gila

When I switched to raw about five weeks ago I started off with VAN because it was an easy way to feed raw. After doing a lot of reading I've moved on to more of a prey model diet with 80% meat 10%bone 10% offal. But I still add a little bit of VAN to each meal. Ive found that ingredients are easy to get, but it pays to shop around and compare prices. Staples for me are chicken drumsticks and beef mince because its cheap and always available at Aldi. Ox heart, lamb heart, lamb neck & ribs I buy from the butcher. Chicken liver and giblets from Coles. And green tripe from Petbarn.

Male Rottweiler called Reid. We talk about him as if he already exists lol

Oh no! My stomach dropped when I saw Chester's name in this forum I always enjoyed seeing your photos of him. RIP Chester

I snagged the last large size in the store. It's almost identical to the bed I paid $70 for. Spence is sleeping in it now :)

I bought a tub of natural yoghurt and a bottle of Blackmores intestinal health capsules today. I'm going to give him one capsule and a big dollop of yoghurt a day and see how he goes.

Hmm I've been doing a bit of reading and was considering using Protexin, but Penicillins are on the list of contraindications in the product description. Spence is on Noroclav which is amoxicillin, so looks like I can't use Protexin at the same time. If I just stick to yoghurt will it be enough? Also, his food (VAN complete mix) already contains vit c so I don't know if I should supplement with more. Ugh! So many questions

Thanks guys. Sounds like yoghurt/probiotics is worth feeding. I really want to try to keep his system balanced. I was thinking of adding manuka honey too HW. With the vitamin C, is there a specific powder or supplement I should look for?

Thanks Persephone. I hope so too! He's had a shocker of a year so far in terms of health. This current infection first occurred in January and was misdiagnosed for various reasons as a retrobulbar abscess. Three weeks of ABs seemed to clear it up. Then he was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis. Even though his symptoms weren't severe I opted for surgery because struggling to get a decent breath and exercise intolerance isn't what I consider good quality of life. All seemed great after the surgery. Until he started showing the same symptoms he had in January - pain upon opening his mouth. The specialist thought maybe it was a tooth root abscess, but then didn't find anything when she examined his mouth under sedation. An MRI showed he has a lesion/abscess at the back of his throat behind/under his right tonsil. So now he's on ABs for three months to make sure we kill all the bugs this time. Oh AND he got a yeast infection in his ear a few days ago when he's never had a problem with his ears before. Bloody dog sure has given my emotions and bank account a workout

My dog is about a week into a three month course of antibiotics. Is there any point adding yoghurt to his diet now, or will the antibiotics just negate any positive effect? I changed him over to a raw diet two weeks ago.

Whaat? Never heard of anyone doing that. Is there a reason you can't use dog sunscreen?

I agree. When you say he gets wet, is it just his top coat that's wet or is he actually wet through to the skin when you part his coat? I know when I wash labs at work I have to 'scrub' with the hydro bath nozzle to get them wet to the skin. A lab's coat is pretty damn water resistant already!

Love the happy shiny rotties!

Have a look at Geib. I use their scissors and thinners at work and love them. Clipper world have thinners from the Geib Gator range for $73

The purebred Shih Tzus we see at work are gorgeous spunky friendly little guys.

I don't really see why anyone should feel sorry for the dog. My walks are pretty regimented too. No playing with other dogs, walks next to me with no sniffing except at certain sniff n pee spots when I give the ok, and why walk them through mud/a puddle if you can go around?

8/52 Awesome new tshirt from Gorman. This vegetable print is the epitome of happy!

Why is having to muzzle your dog on trains such a big deal? Get a well fitted basket muzzle so the dog can open its mouth to pant. My dog wears a muzzle if I take him on a train. It's not his favourite thing, but he deals with it because I tell him to. And if a few random people are scared of the 'aggressive dog', I really don't care because I'm just following the rules. But I've never actually had anyone show outright fear of my dog on a train because of the muzzle.

RIP little Kibah.

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6/52 Doesn't really fit my theme of 'happy', but Spence is unwell and off to the specialist vet tomorrow to see if they can find out what's wrong.

Helen! Nice to see you back

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This is my 'old' boy. He's 12. Never too old to play dress up!

4/52 Yep it's a screenshot, but it does include an actual photo I took. And it's what made me happy this week :)

3/52 Undercuts & cats.