Mum to Emma

I was referring to dogs that maul people and children, by way of explaining why the authorities treat wandering cats as less important than wandering dogs. Do you seriously believe that a cat could do as much damage as an angry SBT?

Agreed, but the problem is that it's far more difficult to contain cats than dogs. Savvy cat owners (and those with spare cash) do build cat runs, to protect their felines from traffic ... and the likes of Paul777. I personally believe their effect on bird life is vastly overstated, particularly in urban areas where most cats live. Indian miners kill far more bird life than the feline population. Oh, and when was the last time you heard of a cat escaping its property and mauling a passer by ...

You have to earn a cat's affection - that is why some people (typically men) don't like them. They expect the creatures is their lives - be they 2 or 4 legged - to continue to love them regardless of how poorly they are treated, and dogs are experts at this. The kitty 'mysoginist' attitude, more common in Australia than in any other western nation, is the cause of much animal cruelty.

Google RSPCA heart worm tablets.

Yes, that would be interesting. We're lucky that this is available to us in Melbourne as it's not commonly done. Aas I understand it there's only and handful of veterinary dental specialists in Australia and only one in Melbourne. What put me off was the lack of guarantee of results (as with any root canal, including humans). Being a molar, they are fraught with complications. If it was a canine, I would have been more likely to go ahead as (I assume) the cost would have been less, being only one root. I'd be interested to know how long your bosses dog is anaesthetised. Root canals are slow processes in humans. One would assume they're the same with dogs.

By way of follow up, my boy had his tooth removed and was behaving 24 hours later as if nothing has happened. Curiously they didn't stitch the opening. The nurse said they prefer to leave it to drain. Everything I read on the net led me to expect stitches. But he's a very experienced vet. The one everyone queues for,

Yes, $800 It's a series of X-rays, probably with a precise dental X-ray such as is used on us humans. The root canal would be approximately $2800 (and I doubt that includes the $300 I've already spent). Yes I'm leaning towards just having it removed. The 'problem' will be solved once and for all whereas there's a chance the root canal won't work or he may break it in future. And I'm not keen on him being under an anaesthetic for the couple of hours it should take.

Does anyone have any experience with root canals and dogs? My whippet has broken his upper carnassial and the options are extraction or root canal. My initial thought was to go with the latter (despite the cost - he's been a wonderfully healthy dog and owes me nothing) as l worry about what the loss of such a significant tooth will mean to his facial structure. The vet has said they're difficult to remove but that they do it all the time. But there are no guarantees with a root canal either, as any human who has had one will tell you. The specialist said some owners elect to X-ray after 12 months to make sure that everything is ok .. at an additional $800. What do you think? His mouth is otherwise very healthy. And he's just turned 9.

Surely it is the individuals responsibility to keep their dog safe? If an OAP has a tree fall through her fence, and has no way of fixing it immediately it doesn't make it ok for her to just let the dog out in the yard regardless and blame someone else if it runs away or is stolen. It's up to her to keep the dog secure and safe. If I left my key in my car while it was running, with the doors open and went into the shops of course a thief would be in the wrong for stealing my car. Pretty sure the majority of people (including an insurance company) would say I was also at fault for leaving the car that way Actually, in Victoria it is illegal to leave your car running unattended. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to leave it unattended when unlocked. You most certainly would not be covered by your insurer as it's all about mitigating your loss. And by knowingly leaving an invitation to thieves, you are partially at fault.

A nail gun will do it. My link

Although you'll discover that there's a sad story behind it's making ...

What gets me is that the majority of owners of loose attacking dogs couldn't give a s*it about the animals UNTIL they come to the attention of the authorities. Then suddenly they are the beloved family pet. The fact is that society is better off without canine loose cannons. Humanely euthanising them is the best outcome for all.

Thanks for all the feedback. There's no pattern to the behaviour in the sense that it's not brought on by any sort on stimulus, excitement, boredom etc. The only pattern is the turning in one direction. It's like she's suddenly pricked by something. Sometimes the response is more frantic and ongoing than others. The vet has emptied the anal glands and she's also been on antihistamines in case it was a grass allergy. I feel the only way to truly examine her is to anaesthetise her to have a thorough poke around but one doesn't like to knock her out without good reason. And unfortunately she doesn't need her teeth cleaned!

For about 12 months a friends mini schnauzer has gone through episodes of spinning around in an attempt to bite something that appears to be bothering her at the base of the tail. Sometimes it's the usual sort of calm licking we've all seen in our dogs. At another times the behaviour is quite frantic. She's been tested for a UTI, anal gland problems and is on v expensive flea treatment. But nothing seems to help. I should point out that she will spin around as if to bite her tail at least once an hour except, obviously, when asleep. AND she only ever spins in one direction, to the right. Personally I think they should sedate her to see if a coarse wiry hair is perhaps growing in the vagina or anus. The vet thinks it could possibly be mild seizure like behaviour. Does anyone have any ideas, or seen similar behaviour in a dog?

Try jackiesgreyhoundcoats on ebay. They're beautifully made, excellent value and delivery is very quick. She makes coats for whippets and greys.

My brother's and mothers's mini schnauzers both died of kidney failure at 13. The first sign of trouble for both was that they stopped eating.

Agreed. It is very disturbing that the dog is still alive. The owners must have seen evidence of the attack on the dog that did the deed. To let it live is reprehensible. If is a continuing danger. And before I get howled down (pardon the pun) it is a DOG that has no sense of its own mortality. It must be humanly put down. How the owners of that dog could let it live is beyond belief. At least the owners of an Amstaff have euthanatised their dog after it mauled a neighbours child in Ferntree Gully on the weekend.

One of each! But if that's not practical, perhaps a girl would suit you better. I've had two of each and the boys have been more clingy and one had bad separation anxiety. He was an entire male so didn't know that I existed when we went out for walks. He was too busy pulling me from pillar to post (literally). But in the house, he did't let me out of his sight. I have found that the girls, whilst possessing the typically sweet whippet personality, are more free spirits, happy to amuse themselves and not as emotionally dependant on you. Of course this is just a generalisation. IMO, the best determinant of temperament (in all breeds) are the parents. If you can, get to meet them. And you mention off lead running. Please, please remember that whippets should NOT be off leash anywhere near traffic. They have no road sense and poor recall. Whippets will chase a plastic bag onto a freeway if given the chance. Whilst the chance for free running is ideal, it's not essential for a happy whippet. No. 1 is YOU. No. 2 is warmth!

Agree - referral to a specialist ASAP. Your regular vet is equivalent to a GP. Would you expect your GP to accurately diagnose a life threatening condition? Even very experienced vets can be clueless when faced with relatively rare conditions, although your vet sounds comprehensive in their approach. Always worth a second opinion from a specialist in such circumstances. Best wishes to you. Remember whatever you decide in the long run, your dog lives day to day and understands pleasure and pain, unlike we humans who anticipate loss. You must (and I'm sure will) do what is best for the day to day comfort of your baby.

My tip is to, if possible, attend a breed specialty show and ask around. Got both my 1 year olds that way. Breeder gets to meet you in person and there's a good chance that the dog will be there too.

gentle hugs to you Darien My parents are doing the same too Their Cardigan Corgi is almost 15 yrs old and sleeps most of the day/night & when she is awake, walks around in a confused state...both Mum & Dad can't or rather won't see Megan for how she is and being their last dog, both parents are now into their 70's, are finding hard to approach the idea of the final goodbye. Sadly a bit like your husband, it will take something to happen & the vet to talk to them, rather than them make the final choice themselves... To be fair to your parents ( and obviously not having seen the dog personally) she just sounds like an old dog. If she doesn't have a terminal or chronic illness, is eating and drinking well, and is not incontinent, but is just 'confused' , which doesn't necessarily mean she's distressed, I don't see what the problem is. Is she aware of your parents' presence and greet them when they return? I only say this because Emma is old, blind, and could be called at times confused, AND sleeps much of the day, but she loves to stand in the sun with her nose in the air sniffing the wind. She gets up from wherever she is and comes to greet me with a gentle wag of the tail when I come home from work. And every morning stands by the front door waiting for a walk, even though we only get about 100 metres.

Don't forget that some large petstores have a money back guarantee, eg Petbarn. So you won't get stuck with another bag of expensive kibble.

our local petshop tried selling purebred Standard Poodles once. The pups sat in the window for weeks before heading back to their breeder. Funny thing, the usual 'oodles (labra-,spoo-, malteser-, scnauzer- etc etc) sell like hot cakes. And often get rehomed by 12 mths old. Obviously, the sort of people who want purebred dogs don't do petshops, while pet shop people would never go for a pure breed. Are you kidding?? Said upmarket pets sells the latest trendy purebreds such as cavalier King Charles spaniels, mini poodles, golden retrievers, etc etc. I remember seeing a lab at a pet shop Brandon park shopping centre in Melbourne that literally grew up behind glass. Fortunately that shop has now gone..

Upmarket Pets is appalling. I was there a few weeks ago on a hot day. What looked like a 16 week old German shorthair pointer was squeezed into one of their glass boxes. It was noticeably lethargic. The place stunk. They're notorious for selling swf's to Asian students to keep them company in their shoebox apartments. They then dump them at local pounds when they return home. When I was there I overheard a couple of customers whose comments summed it up. One said 'you just want to buy them to get them out of here', and another (a young boy) was upset because as he said to his mum, 'they can't breathe in there'

What an incredible waste of court resources