trifecta

I use Vytrate for a nervy dog that ties up, particularly on hot or humid days - I have been told it is kinder on the kidneys than Recharge.

Thank you for your valuable advice, cNr, you have helped me formulate some more questions to ask when we go in this evening. Yes, bloods have been taken & the lungs are to be x-rayed today.

Thank you for your responses, it is good to have input from people who are detached from the situation & I am very grateful. Today we went to see another vet for a second opinion. This should have been the first opinion as it is our vet of choice - he is very hard to get to see, always booked out! He has given us some hope, thinks the tumour is actually on the side of the jaw & is growing outwards, not inwards. He doesn't think the jaw bone is mushy & that the cancer is not as advanced as the other vet; the teeth are not affected. After more radiography he will make a decision, but thinks he may be able to chisel away the tumour & hopefully scrape any cancerous cells from the bone to get a good margin. He is a wonderful & very skilled vet, I have seen him work miracles, so we are very happy to be guided by his judgement. Of course there are risks, such as pathological fractures, but at least we are doing something & not just sitting on our hands. I also have a long reading list for the weekend..... will probably be an expert on holistic treatments by Monday :laugh: At least I can laugh now, things are definitely brighter in this household although we know we are offered only a slim chance.

Sad day at the vet today, our GSD x has a large bony mass on the lower jaw at the back of his mouth. We have had him for 8 years & estimate his age to be around 9.5-10 years. He weighs in at about 32-33kg. The diagnosis is osteosarcoma. We have been given the option of being referred to a specialist surgeon, but the vet also gave us cautionary advice concerning radical jaw surgery, post-operative care, recovery time & how a large breed dog of this age would cope. The lump has come up quickly & is growing rapidly. We do not know at this stage if it has metastasized. I am disinclined to put an animal I dearly love through losing most of his jaw - I have done some reading this morning....most jaw surgeries & reconstuctions seem to take place on toy & small dogs. We cannot believe Rogan has cancer, he is well, full of vitality & very fit for a dog of his age. Naturally we are both devstated, but I am finding it difficult to discuss the options (if any) with my partner who becomes very upset. I know others of you on this board have faced or are facing similar dilemmas (just can't bring myself to do searches at this point!), & if you could share your experiences & thoughts, I would be very grateful.

I saw a system at Costco a couple of weeks ago.... are you a member or know someone who can take you as a guest so that you could check it out? It seemed to be well priced.

I cannot comment if they work, but I have seen these advertised in the Dogs NSW magazine: http://antproofplate.com.au/ They have a 30 day money back guarantee.

Sorry I haven't had time for any photography, but I have had lots of ideas for gather... gathering sheep when a working dog makes its outrun, gathering mushrooms, gathering acorns, gathering wood in preparation for winter..... all sorts of autumnal images pop into my head for this word.... will try to make a contribution next month, but am flat chat making a quid at the moment :)

My local pound uses this trick, the favourite place to dump cats is at the golf course Usually the queens who return to their kittens & get trapped turn out to be the best candidates for rehoming.

Obviously you have to set all this up properly & safely..... but have you tried putting the kittens in the trap to lure Mum?

Curlybert, the property was sold some years ago now. Two ladies bought it & operate the boarding kennels but the pet cemetery service was discontinued.

About 20 years a go there was an old bloke out on the Federal Highway who did it on the premises. I'm pretty sure he would be long-gone now though, unless someone else took over. He also had a pet cemetery there. I know who you mean Curlybert, their name escapes me at the moment, but they bred dogs & also ran the boarding kennels, which are still there. I don't ever remember them cremating pets, thought it was just a pet cemetery - used to know a guy with a backhoe who had the contract to do the burials.

I dont know if Peter is there much now. I was there yesterday and had a very lovely lady vet. I have also seen Peter and Ernie and would recommend them. I know my kids prefer Peter - he always has a drawer of lollies and fredos for them :D As stated if you are expecting a fancy surgery - well it aint but you will get good care and no bullpoo. Its accross the road from Olims Hotel This is Gwen, she is lovely, great manner with animals & owners alike. Hopefully she is taking some of the load off Peter - he is very overworked..... which reminds me, the more advance notice you can give for your surgery the better, helps everyone to plan as this is a very busy practice. You may also like to ring John Montgomery at Sonza for a price? This practice is about 10 minutes from Queanbeyan on the Kings Hwy. John is also very reasonable & has been very accommodating for rescue over the years. He is an experienced dog vet being the official vet for the Canberra Greyhound Club. He sees a lot of greys, working dogs & pig dogs in his practice & some breeders make the trip out from town to see him. John actually started out at Peter Burgess' years ago before going out on his own, but he differs in that for initial consults he does schedule appointments. Another vet on the Canberra scene is Fiona Cox. Fiona is a mobile vet & does her surgeries at West Queanbeyan. Fiona's business is called 'Furry Tails' & she would be in the yellow pages for sure if you want to ring for a quote. I cannot personally say if she is cheaper, though she has been highly recommended to me from some of our clients whose dogs have a morbid fear of vets!!

Thanks for sharing, Snook!

I am on another list where thyroid problems have been topical lately. In one household, two out of four dogs & one human are hypothyroid. One of the respondents posted a link to a website which indicated a correlation between fluoride & endocrine function. Fluoride has actually been used to suppress productivity of the thyroid in HYPER-thyroid patients. Many of us live in cities & communities which supply fluordated water, this could be especially detrimental to health where iodine intake is low. http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/thyroid/

Yes Erny, you are right. The endocrine system has a bearing on every cell in the body & hypothyroidism is, as you say, much more common. I think this is well worth investigating, my gut feeling is that there is a medical reason behind the behaviour. If it is a thyroid problem, it may also be relatively inexpensive to treat, cheaper than remodelling the house at any rate!

I have not read all of the responses, I always seem to be time poor these days, but upon re-reading your opening post, alarm bells began to ring! You say the dog is underweight...... has anyone mentioned hyperthyroidism? I know it is rare in dogs, but the hyperactivity, or more accurately irritability, & the fact he is failing to thrive, could possibly be due to overproduction of thyroxine.

Following on from some recent threads, I thought this very topical & food for thought Please view to the end..... there is light at the end of the tunnel! Apologies if the link has been posted previously.....

Yes, same here. I never administer worm tablets on an empty stomach.

Heike Hahner??

Sorry for your loss Sheppup, Jaygo obviously held an extra special place in your heart being a last gift from your Mum. I am not very tech savvy, but maybe someone will see this & be able to help with the photo.

I agree Anne, Austin has a carefully engineered public persona - someone stuffed up here for sure. A picture speaks a thousand words - surely there was a better illustration of the good work that is being achieved?

If you have cats, I would advise against permoxin. Permoxin is toxic to cats.

This sounds like it could be a white tailed spider bite. They like to hang out in linen cupboards & in between bed sheets. One could easily have found its way into the dog's bedding. I don't mean to put the wind up you but a friend of mine had a particularly nasty reaction to a white tail - she ended up with a huge crater in her back which needed cosmetic surgery - so definitely keep up with the ABs! Yes, natural yoghurt is good, as is protexin. The former definitely a cheaper option to the latter if it works for you (or your dog!).

I found this information for BilgaPhill on here Phill Evans New England Regional Companion Animals Shelter [email protected]

Sorry to hijack the thread but does anyone have any experience with dogs overheating in a Thundershirt?