the other hand, with top greyhound semen going at $several k / straw, the revenues would be a drop in the ocean by comparison.

OMG! I hope he's sound.

zinc is water soluble and does not accumulate in the system . . . so use a fraction of a human dose, depending on your dog's weight, and the excess will be excreted. But I don't know why you'd supplement zinc alone . .. better to hit all the trace nutrients together.

I wouldn't panic unless it goes on for a few days without her eating. We'll never know what is going on in a puppy's head . . . but in my experiences, hunger does eventually take control. Admitted, I have Labs, and hunger seems to be in control always, even after just eating a large meal ;) ;)

I find all this complicated and haven't figured it out. My girls avidly sniff one another's pee and seem to be learning something from doing so. They go through spells of mounting one another. Sometimes they get more emphatic about peeing on top of where the other one pee'd and when someone is in season the humping gets excited and frequent. I' sure it all has something to do with reporoductive status, but buggered if I understand what's going on.

Sounds like they got away easy. Glad to hear the appeal was refused.

posted twice . . . more trouble with my browser, sorry, please delete

I'd say they're from different swamps. From an animal-rights perspective, puppy farming is more or less the same thing as factory farming of pigs. I've never bonded with a pig, so they don't have strong emotional resonance for me, but from all I know, they are as intelligent and emotional as dogs and deserve to be treated as sentient beings, and in objective terms, they are correct. As a pedigree breeder, I'm not proud that the animal rights people are on the ball -- spying, photographing, documenting cruelty -- and the pedigree world is merely reflecting on what the ABC puts on. I don't think we are making a good showing. Are there any militant pedigree breeders? Or even effective activists? MDBA is doing something . . . and their efforts need to be appreciated. But I don't see anyone being organised and aggressive in combatting puppy mills. We need to do better.

One of the unfortunate things about poisons is that they are poison. I expect there's a lot we don't know about the stuff we use to control parasites, and a lot of it isn't good.

Has anyone ever used a scoff stopper to slow down their dog's eating? See http://www.scoffstopper.com.au/products/Scoff-Stopper.html Would something like this really help prevent bloat?

Great story. I wasn't planning on raising baboons. Labs are trouble enough thank you. They do tend to eat anything and everything so I guess caution is advised. But could can keep 'em in the house paddock when the crop is ripe and sweet.

My expert says you want Zn + Se on a daily basis. I have found a product called Selvita, made from feral carp, is a good solution. Five drops a day is enough for a 30 kg dog. It's really strong stuff. They don't mention the Zn on this add, but the zinc content is quite high. See http://jsenthunting.com.au/selvita-working-dog.php. edited to make the link work

I'd say good on the RSPCA. Seems like there's an enforcement vacuum here. Not that I know anything on the local situation.

Demand >>>> Supply for Boston Terriers in Australia. Exepct a high price and a long wait. I'm thinking about moving back to the US . .. where Bostons are available and reasonably priced. I wouldn' buy one in Oz cause it's just too difficult. and too expensive

I suspect this post fits into the 'myths' category. USA legislation comes down like a load of bricks on anything that might -- even with the remotest possibility -- be fatal to children. If someone's putting really toxic fire retardants [for Christ's sake, stuffed animals are not a big contributor to fire hazard] into children's toys, I'd expect that the powers that protect children would have given them a kick (of the $$ kind)where it hurts. I'm not ready to give up buying the $1 special from the Good Sammies that I've been giving my pups for many years now.

Are dogs and vines a good mix? would love to hear from anyone with a few dogs who lives on a grape growing property. I've been looking at a flight plan to get out of WA kennel zone for a couple years now. I'm a US/Oz dual national, which gives a few advantages. Looking at a beautiful 13+ acre property in California with pond, great soil, lovely environment, and excellent bore . . . 8 acres in Pinot Noir with documented returns from grape sales. I breed Labradors on a small scale (mostly chocolate). Love to hear from anyone with relevant experience.

I think 7:30 report puts together a bunch of stuff and only decides what they're going to put on on the day . . . .so if there's a big breaking story they can give it lots of air.

Another concern in 'best time to' is your own schedule. It's much better to do puppy school when you have some time to follow up on what you and the puppy learn. I get lots of people in kennels who seem disappointed that their puppy went to puppy school and still isn't obedient. You probably know it doesn't work that way. . . . but some people seem to expect one class is going to result in a well socialised, well trained dog.

I could also see fining the reporter for confusing the plural with the posessive and saying the dog died during surgery only to go on and say the dog died after surgery. Where are the grammar cops when we need 'em.

Desensitising is possible. It's called 'crittering' and is sometimes done using an electronic collar for dogs with a bad history . . . or for dogs that show an inclination . .. of stock attacks. I agree with others, for rodents, it's more sensible to keep the little guy in a secure pen, well away from the dog. for more information, try google with 'crittering' and 'e-collar' as keywords.

If you buy a trampoline-style dog bed, consider the covering and how hard/easy it will be to replace. The frame should last for a long time. Many dogs can go through a hessian cover in a fortnight. You need to shop around and try around to find things your dogs won't destroy -- if you have that kind of dog. You'll find many sources. Just stick to commonly-available sizes (I've found many of the Big-W/Bunnings sorts of 'made in China' brands are fine and cheap initially, but once the coverring goes, it's hell to find a good replacement.

Good luck Tango. Sorry it had to happen to you. Hope the second home you found has been a good one. And good luck also to Tango's owners. It's good to see, occasionally, that the owners are as faithful as the dog.