niki schaef

agreed. we only clip if the owner wants it. they look wierd but i think its better then keeping them in full coat if the owner isnt going to look after them properly

interesting. thanks for the replies all koolietas- why do you not feed the supplements any more?

hello all! just wondering if any one gives their dogs dietry supplements of any kind (eg. oils, multi-vitamins etc)? if so what do you give and why? i feed my dog a raw diet but i've been reading a lot lately and have worried myself a bit. i'm thinking now that i should be supplementing my boys diet? thanks

i'm no expert at all on feeding mum dogs- but i believe they need lots of calcium to keep up with demand from the pups. so maybe some extra bones? again no expert really i have no idea just taking a guess if you dont get any replies here you could try the breeders section there is a wealth of knowledge there that could help you out. (also maybe some piccies of the staffy and pups ) and welcome to dogzonline

hi great to hear that its all going well. as for the weight thing- i've found it really easy to maintain Teds weight. he was 8.3kg when i took him to the vet for his vaccinations in Oct. they told me he was a bit overweight. not long after this i made the switch to raw. ted lost that extra bit of weight really quickly BUT i had to take him to the vet on friday and he only weighs 7.6kg :D i was so surprised he doesnt look skinny at all so he must have been a real porker before! hes pretty muscly now too. but anyway all i'm trying to say is that its easy to maintain weight on the raw diet. i work out Teds food to be about 200gm a day. if i give him chicken frame it would probably be a half (if thats all hes getting) or a smaller piece plus something else (like a bit of organ etc.) so yes i think half a frame should be fine to start with. there isnt a lot of meat on a frame so you may notice your dogs poop get a bit hard/white. i did with Ted so thats why i will usually feed a smaller piece of frame with some organ, or will feed frame if i notice his poop is a bit soft. keep it up your dog will thank it for you

thanks hopenfox- wont worry too much bout the egg then. and will keep trying the fish. what types of fish does everyone feed? and is whole best- what about just fillets? westimum- my boy ted also puts on weight at the drop of a hat. when i was feeding him dry he got a 'little' round (vet told me off ) i find it really easy to keep him at a good weight now. there is so many things to feed teds meals are ususally all different sizes so i can balance his food over the week and not feel bad eg if i give him a lamb shank or turkey neck one day i might give him a small piece of meat or some chicken necks the next day. the biggest thing for me was my guilt (yep i'm easy to con- its the eyes ) so this way ted always gets something to eat and it usually takes him a while to chew it down- everyones happy argee with tess- no matter the size of teds meal he always seems happy.

how important do you think egg shell is? ted likes eggs but doesnt eat the shell, i've tried breaking it up and mixing it in but he will only eat tiny bits (by accident i think ) and also whole fish he isnt keen on. is the tinned stuff ok? cheers guys

woohoo!! well done rom!! i second that ridgies do rock!! they are just the best dogs

ooo yes do tell if you find one i'm always on the look out for cheap suppliers at the moment i buy wherever i see cheap meat but would like to find a good place with fresh meat that is reasonably priced and has variety. dont know what suburb you're in but the foodland in newton is pretty good theres a leonards in the supermarket which does chicken stuff pretty reasonably. then the deli section is great too- chicken liver/giblets hearts etc and whole fish. they have a pretty good selection of red meats too. i've found that foodlands have much better variety then coles/woolies. apart from the central markets does anyone know where to get different meats like rabbit etc? i never see any around and would like to feed more variety to ted instead of chicken, lamb, beef over and over though he doesnt seem to mind.

i agree with tess. when i switched to prey model i fed ted to much variety too soon and he got quite loose poo. i just fed chicken wings and other boney bits until his poo firmed up again. he still gets a bit soft if i feed too much meat with hardly any bone but i would hardly ever fast him (unless it was very severe diarrhoea and/or vomiting) it usually rights itself the next day and wow about the red cordial!! i would never have thought that- learn something everyday.

hey thanks for the help guys- we have success the trick is frozen! so thanks hopenfox. ted was quite happy to eat liver frozen but only in bite size pieces. i think because its been so hot here it was like a nice liver iceblock for him does anyone feed giblets? and what are they actually! huski i'm not sure how long the patties would last but i think a couple months should be ok. the sticker thing on my frezer door says most meat can be left 6-12 months

i am cant wait it looks awesome

hey raw feeders! i'm having lots of trouble getting ted to eat organs. i've mixed it with fish, egg, cooked it a bit, nothing seems to work. he will eat a bit if its cooked but if its raw at all- no way! just tried tonight mixed with sardines and he ate all around the liver i'm pretty sure hes even licked the fish off the liver i've only tried to give chicken liver. so any suggestions?

i take my dog swimming at linear park, in the river. its off-leash but the river can be a bit gross. i have to rinse ted off after as he gets a bit itchy. but he loves it there and would swim all day. if you follow the link below its map number 10 where we go. good luck at the agility trials! http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/webdata/resource...AreasJune07.pdf

cute pup! looks kind of like ted as a puppy- hes a jrt maltese cross. the first night i got him bout a year old and recently (nearly 2) as you can see he's turned into quite the scruffer! not really what i was expecting from the smooth little puppy he was but hes a great dog- very smart. training hasnt been a problem with him. but no he doesnt get tired easily no matter how far i walk him he still wants more at the end- but after a really big walk he is happy to sleep at home (ready for his afternoon walk!!) currently hes sleeping under my chair. good luck with your pup- if shes anything like ted, im sure she will be lots of fun!