~Anne~

Sorry Anna, I don’t mean to diminish the work of those trying to help dogs in need. I just think it’s better to try and resolve the problem in a significant way, not pick-up the pieces. At the moment, rescues are left with the burden while governments and policy makers play politics. What advocates should be pushing for is valid and detailed research and data so that effective solutions can be developed. Instead we have welfare lobbyists, all in good faith, thinking that we need more restrictions on breeding and the introduction of desexing laws because of what could be a false premise. I’ve been around a long time as you know, I’ve been a vet nurse and worked for the then President of the RSPCA, I’ve ran a rescue, worked in the NSW government department that manages our companion animal laws and take na specific interest in animal welfare all my life. To me it’s pretty obvious that we’re grasping at straws and the dogs in need are not decreasing.

On a last note - I’ve argued for years that we cannot really debate the reasons why we have dogs in impound facilities. Until an in-depth study is done, we can only guess. I firmly believe the current premise we hold about why dogs are in pounds and or rescues is wrong. It’s based on assumption. It’s not based on research. A study conducted by UOQ years ago indicated different causes and outcomes to the thinking of the day and that thinking continues to this day. It’s almost a mantra: desex - rescue - regulate breeding… and yet what do we have now? The SAME issues as always.

I hate the byb vs pedigree debate. There shouldn’t be a debate because it’s horses for courses. I liken it to the debate which rages about public schools and private schools. It’s a choice and each to their own. The teachers and curriculum are all the same in both systems. The differences are cultural. Same with breeding dogs. It’s a cultural difference. The genetics are the same. ALL dogs, byb or pedigree, have genetic issues just like we humans do. There is no such thing as a perfect canine specimen - it’s a feckin’ myth! The cultural difference means one lot is bred to a set of desirable traits - that doesn’t mean the dog is any better than the dog which is not bred for specific traits. I CHOOSE to buy purebred because I want certain traits in my animals. That’s my choice but my choice is not any better or worse than someone who buys a dog from a non pedigree breeder. If I wanted another dog now, I would likely buy from a pedigree breeder. I hate the stupidity of the statement ‘rescue, don’t buy’. Feck off and don’t tell me what I do and please don’t dare lay a guilt trip on me because I choose to do what is best for me. The cruelty and abuse debate is a seperate issue and comes with a whole new set of points. As for rescues - I get where you’re coming from (I can’t see what Powerlegs said as the posts are now gone). My eyes never roll so hard as they do when I see some of the rubbish on social media. It’s an unregulated industry which means it’s a mess. There’s so many people with their hearts in the right places but their heads are another matter, and running any business purely on emotion isn’t a good idea.

Thanks for posting the follow-up story.

Gorgeous!

The vet nurse should not be comparing them to a thumb. Thumbs are opposing and serve a purpose. Without a thumb, you’d find it hard to pick up small items. A dog’s dew claw serves little purpose in 99% of breeds. In having said I’m not a fan of removing dew claws (or tails) to prevent something which is not a major health concern or issue for canines. Although your personal experience makes you think it’s common, in my experience as a former vet nurse, dog rescuer and dog owner, I don’t believe it is. I saw more cats with skinned tails due to paling fences than I saw dogs with dew claw injuries - that is unless you’re talking about overgrown dew claw nails. I can’t think of any logical argument you could use to defend your stance.

Why not a greyhound? They're not known to be barkers, they're happy to be couch potatoes, they're placid and an all round good breed.... and thousands are killed every year because of the racing industry. If you're happy to buy a dog from a breeder, you could also look at Cavaliers, Silky Terrier, or maybe a schnauzer. All dogs have health issues of some description. Some have more than their fair share but just like humans, there is no such thing as a completely perfect specimen. Sometimes, the temperament or other things make up for the health issues for the owner. As an example - I adore Pugs and had them my entire life (until now) and they probably top the list for health issues. I accepted it as I adore them.

Such a lovely uplifting story. Thanks for sharing with us!

Oh, no. I’m so sorry.

I’m so sorry. It’s a hard time for you all. We experienced very similar with Boofy. We also took him to his favourite beach for one last walk in the sand. His little belly was very swollen and he waddled along slowly, but his eyes lit up and I know he enjoyed it.

I’ve got a few I could refer in NSW, but none up north. It’s generally a ‘relatively’ simple procedure to do the nares and resect a palate. Many general practice vets can do it, if they’ve had the experience. 5 months is young to already be considering surgery. Given the age, it sounds like it could be a more severe form of obstructive airways syndrome so I’d be inclined to seek someone with good knowledge.

I’d like to see the real data. News.con isn’t known for accuracy. I’m not sure why anyone bothers to read it - you might as well buy New Idea and Womens Day.

Yes, the dog needs to be put to sleep. It’s obviously owned by somebody who can’t contain it, or control it. Dogs with this kind of aggression do not belong in society.

Yes, I did this as a rescuer. I rang Council every so often and asked them to tell me which dogs were chipped to my address. The paperwork often gets waylaid by councils and new details were never entered. These days it should be easier in NSW as owners can access their details on the database and do chip transfers. I’m not sure many do this though. I think council is still the preferred option.

In NSW, the responsibility for transferring the chip lies with the breeder/owner/rescuer. They’re responsible for completing and submitting the forms. They should provide a copy of them to the new owners. The new owners should keep an eye out for the confirmation the chip has been transferred. When I was rescuing, I came across a lot of dogs still chipped to former owners or breeders.

Wow, that's a lot of dogs. How sad.

Lipomas are fatty tissue (there is no fluid in them so I cant see how they could burst - anymore than a human boob can anyway). You can shrink them with steroids or syringe the fatty tissue out, but I'm not aware of being able to shrink them any other way. I'd suggest the weight reduction is making the lipomas stand out less.

Hi Ricey, long time no see. I'm sorry that you're visiting with such shit news. I hope Keisha and you share a few more really special moments before her time comes to an end. Take care Ricey.

Hi Natalie, your posts are the same as multiple other dog blogs I've seen over the many years since I've been interacting online. I guess you just need to pick your audience and this audience probably isn't a good fit for that style of post. I'm definitely not the right audience either and I confess to scrolling straight past your posts when I realised you were writing in the voice of a dog. I'd say DOL (as many of us call it), is a discussion forum largely dedicated to purebred dogs, for Australians and our Kiwi mates, and of course for anyone who chooses to participate from around the world. In its peak, it was a massive resource for breeders, pet owners, and rescues to learn, chat, toss around problems and get advice. It is a little quieter these days (Facebook killed the forum star...) but its still a fabulous little resource. Anyway, no harm done. I'm sure you'll have lots of fans for your style of posts in the right forum. Feel free to hang around here and get the feel of our forum and to participate too.

I'm late late to the party as always - but, the statement about no crystals but potential stones doesn't make any logical sense. The stones form from the crystals. Not important now as you have a different diagnoses - maybe. Glad to see you've got a vet who is working with you and you're really caring and looking out for her health. Liver enzymes being up can be caused by a multitude of things though - including infection elsewhere in the body and coincidentally, kidney problems. Just something to keep in mind. My last rescue bitch came to me after her second surgery in 12 months to remove a large stone. The Vet reported the last one being the size of a small mandarin and said she was dripping with pus when she came to them. She was operated on (the owner had requested euthanasia as they could not afford the health care for her) and sent with owner permission to my rescue. She arrived still on antibiotics and a cd prescription diet. Within weeks of her recovery, she was infected again and still forming crystals! An easy test for crystals is to have them wee on a newspaper and then let the newspaper dry. You'll see shiny bits on it if she is developing crystals again. I believe that there is a thought that its a chicken and egg scenario with crystals and bladder infections. Do the crystals form because of the infection or do the crystals cause or assist the infection? Long story short of my experience - we spoke at length with our vet. He recommended we put her under so they could take a sample directly from the bladder to help with isolating the precise bug if there was one - in her case there was. We then put her on long term antibiotics. From memory, I think she was prescribed a month long course and she remained on the CD diet for life. We encouraged her to drink and flush her bladder to help prevent any crystals forming into stones, by draining liquid (and adding water where necessary) from food we were cooking (especially meat) and putting this in a jug in the fridge. I'd then heat it up during Winter. She also drank watery yoghurt. She never, ever got a bladder infection again. Olivia was my last dog. She lived with only one functioning kidney due to her early years before she came to my rescue and she was never able to control her bladder when it was full. If someone knocked on the door and she got excited... she greeted a few guests at the door this way over the years. We hadn't planned to keep her but I'm glad we did.

Did you mean to post in this thread, @Kirislin?

Maybe a franchise? A touch of extra security and support.

I’d never buy a puppy sight unseen. Im not sure I understand why people do.

Thanks! It’s interesting, isn’t it? I’m still not convinced the dog understands it in the way it’s portrayed though.

I can’t see the links you’ve added as I’m not on social media. I do have TikTok and can watch the vids without an account though and I’ve seen a lot of videos with dogs pushing buttons. I’ve often wondered if they’re legit communicating or the dog is just tapping anything knowing it gets attention when it does.