Mr R & NR

Ziwipeak I go my dogs a small packet of the treats at Christmas, they went nuts for them. Got them at Macro health foods but they tell me there is "no demand" for them so don't stock them anymore.

Isisi, thank for the address. Will go and visit. Ooonga, I only get 1/2 hour for lunch :rolleyes: Not long enough but better than spending and extra 1/2 hour at work. An idea on a freezer, they are selling small 3 drawer freezers at Kmart at the moment. When I was there a few days ago they were $224. I got mine from there but it is a chest freezer, mine came with a 3 year warrantly. Mistral I think and it is fine. You could have that one and Maia could have the old one all to herself :rolleyes:

Shoemonster, just looked on whitepages for Pet Chow and only found Mulgrave Pet Supplies, 903 Springvale Road, is that the same place? Got me very excited I love finding new sources for their food. And I work in Mulgrave. Ooonga, will see you down there and yes I need a bigger freezer, dang dogs just kept growing :rolleyes: In answer to the OP's question, mostly chicken from butchers, ground up with bones, ox cheek & roo plus RMB's. Agree with Shoemonsters list except I feed a bit more in the way of RMB's, maybe 50%. Haven, I used to use Megapet but they put preservative in the meat. You can order Rabbit preservative free but you have to let them know about 5 days in advance and they will do it for you. That was a while ago before they moved.

Sway, both my Ridgebacks have had this, Reg now gone to the bridge was a huge dog, lots of people thought he was a Great Dane. We just used to say Reg has rumbly tummy, it was regular and he would not eat until it calmed down. No gas, no runs just rumbly tummy. My new RR has the same thing and goes off food, however I have found with him if I offer a tasty morsel and can get him to eat it cures the rumbles. So my conclusion now is when they have an empty stomach. He used to get it a lot more as he was growing up and I used to have to feed him a small meal around 5am to settle him all that fuel burnning with growth. With Reg, I tried to take him to the vets twice but it has stopped by the time we got there. Reg did get bloat once. There was absoultely no rumbly tummy before the episode. I too live near an emergency centre thank Dog. It is weird and it can be so loud. I would have loved to know the real cause rather than guessing. Empty stomach may in fact be nothing to do with it except it never happened after or a meal. I feed raw by the way.

Saltwood, I too feed raw but he OP was asking a question about mixing kibble and raw meat. I think any step towards changing the diet to a more natural one should be encouraged. It is not always practical for people to change over completely or maybe they don't feel comfortable. Or maybe they worry what happens when they go in to a boarding kennel that will only feed kibble. I know that my dogs get everything necessary with the raw diet I feed them but it took a long time and lots of research for me to feel totally comfortable. I just raised two puppies on raw and that was another big step for me. I would never go back but as I say it took some time to get there. Finding a vet that supports it would help but I have given up on that (this week anyway)

My understanding it is kibble and raw meaty bones that should not be fed together, not kibble and raw meat. RMB's do take longer to digest and kibble will inhibit that process Kibble and raw meat ok RMB's and kibble not advisable.

Abby, go see my Ruby girl at the Bridge, she will give you a big welcome hug. So sorry.

Hot Spot Treatment 3 parts witchhazel 1 part aloe vera gel (not juice) Apply to hot spot area twice a day. The aloe sooths the itch and the witch hazel dries up the spot. Do not shave the area

Oh yes, hotspots, disgusting things, Ruby had them all the time until I switched to raw. She had one the size of side plate on her neck once. Poor little girl.

I switched to raw after my Rotty X got bloat twice at the age of 3. Both episodes within 6 months. And No she hadn't been fed before or after exercise. She also had skin problems, itching all the time and red and sore between her paws. Another thing that made me start thinking about it was she threw up one day, 4 hours after her dry food breakfast and it all came up, just been sitting in her stomach................. what is that all about? As you do these days I started looking on the net for answers. There seems to be no conclusive evidence on what causes bloat but I really liked the raw food idea, sounded sensible to me, species appropriate food. I read lots and lots, joined a k9 nutrition group and then went for it. I didn't feed that much in the way of RMB's at first, got scared of the gulping. Had two large dogs at the time and they couldn't get to their food fast enough once I changed (I did used to mix cooked mince with their dry food). Skin and allergy problems cleared up for my Rotty X but then came back, was advised to cut down on the roo and beef and feed more white meat, rabbit and chicken and she came good again. She was not fat but once I changed to raw she muscled up so much, and the shine on her coat was sensational. Unfortunately I only had her for a couple more years, she got osteocarcinoma at 8. I now have too young, 15 month pups, who I purchased from raw feeding breeders, deliberately, it was a requirement. I have my first raw raised pups and I would never go back to commercial food. They have grown nice and slowly and are a fit as fleas. Shiny soft coats, and as someone else mentioned, I get asked what I feed them because of their coats. I am also asked how often I bath them (same with the old guys) and I don't ever bath them, just brush them once a week. "But they don't smell" people say. I don't find it hard to prepare and like another poster said, it feels good to do it for them, they enjoy the food so much, particularly the RMB's, chicken frames, thighs, necks, turkey necks, lamb flaps, necks. Wish I could get bunnies at a reasonable cost. $11 a go is a birthday treat only!

I have given mine rabbit, Just wish I could get it cheaper and I would feed it more regularly. I can get minced rabbit from pet store but it has preservative in it. Maybe someone knows of somewhere we could get it cheaper, I am in Melbourne? Certainly nice and lean. I know what you mean about chopping it in half, I wimped out and asked the butcher to do it.