zenchel

Thanks for your response - the situation is improving :)

I'll try to keep this short, but I do want to include all the relevant information. A pair of older Labs have been rehomed due to the sudden death of their owner. The 10 year old is very much a "me me me" dog and seems to have increased his attention seeking behaviour in the new home. He will also growl sometimes when being handled - this behaviour was noted on his previous vet records. The 12 year old has terrible hip dysplasia, seems to be in a fair amount of pain and will put himself face into a corner, between your legs or under a chair - I am thinking this is a response to the pain and not head pressing as such. He is on a course of pentosan and has just started anti inflammatories - hoping to see an improvement shortly. The new owner is extremely caring, but unfortunately is possibly interfering in their communication She reprimands the younger when he humps the older - am I correct in thinking she should actively ignore the humping behaviour, as it is being done for her benefit? She is actively rejecting the pushing in of the younger dog when she cuddles the older dog - will this increase his inappropriate behaviour? I really want this new home to work out - she is prepared to give them the life they deserve for however long they have, however I think she's over thinking the situation and her interference, however well intentioned, is causing more problems. Grateful for any thoughts?

The DNA test for EIC is very stable and accurate. The problem can be with the laboratory that administers the test - there have been many incorrect test results issued, not because the test is invalid, but because there has been a mistake in the handling, administration or reporting of the test results. (I speak from sad experience) Having said that, there are other forms of collapse in Labradors that may not be EIC. I would suggest you have your dog tested for EIC with the laboratory in the US that discovered the gene mutation. http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vdl/services-and-fees/canine-neuromuscular/canine-exercise-induced-collapse-eic/submission-guidelines/index.htm Your vet should be able to organise the taking of samples and sending them to the US. Depending on the result, you can then follow up the parents' results, or maybe who the parents really are!!!!

With no particular relevance to the OP's problem, I would just say be very careful about citing lay interpretations from the internet. The above site has no references and the author has no qualifications!! At least Karen Hedberg is a qualified veterinary practitioner - as most of what the author above writes involves Labradors, there is enough information there to convince me that he doesn't know what he's talking about. As always, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog !! JMO.

'Scuse me? I guess you aren't a member of Dogs Victoria, which would explain why you haven't seen the posts on the DV Facebook page or the DV website asking for DV members to read and respond to the second draft review of the Code of Practice. Any input you may care to offer would be welcome.

From Dogs Victoria Canine Health Committee: Our health testing experience survey is now available at; https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/health_testing_experience_survey We'd like to know your experiences health testing your dogs. What tests have been good, what's been bad. If you haven't had your dogs tested, why not? The survey is for purebred dogs born after 1 January 2003. Please complete a separate survey for each breed you own. The survey is anonymous. Feel free to pass the survey along. Please do let us know at [email protected] if you experience any problems completing the survey, or have other information concerning your use and experiences with health testing of your dogs.

The proposed revised Code of Practice for the Operation of Breeding and Rearing Establishments in Victoria is open for public comment Code This Code must be complied with by all breeders that have more than two fertile females. Under our Applicable Organisation status, membership of Dogs Victoria entitles those members that have less than ten fertile females exemption from compliance with this Code. So if you have more than nine fertile females, you are required to register as a Domestic Animal Business and you must comply with this Code. If for any reason in the future DV no longer holds Applicable Organisation status, then every DV member will have to comply with this Code. It is in every dog breeder’s interest that there is a thorough and knowledgeable response to this proposal. Please take some time to read it closely and follow through with the online response pages, or if you wish send in a hard copy submission. Dogs Victoria will be formulating a detailed submission, but it will be advantageous if every DV breeder submits detailed responses based on experience and common sense. If you have any queries, please forward them to [email protected]

In my experience of maybe eight GDVs, anything past the beginnings of Phase 2 is too late It becomes a matter of instinct - one older Irish Setter, who was a regular visitor to the kennels and also one of my girl's friends at obedience classes, was just standing the wrong way, head down, drooling a bit - couldn't put my finger on it, but just wasn't happy with her. Took her to the vet, they tubed her and said "no, she's OK" but I left her there anyway. She torsed about two hours later - thank goodness she was at the vet and they had time to do the surgery and give her a chance - she made it and lived another three years :) There have been only two that were already bloating that actually made it through surgery - a Boxer and a Dobe. Those that didn't make it? A Dobe, two Irish and and a Wei..... it's a heartbreak.

Thanks for your recommendations - off to Hallam I go - hope he's not as expensive as my dentist

One of my boys has broken off part of one of his canines - I think it needs filling and possibly capping. Removal is not an option (show dog). Has anybody a recommendation for a good dentist? Thx

Hi Mojopoodle, This is a cut and paste from the ASAP website: Please note, tests marked with * are patented/licenced. Restriction in certain geographical regions may prevent us from offering these tests. Clients in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand please contact us to discuss availability. and where the disease is listed by name, you will see the asterisk next to it: Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration - PRA *

No, it's always been the case that Animal Network holds the licence for prcd PRA and CEA testing in Australasia.

Due to licensing arrangements, Animal Network is the only company that Australian breeders can use for prcd PRA testing: http://www.animalnetwork.com.au/tests/index.php?testid=20 They have a list of accredited collectors on their website or you can have your vet take the swabs. It's worth calling Animal Network to discover what discounts are available e.g. online or volume. Sylvia Power Chair, Dogs Victoria Canine Health Committee

Not saying that she will know any more than your vet and also hoping your vet is willing to seek other opinions, but Dr Karen Hedberg at North Richmond Veterinary Hospital in NSW breeds Frenchies, so she may have some experience/knowledge with this issue. She has been unwell since breaking her hip, so don't know whether you will be able to contact her. Good luck!

Yep, I'd definitely go with bull koala.

I'm gobsmacked at some of the situations I've heard re breeders wanting semen from dogs interstate. I've sent chilled semen interstate probably nearly fifteen times and I reckon the conception rate has been about 80 %. Obviously timing is everything, therefore the bitch owner needs access to reliable progesterone readings, with results delivered in a timely manner, so the dog owner has the chance to collect the dog and deliver the semen within say 12 hours. If I, as stud dog owner, received the prog reading of >15 ng/ml the night before, I would arrange to have my dog collected first thing the next morning. He would provide enough semen for two inseminations. I would then ship the chilled semen to the bitch owner asap during that day. Melb - Sydney it would be available for collection in Sydney at AAE around 1.00pm, Brisbane mid afternoon, Perth depended on flight times, it might be worth sending overnight to arrive first thing the next morning. Put the first lot of semen in as soon as possible after the semen is picked up from the airport and the second lot 24 -36 hours later. I know there have been advances in detecting when bitches are ready for insemination and also semen extenders etc, but when I hear of vets insisting on trans cervical insemination of chilled semen or even surgical insemination and bills of nearly $1000, I shudder!! The important things are correct progesterone readings, timely delivery of the semen and correct chilling process and medium for semen. There is no need for the financial outlay or the stress on the bitch that flying her to the dog entails. One situation that nearly ended in disaster involved an impatient vet who hadn't thawed the media properly before we collected the dog - the temperature of the media killed the semen dead. Had to let the dog recover and collect again 6 hours later; by the time the semen arrived the next day the bitch's prog reading was 84 - she had nine puppies:)

Below is a statement that Dogs Victoria Canine Health Committee prepared after enquiries about the DNA test relating to Renal Dysplasia. Renal Dysplasia is of concern in several breeds, including Standard Poodles, Miniature Schnauzers, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, Cocker Spaniels and most commonly Lhasa Apsos and Shih Tzus. The only way to definitively diagnose the presence and severity of the disease is by wedge biopsy. There is a DNA test available that appears to test for Cox-2 alleles, and not RD per se. The information accompanying the test doesn't definitively demonstrate these alleles are in themselves sufficient to develop RD. Publication has been a long time coming following availability of the test. The concern is that the DNA test identifies factors that may be necessary, but are not sufficient by themselves, for expression of disease... so how useful are they -- what sort of predictive power is there that an animal identified as having these 'disease alleles' will be affected by this disease? These issues leave the impression that information gained from the DNA test may be useful, in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures including wedge biopsies, to a breeder that finds they have a problem with Renal Dysplasia, however the DNA test in isolation does not qualify as “the answer”. Sylvia Power Chair DV Canine Health Committee

I am speaking entirely as an individual member, nothing to do with the fact that I'm on Management Committee. I try to keep out of online gossip, innuendo and personal assassination attempts, but in this instance I can't. I believe the original poster's interpretation of what was said in the President's Report in VicDog is so far off the mark as to be laughable and to write what was written in the post is nothing short of mischievous at best. To attempt to construe that the article was comparing "our "forefathers" fighting and giving their lives to fight at Gallipoli for ALL Australians freedom being put in the same context as VCA members not being willing to stand on Management Committee and ordinary VCA Committees?" is just so wrong. What is also wrong, in my opinion, is other posters, who by their own admission haven't even read the frigging report, getting on here and making comments like "Sounds like another Faux Paus like Channel 10's the Circle" and "sending the VCA a letter of complaint". This sort of uninformed, ignorant gossip and gratuitous commentary is behind a large portion of the dog world's ills. Can you tell I'm a little bit upset? Sylvia Power

Ah, my question is answered. I thought by the look of your gorgeous girl that she could have been bred in the UK. The shipping crate in the background of one of the photos was a bit of a giveaway also :laugh: There is a consistency of type within the UK working bred Lab (not bred for high end field trials, just picking up) that you don't find here. I have three UK import family dogs that board here and they all could be related to your girl. You'll have to spend some time searching the internet for the type that you like. It is not consistently bred by any particular breeder. UK show bred imports aren't what you want; neither US show bred nor working bred are what you want, UK working bred MAY get you the type that you want. BTW, Labrador Retrievers are NOT hunting dogs - they are, as the name implies, retrieving dogs :D Just a plug here - if anyone wants to see 300 Australian Labrador Retrievers, be in Melbourne the weekend of May 19 and 20 this year for the Labrador National. Also on May 21 the judge, Richard Edwards, will be giving a seminar on the Labrador. He is judging at Crufts in March, the Potomac in April and our National in May - as he said "I reckon that puts me in a position to make comparisons between the three countries indeed to have a pretty good idea of the state of the breed across three continents in 2012." http://www.labradornational2012.org/ Sylvia

North Wales

Sandgrubber, your Monica (if she is still with you) is thanks to "Happy Hands" (Saudjie Crook) as Monica's grandfather's semen came to me from Saudje. She was then still in the US, but since she has moved to the UK I have had nothing but successfull frozen semen from her. She uses Angelika from Cambridge to do the collections and ships through Cryogenes to Aus. Being originally from the US, Saudjie knows all the ins and outs of collection, freezing, shipping and insemination of frozen semen. The Cani Pro extender cannot be used for Aus due to quarantine restrictions, however it can be used for the US and yes it does work. Sylvia

At Bunnings you can buy lengths of sticky flooring stuff that is intended to go under rugs in hallways etc to stop them slipping. It comes in green and bone colours. It's sort of rubbery feeling. I swear by this stuff for in the whelping box for swimmers. Their legs just can't slip out on it - their little pads stick to it. It's cheap - buy a few sheets to fit in the box and hose them off when they get dirty. Sylvia

Would be interested to hear people's opinions on any puppy temperament tests that they have used or know of. The only formalised one that I have seen used is the Volhard test - I have issues with the scoring parameters in this test; I feel it can lead to incorrect assumptions because there is no score available for particular reactions. TIA Sylvia

Thanks for that also, SG - now I'm confused again Glad I don't own a breed with the NBT gene. Sylvia

Thanks Jed, that's really interesting. It would be great if somebody with the time, the inclination and the resources was prepared to come up with some properly researched results on this issue, although as Cattanach says "it's a daunting task"! Sylvia