Diva

The only dogs I have had get it have been the C5 vaccinated ones. The one who isn't vaccinated for it because of an allergic reaction never picked it up even when the others got it.

He had his first chemo treatment on Friday and so far so good as he is now in day 4 without any side affects and nearing the end of the period (2-5 days) when any side affects become evident and I have been extra vigilant during this period. Since his chemo, there has been no change in him at all and he has been his normal very happy and bouncy self He had his stitches removed last Tuesday and we are able to resume his daily walks the next day, as the surgeon is very happy with his excellent recovery from the splenectomy .

That's good news labsrule, thanks for the update

They also said quite often a dog with this undiagnosed condition will just collapse with internal bleeding, because the tumour ruptures and the dog may die there and then, or not long after

This is what happened with my dog - started bleeding, the vet had no diagnosis, dead in 3 days, hemangiosarcoma only identified on autopsy ( I know it's not called an autopsy on dogs, but you know what I mean).

He had no sysmptoms before the bleed, and because he had had IMHA a few years earlier I was always alert for signs of lethargy.

I lost a ten year old dog to this disease but it happened too quickly to consider chemo, so I am unable to offer more than best wishes.

Thanks, that's interesting. I like seeing the facts rather than the conjecture.

I do find the dog's scenting abilities fascinating.

Yes me too. A whole sensory world humans can only experience a very small part of, so small I doubt we really understand what they 'see' compared to us.

Glad he enjoys it, it's a great thing to do with them.

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of articles, links or even books etc on how dogs use their scenting abilities.

Jake and I play very easy find it games and I note that he often zig-zags or holds his nose in the air. Rarely does he seem to follow my scent to where an item is.

Just because he is isn't tracking your footsteps doesn't mean he is isn't following your scent. He could be airscenting in a search mode or following your traill rather than your track- scent moves off the exact course you took and trailers will follow the dispersed scent, footstep trackers are following not just the person's scent but crushed vegetation etc. Different techniques with different but overlapping applications.

I think it's easy for breeders of any animal to get swept away in their favourite aspect of that animal. Performance testing can be vital in preserving a breed in it's original state.

Personally I don't think type has to be sacrificed for function. My Borzoi might not hunt wolves, but they do pretty well after rabbits, hares and the occasional fox - as do many other top show winning Borzoi in Australia...

Yep, not that I have 'top show winning' Borzoi, but mine also can and do catch bunnies. In Russia of course they still do hunt tests for Borzoi, and some western Borzoi compete occassionally. Pretty sure that Jim Sillers (USA) took some of his show bred dogs over years ago and they held their own well in the field. I think, but am not entirely sure, that you still can't make up a full Champion of Breed in Russia without a hunting certificate. I hope they hold onto the hunting tradition.

exactly. mine love kangaroo, but being medium-large dogs extremely active dogs, they need some fat-which isn't always in kangaroo. just out of curiosity-where do you get your rabbit from? I really want to try mine on rabbit at some point.

I used to get it from a couple of local butchers who carry game meats/organically raised meats - ridiculously costly but what the heck, I'm light on for other dependents to spend money on, LOL, and the lamb and chicken are cheap. I now get the rabbits more reasonably from a stock food supplier who also carries venison bought from local hunters (forgot to add deer to the list of things they get to eat). Of all the meats I feed, the rabbit, hare and deer and the ones they go crazy over.

I feed kangaroo to them as well when I can get my hands on it, but as others have said-kangaroo is too low fat for some dogs.

Yep, too low fat for mine. The main meats in their diet by far are lamb, chicken and wild rabbit. Pork, beef, goat, duck, fish and hare are fed occassionally. Roo is a disaster for one of them, and not great for the other 2. But I imagine it suits others very well - you have to find what works for the breed and individual you have.

IMO you will have a hard time finding a registered breeder who does the wrong thing.

No group of people is perfect.

I'm truly not anti-registered breeder. I know a lot of registered breeders and have been around the show/obedience scene on and off for over 30 years. I don't recommend byb's or pet shops. Nor registered breeders I don't know personally.

Truly dodgy registered breeders are few, although as others have pointed out, they do exist.

More common than dodgy registered breeders are those whose priorities are show wins only - and they can often neglect the things that don't affect show wins chasing their next grand champion. It is not uncommon for that to happen. Other breeders can't see beyond their own kennel, and deny there could be any health or temperament issue in their dogs, just because they are their dogs. Or ignore codes of ethics because only the 'newbies' need those.

I don't blame individual breeders for those things (except the truly dishonest), because that is the way the system works and what it rewards.

I don't want a big barny about it either, because I know I'm not going to convince registered breeders of it - too much vested interest. It's just that the overselling of the ethics is kind of hard to stomach sometimes.

Sorry if it's boring and complicated

Real issues often are.

I'm sure you're right.

Maybe you should re-read your post, Diva not castigate me for being unable to read. 33.3% of your audience "interpreted" your comments, 66.6% thought you were telling people not to go to a registered breeder. So I'm not the only one confused about your message.

Isn't this what you said?

From personal experience as a buyer of pups from registered breeders, I assure you it is not at all certain

You are usually telling people not to go to registered breeders, or they will get ripped off, but it's confusing when you tell them not to go to a puppy farm or a byb either.

I wouldn't go somewhere wher "it isn't certain". You can't expect people to do what you don't recommend.

What does 'sometimes that's all true' in my post mean to you Jed? To me it means that some breeeders do all those good things.

What does 'not at all certain' mean to you Jed? To me it means you can't make a blanket statement that all registered breeders do those things, because that isn't correct.

I have NEVER told people not to go to registered breeders. But I don't recommend them so freely as I used to either.

I mostly don't recommend anyone now unless I know them personally - except possibly an MDBA breeder because that framework has good potential.

Being registered is no guarantee of anything except the ability to register dogs with the kennel control - because the regulatory framework is inadequate and the incentive structures poorly designed.

You seem to want to characterise me as anti- registered breeder, but I'm not.

Stormie has summed up what I was saying very well.

Edited to be clearer, and to remove a joke that was in questionable taste.

Diva

Sometimes that's all true. From personal experience as a buyer of pups from registered breeders, I assure you it is not at all certain

Diva

This is certainly true. Love your dogs, but pls don't be tempted again by those who breed dogs 'to death'. Sometimes it's literally true.

Now, this is very confusing. On one hand, you are warning people not to go to a puppy farm or back yard breeder, but you are also saying don't go to a registered breeder, because they are paying for a companion who may not have been fed, vaccinated, wormed and cared for, vet checked and given a clean bill of health.

They may not get a puppy whose parents have been screened for genetic disease and probably hasn't been carefully bred to produce the healthiest of pups. You are paying not for the kennels 'name' or reputation but for life-long support from a breeder who wants the best possible homes for each and every puppy they breed which there is a fair possibility they wont get

What exactly are you advising prospective puppy buyers to do? Where should they go? None of the choices seem acceptable to you.

Maybe they should just go to the pet shop, they could get one from a shonky registered breeder there, or from a horrible puppy farm, or be tempted by one from a back yard breeder.

And the buyer wont know, so they can simply take their chances, if each choice is as bad as the other.

Wrong Jed, read my post properly. I did not say don't go to a registered breeder. I said that buyers cannot be assured that all registered breeders do what SecretKei said, you cannot assume they will just because they are registered.

Toofarnorth understood- assume nothing.

No but in the right home they do just fine. Not a good choice for someone likely to struggle with enforcing very clear boundaries on an ongoing basis.

Of course the fact that she was soflty spoken doesn't at all mean she would necessarily have any trouble with setting boundaries. The best dog handlers I have met have no need to be anything else.

You did the right thing Kelpie-i. They are a breed that pays heavily for their cute looks I think, anyone who wanted a dog like that who had no better reason that its appearance, and also had a housing situation where a big shedding dog was likely to be unwelcome, really needed to rethink.

You did everyone involved, her, her family and the pup, a favour. Even the breeder whether they know that or not.

I will say that my Dally as a youngster used to chuck the most amazing tantrums (always in public ) that would put a 3 year old set of triplets to shame.

One of my Borzoi used to chuck 'tanties' as a pup too. No biting, but thrashing about at the end of the lead and screaming weren't unusual if she didn't get her way.

She did have a history when she came to me that explained her rather spoilt nature and she grew into a very easy dog to live with, very obedient and well behaved - but she did have to learn that tantrums weren't going to work. I didn't use corrections really, I tend not to with youngsters, just a lot of 'not rewarding' and waiting it out with a disdainful expression on my face. Takes a thick skin just to stand there in public till an extinction burst fades - but I used to tell myself she wasn't embarrassing me, just herself As soon as she was calm she got some verbal prasie and we'd continue on our way.

I would say most would contain it as it is commonly used as a preservative even meat for human consumption. I believe though it should not be used.. however I think some supermarkets and butchers are still using it. It makes meat look nice and fresh and red...

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/fac...ctsulphites.htm

That's interesting, my dogs often refuse to eat human-grade mince, and I've always assumed it was because it smells or tastes to them of the preservatives added. So much so that I stopped buying it for them.

I suggest you PM Steve, she appears to have a detailed understanding of dietary issues.

Good luck with the fracture, cage rest at 13 weeks is not fun!

Chicken pet mince direct from poultry shops often doesn't have preservative - testified to by how quickly it starts to pong! I don't often feed mince but if I do I try and get it the day it's made, if chicken, from a butcher who swears he doesn't add preservative.

I don't think you can get kangaroo mince without preservatives, at least that's what one supplier told me.

Hi again,

I also feed green tripe.

Where do you get it? I've tried but I've been told the health regs make it practically impossible in Australia

Makes me all clucky.

Control yourself woman

When you buy a puppy from a registered breeder you are not paying $1000 for a 'puppy' You are paying for a companion who has been fed, vaccinated, wormed and cared for, vet checked and given a clean bill of health. You are also paying for a puppy who's parents have been screened for genetic disease and have been carefully bred to produce the healthiest of pups. You are paying not for the kennels 'name' or reputation but for life-long support from a breeder who wants the best possible homes for each and every puppy they breed. All these things cost a great amount of time and money.

Sometimes that's all true. From personal experience as a buyer of pups from registered breeders, I assure you it is not at all certain.

Getting a pup from a back-yard breeder or puppy farm who breeds with no regards for their dogs welfare is not a 'bargain', pure bred or not. You may have saved a few hundred dollars now but it could cost thousands in vet bills later down the track. Buying from these people only encourages them to breed more...

This is certainly true. Love your dogs, but pls don't be tempted again by those who breed dogs 'to death'. Sometimes it's literally true.

Logistics & cost I think we can overcome with a bit of effort...Bureaucracy is another thing alltogether

Why can't you influence the bureaucracy? Isn't it self-regulated - eg don't the particpants elect the decison makers?

It's a genuine question, I don't do agility, but sometimes I think people use 'bureaucracy' as a catch all for plain old inertia.

Good on you, have a great time.

I'm not excusing him, as I think he should have qualified his statements on-air by saying that when done RIGHT, raw meaty bones can be an ideal part of a dog's diet. But there you are.

Fair enough