Little Gifts

@Dogsfevr I am pretty sure something not very good happened practice wise. I'd never used them before - they were part of a large pet supplies store and I shopped while it was happening. They were really angry at her when I picked her up and my very happy and complaint dog was a mess. I asked what happened and they were really sketchy with any details. I don't like to blame people without really knowing (my dog is not an angel all the time!) but had to trust my intuition on this one. I just really feel something happened and was not handled well and because there had never been an issue for th

Stussy is 13 (a stafford) so lumps and bumps are appearing. She had a large MCT removed in 2019 but my vet aspirates any new ones and we haven't had any more scary ones. There will come a time when I stop bothering getting them checked unless they are affecting her as I've been through this before with another oldie and it comes a time when there is no point doing all the poking and prodding because your treatment plan just becomes more conservative anyway.

I owned a dog that I believe was harshly corrected during that second fear period as a pup. She was forever changed by it. Went from being independant and normal inquisitive puppy to being terrified of strangers, people she'd met but didn't live with and of leaving the house (the incident happened away from my home). A pup that would sleep on car rides became a leash chewer, crier and a vomiter if she went somewhere she'd never been to before. The change was extreme and life long. I believe the incident happened because she was scared/outside her comfort zone and being submissive and vocal. In

Funny isn't it - some vets would consider us neurotic while others are thankful that we are vigilant and compliant with everything they suggest. Stussy (now 13) is at the vet tomorrow because she has started some behaviours that are not normal. She is a dog that doesn't show pain so my concern is her dragging all the mats and dog beds around the house and trying to lie in very weird spots with them could simply be that she is in pain and finding it difficult to find a comfortable spot to lie. If it is not and her brain is getting fuzzier then at least I will know that too. My 2 main vets will

My oldest ever dog was just short of 17 when we let her go. She still thought she was head of the pack and even though she had lots of old age issues she was still incredibly active and involved. No lying around and sleeping for her! But she was getting unpredictable - that is what made me make my decision - the risk of her hurting herself on an adventure with reduced mobility, sight, hearing and brain functioning got too high for me to feel comfortable with. It took me a long time to feel ok about the timing but I know had she hurt herself I would be kicking myself for leaving it too late. Sh

I am on quite a few shar pei pages on FB (worldwide membership) and common posts for the past 6 months are about first time ownership issues. The ages of some of these puppies going to their homes (in the US in particular) is very concerning. That has also resulted in issues for new owners too with crying pups, pups not toilet trained, pups who haven't learnt the skills from mum they need (like aggression and biting). These people are asking very basic questions like what to feed their pup and how often to bathe them. Obviously they are coming from backyard breeders or puppy farmers as any qua

Apollo's face is so expressive!!!! I'm in love!

I'm very sorry for your unexpected loss. I guess it depends on what kind of breeder you purchased from as they are not all created equal. Did you have a contract? What terms are in that? Document everything while it is still fresh in your mind. I am in QLD and I know there are law groups who you can call for a free consult. If they have the same in your state they can advise where you stand legally. Animals are considered property and property needs to be fit for purpose. Usually if your product 'breaks' you contact the seller and can claim under the warranty on the item. But obviously when a

I second the vet. Their stools are not normal and given their age the risk of them all getting very ill very quickly is quite high. You risk losing the litter without proper diagnosis and relevant treatment. Some pups suffer horribly from these infections and just aren't strong enough to survive. Both coccidia and giardia are highly infectious and difficult to eradicate from your environment too. I don't think 2 months is long enough for the same environment to be considered safe from potential new infection (someone else might be able to shed some light on that though) regardless

Instead of an umbrella consider an actual walking or hiking pole as it is easier to wield than an umbrella and easier to walk with in general. I got mine from Anaconda. Around the corner from my old house there was a stafford who was always loose and who always rushed us. So I simply had to stop going around that part of our street. The couple of times it did start coming for us I would yell and get crazy at it as soon as I saw it come out and that usually made it change its mind. It remains a fear of mine to experience a random dog attack so I am always on the lookout and will imm

I house/puppy/dog sat for Sandra Smid and her hubby from Blackshot. They are out near Ipswich in Brissie. Very well raised and bred dogs. Their details are here on DOL. Also Best Friends Rescue in Brissie started out as a stafford rescue so get a lot come through and have a soft spot for them.

Now I know what to feel and how to 'attempt' to do it myself I will give it a try as soon as I see signs of her obsessing with her bottom again. I've been giving her more vegies at present and will get some psyllium husk with my next grocery order. It's a new issue for us and I certainly don't want her feeling uncomfortable or developing additional problems from it. As it is she will scoot on the coarsest things she can find outside (our carpet doesn't cut it) so I do wipe her bottom and have had to put some neocourt on a scratch as I was very worried about an infected wound developing in that

I've had one for donkeys that has endured a lot. Pretty sure I bought it online from Horseland but I just googled and they don't seem to stock them now. Looked all over the crate and bag and no brand name so can't help. Soz.

Thank you jemapelle!

In the words of Meatloaf "I will do anything for love...but I wont do that!". Nope! Happy to pay my vet to stick his fingers into Stussy's anus (I did apologise to him)! This is a new issue for her and it seems to be mostly on one side. I'll source some psyllium husk and hopefully that helps lengthen the time she needs it done. I just found a useful link about how much to use too. And thank you Powerlegs for that advice too!