~Anne~

I'd contact a lawyer who works in the field just for telephone advice. Has he contacted you directly or is he just harassing his ex? Does he know you have the dogs and who you are?

As someone who is supposed to work in the area of companion animals you have a poor understanding of the Act you work with and the law. You're throwing definitions at me from an Act. Jill is in a compromised situation if the husband decides to take it further. If you want to advise her otherwise, and she takes your advice then so be it. I would much rather take the advice of a trained professional in law though. I am also almost certain that Federal law overrides State law when there is a clash. Family Law is Federal I believe. The Companion Animals Act is a Local Government Act, which is at the bottom of the food chain of law I think you'll find.

Page 28. Pets and family law - who gets the dog in a divorce? https://www.lawsociety.com.au/cs/groups/public/documents/internetyounglawyers/420246.pdf Sorry, can't paste from my iPad properly and the document doesn't allow editing. The last paragraph also states: "As pets are property under Australian law, pursuant to the Family Law Act courts can order injunctions forcing a person to do or not to do something in relation to a pet. For example, if one spouse took away a pet from another spouse upon separation, an application could be made to the court for an injunction forcing the return of the pet...." Rescuers and those who work for Councils should know that microchip identification is for identification purposes. It does not constitute legal ownership of any animal. The microchip details may be used as evidence, but it does NOT solely constitute nor prove ownership.

Actually it doesn't, in NSW or anyone else for that matter. Only a court of law can determine the ownership. In divorces, the animals are considered property and as such no-one can dispose of the shared property until a court determines who will get what. I know from experience that the microchip paperwork itself doesn't NOT prove ownership. Microchip paperwork across the country states owners that haven't owned the dog for years.

The microchip paperwork does not prove ownership. In this case, I'd imagine they are part of the joint property that will be divided. He has as much right to them as she does and they both have more rights to them than your rescue. You might be putting yourself into a precarious position if you don't return them to him.

Phew! A bit late coming back into this thread to check in how Feather is doing and I am relived to read she is doing well. Great news. How lucky is she to have such a loving, caring and dedicated owner like you, Kirislin.

Wow, I'm horrified about the Basie of such a drug. thanks for the link sandgrubber. Great pic of Zig Staffyluv. LMWS - thanks. He's doing remarkably well after his surgery.

We administered Valium rectally to Monte. It's hard to give a dog having a seizure a tablet and the Valium was absorbed much quicker this way. It was given to help stop a cluster.

My Boofy bear. He was 11 last November.

After dealing with Boof's ongoing mast cells, I'd rather epilepsy any day, even if it was as severe as Monte. Dogs can live quote well with epilepsy. Boof's spleen tumour looks like it might also have been an MCT. It was grapefruit in size. We will know for sure next week when the path results come back. Best of luck with Zig. Hopefully a light dose of Pb will do the trick.

Sending lots of good health vibes. Keep the faith and keep fighting for him.

I dont miss the attacks that used to occur, it's alot milder now. I agree. We are more aware of forum rules and less inclined to breach them. I for one rarely get warnings now. I don't agree that DOL is not as good as it was. It is still filled with knowledgeable people, nice people, helpful people and the rest. The real nastiness is what is missing and that is good. We've gained some great people and lost great people as well. Overall the balance is still pretty good, there is just less of the scammers and the crap that the forums were once filled with. I can still recall Troy being so frustrated with the battles and behaviours that he forcibly shut the forum down. We are all jumping on to other forums saying 'oh no! What will we do without DOL!' :laugh: That's how bad it used to be.

Staffyluv, the behaviour after the seizures is called the post ictal phase. Monte would become manic between seizures and then, after the last one, he was manic for a while and then slowed to restlessness until he was finally exhausted (he and I both!) and went back to sleep. He would crash into walls and be very disoriented. I've heard of other dogs becoming aggressive post ictal and others having the post ictal phase last literally for days. Every dog who suffers seizures is very different. It's like pregnancy and birth, no two are the same.

Thanks everyone. He's woken up quite bright which is surprising and very pleasing. I'm about to give him some breakfast and another painkiller. All is looking good so far. Bindo, I'm not sure they'll be looking for clear margins. They removed the entire spleen. I can't recall if I have said this already, apologies if I have, but they think it might be a MCT which is a slightly better option to a hermangiosarcoma at this point.

Controlled substance? I've never heard of drug addicts wanting phenobarbital. I don't doubt you just that I've never heard of it. Are you in Australia sandgrubber? Your profile leads one to believe you're in the us but then mine also says 'overseas'. We never discovered nay pattern or triggers for Monte over the years either. I recorded every single seizure. He had in excess of 350 seizures before he died. He had clusters of around 4 on average. He sometimes had more, sometimes less. He only ever once had a single seizure, they always came in clusters. He once went for just over 12 months without a seizure. He had tonic clonic and focal seizures and many presented in different ways. The greater majority occurred in the early hour so f the morning or very late at night when he was asleep.

Liver damage only occurs in dogs on high long term doses normally, Staffyluv. Monte, who was on high doses for more than 9 years was lucky. He had 12 monthly blood tests checking for serum levels and his liver. Never had a problem. Many dogs show no real side effects when on Pb. It depends on the dose and the dog. Monte's tail never curled well and he wasn't able to jump up much due to the ataxia. He was also restless. He drank a lot of water and he urinated a lot. Monte was also on bromide and this may also have amplified some of the side effects as both drugs had side effects.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. He's home now. He's in a little bit of pain and finding it hard to get comfy. I'll give him some more painkillers in a little while to see if that helps him. The mass was much larger than expected apparently and was described as the size of a grapefruit. They think it is most likely another MCT. His X-rays were good except for an enlarged heart which they had already seen on a previous X-ray last year. As he shows no symptoms related to the heart they are not overly concerned but it isn't normal. They showed me the images and it is quite large.

I have oodles of experience with phenobarbital (Pb) and a couple of other anti epileptic meds. Depending on the dose age, you may see anything increased restlessness and weakness of the hind area to nothing at all. Usually light symptoms will disspear as his body gets used to the drug. Other symptoms are increased thirst and urination. Long term use can destroy the liver. The level of Pb drops very quickly in the dogs system after 12 hours and so timing is everything with ensuring optimal control of seizures. The dose will need to be adjusted to get it to optimal levels. He should be on it for at least 3 months and then a blood test should be done at trough levels (immediately prior to his next dose) to check the serum level.

Happy 10th DOLday. Mine is coming up this year also.

Thanks xyz. I'm not new to dogs or even veterinary nursing though. I can competently manage fluids and keep him quiet. He's a sloth normally so I expect he'll be even more sloth like after his surgery to be honest. :laugh: Aside from 24hr clinics, I've never left any of my dogs after surgery, only prior. I'm sure I can convince Pete he's arguing with the wrong woman. :) The only real positive is my time off work with him. I still remember bringing this little munchkin home in the car from Singleton. It was a stinking hot day, the freeway was blocked up as it was the Australai Day weekend and our air con blew up in the car on the drive up! His breeders gave me a bag of ice for him to lay on and keep cool. He was such a cute little fella. He still is.

Thanks everyone. I've booked the next two days off work so I can be there for his recovery. I'm hoping I don't have to argue with my vet to bring him home tomorrow after the surgery. He had previously advised they keep them overnight, but as I explained to him, given there isn't anyone at the clinic after hours he is better off with me.

Tomorrow is 'd' day. Boof is booked in for his splenectomy.

Okay, thank you. Maybe I should get my Pug's temperament assessed by a behaviourist first? I think we're similar in personality, but I find it hard to assess him because I'm so close to him. I wouldn't go that far. Is he dominant or submissive or in between? When he mixes with other dogs, watch his behaviour. Simply put (and there is more to it but this is the simple view of it) If he likes to play buddy, is happy to give in, and not possessive of you or his toys he'll be fine with most others. If he shows dominant and or possessive behaviours you'll need to find a pug that is more submissive. My bitch, Olivia, is dominant. Boof will give in to her although he isn't totally submissive. This is good. It means she dominates situations and he doesn't battle her over it unless it is really important to him. For example, he will give up a toy, his bed or attention from me rather than battle her. He will not give up his food though... It's rare really that a pug will. If you have a dog that would not give up a toy, or attention from an owner in the same scenario with Olivia, all hell would break lose. Pugs may not cause any damage due of their muzzle and face structure but they will fight to death in some respects.

I know I shouldn't say this but apocalypsepwnie - that first statement is a cracker and I love it! :laugh: