Mairead

I wouldn't get another dog now or in the immediate future. Everyone, even children, deserves to be told the truth. It doesn't need to be the whole truth but don't sugar-coat what is happening and will happen. Don't say the vet is coming to put Dash to sleep. You may find your children are then terrified to fall asleep. The vet is coming to take Dash's pain away forever? With special medicine? Respect your son's feelings and don't let anyone tell him to toughen up, or get over it or, God forbid, act like a man. I would let the children honour Dash's memory and grieve for as long as they need to, and don't be afraid to cry in front of them or with them. When/if they start persistently asking about another dog, consider the breed you already know but a different colour and/or sex. The Last Battle If it should be I grow frail and weak And pain should wake me from my sleep Then you must do what must be done For this last battle can't be won. You will be sad - I understand - Don't let your grief then stay your hand. For this day, more than all the rest, Your love and friendship must stand the test. We've had so many happy years What is to come will hold no fears. You'd not want me to suffer, so, When the time comes, please let me go. Take me where my needs they'll tend, Only, stay with me until the end. Hold me firm and speak to me Until my eyes no longer see. I know in time you'll come to see It is a kindness you do for me. Although my tail its last has waved From pain and suffering I've been saved. Do not grieve that it should be you Who has to decide this thing to do. We've been so close we two, these years, Don't let your heart hold any tears.

In case OP is reading this, bones always raw never cooked.

I'd stay with two particularly as you are renting, and stay with the breed you know. When the time comes for the older one to leave you, I'd suggest you make sure the younger one sees the body. When I took my old dog (sighthound) to the vet the younger one grieved a lot and didn't like going out the front door, even for walks, for ages. I learned from that - vet came to house, other dog/s could see and sniff body before it was removed. That way their companion doesn't just disappear never to be seen again. You might want to look into solving or lessening the anxiety of the younger dog before it becomes an only dog. It may just teach dog three the same habit. After many years with two to four dogs my last dog coped very well as an only dog.

Kibble meaning complete balanced dry food? (which doesn't have to be fed bone-dry) Because there used to be a greyhound kibble, mostly grains, which was formulated to be mixed with fresh or cooked meat.

There are many more options than those two. Meat only is not a balanced diet for a dog. Very very few dogs cannot digest grain so wheat-free sounds like a marketing gimmick like gluten-free for people who have not been diagnosed with celiac disease. The best diet for your dog is the one it does well on. Usually this is dog food of some sort (dogs are not furry humans) and not a home prepared diet unless you really know what you are doing and only if you have time after exercising, training and otherwise caring for your dog. There are also other important things about diet than the actual food, such as feeding at the same times every day in a peaceful place, measuring how much you feed so you can adjust for weight gain or loss, never abruptly changing the diet so making sure you don't run out of the usual food. You will find that some people treat the subject of diet almost like a religion and swear by a particular ingredient or mix but be guided by how healthy your own dog is. I'll just step down from my soap box now.

I'm in Sydney with no experience of this but I have put a notice in the News section to have a look here. It may help to read all the posts on this thread, make notes and have questions ready for your vet and for here. Also may help to make it a new topic instead of tacked on to an old thread.

Can someone help with a suspected liver shunt and Melbourne vet recommendation posted recently, but at the end of an old thread in Health?

Oops, already sent an email. I suppose I'll be on the mailing list now. Keep your friends close ... The street name doesn't appear to have been changed but maybe we'll see the campaign in an episode of (Aussie) Utopia.

Sounds like this person is treating all his animals as livestock rather than work partners.

There is even folklore about this - Gelert the Irish Wolfhound found with blood on him and baby missing. Enraged owner kills him but then finds baby OK and a dead wolf.

I wonder if, in these "it is always someone else's fault, I am the victim here" times, vets have to be aware of suggesting everything else before euthanasia because it is such a fraught decision, even for rational people. I came across the poem "The Last Battle" in a Hound Club show catalogue and kept it because I thought one day I would need to make that right decision. "...for this last battle can't be won. "... stay with me until the end." "we've been so close, we two, these years, don't let your heart hold any tears."

I found that my first generation from English imports dog showed signs of tapeworm in between regular wormings. So did another breeder.

Off topic

Which option is likely to mean best quality of life?

No experience with hip denervation but had a cat that needed FHO from a road accident. We were not convinced he would have adequate quality of life but he was just a bit less agile in climbing. In 5 Minute Veterinary Consult this operation (called excision arthroplasty) is 'primarily a salvage procedure - for significant DJD; when pain cannot be controlled medically; when total hip replacement is cost prohibitive' and 'best results - small ,light dogs <20 kg; patients with good hip musculature' and 'slightly abnormal gait often persists'. What is your objection to pain medication?

I heard on the radio that Aussie greyhounds are preferred. I wonder if that is because they are more likely to have been in less intensive racing kennels or with more hobby owner trainers. I have seen photos of US kennels which are two tiers of not much bigger than crate size enclosures with shredded paper. And perhaps the Aussie post racing rehab systems are better?

Do you mean all pets or just dogs and cats?

Handbags were probably made in China, even if "genuine". I hazard a guess most people will not learn anything from this, will say "what an adorable dog" then buy one. Brian Kilcommins and Sarah Wilson wrote that the further away you get from wild dog physical design (and they then describe what we would call a dingo/pariah dog) the more problems you can expect to have.

Joseph Carter the mink man uses a mink, a terrier and a sighthound to clear chook farms etc. Hunting sighthounds I have known, not many admittedly, use a single bite to the back of the neck. A whippet I knew used to decorate her hayshed with whole dead mice. A job, not a sport.

So did you tactfully explain the importance of early puppy experiences? And find out if she had asked the breeder for advice first? If not, why not? Or is that for your next visit/s ?

On reflection the aggressive dog might have been another case of handing over the decision to someone else. The kennel owner had a long talk with the dog owner, explaining that this was an accident waiting to happen. The owner admitted that the kids couldn't have friends over. The decision was made but that poor dog died (and not peacefully) away from the family he was comfortable around. I wonder what story the kids were told. The poem The Last Battle maintains you who make the decision should stay until the end.

A person sending their aggressive dog to be boarded! It was a pick up and they put it in the van themselves. Not sure how it was wrangled into a kennel but we were all warned not to go near it. One of the workers said he could see it becoming like the Addams family rug that still growled when you walked near it.

A simple example: The BRCA1 and BRCA 2 are important for repairing damaged DNA and so prevent the formation of cancers. Mutations of these genes mean they don't work properly. However, not everyone who inherits a mutation will get breast or ovarian cancer. About 30% of women [men not mentioned] with a mutation get breast or ovarian cancer by age 70, compared with fewer than 1% of general US population. Reference: https://www.CDC.gov You can also search this site "epigenetics" for not so technical articles. So, something else is affecting how the genes are expressed. That is epigenetics.

Trendy garbage more likely at the dot com sites than the dot org or dot edu sites. Even then the sample sizes in dogs may be small and/or only one breed. Step up and volunteer for research whenever you can.

Have not been involved with shows for some years but have fond memories of that time. Sighthound people were almost all nice people, and yes the good judges were gems. They had judged all over the world and were happy to come to Australia and to share their opinions. We had written critiques too which were enlightening. The judges understood they needed to be subcontracted to offset costs. I remember telling one judge he had (in the days before they were popular) 42 French Bulldogs to judge at their specialty. "But I am not a specialist!" he replied. I told him he would be by the time he had judged 42 of them.