BarbedWire

Timely thread, and plenty of new tips... Grabbed a bottle of Selsun blue tonight :)

I've been using the QV oil diluted, as well as Alpha Keri lotion, following our dermatologist vet recommendations.

Re bedding, what do you use Sarspididious? I'm not sure the bedding itself is to blame, or dust mites (actually living in bedding, carpets etc). But I like the idea of switching to cotton, or some sort of more natural fibres. 6 dog beds here, covered in fleece blankets that are washed weekly. I like that they're cheap, and wash and dry quickly but they might not be ideal, so I'd be keen to try something better.

I did not realise that dust mites could be a problem for dogs. My beds are just cheap ones but they are all covered with cotton towels that are washed regularly. Usually more than one because my dog likes being snug and digs herself into her bedding.

My allergy dog has dry skin. Apart from adding omega oils to his diet, our dermatologist vet recommended using QV (human) products available from most pharmacies.

I only wash him with QV wash and give him a final rinse of QV bath oil diluted with water. I also spray his coat after walks with a solution of QV bath oil and water. I mix up 10ml of bath oil to every 400mls of water in a spray bottle.

When you spray your dog after walks how much do you put on (is the dog really wet) and do you spray in the tummy area only? Do you leave it on or brush it in? I'm concerned about leaving a wet dog. When she is wet I usually towel her dry.

I also thought about using the QV oil mix as a spray as Trinabean suggested but I don't understand how you can mix an oil with water. They won't blend.

Thanks OP for the wonderful and for me timely thread.

Hi Sarspididious, I'm not sure how/why but it does blend. It's a bath oil that mixes to a milky colour throughout the water (I use it in the bath for my eczema prone son). So it has something in it to disperse the oil. I do shake up the spray bottle just before using it on my dog though. It re-mixes easily.

Thanks, I've mixed some of the oil with water and it is milky as you said.

I also have a dog (supposed to be a schnauzer x but I think she is a Heinzer) with dry skin and this thread is very interesting. She is just finishing a course of prednil and I want to keep her off it if I can so I am trying so hard to get it right this time. I have decided that her problem is probably a contact issue because it is mainly on her tummy. I am thinking it might be wool (bedding) or the carpet and I am wondering if that might be the case for other posters also. After reading this thread I bought some QV moisturiser yesterday and it does seem to have helped. She didn't scratch last night and she is still quite calm. The QV moisturiser was quickly absorbed. If you put it on before going for a walk by the time you get home it will be completely absorbed and the dog will leave it alone. I have also made sure all her bedding is cotton and I use a fabric conditioner when I wash it. I think the carpet might also be an issue for her and I note the OP says that her dog sleeps on carpet. My carpet is quite new and it is nylon and my dog's problems have worsened since I got it. The carpet will be staying but I have put cotton covered beds in strategic places to stop her lying on it. I have also tinkered with her diet but it is too soon to say how that is going because she is just off her prednil. I also thought about using the QV oil mix as a spray as Trinabean suggested but I don't understand how you can mix an oil with water. They won't blend.

Thanks OP for the wonderful and for me timely thread.

... starts staring at me at four o'clock telling me it's time for her tea when she is fed at five o'clock.She keeps it up for the whole hour and then at six o'clock she wants mine as well. She is insatiable. I think she would eat until she was bursting and even then she probably wouldn't stop. An utter guts :)

... wants to share my food. It really irritates me. I don't want her food so why does she want mine?

What I find scary is that I saw on a facebook page recently a poster trying to justify dog attacks on SWFs as what dogs do naturally and there is nothing that can or should be done about it. It sounded to me as if it was suggesting that it's much the same as a cat catching a bird or a mouse. If I see a loose dog coming towards me I don't wait around to find out if it is friendly. I'm outta there as fast as I can.

There shouldn't be any second chances given. If a dog has killed another dog then that should be that. In this case the owner deserves the $35,000 fine that can be levelled at her, well and truly, this was horrific.

The amount of attacks going on in the same part of QLD beggars belief, absolutely staggering.

I looked at this story and then two more about dogs attacks, all very disturbing.

I agree with the bolded part. The owner of the first dog that was killed has a life sentence of remembering the trauma and now the owners of the other dogs have their traumas to deal with. I know if my dog killed another dog that would be it. It would be pts.

Sorry I did not realise.

Love what you do. There is a beautiful kelpie Y18 at DAS waiting for some magic although he looks pretty good already. He needs a save by tomorrow.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/266635-das-dogs-due-24-may-2016/

for him. He looks gorgeous.

Thanks sarspididious. Kelpie boy looks gorgeous ... alas, we still have Jerry in care with us really can't take on another foster until he has found his Forever Home ...

ETA: this post seems to suggest he got adopted??? :)

Thanks for that info. He does look like a good dog. The work you do is so admirable and dogs are lucky to come into your care.

Love what you do. There is a beautiful kelpie Y18 at DAS waiting for some magic although he looks pretty good already. He needs a save by tomorrow.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/266635-das-dogs-due-24-may-2016/

for him. He looks gorgeous.

I am a horse lover and I love the photos of the horses galloping free but for me the talk about crank nosebands and rollkur have turned me off photos of horses doing dressage.

Willem are you an incognito politician? You sound to me like what I would imagine Mathias Cormann to sound like if he had a dog. :)

Bravo powerlegs. A brilliant post. :thumbsup:

I tried to reply directly but I wasn't allowed because of the number of quotes.

I once had a pure bred dog who we did not plan to have desexed. At 9 months she came into season and one day when I came home she was missing. I found her outside a motel mating with three dogs, one of whom was the motel's guard dog and was actually on a chain. I took her to the vet and she had an injection to prevent pregnancy.

I have also owned other bitches who were not bred and every time they came into season about nine weeks later they had a false pregnancy which was very distressing for all of us.

If you don't plan to breed or show your dog have it desexed.

As outlined in the title, this is a thread for the 'unethical' (but responsible) dog owner who doesn't de-sex his dog, and I'm aware that this is a very small minority here on this forum.

I'm one of these 'unethical' dog owners who doesn't get their dog de-sexed. Not only do I have to defend my decision sometimes, I also get fined, e.g. where I live the registration fees are a multiple higher for entire dogs compared to de-sexed dogs: I had to pay AU$ 188 while the fee for a de-sexed dog was AU$51. Why????...I registered my dog as a responsible owner, I walk my dog, I pick up, I do obedience with her ...why do I have to pay nearly 4 times more?

I'm well aware of the arguments for promoting neutering - but if we look a little bit closer, where are all the dogs in the pounds are coming from?

1. unregistered back-yard breeders
   
2. puppy mills
   
3. mass production via registered breeders
   
4. owners who let their dog have 'this one litter'...or two...
   
5. accidents from dogs not de-sexed
   

Where did the above information come from?

While there are no reliable statistics available, I would put quite some money on the assumption, that the last item in the above list is actually the one with the smallest impact. We had our first entire bitch 40 years ago and never had an 'accident'! ...we just used and still use 'Common Sense' (for the younger readers: no, 'Common Sense' is not an app you can download on your smart phone).

Really.How do you know?

Furthermore, it is very likely that actually the desperate efforts, trying to rescue every dog possible, contributes heavily to the indeed unethical breeding culture: as long as there are some kind of takers, irresponsible breeders will keep on going fueling the market!...in other words: the more dogs you save, the more they breed...

Evidence?

The approach of addressing the overproduction via enforced de-sexing is IMO not only the wrong approach, but entails severe health risks: there is enough scientific evidence showing that more than 1 out of 10 de-sexed dogs will die due to cancer (and there are further significant, but non fatal, health issues associated with spaying). Ad the significant side effects due to over-vaccination and the 12-month heartworm shot with Moxidectin to the equation and it is not surprising that we see rising numbers of sad stories about dogs with severe health issues here in this forum.

Name the scientific evidence please

Another argument for de-sexing regarding behaviour improvement is also partly rebutted: while de-sexing can decrease aggression in male dogs, recent studies show that females actually will likely become more aggressive after spaying.

What recent studies?

In other countries de-sexing without necessity is animal cruelty: 'The Norwegian Animal Welfare Act makes it clear that surgical procedures are not to be used to adapt animals to the needs of humans, unless strictly necessary.' And despite such an opposing approach the Vikings don't have problems with overfilled pounds or straying dogs!

Why should we follow other countries?

Unfortunately, scientific evidence will always be beaten by the temptations of convenience, and how convenient is it not having to address the needs of an entire bitch once or twice a year?...however, the oh so highly rated convenience achieved via de-sexing might be short-lived once the health issues start.

Is this thread for real? Please have a look at the rescue forums and look closely in the eyes of all those dogs facing euthanasia.

That's not a good news story. It's just a rescue/rescuers self promoting.

Unless you're working under a rock, everything is self promotion, and in this case it's a Pet Rescue initiative and happening all over the place with all different rescues on the cover.

Interesting comment. Some people are into self demotion every time they open their mouths or walk down the street. There is an invisible line to be drawn between healthy ego and bragging and imo the article in the OP is about promoting this. https://www.facebook.com/bevspetservices/

Are you saying that all the phone books will feature a rescue organization?

I have the answer to my second question http://www.standard.net.au/story/3829376/cover-star-for-a-cause/

I just googled dogs in Europe and it came back with some awful images. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=dogs+in+europe&rlz=1C1CHWA_enAU620AU620&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=775&tbm=isch&imgil=a1lalOeaoEd3EM%253A%253BIJbzemf4cqfHsM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.esdaw.eu%25252Fthe-strays-in-europe.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=a1lalOeaoEd3EM%253A%252CIJbzemf4cqfHsM%252C_&usg=__OWUw3Z4U30u98J1kPoaIdduE4u4%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiE3fOwmJTMAhXiL6YKHcFHBmYQyjcILQ&ei=fboSV8SqHOLfmAXBj5mwBg#tbm=isch&q=dogs+in+europe&imgrc=_

Why do Australians always think that what other countries do is better? I am happy with the way it is here at the moment. The other day I saw a dog in Bunnings and I gave it a wide berth because I did not want to be watching it as well as searching the shelves for what I wanted. I also hate dogs (and misbehaving children) in cafes because I want peace when I drink my coffee.

That's not a good news story. It's just a rescue/rescuers self promoting.

Unless you're working under a rock, everything is self promotion, and in this case it's a Pet Rescue initiative and happening all over the place with all different rescues on the cover.

Interesting comment. Some people are into self demotion every time they open their mouths or walk down the street. There is an invisible line to be drawn between healthy ego and bragging and imo the article in the OP is about promoting this. https://www.facebook.com/bevspetservices/

Are you saying that all the phone books will feature a rescue organization?

Not that I am on the side of the breeder in this case but I am not comfortable when newspapers quote from ex-partners in an attempt to stitch someone up just for a story.

Watching Starkhere's videos on puppy training - then reading/seeing this horror .. a world apart , and so very sad

I often think this Persephone especially when I see pups in the pound kept in an enclosed yard 24 hours a day. Starkhere's thread is so beautiful. I really enjoy the updates.

That's not a good news story. It's just a rescue/rescuers self promoting.

Gorgeous pups. You are giving them such a fantastic start in life.

I know I am going Off topic but more of this would help solve the problem of stray cats and unwanted kittens in our pounds.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-08/young-canberra-citizen-of-the-year-award-winners-announced/7312550

Fixing the problem of stray cats

Alexandra Craig was named Canberra's Young Environmentalist of the Year for her work with her charity Canberra Cat Fix.

It raises money to subsidise desexing procedures for cat owners who could not afford the vet fees.

Ms Craig said she had worked in animal rescue organisations for some time and was seeking to do more to reduce the number of stray cats and those in shelters.

"I wanted to do something to fix the problem, and fostering and donating litter and food didn't seem like enough," she said.

"I thought we need to fix this problem — we need to encourage people to desex their cats."

She said some estimates put the number of stray cats in the ACT at around 20,000 but every cat desexed would help reduce that number.

"So far we've done about 200 cats in a year," she said.

"We're pretty happy with that."

Maybe the volunteers were told right at the beginning over 12 months ago why the 2 instances with the cats happened and like most people don't believe the rangers and just decided to run the story anyway in the papers.

How did the rangers explain it?