OSoSwift

Run free Meg, what a little stunner you were. Hugs Jed

My eyes are not leaking anymore - they are pouring! Such wonderful photos and memories of the babies that were lost - thankyou for sharing. So great to have you in your waiting room, we missed you a lot and yes there were some that needed your guidence while you were away. RIP babies gone, you will never be forgotten Hugs to Jed-an inspiration

I totally agree and wouldn't do it again. Hope you get it sorted.

Totally agree.

Hi Jed - Great to see your post when I checked in this morning!!! I think I too have something in my eye!!!! Damn leaky eyes.......... So good to know that you are back and can pull us into line when we need it. Still thinking of you every day, once again so sorry for the loss of you babies RIP Jed's babies. Oh I am so excited you have posted!!!!!!!

I had a male Dobe that in the end I force fed to keep weight on him, and I know MANY male Dobes like that! I don't know why they do it or how to fix it though. Hopefully someone can help. Have you tried the Satin Ball recipes that are on here?

So glad Dexter is feeling better. Yes it is an emotional roller coaster! Just when you think you are going to have to make that tough call, they bounce out of bed and want to chase birds! Little buggers can't make it easy for us can they! I hope he continues to gain lots of pain relief. Hugs to all

Sorry to hear that, yes sultanas are very toxic. Thoughts are with the little dog and her family

I am sorry Dexter is still feeling sore, but hopefully he will feel better soon. My aged Stafford - 13 today Happy birthday Brutus- had a couple of episodes last year where he would be walking along and scream. Rimadyl did nothing. We had to start him on Pred due to the nerve damage from spinal arthritis. Because Pred is not a good pain killer he was also on Tramal. It worked a treat. Now he is maintained on the Pred and all the other natural goodies, coats heated bed etc. It is much easier to be sitting at the computer rather than at ground zero such as you are. Since he has had a "crash" so to speak he may get much more comfortable if they throw all the good stuff at him. Yes it masks the pain, but I want my dog to be as pain free as possible even if they live 6 months less than they would of without the painkillers. My Dog is on Pred constantly and has been so for nearly two years. He is happy, we are happy if he goes sooner than without who cares. I thought a year ago we were at the end of his time. He is still here and having his party with candles, doggy icecream and a song. Cos I would put him on daily anti-inflammatories if it means he is going to have a more painfree time with you, for however long that may be. You know what you and your dog can take and what exaclty you are willing or able to do. I personally would euth a dog that had to be carried outside and propped up to toilet and was screaming on his bed. But that is my personal opinion. After having worked for many years in the industry there are quite a few things I would not put my dog through that I may have, if I had not seen what had happened afterwards. BUT each situation is different as each person and their dog are different. I hope after he has had some time for the pain killers to kick in he is much more comfortable, try also laying warm wheat bags across his hips and elbow if he will tolerate them, heat can quite often bring even only short term relief. Still thinking of you

I use advocate, and I do do them with a taperwormer tablet 3 monthly as we are on a farm as the tapewormer does hydatid tapeworms, which don't come from fleas. I would not recommend the yearly heartworm injection

I wouldn't recommend leaving your dog with someone else to train. It is the whole relationship that needs addressing, not just the behaviours that the dog is exhibiting. Classic example is my dogs, they will listen to me straight away, no issues. They know OH is a push over therefore they ignore him to a point and sometimes just ignore him completely as they know if they wait him out he will give up and let them stay where they are. Sending them to a different trainer is not going to change their relationship with my OH. Me kicking OH's bum and making him be more consistant would have a much better result. But having said that their "misbehaviour" is very mild and is usually things like not moving off the lounge, not any aggression or jumping issues etc. Wazzats experience sounds good, I would think looking them up would be a very good starting point.

That you Golden chow ***must have something in my eyes,blink blink**** That Mudcake looks DEVINE - count me in! Hope you are feeling even better today Jed

Cos don't ever think this way. Sometimes not doing surgery is the best thing for a particular dog. Sometimes people do things more for their benefit that the dogs. They really want it to work and they try and it doesn't. Not doing surgery never means that you are a bad owner - ever. I really hope he improves for you today. Our old Stafford has quite a few issues, one being spinal arthritis where the arthritis is grwing into the verterbrae and the disk space. He also has elbow arthritis. He sleeps on a heated pet bed evry night ( and its on during the day if it is cold as well. we have found that has made a huge difference to him. He can have coats on, be in a warm bed with blankets - the works, but the bed really helped him along. My heart is still breaking for you.

I am glad I helped you a little - still suxs though! It is extremely hard, but I can say reaching the decision is the most soul wrenching thing to do, which ever one that is. I agree with the Bowen as well, Rommi had a vague lameness on and off for 4 week despite strict rest. One Bowen treatment and she bolted after a bird - I thought oh no back to square one - nope still sound as a bell. I would also try acupuncture and until you have decided what to do, try him on anti-inflammatories everyday - it will at the very least give him a really good less painful break. Dogs are very stoic and chronic pain can really slow them up, even when they are not showing too many outward signs of it. This may not help but I hope it does. I also try to make my decisions based on the facts infront of me without the emotion because it hurts like hell, but if you make the decision to the best of your knowledge you are doing the best thing by your dog. We don't want to lose them - of course we don't - but I believe we must always put our dogs needs first. I have shed my own few tears just reading and replying! Biggest biggest hugs to you all.

Can I ask what you are needing it for? It is nasty stuff and I only used it when I absolutely has to, but still protested loudly!

Cosmolo - you already know I feel your pain. There is no real answer for what you are asking. I know I have asked the same thing! I sat down with a piece of paper and a pen to do pro's and con's. There are a lot of what if's with surgery and you never know the outcome until you do it - which makes it harder. When I had my girl I had worked in a vet hosp for a while and seen the end result of a few dogs that had had surgery for the same thing -and some a bit different - that my girl had. I really didn't see that the surgery would gain her enough improvement or help her to live a longer pain free life. I think you need to try and sit down and reaaly weigh up the pro's and cons and try to turn the emotional side down a little which I know is nearly impossible. My choice was to try and make the time she had left as comfortable as possible. We gave her what ever we could in regard to pain relief and let her run at the beach and play and all the things we had kept restricted as I decided quailty for a short time was better than a very restricted life for a long time. After seeing the dogs I did after surgery I decided that she would go through lots of pain for not a lot of gain - it was only her elbow that were the issue. However at the end of the day you can only make the best choice for your boy and your situation which will be different from other peoples. Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your boy. It is extremely hard as you want to be the best you can and sometimes you just don't know what that is until you try it. The idea of putting your dog through painful surgery and severe restriction can be very very hard, but for the surgery to have a chance to work he will have to be VERY restricted for a set time. Can he handle it?? If you really think he will struggle then that has to be a consideration that is very high up on your list. I really do feel for you, I know just how much it breaks your heart. Sometimes getting to your decision is the hardest bit. Cos I think you already know the answer to this and I am sure that is what is breaking your heart. And I also know it hurts...a lot

I agree with everyone else I train in very short burst with a baby. If they have no attention span at all, looking at me for two steps may be all I try for in the beginning - if that is too hard, one step. As they get better I still only train in shorter bursts. I never expect my dogs to train for 30minutes at a time - even when adults. The may get trained over half and hour, but it will be in shorter bursts with down time in between. As for treats - this kid needs the lollies! Roast beef, roast chicken, yummy yummy stuff. easy to eat, tasty and soft. Small pieces, you are treating not feeding, but you need really high value treats to get his interest and keep it. Good luck

I had a young dog with anal glands infected with Pseudomonas. The discharge was foul smelling and green. I was quoted nearly $2000 many mnay years ago. What I did first though was everyday his anal glands got squeazed and a small amount of Baytril liquid was then squirted into them. He was also on Clavulox as the bug was sensitive to it. His anal glands were squeezed for eithr 7 or 10 days, can't remember now and he was on Clavulox for 6 weeks. Thankfully it cleared up as he also was Von Willbrands affected and the surgey is in a very vascular area, as well as the risk of incontinence. He never scooted, I just noticed fluro green gunk oozing down him bum one day. I would try a longer course of AB's and daily squeezing etc well before I removed them.

I would give them a smaller bland meal and see what happens! If an explosive bum happens, then of course off food. Mine never have a tummy like that unless they have a problem, so I always go a small bland meal.

Wtf - alright - dogs have bums for goodness sake!!!! A flower, yep I can see all the dogs accepting that no worries!

HI Jed, Hope you are another big step closer in your recovery today. It has been freezing here, hope you are tucked up nice and warm can't stay tonight, but will check back in tomorrow.

Oh no - poor Lincoln - sending lots of healing vibes to Lincoln and Whippet hugs and kisses to Lincoln and VCBR

Today started off very chilly, but we now have clear skies and sun - lovely day. OOhhh pancakes - yummy yummy *grabs a pancake with golden syrup and a coffee** Will hang around about a bit

I have coats on mine day or night if it is cold. During the day they are generally with me anyway. at night they are seperate, but right next to each other ( as Rommi can be bossy from time to time) so I don't worry too much about them getting caught on things.

I would not have two entire male Dobes together, and would be very cautious with two females, although a male and femal would usually be fine. In Whippets I think any and all combinations are generally tolerated well and if there are problems it would be a particular individual that may have a problem. I wouldn't have two entire male Staffords together, some Stafford bitches you can, some you can't. I think it is a breed by breed thing, and an individual dog thing. Some are better at it than others.