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2 minded about this. one says this is stupid since before undergoing protection training, the dog would need to master obedience and a well trained dog is always safer. on the other hand, i think it is about time we stopped treating dogs as weapons. protection or guard training is exactly that. we are the top of the food chain, we should be protecting our dogs, not the other way around.

Yoli, 6 yr old ESS, has been limping and not putting weight on her L hind leg. She stops limping on walks. After a week of hoping it would go away, I took her to the vet, who said her knee was quite swollen, probably cruciate ligament, possibly arthritis, and booked her for X-rays in a few days time with a recommendation to curtail exercise. Much to my surprise, she has been happy staying in the car while my other dog went for his walk. And after a day of rest she's putting more weight on her foot. QUESTION: Is it worth postponing the X-rays for a week or so to see if rest alone, without surgery, will resolve the problem? (My regular vet practice was recently bought by a syndicate, and I'm not sure I can trust them to start with the most conservative treatment option).

Not entirely. No heartworm in NZ. No heartworm in winter in snowy latitudes. Tapeworm is more common in tropical regions (I think.... unsure).

It's really heartbreaking to read your message, I understand your hesitation. I've already been through this with my dog and in the end I followed his comfort on a daily basis as the only benchmark. As long as he ate a little and still found pleasure, I continued, but as soon as the suffering took over I made the difficult decision.

Worms are worms. They've just been advised to go to the vet anyway - armed with a bit of extra info - so the only thing I'd be concerned with is that I think Drontal is an Aus brand and might not be overseas. And that the vaccines might have different names. Anyone can use the 'overseas' location on their profile though as added privacy.

Doing what her ancestors were bred for ......but with an Oops ! Glad she was rescued safely - what an effort!!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-30/dachshund-stuck-in-rabbit-hole-in-yulara-nt-saved-by-locals/105829968

The location of this poster is overseeas. Is more information needed before giving advice?

In my experience after raising literally hundreds of rescue puppies over the years, I've only had one puppy die on me after being treated for worms. That most likely happened because he was already quite sick from the massive worm burden he had, and his little body just couldn't cope with the treatment, but if left untreated, the worm burden would have killed him anyways. It was worth trying to treat him in any case, and his 2 siblings who also had heavy worm burdens both survived the same treatment and lived long happy lives. I'm with @_PL_in recommending the Drontal puppy liquid for small puppies, as it is gentler on the stomach than the tablet form. For older puppies (12 weeks to 6 months), I prefer Fenpral or Popantel branded allwormer tablets, as they are gentler on the stomach than Drontal tablets. Dogs over 6 months old seem to handle Drontal tablets much better than small puppies. I wouldn't treat pups under 12 weeks for heartworm, and it's not really required until they are at least 6 months old anyways. Some vets will want to start heartworm treatment at 12 weeks, but my advice is to do the monthly treatment for heartworm until your dog is at least 12 months old, and then investigate whether the annual heartworm vaccination is better for your lifestyle, OK? Another thing to be mindful of is vaccinations and worming should not really be done on the same day in pups under 12 weeks old. I usually worm them the day before or after they get their vaccination. Vets will usually tell you it makes no difference, but my experience has proven that my foster pups are less likely to have adverse effects from either treatment if done separately, and if there are side effects, you will know which treatment caused it. As for vaccinations, I usually only give small pups (under 12 weeks) a C3 vaccine, and over 12 weeks are usually fine to get the C5 that vets prefer to give. As you really shouldn't be taking your pup out and about much before their vaccine schedule has been completed, the chances of them contracting Kennel Cough (C5 vaccine adds 2 strains of KC resistance on top of the C3 component) is low. Puppies MUST have at least 3 doses of the C3 vaccine within their first 16 weeks to ensure immunity from the most deadly 3 diseases dogs can get, OK? T.

There's a worming schedule but if you don't have a record of her baby wormers from her breeder it's best to call the vets for advice or take her in to see if she's 'wormy'. You can always take in a poo sample along as well. If it makes you feel better, have them weigh and worm her there. Do it in the morning though. In the very slim chance something goes sideways you can get her in asap. I like the Drontal liquid for puppies. If you've heard that a heavy worm burden can kill if you try to treat it, that's true but not as common as the internet will tell you.

Worth discussing this with you vet or a local dog expert. It's complicated. There are several species of worms that can infect dogs. Some species are more common in some regions than others. Puppies typically get roundworms, but older dogs are much less likely to suffer from them All worms don't respond to the same medications, though some allworm tablets contain more than one medication and kill most of not all common species, except heartworm, which requires yet a different medication. Opinions differ on how often to medicate, but yes you should worm your dog, especially if you see worms in its feces. And if heartworm is found in your region you should definitely use some sort of heartworm medication.

Hello, I have a question. I adopted a two-month-old Maltese and shih tzu dog. Should I give her a dose of worms or not? I am very afraid that I will not give her the worms and something bad will happen to her, or that I will give her the worms and something will happen to her. I want your experiences.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-29/canine-ehrlichiosis-endemic-spreads-across-northern-australia/105814976

Yeah nah mate no issues there - there've been more changes here check it out

think you need to join to access the SBS Iview or hit the links offered to access via facebook, apple or google is this what came up? sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/1985674819565

many panic these days and they have absolutely no idea how to behave when presented with a loose dog new neighbour came to say hello with two daughters, my chihuahua ran up to say hi and the the children were so afraid they tried to climb their mother. mum? screaming in fright set off any dog behaving like that, more so dogs bred to guard, disaster looking for a good spot. my chi was so confused by their screaming ran to me for comfort

Nonetheless, unacceptable behavior. If any dog of mine behaved like that around small children and I was unable to train it out of the behavior, I'd either keep it caged or have it put down.

The link sends me to an SBS banking site

The brindle/white one was definitely targetting the smaller child, and was trying to drag her off. The tan one seemed to just be caught up in the excitement of the squealing, but seemed happy to go look to other people for attention. I agree that they should not have been roaming off lead... especially if that easily aroused to action of this type. T.

They look like normal rose ears to me.

To me they are attacking and I'm sick of the victim blaming - those dogs should not have been out loose.

I thought the same initially but then I watched the video in slow motion and I’m not so sure. The brindle and white dog, in particular, seemed to be targeting the child and possibly darting in to nip. Maybe it was just excitement but I think it could have escalated to something much worse. As an aside, do the dogs have cropped ears? They don’t look like normal rose ears to me.

I didn't see any dogs attacking or biting. I would like to know if any injuries were only from falling on the hard surfaces. It looks to me like people not experienced with how to behave around dogs. Remember the GSP "attack" which from the video was a dog wanting to play? A woman and child in a panic on the footpath and someone filming from indoors but not helping.

That is absolutely terrifying. Those poor girls. The way those dogs were circling them. I certainly know that feeling. Makes me so sick in the stomach and sorry if I offend anyone but those dogs need to go.