Mairead

There is a recent clip by a channel called Raleigh Link (her name + name of her horse) called "Animals Aren't Dying Anymore ... WTF" about shelters allowing animals to have a very poor quality of life rather than putting them down. Examples: foal born without a front leg, paralysed sheep lying on a wheeled contraption. Edit: I discovered there are many paralysed sheep that have been kept on trollies for YEARS.

I recently looked into the ability of canids to digest carbohydrate, prompted by some people online spruiking the "carnivore" diet for humans. Dingoes and wolves have two copies of the amylase gene needed to digest carbohydrates. The more copies the more efficient the digestion. Domestic dogs have from two to twenty copies. Breeds such as Huskies, Chinese Crested and Xolo only have a few copies, the sighthound breed Tazi has the most of the breeds they tested, and the New Guinea Singing Dog is in the middle. So "grain free" might have some science to support it, depending on breed. Ref: The Institute of Canine Biology "A Key Genetic Innovation in Dogs:Diet"

Tall dogs or short men? Probably the latter due to poor diet. Useful to have a whippet to put some food on the table. Sighthounds in various sizes and styles are among the first specialised type of dog depicted from ancient times onwards. UC Davis' "Genetic Diversity Testing for the Whippet" has an interesting introduction that mentions history, including "first written use of the word Whippet for a dog in 1610". Also says early English Whippets were smooth or wirehaired. I have seen an old photo showing a wirehair among smoothcoats. The Northerners' Whippet may have started as a type of lurcher developed for racing not poaching.

Wear some of your oldest, worn clothes when you go to ask. I was comparing costs of a plumber with a neighbour and realised I had been wearing very scruffy gardening clothes when the plumber arrived to find an underground leak.

He has probably learned to be consistent which some people seem unable to master.

I found another article on UNSW site "with the help of AI and UNSW scientists ..." https://news.unsw.edu.au "Meet the man who designed a vaccine for his dog".

Whenever someone was exasperated at a "why did they ..." or "why didn't they ..." situation, I would ask "Are you looking for a logical explanation?" Humans. Generally bundles of useless emotions.

Cruelty to animals is a warning sign for violence in general. Cruelty or threats of cruelty to family pets is recognised as a sign of family violence, and having nowhere to go with pets is a reason some women stay when they would rather leave. I have stayed near dogs left unattended rather than leave a dog at risk for this sort of thing, or at the mercy of an unsupervised child. I've explained to the returning owner "in these times, whatever happens the dog will be blamed". P.S. There's a post in Puppy Chat asking about giant breed diets.

You should have received information from the breeder about diet and general care. Show this to your vet for a second opinion about diet. You could also ask other breeders of giant breeds by having a look in the Events section of this site for "conformation, Qld". The schedule will tell you where the show is being held. Just don't ask if they are assembling to go into the ring or otherwise look busy!

They had a segment on Radio National advertising the TV show and, as well as me, people texted with warnings about dog parks. So I was pleased to see this article, and the quiz was better than I expected.

Also be aware of the myth that crossbreeds are healthier than purebreds. Designer dogs/crossbreeds, and some breeders of the most popular breeds (particularly if they state they are breeding "rare" colours, or "very large", "very tiny" etc) could be accidental litters or from people who are primarily interested in making money so may not go to the expense of health/genetic testing.

Oops, Kazm. Some of my reply was a general response concerning the health of old dogs, not directed at you.

I've never had this kind of episode happen with my old dogs, only a dog that started to sleep in odd places like on the concrete (for a sighthound!) in the far corner of the garage or staying out in the rain because he had a coat on and didn't feel the rain? My first thought was some kind of seizure or brain issue, or a pain/nerve issue brought on by a certain posture. Could you be ready to film the next episode to take to the vet? The issues for me would be: Are there more good days than bad days? Am I keeping this animal alive or opting for this treatment for the animal's benefit or for my benefit? Good luck.

Two disadvantages in getting a French Bulldog. The health problems inherent in the short faced short tailed shape, and the health problems that often go along with being a popular breed. Popular breeds have more breeders in it for the money, and so not selecting for health but for "rare" colours like lilac and Merle. How did those colours get into that breed? You may do far more good for purebred dogs if you have a look at the less popular breeds that are struggling to survive because registration figures are low. You may have to go onto a waiting list for a puppy or retired show dog to become available. That is another problem in the times of instant gratification, compounding the problems for rare breeds. Have a look at the Breeds section and if you don't recognise a breed name, research it to see if it might be a breed you can help, then go to a conformation show to see examples of the breed. It might be quite the conversation starter to own such a breed. I remember when I was a little kid and hadn't seen too many breeds (it was the heyday of the Smooth Fox Terrier) I think I made a man's day by asking him if that was a Kerry Blue Terrier with him.