Malamum

Such a gorgeous boy R.I.P Loki

I'm so sorry Boronia. It sounds like you had a lovely last morning together. R.I.P Saffy

why are rabbits so expensive?

We are in the city but in the burbs and that is ball park what ours is. We went on the weekend and it was $155 for the consult and some ointment - I'm not sure how much was consult vs ointment though. Now that I think about it though, that's bloody expensive ointment. We are back for a check up this weekend so i'll see how much just the consult is. I actually wouldn't be too keen on travelling too far to get to the vet in case you have something happen that means time is of the essence and you beed to get them there quick. I would much rather build up a relationship with someone local and close by (but that's just my personal preference)

Both my dogs started to do as they got older and we can't quite pinpoint the connection and what has caused it to start as it's not something they always did. When Indy was getting towards the end and the cushings disease had taken taken it's toll and his fur was very sparce it started. Kira has now also started doing it. It started for her after her paralysis tick incident and as she was shaved to pretty much naked we thought she was cold but she's still doing it. We say she's doing a Velociraptor impersonation as it's quite loud. :laugh: I'm guessing it started for both of them late in life as they were/are old and weak and can't control it???

This has been my observation. I know quite a few people who have these types of dogs and I have another friend who wants one. She wants one based on all the ones she had met in real life. I've moved recently and I actually see a lot of them out and about and although they are not the type of dog I would ever get personally I can't say they aren't pretty cute. They all seem well trained and well behaved enough and seem to have pretty good lives by getting out and about with their owners (I see a lot of them at the local cafe's and down by the lake and near the beach etc).

We've just gone though this and we ended up getting one from Pet Doors Australia. Our door was glass though so we had limited options on what would work in the size we wanted. http://www.petdoorsaust.com.au/Products/For-Dogs/For-Glass-Doors/ At our old house we had a timer door and had one of the extra large Staywell doors. It worked well enough and my Dad installed it (so it can be a DIY job).

That looks great

Thanks Jules, that looks somewhat promising. I'll given them a call on Monday.

Unfortunately not. I really want the dog door in the laundry door but even if I put it else where all other doors/windows that lead out the back are floor to ceiling glass bifold doors. I also don't want to replace the glass laundry door with a wooden one as the glass door doubles as the window and is the only light source into the laundry. It's proving very difficult.

I know we have had a thousand dog door topics over the years but we've just moved house and I'm finding it very hard to get a suitable dog door installed. The issue is all the doors in the house are glass and I need an extra large dog door. All the dog doors designed to go in glass are much smaller and just too small for my dog and all the doors that are big enough can't be installed in glass. Has anyone else fitted a dog door in similar circumstances?

Such a beautiful tribute. I am so sorry.

We just walk of an evening but I have never been bothered by walking in the dark.

We have only had to deal with this once and we had the vet come to the house and we both sat and cuddled him right to the end. The image of his body being carried out still haunts me a bit though. My personal opinion is that it's my duty to be there until the last second and also to hold myself together so that my animal is calm, relaxed and oblivious to what is about to happen. If a person can't hold themselves together until after it's done then I actually think it's better for them not to be there and who am I to judge if that's the case.

I don't prefer my dogs company to that of other people but when I am enjoying my own company it's not quite the same if Kira is not part of that, so for me my alone time is time with my dog. I love having her involved in as many aspects of our lives as possible but I never find it necessary to not do things just because I have a dog. I have also never had anyone comment negatively about how I prioritise her. My friends and work colleagues get it and there is no issue with me staying home with her if she is unwell etc. My parents are also fantastic and if for some reason I am worried about her they won't hesitate to drive over to our house and check on her whilst we are at work.

We are evening/nighttime walkers and take both the temperature and humidity into account but as a general rule if it's still sitting above 25 degrees then we give walking a miss. Our dogs have never not wanted to go but they struggle to cool down so I've always been extra cautious. Missing a walk is no big deal but them overheating is. Now that Kira is old I am even more conservative with her. Though I went for a run last night and she got super excited when I put my sneakers on and then super pissed off when she didn't get a walk.

Kira has gradually gone deaf over the last few years (she's 12) and she's at the point where she can't hear much at all. If I get her food out of the fridge and she is in the same room but with her back to me she doesn't know. I've also done the shake the treat jar test with her. It doesn't seem to have impacted her too negatively though. We still talk to her as per usual and she seems to just watch our body language, facial expressions and hand signals for cues, i.e rather than telling her ok for things she looks to us to nod or wave our hand etc. The only real difference is we can't call her, so If we want her we have to go looking for her. It has scared the crap out of us a few times though when we get home from work and she is lying outside in the dark fast asleep and doesn't move until we are right on top of her. It makes walks a lot easier though as if another dog is carrying on like a pork chop and barking at her, she has no idea unless they are in her direct line of sight so she just walks past oblivious, where as in the past she would have been reactive.

OMG Kirty, how horrible. Thinking of you all and hoping to see news of further improvement.

I've only just seen this and I'm aware it's a bit after the fact but I just wanted to offer my condolences Ruffles.

A few times when they were young and we were sorting out a few teething issues with the new fence. Indy's first escape was when we just had the fence built and it seems there was a hole next to a rock he could squeeze through. We came home to find him sitting on the front verandah wanting back inside. He would have only been about 4 months old so we were very lucky nothing happened to him. His other escape was when unbeknownst to me the OH had left the garage door up while he popped out and also left the internal door to the garage open so Indy took himself for a nice stroll down the street. I was home but oblivious and just assumed he was in the house or yard somewhere. Luckily the guy across the road saw him wander past and came and knocked on the door to tell us. He didn't get far before I bought him back. On Kira's first day of being left home alone with Indy we discovered that there was another hole in the fence that was too small for Indy to get through but it was just big enough for her. Luckily it only took her into the neighbours backyard and she spent the day with them until we got home. The final escape was a joint adventure when an 18th birthday party behind our place got out of control and some douchebag teenager kicked two of our fence palings in. They stayed in the yard overnight but in the morning they both squeezed through and took themselves down the street and into the bush. I was away at the time but the OH said they weren't too hard to find. They stuck together and then got in the car when they realised they were in big trouble.

A bone that gets fully eaten for breakfast and then raw food for dinner, with the potion size of the evening meal being dependant on the size of the bone she gets in the morning i.e. If she gets a large bone then dinner is really just a token meal of say one chicken wing and one neck. We don't generally don't do treats or snacks throughout the day and we never share our food.

I'm so sorry.

Are you being serious Sheridan or are you just being facetious? No one has even remotely implied that you are a failure as dog owner and that fact that others do things slightly different to you doesn't make it so either. You've been around DOL for as long as I can remember and you've had dogs for years so I'm pretty sure you know what you are doing and are providing a safe and happy environment for your dogs. I'm not sure where all this self flagellation is coming from. Partly facetious. I have noticed an increase in people saying that things like dog yards (as an example) are necessary these days and it's hardly representative of the main dog owning population. I think that DOLers seem to forget that the average person doesn't have and likely can't afford dog yards and pens and crates and every other accoutrement that many seem to think are necessary to owning a dog. I certainly can't afford a 'purpose built dog yard' and don't have the space for it even if I could. Ok fair enough. I personally don't believe that you have to do what the majority of DOLers do to be a good dog owner as to me DOLers probably represent the top 5% of dog owners so that still leaves a lot ways to do things that are still ok. Dogs are not my hobby, I'm not into dog sports, I have no interest in breeding and I have no interest in owning a pack of dogs. 2 dogs would be my maximum and I just want them to be a part of our family and that is it. I have absolutely no interest in having a custom built yard or pen or anything along those lines and it has nothing to do with cost or space, I just don't want that in my yard. Our set up works for us and I'm perfectly ok with that. I'd take what everyone on an an internet forum says they do with a grain of salt and just go with what works for you. It's a bit like raising kids I guess, apart from the extreme bottom end where we are talking about neglect there are a thousand different ways to do things and just because they are different it doesn't make one wrong and one right.

How big is your dog door Malamum? Do you get worried that people could break in through it? I've considered it but I'm just a bit worried about anyone being able to fit through it. Thanks :) If you were a burglar, would you go through a dog door of that size? Big door generally = very big dog. Yep, anyone jumping the fence (we have 6ft fences and padlocked gates) let alone crawling through the dog door would have a pretty unpleasant experience.

Yes Kira has gone deaf too so there is no way she is going off lead. She's slow (and she not a runner anyway) so I'd probably be able to catch her but I'm not taking any chances as I can't recall her unless we've got eye contact.