sandgrubber

There's a 12 yr old Boston who comes to the same dog park as I do. She had to have BOTH eyes out last year. It's a big 13 acre fenced dog park...members only...so dogs are well behaved. This old girl walks all around the park off lead, slowly, and you hardly even notice her handicap. Her owner says it sounds like an awful operation, but really, it isn't that bad for a dog. After all, it's pretty common for eyes to pop out on pugs and other bug-eyed breeds. The surgery is minimally invasive. Hope it turns out to be nothing, but the case you're worrying about isn't that bad.

Yes its extremely dangerous. Not to the person having the vaccine, they are ok, but dangerous to the australian population as a whole if production of this vaccine is increased. In order to produce this vaccine, animals have to be kept infected in Australian labs. Killed virus vaccines can be imported. I can't see any danger in doing so.

One way . .. . if you give the dog an anti-inflammatory or other painkiller and it becomes much more lively or acts happier, you know it's in pain.

I'll bet it was one soft hearted, muddle headed person who made the decision . . . .not the ASPCA as an institution.

Yes its extremely dangerous. Not to the person having the vaccine, they are ok, but dangerous to the australian population as a whole if production of this vaccine is increased. In order to produce this vaccine, animals have to be kept infected in Australian labs. Why not import it? Effective killed virus formulations are available, cheap, and can be transported in refrigerated containers.

Bats, megabats, fruit bats and flying foxes – it's all the same animal. Do micro bats belong to the same family & equally carry the Lyssavirus? A cat could so easily wrangle a micro bat & bring it inside. A real worry. Seems they do. NSW Dpt of Health: In Australia, only bats have been found to carry Australian bat lyssavirus - both the larger flying foxes (or fruit bats) and the smaller insectivorous (or micro) bats. Bats, ie Chiroptera, all belong to the same Order. It is the largest order, in terms of number of species, in the Mammalia. There are 18 families in the Chiroptera. I somehow doubt that anyone has studied if all 18 families and 200+ genera of bats can get the virus...better to be safe than sorry.I'd say the bigger worry is that some rabid bat will fly to the Top End from the Indonesian archipelago ... Because many bats live in colonies, they can spread a saliva borne disease quite rapidly among themselves...and most, if not all, mammals can get rabies.

In most states in the USA you're required by law to vaccinate your dogs against rabies. I've never seen anything written to say the vaccine used for humans can be harmful. It is recommended for people working with animals in areas with known problems with rabies. The post exposure treatment used to be painful. I think it involved a large needle to the stomach, but am not sure. I think they now have a less drastic shot available.

A 'perfect dog'???

Almost by definition of digest, yes. If an animal can break down starch to metabolizable molecules...that's what enzymatic digestion does ..., it can metabolize the molecules. Where I'm unclear is whetherr a dog, with four copies of the gene for amylase, is twice as able to break down starch as a wolf with two copies.

Oops, double post

Here's hoping someone will figure out the significance(s) of the 19 regions that have to do with the Brain. Also 4 to 30 copies of the gene for amalyse is a huge range. Does this mean that that some dogs are much more able to digest starch than others? Hope we get more analysis of these results in the future.

My impression is that PETA would happily eliminate most, if not all, pet dogs. If such a drug can be developed it needs to be highly regulated. Show dogs aren't the only concern. I could imagine the stuff being used as a 'humane' alternative to 1080. Say goodbye to wolves in the wild. And I wonder why they chose dogs rather than cats. Feral cats are an ecological disaster. See, eg, http://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170588511/killer-kitties-cats-kill-billions-every-year?ft=3&f=122101520&sc=nl&cc=sh-20130202

The sniffling behaviour comes from blowing with the nose to "lift" the scent molecules ... ie get them into aerosol form to allow the vomeronasal organ to process them...and then inhaling the lifted scent.

Found a good description of the whole scent system on the web.http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_11/features/Canine-Sense-of-Smell_15668-1.html Extracted from that article...but I'd recommend reading the whole article. It contains amazing figures comparing dog to human olfactory systems. Elsewhere the author says the vomeronasal system works synergistically with the other smell system. The result is something we humans can hardly imagine. "Jacobson's Organ Inside the nasal cavity and opening into the upper part of the mouth is the final piece of the dog's scent-related puzzle, the remarkable Jacobson's Organ. Jacobson's Organ is a "sense of smell" receptor that is actually not receptive to ordinary odors. Rather, the scenting nerve cells of the organ are quite different from those in normal olfactory tissue in that they respond to a range of substances that have large molecules, but often no detectable odor. The sensory cells of Jacobson's Organ (which anatomists claim are unlike any other nerve cells) communicate not with the olfactory bulbs and cortex, but with the accessory bulbs and the part of the brain that coordinates mating and other basic emotions. In fact, recent evidence suggests that the two separate but parallel systems of odor detection cooperate in surprising ways to produce novel sensibilities not achievable by either of them on their own."

Go for a cotton lunge lead rather than a nylon lead to avoid rope burn. With a 10 m line you need to develop skill in reeling it in and unfurling it...takes a little practice.

In general reading about scent detection I've come across descriptions of a secondary olfactory organ, called the Jacobson's organ or vomeronasas organ. (Google the term for more description). Human noses only detect vapor phase scents from the air. This other organ works on liquid phase compounds. It's present in many mammals, as well as snakes and some other animals, but largely absent in humans. Most of the scientific research on this organ focuses on the sex lives of mice...pheromones, oesterus, and what not. Seems to me it may explain why dogs take such joy sticking their noses into odd and disgusting things; and why so often they seem to respond to things we cant sense. Putting your nose directly into a pile of something and snuffeling around a bit may be the olfactory equivalent of a magnifying glass. In my experience lots of biologists are fixated on sex, so it's to be expected that much attention has been given to the use of this organ in detecting pheromones, etc. But I often see dogs taking great pleasure in using their noses. Sticking them down a hole or into a pile of leaves ... And many many times I've found one of my dogs sleeping with its nose pointed directly to one of my smelly socks or some other item of clothing that has gotten fragrant through wearing...as though they get comfort from the body odor.Just curious . . . .has anyone seen anything good written in the dog behaviour literature that does a good job discussing what this sixth sense does for dogs?

Looks to me like one more person with opinions about dog breeds mouthing off. I have met two people who had their family Labrador pts due to development of jealousy toward the newest member of the household. This is not to say anything negative about Labbies. Great breed, generally fantastic with kids. BUT, any breed can be a problem with a baby if not introduced properly and supervised carefully. Anyone suggesting that you can get a good dog for an infant by selecting the right breed is an idiot, regardless of how many pink hearts they put around their text.

If pet insurance, on average, paid for itself many times over, the companies would all go broke. The people who come out ahead are quick to tell their stories. I suspect there are lots of people who pay year after year and never make a claim. These people aren't so quick to speak up. A company that has been good is likely to turn difficult if word comes down from on high that the're running in the red and need to reduce payouts.

I know someone with a Gr Ch stud who had tracheal collapse at around 11 yrs (Labrador). She brought his weight way down to the point where you could count his ribs. He had his collapse in 2009 and is still living.

Germany is generally 'tier-leib' (animal loving). But I doubt dog ownership numbers are above 1 family in 4. It's very expensive keeping a dog in Germany, and people take the responsibility about as seriously as they take raising children. (I lived in Leipzig for almost three years . .. with a dog).

Hate to disillusion. The US is diverse, and the places visitors / tourists go are no more representative of the US than the Sydney Opera House and Uluru are of Australia. Carmel is a bit like Disneyland. I'm a dual US/Australian citizen and have weighed anchor in many ports, including Germany/Austria, Taiwan, and Brazil as well as East, West, Central, and South US. Every place has its dog problems. Some regions in the US (Ohio, Pennsylvania) have serious problems with puppy farming. In wealthy, progressive parts of the West, the animal rights movement has made adoption from shelters the moral high ground and put breeders on the defensive. There are strong movements for mandatory spey/neuter in many places. Minimum wage in the US tends to be $7 to $8/hour. The poor can't afford pedigree dogs or decent vet care for their pets; many have uneilightened attitudes. Eg, I respect prong collars used properly, but it hurts to see an unattended pit bull in someone's back yard, chained to a pivot, with a prong collar around its neck while the family is off at work and the kids at school. I'm now living in Gainesville Florida, a small city with a very large university. I feel like a freak cause I walk my dogs every day. I almost never see anyone walking dogs on the street. Dog ownership isn't very widespread. The best place to meet people who care deeply about their dogs is a wonderful dog park . . . for a few hundred bucks a year you get access to wonderful off-leash dog exercise area, complete with attendants who pick up pooh, places for swimming, more tennis balls and frisbees than you can imagine, and free use of towels. Trouble is, there are only a couple hundred members . . . in a city of around 100,000. 'Hobby" breederrs are having a hard time in many parts of the US. I'll bet that many of the pampered pooches you'll see in places like Carmel were purchased from large commercial dog breeders who treat dogs more as a commodity than as pets . . . or companion animals. Another large fraction will be from rescue operations that cope with the huge number of animals that are bred without planning and selection, placed with whoever will take them, and then rehomed through rescue operations when the original owners allow them to stray or place them in with rescues.

I once tried a sonic device that was supposed to inhibit barking in a boarding kennel. It had no effect.

I don't think Pampered Pooch accepts entire dogs.

Attempt to copy The Humane Society's TV campaign to adopt shelter dogs, combined with the hidden profit behind spay and neuter is castrating show breeders. January 2013 - Barbara J. Andrews, Editor-In-Chief, TheDogPress.com Forced into hiding by animal control, handcuffed by zoning regulations, local and state laws, most of which are lobbied into fruition by animal rights groups, "responsible dog breeders" are facing extinction.. As with any product, from sofas to shoes, when someone else makes it cheaper, quality merchandise disappears from the shelves. Mass distribution through local outlets further secures the buyer market. Premium wine, cheese, and tobacco specialty shops have all but disappeared, giving way to Wal-Mart, Target, and warehouse outlets. So it is with well-bred purebred dogs. Show breeders study genetics. You breed sound, healthy, mentally stable, well-reared, wonderfully socialized family companions and show dogs. You don't do it for the money even though the quality of your product is proven in test markets across the country. Creating a canine masterpiece is your life and holding the newborn in your hands and dreaming of his future enriches your life. At that precious moment, you are not thinking about how and to whom you will sell him. 12 weeks later, reality sets in. He is still with you instead of his own loving family. So are several of his littermates! A decade ago he would have been reserved months in advance. This article will pinpoint how show and hobby dog breeders got into this untenable situation and invite you to help explore solutions. We are not the family farm or brewery but we are faced with the same mass marketing and retail outlet reality. Do we sell out to the wholesalers? Not an option! Do we just give up? We may have no choice. How do YOU see this? A Working Dog breeder said "I think part of the problem is that responsible breeders have been driven underground by the animal rights crazies. People don't buy puppies from us because they can't FIND us. We don't openly advertise because we're afraid of being targeted. Some have websites and may be listed on the parent club website's breeder referral listing, but that is as far as we'll go to put ourselves out there. I'm sure the dog-buying public would prefer to purchase their canine companions from the responsible breeder you've described, but we have to be willing to widely market ourselves and our puppies. In the current climate, that's a very scary thing to do, especially when AKC does not have our backs. And if you don't mind, I'd prefer to remain anonymous since I don't know who is reading your site. I don't want to be the next target on an animal rights group's list." She hit upon two very important issues confronting breeders today. Her observations were underscored by a long time breeder-judge who said "It is nearly impossible to sell a quality puppy because most pure-breeds can be found in a shelter." The breeder-judge explained "HSUS has won the battle. People have been conditioned to go to a shelter to adopt a dog, for which they will pay several hundred dollars and if it has health or behavioral problems, which is likely, that 'free' dog will be even more costly in the long run." As I agreed, she continued "and of course it will be spayed or neutered, so statistically it is doomed to serious health risks." {1} In the brief silence that followed, her thoughts went in one direction and mine in another but ironically, they arrived at the same place. "So the veterinary profession has been sold the concept of adoption because consciously or not, shelter dogs increase the vet's bottom line?" She patiently replied "Of course. Shelter dogs are all sterilized and the veterinary literature is full of articles on the higher incidence of health problems encountered by sexually neutered dogs." "But wait" said I. "Spaying and neutering can't be good business practice because eventually the vets wouldn't have any animals to treat!" She didn't even let me complete that thought. "But BJ, there will always be USDA licensed puppy mills to provide grist for the shelters and sustain the practice of veterinary medicine." Oh. I called four other show breeders. At first I got denials, "no way can shelters hurt me" and "I don't compete with puppy millers" and "I always have deposits for my show puppies…" pause, "well okay, I don't have any pet homes for this litter." A well-known breeder identified a huge problem in surviving the animal rights onslaught, "One important point that gets overlooked in favor of the animal rights discussion is that breeders who widely advertise are often quietly but harshly judged by their peers for doing it. In some ways, we 'responsible' breeders are our own worst enemy...." One Toy dog breeder mused "I used to do very well with Dog World but I heard the online 'puppies for sale' sites put them out of business." I knew the answer but I asked anyway. "Well then Tom, why don't you use those puppy listing sites?" "What?" he shrieked, "Never! Never! Never! BJ, I am a show breeder. Whatever are you suggesting?" When he calmed down, I asked what he would suggest to reach good homes. "I tried the AKC breeder listing but it didn't work for me. I use the glossy mags and my show homes sometimes refer pet people to me. My litters are small but I have two friends in Hounds, they have huge litters you know, and they've been forced to run on pet puppies." I murmured sympathetically and after a quiet moment he replied, "I get it now. Actually, they've just about quit breeding. What can we do?" That is the question. Three years ago TheDogPress proposed TUBA, The United Breeders Association. {2} We need LEADERS but traditionally, show dog breeders do their own thing. We all have close friends we work with but basically, we're a competitive and independent lot. If we are to survive, show breeders must work together, come up with a plan, and adapt to the current environment or follow the platypus into obscurity. SEND US YOUR IDEAS on how Show Breeders can survive AND Preserve The Well-bred Purebred.

I once had a neighbor try to put a restraining order on me because I repeatedly called the Council about a number of infringements of the law. It was no fun going to court, but the judge threw the case out.(This was when I lived in WA).