Erny

If it is a digital camera, it should have a setting for close up ????

It is difficult to tell from those photos, MM. Keep an eye on it. It might be from a knock/graze or even potentially a foreign body that may sort itself out. It doesn't look like a cyst to me, at least not from what I can see from the photos. Some clearer shots needed . Your dog's is at least on the outside pad, so neighbouring toenails aren't going to be a problem.

Like this? This is an interdigital cyst. He has some that come up between toes on the webbing as well. This photo was taken a number of weeks ago and his cysts (which he had in various degrees in each foot) have diminished considerably. I was concerned that they were a symptom of furunculosis (interdigital cysts in furunculosis are not true 'cysts'), but I have had the opinion of a Vet and a Naturopath and neither believe this is the case. The Naturopath believes the cysts are another way of my boy excreting toxins from his body (prior skin issues were hives) due to digestive issues. The predominant treatment I applied for my boy's cysts is the daily application of Aloe Vera Gel. If the skin on the cyst/s is broken (or is looking particularly angry/moist) I am highly conscious of the possibility of infection and I apply antiseptic wound spray and/or Calendula Tea, before I then apply the Aloe Vera Gel. Part of the problem with the cysts being where they are is that the neighbouring toe nail can press into the cyst and cause further trauma to it. When the cysts were at their worst, I didn't run my boy for a few days. There was only once or twice that he showed signs of them making him a bit sore to walk, but dogs are stoic animals and I don't believe there was no soreness even though he wasn't limping. At their worst, if he did have a run, the pressure on them was inclined to make them bleed. The Aloe Vera Gel (I applied it liberally) helped to lubricate where the neighbouring toe might have been rubbing and soothed them. I was also conscious of how I trimmed his toe nails as well. I found for a little while I was better to leave a couple of the outside nails a bit longer so that the points of the nails were beyond the initial bulge of the cyst/s. This is another couple of pictures :

Hey Megan (and what a horrible, tragic topic it is ) .... but I want to assure you that your girl did not shake the whole time during her stay at the kennels. In fact, during my time working with her she didn't shake - she actually just got on with her training and had her little exploration around the exercise yard - admittedly, she didn't want to do tricks like your other guy will willingly and happily do, but she did her sits and little recalls etc, and enjoyed the food treats I gave her. But yes, she was shaking a bit when I brought her out (mind you, I was holding her ..... which is a bit of a first and IMO a major step forward - couldn't have done that not so long ago). She is shy, as we both know, but I don't want you to think she spent the whole time being a nervous wreck.

Seeing as you invited it .... "Jumping at people or animals" ..... the dog is behind the fence, so one could presume the dog is actually jumping at the fence. Nope .... that is NOT a "reasonable indication" of a lead up to a physical attack. In fact, it could be that if the fence wasn't there, the jumping up behaviour might not occur at all (not suggesting there should be no fencing). Does "striking" mean "baring teeth"? What about a dog who has poked its nose through the fence, is otherwise being friendly but is just a bit over the top with excitement? What about dogs who 'smile'? As far as I'm concerned, this all puts too much into the freedom of interpretation by people who potentially wouldn't have a clue about dogs and dog behaviour (and I'm afraid that does include some authoritarians). Like the lady who argued that a dog barked at her and that caused her to have a "turn". But the other side's story was the lady had a "turn" and the dog barked (understandably, due to unfamiliar behaviour by the human). If memory serves me correctly, the dog had a destruction order out on it. Heck ..... I've been more scared by parties the neighbours have had, than I am of walking past any of the houses who have dogs behind fences and who bark/jump or even growl up against them.

If you see him humping his bed, remove the bed. Put the bed back later. Humps. Remove it for longer (eg. until bed time). See if that is enough to stop his behaviour (ie that it doesn't manifest to some other item). Try not to pay too much attention to him.

So .... they weren't dog aggressive? I know/have known lots of staffies and a number of Pitties who are not DA. So, contrary to your statement, there ARE "two ways about this". Is your question supposed to prove and support your statement? What a dog's possible genetic propensity for behaviour is or might be, is not what you are expressing here : You've made an extremely broad unequivocal statement. This is where people need to think about what they are saying before they say it.

That's not what you said (above) and I'm still interested to know where the basis of your opinion stems from in that respect. But in regards to the above, why are you so breed specific about adequate fencing and people needing to be responsible owners? IMO that should apply no matter what breed of dog you have.

??? What stats and educated information is your obviously strong and undoubting opinion based on? I'd be interested to know.

Difficulty of course being the ever increasing restrictions imposed on dogs being kept further and more remotely away from the 'outside' world. Keep them away, yet ensure that when they are not that they have learnt how to deal with it. Yeah.

I'd be inclined to agree with you here, SBT123. Definitely that something needs to be done, if only to coerce the owner into taking steps towards safety and security. My emotions might possibly have me expressing the same thing. But I don't think I'd really know until the moment came and I knew all the circumstances.

I am not defending the behaviour of the owner, nor anything else, for that matter. But here it is again .... signs of WHAT aggression? How do you KNOW it was aggression, LouiseBrooks. No-one should be putting labels on these dogs nor of their behaviour if you don't know what behaviour it really was. Whether you like the behaviour or not, it is not something that should be subject to these assumptions. Think before you shed your opinion and express your opinion on what you KNOW, not on what you think something MIGHT be. This particular circumstance aside, I see a lot of people who jump to conclusions. Isn't that what we tend to get critical of the media doing in various newsworthy items they report on?

The fact that the newspaper reports that the Council "scrapped" its original proposal implies to me that it is not about the dogs 'offending' people who are on the otherside of the fence, provided all parts of the dog's body remain within the fenced boundaries. If that's not the case, then what proposal did the Council "scrap" exactly?

I rang Australia Post today to confirm the above. I am informed that they will NOT agree to transport dog blood serum to the USA. They have a "No Animal Product" policy (I don't know the exact wording - the guy at Aussie Post read it out to me). Well things must work differently down here, as I WAS able to post it, from the PO. It was documented that it was Canine Blood/Products, and I specifically told them, (this is 2 different PO's in Hobart), and they didnt bat an eye at that ;) I don't doubt you, Rajacadoo. But I do doubt the advice that is given by different people within an organisation. (The common response I get from orgs whose people don't know that they don't know and tell you the wrong things is "s/he shouldn't have told you that". My common response is "how do I know that what you're now telling me is something that you should be telling me or not?" ). I told the chap I was speaking with that you were able to do it through them (no name, of course, because I don't know it ;)) and that's when he went and retrieved their book of regulations to check. He said the only way to do it was by engaging the services of a private international courier (such as DHL or other). I wish you had been right, Raj .... it would've been a lot less mucking around and $$$.

Nah .... it's when you alight from your car and tell it "Free!!!" ......................... and it obeys!! THEN you've got issues. ;)

That doesn't make the principal point any different to what it is. A cat took one of the birds who frequented my parents' property. We were fond of that bird. Going by the consensus of opinion on how to deal with these issues of an animal encroaching on another's property and killing something that someone is fond of/attached to, that cat should die. It seems. I'm not saying that the dog-owner in this situation should not be heavily penalised. Although I guess it goes to follow then that cat-owners whose cats offend other people likewise should also be heavily penalised (and fair enough, if it makes them keep their cat and the other of my preferred animals safe). I'm not even saying that these dogs should be returned to their owner if the owner is moronic enough to not be responsible and do the right thing. And I agree ..... the dogs wouldn't stand much chance of rehoming so their outcome would likely be a sad one even if they were given that chance. But I am saying that the views that are being expressed here have such general blanket statements behind them and in that respect I very strongly disagree and sometimes think they are no better than the sensationalism that is often created by the newspaper reports that so many criticise them for (myself included). Not to mention the assumption that is also being generalised to support those general blanket statements being that the dogs were DA. They might not have been - it might have been prey drive no different to that of cats. Motor vehicle injury and fatalities exceeds that which is caused by dogs. I don't understand or see your point or relevancy on this, Jed.

Wow! That's a blanket statement. So, you'd agree with the owners' decision to destroy their beautiful Golden Retriever because it bit one of their children? Different story, in case you're wondering. Even though, as it turns out, the GR was found with half of the child's pencil stuffed down its ear canal? And you'd destroy your own dog if it bit someone in the course of protecting you against a threat?

I'd be dabbing it with Calendula Tea (natural anti-bacterial/anti-inflammatory qualities) and then rubbing in some Aloe Vera Gel. I'd do the former each day until I saw signs of infection subside and then continue with the Aloe Vera Gel. If not the Calendula Tea, then at least a reputable wound spray. If the infection was really bad, then I would consult a professional for advice. But if the infection is superficial, then something like this is likely to do the job. Not to say Paw Paw Ointment isn't good either - I use that for some things as well, although sometimes I find it is a bit gluggy and when there is infection I like air to be able to get to wounds. But this is just me with my own experience to the various skin lesions and ailments that my dog has sported over the while. One of those things includes a lesion (which hardened to something akin to a calous) on his hock. It is slowly diminishing. I'm not a Vet though.

Yes - that's right. Our labs don't have the facilities for a FULL thyroid blood panel test and according to Gribbles we aren't likely to, because our dog population doesn't warrant it. If I had a thyroid test done here in Oz and it proved 'positive', I'd believe it. If it proved 'negative' I'd be left wondering.

I don't know these dogs nor do I know whether they are dog aggressive or whether they were triggered to prey drive. Prey drive is not aggression. It is an instinct that drives the dog, just the same as the instinct for cats to chase and kill other animals. Do we regard cats who kill other animals such as rodents "aggressive"? I don't think so. I am really sad for the owners of the dogs who were killed and of course for the fear and trauma those other dogs would have gone through and who have now lost their lives. I also feel for the owner of the 'offending dogs', even though secure fencing could have prevented this tragedy (and yes, couldn't you just kick the owner for not having ensured this so the event didn't happen at the expense of his dogs lives?). I feel mostly for the dogs, especially (but not only) if they are to be killed for an instinct that doesn't necessarily render them DA. I'll not ever judge a dog to be PTS without knowing the dogs or more details of the incident.

I rang Australia Post today to confirm the above. I am informed that they will NOT agree to transport dog blood serum to the USA. They have a "No Animal Product" policy (I don't know the exact wording - the guy at Aussie Post read it out to me).

As would I. But, devils advocate ............. why are people not so horrified when cats roam and kill our birds and other of our wildlife - animals that may well have been encouraged to other people's gardens through the (eg) bird specific friendly trees, flowers and shrubs and so on that we might plant? I do not condone dogs killing swf's, cats and so forth, so please do not think that is what I am about. But I am puzzled that it never hits the news nor even here on DOL do I not here the voices of alarm and horror when it is about a cat's doing. To the contrary, I'm inclined to hear more the "it's what cat's do", yet when it is a dog to (say) a swf or cat (or other animal that might be seen as prey) it is exclamations of . Why is it seen as so much worse/dramatic/shocking? Why aren't people calling for those offending cats to be pts?

..... for a while, I was in such a habit of leading off with my right leg (back way when we handlers were in 'training' and 'drilled' this way) that I found it had become habit to even do so when I was at road crossings (without a dog).

I see my question was published (I also note a grammatical error on my part ). Will be interested to see if there is a response forthcoming.

I emailed Honda asking about their "Element [Dog friendly version]" vehicle and when it was likely to be available in Australia and this is their response : Well ......... I guess they didn't say "no, it's not coming to Australia"