karen15

You could try turkey mince DDD. I use that for one fatty cocker and one fat intolerant westie. The westie is tricky for pills, so I put one in the middle of a turkey ball not much bigger than the pill, the aim is for it to be gobbled down fast. Too much mince and he'll eat around the pill. If that happens, just do it again and drop a couple of fake balls before the loaded one I don't rush weight loss. Prefer slow over rapid unless there's a medical need to lose weight fast. I generally do it by reducing portions, which is why I go for slow as I don't like cutting too much food straight up. Any decrease to rations should see a drop in weight and after a few months if more needs to come off, reduce ration again until they're at a good weight. If you look at 6 months it's a loss of around 70g per week, 300g per month.

Admittedly I've only owned one staffy, but they are very active dogs IME. I wouldn't think them suited to apartment living. I moved with my boy into a 2 bedroom unit when he was 10. I've got a 200 sq metre courtyard - that's approx 1/3 of a standard house block. That was just ok size wise for him in his golden years. I certainly couldn't have had him as a younger dog in this space, he would have been super destructive.

It's not omly antibiotics causing resistant bugs, it's also the plethora of germ killing handwashes. Plain soap and water does the same job and doesn't create resistant bugs.

Jordit, his last surgery was done at 13yo. We removed the aggressive tumour as it changed from the pea size it was for four years to grape sized. I beat myself up over it until I realised whatever decision I would have made would have been wrong. If we'd left it, that tumour would have killed him. We removed it and the subcutaneous came up. So it was a no win for me and once I realised that I coped better. The vet said the subcutaneous was probably linked to what we removed, so it's just how the cards fell. We were lucky up till then. I think his first mast cells were removed at 8yo. Staffies are very prone to them apparently. He had other joint issues - arthritis, fusing spine, neuro issue with back legs. So discussed chemo with vet vs removal as required. We went the second route and he got another 6 years. Apparently dogs respond differently to chemo than humans, but I just didn't want to put him through it. Our margins came back clear on the first two removals, done at the same time, so that probably helped my decision. I'd discuss with your vet if they could reoperate and take more margin. As I noted above, we had to do that, and it went really well. He was prob 10 or 11 for that one. It was huge. ETA Ops were done by my general vet, but she is VERY good. I travel 25 mins to see her when there's vets literally 500m up the road...

My staffy had multiple mast cell tumours removed. What eventually killed him was a subcutaneous mast cell that couldn't be removed and I had to decide the time had come. He was still happy in himself but the tumour started to bleed and was starting to impede his movement, so I saw the vet (was seeing her monthly anyway) and we decided it was best for him. We discussed chemo with the first mast cell, but due to his age, I decided against it. We removed 6 from memory. The one that killed him, the vet had warned me it was a very aggressive one and to be prepared. It actually went silent for four years, which was a blessing. Once it took off though, he had two months. The not clear margins would be the problem. It sounds like they can't reoperate to take more? We had to do that on a stomach one and that had a good outcome. He always came through surgery well and the vet was very happy with his recovery, otherwise I may have looked at other options. But the vet was happy with our approach to monitor, remove if something changed or grew fast. He lived to just shy of 14yo. Was always happy in himself and as comfortable as possible. It's so hard when they get old. You want them to live forever. For me quality of life outweighed quantity and as I said, we had a lengthy reprieve before the end.

I would get someone in to help you and teach your family how to work with the dog. Staffies are beautiful but being blocky and solid can easily knock children over. Children behaving inappropriately with dogs is the main cause of bites. Dogs warn before biting but children don't see and most often parents are also oblivious. You need help to establish rules to keep everyone safe and that is best done by a behaviouralist working with the dog in its family situation.

When I got my westie, I was just thankful to get one out of the four pups in the litter. Like you, I'd talked to the breeder about myself and what I liked in dogs. From the moment Max came home I knew he was exactly what I wanted. He is perfect. You may be disappointed now not to be getting the pup you've been discussing for three weeks. But unless it has something unique, another litter mate will still be a good dog. You've been waiting for this particular breeder for ages. If I were you I'd accept their decision and ask them which other pup they would suggest for you.

If the other pups are from the same litter, what is it about this particular pup that makes it non interchangeable for you? I thought it common for breeders not to allocate pups to people until they were older as matching personalities is important.

The way we fox proofed the chook pen, and would work for a dog, was to run chicken wire under the ground about a meter in from memory- whatever the height of the roll is. Can't dig through that. Also did the whole top so foxes couldn't climb in, but unless dog is jumping out, that wouldn't be necessary.

Personally I have never understood the need to give up a pet due to renting. I rented for 20 odd years with pets. I was a quality long term tenant. When I needed to move because properties were sold, I only ever looked at places that allowed pets. I've only in recent years bought somewhere, so it's not like I haven't been in the current rental market.

Are you weighing the food you feed or guessing the weight? It's an excessive amount of food if you are weighing it.

Rascal, that's not a vet issue, that's a bone lazy, cruel owner. Casual cruelty really irks me. The owner didn't mean for it to happen so somehow it's ok. I could never be a vet. That sort of owner would be the end of me. There is no excuse for a dog to be matted and dirty between grooms. Laziness pure and simple. If they can brush their own hair, then owners can brush the long haired breeds they chose to purchase.

Two minds on reading that article. Dog bites, especially with children, are usually from lack of supervision and children grabbing and / or hurting the dog. You see so many "funny" videos on YouTube with children inappropriately interacting with dogs and their parents thinking it's hilarious. All fun and games until the saint of a dog gets fed up and nips or bites, then parents kill it. On the other hand, raising any animal in a commercial manner with no regard to it's mental health (greyhounds, race horses), well you have to expect they'll have difficulties adjusting to normal life. Hence the increased need for owners to work with behavioural trainers, which I would think is something to be applauded not used as evidence of unsuitability. Owners are recognising there's a problem and doing their best to help the dogs. I've got two greyhounds next door and they're lovely. Rehomed via GAP and Nat had to get a behavioral trainer in the early days, but three years on, all is great.

I got a young newbie horse vet last year for a quite serious problem. My normal vet wasn't available and as it was urgent I had to take who was available. I was very pleased with the young vet. Very thorough, understanding and sent me a follow up afterwards on treatment - remembering everything afterwards can be difficult when you're upset, so the follow up was great. She impressed me so much she'll be my second preference. I have had older vets at the practice for urgent small pet consults and wouldn't use them again. It takes a bit to find a vet you work well with and trust.

OMG Sharon. How traumatic for you. I'd go and talk to one of those no win no pay lawyers and sue the arse off them for negligence.

Thanks Tdierikx. I've been thinking on it overnight and think I'll have to try to get video as I only see it at night after a long snuggle on the couch (there's a soft step to get up and down, so no jarring on joints). When he walks and trots he is entirely regular. No rhythm changes. It's only been two nights, so could have pulled a muscle, but video will help the vet to see what's happening.

I noticed last night my westie (3yo) wasn't even behind when hopping up from sleeping. I noticed it again tonight. It's a small number of steps then he looks fine. We went to park for an amble today instead of a walk. He looked fine. Silly me thought he might have been stiff from sleeping awkwardly and we played a little bit of fetch tonight. He was fine, but after a couch snuggle looked off when he got up again. Given he warms up out of it quickly (from the couch to the kitchen - 4m) and is even, I don't think it's a vet trip. I'll make sure he's resting for the next few days - no chasing toys. Nothing else off, still eating etc. I get a bit, let's say imaginative, when my pets aren't well. My concern being ACL injury. But I'm sure that presents with more than a few off strides. He'll be monitored and taken to the vet immediately if anything changes. There's no pain response when I feel around and move it, but right at the moment I think he's likely to die from a minor limp LOL I'd love to hear signs of ACL injury, just to reassure me ETA to put his age

My staffy had to be reoperated on as there were still cancerous cells in the margins on one of his mast cell removals (abdomen). I think that is what your report means - the tumour was removed but the margins are showing cancerous cells. If the margins come back clear, that means all cancerous cells from the site were removed. I'm surprised your vet hasn't explained what the report means and your options. You'd be best to discuss with them as they've seen Ginger and are the experts

in my experience with arthritis - 6 years with my staffy - it didn't cause him to fall over, so that sounds odd. Sam had a fused spine, arthritis in his elbows and hips as well as having that neurological disorder where they lose control of their back legs. His pain was managed throughout this time. Initially, not much was required but as it progressed, the level of pain management increased. Arthritis is a progressive disease, so that is to be expected. He was more than comfortable up to the time he died (from unrelated subcutaneous mast cell tumour). His activity levels slowly decreased inline with his comfort. The last couple of years a walk was a stroll around the carpark where I live as he couldn't do more than that. Basically, with arthritis, there are levels of management. Initially, just minor occasional medication is needed. We started monthly cartrophen injections about 2 years in. As the disease progresses, medication can increase up to daily and then another pain killer can be added. Sam was on metacam for ages and in the end had tramadol as well. Yes metacam can cause kidney issues if used for a long period, but I preferred him to have a comfortable life to a long life and in the end it was cancer that killed him, not the medication he had been taking to relieve pain. ETA as part of his pain management in the later years, he had regular physio treatments. We'd had a treatment booked for the day before he was to be PTS and as he loved the physio so much, I called and let them know I'd be a bit upset, but Sam would love Tony to come. Tony and I were both in tears by the end and the wonderful man didn't charge me for his last visit as it was his goodbye to Sam.

What a wonderful dog https://pickle.nine.com.au/2018/07/05/08/48/hero-husky-rescues-hiker-alaska Not sure if copy and paste will be readable, but nice story. Heroic husky rescues woman injured on icy Alaskan hiking trail By Dannielle Maguire and AP1 day ago Meet Nanook, a seven-year-old husky credited with rescuing an injured hiker stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. He came across 21-year-old Amelia Milling in Anchorage, Alaska after she’d suffered a nasty fall. The student was on a three-day hike of the Crow Pass Trail, but after tumbling down an icy slope and hitting a rock that launched her into the air, she was in no shape to keep going. That’s when Nanook rocked up. “My first response was, where’s the owner?” Milling said. “Then I saw the collar and it said [the dog] was a Crow Pass guide, and I realised that he was there to help me.” (Facebook/Sharon McMullan Milling) Milling said the white husky led her back to the trail, camping with her overnight. As we read in a report from Matt Tunseth at the Chugiak-Eagle River Star, the pair dined on beef jerky that night. Nanook slept outside the tent, with Milling thrilled to see he was still waiting for her when she woke the next day. With her new mate by her side, she attempted to cross Eagle River. But the spot she chose was too deep. “She slipped and fell, and the dog was able to save her and get her back to shore,” Eric Olsen of the Alaska State Troopers said. Nanook stayed with her as she tried to warm herself in a sleeping bag, but it became clear she needed to get out there. She activated her emergency locator beacon and a chopper soon came to airlift the pair to safety. Milling has a few minor injuries, which were treated by the emergency team. Once the pair were safe, sound and warm, state troopers contacted Nanook’s owner, Scott Swift, who lives near the end of the 39km trail. He said the Nanook regularly takes solo trips on hiking trails around the area and is known for accompanying hikers. “He's been doing it for years now,” Mr Swift said. He adopted the Nanook about six years ago, but now the seven-year-old is a rescuer himself. “This is the second time I've heard of he has saved someone from drowning in that river,” he said. And given his helpful, guiding presence, Nanook has problem prevent dozens of emergency situations from developing. Despite his impressive track record, Swift said the seven-year-old hadn’t had any emergency training. “He just does it on his own,” he said.

I found this a really interesting read. It suggests a possible link between grain free diets and heart disease. Certainly indicates dietary deficiencies can be linked to heart disease. It looks to be from the US. It will be interesting to hear what outcomes they find. http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/

You might not be holding them properly and blocking the air inlet. If you've had them a while they may have hair inside. You can send them to be serviced.

have included a before picture

This is from our groom last weekend. I prefer to use a mars coat king to remove undercoat. The piles left and right are from the coat king, middle is clipping head, neck, throat, legs, paws of the cocker. You can see how short her coat is after. Lovely and tight. It's taken three years to get there, after she was clipped the first three years of her life.

I found my problem with heating clippers was that i wasn't oiling all the points, just the blades. You need to put a drop of oil on any parts that move. Other tips from a grooming site are to have multiple blades and when one gets hot, put it on a marble tile (cools it fast) and continue with a fresh blade. The pages don't recommend cooling spray as it eventually gums up, but I've used it with no issues. I have Wahl KM2s