tdierikx

Hmmm... every shelter except RSPCA are reporting massive increases in surrenders... something suss there methinks... Wouldn't you think that if you were told it would be 8 months before you could surrender your pet to one shelter, you wouldn't try your luck at another? T.

@Steve may be able to answer (if she still comes here any more), as she runs MDBA... T.

Yep... the most well funded and largest "rehoming organisation" is completely exempt (in NSW) from having to consider taking animals from overstretched pounds... meanwhile, they still get to police all the rescues who might take on more animals than they can adequately care for due to the pressure now put on them by the stupid AR movement who pushed the stupid legislation through... sweet deal hey? Oh... and let's not forget that the same stupid AR mob (AJP) also pushed through harsher penalties (read fines) for animal cruelty/abuse/neglect... which gives RSPCA even more incentive to go chasing people so they can get their cut of the riches... how cool is that for them? AND... they also got a nice little lump sum of $500k to specifically target "puppy farmers" - which basically targets anyone who breeds dogs... awesome, yes? T.

Ain't that the truth! And now with this new legislation, compounded by the huge number of surrenders due to poor choices during pandemic lockdowns and cost of living pressures, means many more animals in pounds and shelters with NO legal holding times, and well-meaning rescues are feeling obliged to take in way more animals than they can adequately care for or rehome responsibly... it's a recipe for total disaster... ... which is actually what the AR nutters want. Total chaos with regard to pets means they can push for further legislation to abolish pet ownership altogether. T.

... and in NSW it's pretty much the same... only compounded by AJP's legislation change to force pounds to try to offload their excess onto private rescues before they are able to even consider euthanasia. Note: RSPCA is exempt from having to take offered animals from pounds - they lobbied very hard for that exemption - and they will definitely have the highest kill rate come annual reporting time I reckon (considering they've been gloating about their 2020/21 reports being nice and low... gonna come back to bite them bigtime this year... grrr!) T.

Same... only the damage was from children, not pets... grrr! T.

Back then it was only done at one or two specialist clinics, and I'm pretty sure she had it done at the specialist vets somewhere in the northern suburbs of Sydney. Now it can be done at quite a few places, and I hear that Vineyard vet clinic are pretty good - they treated another friend's puma (I have friends in the zoo industry). Depending on where you are located, you may find multiple clinics in Sydney or Canberra (or maybe even in slightly smaller cities/towns) that offer stem cell treatment for a range of issues. T.

If the dewclaws are well attached, then most vets would prefer not to remove them... the standard removal of rear leg dewclaws is precisely for the reason that they aren't usually well attached, and can more easily get caught on things... front dewclaws, not so much issue. As others have said, if the actual claws on the dewclaws are kept properly trimmed, they are rarely a problem, and do allow the dog some added dexterity when manipulating objects with their front paws. The vet nurse talking down to you or coming across as condescending is not on though... maybe you should mention it to the practice manager or the vet. Your request was in good faith, and no-one deserves to feel belittled simply for asking a valid question about possible injury issues with their pet. T.

The same large shelters who had adoption drives with offerings of cheaper prices to empty their shelters during covid lockdowns are now the ones seeing a lot of those same dogs coming back too... unfortunately this was always going to happen, as people who had time to spend on a pet while locked down now don't - back to work, kids back in school, etc... cost of living going up hasn't helped either. As for pets in rentals and the rental home supply crisis, that issue has been going on for longer than just recently, and is not actually the major issue here IMHO. It certainly isn't helping the problem, but definitely isn't the main problem as the media will like you to think. Some states have enacted legislation (or are in the process of doing so) to address the issue, but the fact remains that a property owner still needs to have some rights over deciding who rents their property. @coneye, your statement that pet owner renters are more likely to damage property is not exactly correct... it's more likely that people with young children will cause more damage than the average renter with a pet. @sandgrubber, it's the backyarders breeding "designer" crossbreeds, "rare" colours of established breeds, or those breeding the latest "fashion trend" breeds to satisfy some insane demand for them, with no regard to the longterm health and stability of the animals they are supplying to the market, that are the crux of the problem. These breeders are often unregistered and not exactly easy to find and shut down by those tasked with policing animal welfare laws... and those seeking to change those animal welfare laws seem to have completely missed the point in that regard, only making things more difficult and onerous for those who actually are doing the right thing by their animals. T.

I think you will find that they are still selling for between 4k and 8k... and still flying out the door at those prices... Cheaper to actually buy a pedigreed purebred from a registered breeder nowadays... *sigh* T.

A friend of mine who had an elderly ACD got stem cell treatment (very expensive) which gave her dog an amazing improvement and new lease on life... so much so that the silly dog blew a cruciate doing zoomies down the hallway... considering that before the treatment, the dog had to have a pram for walks, it was a well worth every penny spent. T.

Given that labradors can shed a bit, I'd say go for the colour that matches your wardrobe and home decor the best... *grin* As for temperament... I'd look for a reputable breeder like @Tapua first... they breed all 3 colours with solid temperaments, so you'd be well served no matter which colour takes your fancy there. T.

Good girl Bobbin! Clive is a good boy and just wants to be your friend... maybe if you let him have half the bed? T.

Interesting to note that Coonhound Disease in Australia may have a link to eating raw chicken... does your boy eat raw chicken by any chance? T.

Naw... she so purty! T.

The general "rule" is that if your dogs are doing fine on whatever you are feeding them, all is good... *grin* I've fed all sorts of things to my dogs over the years, and to be perfectly honest, haven't really noticed a drastic difference except for how much poop is produced. Generally, the cheaper brands of kibble produce more poop and of a varying consistency, whereas the high end premium kibbles produce smaller and firmer poop. I've found that raw meat produces even less poop, and it has the added bonus of going white and breaking down faster (if left in situ of course) - not to mention that it doesn't stink much either. As a vet nurse, I was rigorously schooled to plug the "complete and balanced" packaged pet foods (and we were even tested on that "knowledge" in order to pass the course)... regardless of what I feed my own dogs. Pretty sure vets are schooled in the same style where packaged foods are concerned. Personally, I go by the general "rule" above... unless your dog has allergies to certain things, or has another health issue that can be managed by diet... in those cases, maybe take your vet's advice on what to feed, or seek the help of a qualified pet nutritionist to create a diet plan that will best serve your dog's needs. T.

@persephone, try Easy Thumbnails... https://www.fookes.com/easy-thumbnails T.

Hmmm... is it possible he has gotten access to some sort of poison, like weedkiller? Some organophosphates can cause paralysis in dogs... The administration of charcoal tablets seems to point to the vet having a thought along those lines. Have you or the neighbours sprayed for any weeds recently (and around the time of his last episode)? If he's had a chomp on treated grasses/weeds, as dogs are wont to do, that could be a lead... Alternately, do you feed your dogs raw chicken or duck? Apparently some bacteria on raw poultry products (particularly chicken necks) can also cause this sort of issue - specifically Campylobacter... worth seeing if your vet can test for that. T.

Have you had blood tests and xrays done to rule in/out possibilities? A basic blood test will definitely show if your dog has an infection at the very least... and a basic xray will show up any spinal/neck anomalies. Do you live in an area where there are paralysis ticks? Or had visitors from areas that do? Visited an area yourself that does? Is your boy a lot more adventurous or physically active than your girl? An injury perhaps? A cranial xray done to highlight soft tissue may show if there is a tumour in play in the brain... as a last resort possibility, an MRI may be beneficial if there is no other cause found by the above diagnostic methods. At 6 years old, your boy is far from being a senior dog... he should be fit and active and full of beans... T.

Recent NSW legislation changes regarding animals in pounds having to be offered to at least 2 rescues before any consideration of euthanasia is having a huge impact on rescues already stretched to the limit... large numbers of surrenders certainly aren't making this issue any better... T.

Special dogs pick special humans... I'll just leave it at that... *grin* T.

I suppose it depends on the circumstances surrounding why the old family needed to rehome her. I'm not condoning neglect, but there may be a valid reason for why she's in the condition she is. Rather than fixating on her recent past, I suggest that you and her new owners just focus on now and to the future. She's in a better place now and getting what she needs to thrive. If there is an underlying medical condition, the vet will find that, and hopefully it can be treated and not be an issue for her in the future. It's awesome that the new owners are in contact with you, as your advice about all things greyhound will be so valuable to them while they restore her to her former happy healthy self. Have faith that her life from now will be an awesome one, OK? T.

I will second this... I have a dog with exactly that problem, and I've known her since birth, so know that she's never had any traumatic experiences. She is fine at home, but does not cope with new people or social situations. I work around her insecurities, and she is now nearly 10 and doing just fine with that arrangement. As for dealing with your pup's timidity, just allow her to be herself, and let her dictate when she wants to be picked up or played with. Make sure she has a "safe place" like a covered crate to go hide in if she gets a bit overwhelmed. Set up the crate with a nice soft warm bed and a couple of toys to cuddle/play with. I know that it's tempting to want to pick her up and cuddle her and play with her, but if you let her initiate that, then her confidence will grow. If you have children, they need to follow the same rules... ask them to sit quietly and let puppy come to them. Ask them to be very gentle with her, and to let her dictate what games they will play. Loud noises and sudden movements should be kept to a minimum so she doesn't get overwhelmed. If she has gone to her "safe place", she wants to be alone, so respect that, OK? If she is food motivated, then rewarding her with food treats will help to establish good behaviours... just remember that what you feed her in treats during the day needs to be removed from what she is fed at meal times... you don't want her to get too fat either... *grin* T.

I agree - stupid vanity product testing on animals should not be happening in this day and age. Surely they could get human volunteers for that sort of thing... at least humans can give consent. Did you know that there is actually a service that rehomes ex lab rats? Obviously it's not as prolific as dog and cat rehoming, but still, a number of rats also do get rehomed. Funnily enough, the animal rights mob have solely focused on the cats and dogs used in research... not the less popular animals like mice and rats. No mention of rabbits, guinea pigs, or monkeys either... although it is obvious that rehoming monkeys is a lot harder, it is not beyond the realms of possibility. Monkeys can have lifespans of up to 45 years in captivity... so it would be nice if any not too damaged from the research could find somewhere to live out their lives, don't you think? I don't see why some zoos couldn't take on baboons or macaques post research - think of the opportunities to educate the general public about our use of animals in this way... T.

You will probably have found the current NSW State government inquiry into the use of animals in research then, yes? And the Animal Justice Party's take on same? Just yesterday, Emma Hurst (NSW state AJP senator) posted on her Facebook page her opinion/take on the rehoming of cats and dogs used in research in NSW. What she fails to include is the FACT that all rehomable cats and dogs used in research in NSW were actually rehomed after their use in same - as an audit report tendered to the inquiry quite clearly showed... Emma Hurst also has a medical condition that, even though she had difficulty getting properly diagnosed (which is a whole different issue), is being treated with methods perfected via the use of animals in medical research... kind of ironic, don't you think? As @asallists above, the use of animals in research can have wide-ranging benefits for many issues we face in today's world - for both animals and humans. Sure, there could be some much tighter oversight into some forms of experimentation, and more focus on the welfare of the animals used in such research, but simply banning the use of animals in research is not the answer... it is a necessary "evil" unfortunately. T.