Kitt

Thanks very much Jumabaar! That is very reassuring. ETA - just curious - are you in the vet industry?

Thanks Greytmate - that makes sense. And that is definitely something we could manage.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Greytmate, I asked the vet whether unsuccessful surgery (i.e., unable to completely close the hole and food particles travelling into the sinus) would result in constant infection and he said no - it would just be inconvenient. But I'll definitely ask the specialist on Friday about the consequences if surgery is not completely successful. Thanks for letting me know about your experience. Flick Mac - I'm seeing Aaron Forsayeth. Has anyone used him, or heard anything about him? Thanks Alyosha. Deanna is always surprising me with how healthy she seems. She has slowed down a bit and can only manage short walks, but she still plays and runs in the yard, and seems very happy. So hopefully that means she will recover well. Thanks Harley - I also think Deanna is quite cute :-) And sometimes I can't believe how much I love her

Hello, My greyhound Deanna is 13.5 years old. She came to me when she was 10 years old. A few days after I got her, I took her to the vet and she had 29 teeth removed. So, her teeth were in a very bad state before she came to me. Since living with me, she's had a couple more teeth removed. She has her canine teeth and a few other little teeth remaining. She eats bones occasionally and I occasionally brush her teeth. However, it's a losing battle. Recently, blood and pus started to leak from Deanna's nose. So, infection has spread into Deanna's sinus. The vet said Deanna needs to have her canine teeth removed and that it will be complex surgery. Apparently it is difficult to close the gap between the root of the canine teeth and the sinus (something like that). Surgery requires the vet to "shift everything" in the mouth in order to close the gap (my terminology probably isn't correct, sorry). This surgery is often not completely successful, which means that food particles can travel into the sinus. I asked the vet if this would be a major problem that would require PTS, and he said no. We're seeing a specialist dental surgeon on Friday. Has anyone else had a similar experience with their dog? That is - removal of all teeth after infection has spread to the sinus, and closure of the gap leading into the sinus? In case it makes a difference, Deanna appears healthy. She did not have a high temperature when the vet checked. She still plays and runs in the backyard and likes to go for short walks. She has no difficulty eating and does not hesitate to do so. She does not appear to be in pain if I stroke her muzzle, and she does not paw at her face. So, even though it is of course a serious problem, Deanna does not appear to be in any significant discomfort. Of course, I'll definitely go ahead with the surgery, but I was just wondering if anyone could let me know of their experiences with similar surgery. Thanks :-) Below is just a cute pic - nothing to do with her teeth :-)

And they look quite proud to be her new owners :-) This has been such a lovely thread in terms of seeing a dog go through difficult circumstances and, with the help of awesome people, experience a happy ending.

Hi, I'm in Brisbane and this week at the vet I paid approx. $130, but that was for a consultation and medication. I think a consultation is usually between $60 and $80. But I'm sorry I don't know of any vets in that area.

Thanks Whippetsmum :) I do tend to worry about these things

Good to know. Thanks Ams.

Good advice you gave that answered the OP's main question. Bit O/T but I have concerns about brochures & request for money donations sent to me by the Lost Dogs' Home as now-operators of the Brisbane pounds. Seems this went to all people whose dogs are registered with the Brisbane City Council. And that the awarding of the Brisbane pound contract to LDH is a fairly recent thing. First, the donations had to be sent to the LDH's Victorian address, which seems to blur boundaries between their operations. Second, the brochure complained about how expensive it was, now that the LDH has other pounds to run (well, why did they seek the Brisbane contract?). Third, nothing seemed to refer to any policies....like aims to expand ID'ing dogs, or aims to preserve lives of healthy. rehomeable dogs. I have no idea how much autonomy those who run the Brisbane operation will have. But this material featured a large photograph of the Victorian man who runs the LDH. In fact, I'm sending off this material to the Brisbane City Council to ask what it's all about. This is interesting, thanks Mita. That (the bolded bit) is what I was concerned about. And I was also concerned about the fact that many people probably don't know that LDH exists in Brisbane, and I'm hoping that RSPCA and BCC will direct owners of lost dogs to the LDH. Does anyone know if RSPCA do that? Or will they just say "Nope we don't have that dog"?

Yeah, that was the main impression that I got, but I wasn't certain. Thanks Sheridan. Thanks for the info, Ams. Yep as I mentioned, I gave the BCC and RSPCA very detailed descriptions of the dog, so hopefully that will be helpful if the owner phones either of them. Thanks all for your replies. :)

I think he's beautiful! Over the past few years I've become quite partial to the look of poodles. Something about their little faces And your boy is particularly cute.

Hi all, Please move this thread if it should be elsewhere. I'm feeling worried about a dog that I found yesterday, wandering along a very busy main road. It looked like a cattle dog cross; desexed male with collar but no tag. I have a permanent medical condition that prevents me from driving, so I couldn't take the dog to a vet to check for a microchip. Also, for various reasons, I was unable to get anyone else to drive me to a vet (I realise now I could've taken him to a vet in a cab, so I do feel bad about that). I took him home. Neither the RSPCA nor the council had any record of a missing dog matching his description. I was unable to keep the dog here over the weekend, so the council sent someone to get him. The lady that came to get him was in a van that said "Lost dogs' home". After the dog was taken, I looked up LDH on the net. My understanding is that they are where all lost dogs in Brisbane get taken. Some things I read online (including here on DOL) concerned me, so I'm worried about the outcome. (Admin please delete my previous sentence if it's a concern.) I suppose I'm wondering if LDH will check for a chip? I'm aware that I could phone them and ask, but I thought some DOLers might have some info or experience. I had never heard of the LDH in Brisbane - so maybe not everyone knows that they exist? If the owner phoned council or RSPCA searching for the lost dog, would the council or RSPCA advise the owner to check with LDH? Or would they just say "No we don't have him"? I guess that what I'm worried about is that the owner won't know where to look. So hopefully LDH check for microchips, and RSPCA and council advise owners to check with LDH for missing dogs? It would be great if anyone could let me know if that is or isn't what happens. Thanks, Kitt.

Fun thread! Toy: Toy poodle; Pomeranian Small: Italian Greyhound (even though I think they're classified as "toy") Medium: Ibizan Hound Large: Greyhound; Borzoi; Saluki; Smooth Collie Giant: Irish Wolfhound

I think they meant that their friends paid $700 for him from a petshop, back when he was a pup.

No! You haven't failed him! Failing him would mean leaving him in the backyard and ignoring him because he's too much trouble. Instead, you're actively seeking assistance from multiple sources in order to give him the best chance of having suitable interactions with your other dog. Keep us updated :)

Gorgeous photos! I especially love the one of him peering over your shoulder while you're sitting down.

Not everyone is being judgemental - some people (including me) are offering reassurance that an older dog that is rehomed can indeed be very happy.

I'm not saying anything about whether I believe it's good / bad to rehome a dog for the OP's reasons, but I'd like to add something about older dogs' adjustment when moving to a new family, just in case the OP is interested. I adopted a greyhound when she was 10 years old. She had been with her previous owner for the past six years. She was his favourite greyhound. She went everywhere with him. The owner told me that this dog had been his constant companion for the past 6 years. When the owner brought the dog (now named Deanna) to my house and then left, Deanna went to the door in an attempt to go with him. Within a week, Deanna was totally "mine". She has been with me for the past three years and is very happy, and very affectionate towards me. To put it in human / anthropomorphic terms, I am quite confident in saying that Deanna totally "loves" me. Of course, all dogs differ, and perhaps there are breed-related differences (e.g., maybe GSDs are more likely to "wonder" where there family is). But I just thought the OP might like to know a story of a successful rehome of an older dog.

Hi Dobesrock, how is it pronounced?

What a great post. Thanks for sharing it with us HonBun. I've read one of Patricia's books and thought it was awesome, but I hadn't read her blog. I'll check it out. I've been drying my greyhounds' feet recently because it's been raining so much here in Brisbane. I've noticed that the older hound (13 years) shifts her weight in preparation. She has a sore foot, so I'll make sure that I add a verbal cue to let her know what I'm about to do, so that she can prepare.

Lhok that's hilarious! My boyfriend calls the cat "catface" (in addition to sh!thead). :)

I agree. Sure, not everyone will be interested, but some people might. It's just for fun / general interest, I assume. I think that there are several threads that aren't dog-ownership related, and it doesn't usually seem to be a problem.

Thanks Rebelsquest. As I said, I'm not having a go at anyone who is offended by the term, but I just thought some of the breeders and / or show people might be interested in the perspective of someone who isn't involved in the dog world in terms of showing and breeding. Sure, I can see that some people would be offended if they have come to associate "pet quality" with a snobbish or derogatory attitude. Perhaps I'm lucky that my only exposure to the term has been on DOL forums and on the DOL "pups available" page. In no instance in those two places have I found any reason to feel that "pet quality" is an insult. But I have to assume that some people have had different experiences. Maybe some people who have had greater experience with the dog world have come across the term being used in a derogatory manner. With that in mind, sure, some breeders might decide to use a different term to describe pet-quality pups. I suppose that, as has been mentioned, it could be viewed as a "business" decision (using that term lightly, because I know some breeders prefer not to view their pups as "products" and their breeding program as a "business" - fair enough). As I was saying... some breeders might view it as a "business" decision to use a different term, in the knowledge that some potential buyers would be put off by the term. Equally, though, some breeders might not want to change the terminology to suit buyers. And, in my opinion, that's fine too (not that I'm assuming a position of being able to "approve" any breeder's decision; again, I'm simply providing the perspective of one non-show / non-breeder person). Wow... I do tend to ramble. In sum (I'll use dot points to try to reduce rambling): 1. Some people are offended by the term "pet quality", perhaps because they've been unlucky enough to have encountered it being used as an insult. 2. I am not bothered by the term. I see it as a statement that I'm "allowed" to contact a breeder. I actually find it quite welcoming. I think "Oh good, this breeder is happy to be contacted by people who don't want a show dog." 3. I can understand that, in light of the fact that some potential pup buyers find the term offensive, some breeders might choose to use a different term or to provide a brief explanation of the term. 4. I can understand that some breeders might not want to change their terminology. And it's ok Rebelsquest, I'm used to being ignored. That was a joke.

Hi all, just wanted to add the perspective of a "member of the public" - i.e., I've never been involved in showing or breeding dogs, and know nothing about it. When I see an ad saying that "we sometimes have pet-quality pups available", I think "Oh good, I'm allowed to contact them if I would like a pup." In other words, I don't think of "pet quality" as a derogatory term. I think of it as descriptive, rather than evaluative. My very basic understanding is that dogs that are perfect examples of a standard (in terms of appearance, temperament etc) will be used in breeding and showing. Other dogs will be pet quality. It doesn't mean that they're not good dogs. It means that the markings or colourings or the way the ears point etc is not what is specified in the standard. So, basically, I am not at all concerned about the use of the term "pet quality". I don't find it offensive. In advertisements, I see it as an indication that I (a non-breeder etc) am welcome to enquire about a pup. (Not having a go at anyone who is offended by the term - just adding my perspective.)

Hmm, yes, my partner also insisted on a no-couch policy... At the moment I'm sitting on the couch, working on my PhD, with my greyhound snoozing on the couch next to me. Boyfriend just brought me a cup of tea and said "There's a dog on the couch". Yep, and she's still there Edited to say: sorry for going off topic.