tdierikx

If the seroma is being caused by a reaction to the external stitches, then taking them out a little earlier than "normal" is probably the right move. That said, the only stitches that are being removed are the external ones... there are possibly up to 2 other layers of stitches internally that are holding the scary stuff in. If the vet feels that the healing process is going well externally, and thinks the stitches can come out early, then it may not be as big a worry as you are thinking. I had a dog who managed to get her external sutures out by herself after only 4 days - and she had had a rather complicated spey where she had almost died on the table - took her to the vet immediately, worried that she'd have to be restitched... but the vet found that her external wound had virtually healed already, and restitching wasn't necessary at all. 10-14 days is a guideline for wound healing time under stitches... not necessarily gospel. Each dog will heal differently... some faster, some not so much... T.

In my case, I have bodycam footage AND legal documents showing the lies told... by RSPCA inspectors AND their "expert witnesses"... around 700+pages of it... This... *sigh* T.

I have what can only be described as a form of PTSD after going through the case I did... and I wasn't the person they targetted... Any mention of RSPCA gets my blood pressure up, and I flash back to the hundreds of pages of "evidence" that was tendered that spelled out exactly what they did to the animals they seized, the lies their "expert" witnesses told in their statements that went completely against the actual evidence tendered, including their own bodycam footage. Friends know to never bring their name up in front of me, as I am prone to starting to rant and rail about how they operate. I recently went back to TAFE and completed my Cert 3 Animal Studies (we were in lockdown, and I figured why not do something constructive), and my teacher previously worked with RSPCA as a vet locum. I explained to her that I'd had very bad dealings with RSPCA, and that I may be triggered by any positive mention of "the good work they do"... and she was very careful about not triggering me by mentioning them. I have nothing but respect for all the volunteers who work really hard to make a difference to the lives of the animals in their care... and nothing but loathing for their inspectorate arm, legal team, and management who encourage prosecution over prevention. The case I was involved in has bodycam footage of the vet onsite NOT in favour of seizure of animals, but one of the inspectors was actively overriding the vet... and the 30 minute break in the footage noted as contacting RSPCA legal team for advice, then deciding to seize as many animals as they thought they could get away with after that call. Contacting the legal team in the middle of an "inspection" is NOT standard practice. I will note that RSPCA had tried to do over the person targetted in this case previously, and their case had failed around a month prior to the visit that resulted in seizure of a number of animals for spurious reasons. Even their own bodycam footage shows the complete opposite of the "conditions" of the animals as claimed in their "evidence" and court notice details. Of note is the number of animals that were seized under the auspice of needing URGENT veterinary care that never recieved ANY treatment for their supposed ailments... and the fact that NONE of the animals seized even saw a vet for treatment of any issue until at least 3 days after seizure - 3 days in the care of RSPCA at Yagoona where there are literally NO records of what happened to them during those 3 days, apart from a couple of blood tests and fecal tests that all came back as normal and parasite free the day after seizure. POCTAA clearly states that seizure of animals is only the very last resort, and only in cases where immediate vet attention cannot be facilitated by the owner of said animals. This was not how it worked in the case I was involved in... we had a vet available to come out on the spot, but were not allowed to call him while RSPCA were at the property... not to mention that said vet had made a visit to the property 2 days prior to RSPCA "visiting", and records of said visit were shown on the day. All animals' health records were kept up to date, and regular worming, vaccinations, and any other medical notes were updated daily and in full. I know this because I was the one who kept those records up to date. I knew the health status of EVERY animal on site. T.

And therein lies the rub... they start off by serving people with multiple charges, smear that person's name in the media from the first court mention, delay proceedings as long as possible in order to run up that person's legal costs and costs associated with holding/"treating" the animal(s), then at the crucial point before actually going to trial, will offer to drop all bar one charge if the person pleads guilty to that charge... effectively giving RSPCA a "win". And to rub salt into the wound, the media is then advised of that "win", further smearing the person's name... while the person is gagged by the court from saying anything negative in public about RSPCA and their tactics used to secure that "win". The case I was involved in defending started off with 13 "charges"; was delayed numerous times to rack up maximum legal costs (total approx 200,000 before it even looked like going to actual trial; estimated costs to proceed through said trial was around 2 million all up; offer came to drop 12 charges if plaintiff was amenable to pleading guilty to one charge, and all legal costs (bar the fine allocated for that one charge) would stop. Is it any wonder that people take the plea as offered? Who has a spare 2 million to fight trumped up charges with no chance of ever recouping those monies even after a successful outcome in that person's case? In our case, the fine received by RSPCA (they have a legal moeity on fines, so receive said monies) didn't even cover the costs they were claiming for "treatment" and holding of the animals they seized, let alone their own legal costs... so effectively, the "win" wasn't really cost effective with regards to outlay vs return. But they did get to smear the plaintiff one more time in the media announcing said "win", and thus cementing their "good name" and fooling the donation giving public into thinking they are doing a great job bringing animal "abusers" to "justice"... The system is badly broken when organisations like the RSPCA can rort it to maximum effect. T.

When a large animal "charity" organisation spends more annually on touting for donations (around 5-6 million) than they spend on their actual animal care costs (around 3 million), methinks there may be a "problem". In NSW there are approximately 500 paid staff... and approximately 5000 volunteer staff. The inspectorate section (paid staff) cost around 3 million-ish last financial year... and brought in around 137,000 (ish) in fines from "successful" prosecutions... not a reasonable return for the "investment, ya think?? No mention about how much the actual legals cost there either... RSPCA NSW had incoming funds of around 34.3 million last financial year... around 1/10th of that was actually spent on animals in their "care"... and more than 7 million was spent on "administration"... The cat rehoming stats are better than usual at 7450 rehomed out of 13,400 taken in (still 5950 euthanaised), but dog figures were pretty horrendous at only 2205 rehomed out of 6900 taken in (4795 euthanaised) - one would think that an extremely large and well funded "rescue" would have much better stats than that... I think that rather than handling actual prosecutions, RSPCA should build their cases and pass them to the DPP for prosecution (which is how AWL handles their cases) - at least that would mean that only worthy cases with actual credible evidence would make it through the system... instead of RSPCA bully tactics forcing the accused to plead to lesser charges (and recorded as a "win" by RSPCA), rather than going bankrupt due to the exhorbitant cost of legals to fight them all the way though the system. Those who do manage to fight them all the way and win never see a penny of awarded costs, and then need to get on the court/legal roundabout again to try to get them to pay... rarely with any success... they just don't pay, and it seems not even the courts can make them... T.

7 months = approx 215 days 42000 / 215 = approx 195 per day That is only marginally less per day than you'd pay for a full hospitalisation stay at a vet clinic... In NSW, RSPCA daily "boarding" costs for seized animals is around 42 per day, and I'd assume similar for QLD in cases where kenneling only was the case for the vast majority of the animal's incarceration. One can only imagine what other things were being done to the dog to end up with a 42000 bill for costs... As for the Audit report... pity the same hasn't been done for NSW RSPCA... as I reckon exactly the same negative findings would be the result. T.

There is a specific test for pancreatitis in dogs... it's called cPLI... it tests lipase and amylase levels (certain types of fats in the blood). Generally, if your dog had pancreatitis (acute, suddne onset)), then he'd be in a world of pain and you'd know it. If he has chronic pancreatitis (longterm type), then there is a possibility he may have just gotten used to certain levels of uncomfortability over time, which could make picking it up harder on first sight. Similarly to liver issues, you'd want to keep the levels of fat in his diet as low as possible if he had chronic pancreatitis, as fat can set it off and he would not be a happy boy. I've had pancreatitis (acute) myself... and I certainly would not wish it on any animal. T.

When I had a deaf foster puppy, I was always forgetting he was deaf, and would call him... lol! When he was asleep and I needed him awake, I would tap on my wooden floor softly so he could feel the vibration, and it didn't startle him. My friend's oldest dog has lost most of her hearing now, so we clap, tap the floor, or use deeper speaking tones to alert her that her attention is required... she can feel the vibrations of those and responds well so far. Other old dogs I've had to move from one place to the other responded well to me hitting my thigh rhythmically so they could follow the vibration... I have no real experience with dementia as an added complication though. T.

Ditto here... knuckling usually indicates that a message is not getting through from foot/leg to brain, or vise versa... so either a brain issue, or a spinal cord issue. The head tilt points me to the brain rather than the spine though... and ear issues have been ruled out. T.

It definitely sounds like something neurological is going on... tumour, stroke?? Unfortunately, the MRI may be your only poroper diagnostic to get to the bottom of what is happening, and will provide more options than you currently have right now. T.

After reading both of your latest posts (Zagan's and Chewie's), if you are in or near Sydney and ever need to board Chewie somewhere that understands GSDs, and are proficient in handling ones that aren't overly accommodating of new people... try Austral Boarding... https://australboarding.com.au/ They run security dogs as well as the boarding kennels, and the owner's son is amazing with the "scarier" temperamented big dogs. There is never use of force or dominance... the dogs just seem to love him straight away. Keep up the good work with Chewie... he sounds like a lovely dog under the bluster. T.

Chapi looks like a lovely little dog... and you obviously love him very much... but he is also a quite senior little man who appears to be not very well at all. The blood test results as given here definitely show some issues with his liver and pancreas, and his white blood cell counts are not the best - mostly indicative of an infection or lymph node issue. The photos are definitely alarming, and indicate that he has a number of tumerous growths that could be making things a bit difficult for him with regard to eating, and maybe also eventually swallowing and breathing properly. Unfortunately at Chapi's advanced age, surgical options to remove the tumours may be more life threatening than the palliative care the vets seem to have been engaging in for him. I think that Chapi may be in his final months, and that you might have to prepare yourselves for the fact that he may need to leave you and become an angel soon. Love him and let him live out his remaining time as comfortably as possible... he will let you know when he wants you to help him go to heaven with dignity and respect. I'm sorry that I cannot be more positive, but I think you already know that the best you can do for Chapi is make him comfortable at this point. Please give him some cuddles from me... T.

I have proof of lying and distortion of facts, but as I wasn't the target of the case in question, and that person was so traumatised by it all, I can't put forward that evidence to any group willing to take on the juggernaut... *sigh* I have around 1000 pages of bullshit "evidence", backed up by 5 hours of their own bodycam footage that contradicts their evidentiary statements, expert witness statements that blatantly lie, etc... ... and that is only ONE case... T.

Most people who have had dealings with them have been badly traumatised by it... and know full well what could happen if they were targetted again in retaliation for badmouthing them in any public way.... T.

The article notes that we humans have caused the problem by clearing the natural habitat and making the area more suited to the Noisy Miners... it also provides some advice on planting shrubs and the like to provide better shelter etc for the smaller bird species. It all just seems that once we humans create an imbalance with the natural order of things, our first thoughts of "fixing the problem" are to kill things off... T.

I'm sorry to say that my advice would be to give Rebel his wings... he is in pain, and he's aggressive. He most likely will not change his behaviours, and he will eventually kill Sam, or injure him so badly you will have to have Sam put down. It sounds like no-one has had the guts to call it like it is with this boy... he is not a happy dog by any stretch of the imagination. He is in pain, and most likely has some anxiety issues as well. Just because he has a pulse and can be a "nice" dog sometimes does not mitigate the fact that he is a ticking time bomb... a very strong time bomb with teeth... His reactions to strangers (of the human kind) is also a real problem. If he decided to take umbrage with a child, you could be in all manner of trouble with the authorities. Please be a really good mate to Rebel and allow him to sleep the long sleep... I really think he deserves that respect, as it's not exactly his "fault" the way he is, but it is cruel to continue on trying to "fix" him. Sam also needs to feel safe in his own home, yes? T.

Has anyone xrayed your dog's lower spine area? Degeneration there can cause sciatica from pinching on the sciatic nerve, and a few other issues that may present with a limp. If you are in Sydney, see if you can get a referral to Dr David Lidbetter... he is one of the top orthopedic vet surgeons in the country, so is most likely your best option to get to the root of the problem, and hopefully get it sorted out. T.

Parliamentary petition against this legislation... https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=qBOar3qjYoueNu%2FqGMaIEQ%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR1O6-uwz4GQZ_trCox454E0Xm1bi7qwqYWeovPMymtsKRnNQ3KF4lKJJtE T.

Now they want to cull noisy miners... grrr! https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/annoying-bird-thats-outsmarted-us/news-story/413f5198b65edc74318b84e90d66e27b T.

Goldie Rescue is also worth contacting... https://www.grr.org.au/ T.

Is this the ad for the pups in question @Roseinwinter? https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/holmview/dogs-puppies/pure-red-toy-poodle-puppies-/1282266161 @Rebanne, only mention of papers is on the sire... Pre Covid, a friend of mine paid $5000 for a papered toy poodle... and other Gumtree ads are asking around that price or less right now in QLD. T.

We still don't know what the actual problem with this pup was, and as the original poster seems to have disappeared, I guess we never will, as there is a distinct possibility that something they did once the pup was in their care caused the issue. Here's hoping that the pup is now OK... Jumping to conclusions based on little to no real info - and no follow up - are ridiculous at best, wouldn't you say? Same goes for allocation of any fault... T.

Rottweiler... *grin*... from one of our lovely DOLers lines... T.

The fact that the pup could have contracted the illness whilst in the care of the new owner blurs that line unfortunately. Circumstances beyond the control of the breeder should not be their burden to bear. If you bought a new TV, then plugged it into a faulty power socket and it blew up, your chances of a refund would be reduced significantly, yes? There is still the issue of a 100% diagnosis of any such disease in the pup. As I noted earlier, if the pup had been vaccinated within 10 days of that diagnosis, there is a high chance of a false positive test result for the diseases covered by the vaccine, as that vaccine actually uses a modified (inert) form of those diseases to initiate antibody response. Not to mention that the original poster hasn't really given an accurate disease name - could be referring to Parvovirus or Coronavirus, both of which present with similar symptoms, but can have different end results for the pup. Then there's the possibility that the pup has vaccinosis, which is an adverse reaction to the vaccine where a pup can get a bit sick for a few days to a week, then be fine. Compound being given a vaccination with worming on the same day, and you can see pups getting a bit sick from the experience more likely. Alternately, the pup may also just be suffering from a growth spurt that has put it off it's food... or a change in diet that has caused a tummy upset reaction... or a combination of all the possibilities. All of which are well beyond the control of the breeder, so they can't necessarily be held to account for the problem. Anyways, until the original poster comes back with an update, we are all in the dark here as to what was/is actually going on. T.

The problem I have with anthropomorphising is that the lunatic fringe tend to take things to the extreme and lobby loudly to end our close relationships with animals. T.