Red Fox

A Greyhound is a good suggestion I'm sure that they could be matched with one who has been tested around small animals (bunnies) too ETA, come to think of it, where are the greyhound people this morning

I HIGHLY doubt that BB is Diablo. Actually I'm 100% sure of it..

Not wanting to get involved in this debate at all BUT.. I would suggest that when it comes to kids and dogs that an adult is ALWAYS there and close at hand! Part of the responsibility of having dogs and kids IMO.

We use the Dog Pro 4 x 2's Our local pet meat place bags them up at $2 per bag for around 12-15 biscuits. It works out slightly dearer than buying a whole box but not that much and we just pick up a bag or two when we go in to get our meat every month. Kei gets one most nights after his dinner.

Ridgeback minimal to no grooming - just a bath every few weeks, ear cleaning and nail clipping as needed and a brush now and then to get out any lose hair. Large breed. Laziest dogs ever, happy to go for a walk if you want to, or sleep all day every day instead - well mine is anyway Good with older kids and other pets as long as they are brought up with them. Not the best obedience dogs (if you are wanting to trial etc). They are smart enough though and can be taught basic commands without too much trouble.

I hate hearing that line but have found the most effective answer to it is "Oh, after all the heartache we went through to get our dog and seeing all the things that can go wrong I would never breed. I couldn't afford it!" Which normally leads them them asking what and why and me sharing a few horror stories with them (which are not neccessarily my personal experiences - I tend to embelish a little to get the point across). If they're not willing to listen I walk away. Priceless! Hope they come with gravy

Agreed! The vet should do what is best for your particular dog. And those prices are VERY high for a male dog of that size!! But based on the original question- If you want to use this vet I would ask for the bronze package with the option to give fluids or take bloods if and when the vet felt they were necessary for your pup :D And I personally wouldn't desex him before he is at least 6 months old.

Yep, it's safe If you read the info inside the pack it says: What happens if I miss a dose or am late dosing? The regular interval between doses is one month i.e. approximately 30 days. If you miss your regular monthly treatment by 15 days or less, administer INTERCEPTOR SPECTRUM immediately and resume your monthly dosage scedule. If the interval is longer than 15 days and up to 30 days, heartworm prevention can still be maintained if you redose immediately and then maintain regular monthly dosing for the next 2 months. If a period of greater than 60 days had elapsed since the last dose, please contact your veterinarian. Every 6 weeks is 42 days so well within the limits. On the same day every month is more convenient for the average person and easier to remember, while also allowing those extra 15 days if you happen to forget. Since I have no trouble remembering I'd rather give my dog his every 6 weeks than overload him with more than he needs

Glad to hear that Charlie is doing so much better. That's great news! But I have to agree with MM: Ther is no waaaaayy Emmy is a dog... NO puppy is THAT cute Go the teacup mountain bear!

Keep her on the probiotics permanently if you can. I put Kei on probiotics when he had a tummy upset back in January and the difference in him has been remarkable - no more goopy eyes, nose is always nice and moist where it used to be dry and cracked a lot energy levels are up, skin and coat is in better condition... We use Inner Health Plus Dairy Free powder (I prefer the powder over the capsules as it's easier to sprinkle on top of his food each night).

^^^What Stormie said. I'd never give the ProHeart injection. Not just because of all the internet hype, that many breeders/owners recommend against it, or the fact that it has been pulled from the market overseas, but for the fact of once it's been injected that's it. No way of getting it out of the dog system if they have a reaction. Too much of a risk IMO. If she's done well with Sentinel stick with that. Or if you don't have an issue with fleas you could always switch to Interceptor which is a lot cheaper and still treats Heartworm and intestinal worms (the only difference is that it doesn't render fleas infertile like Sentinal does). Plus you can aways treat fleas if and when they arise

:D Just another reason why putting decisions in the hands of Vic council rangers is a BAD idea (Why Joe Helpers Proposed New Dog Laws For Victoria Are Dead Wrong, Victorians - we NEED to write ..... NOW!! http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=196172) She's an Amstaff. Good on you for taking her in Oh, and your Dobe x Shepherd looks remarkably like a pure bred Rottie Hmmmm... time the councils started employing rangers with at least some basic knowledge of dogs...!

There are heaps of thread on pet insurance if you do a search ;) But to answer your questions Other than covering accidents and illnesses, do they cover yearly check-ups and vaccinations? No, but you can get a routine care cover option that does (info here: http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/ht...care-cover.html) Personally I think you are better off putting away $10 per month though and not going through the whole claims process. You really dont save a lot - even if you claim everything. What do they mean by "Excess applicable"? The money that you will have to pay towards the claim. ie, if your claim is $500 and your excess is $200 then you would pay $200 towards the bill and insurance company would cover the remaining $300. Generally the higher your excess, the cheaper your monthly/yearly premium and vice versa Policy limits means that if the vet bill exceeds that, I will have to fork out the extras right? Yes. So choose a policy that has a higher limit if you can and make sure you read the PDS. Some companies offer cheaper insurance but when you look into it their yearly limit is less than half of that of the better (and normally more expensive) companies policies. You get what you pay for. We have to pay the vet upfront and then make a claim right? Yes. You pay, them you submit a claim. Some companies are better than others. PIA usually will process a claim in under a week Some companies may take up to 2 months though so be careful. Anyone has any recommendations on which pet insurance company is better? We are with PIA and are happy with them. I have so far submitted 2 claims without issue. There are a few companies that I would steer well clear of, one in particular that doesn't have a PDS/policy booklet on their site and were near impossible to get info out of (I'd hate to have to actually make a claim though them!) My advice would be to read product disclosure statements/policy booklets of each company very carefully and then choose bases on what will best suit you and what you can afford. If you feel that you want to cover everything go for a good accident and illness cover with high limits and a low excess. If you just want to be covered for the big things then a high (say $500) excess cover can be a good cheap option. Have a look here ;) http://www.petinsuranceaustralia.com.au/ I think they explain things pretty well.

I'm not sure that I agree 100% with the desexing debate. It depends very much on the breed size too - I would not buy a large or giant breed puppy that came desexed at 8 weeks. I think that if I wanted to go with a particular breeder and that was their policy then I would discuss this with them first. My boy is on a desexing contract, he should have been desexed by 15 months, but he is now 18 months old and not desexed. But because I have discussed my reasons for this with his breeder and been honest it has never been a problem (and no I do not plan on breeding him, neither does his breeder and he is on limited register). But the dogs are on that contract for a reason and I would probably question the ethics of a breeder who did not impose some restrictions. I think that if you are able to build up a good rapoire with the breeder then the restrictions may be more open

Poor Tyson What an horrific thing to come home to. I was going to say give the neighbours the benefit of the doubt, they probably didn't expect that their dogs would tear through the fence. But after reading your last post about them refusing to appologise, pay vet bills and hiding the dogs it seems that is not the case. Hope Tyson pulls through. He sounds like a fighter.

Steve, if you come back to this thread do you mind giving a recap on alpha, beta and omega dogs? There are holes in my notes on this, I was trying to listen and scribble it all down at the same time :D I can't get my head around facebook to join the discussion there...

That one alone would make me run for the hills! Were you looking to buy a pet or a showdog in joint names with the breeder? If it's the latter I can understand some of the conditions.. but as a pet things like which groomer or vet you want to use or what you want to feed should be your choice. If it were me I'd want to find a breeder who I clicked with and had similar ideals to me. If you are pro raw feeding you will probably get along better with a breeder that feels the same, if you are not then look for a breeder who feeds a good quality commercial food. If you want to vaccinate then dont look at a breeder who wants to go all natural and wont comprimise on it. Good luck, I'm sure you will find a great breeder soon Oh and OT, but still in love with your little poodle x girl I got to meet last weekend. She is gorgeous! :D

Not sure if this has been posted already, I dont often venture into the news forum... http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/105149...ice-in-two-days A beloved family pet has had its throat cut and a rubber band stretched onto its wound in a series of cruel attacks in rural Queensland. Jack, a 14-month-old silky terrier, suffered a slit to the neck in the first incident at his Oakey home, west of Toowoomba, on Sunday. "My daughter Courtney ran straight outside to see the dog and picked him up and put him on her lap," owner Antoinette Eather said. "But then she just screamed — she was in shock. "There was a clean cut from ear to ear right across his neck — it could only have been done with a very sharp knife." But after taking the dog to the vet for treatment, Ms Eather was even more stunned the following day to find Jack had been abused again. This time, the perpetrator had placed a large rubber band around the dog's wounded neck. "I put my son down for a sleep and went outside to find an elastic band had been wrapped twice around his neck," she said. "Obviously someone has thought 'Well I haven't done the job properly, I'll go back again and finish [the dog off]'." The incidents have been linked to another act of animal cruelty that occurred just streets away. A Staffordshire terrier-cross suffered muscle damage to its leg after being strung up on a fence at the nearby St Monica's Catholic School. Police removed the tangled dog from the 1.5m fence about 6.30pm Sunday night after a concerned call from the public. "It's a beautiful neighbourhood, I know all the neighbours and Jack is not a barking dog," Ms Eather said. "I can't understand what the person's motivation would be." Police investigations are continuing. I just want to ask how..?? I't sounds like they were home at the time of the attacks... what was the dog doing back in the yard after someone had slit its throat only the day before

Hi boxerfamily, I have sent you a PM with a recommendation ;) I think what people need to realise is that if Sarah does have a true phobia/anxiety based issue then this fear is very real to her. It's not logical and wont change by getting a different/smaller/calmer/older dog, nor will it change by having a perfectly controlled dog -fear just doesn't work that way. Perhaps getting a boxer pupy was a mistake but it was done with the best intentions and has now given the family an opening to work through Sarahs issue. Best of luck boxerfamily

Hmmm... my dog is not very vocal at all and rarely growls, he also doesn't get a lot of play with other dogs. But on the weekend I got to watch his reaction around 15 or 20 other dogs at the workshop we attended. It was very interesting When another dog would play growl, bark or make excited noises he would pick up on it and become bouncy and excited. But when he was growled at and told to 'back off' lol, he understood completely. I dont think you have a problem with Emmy CW, I think the other lady just doesn't understand dogs

So I guess you like GSD's then?

That I would want to own? Ridgeback Dutch Shepherd Malinois Tervueren Dobermann Kelpie German shorthaired Pointer German Shepherd Dog Mini poodle Hmmm... not sure about number 10 though. Better keep my options open lol.

;) ;) My dog saw a possum move for the first time - and hid behind me :D

I'm still trying to work this bloody Facebook thing out lol ;)

And when you do you can laminate me a copy and send it here - so that I can stick it on my forehead I guess I learnt that too