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Strangely enough we don't have too many issues rehoming elderly Great Danes - there are of course all the people who would love to adopt them but "Don't want their hearts broken so soon". The people that adopt them know that they could potentially go at any time but want to give them an awesome ending so to speak. We tend to find the oldies are actually great for people new to the breed or have kids. I think promotion and education is the key :) I tend to say to people "No matter what age they are, when they go they're going to break your heart". There are so many pros to an older dog in terms of energy levels, training, toielt trained etc. - Focus on the positives :) Our Facebook group has nearly 1,000 members and we send out a Weekly Newsletter with available dogs, we try our best to pay for transport - uunderstanding that the perfect home may not be local.

I have used it on various dogs, some have had good results, some haven't.

Such an old myth about taking dogs to trials/shows on an empty stomach - it actually makes no sense what-so-ever as the dog needs the energy from the food to perform at its best. Sure cut the meal down but not out completely.

Thats been around forever....total bs :)

Vale Dante aka S.O.S and Ch Arndane Thunder in thedark 13.03.07 - 11.04.12 I'm absolutely heartbroken to tell you that Dante passed away Wednesday morning due to complications from surgery. Lance and I would like to thank our amazing Vet team, Ian & Shannon who we know will be devastated. If it wasn't for their hard work and dedication to our boy we would have lost him a long time ago. Dante was a funny boy, he was a charmer, a cheeky bugger, he could be so smart but so dull all at the same time, his trainer affectionately referred to him as Dumb-tae. He struggled through his life, mother nature wasn't kind to him and we tried to do everything we could for his health challenges but I think in the end his body was just too tired to fight anymore. RIP my beautiful boy, no more pain.

Does look a bit odd actually. Send it to your breeder?

Before you go ripping your lawn out, try doggy booties first to see if it is that. Food allergies / intolerances can show up as red feet, red pasterns, red legs etc.

Half the rescue groups out there at the moment have nothing. Not an ABN, 16d or CFN nothing at all So I am concerned for rescue across the board. For me all of them should be under scrutiny I'm just going through this now as we've got bigger and busier and not doing it as a hobby status. For NSW (we run as an unicporated organisation) you need a a Management Commitee, business bank account in the name of the actual rescue, register a business name (even as an unincorporated organisation), an ABN, they issue you with a TFN at the same time, you need to apply for a Fundraising Licence, then there is the Income Tax registration so you're not paying income tax and FBT and then there's Deductable Gift status. And with that, comes being audited once a year. Most rescues don't have this but to me I think it's just the next step in being legal & ethical.

If it's atopic then there is a genetic component. Most dogs are in pet homes and most pet homes don't have regular contact with Breeders, allergies have become so common that most dog owners wouldn''t even think to report it to a breeder. It only has to be one dog related by blood somewhere who for example used to itch on a certain grass to have a family connection.

What does the drug do ? What's it called? It's a clinical drug trial where you have a 50/50 chance of the control drug or the experimental drug if your dog is eligible (ie itchy enough). Because of the nature of the trial I shouldnt discuss online except to say I suggest you discuss with you vet if youre interested - most of them know about it I think. :) We wanted to be part of the trial but we couldn't do the Cortisone witholding period.

My dog was diagnosed with this condition and has been been on Cortisone since he was a baby puppy. We have been through all the normal avenues and more. The only thing that bring comfort and controls the symptoms in his case is Cortisone which he has been on for 5 years.

I guess the question mymatejack is why do you think the dog is being aggressive? The dogs body language doesn't indicate aggression. Barking doesn't mean aggression either.

Our exercise doesn't change at all.....not sure why it should? If anything I love the winter better because it's cooler to be able to exercise the dogs at a decent time.

Maybe contact some TS breeders in her city and see if they can assist?

No flaming here, such a sad situation. I can only tell you what I would personaly do and that doesn't mean that is the right or wrong thing in this situation. I would PTS the 14-15 year old and contact an all breeds rescue for assistance witth the 8 year (if the 8 year old still has many years ahead of them).

We use the 'Gotcha Game' works a treat. http://youtu.be/6jaxuTuH2ow

There is some European evidence that the key ingrediant which is Hypericin inhibits Serotonin re-uptake in some people and that other compounds in St Johns Wort such as Flavonoids might provide other benefits. I personaly have used St Johns Wort on a Anxious dog with some success, although it is a supplement that can start working straight away however for more benefits it can take up to 6 weeks to really get going. You must check with your Vet about giving St Johns Wort if you are giving other medications as there are some negative drug interactions. This herb should not be taken with other drugs which can inhibit MAO. For dogs, the reccomended ose is 250-300 mg twice daily for large dogs has been recommended and proven useful clinically. In people, research suggests that St Johns Wort is effective in about 55% of cases. As with other antidepressants, the full effect takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks to develop. Although St Johns Wort appears to be somewhat less powerful than standard antidepressants, it rarely causes side effects. Animal studies involving very large doses for 26 weeks have not shown any serious effects.

Sorry guys, but you are going to get screened if you go through rescue (well one would hope so) - our Dane Rescue screening is quite indepth and personal but it's neccessary.....i.e. if you don't have the means to pay (beg, borrow or steal [well not steal]) for an emergency Bloat/Tortion situation then a Dane isn't going to be a dog that is going to be suitable. Although, I'm not rude to people or judgemental but there is a list of screening questions that we need to go through.

Just remember e-mail isn't always reliable, e-mails can get lost in cyber space, servers go down. If you don't hear back, call :)

Sorry to hear about your current situation. I think it's great that you've spone up, simply some dogs are too much for some people and / or outside the realms of what they have experience in. To me, if you were one of my foster carers, I would pay for a Behaviourist to come in and help you and if that didn't help then I would have the dog removed and sent to our behavioural bootcamp with our behaviourist. Can that type of thing happen in your situation?

Sorry to hear you're having trouble contacting the rescue. We respond on the same day. If you like big breeds, how about a Great Dane *wink* www.greatdanerescue.com.au

If the lead broke it's not the owners fault, come on now. It's just a very unfortunate situation.

Because a puppy poses no threat? They are typically submissive. Have puppy licence? The question is why would a dog attack a puppy.

I don't think anyone can really answer that, too many variables and not knowing the dogs previous history and general temperament. Dante was attacked twice as a puppy by adult dogs, I have no idea why but he continued on his life being the dog that always got singled out and attacked.

Dog rocks don't work for all dogs - just like not all products work for all dogs. If you're using them correctly as per instructions and you've been using them at least a month and they're not working well then it's clear that they're not suitable for that dog :)