_PL_

Yes! Just this week, the regular proposal from an MOP that if we stopped rescuing quote 'doing the council's job for them', then things would change and rescue wouldn't be needed. A catch 22 as old as Methuselah.

@Little Gifts Overcommitment is a real thing isn't it. It's so awful to have to say no. No matter how many times, it never gets any easier. But saying yes every time is a trap.

Flamesuit on. I'm prepared for all the excuses as to why rescue makes it all too hard or too expensive. I've heard them all. The rescue sector is buckling under the pressure of endless unwanted animals and the high cost of vetwork and upkeep while in care. Targeted blame on people who have chosen an unpaid and bloody difficult occupation is all too common.

https://thewest.com.au/news/animals/australias-compassion-fatigue-results-in-lowest-pet-adoption-rates-and-forced-euthanasia

If he was a fair bit older I'd suggest dementia setting in. But 7 is not the usual age range. It does actually sound like pain, which they may be treating with Meloxicam, an anti inflammatory that's usually step 1 in pain treatment - there's more specific ones available that target nerve pain. They don't always begin with NSAID if there's stomach issues. Anti inflammatory or an analgesic should begin to work within hours so please report back to your vet asap. And keep a diary of his behaviour. I'm definitely no vet, this infographic might help if you have access to FB animal wellness

Vets can do more now, and offer more treatments and tests. That costs. And they have to be paid for their services. The specialist places look like human hospitals with every bit of equipment. All this comes at a cost and of course prices rise anyway - everything is more expensive now. But vets are hard working, good people for the most part. Their lives revolve around work and burnout is a real thing. Corporate pressure to generate more and more revenue is the last thing they need. There's also incredibly heavy societal pressure to do and spend everything you can for your 'baby' or you're 'not a good pet owner'. I see it every day on FB. The comments are awful. What happens if you simply can't get hold of thousands of dollars in the blink of an eye? The guilt people feel because they don't have the money to pay for all these extra new options and interventions is sad. There's NO excuse for neglect though so I'm not making excuses for those who don't even maintain their pet's health with basic vetwork, or a euthanasia when necessary. /rant over

Definitely vet for treatment and advice. Professional help. Just to give you hope... * Itchies are medically treatable. There's simple Cytopoint injections after a flea/tick/mite treatment and skin exam - such as for yeast, which they will give you a medicated shampoo for. Some dogs respond to dog specific dose rates of antihistamines but again, you will have to rule out other issues and get his exact weight There's walk-on scales in most clinics. * Weight gain can be a vet advised diet or adjustment of current diet once they assess whether your dog is just naturally lean, or underweight. They use a bodyscale grading system upon examination. You can look up what you're already feeding him here https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/ it may just not be the right food for him. * Many anxiety meds are available although, don't let possible lethargy put you off. It's just an initial side effect that doesn't last. You've got to give it a chance to work, and if affordable, seek a qualified trainer to help get the best from the medication.

It's a fairly modern thing I think. You can now by toothpaste and specific brushes and additives to put in their water (which I absolutely do not trust). I've found that mostly you need to train them from a puppy to let them put things in their mouths and poke around. It's not a fail or flame worthy to not manually brush their teeth! Bones and natural chew treats were always good enough until this trend of retail add-on sales and people being told to be scared of cracked teeth or salmonella poisoning from natural products.

Tell who? So if I can follow this. You posit that Heelers are out of favour, replaced by BC. But the BC isn't built with the strength or nerve? Making the herd sketchy and stressed? And the meat a poorer quality. Is that the basics?

There's an old thread with a link. Is this the breed?

Maybe they aren't as in favour anymore because as they get older and grumpier you have to be careful of your ankles. As a kid, you learned who to be careful of and dogs didn't get killed if they looked at you wrong. These days, everywhere, no matter what the breed and their inherent drive is, a dog's instinct is judged against the community expectations. My Pop always had his favourites to get the cattle jobs done. Horse, Heeler, Kelpie.

Found this. Someone was clearly trying to alert buyers but it's a cess pool. How do you choose a responsible (not just talking ankc) one vs heavily advertising gorgeous puppy photos with hidden parents. Sorry to say but many people just want now. Not later. Buyer beware. https://www.facebook.com/p/STOP-BAD-DOG-Breeders-PUPPY-FARMS-61570336943377/

I can't argue really (and don't want to as you offer a reasonable idea, but we're on different pages) I'm just so tired of seeing cowboys. Yes, learning new things is ideal. And yes, if you think you know everything there is to know, you become stagnant and of no benefit to the animals in your care. Of course, if it becomes regulation, I'll simply have to sort TAFE to get my Certs somehow. No problem with complying except that distance and practical placements and fees (nearly $5000 even online, no idea where that will come from) aren't currently realistic for me. More training, funding and infrastructure will be needed before a blanket formal education requirement is enacted.

I rely fully on Vets and those in their specialist fields. Help with training must be NDTF at least. I may have learned some first aide, basic dietary, basic allergy, basic training and a very good radar for trouble signs, but I fully believe in the term 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing' i.e. a shallow understanding of a subject can lead to mistakes. While the Animal Care qualifications are a good idea, I've seen enough to warrant scepticism about those who believe their Cert qualifications allow them to act as, or assume the roll of, or make the judgement calls of a Vet.

I do see where DonnaMariee is coming from in regards to backyard breeders. Looking through my rescue goggles.... Out of the dogs we take in (small breed rescue), and pound inmates, small breed crosses and Oodles have skyrocketed after Covid. And if their breeders join alternative registries, they don't seem to be any kind of education resource for their members. Bad knees, weird eyes, fatal heart problems etc. Pedigree or not; Frenchies, Pugs and Dachshunds seem to be a mess of BOAS and/or IVDD or skeletal issues. Chi are being bred so tiny that they clearly have hydrocephalus. Cavalier's hearts seem no better than when it was first acknowledged there was MVD in almost every dog. Worse. Heartbreakingly, pounds are packed full of bull breed and working breed crosses going nowhere fast. I don't know the answer for that one but without owners desexing and literally ending the cycle, many many more of their puppies are going to outright die or spend a year in no-kill waiting for a home. @moosmumI don't want to see pets go extinct. I don't want to see excess killed. And I don't want to see poor breeding practices regardless of their status. I feel stuck between all outcomes. We should be doing better.

@moosmum that's very complicated and thought provoking, but I understand the basics. Thank you.

Sounds like the person had been involved in an attack before this episode and came prepared (although why you'd go to off leash after that is mystifying so I'm probably wrong). I have mostly small breeds, easily confused with prey. I just can't/don't/won't do off leash.

Sure thing, you can have some personal information. I'm curious to know your credit card number. We'll swap.

Ok so we already know this poster is random AF but can anyone who understands the internet tell me why I see this when I look at the poster's activity?

'Ringworm' is also something I see confused with intestinal worms. Same answer. Go to vet. Tapeworm ... fleas +\- cats = tapeworm and I'm not sure that's regional. Maybe Hydatid is though. Given they were talking about an 8wk old I'd think intestinal worms are the concern and frankly at that age they should be a concern. I don't want to tippytoe around as the OP is long gone so I'll just say it. It's an enormous drag on their little body and one of the main healthcare issues in youngsters with no worming history. From experience, most BYB or 'oops' home litters don't do the 2, 4, 6, 8 worming still advised. Seeing a pup dealing with heavy worm burden anaemia or passing away frightened and in pain is 100% worth telling a concerned owner to take their puppy to the vet, regardless of the HW factor which they can discuss in the consult. I don't thing that telling them to go to the vet is anything that really needs nitpicking over. As receipt, yes, I saw a litter of four Mini Foxies pass away on old fashioned, mild, recommended, Canex Puppy - which wasn't even an allwormer. Just roundworm and hookworm. 3 decades ago now, but I saw them die and will forever have that burned in my memory as we put them in the black bag. Anyone reading this on Google, G O TO Y O U R V E T forums aren't the answer.

Worms are worms. They've just been advised to go to the vet anyway - armed with a bit of extra info - so the only thing I'd be concerned with is that I think Drontal is an Aus brand and might not be overseas. And that the vaccines might have different names. Anyone can use the 'overseas' location on their profile though as added privacy.

There's a worming schedule but if you don't have a record of her baby wormers from her breeder it's best to call the vets for advice or take her in to see if she's 'wormy'. You can always take in a poo sample along as well. If it makes you feel better, have them weigh and worm her there. Do it in the morning though. In the very slim chance something goes sideways you can get her in asap. I like the Drontal liquid for puppies. If you've heard that a heavy worm burden can kill if you try to treat it, that's true but not as common as the internet will tell you.

Thank goodness somebody said something. I've read the post a dozen times and can't make sense of it. Was wondering, maybe they had the wrong tab open and commented in the wrong place?

Absolutely devastating. That poor poor little dog. And I'm sure his owner will suffer lasting trauma.