Jumabaar

He probably does have arthritis- and there would be evidence of this on Xray. BUT is it the arthritis causing this sudden problem? aka is it a red herring and there is something else in the mix too. I am guessing they have ruled out cruciate ligament damage, a break or fracture and a few other things but that doesn't mean that there isnt an injury to another ligament, tendon or muscle that wont turn up on Xray- which is why Pav lova is recommending a chiro (Neil Barnsley) who deals with Grey hounds who deals a lot with ligaments, tendons and muscles which regular vets dont. That being said it is probably something that pain meds and rest will heal anyway now that the 'biggies' are ruled out.

Dogs are very stoic and will try to present a picture that shows them happy and healthy because that has been selected for as a survival mechanism- even when they are not feeling all that happy. I hope it isnt anything too serious.

DNA can't determine breed or breeds of individual dogs. A DNA test can conclusively confirm parentage. So if neither parent is of a restricted breed, it must follow that neither are any of the pups. Does that make sense? So logically, if you have documentation to confirm that neither parent is of a restricted breed, then a DNA test to confirm that this sire and this dam are the parents of your pup should put you in the clear. But under Vic legislation, you are not. Your dog can be killed because it looks like a restricted breed even though you can prove who its parents are, and both parents have documentation stating that they are not of a restricted breed. This is precisely the problem... Supervised sample collection is not acceptable. A stat dec is not acceptable. What is acceptable? It doesn't matter how 'fair dinkum' you are. I am not being hyperbolic when I compare this to the witch hunts, all analogies break down eventually but I'm yet to find that point here. The assumption of innocence is gone, replaced with an assumption of guilt. It is a deeply flawed process that we should not accept in any part of law. These are fundamental tenets of law being thrown into the blender of hysteria for a hypothesis which no evidence supports (BSL). Think about that for a moment. Think about the consequences beyond animal welfare and our right to own dogs who have not caused harm and are no more likely to than any other breed of dog. Just to make it clearer A person could DNA parentage their 'Pitbull type dog' and prove categorically that its parents were a pure bred pug and a pure bred boxer but the victorian court will ignore this because the dog fits a physical standard of a pit bull and thus euthanise it- even though there is no relationship at all!

Two Kelpies get in excess of three cups of food per day A Kelpies few get two cups/day The Finnish Lapphund has about a cup of food- I occasionally feel guilty when I dole out her food and look at it compared to the other bowels but I would feel far more guilty if she were too fat to enjoy life. All breeds/dogs in my opinion should be kept lean. I dont care about their shape, or the number on the scale- its about feeling their condition over their ribs and hips and being able to FEEL ribs but not be able to stick my finger between them. I struggle to keep my lean dogs up to this condition, and my chubbers down to that level but I do it because that is best for their health and joints. Dogs dont need to be overfed- whats the benefit to them? It really only makes us feel better- either because it gives them a better shape according to what we think the breed should look like, or because the food in their bowl looks better. And its not just pet owners- breeders and judges dont recognise that a narrow correctly weighted dog is probably genetically 'thicker' than the fatty that looks more filled out. I prefer to lose in the show ring than have a tubby Kelpies and I have been placed down in the classes for having correctly conditioned dogs because it is so normal these days for people to mistake a fat dog for one that has muscle or one that is not narrow- if you stripped the weight off them they would probably be far less bulky/narrower than my own dogs. Why not breed for dogs that are 'thicker' than have to achieve the look by overfeeding? On the other hand I have also had some pretty big wins when the judges have recognised the difference between muscle and fat.....

The AVA's response http://www.ava.com.au/mediarelease/response-coroners-recommendation-mandatory-reporting-restricted-breeds-vets What hope do we have when the AVA continually takes this stance and is ignored??

I class every litter as a loss of money to breed what i need for the next generation. I dont even consider the thought of even breaking even. I look at the cost of the semen and the insemination and the raising of the litter as the cost of getting what i need for myself Ian I understand that and have yet to come close to breaking even BUT I do think that we shouldnt think that making a profit is a bad thing!! Many that I know that have made a lucky profit have put it back into their breeding program. If more ethical breeders actually made a profit from litters by charging appropriately can you imagine the power it would give them to produce amazing examples of their breed?? I would love to import semen for my girl but honestly dont have the spare cash to do so- if I knew the litter were not going to set me back a couple of grand then maybe I would risk it but you cant and I do think that is why the number of pure bred pups being born is dropping.

I had many many many mentors- they had different strengths/weaknesses and gave me lots of info. I then took that info as a starting place for my own research (I used google scholar heaps rather than blogs and websites) and formed my own opinions that my mentors then challenged and made me re-examine. I love the advice/opinion from people who are more experience than me but I always critically analyse it which is what you will have to do when more people come into the thread and give their opinion. I think thats what makes a good breeder.

I think it depends on the Bitch. Some bitches bounce back exceptionally well, others do need a season off. My first bitch was skin and bone after her litter so there was no way I would remate, but others are glowing by the time they come on season again. Better to get the pups on the ground and the bitch desexed IMO. The problem being you dont see how what you produce turns out but if your looking at working dogs then you should know regarding temperament when they are 4mths of age when she would cycle again. You risk pyo or other complications leaving a bitch cycling. ETA- I wouldnt have more than a couple of litters from a single bitch but you refer to multiple so yes I would do back to back but the intent would be to be able to desex my bitch young, not so I could pump out more puppies.

Vaccination is a stimulation of a dogs immune system using a man made substance. I don't vaccinate because I figure I am constantly naturally exposing my dogs to these pathogens so why pay to do what is already happening.... I do titre test and they have all come back nice and high- even the dogs that have only ever had their puppy vaccines indicating that they are getting exposure naturally. That may be from the amount of time they spend around other dogs as much as me working though. I do however worry about puppies pre vaccination and am very careful to not take contaminated clothing in so that my home environment doesn't become contaminated. Its also important to remember there are plenty of bugs that there are no vaccines its great that you are aware of the need for biosecurity ETA- yes it is a 'snapshot' but remember that the picture isn't going to change tomorrow. The immune system doesnt turn off unless something goes very very wrong so a good level of immunity isn't going to suddenly disappear.

Quakers Hill or Austral

Is she desexed- ie my bitch can get a little snarky when she is having a pseudo pregnancy Could she be painful? Have there been any other changes in behaviour?

I am feeling a little bit better after reading this. *calmer* I should stay calm and assertive just like Cesar says... I will call up the vet and enquire about the x-ray. Do they show you the day itself when it was x-ray or you need to wait couple of hours or days to see the result? My vet didn't suggest about X-ray and stupid me did not thought of it that time I should have. As for fasting him before going for surgery, I am not sure if it's such a good timing for Snowy to fast from 6pm onwards till when we send him over. It is crucial to fast him for safety of surgery but I think he will throw up the bile again out of hunger. I am thinking of giving him 1 biscuit (bone shaped) at 5am so that to avoid being too hungry. I heard about some owners giving Gaviscon to prevent the acid / bile throw up. I might do that too I am such a worry - mom! Xrays will be one once he is anaesthetised and are developed immediately on site. As I said your veterinarian may not do these routinely for dental extractions. I wouldnt worry about the little vomit of bile in the morning- getting that up will make the surgery even SAFER!! as he will have even less in his tummy at the time of the anaesthetic

Jts best practice for Xrays to be taken before and after extraction- exactly the same as a human dentist does. It means they know exactly where to go in to get the tooth roots and it means they can check to see that no fragment has been left in (because sometimes there are sneaky little bits) That being said I only know of two general practice vets that routinely do X-rays, although it is quite simple to do. So its up to you if you want to enquire if they will perform them (my dogs all had pre and post extraction radiographs taken). My dogs have all bounced back from desexing within 36hrs- and with supervision have not required the Elizabethan collar during the day. They didnt care about the collar though as they have all got a treat every time it went on so they actually thought the collar was the best thing in the world!! The pups that had baby tooth extracted due to them fracturing were eating within a couple of hrs of surgery and were bouncing around like normal by the next morning!! They all still loooooove the vets!! The drugs that they are given make them less able to focus/remember their time in there, and they get pain relief so there is no negative association.

Its not selfish- think of the big hello you will get at the other end when your reunited!! Quarantine times back into aus MAY be changing in the future- assuming all the work is done pre import. Also it is possible to have all the work done for your return even before you leave Australia.

I let my girl drink small amounts regularly when she gorged on dry food. Although the last time she did it I took her to the vets to vomit because she couldnt even waddle by the time I found her let alone lie down My kibble is now kept behind a door with a circular handle

Dogs have a different system to eruption to people. The adult tooth does not rely on the location of the baby tooth to guide it and the baby root should have already broken down well in advance. Retained teeth where the adult tooth has not erupted in the correct position it can cause a problem in dogs.

Perhaps do some research on youtube for ways to tire their minds rather than bodies. At this age pups don't really need to be walked and excessive walking can damage their joints.

My clubs accept titre testing to say that they do not require vaccination. The holistic vet that I go to advocates puppy vaccination because she is up to date with current peer reviewed studies. Perhaps you could ring and chat to someone at http://www.naturalvet.com.au who would be able to talk to you about buying from a reputable breeder and the pros about puppy vaccinations- they do phone consults.

oops :)

Also remember to check that the breeder you chose has done appropriate genetic testing on the parents and have hip scored them. This is what happens if they dont http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/238882-sick-border-collie-pup/

Just noticed the vaccine part- my pups all had their initial 2 puppy vaccinations and then been titre tested and not needed them. You may find a breeder happy to hold off vaccinating your pup till 10 weeks and then be able to titre test to see if they need any more. Not vaccinating at all is irresponsible and if you find someone who does that then odds are you will also have a dog with temperament and physical faults.

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Yup my dogs all get support when they are scared. Much better for them to look at me for support than have them make up their own minds about coping mechanisms!! As an aside I tend to redirect behaviour I dont like into behaviour I do like. Some behaviours I dislike are inherently rewarding for the dog, so I give them an opportunity to do something equally rewarding- its just that the reward comes from me :) particularly at this age when they are a sponge and not yet adolescents testing the boundaries ie snapping at the annoying dog rewards them by the dog backing off- instead I body block the annoying dog and ask mine to sit and give me attention.

I dont bother working my dogs once if they are hot in any way shape or form. They are generally just make a heap of mistakes and we get nowhere. Also it may be a 'fitness' issues now that the days are getting warmer and you are asking more time wise than you do during the week. As soon as he gets tired mentally or physically he is going to start acting out a bit and not be as interested in rewards.

An acquaintance of mine got dog 2 for dog 1. She actually said dog 2 was dog 1's pet. Dog 1 got attention, was picked up and was basically 'perfect'. Dog 2 on the other hand was a pain to own, was annoying, didnt get picked up etc. Dog 2 eventually got returned to the breeder (well it was left at the breeder to be minded and she just didnt get picked up) That would be a situation where getting another dog for the existing dog didnt work out. That is certainly not the norm but it isnt all that unusual either.