Loving my Oldies

I have had so many little dogs over the years and some are absolutely religious about going outside - rain, hail, shine, whatever. Sometimes if we are have persistent and heavy rain, I will block off access to the stairs to stop them going out and getting soaked. I do have a deck that at one stage I called the pissoir because when one starts, others find it very difficult not to join in. Others, even of the same breed, are unreliable, to say it nicely . I am currently fostering a little male Pomeranian and he is pretty well prefect despite having not had the best upbringing. Because my dogs are all on different meds, I feed them separately and he generally eats in the bedroom. On occasions, I have forgotten him (I know, dreadful ) and when I open the door he bolts for the outside and I haven't found any messes. Others, as PL says, you can spend ages in the yard with them only to have them come upstairs and wee inside. I call fully housetrained a dog who will let you know he/she needs to go outside if the door is closed. But, yes, I believe certain breeds are more difficult to train.

I couldn't agree with you more. Poor management is being kind to them. All they needed to do was to get the rescue groups involved and who knows how many could have been saved. Rescue groups are hugely experienced and would know how to triage and humanely euthanise those who did not stand a chance. I really and truly sickens me how people talk about a "humane approach" when what they really mean is that it's too hard, let's just shoot them all. Although it is a long time ago, this reminds me of an incident when I was volunteering at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home. There was an outbreak of cat flu and the manager of the Home couldn't be bothered to try to manage the situation and said to have all the cats killed. The lady who was in charge of the cats came into the office where I was, obviously in huge distress, and gasped out to me, "They are killing my cats." Luckily before the wholesale slaughter of the cats could take place, the owner of the veterinary hospital to which the Home was attached took charge and put in isolation practices and dealt with the outbreak. Some people are not suited to manage difficult situations and it would seem that people in Victoria are certainly in that category. As for that ridiculous person who was so pilloried on social media, well I agree what she did was totally stupid, but why isn't this horrible horrible event all over social media? How anyone could contract for a job that involved sitting in a helicopter and shooting little animals is beyond my comprehension. And assessed at 30 metres!!! FFS!!!! I would be hard pressed to tell a Koala from a Pademelon at 30 metres let alone whether it was in extremis or not.

I can hardly type these words. The horror, if it is true, is unbearable. I have seen reports from many and varied media outlets that the Victorian Government authorised the shooting from helicopters of Koalas in the Budj Bim National Park, citing they were in danger of starving because of recent bush fires. The reports say approx 750 Koalas have been killed.

Surely you have some say in the matter? Of course, I don't know the whole story, but really, why can someone tell you what is going to happen to your dog?

That’s just weird. Maybe the reporter has the story mixed up

I'll get Denise to put my foster dog up for adoption as soon as possible.

I do have a fostered Pekingese, but she isn’t up for adoption yet. The website is Deniseatpaws.com.au.

What is emo? Something to do with emotional??

That’s a bit rude.

“….there was a disagreement.” I can just see it - denial and anger on both sides. And sad for both sides, or three sides really because the puppy suffers too and, depending on where she goes, could be damaged for life. I think @Prajeena you have to let this go, despite how sad you are, and I do feel your pain and loss. Are you new to having dogs in your lives? If so, perhaps do some reading on various breeds to get some sort of an idea as to the breed you favour and which best suits your lifestyle. If you definitely want a puppy, read up on “when you bring your puppy home” books and other sources.

That is what happened with my first little dog over 30 years ago and is what my vet at the time told me. It was pretty scary as I was new to dog ownership. Fast forward to today and I now have a little foster dog who went for years without any treatment as his owners thought he was just having spasms and did not have him vet checked . He came into rescue and was immediately taken to a specialist. He was initially prescribed Phenobarbitone and it took a bit of juggling to get the dosage correct between controlling the seizures and little dog being a zombie . After he'd been with the rescue group for approx 3 months, he came to me and he was having seizures regularly, so back to the specialist who prescribed Epibrom to add to his mediations. Since then (29 October 2024), he has had only three episodes. They are very mild, but last for about 20-30 minutes. He just shakes, stiffens his legs, fair bit of head shaking. No drooling, eye rolling, incontinence or loose bowels. He is a 6yo Pomeranian. @bmac1994 I really think seeing a specialist is the way to go. Where do you live, so a DOLer will probably be able to make recommendations. Good luck.

So many questions you have all raised LOL. How dare the vet have a holiday

Has anyone used/had experience with Plaque Off? My latest foster is a 4yo Pekingese girl who is in such good condition. She is a surrender due to dire financial situation - very sad. Her owner has been extremely diligent in her care of this little dog and her teeth are beautiful. The owner said she has always used Plaque Off and came with bottles already made up and two new bottles. Obviously, I am using this, but am curious as to whether or not anyone has experience of it. As nearly all of the dogs I have had over the years have been rescues or come from pounds, I don't really have experience of good teeth . My own two little Pekes have about three teeth between them and I have had a couple of dogs who, when they came to me, had to have all their remaining teeth removed. If Angel (new dog) is any example, this is a product worth using. Before I start to sing its praises, however, I would like some more information. I will be talking to Angel's vet who happens to be one of the vets used by the rescue group I foster for, but they are on holidays at the moment. TIA. Angel is still learning house rules so the paper in the background is there to soak up you know what.

That would be right. Those who are mounting these prosecutions need to be forensically examined themselves to see what their agenda is. You have to be suspicious when whistleblowers (in any part of society) are dragged into courts. Not difficult to hazard a guess

Oh gosh, that is interesting. My vet ended up being a Best for Pet practice, but I didn't even consider joining. In terms of overservicing, Shala has a condition we have been treating for a couple of years (gets nasty infections around her vulva) and the time before last, vet and I agreed it was looking pretty nasty. She suggested that Shala might need an operation, but to leave it until one of the other vets came back from leave and, in the meantime, treat with another cream. When I took Shala back after a few weeks on the medication and the other vet was back, they both agreed she looked much better and did not need the operation. On the other hand, they was a hold up with tablets she was on and the vet charged me over $8 a tablet for a few to last me until order was received and $27 for a new script. Bunches and Beatrice (Pekingese) and Shala also need regular eye check-ups at the eye specialist. Last time I was there I was in and out in less than 20 minutes for the three of them and the charge was $435.00 ($145 for each of them). I do understand the cost of the equipment and the expertise I am paying for but $145 for a bit over 6 minutes each!!! At the moment, I can meet all these expenses, but in a few years when all my super has gone (thanks to Beatrice and a tick ), I will be in a very different situation. I cannot imagine how some people manage and understand @Dogface's fears.