Rachal961

We will be in San Diego in Nov. of 2008 for a convention- as this is our first time I am looking for input on things "Not to Miss", we will be staying near the convention center, will probably not have a car, but don't mind walking/public transportation. Most days will be occupied with convention stuff, but after 4pm we are on our own, and will probably stay an extra 3 or 4 days. Should we get a car for the extra days? What are some nice areas for walking, shopping, dining, nightlife, sports bars (as this will be the tail end of college football season) Is the zoo worth spending a day at? I have already ordered info from convention and visitors bureau and AAA, but San Diego is a big place, would love some insider information.....

A friend of ours just picked up an all white boxer puppy this weekend- I did try to discourage him, and we also told him to make sure its not deaf- I don't know too much about boxers myself, but I know they're not supposed to be white, what else should he have the dog checked for?

My breeder is sending me a replacement puppy due to health problems with our last pup, unfortunately they are across country, so I don't really have the option of doing PAT, but I have been doing a lot of reading on training methods lately, and I'm wondering if anyone here has followed these guidelines and if you adjusted your training or puppy selection based on results.

Just came back from the pet supply, I bought a bottle of Neem Oil skin protection spray based on their recommendation....has anyone tried this stuff with either good or bad results? My mastiff is having a bit of shedding in spots- Looks like a fungus to me- which makes sense since he spent the last 6 weeks on antibiotics- He sure smells pretty with this stuff, just wonder if it actually does anything?

I have not bred a litter of puppies in over 20 years, but used to show and breed APBT's. Isn't it still the norm to take mom and pups to the vet as soon as she is done whelping? I am shocked by the number of questions I see about new to 4 week old pups that have apparently not been vet checked. I don't have any plans to start breeding again- it would be difficult with no intact females to even show, but I thought that was standard procedure still....have things changed that much in my absence?

Will be in New Orleans for a convention for 8 days starting next Friday. We haven't been there in about 15 years- would like recommendations for great restaurants- preferably not too fancy, live music- blues, classic rock kind of places....and great local bars....any locals or recent visitors, help me out...don't want to find out later that I missed out.

Maybe a few people will be enlightened if we share our personal experiences....here is mine. 2 years ago, my mother in law got a shihtzu puppy as a "something to look forward to when she got out of cardiac rehab" Suffice it to say, she spent the next 14 months in and out of the hospital then passed away, so I had this dog from the time he was 10 weeks old....his parentage is unknown to me, no papers, etc. I am no expert, but I have had dogs of every size and configuration for many many moons- Let me tell you about Porkchop- the worlds most awful dog- He has been lovingly cared for, housebroke easily, etc. He has the worst skin problems ever, he virtually lives on Benedryl or he will scratch himself till he bleeds, we have to keep him trimmed down to 1/2" of hair or less or he will also get hot spots, he lives inside, eats only Canidae, has all his shots, etc. He has the worst tempermant of any dog I have ever encountered- growls at everything, snaps at you without provocation, etc

my 11 month old mastiff has been back and forth to the vet about 9 times in the last 3 weeks, he started limping on his back right leg and had a fever, he has had about 26 x rays now, no sign of any knee or hip or spine problems, he did end up with a large abcess on his front leg which has been taken care of, he was doing much better, doesn't seem to be in any pain, is eating well again, etc, but yesterday he started limping again on the same rear leg, but now it is even worse, he walks like he is drunk...any ideas? we have dropped almost $2000 on vet(s) already, and thought he was finally on the mend