megan_

You need to think about what you want it for, and then find the right plan. If you want your every day visits covered, something like the RSPCA insurance is good - 80% back for any visit (I think!). The downside is that if you get a really big bill, you will have to fork out a lot of money too. If you want the big things covered 100% (besides a small excess of $100) something like PetPlan is great. IF you want the big things covered, but are willing to pay an excess of $500, the Bow Wow Meow is significantly cheaper than any other insurance I could find ($135/year). I'm with PetPlan at the moment, but I'm considering changing to Bow Wow Meow because, in the event of an emergency I can find $500, but I'll save a fortune in premiums. And take it out as soon as you can - even before you find the ideal insurance company!

Th instructions seem to imply meat only - not meat and bones. Can someone please confirm?

Is this part of an "official" warning for the product? My vet gave the C5 and heartworm on the same day - I aksed her if this was standard and she said yes!

Ever? Even if a dog is an only dog and the owner works 10 hours per day? There is no value at all in playing with another dog? What about enjoyment? I don't ket my dog play with every dog we come across, but I'd hate to think of the life he would live if I never, ever once allowed him to play with another dog. I work 12 hours a day and my dogs easily get enough stimulation. I'd have no problems if they were never allowed to spend time with another dog. In fact, they only spend time with dogs within my family. Outside dogs = no. But you have more than one dog. What if you only had one?

very odd indeed. Especially since a lot of breeders encourage (and insist) that you take the pup for a health check as soon as you get it.

Ever? Even if a dog is an only dog and the owner works 10 hours per day? There is no value at all in playing with another dog? What about enjoyment? I don't ket my dog play with every dog we come across, but I'd hate to think of the life he would live if I never, ever once allowed him to play with another dog.

Like this No he is not allowed on the bed. There are 2 places in the house he is not allowed. One on the bed and the other on the lounge. I was hoping to avoid the blanket on the lounge if possible. Would like him to realise it is out of bounds. is this a bit too much to expect? I just think there are some places you have to keep to yourself. This is the place for us to snuggle and have alone time. Does that sound corny? Think will have to invest in something on the floor. Though he seems to love just lying on the tiles with nothing underneath! It isn't too much to expect - makes it easier when you're visiting someone too! Give hima snug spot to cuddle up to - not ina thoroughfare.

my boy grazes on every walk. I had the same concern as you, but he is in tip-top shape.

Hi Persephone, I have nothing useful to add I just wanted to say that you have give me good advice on two occasions when I was worrying about my pups and it saved me a lot of angst. I hope he is okay.

No vomit last night or this morning. She is bouncing around like her usual self. Even climbed up on the coffee table looking for crumbs. The dog walker is going to look in on her again today. bobchic - yes, she has gone to the vet for a check up and to get vaccinated (1 week ago, so I doubt this is a reaction to that). Hopefully she just picked up a bug (don't know how, she hasn't left my property) and it has passed. Thanks again for your help!

No runs at the moment - I have two dogs so it is hard to tell what belongs to whom. The vet said that if it is an obstruction she will continue to vomit and it will be very foamy and she won't do # 2's. So far, so good. I haven't considered bloat mainly because she is a small breed and has been chirpy. She is sleeping at the moment but that is normal. She checks up on me when I move around the house. Truth be told, if this was my boy he'd be off to the vets - because he loves them. She is absolutely terrified (she visibly shakes) and she is still being rehabilitated (ex puppy farm breeding stock). I don't want to traumatize the little mite only to have the vet say "keep and eye on her".

Hi All, Thanks for the advice. When I got home she was perky - so happy to see me home, tail wagging etc. The dog walker said he found no vomit When he checked in on her in the morning. So I fed them.... and then discovered that she had vomited some of her breakfast too (in a hard to find place, kibble). I have rung the emergency vets and they've said just to monitor her as she wasn't listless. Now, at night it is hard to tell if a dog is listless! She normally eats, has a little play and then settles down for the night. She is still getting up to see what Fergus and I are up to, so she must have some energy. Anyone think I should be taking her to emergency (I don't mind, it is more convenient than the normal vets as I'd have to take the morning off to see them)? What are the signs of obstruction etc? And, while I try to never feed them crap, I did give them a pal dentabone thing on Sunday - could that have caused the drama? Thanks, Megan

Nope - Melbourne Metro. If I lived in a tick area they'd be at the vet every day

Nope - it looked like milky coffee/tea, with a bit of froth

I have asked Fergus' dog walker to have a look in on her. Problem is she is a puppy farm rescue and is weary of other people beside me, so she will just run away. They will check for vomit though.

Raw in the evening (chicken wing), kibble in the morning. The reason I fed her is because my vet has said in the past that giving them something small to eat is a good test to see if something is stuck in their throat. I left home at 7.30am.

This morning at about 4am I awaoke to a horrible noise (almost like a seal barking). IT was Lucy (2 yr old schnauzer that I've had for 6 weeks). She vomitted something up (coffee colour, no large pieces) and then went back to sleep. She ate her food this morning and wagged her tail etc. She may have been a bit more tired than usual (but not listless, just not into everything like a terriorist normally is!). Given she had eaten her food and gotten out of bed, I went to work. And now I'm worried about her because I can't keep an eye out for her and won't be back until 6.30pm. Should I have taken her to the vet (I did with my first, but I was over anxious with every little thing)?

great post....what she said!

I have no problem with a balanced view been given - as long as the science is solid and the message is not alarmist. I'm also trying to look at this wrt the bigger picture. This isn't about my dog and your dog - it is about an issue we have in our society whereby we have a glut of dogs, and people (real world, not DOLers) talk happily about the "oopsie" litters and the $$$ they got for them. One way to stop this - the easiest way to stop this - is for desexing to become socially acceptable unless someone has a good reason not to (health, great example of breed to be bred ethically etc).

Obesity in dogs is one of my pet hates too. But I still stand behind my reasoning - because you have one bitch that is podgy and desexed and others that are entire and a good weight does not a scientific argument make - it is just an anecdote. My desexed bitch is on the skinny side, for example. There is something else amiss with the statistics the article presents. The article says "6 times more likely to get xxx" etc. Even if we accept causation, these numbers are pretty meaningless because they don't tell us the base rates of disease xxx. For example, if a disease as a 0.00001% chance of occurring, then a 6 times increase is only 0.00006%. Sloppy science at best, alarmist at worst. A lot of people would look at the list of cons and hit the panic button and not desex, they wouldn't analyse the statistics and look for causal links. What do you suppose should happen to the litters that get produced? There are plenty of good dog owners who desex their pets. There are plenty of good owners who don't and proactively manage the bitch/dog during this period with runs with covers, concrete flooring etc. Both my dog and bitch are desexed. I don't consider myself to be a bad owner who just did it out of "convenience". Rather, I looked at my home situation (I don't have dog runs, I don't want to put my girl in a kennel for extended periods), my level of expertise and made the best decision based on my circumstances. I believe that the decision that I made is the right one for the majority of pet owners, because their situation is very similar to mine.

I think this article is fine for DOLers - but for the general public it is a different kettle of fish. Mr and Mrs Average don't understand/don't want to do all the things required to keep an entire dog from producing a "whoopsie" litter. Most people think that avoiding the off leash park is all that is required. As such, I'm a fan of keeping the general message simple. For the vast majority of people, desexing your dog is low risk and avoids unwanted mutts cluttering up pounds. And while I'm on it - the science is a bit dodgy in the research. Statistics 101 will tell you that correlation doesn't equal causation. Just because desexed dogs are more obese, you can't conclude that desexing caused the obesity. There may be other common factors that contributed to it that had nothing to do with desexing. For example, the survery could have looked at entire dogs who where show dogs. They are far more likely to be fit than the average family desexed dog. This has nothing to do with the state of their "bits", but rather a showie is more likely to get the top notch care and food compared to the family dog.

thanks - yes I had read the link. However, Fergus appears to be healthy in all other respects (and certainly isn't turning his nose up at food .

I was brushing my mini schnauzer x poodle this afternoon when I noticed that some of his nails were split. I don't know if it is related, but his paw pads were very rough too. He is fed a combination of Eagle Pack Holistic Salmon and Raw (mainly chicken wings, some lamb flaps and necks, Omega Blend, yoghurt etc). Is this something that warrant a vert visit? Will the splitting nails hurt him? Thanks, Megan edit: spelling that would put GSD Mummy to shame

Even after the vaccination, you can still get parvo. I'd be very careful about even having them in your house!

oh Ok... I didn't know- it has been a LONG time since I used a boarding kennel Well done...apologies if you thought I was 'having a go' No, didn't think you were having a go, just thought that I should clarify. I guess it surprised me a bit as well, but sounds like they are set up for these things, where I imagine not all kennels would be. Sorry if I come across as a bit testy - worried about two dogs at the moment and trying to work out if I should take him back to the vet (they already think I'm a loony... as does my husband). Worst of it is that I managed to miss one of the dogs pooing, so I don't know who left the solid mass in the backyard... even though I have been alternating them, I don't know if it was Murphy, or if I missed checking before I brought Stormy in. I had to leave Murphy outside for a short time while I tried to feed Stormy... he drools something fierce if he doesn't get fed! What do I say to the vet receptionist if I call and ask for him to be seen by a different vet? Do I just say I want a second opinion, or what??? Can you go to another practice? I have found with doctors (and I assume it would be the same as vets) they tend to back each other up (or at least take the easiest diagnosis which is the one that they already have). I had a major issue that went nowhere, I then tried another doctor and didn't tell them anything that my previous doctor had said, and he came up witha different set of options.