Erny

Congrats on your new pup, ODG. What is her parentage, if you don't mind me asking? PM me if you would rather . Or neither, if you'd rather that, lol. I'm just curious.

Ooooh Yay!! I was just coming in to say this. Doesn't cure but by George it helps to ease things whilst you're working things out.

Around 7-8 kgs. My RR boy was only 3.5kgs at 8 weeks of age . Definitely too thin. I agree with Nekhbet - appearance is more telling than the scales. But it does help to have a rough idea of the norm.

Yes, yes and yes. The cost works out at something like this : $50 - $70 for your own Vet to draw the blood and have it spun down to serum. $70 - $80 for Fed-Ex Courier (if you can take to a Fed-Ex drop off point yourself - I tend to find this is the most trouble free method. They have contracted couriers who pick up and take to the drop off points but I've never had this happen smoothly and without stress, so I don't bother with that anymore.) $125.00 USA for Dr Jean Dodd's fee. Have responded to your PM. The test you would want is the "Thyroid Profile 5 Plus". Follow up tests (Profile 5 as opposed to Profile 5 Plus), if you need them, are about $75.00 USA, so a bit cheaper. Also, our Aussie dollar is worth a tad more than the USA dollar at the moment, so if you're going to do this, now is a good time. I wouldn't be satisfied with a negative result thyroid test unless it was conducted by Dr Jean Dodds. And I trust her medication prescription more too, because her analysis takes into account size, age and breed. In Oz, only size is taken into account.

Put up barriers that allows her only the necessary room on the patio to rest (ie bedding), eat and drink. Make sure you wash down the soiled areas with non-ammonia based products. Reward highly for any toilets you see occurring off the patio.

Our leashes get a lot of abuse and I've never had one abruptly fail on me. So there is a point as far as I'm concerned: a cheap leash does the job, and I don't have to worry about whether it's got wet and then dragged through sand, got the clip clogged up, or the handle dunked in seawater. They hold together remarkably well IME. For the harnesses and collars it's more about the dogs' comfort and safety. The more dogs you work with and around, the more chance you will have in witnessing leash (and/or collar) failure. It definitely does happen. I hope you continue to be fortunate enough to never have this occur to you. It's dangerous for the dog and dangerous for the handler.

Dish washing detergent? I think shampoos are bad enough, but I'd imagine dish washing detergent would be very stripping in so far as skin oil and pH levels are concerned? And then to follow up with more shampoo? I'm sorry - but that sounds really harsh to me. A tip I read of many years ago was that the more a shampoo froths, the more chemical/detergent there is in it. My boy dips in the lake down at the park we go to now and again. The water isn't great and I normally give him a good rinse with warm water from the hose I have set up outside, once we get home. Admittedly my boy is short coated, but he hasn't had a bath for 2 years - only the occasional water rinse and the occasional full body wash using Calendula tea when he's had skin issues. The latter really freshens him up and has his coat and skin feeling soft and clean. Remember that the more we shampoo the more we send our dog's skin pH balance into a swing. We strip it, the dog smells better, but to counter what we've done and in an attempt to bring it back to balance the body goes into overdrive to try to correct the skin pH again. And this results in it going the other way. And then the dog smells and so we shampoo it again.

Yay :D

RL1

I don't trust Newspaper Reports - I don't think they report exact facts. And who knows if there is more to this story than meets the eye. I'd like to know the truth on it though. There is too much skulduggery going on and when I read things like this it makes me feel like I'd just like to go away somewhere. Me and my dog. But I don't know where to go because it seems the world has gone mad.

Laeral - I have found the same with other things I've done with Mandela. I do believe that we have taught them, but that they can use words they've heard before and put them into a slightly different context, I agree it is beautifully astounding. And not just words - the use of our eyes looking at things/places. I do that a lot with Mandela and can indicate him to go out of a room, or on his mat, or sit, merely with the use of my eyes.

Mandela's already read the pilot manual. Hurry up, will ya? :D

Sure is. The Government have made it that we are liable for everything yet own nothing. As though everything is only on loan.

Your dogs are dumb enough to do your housework for you? :rainbowbridge: Yeah well ...... I guess. Perhaps him dialling out for home delivery and home help is a bit of a cop out :D

So someone can say a dog bit them and they can blame it on yours and Council will come around and seize your dogs in your absence on that person's say so?

The News (Berwick) Star News Group 10th March 2011 A NARRE Warren woman says she is angry that council officers entered her yard when she was away from home and removed her dogs on allegations of biting. Meagan King said she and her two children feel like they have lost members of their family after finding out their dogs were seized. But the City of Casey Manager of Community Safety Caroline Bell said the council investigated all reports of dog attacks, bites, rushes and took such matters very seriously. Ms Bell said that at 5.50pm on Sunday 6 March, the council received an after hours complaint that a person had been bitten by a dog or dogs at the address in Narre Warren. “As a result, two bull mastiff type dogs were seized by a council authorised officer,” Ms Bell said. “In this particular case the owner was not home at the time and information was left at the front door notifying that the animals had been seized due to a reported attack. “The matter was discussed with the owner (Monday) at the Casey Council Customer Service Centre in Narre Warren. “Following completion of the investigation, the council will determine any further action.” Ms King said she felt the council officers should have waited until she was home to take her dogs. “I took my children to the beach, and when I returned, my dogs were gone,” Ms King said. “I called the police to report them missing but they told me Casey Council took the dogs because they received reports of them biting someone. “I asked the council for more details but they didn't give me any. My dogs have never hurt anyone, I don't believe they have done it.” Ms Bell said the council did not need a permit to enter a yard. “An authorised officer can seize a dog if he or she reasonably suspects that a person has committed an offence ... relating to dog attacks,” she said. Casey prosecuted 29 cases relating to animal matters in 2010. Two hundred and ten dog attacks were reported for the same period.

Mandela says "thanks"

I agree. I think most or at least many DOLers here would know of the hard work, concern and money I've put into my dog with his dietary isssues, and trying to fix them. He's a lean dog at the best of times, but when this first struck he was skinny - even though at the time he was being fed 2kg of chicken per day (plus all the rest of everything such as supplements etc). I've said before that back then I was fully expecting someone to yell out "don't you feed that dog?" when we were out and about on our walks. I also recall many many moons ago, when my girlfriend bought a horse. It was as skinny as all get out. She (my friend) was 14yo at the time and worked her butt off to earn the money necessary to feed her horse up well. It took a little while but then her horse bloomed. But before then she was the butt of a number of abusive calls from drivers passing by. I remember her being in sobbing tears out of the frustration in trying to get the horse right and the embarrassment that people thought she had done this to her horse. So +1 for the suggestion of just asking if the dog is ok without bringing down the RSPCA. Although sometimes I agree it is necessary, dobbing really is not the true Aussie way. Asking, and then if we can, bogging into help, is.

Thank you ..... although I admit we are still having problems with him doing house duty chores such as vacuuming. And he ignored my request yesterday morning for him to make and bring me a cuppa tea in bed . I should contact Jeff Jones, I suppose :D

Watch where you get them from ..... there was a thread way back when - something to do with cheap ceramic that wasn't good for eating off. I'm sorry - I'm not sure I could find it because it was a few years ago, I think. But perhaps someone else here remembers it and has saved the info ??? I love the Studio Sebastian bowls (I have a big water bowl for outdoors).

I left my thongs, which I've not worn since before Mandela (so he'd not have previously recognised them), on the lounge room floor in front of my sofa. Leaving them there, I wandered over to my PC to get some things sorted for tomorrow's classes. Mandela's not used to shoes being left anywhere other than in my walk in wardrobe (where he has access, but won't touch them). I glanced around and saw him with the thong in his mouth. I called him over and asked him to give it to me, which he did. I proceeded to put the thong on my foot, but then I wondered ...... could he? would he? I took the thong off and showed it to him and asked him to "get the other one". He knows the word "get" so immediately went trotting around trying to work out what it was I wanted. He headed off in the wrong direction so I called him back by saying "no, get the other one" (showing him the thong again). He went around to the front side of the sofa, picked up the thong and brought it to me. I think this is pretty smart, given that he had a choice of picking up ball; antler bone; airdog toy; big ball with tussles; donkey; or grouse mouse, all of which are scattered on the floor around me and which he needed to go through and past to get to the thong. From the get go I taught Mandela to learn to learn and well before now I've recognised how quickly he picks up on things. But I thought tonight was evidence of really how much he can work things out and understand. Good boy, Mandela

I agree, Perse ..... although being left at a Vet can be slightly different. But I think it is good to have our dogs being ok about spending time apart from the owner. It's not always cut and dried though but it is something we can work towards making it better than it otherwise might presently be.

If it is your dog that frets the Vet can give a pre-med whilst you are there. You wait until that's taken effect and that can help with stress levels on your departure. If it is you who frets ..... well, maybe your Doctor could prescribe something, lol.

I'd be checking (ruling in/ruling out) thyroid issues. And I'd be sending the bloods through to Dr Jean Dodds in USA as our Aussie tests aren't sufficiently thorough to recognise very early onset of thyroid dysfunction. My young boy's skin eruptions have reduced/ceased since diagnosing thyroid issues and medicating. Worth doing, IMO, if you haven't already.