Keira&Phoenix

I have just started lure coursing with Phoenix.

Advice from the old hands at the event were -

Warm up before your dogs turn on the course so just a brisk walk around for 5 - 10 minutes

After the dogs turn on the track walk to your area, give the dog a small drink of water, then another brisk walk as a warm down another 5 - 10 minutes.

Then the dog can be put back in its crate, or tie down and given more water.

Lure coursing is a lot shorter distance and without the burden so warm ups/downs would be quite different.

Agree with everyone's opinions. I can see why they would want to visit and the initial visits to check that the dog was being well looked after is fine but to continue to visit ever 2 - 3 weeks is ridiculous and a ridiculous expectation of you to make time for that not to mention how it is effecting the dog.

Next call/text politely tell them no more visits are allowed as that is unsettling the dog and tell them you will send photos and updates every few months.

THat is great info. Thanks Tilly. I personally had both mine done at the vets and got the stickers/letters from the companies they were registered with so all good

Maybe I'm harsh but I would considering shooting a dog who was literally latched onto the throat of my dog fair.

As a last resort maybe not as a first. I guess it depends on what you have available to you at the time to try and break up the fight and save your dog.

I agree with WSM very sad all round for the dogs. Once again people not being responsible and their pet has now paid the price for their stupidity and so has a police dog.

lovemesideways - It is a bit unreasonable to expect a dog to distinguish between an unleashed out of control dog and a leashed, effectively controlled dog. Dogs don't process that, just that there is another dog on their property. And for a dog aggressive dog this reaction was not out of the ordinary. Clearly the owner was aware his dogs had issues and he should have restrained them.

RIP Doggie

Avoid feeding raw food to your pet?? Why? How do they think that will help?

Another way to scare the public into feeding processed foods. What a load of trash.

This article seems like a backlash from the pet food companies after the Sunday Mail's article about pet foods containing sulfer dioxide and being bad for your dog and then advising raw feeding.

Just read the comments - Seems most people agree with what I have said.

Yeah there is just a fence separating small and big dogs, I am not sure how many small dog owners actually use those small dog areas though.

She is gorgeous!!!

Yep Jass I still have Pheonix in their adolescent playgroup but she only has a month left as she is 11 months old now. I will still go once she finishes though to help supervise and squueeeee at the cute pups : D

Yep, pretty much 50 percent of Logan City Council dog parks have big and small separate areas. I also know the dog park on Meadowlands Rd, Carindale is also separate but is also fantastic as there is a really nice, large area to walk including past a lake.

I have never boarded my dogs so can't help there

Thanks for sharing. I can't watch right now as I am at work but will have a look when I get home.

Ok Oscar and what about the sharks who are being rounded up and attacked by dogs? Do they not deserve the same respect as dogs, cats, horses etc?

Cruel which ever way you look at it, especially if those dogs are actually hurting the sharks.

So last week I found a lump on Phoenix's toe

It hasn't gone down since then it actually seems to have gotten worse and seems a bit scabby now.

I was told by a 5th Year Vet Student friend it could be a grass seed granuloma, a histiocytoma (self limiting benign lump) or Mass Cell Tumor.

What concerns me now is that she has had a second lump appear in the exact same place on her other foot

She has also in the past had a similar lump show up on her thigh a while back but I thought nothing of it.

We are booked to see the Vet tonight at 6 pm and I am just asking for lots of good vibes and wishes for it to be nothing major.

Thanks in advance

Wish I could help, I would be happy to but 9 hours is a little too far.

Best of luck finding someone.

How stupid/cruel to let the dogs paddle out into shark infested waters. I certainly wouldn't be letting my dogs go out there. Some people are just plain idiots sometimes.

Bizarre and sad all round.

Maybe the dog came bounding up to the children (as puppies usually do), the lady has gone "Oh no look viscous pitbull" and run out shooting...

But in all honestly she should be charged, she shot a dog and killed her husband, accidental or not it was dangerous and she unloaded a weapon into a group of people, that deserves at least a slap on the wrist.

Hope the dog is ok and they don't put her down because one seemingly crazy women thought it was "attacking" when in all truth she was probably playing.

Find a mentor. That is the very best way for you to find out what you need to know. A mentor will be able to answer all your questions, help you with the decision on what bitch to breed to what dog, help you get into showing/sports if that is what your plan is. Obviously you need to find a breeder who is in it for the same reasons as you ie: betterment of the breed and not breeding to profit from "rare" colours.

I would be interested in going just to hear what he says. I personally don't believe in his methods at all.

Koala Park Veterinary Surgery in Victoria Point.

http://www.truelocal.com.au/business/koala-park-veterinary-surgery/redland-bay

I know a few people who work there and it has come highly recommended by 5th year Vet Students I know who are doing their practical work there. Ask for Jo she is a qualified Vet and runs it.

Thanks for the update. So sorry to hear about the cancer diagnosis.

As others have recommended - I personally would be having Xrays done to confirm the cancer has not spread to the lungs already and possibly biopsy a lymph node in the region. The more you know the better equipped you are to deal with it and with the outcome.

Fingers crossed that your boy has made a full recovery and will live a long happy life with you.

It could also be that your dog is intolerant to something that you are feeding him ie: my dog Keira was pretty similar to what you have describing (thin, can see ribs and hips)with bad skin it turned out she had an intolerance to beef and wheat, both of which she was getting in her normal diet (more so beef than wheat) and with a change to a different diet she is now coming good. The intolerance means your dog is not absorbing anything from his food and body isn't functioning correctly. Many dogs are intolerant to grains/wheats so this could be his problem and raw feeding might be a better option for you.

Best of luck.

PS - Thyroid tests done here in Aus are no where near what Jean Dodds does in the US. Erny who is a frequent here is very knowledgeable on the subject but is way sick at the moment.

You said you were concerned about your dog dropping dead. I was saying a specialist or a vet very experienced with Grade 3 Heart Murmur's is the best person to seek advice from as you need to be well aware of what your pups limitations are otherwise you could allow him to over work himself and he could possible die or you could end up with even bigger vet bills trying to save him if he gets very ill from over exertion.

It is a condition that needs to be closely monitored but also MANAGED properly, ie: diet and exercise is important to make sure he is getting the right type and amounts of each. Vets/Specialists who are very experienced with this particular condition are going to be your best bet in getting the right info.

The extra $160 - $200 will be worth it in the long run.

Was your pup purchased through a breeder? If so it is very important that you notify your breeder about the pups diagnosis.

I would be consulting with a specialist to get advice on how to handle puppy. Obviously puppies are quite active and want to run and play but it is quite concerning the pup has already collapsed once. You will need to limit exercise etc. Only a vet familiar with these types of conditions will really be able to give you an idea of what is best for the puppy.

Keira & Phoenix - thank you for the suggestion re the hip check as well... I hadn't thought that through... makes sense..

We are seeing David Lidbetter at Paramatta and from what I have heard he is very good ? We couldn't see our normal vet - too early on Sunday morning - so we saw another vet elsewhere - but she was brilliant with the presenting symtpons and checked him thotoughly... Like some of you have mentioned I was so worried about the vomits/shakiness.....thank dog that was all OK...

We were told us we could go and see out vet today for a second opinion but we just wanted to get it looked at asap with a specialist so we know what we are dealing with.... His chiro has said he thinks his hips are OK a few weeks ago but as Keira & Phoenix has suggested - bearing in mind the specialist's expertise and he is getting sedated anyway for Xrays - we may as well get it all done at once....

Thank you for all your good wishes.... I hope it may not need surgery but I guess I will know next Tuesday... If so I hope it is all straightforward.... I shudder at the thought of keeping an 18 mnth Lab quiet for 6 weeks

But you know it just goes to show how quickly things change... here is me last Friday chatting away on DOL about insurance blah blah and here I am Monday dealing with this...

I didn't realise that insurance didn't cover a luxating patella... I am definitley leaning towards now putting money aside monthly into a "slush "fund for emergencies - esp if the return re claims is now only 80% and so many things are ruled out re cover ?

No problems Like you said if he is already under for xrays may as well get hips checked as well.

It may be a case that his knee doesn't even need an op. Keira who had her left knee done also had issues with her right knee as well but over time by keeping her lean, controlled exercise etc as she grew up the patella stopped moving out of position and although if that knee is manipulated the patella will pop out, it will only do it with manual manipulation and hasn't popped out on its own in years.

This is a fantastic thread. I am going to get a kit together now.

Sticky worthy