Little Gifts

Thanks for the response Erny! It came from Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm which is not far from me. I was planning on buying from Steve but we happened to see the farm while driving home from somewhere else, stopped off to buy herb plants for my sister's little garden and I grabbed a bag of the dried while I was there. I think they have been growers for many years and are organic. I also think it is weird because I was washing her in it before with no problems but even the cream my vet made up specifically for wounds caused a bad reaction and we have been using her creams here since Temp was a puppy. I'm personally very disappointed but we still have two other dogs we will be using it on. The vet feels it is a contact allergy and actually identified areas of rash on her feet. I'd say she scratches with the feet that have touched what she is allergic too and she spreads it that way to other areas of her body. She is back on antibiotics and cortisone and it has all reduced immediately. I've been working my way around the yard struggling to find what might be causing it, just cutting away anything that droops now (ground covers were already removed). I fear it might just be grass. I can't picture me being able to get her to wear booties whenever she is outside so it does worry me a little. And I talked to the vet about DNA and thyroid testing and he felt the contact allergy was fairly evident and to pursue that at this point. I will of course keep pursuing the cause because I can't stand to see her so uncomfortable. She's been a totally different dog again since her itchies have eased.

They aren't going to ban the sale of rescue dogs from approved rescue facilities in the lovely shop window, but only dogs bred for profit? You either ban one or all I say… What the hell? Do you know anything about rescue? Very few rescue groups make a profit (maybe only the RSPCA?). Very few have dogs sitting in a shop window either (I personally don't know of any groups who have shop fronts - most dogs live with foster carers or maybe at the shelter till rehomed). Most are lucky to cover the cost of the dogs that come through their door because the majority need medical and behavioural help. And rescue wouldn't exist if existing legislation was actively reducing the number of unwanted dogs - dogs bred by backyard breeders, puppy farmers, oops litters and yes, registered breeders.* I agree with others that this proposal still fails to address the real issue of puppy farmers but don't go flinging your anger at other innocent parties. *Edited to add - I am a supporter of good registered breeders but we all know the reality is some pure bred dogs still end up in rescue that were bred by 'registered' breeders because registration and meeting council requirements don't necessarily equate to ethical breeding standards.

That would've been a very enlightening conversation. Wish I could've been a fly on the wall!

We are back to square one and a body covered in raw skin now. Her skin has just been flaring and settling in a really random way over the past three weeks. I've been through the yard and nothing. Changed all her linens and even tried to distract from the scratching and chewing in case some of it is habitual. Waiting to see the vet again this arvo. And the saddest part is the calendula rinse and cream (which my vet makes up) exacerbate it. I will still be able to use it on the other dogs but it was such a great option for Tempeh that I'm bummed she is now reacting badly to it. She had such a bad reaction to her rinse last week that she was scratching the top of her head, side of her face and ears - all places that have not been affected by the allergy. Prior to that I'd gone back to Maleseb and she was fine but wanted to check and make sure I wasn't just imagining the calendula reactions. I've used the cream on her since she was a pup and it certainly wasn't always like this. And I will be talking to my vet about potential thyroid issues as maybe it started out as one thing that was really masking something else? All a bit sad as I hate seeing her so uncomfortable. Erny - in a previous post you also suggested getting a hair DNA test done. What would be the purpose of that in relation to an allergy? What would it be looking for? I don't really understand how these tests work is all. Thank you!

Awww, that is amazing news! Good on you Dogmad for bringing her to this point in her new life!

Tempeh is obsessed with geckos and they have just started appearing on the window behind the lounge I sit on at night. She perches herself on the thin back ledge of the couch (like Nova on the windowsill!) gnashing her teeth on the glass to try and grab them. The glass is already covered in nose art and slag. She falls off quite a bit during her desperate efforts to protect me from these prehistoric predators (my head and body softens her fall). I must get a photo as she looks possessed while I am clearly terrified for my organs. The geckos don't give a toss.

I may have been lucky in that I grew up in a family who liked the look of certain breeds of dog and cat and the only place you could buy them when I was a kid was from a breeder. But they were only ever treated as pets. Same with when we had our big farm - dad had the money to buy a certain quality of stock and did the same with our farm dogs. Ours were sourced from a good line of working dogs (not sure if they were papered though). We also took in strays and bitsas that needed homes, but anything we bought was always from a known breeder. Once I hit independence all my pets have been rescue and that has kind of filtered through to the rest of my family now. I do have a couple of breeds on my bucket list that I might one day research and purchase from a good breeder but in the interim there are so many amazing rescue dogs out there that I will probably keep my house full of furry critters from that avenue. But if a friend or acquaintance is talking of getting a certain breed of dog I would readily encourage them to find a good breeder because I think so many people misunderstand why registered breeders even exist. You wouldn't buy a Louis Vitton handbag at Crazy Clark's and you'd certainly be dubious of paying thousands of dollars for it if you did see one there, so I really wish we could get the word through to people about pet shops. In the case of exorbitantly priced pet shop puppies you don't get what you pay for. But you do get a 'sucker' stamp for your forehead.

This is an old Peiradise photo from that event that I still love. Booth was a bit of a fail for obvious reasons.....

Thank you Starkehre - I'm also very impressed by Seven! I don't think I've ever seen a Rottweiler herding, you are very talented and dedicated and giving Seven a wonderful and interesting life! Congratulations on being recognised for all your hard work to get to this stage. Same here Dogmad, if someone asked me what kind of dogs make good herders this is not a breed I would even think of including! Starkehre you have every right to be very proud!

Why did no-one tell me about this great product before? I've only been living with the Automatic Kitchen Floor Vacuum, which is also quite brilliant because it means the floor in that area is always sparkly clean when visitors pop over! But now I want a hot plate cleaner and a pre-rinse option too!

I was worried how my two dogs would go when we moved from acreage to suburbia and one of them couldn't care less and the other was actually a lot calmer in a confined environment (he had sep anxiety and lots of noise fears). It's also surprising how much wildlife can be in a suburban yard so the one who spent all her time with the chickens and geese had possums, blue tongues and plenty of native birds to keep her amused. I'm sure they missed long walks chasing rabbits, eating horse hoof off cuts and rolling in manure but our closest park has lots of other exciting smells that we replaced it with.

I can't agree with your thinking. It is not a vets responsibility to rehome or rescue but it is a vets responsibility to be an expert and advocate for the animal and present whatever options might be available. If a dog comes in with a severely broken leg the vet could present a couple of options which might include xrays, a cast, surgery to repair, surgery to remove, or euth if after discussion with the owner it becomes clear money and rehabilitation are going to be an issue. It is then up to the owner to decide which option they want to choose. I think vets have an extremely important but difficult job, constantly having to balance medical possibilities with the quality of life for the animal (who unlike people can't speak out and contribute to discussions about their care), expectations of the owners and cost. I don't think most of us expect vets to rescue and rehome but is it really so difficult to present surrendering to a known rescue group as an option for a young dog like this? Several vet clinics I know keep a list of resources like this behind the counter and the task is handed over to reception staff or vet nurses to share with the owner, leaving the vet free to keep consulting. Blackdogs I'm so sorry you were chastised for advocating other options for this dog. I guess the business values of that particular practice might not match your own, which is a bit soul destroying to discover.

I've been there the past two years with Peiradise so it might feel weird going down this year and being able to wander around and look at stuff! If I make it I'll come and say Hi Rumour. I've missed all the events in previous years and really wanted to see the dock diving!

Wasn't there a vet in the US earlier this year or late last year that was keeping dogs alive for the purpose of being blood donors and what have you? From memory the dogs had been brought in for pts. Slightly different scenario as some of the dogs need to be pts due to health issues, but lying to an owner about not being willing to follow their instructions is not acceptable and is bound to be discovered at some point. Humans suck!!!!!!

Oh that is cute! I can't run either so will be singing that from now on! I wonder if it is like T's camp dog Pickles who has neurological issues?

Some people have no clue about natural canine instincts. A young excitable dog getting into a guinea pig pen does not equate to an aggressive dog. I hope the vet can talk the owner into contacting the breeder about other options for this dog or surrendering it to a breed specific group where it can go to a home where it's needs are better understood. I can't stand the thought of yet another innocent dog losing its life as a result of a bad owner.

Love the cat! *FAIL* And Poppy's position is just plain weird! Maybe it gives her a back end stretch out or something? One of mine cannot lay on a flat surface - it is psychologically impossible for her. The more obstacles and angles to drape on the better. She also likes her snout buried in stuff - no idea how she breathes.

Loved it! Good on you!

HA! I had a Stafford who used to pin my sister's cat down and lick it clean from top to bottom - inside her ears, the whole lot. The cat seemed to love it but would be awfully wet by the end of 'her bath'. Well before the day we all had phones with cameras so I never got any footage of it.

See I'm thinking I love the surf but often come out of a wave looking exactly like those dogs (hair and all)! So I can't imagine forcing a dog into the water or up on a board if they didn't like it, even if they did come out looking pretty messed up. If I put one of mine on a board and stepped away they'd simply jump off and swim after me. Not sure how high I'd let the surf be if I had a surf loving dog but some dogs do seem to like an adrenalin rush.

This says what I was thinking. Run free over the bridge now Casper.

Happy Adoption Day Beautiful Boy!!!!!

Well that's excellent news!

I'm a bit disappointed there's no update! How can I oooh and aaah if I don't know what's happening!

Hope she goes well at her check up tomorrow. I did laugh at the thought of you falling off the back deck - like you don't have enough sore bits of your own to worry about!