persephone

This is really hard- as I have never chosen a dog ! If I did though.. I perhaps would look for .. a non clingy dog a not too vocal dog a not too drivey dog a not enormous dog a dog put together nicely .. not excess skin/coat.

Hopefully. What they may do is dig it all up, though. if your dogs eat it it may may make them ill...

Oh, I am so sorry .. R I P handsome boy.

We only get brown snakes and king browns .. and since we lost most of our guineas, we have seen more snake activity around the house yard.

No ..guinea fowl are MUCH better .. they will catch mice seen in daylight hours, scratch around under covered areas favoured by snakes, kill young snakes, and alert to adult snakes!!

Find a decent vet? Can't help .. but allergies do produce welts ..and acne/infections produce pustules . welts and pustules etc are different contact a vet to get anti histamine dosage ..and maybe dab some betadine or silver colloid on the broken skin.

Mini schnauzer

You have an 18 mth old tomcat? no wonder he roams and hunts.It is normal behaviour for cats .... even lovely affectionate purring machines What you probably don't see are the small birds/lizards/animals he hunts and eats ..he will only carry larger stuff home, so he can eat undisturbed . I love my cats, that is why they are kept 99% contained- so they do not get exposed to poisons/cars/ eagles/traps/angry neighbours/stray dogs or feral tomcats. Being contained, they also do not get a chance to kill wildlife, pee on my plants/house , or use the vege patch as a litter tray.My cats were castrated young , before they matured ..so they never had a chance to increase the feral cat population. you may be interested in reading this .. LINK

jossfarmer- DOL members erny cosmolo nekhbet and ,I think, kelpie-i are professionals in & around melbourne.... maybe you could send them a private message and see how you go ?

yesterday I snapped one of our lilies. this afternoon I cropped it and had a short play in PICASA I am fairly happy with the result ..it's pretty much what I 'saw' as I took the photo originally . ..

What, you think using binoculars as you are walking along would look odd? ;)

small dog syndrome. Hmmm.. they are DOGS and behave as any dog.. just that it looks 'cute' or 'funny' to some people who would be on the phone to a ranger if the exact same behaviour was coming from something weighing about 30 kgs. It was a passing comment, fuzzy .. said & gone . ..and not to be worried about

smiling at the 'waiting room waltz' idea . yes, it all takes good management.

sounds good, but how do you manage that calmly and safely when a dog suddenly appears in a vet waiting room, or while on a walk along the footpath ?

Hi. It doesn't really matter that he's an Australian Cattle Dog... all that matters is that this aggression causes problems. You do need to call in a professional. they will assess your dog and the problem... then advise you /work with you/teach you. This is not something that can be fixed in your backyard - well done for asking advice QLD folks will give you the best reccomendations ..tried & true professionals - the only one I've heard of that I remember is Jane Harper .

Hope all is well with him ...

keep things cool and quiet tonight .... and make sure she describes everything for the vet`visit . he may even be having some sort of seizure ..if you say it's happened before ..

Darkened quiet room .... keep him cool and try & at least phone a vet . Rescue remedy - a few drops on his gums every 20 minutes, if she has any. Poor boy.

happy dog!!

provided it is done after other measure have been tried , then I have no argument against it

Could he be getting too warm ? the weather is warming up ....and if he has bedding in a confined space, it could be warm/stuffy for a coated dog .

There is often no visible wound ..maybe just a pinprick or two ... Looking 'Worried', drooling,trembling, staggering, convulsions,collapse .. these are symptoms more likely seen.

each dog is different, and will need a certain product, on a certain schedule. The dermatologist will be the best person to advise on the correct medication, and the dosage.. not all allergies are equal! ;)

yep!! They just don't look for, or really need, big amounts of food when it's very hot. Glad to read the update

Welcome. Why not ask your vet about the correct antihistamines? They certainly help. If you know what particular grass irritates her ...then perhaps you can spray ones in your yard..and avoid those outside? Maybe she won't be able to go to some areas if they have that grass...I had a dog with grass allergies ..he was on antihistamines and cortisone all his life .... and lived a long life