Alyosha

Calling OP!! A lovely. lovely scruffy lurcher in Wagga pound ATM: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/226975-glenfield-road-animal-shelter-wagga-wagga/page__pid__5504155#entry5504155

Could an xray be used to absolutely confirm just one pup? Sometimes ultrasounds are accurate and sometimes not. Could she have another one or two lurking in there? Personally, I would xray late term to determine exact numbers and get a good idea of size and then make a decision whther to book a c-sect. For s single, apparently large pup I would most likely look at a planned caesar. If it seemed normal sized it would be more of a dilemma as I would always prefer a natural delivery if possible.

I'd be pretty certain that those ingredients and nutrients are the reason why the food is recommended for weight loss and minimal gastric effort. Hoping your boy feels better soon.

I've fostered for Janet and Peter of Greyhound Rescue as well and am happy to recommend them. They know their hounds inside out and back to front and are very good at matching them to homes (and foster homes!!).

Thanks Heidley. I love the pic of your fluffball sitting near the door. Such a cutie! And gorgeous bone in his legs!! They grow so fast from such tiny blobs at birth.

My two at nine weeks: Bitch - "Andie" Dog - "Zander"

WOOHOO!!! :champagne: Well done to you both!!

An almost bomb-proof pillow/bedding solution for destructors is home made pillows made of shadecloth. You can stuff with normal stuffing, or a folded cheap doona if you like. Then stitch together with heavy fishing line. They are pretty tough, and still cheap enough to throw out if they do get shredded.

A timely reminder for owners to keep their dogs under control. I know accidental escapes happen but a string of separate attacks like this may not all be the result of accidents. Poor farmers and poor bloody sheep. Link to story (WARNING - article contains image of sheep that may distress some readers) http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/livestock/sheep/dogs-kill-120-sheep/2293150.aspx DOGS have killed more than 120 sheep valued at about $20,000 in south-west Victoria, prompting police warnings to district dog owners. Dog owners in the Broadwater, Bessiebelle and Orford district have been warned to lock up their hounds after three attacks led to the sheep and lambs being killed and several others injured on three nearby properties. Macarthur police Leading Senior Constable David Rook said even though two dogs were shot and killed while mauling sheep at a Mount Misery Road property this week, there was nothing to suggest the three attacks were linked. "We're warning all dog owners to make sure their dogs are under control,” he said. “We believe there are other dogs roaming in the district," he said. "If don't owners are not responsible they face being charged, forced to pay damages and having their dogs shot if they are caught in the act of attacking or near a paddock containing livestock," he said. Sheep killed in the attack included stud Merino ewes and their lambs, Romney and crossbred ewes with lambs. The flock owners are negotiating compensation for their losses. Broadwater farmer Terry Rowbottom, 61, said he had been farming in the area all his life and having to shoot two dogs attacking his sheep earlier this week had been distressing. "On Monday evening just after 5pm I went to a paddock and when I got there the whole mob was very distressed, clearly distressed," he said. "I went 150 metres into the paddock and came across one mauled sheep. All up we lost 25 lambs and seven ewes. There are some others that will have to be put down and we'll have to wait about a fortnight before we know what the total losses are going to be." Mr Rowbottom said he shot both the large dogs, which each weighed more than 40 kilograms, while they were attacking his sheep. "I've reported the matter to police and we'll make an insurance claim. At the time of the attack, the dogs' owner had notified the ranger and was out looking for his dogs," he said. "He was doing everything he could to find his dogs. I didn't like shooting the dogs but if they had got away they would probably have gone home and attacked someone else's sheep at another time. "It's been pretty stressful for everyone involved. There's been more than 100 sheep lost in the three attacks," he said. One of the three flock owners affected said it was the fourth time in recent years his sheep had been attacked by dogs. “This effort has been the worst,” he said.

Pounds in country NSW have them regularly. There is not a dedicated rescue, but many end up in various rescues from there. So you can either check on Petrescue (and like Poodlefan said - the too-often-used term for a shaggy sighthound cross is "Staghound" which I hate, so nice to see you use lurcher :D ), or keep an eye on local classifieds etc. The term "Lurcher" tradionally means a sighthound crossed with a working breed, either herding, terrier or in Australia often a bull/hunting breed. Whereas the term "Longdog" means a sighthound crossed with another sighthound. In the dol urgent rescue section, keep an eye on the following threads: Glenfield Shelter (in particular) at Wagga, and also Griffith, Temora and West Wyalong pounds.

You should avoid feeling guilty. Kato would've always loved it best when you were happy? So he would love you to be happy now. It's not betraying his memory to think of having another dog. We don't replace our pets when they leave us, we just find new friends to love. We still hold the others dear in our hearts.

Just gorgeous Allerzeit!! The top photo reminds me of your avatar photo of Enya - such a similar expression it's almost uncanny!!

Great news about your successful baby steps Carlo. And... Photos??? :D

Is there a way to contact the microchip database that they're registered with and put a flag on their records? That way if they were presented at a vet anywhere in the country (and scanned) it would come to staff attention.

Sounds good Jetpoint. We had one leave last week and two yesterday. Yes I've shed a few tears, but I couldn't wish for better for them, they have really landed on their feet. We have a couple going overseas so I have a few more weeks yet to spoil them!! I've had lots of enquiries and a few tyre kickers but still have a few unspoken for which is a shame. At nine weeks old it would be nice for them to be in new families. But they don't seem to mind, and I enjoy still having nine here to spoil. And I'm not about to send any off to less than perfect home anyway. :D

I do know that some experienced owners/breeders do this occasionally - a great way of making a couple of extra dollars, as well as new friends and contacts in the dog world. Usually one half of a couple obviously as most have their own dogs too! edit for clarity.

Similar to the theory behind the origins of the arabian horse, which has been deliberately closely inbred for thousands of years, and is the most prepotent horse breed that it has been used to improve the health and quality of nearly every other horse and pony breed in the world. In fact the entire thoroughbred breed is descended from only four arabian stallions. Vigour is vital yes, but inbreeding in essence is not necessarily detrimental. Inbreeding weakness and faults is. Thanks for posting asal, a very interesting read.

If he's dehydrated much of the weight loss may be fluid so the subcut fluid may help in that regard. I'm not a big fan of force feeding unwell animals if they are strongly disinclined to eat. Fingers crossed he picks up soon. Hopefully you've caught it nice and early.

Briard's ears look like that when they've been cropped.

Yep. Large breeds often do better on the lower protein in adult food too. High protein encourages fast growth, and in big dogs they should grow slowly, and let their bones form naturally without being pushed along too fast or carry excessive weight in heavy muscle and or fat.

Ours are done at 7/8 then 11/12 weeks, then again at 12 months.

I meant southern country NSW sort of areas, not Murrumbateman. ;) So Delegate isn't too far off the mark. Lovely baby. Fluffy farm mixes like this usually grow into fantastic smart cookies. Great fun. Is it Cazstaff that had the litter of "speckled bug" pups? Gorgeous koolie type pups, but there were solids as well as merles amongst them. In Genreal Rescue, will go have a look...

Geez you've had a really, really bad run. Fingers crossed that you get a break now and time flies for you until you can be home.

I'm so sorry this happened and you're stuck away from home while trying to deal with it. Did the vet do any tox work on her? She couldn't have been baited could she? I hear what you're saying about climate, but we live in a very similar climate (still less than zero most nights with lots of ice) and snakes here have been up and about for a few weeks already. Earlier this year than I've seen in a long time. How you've described her symptoms is screaming Tiger snake bite to me. The excessive bleeding, the unusual crawling under the house behaviour sounds like photosenstivity... The damage to the gut can be caused by the blood disorder coupled with cramping and muscle spasm. We lost a cat to a snake mid-winter, in a climate like yours (-8 to less than 8 degrees during winter). They don't hibernate and can still move around. However they are irritable and as they aren't hunting, full of venom. I hope you can get some answers eventually, or at leaast some comfort when you can get home.

They do, but Koolie is very common in crosses from this area, so just throwing it out there.