tinneke

Me too and these people just get away with it, time after time. But little Millie is safe now, thanks to you, and her real life can begin at last. She's absolutely gorgeous.

Hi Linzi and welcome, Well done on rescuing Zoe, the poor thing sounds like she's had a terrible time (grr, those puppy breeders!) but luckily you've found each other now and can look forward to a wonderful life together I'd love to see photos of your girls when you've got time.

So sorry for your loss, can just imagine how much you are hurting right now Your Rosie Posie looks so gentle and beautiful in the photographs I'm sure she knew how much she was loved. Run free, Rosie.

It's a thumbs down from me. Don't like the look of that contraption at all. Poor dogs! It might exercise them physically but they have no chance of sniffing, interacting with other dogs, or saying when they've had enough.

Hello and welcome from one newbie to another You've got two beautiful big hairy monsters there and I know exactly what you mean about wanting to adopt or find a good home for every single dog on these pages, they really do tug at your heartstrings. If you ever need any white hair, do let me know

Oh, how dreadful. Poor King. My thoughts go out to his transporters and everyone else who tried so hard to help him. It's a real shock.

Don't know which part of Kent you are in, but if anywhere near the Sussex border, there's a brilliant homeopathic vet in East Hoathly. His name is Tim Couzins and he's worked wonders with many dogs' skin problems in the past. I remember particularly seeing a completely bald Bull Terrier with raw, scabby skin in his waiting room - poor thing was in a terrible state, the owner told me that his conventional vet had recommended the dog being pts and Tim was his last resort. Over the next few weeks, I saw him from time to time as our visits coincided and the improvement in the dog was absolutely amazing. Also, when one of my own dogs caught mange from the local foxes, Tim treated her with a natural (henna-based?) rinse, so she didn't need any harsh chemicals and it cleared up really quickly. If you've got insurance, his fees will be covered and I couldn't recommend him highly enough.

Oh wow, what a collection of handsome happy dogs and beautiful collars It's absolutely heartwarming to see

That's wonderful news. I'd been watching the little chap for a while, hoping he'd find a new home - am so glad for him

My vet has prescribed Tramadol for Connor to try, but as it's from the opiate family the drug is only for very short term use, she says, as and when needed. Don't want to get the poor dog addicted! Also got some antacid to soothe his stomach, so we'll see how it goes ...

Really sorry to hear about your boy in pain. Is there any chance you could ring the emergency vet for advice in the meantime? Just to help him through the night? They could put your mind at rest re the medication too. Most vets have an out-of-hours number on their answerphone for cases just like this. If I were you I wouldn't wait. Lynda

Hi, and thanks again for your lovely welcome. Here are mah boys (though one is a girl): Both beautiful oldies Little Tinneke is 13 now and she has gone all fluffy this year. All the more endearing though Lynda

That's so sad. Unfortunately the free papers are jam-packed with pics of puppies for sale and have been for the last few weeks. All the sellers want to know is 'have you got the money?' and the pup is sold there and then, no questions asked. Heart-breaking.

Molly sounds a bit like my little Tinneke. She was an unsocialised puppy and consequently used to be extremely fearful about everything. She behaved in the way you describe towards other dogs, only because she was so scared she didn't know how else to cope with what she saw as 'a threat'. It takes a very long time, often years, to build up confidence in a dog who's had such a poor start in life, so there's no quick fix I'm afraid. However what you are doing sounds really good; establishing yourself as the pack leader. This will give her confidence and, as you say, she already feels safer walking behind you. Looking at it from a dog's 'pack mentality' viewpoint: one of the pack leader's functions is protection. If you take on the protector role you'll probably find that Molly's confidence will build. I found that, if approached by a strange dog, I could help Tinneke by accepting the new dog myself first (while holding T in a safe place just behind me, and gently correcting her when she barked or lunged - but not making a fuss of her, as this rewards panic/fear). Once she saw that the new dog wasn't a threat after all, and was treated matter-of-factly by her 'leader', she calmed down and was fine. But we had to go through this with all new dogs . Fear of the unknown is a hard one to beat. Anyway, this means that she does have to go on the lead whenever another dog approaches. It pays dividends in the long run as Molly will always look to you to guide her (friend or foe?), and when it's always a friend, her fear will gradually diminish. That's what worked for me anyway. Hope that helps. Lynda

Thank you all so much for your help. I've had a look at Seraquin & Synoquin on the internet this afternoon and they both look hopeful - no harm in trying them anyway... As for medication, the tips on Codiene, PLT and Tramadol are very useful. I'm going to ring my vet first thing on Monday and discuss these alternatives with her. The funny thing is that I have mentioned Connor's tummy problems on Flexicam to her a few times, but she just told me that the Flexicam was best for him. He has no other problems or medications so I hope she'll be open to trying something different. Many thanks too for the other suggestions. I quite fancy the hydrotherapy pool as well, will have a look in the local yellow pages to see if there's one near me. Lynda