Our GSD isn’t aggressive but can be protective, always keep her on the lead round other dogs. The Great Dane still wants to play with everyone (dogs and humans), which to him means jumping about like a fool. So he’s always on the lead round others too. All good. But, have had a few occasions where someone lets their (usually small) dog come running over then gets funny with me when mine react. Should be simple really. If you can’t recall your dog keep it on a lead.
Us doggers are a funny breed , you should hear your self’s like a bunch of old washer women , I feel quite lucky as nearly all doggers and there dogs around here are responsible and follow the dogging code, incase you haven’t met Belly here she is, nicknamed warty as she is always by my side, always there for me, love her to bits. I am not one for posting shit, I had a heart attack at the beginning of the year and she got me through those early dark days. Never thought it possible to love an animal so much .
I know what you mean. Tbh, if I’d known how deeply I was going to bond with Iggy then I probably wouldn’t have got him as the fact that he’s probably only going to live for another 10 years absolutely terrifies me. It will be like losing a child and I don’t know how I’m going to cope with it.
Yeah I had a real bond with a cat years ago that was with me through some tough times and out the other side. She was 17 and no matter how much I thought shes old it could happen for a while, when she did go wasnt prepared at all! Said no more animals, but my wife had dogs already when I met her and slowly the packs grown and while I care about them all, the little moo beagle who doesnt do a thing she's told and runs for miles if she gets out is still my favourite, and dread the day but hopefully its a decade away yet!
I’m thinking of getting another one in a few years so I won’t be dogless when the evil day comes. Ideally, I would clone him if I could, but the next best thing would be to stud him and keep a pup. However, I’m also wary of placing too many expectations on that dog if it turns out to have a very different personality, so I may go for a totally unrelated dog or even a different breed altogether. I like Italian Greyhounds and their breed nickname is “Iggy”, so that would be a kind of connection.
Just has a blazing row with the vets (aka the tory twats) over Kennys monthly jabs. When I first visited I specifically asked the vet if I would have to keep paying the £35 consultancy fee every four weeks (on top of the 95£ for the jab) and was told no. This is the only reason I started the monthly jabs. As soon as I came back for the second month the receptionist tried to charge me for the consultancy fee which after some fairly painful explanation was waived. When I turned up for his third month today i wasn’t even allowed in to see the vet unless I was prepared to pay the consultancy fee. I have a few problems with this; The consultancy lasts seconds and usually involves a couple of pokes and someone trying to sell me a product I don’t need or want The consultancy has never been carried out by the same vet £35 is a complete fucking piss take for the above and they must think people are made of money As a consequence my dogs are now currwntly looking for a new vet lol.
Name and shame please? When Iggy ate a grape, the vet (Vets4Pets in Bermondsey) wouldn’t even speak to me until I’d phoned the National Animal Toxins Helpline. So I had to pay, IIRC, £35, to have a bored GenZ’er read generic information off the internet to me which I already knew and, more importantly, information which I would have expected the vet to already know (grapes can cause renal failure, there is no safe amount, it needs to be dealt with asap before the stomach contents pass into the gut, treatment is induced vomiting and activated charcoal). I then had to pass this info onto the vet. When I got the bill at the end of the session, I found that I had been charged a £45 “consultation fee” for me telling the vet what the child who was manning the Toxins Helpline had told me. Fucking cheek. And on top of that, they wouldn’t let me come into the treatment room to calm Iggy’s nerves because even though he’s not a shy dog, he seems to pick up vibes at the vet and gets quite anxious, and I imagine being forced to vomit made things even more distressing for him. The reason given was the catch all excuse “bEcOz oF cOviD” but this was long after all that nonsense had subsided.
Thanks. I’m looking for a different vet and wanted to know who to avoid. My dog minder recommended one in Welwyn but when I called them up the receptionist was sullen and abrupt so I gave them a swerve. Iggy is currently registered with V4P simply because they were one of the few practices that stayed open during the 1st lockdown and I needed to get his second set of jabs completed. They stitched me up with those too, because rather than giving him the boosters of the jabs he’d already had, they gave him new jabs, which themselves had to be boosted 4 weeks later. This was because (they said) they didn’t have the same jabs in stock, but rather than telling me this and giving me the opportunity to make enquiries elsewhere, they just went ahead and did it. Not only did this cost more, it delayed me being able to take him outside by a further month.
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Its sad to hear of these practices by vets, had more bad ones than good but at the moment am happy with the current one for my little moo. Not so sure its a good thing that of the 7 or so staff and they all know me and Nala soon as we walk in and even what treats she likes! She had to have knee surgery on Monday after an injury, they have been great. The initial consultation last Tuesday, xrays next day and surgery booked for Monday this week, checkups all included. All in all it came in at just over 2k but way under the 2.8k estimate total and they logged the claim with petplan, who also been great and confirmed last night payment on way. I am still very wary though, I have got second opinions before and like you say walked in one vets and out within two minutes before as just didnt get that feeling which is a shame as it's in our village, but the one in next village is great. Sadly, I'm probably a bit far away for this vet to be any use to you guys
I still think insurance has caused the problem. Most vets expect you to be insured and charge accordingly. Petplan used to be good, but it seems now they are recommended by vets their prices has rocketed. Our GSD was about £36 a month, this year they wanted £89 a month. Cancelled and went with PurelyPets (as that’s who the Dane is insured with, they were very good paying out for his £3k eye operations) same cover £38 a month.
I noticed the other day that Iggy's monthly DD had somehow gone from £30pm to £80pm, which is fucking outrageous when I have never made a claim and he's a young dog from a pretty robust breed (ie: not a sickly Frenchie or an intensively puppy-farmed Labradoodcavcockchon).
PetPlan ? Our GSD is 6, perfectly healthy and never claimed for anything. After I’d cancelled they called me to ask why, I said because the price had more than doubled and their reply was because she’s getting older. If you’re with PetPlan that would suggest otherwise. I think it’s because they are vet recommended (and maybe to pay for the ‘SuperVet adverts). Definitely worth a look around.
Yes. I think it is PP. I could understand that justification if Iggy was 8 or 9, but he’s just about to turn 4, so he’s in the absolute prime of his life.
And they never fucking work. I had a very serious infestation last summer (2022) and it drove us both mad. I was being bitten at least 3 or 4 times per night and was run ragged boil washing his bedding, hoovering and steaming the floors every single day. I must have spent hundreds on Advantage and Frontline monthly topical treatments which supposedly kill on contact, but clearly had no effect as there were dozens of the little c*nts crawling around his fur. I only managed to finally get rid once and for all earlier this year when my dog minder recommended Nexguard chews, which literally worked immediately because within an hour the bitey little bastards were jumping ship/dog. What’s more, although the dose is supposed to be 1 chew per month, every 3 months seems to suffice.
