Polgara's Shadow

Its interesting reading about your fitness programs and am very impressed with those that do organised dog sports! Vulcan is not a sports dog but I do keep him fit and trim. We don't have a program - he's just incorporated into our lives so does what we do. Given its been so hot over the past fortnight his main excercise has been swimming at the beach when we go down to cool off in the evening. But he's also been leash walking in State Parks, Kayaking about once a week (well I've been kayaking and he's been sitting on in the kayak or swimming next to me) along with a small amount of bike riding (with him on the walky-dog). In the winter its less in-water stuff and more leash walking, free running at the beach and bike riding.

Thanks for all your replies Sorry I haven't had time to reply to everyone but you've all given me confidence that the lump is not likely to be cancerous and is most likely a cyst. I now know what to look for to decide when I should take her in e.g. any changes in colour size etc.. I'll treat with the Ichthammol ointment when they stay with us in early Feb and see if that help the cyst spend itself (YUCK!).

I don't think he discussed alternatives and yes it seems like 'the works' to me too. He got freaked out by the cost and got out of there as soon as possible. He's not going to take her back in a hurry as he's worried they will pressure him into 'the works'. He's a pensioner who thinks the cost is the cost. A pity the vet didn't help him understand there were alternatives.

I feed her good quality food when she's here but FIL is a pensioner who lives in a very small coastal town in NSW. Cost and availability of good quality food is a big factor. I'll advise him about what to look for to find a better quality food for her.

I had been cleaning it with tea tree oil while she was with us which didn't seem to change much - perhaps it decreased some but not sure if that was due to the tea tree oil FIL is back with us again in early Feb - I'll get some Ichthammol ointment and treat her when she is with us and see what happens. thanks for the tip I've never eard of Ichthammol ointment before. The though of squeexing it... ...

Why do anything at all - unless it is obviously causing pain or discomfort, unless (in some situations) it is growing, discoloured, bleeding or changing rapidly, or unless it is proven to be cancerous? Leave it alone otherwise. Thank god I have a sensible vet who sticks a needle in lumps and determines what they are and more often than not, tells me the dog will die of old age before the lump kills him!!! Its not doing any of this..in fact its gone down a little since I first saw it. You've given me some confidence that 'wait and see' is probably the best option for now. Thanks.

My father in law's lovely Koolie girl Jarty has what appears to be a cyst on the thigh of her hind leg. Before Christmas some pus came out of it. Since then it has healed over and shrunk somewhat - but it is still there. The cyst doesn't appear to cause any pain or discomfort for Jarty whatsoever. I convinced FIL to take her to the vet before Christmas to have the cyst looked at. The vet said it was most likely a cyst and that it should be removed - quoting him over $1000 for the whole procedure including general anaesthetic. FIL doesn't have that kind of money readily available and I think it seemed a bit excessive for what seems to be a cyst – which should go away of its own accord right?. Also I don't like any animal, or human for that matter, having general anaesthetic and surgery 'just in case'. So this the cost has made FIL wary of going back to the vet and he doens't want to be charged again for another consult - possibly be pushed into an operation he can't afford. Now I’m not adverse taking the dog to the vet and paying for the surgery myself – I can manage the awkward conversation with FIL – but I’d like to know more about cysts before causing family drama’s and committing the dog to an anasthetic before I've tried other options. So tell me what you know. Will it go away by itself? How long would that take? What could we use to help it along the way? What are the warnings signs that it might be something other than a cyst?

Hi Ruth, we really did have a lovely time I'm pleased to hear you did too . I was prepared for him to be a total embarrassment but you managed him so well. Thanks everyone else - we are pretty chuffed!

Lol he does look quite the vampire in that one!

There's a whole series of him sprinting after the ball..but that full stretch one is my fave. A couple of the black and white ones

Vulcan & I are feeling very spoilt to have won such a terrific prize. One lady saw the photo's on Ruth's blog and realised she'd seen us at the park - I remember her lovely beagles too The collar is really stunning and incredibly well made - the blue dots are Swarovski crystals :D

He's really lovely MarkF - he looks like a happy goofball :)

There's something very special about sleeping puppy faces...your little ones are just divine

Thanks Krislin, Pers & Staffyluv we are very pleased with them :D I particularly like the one where he's up in the air looking like a flying gargoyle... and had missed the ball completely

Hi everyone - I won a photoshoot with Ruthless from the Staffy Rescue raffle We live in Victoria but managed to squeeze in a visit with Ruthless in Sydney while visiting family up that way. It was a stinking hot day - but Vulcan had a ball. I was anxious that Brat Vulcan would make an appearance but I was pleasantly surprised that we got Sweet as Pie Vulcan instead. Ruth was terrific with him. We also got a gorgeous Ruthless collar which he is wearing right now as he lounges on the couch :D Thanks Ruth we will cherish the photo's and the collar for a long time to come!! Here's a few of the pics from the day:

Vulcan's main diet is Nutro chicken & rice (kibbble) with some Vets All Natural Omega Oil added. He also gets beef bones, roo mince, eggs, chicken carcasses and leftover veggies. Why? He's allergic to lamb, fish and pork. The Nutro is one of the only dry foods I can find which is readilly acessible to me and that has none of the 'bad' ingredients - plus he does really well on it. The VAN oil gives my allergy boy some skin boosting vitamins & minerals and the extra bones and things we use as treats and teeth cleaning. We also feed twice a day here.

Why don't you make up enough for a week? Buy a bunch of plastic containers that will fit one meal in then freeze till you need them. If you take two out of the freezer the night before they will have thawed ready for breaky and dinner the next day. I did this when I feeding VAN & mince to Vulcan. Only stopped because I wasn't happy with the quality of mince I was able to source.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier Pitbulls and SBT's are seperate breeds. They do both belong to the bull breed family as do Bulldogs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers etc.. Yes they are strong and tenacious but 'Lockjaw' is a myth. SBT's are not a naturally agressive breed. They are a people pleaseing breed. Unfortunatly some people are pleased by agression and encourage this in their dogs. These people are idiots. I do not want to make $1000 by mating my SBT with yout bull breed bitch. I think I'd have made $1000 by now for everyone who has come up and asked me to put Vulcan over their bull-whatever bitch. Vulcan has been desexed since 6 months. Edited t add: [*]Many (most?) SBT's are dog friendly, especially when properly socialised at a young age.

Appollo Archie Armand Arminius Asher Aussie x2 Axl Bailey x 4 Balou Bandit Banjo x2 Bardigrub Bart Barton Baxter Basil Bear x2 Benji Benny Benson x2 Beowulf Bertie Billy Bing Bluey Boss Boxer Brady x 2 Brock x 2 Brockie Brody Bronson Bruce Bud Buddy Bundy Buster Caleb Caramel Carl Carter Cash Casper Cedar Champ Charlie x 4 Chester Chevy Chip Chisel Coco x 2 Cobber Connor x2 Cooper x 4 Cowan x 2 Cruise Cuba D'Artagnan Dakota Dalton a joke from the road house movie "I thought he'd be bigger" he is a big boy Damit Danny Darcy x 3 Dashx2 Deakin Deek Dean Declan Delgado Denver Denzal Dennys Dog Deputy Diablo Diesel Digby Digger Dinky Disco Doc Dog Douglas Dozer Dragon Drifter Drogo Dumas Dylan x2 Ebon Eddie EJ Elijah Elliott Elvis Edge Enuff Esky Fender Fergus FEZ Fido Fionneaghan (Fionn) FlashBazil Flash Harry Fox Frank Franky J Holden Fred Gandor Gimmick Granger Greedy Griffin Gus Guiness McGuinness Gypsy Hail Hamish Harley Harrison Harry Hemi Henry x2 Hiram Hudson Hugo x 2 Ivan Jack x 3 Jacques Jake x 3 Jasper x 2 JayDee Jethro Jett Jingles Jock Joe Jonty Jordan x 2 Joshua Judd Juggie Kahn Kaiser Kasper Kaos Kiba Kei Kippy Kisho Kobe Kyle Kyojin Kyzer Leroy x2 Lestat Link Logan Louie Louis Luca Lucky Lughie Lukas MacKenzie Magnus Manny Mars Max x 4 Maxey Maxie Mel Merlin Merlot Merry Micah Midge Milky Milosh Minook Mistral Mogwai Mokha Morrison Morris Moses Mr Darcy Mungo Murphy Murray Nammu Napoleon x2 Ned Nelson Nicky Nigel Nikolai Nipper Noah Nova Nudge Nugget Nutnut Oberon Odin Ollie Oliver Onslow Oscar x 2 Oso Oz x 2 Payton Percy Piikki Porsha Porthos Punch Quick Rafe Raffy Ralph Rambo Randy Rasta Rauri Reeve Remy Rex x 2 Rhaegar Rhino Rico Riku Riley Ripley River Roary Rocks Rocky x 2 Rolly Rookie Rory Rove Rover Roy Jones Jnr Ruff Ryan Rupert Rusty x2 Sam Samurai (Sam) SARGE Scout Scrap Scratch Sebastion Shadow x2 Silas Snitch Sonny sox Speed Spencer x 2 Spike x 2 Sport Spud Stanley Sterling Storm Sully Swanky Tango Tazz x 2 Ted Teddy Tey Dog Theo Thunder Tiger Tirra Toby x 2 Toffee Tonka Trojan Trusty Tub Tusca Tye Tyrant Tyson Ulf Valentino Viserys Vulcan Wade Wags Walker Walter Watson x 2 Weave Will Willow Willy Winston Woody Wolf Xander Yelka Zac Zander Zedley Zep Zephyr Zero Zeus Ziggy Zontie

Vulcan was pretty clingy too when he was little. I think outside feeding and treats and just hanging out there with him plus his own growing curiosity and independance led him to love it out there too. It sounds like your doing all the right things :) Yep Vulcan has large paws, which look even bigger becauase of his white markings lol.

Nawww..crazy cute! And fab photo's! To get her to enjoy the backyard more I'd recommend feeding her meals there. Perhaps start right at the back door and go from there. I'd also feed her tasy long lasting treats out there like bones (necks and wings while she's till so small), stuffed kongs and the like. Your probably a bit limited with the weather at the moment, but you should have enough fine spells to do this when you can. Edited to add.. another idea is to hide treats around the yard for her to find. She'll probably need to be led to find the food to start off with, but I'm sure she'll pick it up quick.

Hi Issy - congrats on getting through the 8 week elimination diet! My vet told me to try a new food for ten days before deciding whether or not its an issue. As you said, perhaps start with beef or chicken and keep feeding the potato. I found when I fed Vulcan lamb that he was unbearably itchy very quickly..so before the ten days was up i took him back to what he was good with (in your case roo/potato) untill the itches calmed down again, then I tried another food. If he didn't get itchy I kept feeding for at least ten days before trying something else. Do one at a time and you'll build up an understanding of what he can and can't tolerate.

Thanks guys Mornington Lodge definitly sounds worth while looking into. I've had a couple PM's as well that sound good so will check those out too. Unfortunatly Cottage Kennels in Plenty is on the other side of the city for us and would be nuisance to get to. It looks like he'll be able to stay with friends now, but will still chase up the kennels so we know where to go if we're ever in a bind.

We have a trip overseas coming up and I'm investigating all options for Vulcan's care while we are away. I'm pretty sure family and friends can take him, but just in case...can anyone recommend boading kennels for the Mornington Peninsula area? Anywhere in the area from the Peninsua to Tullamarine would be handy. Cheers!

I would have thought an Akita would be much more challenging to raise as a balanced family dog than a rottie All the best in finding a lovely pup whatever your family decides.