My dog had to have a hernia operation. He developed an eye infection afterwards that caused him to lose his right eye,which had to be removed. Then his left eye developed a similar ulcer. Luckily we found the right specialist who managed to save the remaining eye through a corneal graft. The specialist explained that dogs stop producing tears when they are under anesthesia. The eye becomes dry, and very vulnerable to small injuries leading to infection. According to the specialist, the likely explanation for the problem was that the anesthesia for the hernia triggered the problem with the right eye, and the anesthesia to remove that damaged eye led to the problem in the other eye. Has anyone experienced a similar problem with their dog? I’m trying to put together material for an article in a national newspaper on the subject. Many thanks.

If anyone has anything useful to help Bill, then post it as a comment here. If you don’t want to make it public, then post a comment to that effect and I’ll contact you via email to put you in touch with Bill.

Things to bear in mind would be the size, more importantly than the actual area within the bed is the height of the side. It’s good to see a lot of the ones for sale at BarkSlope.com have a lower front portion for this very purpose. In fact, they’ve got dog beds in all shapes and sizes! From traditional, to chunky floor pillows and even a range for doggy sofas that made me smile.

If your dog sleeps and/or travels in a crate or cage then a sensible thing to do would be to get a dog bed that can fit inside the cage – so your dog has somewhere both comfortable and familiar when away from home or when he’s locked in.

Swicki: Dog Beds

The question comes up on the Yahoo! Answers site, the reaction is a yes.

I’ll end this short silly post with a quote from Churchill:

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

Swicki: Can dogs look up

Update:

I’ve seen my dogs watch aeroplanes go over several times… so that certainly answers that then

Our Blue Merle Aussie Shepherd, Blue, is almost a year old now. The past year has gone so quickly! The article that follows does a good job of describing the character. He IS a funny prankster, and is alway encouraging Ollie (our Border Collie) to chase him around in the garden to cause havoc. Well, it used to be a garden, it’s a dog pit now! But the darker side also comes out, as described, too. He isn’t keen on strangers and is nervious of anyone unfamiliar - the opposite of Ollie who likes to love everyone that comes in a 100 yard radius!

He’s a very tidy dog, always arranging his bones and toys into a pile that is his. If only we could train his to tidy out stuff in the house…

Australian Shepherd: As Good As Its German Variety

Australian Shepherd is every bit as graceful as its more famous German variety. And like German Shepherd, these too, are bred as herd dogs, trained and nourished to take care of cattle. Also referred to as “Aussie”, they first appeared in Australia in the early 1800s and come in colors ranging from near black to blue merle. The original purpose of this breed was to serve as guardians for sheep and cattle herds, but it did not take very long for them to build a reputation for sharp intelligence and unfailing loyalty.

They also come in a number of sizes from sleek and gangling to short and stout. They weight from 35 to 65, and some of them have now the famous one-blue-one-brown-eye combination. Quite a prankster, the Aussies’ capacity for ‘humor’ is matchless among dogs.

However, the Aussie is not for everyone. Having been bred as a herd dog it does not take well to the apartment living of the modern day. It needs space to move and play around. They have no patience to sit and watch television alongside other family members. Their idea of socialization is going out in open, jog around a little and play around a lot. So, if you are one of those television-after-office kind, the Aussie is certainly not for you. It is energetic to the extremes and would try its best to pull you in an active game. Do not expect it to lie at your feet while you type away on your computer or do easy chit chat on phone. You may live in a apartment and it will be happy so long as evenings are his and he gets to play “canine frisbee” or catch-me-if-you-can every evening without fail.

Once you are home from office, it would either want you to indulge with him in a wrestling match or take him out. If you don’t do either, he would find something to do all by himself, which may not be a good news, for they have the reputation for chewing and eating anything that allows their teeth to sink in.

It is highly intelligent and has this deep rooted tendency to closely ‘investigate’ everything. If you are cooking, it may come in to smell and check if the pots smell good and if you are in the shower it may jump in to join you. Besides, they are not really very welcoming hosts. Their sense of humor goes to dogs (other dogs, that is) when it comes to entertaining an unknown guest. They would stare and growl if a guest drops in unannounced. So, if you are getting an Aussie, tell your friends not to ring the bell every time they happen to pass by, for the Aussie is not going to like it. They are kind to children and are staunch protectors of the family.

To get more information on pet dogs and dog breeds visit http://www.thepetdogs.com/ To read more article visit special sections on Dog Breeds and Dog Training.

Swicki: Australian Shepherd

Hot on the tails of the successful Text Link Ads (which actually makes me a fair amount of money), Patrick Gavin has launched a new service. Essentially is it a way to match up advertisers and bloggers. Bloggers benefit from a few extra quid in their pockets buy writing a short post, and the Advertisers get to place their products and services right in the face of potential buyers. The prices alway make it a reasonable method of garnering links to their sites and products right in the content of a site (rather than tucked away at the sides).

I actually think this site will do really well. It’s the sort of service that I know advertisers are screaming out for… and not just people hawking affiliate links. There’s some big players out there with even bigger pockets if the advertisers on my sites from TLA are anything to go by.

So if you’re a keen blogger looking to earn a few extra quid, the you should definitely get yourself over to ReviewMe.com and get your site listed!

Anyway, a quick search on Google.de for native German pages and native German language pages reveals a TONNE of pages on the subject. None of which I can understand… so that’s a “yes” in answer to the question

Swicki: German Shepherd

Perhaps something like this little fella from Buy Puppies Direct who looks dead cute. In this case, his mother was the Dachshund his father the Shih-Tzu.

Or perhaps these little chaps I found over on Litter Ads, almost as tiny as the real thing! (I think the ad those dogs are from is long gone):

That’s all I can find at the moment, if you have any pictures then let me know in the comments below!

Swicki: Shih tzu / Dachshund mix

I was actually looking for a serious description of and Australian shepherd to post on this site - in honour of our “Blue”. Who is not 7 months old. Instead I found this story by Pet Illustrator Connie Bowen of her two Aussie shepherds and they sound just like Blue. Especially the part about the gradually dismantled sofa and the furry cheer leader team! (Our other dog, Ollie, plays the part two but his singing voice isn’t as tuneful!)

Dog Behavior - Our Two Australian Shepherd Puppies And The White Couch

I had heard about a Sunday evening spiritual gathering in my neighborhood and was curious to go and make some new friends. My husband and son decided to stay home so I went along looking forward to a quiet evening with like-minded folks. I arrived right on time and was greeted by my gracious hostess. As I entered the lovely living room, I actually screamed when I saw it! A pristine, white couch! The couple’s Persian rugs still had all the fringe and the rungs on their wooden chairs were without bite marks. Their woodwork had no scratches or mud spatters and their screen door was still in tact! Right then and there I made the decision; these people could not survive one minute in my house.

That’s because the day our two Australian Shepherd puppies, Jesse and Harley, came into our lives was the day “that lived-in look” took on new meaning. Old towels now cover our kitchen wall and floor beside the newly installed “doggie door.” Our spring flowers lost their blooms to curious taste buds long ago and the grass in our large backyard has all but turned to mud.

Trying to keep Jesse and Harley off the couch is like learning to fly by jumping off a cliff. We tried our round of obedience classes and agility training. We devoured the stack of dog books written by experts who ran the gamut in their advice from throwing a rolled up magazine at the dogs to ignoring them completely. As I stare at the once matching wicker tables and couch that have been dismantled piece by piece, I literally drool with anticipation remembering that day at the dog park when I heard one lady’s hopeful story who told us her 3 year old Aussie is a couch potato and loves to sleep and take it easy! Under threat of attack to our remaining furniture, we now schedule the dogs’ daily exercise time into our day timer right beside our other appointments.

All in all, would I turn back the clock if I had it to do all over again? Would I drive right by that open gate and leave that purebred Aussie trail behind?

What would my life be like without the smile on my young son’s face as he wakes up every morning to his own furry cheerleading team? And when he stands in the living room with a handful of treats authoritatively spouting, “Sit! Now down! Come and sit! Hey, Mom, did you see that? They did it!” How could I even think of such a thing? Would I miss that sign my doorbell wears, “Don’t ring. It makes the dogs go crazy”?

As I contemplate my life this past year, I look out the French doors to what’s left of our backyard and I experience that rare moment when our puppies are lying side by side in a one-in-a-million pose with the sun gleaming on their fur and their noses tipped up to catch the cool morning breeze, and I remind myself, who needs a white couch, anyway?

Pet Portrait Artist and Professional Illustrator Connie Bowen creates stunning pet portrait paintings on canvas from photos. Specializing in capturing the spiritual nature of dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a realistic fashion with impressionistic backgrounds as seen on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s TV show, Art Beat. Over 200 pet portraits completed and counting! Visit http://www.conniebowen.com to view exquisite samples.

Ollie:

Border Collie:
Just one? And I’ll replace any wiring that’s not up to code

Blue:

Australian Shepherd:
First, put all the light bulbs in a circle.

And Jaxx:

Shih-tzu:
Puh-leeze, dahling, I have servants for that kind of thing.

Hip dysplasia is a congenital problem that can cause lameness and painful arthritis in the hip joints. It occurs because of poor formation of the ball-and-socket hip joint. Basically, the ball doesn’t fit into the hip right: the socket is shallower than it should be, and the ball isn’t round enough. This can occur in humans but is more common in four-legged creatures, especially big dogs. And since there may be an environmental component, it can take a while to become obvious. It may appear before the animal is a year old, but most often shows up during adulthood, or even old age.

The Symptoms

Hip dysplasia is limited to the hind legs. One of the most obvious signs of a hip dysplasia problem is lameness, or a change in the way your pet walks. In young dogs, the hind legs may display a rolling gait, with the hips sliding up-and-down in what one researcher calls a “Marilyn Monroe wiggle.” If your pup can’t get up stairs or doesn’t like to try, and is unwilling to exercise much or won’t jump short distances, then hip dysplasia may be the culprit. Other warning signs of hip dysplasia include:

• Decreased activity
• Constant tiredness
• Swaying and staggering
• Unwillingness to lie on one side or the other
• Difficulty getting up or lying down
• Pushing up with the front legs from a lying position, instead of the hind legs
• A “bunny-hop” gait
• Audible pops and clicks when the dog walks

Who’s at risk

All dogs can get hip dysplasia, but some are more likely to than others. While dogs with hip dysplasia must be born with it, environmental factors are clearly as important in the development of full-blown cases as genetic factors are. It shows up in male dogs more often than females. Large breeds, like Dobermans, coonhounds, German Shepherds, and retrievers (golden and Labrador) are more likely to have hip dysplasia problems, especially later in life. Type of diet, excessive weight gain, and rapid growth can all trigger the onset of hip dysplasia problems.

Fortunately, there are treatments for this defect, some of which are simple yet effective. These include weigh control programs, exercise, and anti-inflammatory medications. Your vet will be happy to discuss with you the best pet medications for the problem, and for some dogs may suggest hip surgery to correct it. If you suspect that your youngster may have hip dysplasia problems in the future, you may be able to stave it off with a high-calcium diet, weight control, and moderate exercise. Swimming is particular good, if you don’t mind the smell of a wet dog!

Published with permission (FCDMInc)