Gallomph

This may be a bit out of left field, but thought I would mention it... have a google and you will come up with quite a few research papers and articles.... there is a natural substance called Mannose (actually an ogliosaccharide) that has been trialled quite a bit in the US for use in both animals and humans. It apparently works by having a site in it's structure that bacteria dock into. But the mannose isn't broken down by digestion, and eventually gets flushed out of the body, carrying the bacteria with it. The trials have shown it to be effective against both bladder and uterine infections, that have not responded to antibiotic treatment. (Both of these areas are notoriously difficult to get good levels of antibiotic into). The mannose is the ingredient that is present in cranberries, that makes them useful for UTIs. I think there are a few mannose products sold in health food stores. Might be worth a try, and couldn't do any harm. You just dissolve it in the drinking water, or maybe could even sprinkle over food. Of course you should discuss with your vet before you tried it.

Mosquito repellant!!!

Yes, there have been studies that looked at the amount of land that would be needed to supply the current human population with enough protein from vegetable sources to survive. Even if every square inch of suitable land on the planet were used (including remaining animal habitat), it wouldn't be enough. So, a decrease in human population would be needed.... I suggest members of PETA should put their mouths where their principles are, and go first! Do you have an links to these studies? That theory seems bizarre to me. I didn't save the links, but if I have time this weekend I'll do another search and try to find it again. The essence if it was that enough calories could be produced from plants to sustain the human population, but not enough protein and I think a few other things (?maybe iron?). Sorry, don't remember all the details.

Yes, there have been studies that looked at the amount of land that would be needed to supply the current human population with enough protein from vegetable sources to survive. Even if every square inch of suitable land on the planet were used (including remaining animal habitat), it wouldn't be enough. So, a decrease in human population would be needed.... I suggest members of PETA should put their mouths where their principles are, and go first!

[tongue in cheek] isn't there some kind of pet shop industry association??? Surely they would take on the responsibility??! Seriously, unless the govt or their 'delegated agents' actually do some enforcement / fines etc on puppy farms and byb, and it hits the press, no doubt most people will remain oblivious.

Is the smell like mouse smells (think rodent section of petshop - that kind of musty mousy smell)? If so, it could be malasezzia dermatitis (not sure I spelled that right).

My 14yr old Shih Tzu recently had a rotten molar. I didn't know about it, I hadn't been checking his teeth because he had already had 6 removed in the last year, and I assumed the rest would be OK "for a while". Anyway, over a period of months he got slow, quiet, refused food sometimes (not regularly), vomited occasionally... I just thought he was getting old and slowing down. One day he started limping, so off to the vet we went. It turned out the rotten tooth had caused his lymph nodes somewhere up near his shoulder to swell up and get painful. So he had surgery to extract the tooth. And I could not believe the difference it made to his whole quality of life and general demeanor. He became bouncy, played with his toys again, loves his food... you would swear he was 5 years younger than he is. My point is, if one rotten tooth could make such a difference to my boy, perhaps there is a good chance of much improved quality of life for your dog if the teeth can be attended to. However, there is certainly a risk in the anesthetic, and only you can know if her other problems may make it too much to cope with. Your vet should respect that it's your decision, and if they don't, I'd be finding another vet.

What about pureeing his food with one of those stick blenders? Perhaps adding a bit of water so that it gets to the consistancy of runny porridge or thick soup?

In her final 6 months, my old poodle would have fits. I found it hard to get all the info across to the vet just by description, so the next time it happened, I took a video clip on my mobile phone so I could show the vet. I found that all I could do for Honey was be there to comfort her when she came out of it, and as she would get very hot, I would have a refrigerated gel pack wrapped in a towel ready to put beside her. After the vet saw the video, she also prescribed a low dose of painkiller to help with the muscle aches from the exertion. We did eventually realize that the trigger for her was fat level in foods, and with a low fat diet she stopped having the fits. to you and Andy, it's an awful helpless feeling watching them fit, let's hope it's a long time before he has another :laugh:

My 14 yr old Shih Tzu has had general anaesthetics twice in the past 2 years (both times for tooth extractions). He's in good health other than a slight heart murmer. He sailed through both times. I did pay for "the works" though - pre anaesthetic blood panel, fluids, pain relief etc etc. My 15 yr old poodle (who has since passed away) also had surgery to remove a cancerous growth, and did very well too. I guess there is always a chance of something going wrong, so you would weigh that up against the possible / probable benefits to the dog. Then if you decide to go ahead, take all possible precautions available to you to influence the outcome. A lot would also depend on how much confidence you had in your vet. Good luck.

I second Persephone's suggestion of a wound spray + insect repellent... "Chloromide" is the brand name, you can get these sprays from rural supply / produce stores. Works best when applied 2 -3 times per day.

I'm in your area, and as far as I know the paralysis ticks have not quite got here yet. My vets reckon they are being seen infrequently in the Toowoomba area and are moving SW but have yet to be found any further than Pittsworth. There are plenty of other types of ticks in this area though - bush ticks, roo ticks etc. Is your OH sure it was a tick? - because they're not usually white. Maybe a louse???

Different strokes for different folks!! I find it far more pleasant smelling than old urine!! Why not try both?

Had a similar problem with my old girl, and found that adding a couple of drops of Nilodor in the rinse water when bathing her, kept her better smelling for longer.

My SIL uses a mix of dettol, baby oil and mouthwash (cheap generic one - from Aldi) on her horses for itchies. Not sure how well it works, though.

My Mum's Chi had chronic / recurring colitis for years. I think she was treated with cortisone, and they had to be very careful about what she ate. She lived to 16 years old. So don't despair, it can be managed sucessfully.

Afraid I'm not familiar with Darwin, but if you can't find any rural supplies stores, there are several that are online. eg "Country Vet" "DHA Rural" "Think Pig" The colostrum powder is pretty expensive though. Might be more feasible to try to locate a dairy farm on the outskirts of Darwin?

Try a rural / farm supplies store. Bovine colostrum is also used for colostrum deprived piglets - 2 brand names are "Resus" and "Biocol". ETA: if you give a general idea of your location, people may be able to give you more specific suggestions. Out of curiousity - what do you need it for?

They are extremely hardy, and can live in small cracks in concrete etc for years. As far as I know, there are only 2 certain ways to kill them. One is a disinfectant that is very corrosive that I can't remember the name of (probably not the preferred option for your situation anyway). The other is burning. You can get gas burners that are used in intensive farming for killing ascarids and coccidia oocyts on metal and concrete surfaces. For a DIY job on a small area maybe you could try an oxy-acetylene torch?? or one of those small gas cylinders with a torch attachment?? I vaguely remember that it's something to do with the flame heat x the exposure time on the surface, that you need to get right. If no one has any better suggestions, and you're thinking about giving it a try, I could look up the info again.

I got a baby matress protector (they were on sale at Lincraft for $10), (towelling top, waterproof under, fitted with elastic), which fits over my old girl's bed. Washes up well. Wouldn't be any good for large volumes though - my girl just leaks a bit when she's asleep.

Yes, it was unbelievable that they weren't diagnosed sooner. I came home from overseas to visit Mum & Dad, and was a bit horrified at the state of the dogs. Dad pulled out a inch thick file with all the tests, vet bills, diet instructions etc from the past 8 years or so. These were from 3 different vets! But the mousey smell really hit me, so I did an internet search and came up with Malasezzia. We printed out the info, went off to the vet with it and the dogs the next day, and asked if it was a possibility. The vet did the skin sample, and later that week we had the diagnosis. So why hadn't it occurred to one of the vets sooner??? It was so well established in the dogs that although we got some control and made the dogs far more comfortable, we never got rid of it completely. Anyway, glad to hear that Chelsea is more comfortable again.

I live out west of Twba, but asked my vet about prevalence of paralysis ticks in the area recently. She said they were present in Twba, but not rampant. They are not present in Pittsworth or further west. There are plenty of bush ticks everywhere out here though.

RIP Kelly. What an awful nightmare of a thing to happen. I have a friend who is a volunteer fireman. He says there have been a lot of fires caused by these LCD tvs, and another common cause is chargers - battery chargers, phone, camera chargers. His advice is - never leave appliances on standby - unplug at the wall. Don't leave chargers plugged in either when you're asleep or not home.

I've been reading this thread with interest. My parents' Labradors had malasezzia, which went undiagnosed for many years, despite many vets consultations, shampoos, diet trials etc. Once it was finally diagnosed, they were advised by the vet to use Malaseb (in conjunction with courses of Nizoral tablets) , but found it not particularly effective. They were changed to Sebazole shampoo, which was way more effective. Just wondering if others with malasezzia problems were aware of this option, as I haven't seen it mentioned.