Erny

Steve - An excellent summation of events as well as of the emotion that is created in us at the hands of the RSPCA.

Depends on whether the "suffering" outweighs the "enjoyment" of life. A bit of "suffering" (depending to what measure) is not (IMO) the basis on which we make the decision for wings. If the dog is for the most part happy, then for me that's saying "life is ok and I want to live it". As an aside : The only exception to that is (for example) the instance of my previous girl (bless her cotton socks). She was for the most part happy. Which made it all the harder to make the decision to say 'good bye'. Hers was a case of potential horrible death due to a tumour which would cause the rupture of her adrenal gland and there was not much telling as to when that would occur. I waited until I felt I couldn't gamble with that any longer.

Agree, Souff.

I don't have that many toys for Mandela. He has : Flea Donkey Shrek One soft but firm and 'squeezable' plastic ball (medium size) donated by his Aunty (my sister). This was her previous dog's toy, but for some reason never much favoured. Mandela loves it - it is his absolute favourite. It is somewhat out of shape now by comparison to when it was new, but still perfectly good. One long sock with a tennis type ball in the foot thereof. (known as "sock ball" to Mandela) One Aussie Dog 'stick' (I don't encourage chewing of normal sticks). One 'Bunnings' basket ball (known as "big ball" to Mandela) One puppy Kong. 2 x puppy wubbas (which were given as a gift by friends when I first brought him home). Oh - and of course he has his a couple of tugs and an Orbee Ball, but they are for training only, so I don't class them as toys. There tends to be a natural cycle of rotation, as he might temporarily lose/misplace a toy and it gets forgotten about for a while. Or if one toy begins to split its seams, I remove it so I can sew it back up before he has a go at de-fluffing it. Takes me a while to get around to sewing. When a 'lost' toy has been found, or when I finally finish mending one of his soft toys, it is like Christmas for him and to see him puff up his chest and prance around, you'd think that he'd scored something completely new. So you don't need to have stacks of toys. You just need a variety of textures and different strengths of firmness (ie chewability). And they don't have to be particularly fancy. (Shrek is completely armless now - had to stitch him up .... and his legs are somewhat questionable.) And if you keep them rotating you'll find that your dog will cherish the return of one as though he'd just remembered where he buried that bone . Mandela has had all of the above toys for about 16 months now. The only exception is Donkey, which he received for his 1st birthday. I also found that teaching him each toy by name added some value to them as well. I can ask him to go get "xxx" and he'll go hunting around the house to find it. I used this 'talent' as a distractor in his earlier weeks as well. Call him away from busy-bodying into something he shouldn't be, and ask him to go get "xxx". By the time he'd get it, the 'forbidden' item of interest was often long forgotten. ETA: Regarding the cooked bones - when I was a kid and this sort of thing (ie cooked bones = not good) was pretty much unknown. Our labrador spent his life eating any of our cooked bones and never once did we have a problem. But splinters do happen and we were probably just very lucky. Not worth the risk.

How do you know that the dog who tried to "sneak away with head down" wasn't responding to the sternness of your voice and facial expression? Could be the other two didn't care.

That would be part of the problem ..... a habit that has formed from earlier days. Then you are in a perfect position to work on teaching him what he CAN chew on as well as what he CANNOT. It just means supervision. Deny access to rooms so he can't 'disappear' on you. Dogs learn by pattern. It is easier to teach when they haven't had a chance to develop habit (and that takes vigilance but more for the short term than the longer term). So it will mean that you need to apply more vigilance as not only does he need to learn the 'new' rule, you also have 'habit' to undo as well. There's one of the keys there!! As per my earlier post ..... when I was unable to supervise and was gone too long to leave my boy secure in his puppy pen and crate arrangement, I would leave him outside where there were far less things for him to explore unwanted chewing. And anything that was there that I thought he might, I treated with stop chew, so it put him off before he even started. That'll win you in most things .

Catandgrant - cause for some of what is happening now might trace back to earlier times and if we know what you did and how you raised him to not chew items that he shouldn't could be of assistance. For example with my current boy I did all the usual : Praised for chewing his own toys; straight onto things that he showed even just a fraction more than the remote interest in things that he shouldn't have interest in (for instance ..... first 'lick' of the wood on the edge of his kennel saw me out there with some "stop chew" spray designed for the purpose). For those times when I couldn't be around to supervise he was either safely confined to a play-pen/crate set up or if I had to leave him for longer than that deserved, then he was outside where there was a much lower likelihood of him chewing. I didn't need to move that much from his reach - instead I was around him teaching him pretty much all the time when he had opportunity to do the wrong thing as well as the right thing. When he managed to get his little teeth into the sponge rubber of his mat (through a hole in the cover) I very quickly patched up the hole and layed a blanket over the top to lessen the temptation. Over time I have found that he has little to no interest in chewing items that he shouldn't. I think the only thing that remains in danger of being destroyed are the tissues in the tissue box, or one that he might sneak out of my pocket (he's become a good 'tissue out of the pocket' thief). I can live with that . Every dog is different and I know that some dogs are more hell bent on chewing than others. So the above is just an example of what I'm talking about when I ask about his upbringing in this respect. Was he always this way inclined and it's just got your goat now? Or did it start up later? Or just recently? When does he do most of the destructive chewing? When you are home? Or when you are not home? All this info will help us to help you, if we can without seeing your dog . Hang in there. It can get better. In the meantime, if the chewing has become 'bad' in the last couple of months or so, it could be his adult teeth 'settling in' ('second teething period'). During those times you sort of need to be as vigilant as you were when he was a puppy and when he was going through his first teething (baby teeth to adult teeth) and work through it with him, ensuring of course that he has lots of other good chew items to help his teeth and gums. A variety of textures helps too. IE Some softer things; some firmer things; some material; some rubber. I found it made a difference as my boy would go through stages where one chew toy was preferred over the other for a while, then it would change.

It can all be so complicated, can't it ....... and I know how you feel with the "where to start" dilemma. I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot to help you. One thing that springs to mind and that potentially has not been checked out though - and that is the possibility of hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism can be difficult to diagnose by symptom, as the symptoms can mean so many different other things, but the symptoms you have described, ie : Swollen belly Flaky skin Cruciate ligament rupture Tumours can all be symptoms of thyroid issue. Ask your Vet if thyroid is being investigated. But also keep in mind that unless 70% the thyroid tissue is destroyed, it is unlikely that the bloods will reveal thyroid as an issue. What I'm saying is that if the blood tests out here in Australia show thyroid as an issue, then you have your answer (and it is easily treatable). But if the blood tests our here in Australia show thyroid as NOT an issue, that doesn't mean it isn't. Our Aussie blood tests and the 'charts' which are used for analysis purposes, are not very precise which is why I wouldn't be satisfied unless the tests were done in the USA. I use Dr. Jean Dodds for this purpose. If hypothyroidism has not been investigated, this would be the FIRST place I'd start with, at least to rule it out before I put my dog through more (ie other) tests. Mainly because it is the least invasive (ie blood test only); the treatment is easy and relatively inexpensive; and the results of treatment have a good success rate. Of course, your dog's cruciate/s will still need treatment. Good luck - and please let us know how you get on.

Kevin Kelly has a very good reputation - he's in Devon Meadows. Out of all the chiro's I've visited between my previous dog and my current dog, I've found him to be not only the most effective but also the kindest in terms of manipulation. You don't make an appointment to see him though - he doesn't work that way. If you'd like details of how to get in to see him, feel free to contact me. My contact numbers are on my website (click the signature link below). $15.00 per visit, so it doesn't break the bank either.

Masons ..... I don't worm my boy regularly either. If I'm unsure or if it's been a while and I just want to check, I get worm burden counts done at the Vets - just requires the provision of a stool sample.

Your 'friends' need to look at their leadership status, from the dog's point of view, and watch for the 'signs' (sometimes they can be subtle) that their dog is 'testing the water'. They need to watch the dog around the children (that's something that can't help but be recommended, no matter the dog) as children do not have the natural physical or mental maturity to exude assertiveness. As for your question above ..... remove the rocking horse and see. But look into leadership status also and STOP the dog from learning this behaviour if he should seek to re-direct to another item.

I have received (today) the report from the hair analysis, for those who are interested. I have put it hereunder, but make not too much comment on it just yet : The $90 I paid has covered the cost of the hair analysis, as well as some drops (to be taken orally) and some tablets. It also covers repeat analysis which is to be done 2 weeks following treatment. I don't know what the tablets nor the drops contain. This is something I am going to query. I was also provided with the results of the Hair Analysis Test. It shows the Efficiency of : Immune system 80% (ideal 85%) Heart 85% (ideal 85%) Lungs 80% (ideal 85%) Kidneys 60% (ideal 65%) Liver 60% (ideal 65%) Pancreas 90% (ideal 90%) Thyroid 80% (ideal 90%) Digestive System 60% (ideal 65%) Muscular System 75% (ideal 75%) Skeletal System 75% (ideal 75%)

I disagree. I think it does relate to hormone development, but not in a sexual tense. This behaviour needs to stop now. Remove access.

To stop it, they need to control the situation. Have the rocking horse in a room from where the dog can be denied access. On top of that, I would not have the dog claiming a toy that the children play on and with, especially WHILE the children are playing on and with it. The dog should be denied access to that situation. ETA: Just a guess, but it could be the girl's scent on the rocking horse, and Rez is claiming dominance over that.

Remove the rocking horse so that Rez does not have access to it.

Will she not take it (neat) straight off a teaspoon? My dog would spin cartwheels for a teaspoon of AMH . The honey itself will help sooth and heal a sore throat, if she has one, as well.

Good advice, ArtyFarty. But I wouldn't go for chilled water. Cool water from the tap would be better. It is absorbed more readily by the body. And go for Active Manuka Honey with a UMF of 20+ or higher. Expensive, but very good stuff. Incubation period is generally around 10 - 14 days.

Do you think his groomers would allow you to stay on premises (I guess this would depend on their insurance) so that you could do any of the lifting?

If it helps you any to know, I worry too. I worry for my dog not being as well as I think he could or should be. I worry that I'm over-worrying. Then I worry that I should be worried when I'm trying to tell myself not to be. It can send you a bit . So you need to console yourself with the fact that Chloe is what and how she is and that you continue to simply do your best for her. No-one can ask more than that. But I agree .... it would be lovely if things such as this could simply stabilise for a while, and not be on such a roller coaster ride. Good luck. I hope that this latest isn't sinister and that there's some simple and easy explanation for it. In amongst your worry, though ..... be sure to take time out and just enjoy.

That was great. Gosh .... dogs are wondrous, aren't they? How lovely.

Then genetic relatedness is ruled out, unless your friend is simply very unlucky. So yes ..... I think diet is the next thing to consider - especially in the dogs' early development. That could be the common denominator. But it is likely to be annecdotal. Could also be that the pups were allowed to jump too much in their very early days.

Naahh ..... I disagree. But if I were an owner, I'd be making sure my dog was somewhere so I could protect him/her from people.

Dr. Carl Muller 682 Malvern Road Prahran 9510 1335 Very well respected and, I believe, a 'leader' in the field (lectures for other Vets etc).

To my knowledge, it relates to a weakness the body had detected. It lays down the additional calcium to support and strengthen that weakness. But of course, that process comes with its own side-effects. Are these two dogs related?

I'm so glad that his current situation enables me to be able to giggle at that.