Flaves

WHen we moved into a rental in sydney and got a new kitten, she bought with her a PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When i turned her over to rub her tum she was COVERED but we only really noticed when we started to get bitten and were itching. We got a spray for the cat, something i will NEVER do again cause it was scary, she was foaming at the mouth and could hardly walk! I took her to a friends and bombed the house with the flea and egg bombs by mortein plus i got the flea spray. We stripped all the beds and left the doonas and pillows in the room, had a bomb in each bedroom with the door closed, one in the lounge and kitchen areas adn one in the hall. We came back and opened up the house for a few hours to air. THen wiped everything over and vacuumed. We also sprayed the carpet with the spray. We didn't have any fleas after that. We didn't seem to have a problem outside and as the kitten was an inside kit and our dog, although outside was on flea preventatives we never noticed and issue.

Hi Kristie, The problem is, the more I read, the more I realise how much I don't know. That's why I started this thread to see the long term condition of dogs on RMB/BARF. I can't just accept the argument that nature is best, so what a wolf eats is the best for my boy. There isn't a single peer reviewed study showing that RMB is better than kibble. On the flip side, IMO it is a load of BS that any dry food is a balance diet for your dog. Nutrient requirment varies for each dog because of their living environment, daily activity, genetic disposition and etc. One size really can't fit all no matter how "PREMIUM" it is. What is perfect for Barker may not be the best for Mitchi. regards, ben Hi Ben, I have them on the same brand of dry, Nutro, but he is on large breed and she is on small breed. Both have improved in condition since i introduced raw foods to their diet but i don't believe that they should be on a purely raw food diet. That is just me. They have left overs as have all my dogs, but i must say they are in better condition coat wise than my other dogs were. I mix and match. I give Mitchi more raw meat then Barker becasue it works for us. If the day comes that they start to lose condition then i will reevaluate their diets but at the moment a mix is working for us.

Of course the offer will stay open

I missed the crate part! Mitchi has been crated since we got her. NOT for all that time, she is in it when we are out and was in it at night. However she now sleeps iin our room as does Barker, they each have their beds. She goes out for a few hours at a time and quite often she will put herself in her crate fr a rest!!! Flycow it probably took 4 weeks to get over her sookiness, remember she is only 11 weeks old. Still a little baby and getting used to lfe without other puppies. After 4 weeks Mitchi was confident to go and play with her toys and do thing without us right next to her. If your yard is secure nce you have had some playtime, why don't you give her a bone, a raw meaty one from the butcher, and let her have some 'me' time with her bone? She would probably love it, even if you sat with her for a little while and then moved away. Mitchi and Barker LOVE pigs ears, so i can give them one of them and have 10 minutes to myself. Mind you i am lucky becasue they do amuse each other now. We had Mitchi for 8 weeks before we got Barker. What state are you in? If you are in Melbourne i am happy to have a play date if your interested. Kristie

I feed the furkids a premium dry food with raw meat as well. They are about to start with some yoghurt, eggs and sardines too later this week. Read as much as possible and do what works for your pup. If it is a mix then great, if not great. There is no point in continuing to feed the pup something that is not agreeing with him, whatever works for you both.

Hi, If there s nothing wrong medically and she is being played with etc. Sometimes they need to be dogs and do their own thing. My pups have both gone through that and we got through it by partly ignoring it and partly amusing them through it. Kristie

Mitchi is nearly 6 month sold and she has JUST got it. She will now run to the door to let me know she needs to go out. She is crate trained and does not go in her crate at all. Make a pen outside for her. We used to take her out every 30 minutes and reward a wee or poo. We then started to extend it 15 minutes every few days. I still take her and Barker out regulary but i am more likely to err on the side of caution but i know htat they can both hold over night and during the day if the have been out just before hand. Just keep at it, it may take until she is 6mo but you don;t expect a human baby to be toilet trained over ight sometimes it takes months before it all goes how it should and that is the same with pups.

I would have to say, if it was a reaction to the vaccine it would probably have happened the same day she got vaccinated. My pup had her third vaccination and had a swolen face and head within35 minutes, not 3 0r 4 days . Take her ot the vet and get her checked out at the same time as putting her on a bland diet. It sounds like she is a little stressed from teh move to a new environment. Let us know how she goes.

CavnRott, I am very sorry for the loss of Chance. May she be pain free adn in peace now.

Barker is great and pretty much fits that description. Rescue pup shepx

So it should be raw for one and kibble for the other?

I have now put both Barker and Mitchi on to Nutro. THey have been having it since saturday 50/50 with their other food and are going really well.

I have all the information from Tonya as we were looking at getting a mal from her. I got my first mal as a free to a good home. She was a steep learning curve. I had always wanted a mal but had not done my research until AFTER i got her home. She taught me a lot. That mals can think independantly of people and they can problem solve and that they can be a lot smarter than a human. She could climb 6 foot fences with no rails. She would jump the 5 foot fence with no run up She answered me back if she was told off. Her hair was fine excpet when it blew. It was like snow and i had shopping bags full. When they blow they need more than a weekly brush, a couple of times a day to keep it under control. She ate maybe 2 cups a day of food. Someimtes more sometimes less. THey tend to only eat if they are humgry, well mine did anyway. I learnt that some dogs can be food aggressive, not just a mal trait but maybe more predominant? THe AMCV told me to chain her up when she ate to avoid any conflict with my other dog. I had to becasue she tried to eat him as well. Not something i expected. A puppy obviously comes as a blank slate so you can teach it. I honestly suggest rescuing a mal from a pund so you can see what a mal can be like. Still get a pup next year but having a mal adult or young dog will give you invaluable experience that will only make you a better mal owner. My opinion and thoughts only. Kristie

I have just bought Barker into our room in his basket the last few nights after being outside. The first night he woke me at 4.30am for a loo stop and last night/this morning he got out of bed after i had had my shower and got dressed at 7am. He had hopped in his basket at 10.30pm and he is allowed to drink whenever he likes. It will happen. In saying that we have had him for 5 or so weeks and in that time he has not had one accident inside. He is inside all the time when we are home and i just let him out when he gets up and he goes.

I am not squirting him with water - i know it is anxiety that causes him to do this. I know he has anxiety issues, i knew that when i got him. He is doing really well sleeping in our room in his basket. He sleeps through and waits until i go out to the kitchen before he gets up. I am going to speak to the behaviouralist at ADT next weekend and see what we can do. I want him to be happy away from us. Mind you it is more me that he is attached to and listens too. Mitchi loves us both as does Barker but he and i have bonded really strongly - he is like my dog Sam in so many ways an dif reincarnation is real then i would have to say Barker is Sam reincarnated.

Barks is doing pretty well. He is listening more and he slept the whole night in his basket in our room. No problems. BUT i think i may be making him more clingy to me. When i go to put him outside in teh morning i literally have to drag him and when i close the door he charges it and then sits and shakes his head! I am going to squirt him with water and see how i go.

Thanks Baja. I will try the ginger as a few have suggested it may help. Next weekend will be the test.

I know!!!! At least people here understand my pain.

He has been VERY clingy to me too. So we decided to try something new cause he will just follow me around. We decided instead of making him sleep outside we would put his basket in our room in a corner and see how he went. Well the lovely boy woke me up at 4am to go to the loo and i decided he could stay out then. He was so good. Hoppe din his bed and stayed there, no whining, no crying and no getting up. Not ideal but i think it alleiviates some of his fears. I truly think he thinks we are going to just leave him. So we will continue this and see if he improves. I think one of our cats will actually end up sleeping with him as she hopped in the basket once he was outside but she wa VERYcurious when he was in it. What i can't believe is that my hubby went for it.

[a tachment=47627:attachment] THis is the kids in the bed...Notice Mitchi won't leave poor Barker to have a snooze. BUt they are listening better which is great. Mitchi does not show any signs of car sickness. She loves it, Barker on the other hand seems to get stressed. I will try desensitising him over the next couple of weeks and hopefully that will make a HUGE difference.

I am getting some Nutro samples sent to me, hopefully they should be here by the end of the week and then i can order the appropriate bags from paws and more (hope i have the name right!!)

THanks for that. I will try that and see how i go. I may have to do it before dinner cause he is not very food orientated unless it is meal time. I gave him a pigs ear on saturday, which he 'buried' under his doona and Mitchi went and got it yesterday and ate it!! He just watched her and then curled up and slept. Would his vomiting be anxiety based too? As in he works himself up to a state that makes him sick? HE doesn't panic or slobber or look scared. His nose gets wet and he has to touch me with a paw. He puts it over the hand brake - it is very cute - and he licks my hand occasionally but other than that he shows no signs of distress. I just know he is because of previous times. I am even too scared to take him to a 2nd training at ADT in Boronia casue i am too scared he will be sick. (it is a 35 mnutes trip and he is sick on the way home form berwick a 10min trip)

I will and i also have to tell hm not to tell people to cook it cause of the bones

I am glad my apin and frustration is amusing...just joking THey are so yummy, i love them. Poor Mitchi gets so many kisses and squooshes cause she is a little munchin and i lay down with barks ini his bed, i am above him, and he just lays there snuggling. AND they are listending really well. I have to work on his car behaviour though. He doesn't realy like it, after about 20 minutes he starts dry retching and if i don't stop the car he pukes... It is really sad seeing him cause all my dogs have loved the car. Mitchi can't wait. I know it has something to do with his life previous to me. I have tried feeding him in there. He doesn't even like it if the car is turned off and Mitchi is in there. He baulks at the door and i have to pick him up and put him in the car.

Ok. SO i am guessing raw rice is a nono? He has soaked it and it is soft but not cooked. I refuse to cook it because of the bones in it. I have checked the rice and in the loaves i have when i snapped the rice only the tiniest bit is solid white in the centre