Tilly

I have just got our Artemis from here. Our senior GSD loves it and the new pup is yet to try it. The pup is fed on raw at the moment.

Hope your puppy is going to be ok and hopefully his injury is not too bad. We have had our new pup for about 2 weeks now and at this stage we have not allowed our older dog to have free run with the pup - they have meet and have daily contact but through a chainlink fence or on a leash. It can be hard for the older dog to suddenly have to share their home with a new dog. It is one thing for visitors but a new addition can be considered a threat. Puppies can be a bit full on and for a dog not used to them - they are a real pain.

Personally I would be looking at finding something other then Advance as it doesn't seem to be working with either dog.

LOL! Your boys have taste! My girl will eat anything so I train with bits of carrot, bits of fruit plus bits of meat/cheese etc. I still need to work out what to use for my young boy, currently am using treats but don't want to do that forever Maybe I shouldn't add ... not just slow roasted but marinated in honey and a little soya sauce ... and then slow roasted

I was doing some boiled chicken but I have found my boys prefer it diced up and slow roasted ...

The problem is the dry food is giving him the runs. Raw is what the breeder feeds & recommends and what the pup prefers. I am trying not to do this on guesswork which is why I brought the pre-made and was following the directions on the box. I asked so I could make sure I was getting it right - but it seems the chart on the packaging is wrong.

He is only getting 2 meals a day. He has treat ball for during the day but he tends to play with it but not actually eat the food it drops ... he prefers raw. According to the feeding instructions on the box for a puppies (giant breeds) they should be fed 2%-4% of bodyweight per day. It did say "can be useful to add extra veggie pulp" with emphasise on "important to grow slowly". When I started the patties he was 7.8kg. Going off the 2-4% advise I used the chart on the box which had 5-7kg should get 0.5 to 1 pattie. The next range is 10-12kg should get between 1 to 2 patties. I kept the pumpkin because it helped with his runny poos and he likes it. I was initially feeding him chicken and pumpkin for that reason and changed the chicken to BARF patties. He is lean but not overly skinny ... It is expected he will mature to 45-50kg.

He weighted 6.5kg on the Tuesday (the day after we got him) and then the following Thursday he weighted in at 7.8kg - so he put on 1.3kg in a week and a few days. I thought some of that might have been fluids because he was a little dehydrated after arriving on his long flight. If I asked him ... he would think he is absolutely starving all the time. I am trying to keep him well fed but without over feeding because I don't want him to grow too fast and have joint problems etc. I have heard of some giving supplements such as brewer yeast, livamol, kelp powder, ester C and flaxseed oil - should I look at any of these. I was considering the ester C and I think the BARF patties have kelp.

I am feeding my 9/10 week old GSD raw as his breeder was feeding raw. I am cheating a little and have brought Dr Billinghurst's R.A.W. BARF patties - I got the rabbit and Combo varieties. According to the box for his weight (about 8kg) he should be getting 1 pattie (227grams) per day with equal amount of bones. As he doesn't think this is enough food I have been giving him the 1 pattie in the morning (with a good portion of mashed pumpkin) and 2 small chicken necks - he won't eat his breakfast until he gets the chicken necks. For tea he is getting a smallish chicken frame - still frozen. He polishes off both meals quickly (without gulping) and some times at night he is still hungry so I give him a carrot or a piece of raw pumpkin to chomp on ... with he also polishes off. Usually once a week I also add some sardines and an egg to his breakfast. Is he getting enough ... or too much? Is there anything else I should be adding? I was looking at slowly adding Royal Canin GSD dry food as an addition to his current diet ... but as he had a tummy upset for a while after getting him I have held off doing that just yet.

Would it be a issue to worm him again tomorrow or am I going to overdose him?

I am now totally confused ... which doesn't take much I know My 9 week old GSD puppy was wormed on the 19/5/09 with Fido's Closasole 10KG (Broadspecturm Wormer). I was originally told puppies needed to be wormed every two weeks until they are 12 weeks of age and then every 3 months. I have just been to the vet to get his next worming tablet (Popantel Allwormer tablet) and on the back of the packet it has puppies should be wormed at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks and then every 3 months. When should he be wormed again? I was going to worm him in the morning.... and start heartgard at the same time.

http://www.mavlab.com.au/vet_otherPro.html My 7 year old GSD is recovering from a critial ligament injury ... and was advised by our vet to look at something for possible arthritic symptoms as he gets older. I have used Sasha's Blend before but there wasn't a lot of improvement in our rottie. I have hear good things about green-lipped mussel and shark cartilage. So - has anyone used this product and what did you think of it?

Thankfully the chicken breast, pumpkin (cooked in a little salt reduce chicken stock and water) and "Inner Health plus" seems to have worked. We have had a number of nice firm poos so far. He is going to the vet later today for some more working tablets so I will talk to them again. The little boy is doing extremely well and growing like a weed. I will start introducing him back to chicken necks etc and see how he goes.

Thanks Ams - I have some of those so I will give it a try - I will add it to his cooked chicken and pumpkin. I had tried a little yoghurt but without success but didn't even give that a though. He had a nice firm poo last night and again first up this morning ... but the second poo this morning was a little more liquid then usual and the third was even worse.

His breeder was feeding raw, so I continued with that and was adding just a little Royal Canin GSD Junior (a couple of pieces). He was getting chicken necks, chicken frames and a mince mix (beef mince, chicken mince, veges and mackerel). The tin of chicken and rice has made things worse so this morning he is currently just getting chicken necks. He is still bright and eating well and definately drinking sufficient water. I have to go to the vet this week to get him some worming tablets so if he hasn't improved by the morning I will take him to the vet.

I tried him with some more of the tinned stuff tonight for dinner and he is acting like I am trying to poison him. He eats a tiny bit and whinges and looks at me. He is starving so he is continuing to eat it (very slowly) but really he is not enjoying it. Poor baby ... really hope this works.

I couldn't get Hills I/D but I did get a can of the Royal Canin Sensitivity Control (Chicken and Rice) - I also rang his breeder and they had no issues with feeding him chicken. They are enclined to think it is caused by the changes he has been through. I tried a small amount to see if he would eat it .... and he tried a little bit of it and then started growling and barking at it. I don't think he likes it much.

The little brat has gone to sleep so I will go out to see if I can find some. Hopefully there is a pet shop open that sell it ... might have to break my self-imposed ban and head to the local place (they now sell puppies )

I was hoping to avoid tinned food completely and stick to a more raw feeding. I did want him to be to eat dry food ... only because there will be occassions when he will eventually be going away to work and dry food is more convenient. If he isn't improving by Monday I will talk to the vet - I know they have some of the tinned stuff there.

My 9 week old GSD pup has the runs on and off since we got him. Lately he has been doing 2 or 3 poos when he goes outside, usually the first is formed but a little soft and it is the second and third poos that are a soft pudding consistency. I have removed all dry food (and the mince mix) from his diet and have been feeding him just chicken necks - which he is wolfing down ... is this suitable "chicken" or should I look at cooked chicken breast and rice? He is well hydrated, full of beans and in good health otherwise. He was last wormed on the 19th and I was going to worm again this week and I was planning on starting his heart worm treatment around the same time - but will be double checking with his vet first.

Definately try adding omega 3 or even sardines in olive oil to her diet ... but do check with the vet for a skin scraping incase it has an underlaying cause.

Well actually the pup belongs to my brother and normally he shares the house with me. The main problem is we have a 7 year old GSD with a crutial ligament injury and he is upset by the puppies crying - he thinks there is something wrong and desperately tries to get inside to the pup - and in the process has hurt his leg again. My brother thought he would help out by taking his pup and spending some time with his pup ... the pup had his crate and all his familiar things with him. I don't want him bonding completely with me - he has to bond with both of us. The pup was quite happy playing with my brother and my brother kept up the "normal" routine ... only problem was my brother was not used to the pup's crying when the pup is crated. My brother thought he would play with it, feed it and toilet it and then it would go to sleep nicely in the crate. Pup has to get used to changes in its environment and sleep in various places with various things going on around him.

Well ... pup has now got a name ... Kaine. My brother decided to take the pup for the day (he is shacked up with the girlfriend) ... first he called to say the pup does nothing but sleep. A hour or so ago I get a call to come and get the pup - it won't go to sleep and it is chewing on absolutely everything. It told him to play with it, feed it, toilet it and then put it back in the crate ... he did but it doesn't want to sleep and it just sits in the crate whinging ... and he can't stand it whinging any longer. Told him to get used to it and I will see him in the morning ... now for a nice long sleep Actually I am having trouble sleeping ... I kind of miss the little brat

We thankfully had a good night last night. We went to bed at about 8am (after a big play and toilet). He slept through until about 11:30pm when he started to cry. I picked him up out of the crate and took him outside immediately - no play, talking etc. He went to the toilet immediately so we went back to bed and he slept through until about 5 or 5:30 am (my eyes where not fully awake). We still get a bit of screaming and whimpering but it is settling down a lot. He is currently snoring softly in his crate at the moment. I moved him from the lounge room to my bedroom so he can still see me when I am in bed but when I leave the room he is getting better - I can close the bedroom door when he gets noisy and he is learning that I do come back and there is no need to cry. Not bad after 2 days.

Here is another 2 photo's ... they are not particularly good.