Bonnie Pup

http://www.rspca.org.au/what-we-do/science...ic-comment.html

Thank you. That'll teach him, naughty food stealer. No RMB for him tonight. (and it'll teach me to be more careful!)

I had weighed out the Vets All Natural complete mix and must have accidentally forgotten to add the water, and I left it on the bench instead of putting it out of reach. My dog got into it and ate all of it (ie enough for both dogs, so double the portion he normally gets.) He had 285 grams and it was dry. He normally gets half of that (and normally I add water to soak it.) He also had a lot to drink before I realised what had happened. VAN swells to twice its size or more when water is added. Should I be worried? I'm trying not to worry too much because it was 'only' twice his normal amount. And it wasn't even twice his whole normal daily feed, because normally he gets a RMB with it every day. But he did eat it this morning, and he wasn't due for food until tonight. Any suggestions? I hope I'm just over reacting by being worried? And should I still give him his RMB tonight or not feed him tonight at all? Thanks!

He got his vacc in the bum

Ok thanks

My dog's being vaccinated tomorrow at 9am and I wasn't thinking, and put frontline on him tonight. I understand they vaccinate in the same spot the frontline goes (back of neck.) Do you think it matters that I've put frontline there and they're going to vaccinate him in the same spot?

Or potentially make less money for the distributors......... ;) I'm not prepared to take the risk, but I do wonder. I wasn't sure either, but then heard from a few people who had been using household disinfectant in their hydrobaths and they said it caused problems Like you, I don't want to risk it!

I've heard they can smell bad if you don't disinfect they hydrobath after use. It's the bacteria that sits there between uses that makes it smell bad. Don't know if that's what's causing the problem for you Hesmypandabear... it might be something else... but if you haven't been disinfecting it after each use, give it a try because it might help. Apparently you have to use a special hydrobath disinfectant otherwise it could cause problems with parts.

I have a COTD one and it works great :D

I really admire the people who give their time and efforts to train and use their dogs as therapy dogs. They can bring so much joy to people

We don't have a regular trainer but we're booked in to see a behaviourist soon.

The vet said something about sensitivity around the trachea, she said it's nothing major to worry about because she's a big dog, but she said this would be best in Bonnie's case. Thank you I will look up those harnesses.

I thought I was doing the right thing by using a martingale style collar to try to correct Bonnie's pulling on the leash, but a vet mentioned that a harness would be better because she seems to cough when she pulls. I know a harness might encourage her to pull even more though. Can anyone recommend a harness for a large 30kg dog that won't encourage her to pull? Thanks

Who would he be a service dog for?

I've heard of therapy dogs, they do a great job

A lot depends on the age of your dog, if the dog's been treated for anything before and whether you want cover for small things or big things. Each company has pros and cons. If your dog's a puppy and never needed treatment before, don't mess around for too long before taking out insurance if you're going to take it out...

Be careful when choosing insurance companies. Some of them will list exclusions on the certificate of insurance, but many won't, so you may not be sure of what you're covered for until you have to make a claim. Also make sure you get everything in writing.

Agreed! We don't even use mats, no need when they leave the tiles cleaner than they were before they ate on them ;) :D

Just with Labs and shedding, I find a Furminator works really well. I was also warned about shedding, but I found she didn't shed as much as I thought she would. Maybe some Labs shed more than others or maybe I just have a high tollerance for animal fur I think my cats shed a lot more when I pat them than my Lab does.

I just thought I'd post to let you know Fluppies is having a 20% off sale (and free postage for orders over $200) until the 7th of September. http://www.fluppies.com.au/ (I have no connection to Fluppies other than being a very happy customer - I've found their customer service wonderful and was very happy with the product I ordered.)

I agree. Otherwise if a vet even looks at them, be prepared for exclusions. Does anyone know how this works with rescue dogs, where there's no known history?

I think the problem is when there are no exclusions listed on the policy document even though the company has put exclusions on the policy. There's no way for the person to know that there are exclusions and what they are.

I have I'm just interested in others' experiences because I was told that all exclusions should be listed on the certificate of insurance. Finding that some companies don't do that, and that they come up with exclusions as they go along, without informing the policy holder at the commencement of the policy what the exclusions are for, has been a bit of a surprise.

Staff'n'Toller did they write on the certificate of insurance that UTIs are an exclusion?

From what I understand, with most (or all?) of the insurance companies, any condition that shows up during the waiting period may be excluded. Even if it's something you would think wouldn't be re-occuring. How long it's excluded for depends on the company. If your vet finds something during the check or when doing the cruciate ligament form, be prepared to never be insured for it or for any 'related condition' (which can be interpreted whichever way suits the company, including things you wouldn't normally think are related.) Don't get me wrong, I think insuring your dog as soon as you get it with the insurance company you want to stay with is a really good idea. If I ever get a puppy I think I'll be doing that too. I think it's one of the best ways to do it, as your puppy 'shouldn't' have any pre existing conditions they can exclude (unless there has been something picked up by a vet before you got the puppy, or if something shows up before the waiting period is over.) But I'm no expert and you need to ask a lot of questions of the insurance company before you sign up, to make sure you understand it. I'm very disillusioned with insurance companies at the moment. I think you should ask as many questions as you need to and do it in writing, and keep it, so you have proof of what you were told. When selecting an insurer, go for the one you want to stay with, because once your dog is treated for ANYTHING it's very likely you'll never be able to be covered for it if you change insurers. Even if you ASK your vet about something and the vet notes it, you may have problems getting cover for it if this is done during the waiting period, or you change insurers. I hope other people have advice for you too, I'm just going by what I've learned, and as I said I'm very disillusioned with pet insurance at the moment.