*Karma*

The operation doesnt take that long, and here in Australia at least, you can take the dog home the same day. Best of luck, you've made the best decision.

Haze if you saw how many maltese & maltese x's end up in the pound you would not hesitate to desex him. Unfortunately there are many owners that arent considering breeding but think their dogs will be safe undesexed. How do you know that your dog will NEVER escape? If he does (and it's quite possible), what happens if he impregnates another dog? The question you should be asking is : why SHOULDNT I desex? In this day and age, it is very irresponsible not to desex unless you are a registered breeder or showing your dog.

Ive currently got 2 dogs with KC - one has it for the second time in a month Both dont cough as much outside unless they're running around. If you dog only coughs inside, does s/he get excited when s/he comes inside? Or are there stairs for him/her to climb? The vet told me to keep them both quiet because anything that would cause them to breathe a bit heavier (exercise or excitement) could bring on the coughing. The dogs Ive had start with sniffling/sneezing and then with a day or two are hacking/coughing. It can last 10-14 days and usually the dogs system will rid itself of KC on its own. It is contagious so be mindful of that - we were advised not to walk our dogs in parks etc where other dogs are. I was also told that unless there is a mucous discharge from the nose (or obvious sounds of a secondary infection in the chest - the vet will check for this) that they dont put them on antibiotics. Good luck - if it is KC expect to have sleepless nights for a week or so

Im having the same problem with a 12mth old maltese we recently adopted. He has no concept of toilet training. During the day while Im at work he is outside, but at night he sleeps inside with us (in a basket beside my bed). I take him outside to go to the toilet before I go to bed (around 10pm'ish) and then if I get up to my son during the night, I also let him out again in case he has to go. Regardless of this, he still poo's and wee's in the house (!). The problem is, Im usually asleep when he messes so I cant be there to quickly pick him up and carry him outside. We've tried putting newspaper down, which works - but once he's dirtied it once, he wont go there again, so if he needs to poo or wee a couple of times (believe me, this little guy has loads to empty, its scary!) he goes somewhere else. Our laundry is very small and Im hesitant to put him in there because he's a timid little boy and I dont want him to think he's being punished (if that makes sense?). Any suggestions?

Onslowsmum - that's great news that she has the spring back in her step! Maybe a new puppy on the block will make her feel young again? Best of luck - let us know how she goes.

Im so sorry you are faced with this decision. I had to put my 6yr old Rottie down last week from cancer. She looked very healthy, and was still young but she couldnt sleep because the painkillers werent strong enough. She had good days and bad days (more good than bad, but the bad were v.bad) and it was such a hard decision to make. In the end, I had to remind myself that all she would feel was a tiny pin prick and then she would sleep without any pain. I know she's in my backyard in spirit - my cat still lays in the same spot that they used to share. And as hard as it was for me, it was harder for her to continue living this life than going to the next. I feel I left it too late which I will always regret.

Oh I know how you feel. On one of my visits to the vets, he commented on how my dog looked so healthy with beautiful white teeth (they never used to be), so I explained that she was on the BARF diet. He looked at me and said "What the hell is that?" I had to explain it to him and I just knew he thought I was crazy.

Erny, I will definitely let you know how Karma goes. I placed the order this morning - apparently it can take 2-5 days to arrive. Heres hoping it only takes 2. Im sorry to hear that your dog also has cancer. I have never known as many dogs suffering with bone cancer (or any cancer really) - it has been a real eye opener for me. It's hard to, to be told that it is incureable AND very aggressive - it is such a cruel disease.

The first photo is my attempt at dressing the two of them up (Karma in reindeer ears and my son in a Santa suit) for a Christmas Card photo. It was no use I couldnt get either of them to sit still The second photo is Karma in my son's pool - they often sit together in there - it's hilarious! The third was when she was a puppy (obviously!), we've done away with this type of bed now due to our other dog injury herself on it. Karma now has a futon! Sorry that all photo's are so small. I tried to resize them to fit in the post but have shrunk them too much. I will try a larger/clearer photo below....

I've ordered the Maritime Pine Bark, Bone Cancer Support and Anti-Inflammatory Mix from Robert McDowell. I now have $7 in my savings account but if it helps to relieve some of her pain it will be money well spent. I tried earlier to post some pics of Karma & our 19mth old son (who adores her, and vice versa) but it didnt work - so here's trying again ! By the way, we've owned Labradors, Kelpies, German Shepherds in the past. Karma is our first Rottie - I can honestly say I will NEVER look at any other breed again. I dont know if it's just good breeding or what, but she has seriously been the BEST dog I've ever owned or known of. She's the greatest guarddog, and also the best playmate for kids. She was never a naughty puppy and grew out of digging pretty quickly. We've have never had concern to watch her around our son (although with ANY breed of dog, we never leave them out of our sight). If you're thinking of buying one - find a good breeder and go for it! You will never look at another breed again

Well, I jumped the gun in posting earlier. Before picking Karma up I asked our vet to x-ray Karma's full leg and chest just to be 100% sure that the bone cancer isnt anywhere else. What do you know - the tumour is in the upper limb of her leg not her shoulder, which is why he/we missed it. It isnt 'advanced' but an average dog (from his point of view) with this sized tumour would have 6-8wks. We are going to try Robert McDowell's cancer support treatment and I will also contact the Cancer specialist mentioned two posts above. Thanks again everyone for your help. Im new to this forum but it's really nice to know that 'strangers' care as much as you guys do! You feel silly trying to explain to non-doggy people what your pets mean to you because they see dogs just as dogs, whereas I (and obviously you guys too) see them as our kids.

Can you believe that after spending the night on her dogbed with her (thinking it was my last night with her), she has woken up with barely a limp!! Seems she must've had just an off day or two in the last two days and today is a 'good' day. She definitely wont be PTS today Well Karma (that's our dogs name!) had her x-rays and the vet has rung to say that there is very minimal change in the x-ray now to the one taken 4wks ago. Im now 99% convinced then that pain is caused by bone chip not cancer (if she even has it? surely by now it would've grown?). I asked about operating to remove the bone chip and he said he would speak to me further about it when I pick her up this afternoon but he is very hesitant to do the op as it's major surgery (?) and quite painful recovery. Im going to ask for the x-rays to take home or if I can take a photo of the x-rays (!) so that I can get a second opinion on the op as I dont think its humane to just leave it there, regardless of the type of surgery or recovery time. In the end, if it's left there and we do nothing, she'll still be in pain so why not do the op to remove the source of the pain even if she continues to be in pain for a further 4 wks or so while recovering? Our vet is usually fantastic and usually I trust him 100%, but it just doesnt sit right with me this time. If anyone knows of a dog that has had a bone chip removed, or of a very good vet in the Sydney (south-western area would be great!) - please post here or email me on [email protected]. Likewise, if someone has any suggestions for natural painkillers that we can give her until her op is done - that would be very much appreciated also. We are definitely open to naturapathic / homeopathic suggestions.

oops - posted that message twice (not sure what happened). Have just spoken to vet and he is happy to do more x-rays first thing tomorrow morning. Fingers-cross it is 'just' the bone chip!

Thanks everything for your advice and well wishes. I have emailed Robert McDowell's team and enquired about the bone cancer support treatment he has. I also relayed that info to my vet, but vet thought it may be too late as she has had intermittent lameness recently on her hind leg and he thinks (again) that it's either bone cancer or arthritis but more than likely bone cancer. She has been on the BARF diet for about 12 mths now (and looks fantastic!) and I have added things to her diet that Robert suggested (ie. buckwheat, linseed, millet, flaxseed oil etc) to help her condition. She is now on Previcox which Im told is the strongest she painkiller available for her condition. (Please someone tell me if there is something else that she could try!). She is approx 38kgs (and getting heavier as she is moving less and less) and gets 1 tablet per day. The tablet works for about 4-6 hours then the effects wear off, whereas a week ago, she showed no signs of lameness in a 24hour period while on the tablets. We also took her off the p/k's for a day to give her a break (at vets suggestion) but that is now impossible as it is too painful for her. Her x-rays were taken approx 3 wks ago. Our vet told us that it is an aggressive cancer and that more than likely we will see it appear as it grows. Still last night after feeling everywhere, I cant feel any swelling whatsoever in her front leg from her toes to her shoulder, which is why part of me doubts she really has advanced cancer. The vet is available in 10 mins for me to speak to (Im at work too, so Im dreading the phone call because Im only just holding it together now!) so hopefully he'll tell me that they'll do another lot of x-rays. Here is my beautiful girl with my 18mth old son - they adore each other! Thanks everyone for your advice and well wishes. I have emailed Robert McDowell's team and enquired about the bone cancer support treatment he has. I also relayed that info to my vet, but vet thought it may be too late as she has had intermittent lameness recently on her hind leg and he thinks (again) that it's either bone cancer or arthritis but more than likely bone cancer. She has been on the BARF diet for about 12 mths now (and looks fantastic!) and I have added things to her diet that Robert suggested (ie. buckwheat, linseed, millet, flaxseed oil etc) to help her condition. She is now on Previcox which Im told is the strongest she painkiller available for her condition. (Please someone tell me if there is something else that she could try!). She is approx 38kgs (and getting heavier as she is moving less and less) and gets 1 tablet per day. The tablet works for about 4-6 hours then the effects wear off, whereas a week ago, she showed no signs of lameness in a 24hour period while on the tablets. We also took her off the p/k's for a day to give her a break (at vets suggestion) but that is now impossible as it is too painful for her. Her x-rays were taken approx 3 wks ago. Our vet told us that it is an aggressive cancer and that more than likely we will see it appear as it grows. Still last night after feeling everywhere, I cant feel any swelling whatsoever in her front leg from her toes to her shoulder, which is why part of me doubts she really has advanced cancer. The vet is available in 10 mins for me to speak to (Im at work too, so Im dreading the phone call because Im only just holding it together now!) so hopefully he'll tell me that they'll do another lot of x-rays.

Hi, I dont know the answer to your question, but can you contact Pedigree (Im assuming they have a phone number or website address on their packaging) and ask them? I wouldnt think that there would be a major problem in feeding a 3yr old dog puppy food, other than they may be getting more / not enough of the vitamins for that specific age group that they need.