mita

Spoken like a true researcher, corvus. And a neat definition of 'trial' which allows measurement in the testing sense.

Me, too. You know that phrase, 'to put a dog out of its misery'? Well, I don't want it to get to that 'misery' stage. I want them to be saved from sheer misery of existence. So it's a matter of picking the time, even tho' it breaks my heart. A vet who agreed with me, commented about his experiences with his own dogs & cats and their last times. He said he'd regretted sometimes, for the pet's sake, that he hadn't made the PTS decision a tad sooner. But he'd never regretted making it too soon.

I know diet is not the single factor in a skin condition as severe as this, but it can help. I've just been thro' months of worry over my Annie's bad reactions to certain foods like kibble. In the end, the vets & I worked out a natural diet that's sorted what they think is a food intolerance or allergy. The vet remarked that it resembles what he advises for skin conditions. Especially using a lot of sweet potato.

Erny, if Mandela's gone 2 weeks without a reaction, it sounds fine. Annie would've a bad response the night or day after a new kibble. Yep, ZD was one of those. Wallabokkie, from August to early November I was frantic trying to sort Annie. Then the natural diet was sorted & gradually things changed. Another thing the vets kept checking over that time, was her weight. Amazingly, her weight stayed pretty much around normal. It seems that in the really bad bowel conditions, the nutrients don't get thro' & there's alarming loss of weight. IR, I'm sorry for your loss & that you, too, have to battle the condition. Early on the vet mentioned that Sala-whatever medication as a possibility, but Annie never got to that stage.

Exactly this. I now make it a habit of feeding the dogs in separate places & remove their dishes when finished. Dogs will even battle over them! I learned this when I got my first tibbie....angelic little blonde. On the first day I was giving some treats to the 2 shelties & her. One sheltie made a dive for her treat. The tib turned into a little dragon & launched herself at the sheltie, hanging onto her lip. Great screams & the other sheltie joined in to help fight the 'dragon'. I had to pluck the still spitting tibbie out of the fight. All 3, I might add, normally had the sweetest, gentlest temperaments. But food resources trigger the devil within.

I don't know if this still applies. A good tibbie breeder told me how she imported a dog from northern Europe. While it was in quarantine here, she signed herself as the groomer. And this put her in a position where she could visit him while he was in quarantine (adhering to whatever the guidelines are). My own tibbie originally came from Sweden, so she would have been in quarantine. I got her from an Australian breeders after she'd been here a few years. She has the most glorious temperament.

Me, too. Used to use Frontline spot for ages. Then it seemed not to work, for fleas. Changed to Advantix spot, & all's been well.

You're right. Wow! Is this similar. Except Annie got set off by Advance Turkey & Rice kibble, once the problem started. Any kibble. Yep, like you, we were up to the biopsy, too. But, with Annie responding so well to the natural diet, that's been put aside. Amazing thing is that your girl's problem got set off by eating a particular food, that made her vomit....marrow bone. And so did my girl....a strange textured dog treat. These are the things that's helped Annie do as well as she is now (& for weeks!!!!!!). I kept notes of what Annie ate & how her 'bowels' behaved & if she was depressed (she got 'down' after eating & seemed in discomfort, when the problem was bad). Just scribbled quick notes with the date. This allowed the vets & me to see the patterns over time. Like how it was after putting another kibble into the diet that's set her off. And how quickly the metragyl would work. The vets actually listened to me & worked along with me as Annie went thro' the tests & I tried different foods. Even tho' the blood tests, lab tests & scan showed nothing, I understood that 'nothing' actually meant 'something'! Like no sign of tumour. One of the vets actually took Annie to get the scan & watched while it was done, talking with the specialist. No waiting for a written report! Annie couldn't have had better care, than this. The breeder who raised Annie & the international tibbie breeders were fantastic in supporting & giving their experiences & recommendations. All spot on. Also dogmad's experiences & recommendations proved spot on, too. Sweet potato is a super food. By the way, re the scooting. Early in Annie's problem, the vets checked her anal glands & they were mighty full. I asked if this could be related to a bowel condition & they said no.

Westie, you have psychic powers. That's exactly what a couple of the really experienced US tibbie breeders told me. They think there are some tibs that don't do well on kibble, even the specialist kind. (When the vets tried Annie on Science Digestion & also Science Allergy & Royal Canin Allergy, the all triggered off a run of very sloppy poos). A Canadian tibbie breeder gave me an example of a tib that suddenly got a run of bowel upsets like this. Returned to her breeder, who used a totally natural diet, the tib then did fine. That's exactly what's happened with Annie. And it fits in with a tip dogmad gave me....sweet potato is good! After trial & error, this is Annie's diet now. And the explosive stomach poos have stopped. Lovely topic for a Sunday 'arvo, but most days I can't tell Annie's poos from Nina Zena's (who's got no tummy troubles at all): Basmati rice Chicken breast fillet, cut a bit small, & v. lightly cooked. Sweet potato!!!!!!! Cooked. When I'm short for time, I keep some jars of baby food....Heinz Golden Garden Vegetables (consists only of sweet potato & pumpkin). Plain Farex baby cereal, mixed with a little water. 98% rice. Contains iron, Vit C & antioxidants. Tuna in springwater & the juice Egg, scrambled, made with water in the microwave Dollop plain yoghurt Good sprinkling of physillium fibre Not all at once, of course, but these are the food choices across days. Soon I want to add back in some chicken necks for teeth exercise. Also a US tibbie breeder remarked that she didn't think there might be enough fat in the diet as it is now. I have to look into that, with the vet. May be just a case of leaving some fat on the chicken fillet. Annie's doing brilliantly on this. For weeks, no meds needed. The vet said the pattern was that she reacted to processed foods & that's what kibble is. Wallabokke, Annie used to have Advance Turkey & Rice. And until last August, she had no bowel upsets at all. Her breeder was able to check the depth & breadth of her lineage, and there was no sign of any rellies with bowel conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (apparently there's some heredity involved). Annie's problem started after I gave her a 'homemade' dog treat I bought at a pet food shop. It had a strange texture...like a small slab of sandpaper. First time ever, she threw up after eating it. Nina Zena had one, too, but had no problem. I threw the rest out. From then on, even Annie's regular Advance kibble brought back to her diet, set her off. Likewise, the 3 specialist kibbles tried by the vet. Blood tests, lab tests, scan, showed nothing. After all this, the vets are scaling down the diagnosis to MAYBE just a Food Intolerance, that seems to have settled around processed food such as kibble. And maybe kicked off by that weird dog treat. The other thing I've done, is to make sure Annie never has to 'hold' when she needs to go to the toot. Tibs are really clean little dogs. I make sure that day and night, she can get out easily & quickly if she needs to go to the toot.

Older lady in Brissie has a tib called Charlie. Whenever there's a fly or bug in the kitchen, she calls out 'Bug, Charlie!'. He flashes in, catches the fly/bug in one chomp, then drops the stunned victim at her feet. She's ready with a bit of kitchen paper to pick up bug/fly & drop it in the bin. She's like you CW. She says she gets a great kick out of the teamwork. Gawd, I love your dogs. I've told you that before. And that was just from looking at the little pics on your profile. In full size....gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!! That little red & white dog, with the wide smile & the little bend in legs, looks a little bit like...

Tufts University is one of the top vet med schools. They summarise (2010) about when to use fish oil supplements in the diet of dogs & cats. And what kind & how much. BUT, if the dog has any disorder associated with bleeding or if it already has a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids...then they say, be very cautious & check with vet, before giving fish oil supplements. http://www.tufts.edu/vet/heartsmart/diet/i..._nutrients.html US National Library of Medicine summarises safety issues for humans taking fish oil supplements. One comment is that too high levels can interfere with clotting and cause bleeding. That links with the caution issued (above) by Tufts vet school. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginf...993.html#Safety

Delee, it'd just be my luck for you to convince the OH & get a tibbie....& it turns out to be the only one in the world, totally not typical. And you chase me round the kitchen with a hatchet while your OH cheers. ;) Seriously, I'm not a small dog person & neither are many blokes. But these dogs are different. Wish you could hear the big ex-Navy man next door who loves his tibbie girl, calling her...'Come on Monkey Bum, darlin'!' :)

You cousin has good taste, CW. But so have you, I'm a secret admirer of the 2 pics of your dogs on your profile page. Just a thought about tibbies & training. They're a breed you have to make a good case, for what you want them to do. We used to own the working dog breeds that would obey because they wanted to please you. Tibbies are independent minded & if what you want is what they want (like cuddles, pats, treats etc), they'll beat you to the count. But they're not a breed that does well in obedience for the sake of obedience ('And the point of this is...?, tibbies ask). They also thrive on a routine that they like, which is why they make such good in-house companions. And easy to own. I agree with you about looking to rescue for a bigger breed, especially one where the dog has been fostered with an experienced carer. That helps hugely in figuring out a lifestyle & homelife match.

You must be so proud of her. She's stunningly beautiful & her intelligence just shines out of her face.

For companion dogs, with access to house living alongside the owner...Tibetan Spaniel. A good tibbie from a good registered breeder is so easy to live with (typical buddhist!), that it's hard to stop at one. Very experienced groomer told me recently, she's observed over the years, that owners nearly always come in with 2 tibbies. Sure, many breed fanciers do the same. But she said it's very much so with tibs. For companion dogs, living alongside their family and being reasonably active....Cardigan Corgi. Great, sensible all-round good dogs. At the bigger end of small dogs, so they've got some 'size'. For a larger size dog with good all-round behaviours... Greyhound. A retired racer from a decent breeder/trainer (we live next door to one of these) or from one of the good Greyhound Adoption Programs.

Good on you for wanting to give a response. I heard the same program. It was fantastic until it got to the point where it switched to 'all purebred dogs' being in trouble for physical malformations & conditions. The same over-generalisation.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this, RSG. I've set my case on facts. The pilot licensing program in the Gold Coast area is moderate but has some teeth & was a cooperative production. All stakeholders are fine with it, in practice. RSPCA Qld's anti-puppy farming marterial picks up the same rationale & methods. Not surprising, the RSPCA was in the planning group...so was Dogs Qld. So I support it. The RSPCA Qld material also picks up the Qld research that nailed 2 of the essential features which 'flag' puppy-farming. Lack of socialisation and uncontrolled breeding. Registered breeders in Qld came out exceptionally well in not displaying these. So the RSPCA Qld material points out that registered breeders have a code of ethics to guide what they do. In reality, tho', some may not follow them. The biggest pity is that Dogs Qld doesn't pick up on this & do some Public Relations. The strength is in their hand...so use it. People in Qld tend to know what puppy farms are, as opposed to 'normal' breeding. Raids & seizures are publicised. I've been involved with some poor little mites rescued from one of the worst. The geography in this state lends itself to 'farmers' setting up in poor agricultural land, away from ready scrutiny. Appalling conditions. Yielding huge hauls of horribly distressed & psychologically and physically damaged dogs and puppies. This is light years away from the regular registered breeder who follows the excellent ethical guidelines set out by Dogs Qld.

All well said. Specially the last bit.

You're correct, they're the conditions which characterise puppy-farming. I'd add, even on a small scale, when a few dogs are kept, extremely poorly, in a backyard. I was pleased to see that the RSPCA Qld anti-puppy farming material has also picked up on the Qld research re the critical need for early socialisation of puppies, destined to live alongside people. Without that being hardwired, there's likelihood of behavioral difficulties later on. (With the extent of socialisation of the mother dog, also having effects.) The high incidence of unplanned litters emerged as another 'flag' of puppy-farming style. Registered breeders in Qld don't have a lot to fear. The same research showed they were the ones who performed extremely well on both these key aspects. Unregistered breeders did not perform well...& especially badly re lack of control of litters.

I'm happy to support the type of approach used in the government funded pilot program in the Gold Coast region. Which was devised via a round-table working party, which included Dogs Qld, RSPCA Qld, Council & State authorities & others... under chair of AWL Qld. Results are now in place in that area and the type of licensing links with point of sale. The conditions for licensing provide general education, in themselves. Appears to have been received OK. I notice the material re anti-puppy farming from the RSPCA Qld, basically echoes both the rationale & means from this pilot project. So it's fine by me. (Especially how it refers people to fact that registered breeders already have a code of ethics set in place by their registering body. Whether someone adheres to them or not, is a reality. However, it'd be an excellent opportunity for Dogs Qld to direct public attention to just what those guidelines are. They're extremely good & would make a useful checklist for 'consumers'.) Having read their material, I'm giving the RSPCA Qld feedback on caution re how puppy-farmers could find a hole thro' the system. By doing something that some presently do, in order to mask where the puppies actually come from. Needs an investigative committee called 'Looking for Loopholes'.

I love this. Blooming brilliant!

Are you using 'we' as the royal plural, or do you believe you can speak for everyone? Wrong, on the latter. I don't know about the former. Seriously, that's a good point about the need to caution re online sales. Couple years back, one of the US states achieved good bipartisan accord to prevent puppy-farmers selling their wares. But the hardest one to do anything about, proved to be online ads coming from other states, because obviously they were coming from different legal contexts. The two main (bipartisan) legislators were working to figure out how to deal with this, when they were voted out. So cautionary counter-ads, seem one good way to warn puppy-buyers.

You can still trip over 'em. Buddhist dogs don't spend too much time on the ground. From TibbieNet: They enjoy any high lookout such as a window sill from which to survey their territory . Pic of buddhist dog in action:

There's a large & well-run rescue organisation in Cairns. YAPS. Knowledgeable & caring about dogs. As it's urgent, I'd suggest someone who knows this Aussie Bulldog's background & story, get on the phone and talk to YAPS. (07) 4057 6373 The email is [email protected], so that any supporting information can be sent. http://www.yaps.org.au/

Get a buddhist breed!