trinabean

My dream dog would be the dog I have now. Minus the allergies, the colitis and the heart murmer.

Yes, I can't raise big funds quickly so I pay via a credit card if it's a large invoice. I then deposit the Petplan cheque into the credit card account once I get paid out. I haven't had to hesitate in treating my dog. Things did get to a stage where we were calling the credit card debt 'The Monster' as it had gotten large and scary though.... Edited: The thing to bear in mind with this system is that not all invoices are necessarily covered by Petplan if you have any exclusions etc. on your policy. So you need to be able to cover the 'gap' if that's the case.

That's what concerns me the most. A child has died, and people are in a frenzy to look like they're doing something productive about it. How many knee jerk reactions have happened about dogs in the past few years, more laws that don't get properly policed. Yes, polititians seem to love a 'quick fix' that soothes the voting public. To the uninformed, the PR spin makes it look as though they are 'doing something about the problem.' The sad thing is, bite statistics won't be changed by knee-jerk new laws.

Bruno always wriggled and squirmed when having his nails clipped. I only ever clipped a quick once, but thereafter it became nigh on impossible to clip his nails. Once he was a large-ish puppy it was a nightmare trying to do his nails. He was so physically strong that it was a 2 person job. Even then, with black nails and a last-minute flinch he was at risk of having his quicks/paws cut. He spent most of the time trying to bite the clippers, and I could barely see what I was trying to do. There are things I'd do differently with a puppy next time. Probably in the same way that I should have gotten him used to clippers, we have gotten him used to the dremel. Because he was so terrified of the clippers, we took it slowly. I got him used to the sound of the dremel before ever touching his nails. He is a very curious (aka downright bloody nosey) dog, so my husband would use the dremel for other things and let Bruno watch him work. The first few times we used the dremel on Bruno's nails we really only touched a few nails. Progressively we increased the time and we did his nails every week, only taking a little off. I usually take Bruno for a walk before doing his nails. He has a nice empty stomach. We place him on a workbench as we don't have/ need a proper grooming table. I tether him for extra stability, and to keep his head away from the dremel. I then shovel high-value food into his mouth while my husband dremels the nails. We do the nails regularly, probably about every 2 weeks, so he is well-used to it now. We run around and play a game afterwards with a favourite squeeky toy (boxers and their squeeky toys, ultimate reward). :laugh: He no longer stresses out at having his nails done. And I don't have to get a vet to sedate him to clip them, win-win. Not sure if we are doing things the 'right' way, but it's working for us. Just thought I'd share in case it helped. I'm thinking food might be a good distraction for a pug. :)

Likewise OSoSwift. :) I am the person that Bruno seeks out in the morning (no doubt for food and walks). :laugh: That said, he loves snuggling up with the kids when they read or watch tv.

Yes indeed.

Good luck at the vet. Let us know how it goes.

It makes me feel sick too. I don't think this is something that families ever get over. From the descriptions given of the dog being normally 'kept on a chain' it sounds more like a 'resident dog' than a well- socialised family pet. 'Resident dogs' and those kept on a chain feature highly in fatal bite statistics in the US. What a horrific tragedy.

Good point Staffyluv, sometimes there is a medical reason for such roundness.

Oh dear, Pudding is a cube! She looks like a friendly soul though. Maybe she was getting desperate for a walk/ some company? Good on you for taking her in and tracking down her owners *kirty*

Wow, it seems like just yesterday you posted that update OSoswift. The photos I've seen of the puppies are beautiful, they're so big already. Ok, an update on my dog in case it helps anyone thinking of using Suprelorin. He had a 12 month implant put in August 2012. He had previously had a 6 month implant that seemed to wear off right on cue around 6 months later. Well, the 12 month reminder came from the vet's today. Only last night I commented to my OH that Bruno's testicles were making a comeback. I have no idea of his fertility and never will, as Bruno is a limited register pet. I assume that his size may be an influence on how long the implant lasts, but I don't really know. He is 29kg and the duration guidelines appear to be accurate for him.

Just a thought Donatella, but could you video her on your phone next time you see her doing it? Might be helpful to show the vet, (especially if she's like my boy and never shows any symptoms at the vet). I hope it's nothing major for her.

Never mind.

:laugh: Apart from being a boxer, mine is the same. Five minutes, five hours, five days....same enthusiastic greeting. It's wonderful to come home to a joyful dog when you've had a crappy day. :)

Thank you Mita. :) I have so many photos like this. It puzzles me when people assume that all boxers are hypo nutters. Like many breeds, they are happiest with human companionship.

People are aware of the consequences of speeding and drink driving - and yet they do it. Do we punish responsible drivers by banning cars? Of course we don't. We penalise those who do the wrong thing.. So why are we penalising responsible dog owners when its pretty bloody obvious what kind of dog ownership creates dangerous dogs? There is a model for reducing dangerous dogs in society, its the Calgary model and it works when BSL has been proven to fail in this regard. If you're really interested in community safety Santo, I'm puzzled as to why you don't hitch your wagon to a solution that works. Indeed.

Cozy 16 year old daughter too. She just curled up in it but jumped out when I tried to take a photo lol :laugh:

We better not tell Bruno either Perrin. Both kids were under 10 when we got him. Here he is with one of them (gosh, maybe he ate the other child?) He spends a lot of time like this. Boxers and kids. Just the worst....

I don't want to be a party pooper but the ZD was problematic for my dog. He was put on it while having GI issues and became incredibly itchy for the fist time in his life while on this 'hypo-allergenic food.' My vet said that approximately 25% of dogs he treats get itchier while on ZD. The main protein is chicken and whilst is is hydrolysed ( and therefore shouldn't trigger an immune response) my vet and I agreed that a single protein/ single carb elimination diet was a better option. According to the re- challenge, my dog reacts badly to chicken. Surprise surprise...

Oh that is awful, poor dog. I'm glad my dog had his dew claws removed as a pup. I dremel his nails, he's fine with the dremel. He's terrified of clippers though.

Indeed. Boxers fare badly in this article but maybe that's not a bad thing. At least, I hope that people buying them are choosing boxers after doing their own research. And not relying on simplistic, inaccurate articles like this one.

Just wanted to thank you again for letting me know about this food trinabean, I picked some up yesterday and it seems very nice :) It smells and looks great and the dogs love it :D it's not cheap! but luckily it's really only for Louis, Daisy will be sticking to the raw. Oh good, I hope it is suitable for Louis. The friend who recommended it feeds it to her poodle and is really happy with the quality. No, it's certainly not cheap, but it seems like a good product and it will hopefully save you some work.

Those look good Anngirl. And Fivers those fabrics might be the solution to not showing Hugo's hair as much?

Probably hard to tell from my photos, but the buddy bed isn't as structured as it looks. The sides are soft enough foam that they fold over to accomodate spreadeagled limbs/ necks. So there are no hard uncomfortable bits holding the sides up. I was going to post a photo to demonstrate, but it's: a). Ginormous and b). A bit um, 'hello girls' :laugh:

I can see Murphy, he's very cute and cozy. That looks like a good bed too Justrace. :)