trinabean

And it's so awful that in doing the right thing (HW's greys were muzzled, as required by law) they were totally vulnerable, and unable to defend themselves. Dogs that are liable to attack innocent (and often defenceless) passers-by should be kept behind locked gates. How hard is it to put a lock on a gate?

Please get this seen too. Yes, and some photos of your hand injury might be a good idea too.

Is the perimeter of the property fenced at all?

Yes, have you thought about a dog run for her? You could put some snake mesh on a dog run too, and build in a bit more shelter from the rain. Just a thought. She looks like a lovely girl.

Excellent advice Wundahoo. I say this as someone with an allergy dog, who is under the care of a dermatologist, it is well worth knowing exactly what is triggering your dog's issues. Eliminating Wandering Dew aside, none of the other things you are doing would have helped my dog. Because I know from allergy testing and elimination diets what he is allergic to, I can target my treatment approach accordingly. I too, think you might save yourself money and effort in the long run, by seeking a specialist opinion. You will need your GP vet to refer you to a dermatologist.

Oh poor Miss Maddie, and Stan, and you HazyWal. That would have been terrifying. It makes me so angry that people can't manage to shut their bl**dy gates and keep their dogs in their yard. I'm so sorry this has happened to your dogs. I hope the council take it seriously, and the owners pay your vet bills. Big hugs to you, and gentle pats to your lovely dogs.

Yes, I think a drive to locate it next time it howls is probably the best way to locate it, and a note in their letterbox. My neighbours have taken on a rescue dog who cried and howled for the whole day, the first few days that they went to work. He is quiet when they're home, so they had no idea how noisy he was in their absence. Luckily he has settled in now though.

Great post!

Happy Birthday Ziggy!

Stan cracks me up too. :laugh: And yes Grumpette, knowing my luck Bruno probably does need a chiropractor! Do you reckon a chiro would accept an Olympic medal as part of a payment plan HazyWal?

So many funny photos. I love Maddie's smile HazyWal. And Zeph's 'Hello Girls' position is funny Grumpette. :laugh: Bruno likes to do the Twist. This was a puppy photo:

Try CAWA (Canine Association of W.A). They have a website listed as Dogswest too, where you can find info on upcoming shows/ events/ registered breeders etc: Dogswest

I know that it's cheap because I'm in Perth (where Vetpath lab is located) but I pay about $60 to have a parvo/ distemper titre done. The vet practice needs to have an account set up with Vetpath I think. You could try contacting Vetpath directly and asking which vet practices in Victoria have an account with them? Then it's just a matter of checking on prices/locations of the vets they suggest. Vetpath laboratory

I just read that in the news this morning. 'The four lions were put down on Monday after the zoo failed to find a new home for them.' They don't seem to be very good at finding new homes for any of their animals...

How awful. You sharing this story highlights for many of us the importance of reporting aggressive/ roaming dogs. Please don't beat yourself up about it JulesP. It is, after all, a community responsibility to report dogs such as these (and it sounds as though others had reported these dogs too). I have given 2nd (and 3rd) chances in the past before lodging a report too. Stories like this make me less reluctant though. I hope that the victim can make a full recovery. Awful for all involved...

It may be common knowledge on DOL that onions can be harmful to dogs, but to be honest, I don't think it's widely known in the community. Plus I think that the ill-effects happen when onion is ingested over a period of time. One onion probably isn't a big worry. I'd put it down to yobs throwing food rather than anything malicious. :)

A big to Scout. May all your toys be squeaky! And Happy Birthday to you too VizslaMomma. :)

Oh thank you, I know someone who was looking for this particular study. I shall pass it on. :)

Better nominate your vet for our next awards - that's the first time I've ever heard of a vet doing that - good on them - allowing a client to make their own informed decision. Good idea Steve, I will. :) That study is actually a link provided on the vet's website now, but at the time he emailed to me and suggested I think about it.

it is my understanding that this link between CCL rupture is #1 associated with early desexing and #2 thought to be caused by the changed angles of the joint when the long bones grow slightly longer with growth plates that close later due to the lack of sex hormones. I assume this is speculation re cause and effect as with many conclusions drawn from such studies, but in any case the ones I have read have been focusing on time of desexing in relation to joint issues. this does not take into account cancer risk, which I have also read may be increased for some cancers (osteosarc comes to mind, but this was particularly for females and related to "oestrogen exposure time" again in relation to early vs late desexing) in the desexed dog, but decreased risk for others. Males do not have the same issue with mammary tumours which is the big deal for females although they do often get prostatic hyperplasia +/- testicular tumours etc when the testicles are left and thus continuing to influence the prostate. Prostate cancer is far less common in dogs than humans but even hyperplasia or inflammation/infection of the prostate can cause significant discomfort and issues deficating in older dogs and these tend to really only occur in entire older males. it is a balancing act in my opinion and in circles where dogs are most likely kept 100% under control and in a secure yard (as is likely to be the case with DOL members who clearly are very interested in their pets and their wellbeing to be spending the time to research and chat about it) I do not think the accidental matings thing is such an issue but rather the decision should come down to these health considerations. personally I would be looking at desexing a dog after the 13month growth plate closure as a minimum age... but would probably still be looking to desex before they get much older than this for the above reasons. Yes, your explanation of the link between CCL rupture and early desexing makes sense. Thanks. :) I don't think there's a 'one size fits all' choice for responsibe owners (as you mentioned Bridgie Cat, who keep their dogs 100% under control and in a secure yard). So for me, it really does come down to weighing up the health risks/ benefits for my particular dog, in my particular situation. The paper I linked to earlier sums things up well in it's conclusion: CONCLUSIONS An objective reading of the veterinary medical literature reveals a complex situation with respect to the long-term health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs. The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive AND adverse health effects in dogs. It also suggests how much we really do not yet understand about this subject. On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs to prevent future health problems, especially immature male dogs. The number of health problems associated with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases. For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in many (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds. The traditional spay/neuter age of six months as well as the modern practice of pediatric spay/neuter appear to predispose dogs to health risks that could otherwise be avoided by waiting until the dog is physically mature, or perhaps in the case of many male dogs, foregoing it altogether unless medically necessary. The balance of long-term health risks and benefits of spay/neuter will vary from one dog to the next. Breed, age, and gender are variables that must be taken into consideration in conjunction with non-medical factors for each individual dog. Across-the-board recommendations for all dogs do not appear to be supportable from findings in the veterinary medical literature.

For me there are a few variables. I booked Bruno in to be desexed, but my vet gave me some studies to read before making a final decision. Including this interesting paper: Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs Taking into account that my breed is horribly over-represented in many types of cancer (and desexing male dogs seems to increase the risk for many of these) I decided not to castrate him. My vet suggested that desexed dogs are at greater risk of rupturing cruciate ligaments too (sex hormones play a role in keeping ligaments strong?). The compromise we made was to chemically castrate using the Suprelorin implant. I guess time will tell if that was a good idea, and we can always castrate at a later date.

My first thought as well poor little bugger must have been petrified. Yes. Poor little dog.

This US study seems to show that a small percentage of dogs don't respond/ have low response to vaccination for Distemper and /or Parvo. I could be interpreting it incorrectly, but it might be worth a read: My link

CC is it possible that Louis is a non or low-responder to vaccination? Has he previously had titer tests done that yielded a more expected result? I vaguely recall my vet mentioning that some dogs don't develop immunity when vaccinated (probably wrong terminology, tired brain today!). He mentioned it being more prevalent in some breeds though (eg. Rottweilers). And I can't exactly remember which ones...

How awful Yonjuro, I hope Ronin is unaffected by this. To be honest, even if you go to parks/reserves that are meant to be on-lead only, many people diregard the rules. My dog is always walked on-lead in such areas, but I've lost count of the number of times we have been rushed by loose dogs. I do find dog-friendly beaches like South Beach are generally ok compared to parks. There are still incidents though, we've been lucky so far. I try to pick quiet times or go with other people and dogs we know.