Little Gifts

How are Bunches and Beatrice this week LMO?

Gosh I feel so lucky. The specialists I saw last year with Stussy and Jonah (and still this year with Jonah) are so hands on and engaged with owners. Stussy's surgeon even carried her out to my car on 2 occasions (and I'm sure he had more important things to do). At the oncologist an intern comes out and sits and gets an update then takes him out the back. Then when he is ready to pick up the oncologist and an intern come out and we have a debrief. No rush at any point. I can also call or email about anything confusing or urgent and always get a response. It makes a huge difference when you are dealing with stressful issues. I have everything crossed that Bunches will be better from now on. X

I'm assuming this came out of the case where the meter reader was killed and I'm hoping they look at the locations behind attacks such as if the dogs were loose, family pet mauling a family member at the family home, family pet mauling a stranger at the family home, etc as I think the potential trigger for the attack is also very important to learn from. I am in the Logan area of Brisbane and at present we have a HUGE loose dogs issue. It seems to have crept in over about the last 6 months. Perhaps it is linked with the housing crisis and people having to live at places not totally suited to their circumstances or people lying to real estates about not owning a pet so they can't formally change fencing, but every breed known to man (including very expensive ones) are wandering the streets, some owners looking for them, some owners not and the finders desperate to make contact with them via social media so they don't have to drop at the pound. I pretty much see a loose dog in busy traffic every day I am out now. Don't see any ranger vehicles driving around though so I guess they are leaving that side of their jobs to the locals and social media to do (OK that's probably unfair but where are they?). Having owned a serial escape artist (I had to move houses to resolve the issue) it is hard not to be judgey, because it is the dogs who end up doing pound time while the owners just complain how much it costs to spring them and never fix the containment issues. So many people hate on pounds and finders who take them to pounds, but I understand not everyone can hold a stray dog indefinately and at least they aren't at risk of being hit by a car or being involved in a fight with another dog. Then of course you have the issue of unfriendly loose dogs or traumatised and difficult to catch ones (got several littlies hiding in bushland around here at present). I wish there was education (isn't that part of what the RSPCA get funding for???) to inform pet owner responsibility as there are lots of new dog owners out there who don't seem to naturally get it. That recent thread by the trainer of a declared dog trying to rehome it- he works in the industry and doesn't know the rules even! I thought we had mandatory micro-chipping up here too but still so many animals chips don't lead to an owner. There are so many other already legislated areas we need to tighten up around dogs that could reduce risks of harm to them, other animals and humans that I hope this taskforce explores too.

I'm just catching up. How is everyone this morning? Did you have to do the vet? How are your nerves? Do you need a few valium yourself?

They showed the dog finder lady scanning the chip on the first dog caught to confirm it was the missing dog. I assume they did the same with the second so perhaps it should've said the dogs were scanned for their microchips before they were returned to their owners?

That's how I read his initial post - she'd already been declared (so a previous incident), went to him and had some magic worked, went home and there was a new incident involving their child and she came back to him and now he was putting feelers out about rehoming rather than euthanising.

I saw the ACA story and it showed one of the rescuers scanning and confirming the dog chip on site just after it was recaptured. One of the poor dogs was very traumatised and just running and running out of fear from its rescuers and owner. It was dark before they caught him in the rain. The guy at the training facility was as fishy as can be too so I wouldn't be surprised if there is a connection discovered with the person who allegedly took the dogs.

She complained about at least one other passenger, who got moved to save their own sanity. The photos were beautiful but she complained about everything from the food to the size of the seats (she should have bought 2 seats of course but ignored our advice) and how far she had to walk to get to the toilet to how far away they kept the planes (she was being pushed in a wheelchair). She made a scene at departure that had airport security and guest services running. That stewardess alarm would've been constantly on! And this is the new and improved version of her!

Even heavy duty drugs wouldn't be enough to help a person cope with that scenario! She is actually a bit better now but I do have a funny story for you. Recently she and her son decided to do a flight over the Antartic. I think it was like 9 hours. We tried to talk her out of it, for the sake of all the other poor people on the plane. Of course it went tits up before they even made it to the airport so she didn't have one good thing to say about the entire experience. I wonder how many other passengers demanded their money back for that 'special' in-flight experience?

Think about it this way - good or bad we all hold beliefs on where our limits lie. I worked with a woman who went on a child free cruise with her husband and lived it up. On a 4 day cruise they racked up a $4,000 alcohol bill. You and I would think that was incredibly wasteful but after her initial shock she said it was worth it. Her first holiday without up to 4 small kids (children from other marriages) and she unwound and lived it up and came back ready to face the onslought again. As Stussy was sick last year my non-animal loving neighbour (from a different culture) asked me why I just didn't get rid of her now she was old and costing me money. I suspect the look on my face surprised her because she came back a few days later and said she'd been thinking about it and realised she was placing her values on mine and genuinly felt bad about offending me. Last year with both dogs sick we lived on food hampers for a number of months because that was literally the only area I could cut back on. I was hemorrhaging money and went from 1 to 3 jobs to keep from going under. But that situation eventually settled and life is much more normal this year, even though as an oldie it has meant going back to full time employment. It will probably take me 2 years though to get back to where I was financially and I still lost one of the dogs but I have zero regrets. I know you wont either. Your friend doesn't really 'see' you very well if she doesn't know that.

I have a shar pei, now almost 11.5, who went through chemo (IV Vinblastine and Palladia tabs) for a high grade mast cell tumour last year. He is seeing an Oncologist at a specialist centre. I was told each fortnightly visit would be $1000 - $1200. Many were as low as $750. Surgery at the end of chemo to remove the shrunken tumour with good margins was $5200. Since then he has either monthly bloods or monthly staging. So with meds to last the month those visits are also around $800 and will continue until I think October. On top of that the Palladia has seriously affected his pigmentation (about his only issue throughout this whole thing) so he just had laser surgery to remove a whole heap of hemangiomas at a cost of $3200. I don't even want to calculate what I've spent. I was on the poverty line all last year (my other oldie also had a serious health issue that cost around as much) and ended up with 3 jobs just to keep the household bills paid on top of the vet bills. But I have zero regrets because he has handled it all like a champ and it did it's job. We've had no signs of it anywhere and no other health issues (besides the hemangiomas, but he was already getting those). Oh and I had no insurance because of his breed and insurance company exclusions. I'm a bit confused though when you say it is not working though. How has your vet determined and explained that so early? Because our tumour was outside (plus in a lymph node) we could see it shrinking by about the third IV chemo session. His bloods stayed within range the whole time (there was some movement of course) and we only had one vomit session and a few runny poos, all managed with a meds adjustment (his Palladia was reduced for quite a while). Our oncologist was adamant about making my boy feel as healthy as possible during treatment and we had days where he was acting like a teenager again. He lost some weight and a lot of his pei wrinkles but that's a small price to pay really. I do know I can buy all his meds (tablets, not the IV stuff) with an online vet far cheaper than they are dispensed by my oncologist and that is he biggest part of the bill. If I was really struggling I know she would write me scripts for the meds, but I just haven't wanted to interfere with a system that has worked so well for my boy. I don't think we've missed a pill in all these months and sometimes he has needed them 5 times a day (currently 3 times a day). I get a print out every single visit with his blood results and all his meds listed and when his next visit is due and why. Honestly I would be lost without such a professional group of people guiding me and predicting his needs. It's so easy to get in a head spin during this process. Here is a pic of him the week before his big surgery. We caught up with friends who knew him and they were all surprised how healthy he looked and acted for a dog with such a poor prognosis going through chemo. His oncologist is of course over the moon that he proved, and continues to prove her wrong. Good luck with your bubba!

So sad about this news LMO. Some amazing dogs get dealt real shitty hands. I've seen a few pei and kittens who have had their eyes removed. I feel scars like that are a badge of honour for their bravery and resilience. I personally have not experienced this but a small cat rescue group I support has had numerous ones. It is run by a vet nurse and called Gary and the Handicats. On FB under that name. I've met her when dropping off donations to her workplace and she is brilliant. Perhaps you could message her and ask about the pros and cons of it all? Over the years I have seen numerous cats and kittens on there who had to have one or both eyes removed. My only thoughts on a prosthetic is maintenance. Does it all need cleaning and lubrication? Without that eye I'm sure Bunches will cope fine - she's already doing without it really, but of course the surgery is the first hump to get over. Please keep us updated about her. Big hugs to you.

I've sent you one here on DOL but if you mean Facebook messenger I can give you my info for there. Thank you!!!

Great news Rebanne, but given I'm battling hemangiomas with Jonah (on the verge of needing surgery on one on his front leg again), if you happened to message me about how you found the name I would be interested in doing some research of my own. I can then discuss with Jonah's vet and oncologist. I feel like I just need a couple of days where it doesn't get knocked or pressurised and it would resolve but we are getting a bleed every day now and I can't even blame Jonah for licking it! Thank you

Not sure of your overall situation but I have a friend who runs Yorkie Qld (Logan/Gold Coast based rescue for Yorkie's and Silkies). So if you get stuck let me know and I can pass your info on to her.

I had to stop watching it on the news. Just can't fathom it. Does anyone remember that Thredbo landslide back in the 90s. I was so invested in that I set up a tv next to my desk at work. Disasters like this where people are trapped in some way and need assistance or they will die gets under my skin and I become too invested so have to give myself time outs.

@pesh Id previously thought when my old stafford girl passes that I will get some buttons for Jonah as I reckon he would take to the idea. Wellmy old girl passed 3 weeks ago and I bought a 9 pack of these today. Got them cheaper on AliExpress (same brand) as these are in US dollars. Will let you know how we go! https://www.mewoof.com/products/dog-button-for-communication?spm=..index.product_list_1.3&spm_prev=..order.header_1.1&variant=42cbbb34-6887-4ad4-ba1b-1e5145de3338

Our RSPCA (at the old location) used to also be the type where they opened the gates at a certain time and anyone could come in and wander around. There were never any staff around (even for us vollies to find) so only the really serious potential adopters stuck it out to find a staff member. So appointments could actually be a sensible idea all round.

When I was a kid (back in the 60s) my parents rescued and rehabbed a lot of animals, usually word of mouth stuff. My mum was a human nurse and that was literally the only skills they had. They eventually opened an animal fun park with many of the unreleasable animals. Some animals were able to be engaged with and others were in cages and enclosures (fairly decent ones). We had lots of staff to care for them and monitor them but till noone had any professional animal care skills. My parents would take in anything - I remember we once had a sick penguin in and it lived in the big outdoor run with the guinea pigs. Is that good? No idea but it was rehabilitated and released. That was the start of my animal loving journey. Later, in the 90s I was a foster carer for the RSPCA who also went and cleaned and socialised the animals (mainly puppies) at their main shelter. I did that for many years until I could no longer stand the neglect that was happening. They allowed us less and less responsibility and the staff were never around to do the important stuff. I was guilted into things I didn't want to do too. We were no longer allowed to feed the animals so we'd have poor puppies starving for breakfast and we were allowed to 'socialise' them when all they wanted was food. Same with the adult dogs - we could take them for walks but it was heading on to lunchtime and still nothing to eat since the afternoon before and they were scared they would miss out if they left their run. None of those dogs was presenting themselves well for potential adopters either. Saw lots of other horrible stuff happen that I wont go into, but they are supposed to be our animal welfare standard and enforcement agency. What hope do we have with independant rescues when they are the yardstick? And I've said it multiple times before - if the RSPCA was doing what the general public thinks it is doing for all creatures great and small then we wouldn't even need all these hundreds of independant rescue groups. Nope, we would have a great agency that we all looked up to knowing animals in need were in safe hands. Instead we can't even rely on them to do their statutory functions effectively and in a timely manner.

Stussy was her crazy, weirdo, into everything self while on it (maybe the last 1.5 years?). It just lessened the Sundowners carry on and duration. She'd still wander inside and pant but much less intense than before and less dragging around of the dogs beds and being right underfoot and rarely going outside with it. Before she would wander the whole yard with no purpose in mind. So still the same dog (positives and negatives) but the negatives were a lot less intense and shorter in duration. She was happier and more balanced on them but not doped out at all.

For quite a while we were using Vetalogica Tranquil chews for dogs for Stussy's Sundowners. We also tried Adaptil (collar and plug in) but no real change. But the Vetalogica worked for her and whenever we ran out after about 2 days off it she was definately more angsty. I got mine from Pet Circle. They are like a piece of kibble. Stussy was around 16kg and had 2 with brekkie and 2 with dinner.

Just horrible. What the f*** is wrong with people?

I reckon this is how Storybook Farm changed for the worse too. Took some high need rescue/surrenders in and suddenly they were coming out of the woodworks and her children were all dragged in to help with the realities of owning that many high need animals and it got out of control fairly quickly and she just started hiding it. The reality is who does a rescuer reach out for help to in this instance? If they go to the RSPCA the animals are likely to be seized and euthanised and they may even be charged with an offence. I think that is why they hide it and hope they get on top of it all again. Even if you are attracting donations (like Storybook) that doesn't equate to extra time in your day and who do you pay to come in and help who may not also report you? It's really a vicious cycle and of course it is ultimately the animals who suffer.

Super remorseful? I don't get it. A very expensive fine and an animal cruelty conviction might at least get those idiots sharing their story on their socials and with their family and friends and then all the other animal owning idiots who read their story and can say they know someone this actually happened to might actually get the message! I mean come on, a Qld summer and you come back to your car and everything inside is hot to touch so you immediately crank the air con up for 5 minutes - well what the f*** did they think it would be like for the dogs in there for several hours??? How is the message going to get through to people if there is no real personal impact?

Jonah is covered in hemangioma's. They get bigger in certain spots (mainly his legs) he starts licking them and they bleed and never want to stop. Healing has been made more difficult since he started chemo and one problematic one is why he stopped chemo early so it could be removed (tumour also removed at same time). I've never known if there is a topical product I can put on them to stop the bleeding (have asked and been told just pressure). But once I get ours under control I put fresh aloe vera gel (the green stuff inside the leaves) around the outside of the wound and then I put a big XL wound dressing over it (which will soak up any oozing but not stick to the wound) and usually I have to use some medical tape (milky white coloured stuff) to keep it on (I get both from chemist wharehouse). That stops Jonah being able to lick it but also protects the wound from sticking to another part of his body while he sleeps and stops his spiky little hairs from irritating it. I usually have to do this for about 4 days and by then it is healed over enough. The dressing can become loose (designed for human skin and not dogs!) but as long as he is not touching it it doesn't matter. I usually change it over once a day. I add more aloe gel around the outside each time and it is enough to help it heal under the dressing.