People and pets

Ruff Ruff escapes again- amazing recovery

2010-10-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Today, about 12.00pm I noticed a storm clouds rolling across the sky, and the first thing I thought of was how Ruff Ruff would be coping. I know how she hates thunder storms. Later in the afternoon the vet nurses told me Rebecca had rung to say that Ruff Ruff was missing. Rebecca had come home to see if Ruff Ruff was okay, but she found that Ruff Ruff was already gone. Rebecca went looking for Ruff Ruff but Ruff ruff could not be found. About 4.00pm I recieved a phone call from BCC to say that someone had found Ruff Ruff in Wood ridge about 20km away! That sounded incredible, how could Ruff Ruff gone so Far. They gave me a ladies number to ring. She said that she had found Ruff Ruff running around outside her unit and had no idea how Ruff Ruff would have got there. But then we got talking and found that she had been working at a house across the street from where we live. Looking closey at Ruff Ruff there was several grease mark and some skin abrasions. Ruff Ruff was defineatly not inside the car as this lady drove home. so the only reasonable conclusion we can see is that Ruff Ruff Climbed under the bonnet of this car to escape the thunderstorm and stayed there as this lady drove over 20km home. We are very lucky to have Ruff Ruff back alive.

Diagnosed a Heartworm postive dog today.

2010-08-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I did a heartworm test on a 8 year old staffy. He had missed 3 years of heartworm treatment when his owners where battiling cancer. He was a healthy dog except for some tartar and plaque on his teeth. I do so many heartworm test and so many come back negative. Even when I was working at the pound, testing abandoned dogs, heartworm was rare. So I was quite suprised to come back to my heartworm test and find a positive reading. I also had a look at the blood under the microscope and found some microfliara, I have not seem any of those for a long time. The lady owner was quite upset but is keen to treat the dog, and she booked him on Monday for further tests.

Stupid Goverment Decision To Kill Amstaffs but set Pit bull Free!

2010-07-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

Gold Coast City Council and the Hon Minister Desley Boyle set to Kill all American Staffordshire terriers and set Pit bull terriers free.

Are the American Staffordshire terrier and the American Pit Bull terrier one breed or are they two different breeds of dog?

It is generally accepted that the Amstaff and Pit bull came from a common blood line or stock, descending from the Staffordshire bull terrier originally.

The split happened when the UKC, United Kennel Club, preferred their Pit bull stock to be bred for gameness or performance and other dog groups wanted to move towards conformation and show qualities.

The American Staffordshire terrier was then line bred with the best of what was available within their registries to only other registered American Staffordshire terriers for the next 90 years, keeping this breed pure to the original blood line.

What I found out here in Australia, at least, because there is no national registry for the American Pit Bull terrier and as this breed is not recognised by the Australian National Kennel Club or groups like the CCCQ ect, owners and breeders had an open hand at what they were allowed to do in regards to improving or enhancing the look of their particular dogs.

When looking at individual breeders and their dogs, one will boast at how larger their blood lines head is or another will claim that theirs are the biggest most muscular Pit bulls in Australia, now looking nothing in anyway like the original American Pit Bull terrier from the USA, or in fact nothing like the original imported dogs to Australia.

With the introduction of the BITSA DNA dog breed identification test, many American Pit Bull terrier owners were horrified that their secret cross breeding program would come to light exposing how their dogs came to be so individual and distinct from the original imported blood stock to Australia.

After completing now over 30 DNA tests and working with the DNA lab in Victoria it had become indisputably clear that many of the once known American Pit Bull terriers are now showing to be nothing but lookalike cross breed dogs, holding any number of breeds unlike the original cross breed combination which was the American Pit Bull terrier.

The American Pit Bull terriers breeders are not totally to blame for altering their breed or dilution of their blood line, as the prohibition on importing blood stock and the banning and destruction of good breeding stock by the Qld Governments BSL law 17A forced many if not all dogs to go underground. What choice did dog owners have? The blame rests still with this Qld Government who must hold part of the blame for all the consequences of this badly thought-out law.

With the American Staffordshire terrier, the BITSA DNA identification test shows very clearly, scientifically and without any doubt that a suspected dog either is a pure breed American Staffordshire terrier or an American Staffordshire terrier cross breed dog, showing what it was cross bred with, or just a lookalike cross breed, showing what dogs made up the lookalike combination.

With the court case run on the 29^th of March, 2010, BRISBANE SUPREME Court. CHIVERS Vs Gold Coast City Council. Ms Chivers went to trial to fulfil a magistrate order asking her to prove her dog was an American Staffordshire terrier so she may be allowed to return her dog to her home on the Gold Coast.

I was not only successful in proving this point uncontested, I also was able to prove that the method of identification used by councils in South East Qld in identification of suspected Pit bull terriers was knowingly false, and that the Qld Government staff, (Animal Control Officers for respective Councils) held no formal or academic qualifications clearly showing they could and would never be considered an expert, in any field in dog breed identification or experts in general under the rule of law.

However in a final twist, at the end of the trial, the GCCC Barrister entered a new submission, which was never presented to my Barrister until the very end of the trial, changing their whole point of view, stating they had admitted over the past 7 years they had got things wrong and now seen the light and found the truth.

Despite presenting expert evidence in some 15 to 20 trials, (Dino Da Fre Vs Logan City Council..ect) that the American Staffordshire terrier and the American Pit Bull terrier were two separate breeds and that with the training of their expert Debora Pomeroy and the 22 point checklist they could without any reservation prove that the dogs were two separate breeds, they now contend that they are the same breed of dog.

As this was submitted at the end of the trial, My Barrister without prior notification had 10 minutes to come up with a reply, thus leaving it to the judge to base his decision on what was before him, the court ruled that an American Staffordshire terrier and the American Pit Bull terrier were the same breed.

My Barrister was clearly blindsided, the rules or principles of natural justice, also known as procedural fairness, were developed to ensure that decision-making is fair and reasonable. Put simply, natural justice involves decision-makers informing people of the case against them or their interests, giving them a right to be heard (the ‘hearing’ rule), not having a personal interest in the outcome (the rule against ‘bias’), and acting only on the basis of logically probative evidence (the ‘no evidence’ rule).” And in a way the judge showed he knew this by his comments and not awarding any costs a clear indication that one side did not follow the rules.

How does this affect dog owners? As the Gold Coast City Council so cleverly tricked a Supreme Court Judge in giving a false ruling, by disobeying the rules or principles of natural justice, their win has given all Pit bull terrier owners a free get out of jail card. I will explain.

The GCCC’s win that American Staffordshire terriers and American Pit bull terriers are one and the same.

Here's the Kicker, there is a DNA test for the Amstaff, 100% accurate, the same test that all the American Staffordshire terrier clubs use to check the validity of a suspected members true breed, the same test the ANKC and the CCCQ use, that is the BITSA Dog Breed Identification DNA test.

Therefore there is a DNA test for Pit bulls...the Amstaff DNA test, so any other dog that does not conform to the Pit bull DNA test (Amstaff DNA test) must not be a Pit bull terrier.

With me so far....

Kill all the Amstaffs, a group of the dog community that have never caused any problems just so a dog called Tango could not be returned to the Gold Coast and win at all costs, has in effect made the GCCC set the Pit bulls free to breed/grow in number and really become a problem as the Pit bull terrier will never pass the Amstaff test.

Just think, when the Restricted dog owners (Gold Coast and South East Qld) find out that all they have to do is send a DNA test to the lab and should the results come back their dog is not an American Staffordshire terrier, they then, don’t have an American Pit bull terrier, no need to put the signs on their gates, no extra fees, compensation for the harassment /desexing their dogs, then the need for an explanation to why the GCCC falsely identified their pet wrongly in the first place?

Wow, Gold Coast City Council how smart do you feel now!

The QLD Government’s Honourable Desley Boyle, Minister for Local Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships who has had two terms as Minister for Local Government over the past 7 years, and Mr Logan Timms, Senior Policy Officer of the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, have been placed in this situation by the GCCC. They are in a stalemate situation; it’s finally up to the dog owners in QLD to write to the Minister demanding that she fix this problem immediately, sack the GCCC or resign enabling hopefully another Minister to come up with a competent solution to fix this problem.

There is currently a case on the GCCC "Whereo" and "Mo" who were both placed under a destruction order by the Gold Coast City Council, Animal Management (Cats and Dog) Act 2008, section 127, Destruction Order.2010/01, Both dogs have been tested for Breed identification, known as BITSA which you are familiar with, and the results are:

Mo: Boston Terrier/ Golden Retriever
Whereo: Staffordshire Bull terrier/ Boxer

Both do not hold the cross breeding to be American Pit bull terriers (or American Staffordshire terriers either, same thing) so how is it that they were identified as American Pit bull terriers or restricted dogs or how have they broken the law?

The first of many back cases to come forward.

The Gold Coast City Council's way of fixing a problem is to make the whole thing much, much, worse, just out of spite. The Gold Coast City Council, head of Animal Control Geoff Irwin, has over stepped his authority (Abuse of Power). (Putting out fires with petrol)

This Supreme Court decision has in effect, with the introduction of BITSA DNA testing, made the BSL section of the Animal Management (Cats and Dog) Act 2008, unworkable, therefore powerless and Ineffectual.

Just to show you, that not only do we know that the DNA test works here in Australia, but even in the USA their are other affected dog owners who have problems with councils trying to falsely identify their pets as Pit bulls.

Bad luck the whole world uses the internet and asked for help.

Open this and play from half way through, 3:25, Logan Timms, I think you will get the point.

Make sure the sound is on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1ZI2hKZJEs

Have fun watching

Mr Logan Timms, Senior Policy Officer of the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, has been made fully aware of this case for well over a month and has done???

Contact Mr Logan Timms on 3033 0594 or email logan.timms@dip.qld.gov.au , logan.timms@dlgsr.qld.gov.au .

Contact Minister Desley Boyle on (07) 3227 8819 or email LGATSIP@ministerial.qld.gov.au or PO Box 15031, CITY EAST QLD 4002.

Contact Mr Dale Dickson, Chief Executive Officer, Gold Coast City Council, PO Box 5042, Gold Coast MC 9729, gcccmail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Contact Colette McCool, Directory of Community Services, Gold Coast City Council
cmccool@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Yours Sincerely,

Kylie Chivers co/owner of Tango

kylielou@msn.com

How is this going to effect your members, any ACO who has used the false syetem of identification of a suspected Pit bull terrier, by way of the 22 point checklist, may loose their house.

I have just finished watching Hachi

2010-07-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have just finished watching Hachi, the loyal dog, a beautiful story about a dog's love and loyalty for his master. It was a very moving story and certainly brought a tear to my eye. If you love dogs , you would love this movie. I have heard of stories where dog know when their owners are coming home, it certainly something you could not teach a dog. There was something special about this dog, The owner could not teach him to play fetch, but Hatchi knew when his owner was coming home and would always wait. I love dogs for their sense of loyalty, a sense of loyalty in dogs is often greater than it is in Humans and that is why we love them so much. This is definitely will be one of my favourite movies.

What kind of Dog household do you live in?

2010-07-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Below is an article from Dog diaries about the kind of house hold we live in.

My house hold is more like a B household, maybe a C, Our Labrador "Rainbow" sleeps outside, but "Ruff ruff" sleeps under our bed,Our dogs mostly eat Eukanuba Dog Food, but also get plenty of treats, such as liver treats and pig ears. If I was home for the day , like the weekend the dogs might get walked twice daily, usaully it is to the same spot, a big park where they are free to run. But some busy days they can also miss out.

Please read the article below and tell us about your dog household.

Leave a comment telling us how pampered your dog is to win a Chew Toy and Food Bowl! The most original comment will win! Be sure to include a valid email address so we can contact you about your prize. The promotion ends on the 19th of July and the winner will be announced on Friday the 30th of July 2010.

Obviously each of us love our pooch dearly, and want to create the most loving home environment, yet lately, what experts are calling ‘petocracies’ are becoming more and more prevalent in Australian households. A Petocracy is a pet-democracy…where your furry friend has equal (or sometimes more) say in the way the household is run than its human inhabitants. To find out if your home is a petocracy, take our fun, easy quiz and discover whether you’ve been usurped as ruler of your roost!

It’s bedtime. You:

a) Put your dog outside for the night

b) Send him to bed in his dog-bed in the laundry

c) Let him curl up at the foot of your bed…he’s a good foot warmer!

d) Plump up the pillow in your bed that he likes to sleep on and make sure he has most of the blankets.

Your dog’s diet consists of:

a) Dry food only

b) Mostly dry food, with chicken necks, bones and other morsels as occasional treats

c) A mixture of dry and wet food, with daily treats and a specially-designed eating plan to keep him interested and fit.

d) It depends on the day of the week. He likes steak on Mondays, liver on Tuesdays, and I bake him little foie gras biscuits on Wednesday….

How often do you walk your dog?

a) Two or three times a week

b) Once a day, with a bit of a run in the dog park.

c) Twice a day, being sure to change up the locations so he stays interested.

d) However often he feels like it. When he is too tired to walk I carry him in my doggy backpack so he can still experience the scenery.

The rules you have for your dog are:

a) Very strict—dogs need discipline otherwise they get carried away.

b) Fairly strict—he knows who is boss but sometimes gets away with things for being so cute!

c) Quite lax—he knows how to get what he wants by using his puppy charm.

d) No watching Law and Order (the theme song bothers him), no staying out past 9pm (he gets lonely) and no chocolate in the house (it’s dangerous for dogs)….Oh, you meant what rules do I have for the dog….

Now for the tally…

Mostly As:

You’re from the old school, and believe that dogs need to firmly know their place and respect their masters. You’re diligent in setting up boundaries for your pet and value obedience, loyalty and good behaviour. This is a perfectly acceptable attitude towards dog ownership, just remember to let your hair down and have some fun with your pooch…after all, it’s what they’re best at!

Mostly Bs:

While discipline is important to you, you recognise the importance of a pooch needing to fit in with the family’s lifestyle, not the other way around. You can’t help but indulge your furry friend every once in a while and you like to be organised in your approach to having a pet.

Mostly Cs:

Your dog is an important member of your family and you consider its needs as a high priority. You work hard to ensure your pooch’s happiness and probably sacrifice a lot of time to its care…which is worth it for you because of the love and affection you get back in return.

Mostly Ds:

Oh, Mostly Ds, what are we going to do with you? You’ve given complete control over to your canine commander–whoops, sorry—companion, but we’ll forgive you because, well, we love dogs too! Just make sure you try to set some boundaries, as dogs do respect leadership and need to know what behaviour is acceptable.

Don’t Forget!

Leave a comment telling us how pampered your dog is to win a Chew Toy and Food Bowl!

Images by sucka74, nawtydawg and Photography by Ruben

What kind of Cat household do you live in? Best comment wins

2010-07-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is a quiz from Bayer about what kind of pet house hold you live in. Read the article below and leave a comment on the Bayer website.

I would have to say that I would mostly be a B cat owner, my cat lives in the garage, as he does not like our Jack Russell. We love Aussie our cat, but he has to fit into our busy household with 3 children, and two dogs. Aussie now mostly lives in our front garden and comes in of a night time to the garage. The best thing about this is Aussie often greets me first when I drive home, I open the car door and he jumps in for a pat and a head rub.

Last night he actually came inside and sat on my lap as I watched TV. Ruff Ruff was hiding in my bedroom, so Aussie felt comfortable in the house, it was great to have a purring creature on my lap, for change than a panting one.

Leave a comment telling us how pampered your cat is to win a Cat Igloo! The most original comment will win! Be sure to include a valid email address so we can contact you about your prize. The promotion ends on the 19th of July and the winner will be announced on Friday the 30th of July 2010.

Obviously each of us loves our kitty dearly, and want to create the most loving home environment, yet lately, what experts are calling ‘petocracies’ are becoming more and more prevalent in Australian households. A Petocracy is a pet-run democracy…where your furry friend has equal (or sometimes more) say in the way the household is run than its human inhabitants. To find out if your home is a petocracy, take our fun, easy quiz and discover whether you’ve been usurped as ruler of your roost!

It’s bedtime. You:

a) Put your cat outside for the night

b) Send him to bed in his cat-bed in the laundry

c) Let him curl up at the foot of your bed…he’s a good foot warmer!

d) Plump up the pillow in your bed that he likes to sleep on and make sure he has most of the blankets.

Your cat’s diet consists of:

a) Dry food only

b) Mostly dry food, with other morsels as occasional treats

c) A mixture of dry and wet food, with daily treats and a specially-designed eating plan to keep him interested and fit.

d) It depends on the day of the week. He likes steak on Mondays, liver on Tuesdays, and I bake him little foie gras biscuits on Wednesday….

Regarding drinking water for your cat:

a) He knows where his bowl is, and it is always full

b) You change his water regularly to keep it fresh

c) After each drink you tip out the bowl, clean it, and refill it with purified water

d) He doesn’t like his bowl so you strategically place cups around the house and leave the bathroom tap dripping…that’s his favourite.

The rules you have for your cat are:

a) Very strict—animals need discipline otherwise they get carried away.

b) Fairly strict—he knows who is boss but sometimes gets away with things for being so cute!

c) Quite lax—he knows how to get what he wants by using his kitten charm.

d) No watching Law and Order (the theme song bothers him), no staying out past 9pm (he gets lonely) and no dogs in the house (naturally)….Oh, you meant what rules do I have for the cat….

Now for the tally…

Mostly As:

You’re from the old school, and believe that cats need to firmly know their place and respect their masters. You’re diligent in setting up boundaries for your pet and value obedience, loyalty and good behaviour. This is a perfectly acceptable attitude towards cat ownership, just remember to let your hair down and have some fun with your moggie…after all, it’s what they’re best at!

Mostly Bs:

While discipline is important to you, you recognise the importance of a pet needing to fit in with the family’s lifestyle, not the other way around. You can’t help but indulge your furry friend every once in a while and you like to be organised in your approach to having a pet.

Mostly Cs:

Your cat is an important member of your family and you consider its needs as a high priority. You work hard to ensure your pet’s happiness and probably sacrifice a lot of time to its care…which is worth it for you because of the love and affection you get back in return.

Mostly Ds:

Oh, Mostly Ds, what are we going to do with you? You’ve given complete control over to your kitty commander–whoops, sorry—companion, but we’ll forgive you because, well, we love cats too! Just make sure you try to set some boundaries, as pets do respect leadership and need to know what behaviour is acceptable.

Don’t forget to leave a comment telling us how pampered your cat is to win a Cat Igloo! The most original comment will win!

To leave a comment for this competition Click HERE

Images by polandeze, Matthew Yaktine and jen-the-librarian

Memory Flowers, Pet loss books for children.

2010-07-04T00:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended a launch for a new pet loss book for children, called Memory Flowers written by Donna Ellis. It is beautiful story about a family losing their pet dog "Charlie" and how as a family they dealt with the issues and the memory of a beloved family pet. The book is beautifully illustrated by Philippa Morton. The launch was a significant gathering of people who are concerned about pet loss. I met Dr David Foote, who is a vet that also does pet loss counselling, and I met Dr Tim Vivian another vet concerned about pet loss. He recalled a story where a upon the euthanasia of the pet, the child asked whether he would see the dog in heaven and before he could think of an answer the mother spoke up to say that they where Catholic and we don't believe that dogs go to heaven. I think this was a terrible thing for the mother to say to the child, the child's one comforting thought was denied by the mother. As a catholic I certainly believe there is room for belief in a heaven that contains our pets. There is a great book written by Jack Wintz " Will I see my dog in heaven" that outlines these beliefs. There was also a small speech by Dr Paula Barrett, A professor of educational Psychology, who explained that pet loss can be a very significant part of child's life and if handled correctly it provides transformational experience. I think Memory flowers would help children and parents do this.

The launch was a great celebration of two women working together to produce a great resource. The location was the Raw Gallery a great little inner city spot to have a few nibbles with a glass of wine. I wish the book great success. For more information on the book see Memory Flowers .

Help Save the Black Rhino by going on this amazing educational travel tour

2010-06-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

I met this amazing Lady , Dr Helen Jones at Australian AVA conference. It seems like she is doing great things for the Black Rhino. This a great educational travel trip she has organized, I know several people who are going this year. I would love to be going sometime.

See details below

AUSTRALIAN VETERINARY WILDLIFE STUDY TOUR OF ZIMBABWE AND BOTSWANA

Facilitated for Edutravel by the SAVE FOUNDATION of Australia

Sunday 5 September – Sunday 19 September

(with additional options in Botswana and South Africa until Sunday 26 September)

This educational study tour will be led by Dr Helen Jones and Dr Ian Fairnie, both of whom are former National Presidents of the Australian Veterinary Association. Participants will meet with veterinarians in Zimbabwe as well as officers from the Parks and Wildlife department, and staff working for not-for-profit organisations active in wildlife conservation.

The program in Zimbabwe will be facilitated by the President of the SAVE FOUNDATION of Australia, Mr Nicholas Duncan, who has dedicated his life to saving the Black Rhino in Zimbabwe. He has visited Zimbabwe 53 times. The SAVE FOUNDATION of Australia has raised over $3.2 million donating the amount to buy field equipment, including eleven 4-wheel drive vehicles, 15 motor bikes, 15 outboard motors, 10 reconditioned engines and gearboxes, numerous sets of radios and spare parts for all of the above, that greatly increase anti-poaching efforts, and in the process saving not only rhinoceros, but also lions, leopards, hyenas, the African Painted Dog and elephants. Unlike many other non-profit making organisations, it is a totally voluntary foundation, with all its expenses - secretarial, communications, and travel - sponsored by a private company. It is one of the NGO’s with the lowest overheads in the world (less than 3%). On 18 June 2009, the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism (ZCT) awarded the SAVE FOUNDATION of Australia its Green Globe 21 Trophy for contribution to or action on the environment.

HIGHLIGHTS: At each safari location, qualified guides and wildlife officers will take participants out to see and photograph giraffe, lion, elephants, baboon, buffalo, and possibly leopard, plus countless birds including carrion feeders.

During the 6 days in Hwange National Park, participants will meet staff involved in anti-poaching and other conservation activities such as the tracking of lion and the African Painted Dog, and perhaps participate in the implanting of tracking devices.

The final option sees the program finish in Cape Town for three nights and includes a visit to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held for 20 of the 27 years he spent as a prisoner.

At all locations, where possible, meetings are planned with local private and government veterinarians, as well as wildlife conservation officers.

ACCOMMODATIONS: After the first two nights in a Harare hotel, there will be two nights at Imire Safari Ranch and 5 nights in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe with excellent accommodations with all meals and drinks provided. There will be two nights at the splendid and luxurious Victoria Falls Hotel where the program includes a helicopter ride above the falls, an elephant ride, and visits to lion and rhino conservation projects, as well as the morning markets. One night will be spent enjoying a Boma dinner – if you are “game”, after a sunset river cruise and open bar. The main program finishes with two nights at the Chobe Marina Lodge and for those continuing on the program in Botswana, there will be three nights at Xakanaxa Camp with all meals and drinks provided unless otherwise stated.

COSTS: The program in Zimbabwe and an overnight visit to Chobe (Botswana) is estimated to cost $6995 of which approximately $2000 is international airfares from Australia to South Africa. An additional week in Botswana at Chobe National Park and the Okavanga Delta, and a 4-night visit to Cape Town in South Africa is estimated to cost an additional $3995

Websites to visit:

http://www.imiresafariranch.com/

http://www.game-reserve.com/zimbabwe_hwange_np.html

http://www.thehide.com/

http://www.africansunhotels.com/Index.cfm?fuseaction=HOTELS.info&name=Hwange_Safari_Lodge

http://www.victoria-falls-hotels.com/Vicfallshotel_Zimbabwe.asp

http://www.africanimpact.com/news/2007-11/lion-rehab-release.php

http://www.thebomarestaurant.com/

http://www.chobemarinalodge.com/

http://www.chobe-national-park.com/

http://www.xakanaxa-camp.com/

http://www.robben-island.org.za/

A dog runs into a stick and loses an eye.

2010-06-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

A man ran into the vet surgery with his dog this morning saying that his dog's eye had come out. We took him straight through to the consultation room and had a look at the eye. Apparently the dog had been running madly around the yard when he hit a stick that went straight into the dogs eye and he said all the white fluid came out. On examination all I could see was a Major defect in the cornea of the eye and blood filled chamber. I recommend they go straight to the eye specialist but he said they had very little money. Well the dog had probably already lost sight in the eye and we could do was to try and save the structure, we gave him pain relief and antibiotics drops. The owners where very upset and the young lad wanted to keep going outside to be sick. Our eyes are so precious and it is always very upsetting to lose an eye. The eye might fibrous or might become infected and have to be removed.

I Found a dog lying in the middle of the road just been hit by a car.

2010-05-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

I was on my way home tonight and came over the hill to find a dog lying in the middle of the road. It was still breathing, I pulled over to the side, the car behind me swerved quickly to miss the dog, the next car drove straight over the top of the dog. I ran out into the middle of the road and picked up the dog just before the next car came. I put the dog on the side of the road to have a look at him. He was still breathing and conscious, he had at least one fractured limb and I don't think he could feel his back legs. Two other people came running up to me. One guy had seen the dog being hit, it made the car swerve and he almost hit that car. The car that hit the dog did not stop. That guy knocked on the first door and people came out and they recognised the dog as belonging to a friend of theirs. They where not sure where the owner would be. They sent someone looking. Another person then said she probably would not have a car to take the dog to the emergency center or the money to fix it. So was there any point waiting for the owner, someone needed to take the dog to the emergency center. Their friends where just going off to work, I had to go and pick up my children from cubs. Someone rang RSPCA ambulance and they said they would come and pick up the dog. I asked one of the neighbours to get a blanket , I then wrapped the dog in the blanket and left the dog with the neighbours. I went and picked up my children from cubs, on the way home we stopped by and the ambulance was just leaving with the dog. I was a bit frustrated with how little I could do for the dog, but really the best thing to do was have the RSPCA take the dog.First Aid for Dogs: What to do When Emergencies Happen

Scoff Stopper

2010-05-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

We bought Rainbow, our Labrador a new dinner plate, the idea is to help our labrador eat slowly, and I think it is working very well. Normally she eats her food in about 10 seconds, now it takes her about 3 minutes. I think it only adds to her enjoyment of food. As a Labrador eating food is one of her greatest joys, and being able to extend it out makes a big difference. for more information http://www.scoffstopper.com.au/

Other products available that do the same

Home from holidays to find a depression in his dog's head.

2010-04-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

This morning a man rang to say that he had come home from holidays to find that his dog had a large depression on one side of its head. The neighbours looking after the dog had noticed the depression but they where unsure if it was there before. I told him to bring it down to have a look. When I looked I could see that there was a large depression, it was all from muscle waste, I open the dogs mouth to find a putrid smell, and I could just see a necrotic area at the back of the jaw, the jaw itself was also quite swollen. It could either be a foreign body or a tumour. So we had to admit the dog for further investigation, Under a general anaesthetic I could open the mouth wide open a see a large necrotic area in the corner of the jaw, we took an xray a could see a large area of enlargement around the jaw bone, it confirmed what I suspected that it was a bony cancer. I told the owner and he was very upset, and decieded to have the dog euthanasied, but he did not want to stay, he went and gave the dog a last hug and left. The dog (that had been sitting quietly all day) began to howl after the owner left. We then had to euthanize the dog. A very sad story.
Michael O'Donoghue For People and pets

2010-03-22T04:11:00.001-07:00

What would you do when your dog bites your friend?

2010-03-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had a very distressed Man ring up to say that his dog has just bitten his neighbour and she had to go to hospital for treatment as there where several puncture marks. Apparently his wife was letting someone through the front gate and the dog got out and rushed forward and bite the neighbour. Now he was asking my advice did he have to euthanise the dog? Legally I do not think you have to, but you know you have dangerous dog on your hands and you could never be sure that it would never happen again. He decided to bring the dog down straight away for euthanasia. He was very upset and I can totally understand why, that would be the hardest things to do to let your beloved dog go because he bite someone. The dog was staffy cross and was happy and relaxed in the consultation room. The man could not decide whether to be present at the euthansia but eventually he decided to be with dog. First time we tried to hold the dog he went to bite me, which made everybody more nervous so we had to put a muzzle on the dog. We then euthanised the dog, checked the heart had stopped and then we helped him carry the dog out to the car, the owner was still very upset. I really felt for the guy but I think he did the right thing.

Ruff ruff bites another dog

2010-03-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I took the dogs for another walk down behind our houses. I normally walk them down to behind the houses on a lead, then when I check there is no one around I let them off for a run. I think it is the best thing to see them running free. Normally we never see anyone down there, but yesterday Ruff ruff ran ahead of me around the corner, then suddenly I heard a man yelling and our dogs running back towards me. The man yelled at me that Ruff ruff had bitten his dog ( a fluffy white dog) The evidence was clear Ruff ruff had fur in her mouth. I was very sorry for the guy and annoyed at Ruff ruff. It is awful to have your own dog attacked by another. Thankfully there was no damage and the guy calmed down. I am not sure why Ruff Ruff attacks other dogs, I think it is out of fear. I suppose I must be much more careful where I let them off the lead. Officially the only place you can do this is at a dog park, but Ruff ruff does not do well at all at Dog parks. I am unwilling to always have them on a lead as watching the dogs run, and knowing that they will always follow you is one of the great joys of owning a dog.

Death of a family pet.

2010-02-23T02:55:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday my auntie to rang to tell me that their dog had been admitted to hospital, with a swollen painful abdomen. The Vet was now advising them to transfer to an after hours center for intensive care over the weekend, the bill could have been in thousands of dollars. What should they do? This is always a difficult question, but harder when it is about a family pet that I could not see.
I rang the vet hospital where the dog was staying and spoke at length with the vet on duty about the case. There was no way they where going to spend thousands of dollars at an after hours center, but there was the possibility the dog might get better by just staying on a fluid line. I suggest The dog stay at the hospital without supervision. It was against the policy of that vet hospital, but as long as the owners understood that it would be okay. On Sunday the dog seemed brighter and was able to go for a walk. They where very hopeful that he might go home the next day. But Monday came and the dog was a lot worse and they decided to euthanize. I felt sad for them and so much more involved as I knew that dog. It also made me wish I had my own vet hospital so that I could have helped treat the dog.

Value of pet loss sympathy card

2010-02-17T19:30:00.001-08:00

I was looking at Parkridge Animal Hospital on the web, and I noticed they had a review

Park Ridge Animal Hospital is a fantastic...‎

By carpet - 22 Aug 2008

place to take your pets. I had to have my 12 year old cat put to sleep a few weeks ago. They were very caring and they sent us out a hand written card a few days later, with their sincere condolences for our beautiful cat. I would recommend anyone to take their ...‎

www.truelocal.com.au/business/...animal-hospital/park-ridge.

To me it shows that end of a pet life is so important, and people often remember vets for the smallest of gestures. This really encourages me to continue to promote pet loss cards

2010-02-10T15:44:00.001-08:00

I was sent this email today about the intelligence of dogs. I think we all believe our dogs are smart, it is great when there are studies that demonstrate that.

Dogs Think Similarly to Young Children and Can Learn Words, Counting Skills and More

Dogs have an intellectual capacity similar to that of a two-year-old human child, researcher and author Stanley Coren said at a presentation to the 117th annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

"One of the most recent breakthroughs is that people began to use tests which were originally designed for young humans -- for pre-linguistic or limited-linguistic humans -- to see whether dogs had certain capacities," Coren said. "And that allows you then to do a whole bunch of things, not only to determine whether a dog has a certain thinking skill but to place him in terms of where would you be in terms of human beings, as well as in terms of other animals."

According to Coren, who has written more than a dozen books on understanding dogs, recent studies have confirmed that the animals have a higher cognitive capacity than scientists had thought. They are able to learn the meaning an average of 165 words, including hand signals; the record for most words learned tops 200. Coren said that dogs are also capable of performing basic arithmetic that involves counting up to four or five, and that they have been shown to intentionally deceive humans or other dogs.

Coren also reported on studies comparing the intelligence of different breeds of dogs. He noted that there are three different kinds of dog intelligence: instinctive intelligence, which is highly breed-dependent; adaptive intelligence, which involves problem-solving and learning from the environment; and working and obedience, which involves trainability.

According to measures of working and obedience intelligence only, the top seven "smartest" dogs are border collies, poodles, German shepherds, golden retrievers, dobermans, Shetland sheep dogs and Labrador retrievers. The hounds have the lowest degree of obedience intelligence.

"We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that] Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren said. "Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."

Note: I taught my son to read at 8 months. At one year he had 50 word reading and vocabulary skills. Animals tend to remember what causes an emotion in them, like food or attention. 'Dog Beach' is a good example so remember this if you intend on training your take to talk or read!-)

Sources for this story include: www.usatoday.com; www.apa.org.

Overweight owners own overweight dogs

2010-01-31T01:34:00.000-08:00

I found this article in the Australian newspaper this weekend.

Strange but true

THE adage that dogs look like their owners is true, at least when it comes to being overweight. Researchers weighed dogs and cats and their owners at a veterinary clinic. There was a strong link between the dogs' weight and the body mass indexes of their owners: fat dogs were more likely to have large owners. In contrast, the cats' weights weren't related to their owners', the study in Public Health Nutrition showed. Does this reflect cats' independence?

Public Health Nutr

2010;13:102-106

(Nijland M, et al)

This finding does not suprise me much at all. There is so much more need to control dogs eating and exercise habits. Dog owners can much more easily control how much food they give out and how much walking they do. In contrast it is very diifiuclt to exercise a cat or even refuse a demanding cat food. In saying this vets also need tobe very sensitive when talking about overweight dogs

another busy day at work in the life of a vet

2010-01-27T03:41:00.000-08:00

I knew it was going to be another busy day when I arrived to find 3 patients waiting for me. The first patient was a dog already in heart failure now drinking excessively, I took bloods and sure enough it had elevated urea and creatine, most likey renal failure but the owner was keen to start treatment , so we placed the little dog on fluids. that was only the beginging of the day, we had to euthanasie a dog that was a long term client, we had treated the dog for everything from cushing, diabetes, vestibular syndrome, arthritis and many other condtions. it always especially sad when you know the dog. we had a 4 week old kitten suffering from neurological signs, apperently they had taken it to a pet shop and they had placed a spot flea treatment onto a small kitten, the next day the kitten was showing neurological signs. unfortunealty the the people had no money to treat the kitten at all, euthanaisa was the only option they where heart broken. I have noticed there is no warning to not treat very young kittens, just advice not to. Next we had two puppies with vomiting and diarrohea, one tested positive for parvo and the other negative, the puppies where 6 months old and never vaccinated, also full of fleas. again after much discussion they euthanasised the sick puppy and took the other one home, again much tears and angusih. ahh the life of a vet!

Aussie, our cat's birthday today

2010-01-26T03:16:00.000-08:00

Our Cat Aussie turned 9 years old today, well it was exactly 9 years ago that we found a little kitten near the milk factory after the Australia Day celebrations at Southbank. Aussie has certainly used up several of his lives, being bitten by a snake, hit by a car, and has been in several nasty cat fights. So it is great to be able to celebrate his birthday today. We gave Aussie a tin of smoke tuna and plenty of attention. I hope we have many more birthdays with Aussie.

Home from Holidays,

2010-01-26T03:06:00.000-08:00

We came home to find that one of our gold fish had died, well I thought he looked like he was going to die many years ago as he had a tumour hanging out of his head. But I think it was cleaning the fish tank well just before we left that might have been too much. We bought these fish when Patrick was born, almost 6 years ago. Jim our house sitter did a great job looking after our pets, he put the Goldfish in the freezer. So when we arrived home we had a little funeral for the fish and we buried him in the front garden along with other fish. All our other pets look well, in fact Rainbow our Labrador appears very fat. No more treats for Rainbow. I think it was a very good thing having a pet sitter as they did not have to go into kennels

trying a house sitter for holidays

2010-01-18T02:32:00.000-08:00

Well we are going away again, camping at Ammoor, near Gympie and we must leave the pets behind again. This time we are trying a house sitter, my Brother in law knows this man and he looked after his dog well. So we are trying Jim out. We have written up detailed instructions to look after the dogs and cat and gold fish. I hate to leave the pets behind, but options for taking them with us are limited. I was looking on the Internet and I found several large business behind pet sitting such as www.housesittingservices.com.au/ I think it would be a great option when I am retired and would like to go travelling. Well I hope we a have good holiday and the pets are well looked after at home.

Cockatoo dies under anesathetic

2010-01-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

I had several operations today, including a large fat dog spey that had just had puppies. But the operation that was most on my mind was a wing amputation of a wild cockatoo. The client wanted to rehabilitate the bird, but it was very emaciated. The operation was going well and we had just about finished when the bird stopped breathing. I was very upset as I knew the client had great hopes to rehabilitate the bird. They where heart broken when I told them the bird had died. I think ringing owners to tell them their pet has died under anesthetic is one of the most difficult parts of being a vet.

Holidays without pets, Aussie in Cat fight.

2009-12-13T03:26:00.000-08:00

We have been away in Noosa for most of the week. My Mum was house sitting the pets, I came home for 3 days to do some vet work, and Mum told me she had not seen Aussie our cat, I did not see him on Monday night, that is sometimes a worry but especially so If my Mum had not seen Aussie either. It was late on Tuesday night I opened the garage to see if I could find Aussie, and thankfully he came in but I noticed he had a rather bad limp. On closer inspection I realised that he had been in a Cat fight, his nails where shredded and he had an abscess on his front paw and a cut on his left paw. I gave him some antibiotics and took him into work the next day. I felt awful that I had left Aussie behind, as I realized I had not given my Mum instructions about letting Aussie in. At the Surgery, I had to give Aussie an anesthetic and then clean up his wounds. I felt so sorry for him, it certainly seem so different treating your own pets, You hope and assume they will forgive you for giving them lots of needles. I had to leave Aussie at the vet surgery as I was going straight up to Noosa at the end of the day. The cage was probably the best place to rest for a couple of days.
I will think again before I leave the cat behind at the house for holidays.

Grief and Guilt over a dying dog.

2009-12-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

A lady came into the vet surgery today distraught and wanted to talk with me. Her 13 year old German Shepard had died of Bloat on Sunday morning, She awoke late on Sunday morning to find the dog's abdomen swollen and the tongue blue, but by the time she had rung the emergency vet the dog had died. She felt so very guilty, why had she slept in? Why had not she taken more notice of the vomiting the night before, why had she let her friends dog come over to play that day? What could have she done to save this dogs life? I could only tell her it would have been very difficult to save a 13 year old dog from bloat. But I could see that she felt tremendous guilt and grief about the loss of her dog. I tried to tell her that is very normal to feel guilt and grief after losing a great friend. One of the best things to do is to focus your energy into remembering what a great dog she had. To put effort into making a memory of the dog. I also suggested she talk to a pet loss counsellor if her feeling became to much. I recommend Penny Carroll. Her details are on my pet loss website www.petsandpeople.com.au I was glad that I had time to listen, I was amazed by the intensity of feeling.

Rainbow on Stradbroke Island

2009-12-02T02:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great weekend at Stradbroke Island, We took Rainbow down to the beach, and as I took her off the lead the joy and exhilartion in her face was unmistakeable, She ran in and out of the surf, chasing waves, and meeting other dogs and people. She loved chasing the ball on the beach because as the ball ran across the smooth surface it seemed to go twice as far as normal. When we where back at the beach house Rainbow was happy to hang out on the Verandah as she could always see us. I was sorry that Ruff Ruff could not join us, but I don't think it would have worked out so well as she is not so other dog friendly. It is great to go on holidays with your dogs as you feel as if you have the whole family. We will be looking for more holidays in the future where we can take our dogs with us.

Going on holidays with my pets

2009-11-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

Today we are leaving for a weekend to Stradbroke Island, but it is always difficult to decide what to do about our pets. The house we are staying in is pet friendly, but does not have a fence and they do not like dogs in the house. So we have decided to leave Ruff Ruff in a kennel and take Rainbow with us. If we put all three animals in the Kennel it would be $50 per day, which is about 1/2 the accommodation costs for a family of 5 people, seems quite silly really. We are leaving our cat Aussie behind for the weekend and I will get the neighbours to look out for Aussie. I know this is not the most responsible thing to do, But I am confident that Aussie will be fine as he hangs out at the front of the house most of the time without incident. I am really looking forward to going down to the Deadmans beach with Rainbow as it is a dog friendly beach and I know she will love it.

Amazing new cancer drug EBC-46

2009-11-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Last week I attended a presentation about an amazing new anticancer drug called ECB-46. It is has been developed from the rainforest of North Queensland. It has been very successful in it first preclinical trials, producing completed regression of the tumour after 2-3 weeks with no side effects. I was very impressed with the CEO Dr Victoria Gordon as she has developed and planned the progress of the drug in a very professional manner. This is an exciting development for cancer in both animals and humans as now anticancer drugs are very expensive and may only give people several months to live. This drug treatment only involves the single injection of ECB-46 directly into the tumour. It may be several more years until the drug is commercially available but it gives me great hope for the future of cancer treatment. If you would like to know more go to the website
ecobiotics

Ruff Ruff escapes and lands in trouble with council

2009-11-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

I came home today to find Ruff Ruff out on the front footpath, happily greeting me. Ruff had escaped from under the fence. A pot plant had been moved and she was able to get under the fence. I was unhappy but still took them for a walk. When I arrived back there was a red council van outside our property. I knew there was trouble, Ruff Ruff had been reported for attacking another dog with their owners. The pound officer had to inspect our yard to look at the fence and is going to issue us with a notice to repair the fence.We have 28 days to repair the fence. I felt very embarrassed that this was happening as I very much believe in being a responsible dog owner. This is only another drama in the life of Ruff Ruff, Our Labrador Rainbow continues to stay out of trouble. Well I will strive to learn about making a dog proof fence!

2 labdradors desperate for a home together

2009-10-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

Cookie and Coco
Even if you cant take them, please pass this around!

Contact: Katherine kjmorris74@yahoo.com

We are moving overseas in just 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I have still not been able to find a good home for Cookie and Coco . We ' re not able to take our beloved doggies with us and I ' ve been desperately trying to find a home for both of them ' together ' . They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue have already said that they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort. Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie.......!!!! She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side..

Both doggies are in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips implanted under the skin.

Cookie turned 3 December 10th and Coco turned 3 April 1st. Cookie is my mellow-yellow, and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorably funny and lives for her "ball." She also loves the water...... Cookie loves lots of attention. Both doggies are loyal and love to walk. They have been raised with my 3 kids running around all over the place, and have survived Sammy ' s constant hugging and love of ' dress-up ' , so they are fantastic family dogs.. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no choice.

Please, please forward these pics to all your friends. I want to find a great home for these fabulous doggies. They are just adorable and it ' s heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we could find someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them. I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together, and love them just as much as we do.Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. kjmorris74@yahoo.com

Something coming out the back end of the dog.

2009-10-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

I knew their was trouble when I was told there was something coming out the back end of the dog. The nurses asked me to see if I could help get the dog out of the van. I walked outside to find the dog inside the van, already with a muzzle on, but nobody was able to pull the dog out, I could just see some mass hanging out, but there was no way the dog was going to let me near it. So I went back inside the surgery and got some sedation. The dog did not mind me giving him an injection in his neck, but there was no way he was going to let me get near his tail. We waited 15 minutes and then finally we where able to bring the dog inside to examine. I was able to lift the tail to find a large dark mass, bleeding and ulcerated. I also examined the dog to find he had a very large fluid filled stomach and was now quite skinny. The owners thought the dog was getting fat and so they where cutting back his ration. Unfortunately the mass at the tail was mostly likely an aggressive tumour that had spread to the abdomen. They had noticed a small lump several years ago but did nothing about it. Now it was most likely too late and I had to recommend that euthanasia was the best option. The owners where very upset, but agreed that this was the best course of action. They paid and left with out waiting for the euthanasia. I always let people decide what they fill most comfortable with, But I actually like when they stay, it seems better for the dog. We all felt quite drained of emotion afterward. The moral must be to always check out lumps with your vet.

Living with cats and dogs may reduce atopy

2009-10-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

I found this article in the Australian news paper on Saturday showing that people who live with a dog or a cat may be protected from developing allergies. It makes me happy that I am rasing my children with cats and dogs

PEOPLE who live with a cat and a dog: their pets may protect them from developing allergies, research suggests. A study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology involved 1037 people who were tested for atopy, a tendency to develop allergies. Children who had owned a cat and a dog between birth and the age of nine were less likely to be atopic at age 13 than others. Living with only one of these pets was not protective against atopy. The pets' protective effect continued into adulthood. Among those who were not atopic at 13, having both a cat and a dog in adulthood was associated with a lower risk of atopy by age 32. This link was significant only among those whose parents had atopy.

JACI

2009;doi:10.1016/

j.jaci.2009.06.038

For the full article http://bit.ly/VGzVs

Ruff Ruff is Found!

2009-10-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

I woke early this morning after a restless night sleep, where I kept thinking that Ruff Ruff was outside the window. I went walking with Jessica and looking for Ruff Ruff, but no dog could be found. I thought I would start to ring around vet surgeries and shelters first thing, but work was very busy from the moment I arrived, another tick dog, two dogs with bloody diarrhoea, a cat with an unusual skin problem. I received a call on my mobile asking me if I was the owner of Jack Russell, I was very happy, but Ruff Ruff was still in the original owners name, although I have faxed a form to the microchip registry, the details have not changed. Lucky for me the breeder keeps great details and she still had my phone number. Ruff Ruff had been found last night by a kind lady about 6.30pm huddled under a fence, she took Ruff Ruff home and fed and cared for her, then the next morning she took it to the local vet and they scanned Ruff Ruff for a micro chip. My wife and Children picked up Ruff Ruff after school and they where joyfully reunited. On my way home from another busy day I came across a cat that had just been hit by a car. I pulled over and took it off the road, but unfortunately it was already dead. It was an entire male cat, the most likely one to get hit by a car, I was just so glad it was not my Ruff Ruff

Ruff Ruff our dog is missing after thunderstorm

2009-10-07T05:11:00.000-07:00

My day at the vet surgery was almost over when I recieved a text message from my wife, saying that our Dog Ruff ruff is missing. Earlier in the day there had been the first Thunderstorm of spring. I knew that Ruff ruff was scared of storms, but nobody was at home. I was just hoping that Ruff would hide in her Kennel. But when my wife came home Ruff ruff was nowhere to be seen and a hole had been dug under the fence. My family searched the neighbourhood but no Ruff ruff could be found. By the time i found out it was too late to be ringing animal shelter or other vet surgeries, so I will have to wait till the morning to start looking. I am confidant that someone has found Ruff ruff and they are looking after her.

A bat attacks my dog Ruff Ruff!

2009-10-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

We where walking around Forest Lake with my whole family just after sunset, Bats where flying everywhere, when suddenly a Bat darted from the sky onto my dog Ruff ruff. I knew it could be dangerous becuase Bats can carry two fatal viruses Lyssavirus and Hendra virus. I shook Ruff Ruff several times before finally the bat let go. I was not going to touch the bat. The Bat did not fly away, but crawled away up a post and looked exhausted. It is very unusal for a bat to attack a dog unless it has been affected by the Lyssavirus. I grabbed Ruff Ruff away who very much still wanted to attack the bat, I also had Rainbow in my other hand to Control. My 5 year old Boy Patrick was crying in fright after the bat attack so my wife took him back to the car. The bat stayed on the post, but there was little I could do as I had no protective gear and I am not vaccinated against the Lyssavirus. We checked Ruff Ruff and there was no signs of Scraths or bites, so a very lucky escape.

busy day at the vet surgery

2009-09-21T04:04:00.000-07:00

I knew it was a bad omen for the day when I arrived at work at 8.00am to find three clients in the carpark waiting to be seen. The first dog had been fitting through the night and already on a high dose of phenobarbitone, the owners where very upset and we where discussing treament options when the dog starting fitting again, the owner had seen the dog fit many times but the mother had never seem the dog fit and she was quite upset and thought the son was being cruel keeping the dog alive. I gave the dog Valium i/v to settle the dog and give the owners time to think. Eventually they decided to euthanse the dog with much heartache involved. Next lady had been waiting all that time since opening and she had a chihuahua that could no longer stand on its back legs and was also starting to drink more water, again I discussed treatment options and she also decieded for euthanasia. A terrible start to Monday morning, next consult was labeled "cancer patient getting worse. I dreaded it being 3 out of 3. We had removed a lump from Goldie 5 months ago and now the lumps where coming back with a vengenace, they did not want surgery or chemotherapy or euthanasia. They just wanted to make her comfortable, I recommended pain relief and high protien , high fat diet. They where pleased with that advice, and I was pleased that I did not have a third euthanasia for the morning. Next we had admissions from the emergency center with two ticks cases, and general admissions, 2 dentals and cyst removal. we then had a laboured breathing dog that we could not find a tick on. The first dental was a new client, the dog had terrible breath, apparently it had been like that for 3 months, their local vet had quoted them $500 to give a GA and inspects it mouth. When we opened the mouth we found a very smelly stick lodged between its molars, this poor dog had a stick in it mouth for 3 months and nobody did anything! we did the next dental and cyst removal as routine, then we where going to xray the laboured breathing dog when we found a tick after several people had been looking for it. Paralysis tick cases are always tricky, I had already started to give tick serum when it started to shake, So I stopped and gave more dexapent and antihistamine to prevent reaction. Next was a cat clip that had diarrohea, as we clipped it we found its back end covered in maggots. we also two cases of young entire male dogs today that had sore paws from jumping fences. Finally about 5.45 pm I stopped for some lunch, tired and famished, and at last a chance to catch up on paper work. another crazy day in the life of a vet.

Marley and Me

2009-09-18T04:33:00.001-07:00

I watched "Marley and Me" For the first time tonight with my family. We laughed and cried like we have not for a long time. We could relate to so many moments as we have 3 children and a Labrador. "Marley and Me" is a great story about our life with dogs and reminds me of the reasons I love dogs. The reason I love dogs is that have a great exuberant happiness, especially Labradors. It is the reason I still really enjoy being a vet. I also really enjoy it when I met great pets that bring joy and happiness to the people who own them. The end of the movie was very sad and there was lots of tears in our house, I certainly had a lump in my throat as I watched, but I also thought it was a beautiful end. As a vet I am often there at the end and it always a privilege to witness how much people really loved their dogs. I noted that Marley closed his eyes at the end, when in reality their eyes open up, sometimes to the distress of the owner. After listening to people grieve their lost pets, I decided to do something to help people and I set up a website to promote pet loss counselling http://www.petsandpeople.com.au/. In Conclusion I thought "Marley and Me" was one of the best family movies ever and will be much loved for a long time.

speying a 41kg fat labrador on heat.

2009-09-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

I came into work this morning and looked at the surgery list, at first I thought great only 1 surgery, but then I looked again, it was booked in as 41kg Labrador possibly in heat. I thought that is crazy doing that surgery. Well the nurse said the owner was coming for a consult and if I thought it was the wrong time to do the surgery I should tell her. I did see the dog coming in and I thought her was was my chance to talk her out of the surgery. But I was busy and the graduate vet admited the lab for surgery, apparently the owner was adament the surgery should be done as the dog was prolapsing her vagina every other heat and now it was coming back on heat. Well I got ready after I had finished consultations, turned the radio up and started my challenge for the day. She was certainly fat and lots of bleeding with every thing I touched, the ovarian ligament was also very tough, and the ovarian blood vessels were coated in fat. but bit by bit I tied each piece off. One hour later I finished the surgery, where it would normally it would take me 20 - 30 minutes to spey a dog. The Lab recovered well throughout the day and I felt satisfed I had overcome the great challenges of everyday vet life " speying a fat 41kg labrador on heat"

Ruff Ruff eats dark chocolate.

2009-09-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday today. 41 and very happy with life, I had a great day, we came home from school and my beuatiful children gave me all these great gifts including a block of dark chocolate 70% Coacca. I kept opening other cards, then I got up and found Ruff Ruff chewing on my Chocalate bar. I knew that some small dogs have died from eating dark chocolate so I had to act immediatley, I knew that I should give Ruff Ruff some apomorphine to vomit up the chocalate but I don't keep apomorphine in my vet kit at home, So I rang some local vets but they had none, So I rang Sherwood Vet surgery and they said they could help. I took Ruff Ruff down and gave him apomorphine and he vomited up all that dark chocolate, the staff there where very helpful, Ruff Ruff recovered well and we finally could go onto my Mum's house for a birthday roast Dinner.

Our pet angel fish died today

2009-09-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

Our angel fish has been looking a bit sick for the last few days, swimming upside down and on his side. But today the angel fish died. Claire cried and insisted upon a burial for the fish in the morning, but I thought it was pretty important to for the burial to go ahead tonight. we out to the front Garden with a torch and dug a hole in the ground and said a pray for the fish as we layed him in the hole. It was a moving Family moment, Patrick went inside and had a good cry with his mum.
I think that is the first time we have had a pet death in the Family and I was suprised by our children reaction considering how little time they generally have for the fish. All good family bonding moments

A dog's purpose

2009-08-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

I received this story today from Dr Tom Cat. I really like it because shows how sometimes children have great wisdom about pets
A Dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old).
Being a veterinarian, he had been called to examine a thirteen-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
He examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer, it had spread through the body, and Belker was suffering. He told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As he made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told him they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, Doc felt the familiar catch in his throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that he wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. They sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
Startled, they all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned everyone. Doc had never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way he would live and think.
Shane said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued,
''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Cat Joke, A cat died and went to heaven.

2009-08-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

A cat died and went to Heaven. God met her at the gates and said, 'You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking.'

The cat thought for a minute and then said, 'All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on.'

God said, 'Say no more.' Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow

A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the gates with the same offer that He made to the cat

The mice said, 'Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again.'
God answered, 'It is done.' All the mice had beautiful little roller skates.

About a week later, God decided to check on the cat. He found her sound asleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, 'Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?'

The cat replied, 'Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little Meals on Wheels you have been sending over are delicious!'

Ruff Ruff my dog cuts his ear.

2009-08-21T05:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my wife went out walking with the dogs, and came home early with Ruff ruff bleeding from his ear. He ran into the bushes okay and came out with a torn ear. We placed a bandage around his ear and I booked Ruff ruff into the vet surgery I was working at the next day. It certainly feel different looking after your own pet, and was certainly more emotional. After surgery was finsihed I held Ruff ruff like a baby as he was waking up. The nurses gave me heaps but I felt better really giving Ruff ruff some special attention.

When does the stray cat become your pet?

2009-08-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

A lady brought a cat in today that she said was a stray cat, it had torn open its foot and needed surgery, what could I do? She said they had been feeding it for 4 months, but not allowing it into the house. I believe you should either deceide to own the pet or take it to a shelter. She said that she did not own the cat, the cat owns her. which may be true in the cat world, but people need to take responsibilty for cats. I quoted her $300 for treatment of the cat, but she was unable/unwilling to pay for that treatment.

We then had to ring the RSPCA to come and collect the cat. It was quite sad because she had named the cat "Dreyfus" and was tearful about saying goodbye. Surely then it must have been her cat, once you give it a name, once you feel attached to the cat. Lots of people acquire cats this way.

We found my cat Aussie under a industrial bin outside a Milk Factory, He was only 8 weeks old, we searched for an owner, but when none could be found we knew he was our cat. Any way that is my message "Own the stray cat or take it to shelter, do not feed stray cats."

Community of vets form desexing clinic

2009-08-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

The vets of Logan city have won the contract to provide the Logan Pound with a desexing and microchiping clinic. The main aim is to reduce euthanasia of unwanted pets. This a great victory of a community working together for a better outcome.

As far as I know no study has shown that cheaper desexing reduced euthanasia rates. But some action is required to reduce numbers, hopefully a well done marketing and education campaign that focuses on responsibility for the life of a pet will also have an impact on unwanted pets.

The Logan pound has built a vet clinic next to them. It will only be used for desexing and microchiping so that it will not impact on the business of vets around them. If an animal requires treatment they will be redirected to their local vet clinic. The clinic will begin operations in late September.

dog detects low blood sugars in owner

2009-07-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

A client came in yesterday with his little chihuahua for vaccination and he told me that this dog was pretty special because it warns him that he has low blood sugars (hypoglycemia) which is a very useful thing if you are diabetic. He told me that the dog regularly smells him and if the dog thinks he is low, the dog taps the owner on the foot and growls at him until he goes and eats some jelly beans. I think this is amazing, he never taught the dog this. The dog just fiqured this out. My Wife is diabetic but our two dogs have no idea about her low blood sugars. What gave this dog the ability to do this? The only difference I can see is that the dog is the only and constant companion for this man and they have developed a very special bond, still this dog must have a special insight or intelligence to have worked this out. Meeting people and pets like above pair really make my day as a vet.

Dog bite wound, after hours treatment.

2009-07-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

Our Dog fight dog went home today finally after 8 days at the vet surgery. It was a very happy moment, as there was many days that I thought the dog may not make it. He still has a large wound, but I am confidant that it will heal. This dog I thought was very special, a happy little sheltie that was a very good patient. All the staff had become attached to this little dog over the week, but we where all very pleased to see him going home. Sending home a recovered dog is a great joy in being a vet.

Again it was a very busy day with non stop consultations, followed by 7 surgeries, then non stop consults. Finally everything was ready to go home and I was about to walk out the door when in walked a lady with a cat in her arms, saying can we please treat the cat. We explained that we were closed and there would be an after hours fee. Then she started to cry and told us she had just been in a car accident and her fiancee had died, and now this cat was all she had, she only had $50 dollars cash. So we compromised and examined the cat. It had a very swollen paw most likely from a cat fight. The cat was a 2 year old entire male cat, never vaccinnated, never been to a vet before.
I gave it a shot of antibiotics and told her to come back tommorrow with more money and to get some more tablets. She was most grateful. but I had mixed feeling now I was late home to my family yet again and I think why do the clients with no money, turn up at the wrong times with very sick animals in desperate needs, compared to the good clients that make appointments, always have the money and bring their animals down when ever the treatment is needed. These are the people that really deserve our attention. I think it takes discipline to balance your life and sometimes say no to people.

way too much for a one man practice

2009-07-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

Another day of drama at the vet. The sheltie dog bite wound was sent to the AEC over the weekend, they did a great job of looking after the sheltie but still felt that he need extra surgery and recomended that he go to the specialist center, but they quoted between $3000- 6000 for the surgery. that was not an option for the owner so they brought the dog back to our surgery, we already had a busy day of surgey with 5 planned surgeries, little did I know what was ahead. After finishing the routine surgery we started debriding the sheltie, but it was already late in the afternoon and we then had a cat with a broken leg, two dogs from the same house with broken nails, a fitting dog, a whelping dog. way too much for a one man Practice, but it is so hard to turn people away when they are desperate for help. I left the surgery about 8.00pm. thankfully Ihave the day off tommorow.

Parvo Puppy

2009-07-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

Another Day, Another Drama, Again at about 5.30pm in comes a vomiting puppy, The owners had only purchased the puppy three days ago from the local pet store. It was a replacement puppy after the last puppy had to be euthanasied because of advanced hip dyplasia. We did a parvovirus test and it came back positive, well the owners where now in tears, they had already become attached to the puppy but could not think of outlaying at least another $500 to start treating the Parvo virus. We rang the pet store owner who could not believe that it was parvo virus despite the positive test. After much discussion he decided he refund the money and ask us to euthanize the puppy, after more tears and more phone calls there was a change of heart and he said he would take the puppy back to his own vet who doubted the parvo virus test. we left about 7.30pm. Two hours of heart break, being a vet is often about understanding the emotions of the human animal bond and balancing that with rational, economic thoughts.
PS the dog fight dog is doing okay, but late this afternoon he started to vomit and his temp was 41.0c

Dog bite wound

2009-07-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

A owner walked into the surgery this late this afternoon, saying that thier dog had been biten by another dog. The dog was a Sheltie with very long thick hair, I had a quick look and I could see some abdominal fat hanging out, I knew it would need surgery straight away but thought it would be simple stich up. We admited him to hospital and got ready for surgery. After placing the dog on i/v fluids and anesthetizing the dog, we started to clip the hair back to find the spleen was showing through the skin and the wounds where quite intensive. I thought the surgery would be out of my depth, so I spoke to the owner and recomended he go the after hours emergency clinic, but he could not afford that option, Would I please attempt the surgery. So we opened up the dog to find extensive damage to the abdominal muscle and several broken ribs if was very difficult to piece it all back together, I placed two drains into the wounds and gave extensive antibiotics and pain relief. I spoke to Emergency center and they told me cases like this have a poor survival rate, that is 30% will die. After waiting for the dog to wake, we left the surgery at about 8.30pm. Another long 12 hour day in the life of a Vet.

Convenia injection revolutionizies vet treatment

2009-07-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a difficult cat that was lame in his front right leg, he had been playing roughly with the other cat in the house and there was a tooth mark on the front right leg, So I suspected that it was a cat fight wound. In the past that would mean giving the cat one injection and then giving the owner 14 tablets to give the cat one tablet twice a day for 7 days. This can be quite difficult as cat get wary of people shoving tablet down their throat. Now with Convenia, it is one simple injection that lasts two weeks. I think that this is one of best advance in Vet science for years, It makes everybody vet, client and patient alot happier. Cheers Pfizer.bit.ly/12sUFo

Vomiting dog

2009-06-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

I saw a dog yesterday, that had been vomiting for 3 days, on enquiring about the dogs history I found that he had a history of pancreatitis , the owners had been good with diet, but had recently changed diet to a new pet mince and given the dog a marrow bone, both sources of fatty diet, so I strongly suspected pancreatitis again. We admitted the dog to hospital and took blood to look at pancreatic enzymes, the amylase and lipase were very high, so that confirmed my diagnoses, we placed the dog on fluids, antibiotics and pain relief, he will need to stay in hospital for the next few days. The moral of the story is always be careful of feeding dog fatty meals

Mammary Gland Abcess

2009-06-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

I saw a dog yesterday that had a large mammary gland abcess, it was about 8 and 1/2 weeks pregnant, full of puppies, they had taken it to the emergency center the night before and been given antibiotics but now the abcess had opened up wide under considerable tension. The owner was keen to reduce the mess, so I opted to sew the wound under local anesthetic, I am not sure how long the suture will hold. It might have been better to leave it open. But the owner was happy that I had tried.

Sore Eye

2009-06-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

I saw a cat today that came in with a sore eye, He had been treated at a local vet surgery for a few months with out any success, It most likely is a herpes virus ulcer http://bit.ly/PV1ol they have treated it with tricin, lysine and some other antiviral medications but with out any suceess, the owner felt frustrated because every time he went to the vet surgery he saw a different vet that had a different idea how to help. I think this is because there is no easy solution to herpes viral infections. I have started it on Conoptal, and booked it for further investigation

2009-06-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

A sad euthanasia yesterday, a good clients dog had suddenly started to lose a lot of weight, had an enlarged chest cavity and pale gums, They had no further money to investigate as her Husband has just become unemployed, but it was very likely to be some kind of tumour. We opted for euthanasia, the owner was distraught with grief, I can only try to act with compassion and offer a few words of comfort, my heart goes out to pet owners at this time, it is so hard to let pets go but it is a reality of pet ownership as most pets only live for 10 -15 years if you look after them well. I want to help more and that is why I want to promote the use of pet loss counselling at http://www.petsandpeople.com.au

Photo of Michael O'Donoghue and his pets

2009-06-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

1st post

2009-06-10T04:09:00.000-07:00

This blog is about my mission to help improve human animal relationships, that is to help people who help pets, It will be about my daily progress, my life as a vet and also about being a pet owner.

Today I had a difficult surgery on a cryptochorcid cat, I had trouble finding the missing testicle, I had to ring a friend for advice, but I was pleased it all finsished up well.