JulesP

Sadly the Yarra Ranges Shire have already implemented part of this new law several years ago as even dogs vic members with a breeders prefix cannot breed litters unless they register themselves as a business.

This doesn't sound right to me. You would need the extra dog permit for more than 2 dogs but I don't know about registering as a business.

So I looked on their website. Couldn't find anything.

So I called. Spoke to 3 departments and no one knew. 20 mins on the phone. Good grief. The local laws guy said that he didn't think that they had a different law in place from the current Victorian law but couldn't say 100%.

I have a BARF bath as well but can't recommend them as their customer service was not good when I had a problem with the bath.

Going to the Drs is a good idea. Last time I had 'asthma' it wasn't! Make sure you tell them the medicine isn't working. Although if it is worse in the mornings that does sound like asthma.

I can still hear my dogs in the laundry room. Can you put yours in a room were you can still hear them?

I developed asthma later in life but did have other allergy issues as a baby. I ended up with quite a bad allergy to my indoor cats after having outside moggies for 20 years.

My dogs choose to be outside during the day, they sleep in the laundry and don't go on furniture. I vacuum every day. I do notice allergy issues if I visit someone's house and they have dogs inside all the time and allow them on furniture.

Have you tried taking an anti-histamine?

I do find a booster bath better on my back. I had a hot water tap put in outside.

This one just popped up on FB. Pretty cool!

One of the Nature's Gifts dry foods has been discontinued too - Biogestion5. I haven't seen it for ages and have been trying to get hold of it for Amber. I emailed them and they said they aren't making it anymore. Buying small bags of the Nourish is annoying.

is this it here Jules? it does say Biogestion in the description

http://eastdist.com....t-beef-rice-4kg

and also here https://marxgrocer.c...dogs-dry-foods/

and here also http://salce.com.au/naturesGiftDogDry-det_2_197_1_p562432615e3fd203323325

edited as I can't spel

Yep, thanks. I guess there will still be bags of it around. None of my local places had it which is why I emailed them. She is having the Nourish at the moment which comes in a small bag. I was hoping to get the 4kg Biogestion instead. Has been the first dry food that she has actually eaten. Don't know if it is the size of the kibble or the fact it is softer. She normally just spits kibble out. Right now she is a normal weight and doesn't even feel boney

I think de-sexing agreed with her :p

Funny Jules! I don't even think she'd sit for them!

You might be surprised. Sort of like kids going nuts for junk food. I used raw meat once and my dogs were meh about it as they get that all the time.

The postie gives them out to the local dogs and mine were literally pulling me across the road to get to him! It is the only time they are norty and pull!

ziwipeak did go down well too.

Lol Jules, you should so become a Real Estate agent!!

You are moving and no thread? tut tut

Stood in the pouring rain to watch an auction today just for fun!

Good-Os :laugh:

I'm seeing comments on my FB page that there is a problem with this petition and that it shouldn't be signed. Hopefully someone will come in and clarify.

You are moving and no thread? tut tut

Sigh here we go again. Crap will be added and I will be once again left looking for a good food.

Any update / observations on this?

I notice that the VIP grain free page looks the same but on the contact page it's directing people to the "real pet food company" http://www.vippetfoods.com.au/contact-us/

& that it wasn't on the shelf when I was home in Sydney a week or so ago. Just wondering if I should stockpile a few bags....

If so... grrr.... It's the only dry Scott reliably eats and doesn't react to.

It is a tad complicated. Let me try.

Quadrant Private Equity purchased shares in VIP. A large amount of shares, the old owners still have shares (or had, this may have changed since last year, I couldn't find a recent update and ASIC was down when I looked).

A company called Real Pet Food Company was created. VIP sits under this company, Real Pet Food Company purchased Natures Gift, Dr B's Barf and Tucker Time (with their own cash or with Quadrant Private Equity money I don't know). The old owners reportedly put a lot of the cash they got back into the company (this isn't unusual).

This all happened last year. The NG website only changed when I wrote this. The food I wanted was on the old website.

I would say that they will be going through their products and looking at what to cull.

I think VIP dry will be safe. It was doing well. The food I wanted wasn't doing so well (probably because it wasn't in any shops!!). I hope that their is enough integrity that is doesn't change but as the old team are still there I assume not at the moment.

NG appears to not being made in the same place looking at maps of were Real Pet Food company are making stuff.

Clear as mud? :laugh:

wouldn't that be an even greater motivation for mass production?...with all the entire dogs available?

Their dog breeding laws are super strict.

and the Swedish dogs know this so they behave differently :D ?

That is just a silly comment. I will only respond to you if you stop trolling.

wouldn't that be an even greater motivation for mass production?...with all the entire dogs available?

Their dog breeding laws are super strict.

this is a good start for reading: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

and here the result of a recent study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102241

Not really. Much of the research examining risks for certain types of cancers and joint disorders is breed-specific. For example, the second article you linked to is a study of labs and golden retrievers. Findings from studies such as this cannot be generalised to other breeds. So not very helpful for the OP who is getting an SBT.

There are more recent and more rigorous academic studies reviewing current literature which conclude that, in general, the benefits of desexing likely heavily outweigh the risks. That's without even considering the benefits of reducing the number of unwanted dogs being dumped at pounds.

if this is a valid argument, can someone explain to me why countries like Sweden where only less than 4% of male dogs and approx. 7% of bitches are de-sexed do not have any problems with overpopulation and pounds?...fact is that only USA and Australia is promoting de-sexing as the silver bullet for over-population, and fact is that obviously both countries have problems indicating that this strategy obviously doesn't work.

Perhaps because Sweden has super strict pet ownership laws and dogs are expensive to buy there.

Thistle have you looked at private places that offer agility? Underdog Training popped up on my FB this morning with an agility course. Underdog Training is run by a DOL member. Fairly sure their agility is more a fun thing.

Is Amber on the Metronidazole for liver issues?

Yes it helps prevent ammonia or other toxins from building up. These are caused by the liver not working properly.

(I hate writing about vet stuff when Rappie is reading :laugh: )

If she is dodgy then she can have 2 x 200 a day.

What dose was she on?

Amber has been on Metronidazole for 5-6 years now.

She has been on 225mg twice a day since May and they recently upped it to 500mg twice a day because of her upset stomach. She's been on that higher dose for 5 days when it happened. She is 17kgs.

From my Googling it seems that later dose is top end of normal but with her liver issues, I don't know. I'm just so confused. This latest Specialist certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about and she said it was a toxic ( or very close to ) dose. I've checked with my OH and he said yes, she definitely did say that. But I came out a bit bamboozled after talking to her and tbh I just wanted to get Mya :) :) She actually said that the blood test they ran at the end of Mya's treatment came back normal for liver enzymes and questions Mya's original hepatitis diagnosis????? She is going to ask for a copy of the original liver biopsy report and we go back to see her in 2 weeks, so I can ask more questions then.

500mg twice a day? As in 2 x 500mg? Not 2 x 250mg to make up 500mg?

From my googling 400mg a day would be top dose!

Amber is on 200mg a day and is 15kg.

What dose was she on?

Amber has been on Metronidazole for 5-6 years now.

http://dogsnsw.org.au/images/Form_18_Sporting_Register_1st_July_2016.pdf

I just had a chat with a friendly lady from DogsNSW about registering her in the Sporting Register (see link). She (the lady from DogsNSW) told me that I can register her in the Sporting Register without having her de-sexed, although I don't have pedigree papers! I asked twice! She told me that the form is wrong and that they will fixing it and that I should ignore the second page.

I will try to get this confirmed from some experts in our club.

To be on the Sporting registry the dog doesn't have to be de-sexed but it does have to be registered with another association ie working border collie. Unless they have changed that very recently.

Or you could just do 3 sheep trials

There is the Working Border Collie mob - http://awbcr.com/

Registration with them will get you a Sporting ANKC membership.

Yay! Great news

I was worried about the sheep before I went but was happy at how the sheep were treated at the place I went to. The sheep had names and were well treated.