Gomez the Norfolk

It's only 2-3 brands because that is what is available here - in the US or UK, the choice could be between 10 or 12!! And yes, I do eliminate the brands with ingredients I don't want Gomez eating, just like if I had kids I would not feed them McDonald's every day, even if they were super healthy on it... It's the same thing in that we have both made a conscious decision as to what our dogs eat, knowing full well what the ingredients are and the potential benefits/hazards - someone who feeds x-brand because they don't know better, can learn both from what you are saying and what I am saying... So same old same old is not so bad, I think

Maybe because I have tried most of the "better quality" brands before & have found that the Optimum is actually better for my dogs than the others? Guess that means I "downgraded" to get a better result . And sorry if you get offended, but it is the "same old same old", if only every dog in the world could be fed according to a specific pointscore table published on a website what a wonderful world it would be. Unfortunately, they can't, like I & plenty of others have said so many times before, feed your dog what they do best on, not what everyone else thinks they should be fed on . Blossom, don't be sorry, you are only trying to find out information, try him on other foods & if you get a better result then stick to it, but don't let someone else bully you into changing brands because they say they know what's best for your dog ;) . But that's exactly my point, MrsD!!! We're saying the same thing, you just don't like the way I'm saying it and you think I'm a bully!! (by the way, that's the first time in my life I have been called a bully! ) It's all trial and error, and research, BUT it does help to know what the ingredients are and what the differences are between the foods and the quality of the foods... I don't know what is best for any dog other than my own. What I do know is what brands use better ingredients than others and what I do not want to feed my dog... We tried Gomez on Natural Balance, a food I consider to be superior to Eagle Pack Holistic (better ingredients, no beet pulp, etc..) BUT Gomez had pasty poos on it, so back we went to EPH... If you're happy with what you feed, and your dogs do well on it, then you're done, plain and simple. But when someone comes in and asks questions about dog food, I think it's only fair they get all the information they can, the good and the bad, and some of the means available to decide what you want to feed the dog, and that includes things like the "rating" system on the Dog Food Project... that is just a tool, a guideline, not a bible on how to feed your dog... Unless you don't agree with having as much info as possible?

MrsD, it's not just "same old same old" from the "same people" there is a lot of research into this subject - For example, I'm sure you have already read this website(because I have posted it before), but Blossom may have not: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients The reason this stuff keeps getting repeated is because people keep asking, sorry if you're bored with it.... I have always stated that the poster should do their own research first and then decide what they think is best for their own dog, and as you say, each dog is different, there may be a dog out there that has perfect health on CHUM... If someone is happy feeding their dogs corn and fillers, then whatever... Now, if you have seen great results with upgrading to Optimum, how do you know you would not see even greater improvement with a brand that has better quality ingredients? Blossom, read all you can about positive-vs-negative ingredients, where these ingredients are coming from, how are they processed and where, and then decide what you want to feed your dog - then after that, it will be trial and error - you could have chose the best, highest quality food, but your dog may be allergic to something in it - so then you change, gradually, until you fins a good balance - it can take upto 6 weeks to see a complete difference from food change - Happy reading!

Blossom, have a look at this webpage, and then look at the ingredients in the foods you have fed and the Supercoat - I think you will find that supermarket brands not only contain undesirable ingredients, but they contain a lot of ingredients tha are also unnecessary, such as corn, and various fillers. There is a great deal of very current, very thorough information in this Health/Nutrition/Grooming- do a search under the name of the food or just read through the posts. The super premium kibbles such as Eagle Pack, Nutro, Natural Balance will not be available at the supermarket, you buy them at pet supply stores or on the internet... Have a read....

Gomez gets only kibble (Eagle Pack Holistic) and he does just fine - once in a while he'll get a bone or a sardine, but otherwise, all dry. If you're going to feed only kibble, you might want to look into some of the higher quality kibble out there such as EaglePack Holistic, Nutro or Natural Balance - the ingredients are higher quality and more wholesome and there is a lot less fillers such as grains and corn which can be difficult to digest.

I use it on Gomez sometimes, he has a distinct double coat that needs to be stripped twice a year - the furminator will pull out the downy undercoat, but it will also pull out some of his wiry topcoat, so I only use it when he is getting shaggy between strippings or when he needs to look neater... so it will take off top and undercoat if your dog has two coats -

Heartgard every month Advantix every two weeks

When we tried giving Gomez some yogurt we found out he does not tolerate it very well, runny, runny poos - as soon as we took him off it, back to normal...

In my opinion, Eagle Pack is superior to Nutrience, better ingredients, less fillers, especially with the Holistic range. As for the Power Formula, I was told when I enquired in the States, that it is meant for super athletic dogs, such as those running the Iditarod... however, you could ask them yourslef, their number is at www.eaglepack.com.au

Probably not the best method, but I open the door and throw a treat into the footwell of the backseat, then I say "UP" - he follows that treat like lightning! I say it's not the best because it involves always having a treat, and without a treat, I can say "UP" till I'm blue in the face and he won't go... then again, Gomez is very easy to pick up and put in the car! Having said all of this, once he is in the car he is very happy looking out the window -

Oh good! I really like them, everyone I have seen there seems very knowledgeable and the staff is great - plus the fact that they are the 24 hour hospital AND the pound for the area has basically all bases covered...

We go to the North Shore Veterinary Hospital in Crow's Nest (9436 4884) and are very happy with them, but not sure about your specific question - they are open 24 hours...

Oh great! Will call them tomorrow, he's going to ned a tidy-up soon... Thanks

Lynlovesodgs, may I hijack your thread a little bit, seeing as you have the perfect title?!? Any groomers in Sydney that do hand stripping??? And know how to do a Norfolk Terrier? Thanks

lynlovesdogs, shaving is not really an option for Gomez, any kind of clipping or shaving will ruin his outer coat and make it soft and wavy, so unless it's a dire emergency, striping will have to be the way to go - he doesn't seem to be too itchy, especially after the malasab or aloveen baths, I have both and alternate them, Aloveen smells so good!!! oakways, thanks for the dosage info, will give it a try showdog, I'mnot sure how he was stripped last time, he did seem to be a bit downier than usual though, I'll take a picture of him today later, his "mane" has really come in while his rump is still quite neat. In London we used to have him stripped by a lady who always had between 6-8 Norfolks, all champions and all active showdogs, so she was quite an expert, but I haven't been able to find anyone here that a) will do hand stripping or b) knows how to do a Norfolk properly... the search continues... The rake I'm using now is a black plastic imlpement with "pegs" so to speak spaced apart by a few centimeters, (I'll take a picture of it later) I think you're right and I will have to take some stripping lessons somewhere so I can do the rolling strip and keep him neat - plus I think also that the seasonal change is also affecting his coat - we'll see how he deals with hs first summer here, he's never been in such heat before! Good thing we have aircon!!

Right, next time he goes in the bath I'll take pictures! I lather him up and then fill the tub, then he paddles around and gets a lot of the shampoo off - then the big rinse off! I think his favourite part is the zoomies after toweling off... Lynlovesdogs - some terriers are terrors, but Gomez has a great temperament and while he goes mad running outside, when he's inside, he prefers relaxing and looking out the windows - Did your girl's bumps and scabs clear up with the Aloveen? Kavik, I will PM you, I might "lend" him to you the whole day of the 15th....!

Sure! Here he is as a hairy beast And here he is after stripping And here he is swimming at Kepala Norfolks are very rare in general, but more so here in Australia, there are maybe 3 breeders around, and very few imports - Gomez came with us when we moved form the UK - their litters are small usually only 2 puppies - they were bred to be ratters, and generally like to dig, except Gomez has never had that urge, once he pawed at the sand on the becah, but that was it - he is very even tempered, likes to sleep a lot, and gets along with almost every dog he's ever met, same with kids or adults - I highly reccomend them if you can find one! There are lots more pictures of him in the Kepala threads also... eta: I just noticed you are in Sydney also, if you would like to meet him....

PW - thanks for all the tips - he does get rinsed super well, I fill the tub and he swims around first, then I get the shower head hose and go for a good 5 mins, all over... the undercoat rake I hace does go all the way down, I think he likes that tickly bit! I'll go find a coarse comb also - he rarely gets mats as we're usually very careful about that. The breeder told us that slicker brushes did nothing for the thick outer coat, so have not tried one yet, but I might borrow one to see how it goes - his coat is very similar to that of a Cairn Terrier, if you know that coat, very wiry, waterproof, top coat and downy and soft undercoat, that stays wet for a while if I dont use a dryer... oakways, Up until now Gomez has been stripped every 6 months, but maybe here it will have to be more often, especially when I have to search for ticks, I think I better learn how to do it myself! Is the linseed/flax oil given one teaspoon per meal? per day? per week? Thanks!

Well, we did the big trip 6 months ago, and the antibiotics were prescribed for folliculitis/dermatitis, but the vet seemed to think they should have cleared it up - I gave him a bath in Malasab this morning, which was laso suggested by the vet - it seems to keep the little flakes down - but the fur, there is so much fur!! At least it's good to know he's not the only one shedding now... Thanks Tapferhund!

I'm still trying to get used to all the new things to us... London to Sydney is a huge change! Is this the season when dogs shed over here? Gomez was stripped 2 months ago and now he's shedding his downy undercoat like crazy - I have been using an undercoat rake every other day, and each time I get handfuls and handfuls of undercoat... He also still has these little flakes after 2 courses of antibiotics - the little bumps seem to have gone, but he is flaky, poor guy... Also his top coat is not lustrous as he used to be, he has never been shiny b/c of the rough coat, but he was never this dull... He is eating DVP Natural Balance now and sardines or tuna once a week and the occasional bone. So, is it the season? Adjusting to a new environment? Or does it sound like I need to go back to the vet?

I'm probably not understanding correctly, but you don't feed then if they have been "bad"?

One more brand to look into is Dick VanPatten's Natral Balance - all holitic and organic - very good quality food This one is available at the Macro in Richmond, which is not too far from you if you're going to the vet in Toorak - the foods mentioned above are available at the PetStock in South Melbourne market. The fact that two foods are not form the same brand does not mean they are not compatible - but the brands you mentioned, Hills, Science Diet, Advance, they are not so great. Look into getting a good quality dry food and see how that goes - switch over slowly, mixing in a bit of the old food with the new food over a period of about a week.

Definitely Clipperworld, they also charge a fraction of the price of the stores. Plus they deliver within 3 days... If you're dead set on buying at a store, for a premium, Whoopsys in Elwood have them....

We really liked the Village Vet on Toorak Road (near Williams St) when we lived in Melbourne - nice practice and good vets and treated Gomez very well... Hope you get her sorted out!

I clicked on Timberwolf, but would be happy with any of them, really....