Stitch

They have to preserve meat etc. that isn't going to be eaten immediately with something. Some can have adverse affects on health if not used within the regulated limits; in particular: •nitrates & nitrites in meat can be converted in the stomach or during high temperature frying to chemicals understood to cause cancer •sulphur dioxide exposure causes breathing difficulties in some people •some uses of preservatives are incompatible with other manufacturing processes. In general, preservatives are used to maintain food safety and prolong product shelf life. Sodium nitrite or potassium nitrite play a key role in the safety of processed meats. Nitrites... in slow cured meats, sodium or potassium nitrates which are gradually converted to nitrites...are the key ingredients in meat cures. They provide protection against botulism in processed meats. They help give cured meats their characteristic colour and flavour. Other preservatives inhibit the growth of microorganisms. The sulphites - sources of sulphur dioxide - also inhibit the growth of microorganisms while retaining the bloom of red meat.

Thanks for your replies. I have fed roo in the past but it was pet quality roo meat and I agree it stank!!! This time I bought human grade roo meat and there was a BIG difference. It didn't smell too bad at all...so I will be totally avoiding the pet grade roo meat! I mean it is only $3 a kg extra to buy human grade roo meat! Specialist vet said to be careful when I bought the roo as some, especially the pet grade stuff has sulphur dioxide in it to preserve it....and he was right. I scrutinised the packs and there it is in tiny print ie. preservative. I have to add thiamine to the roo meat. Vet said if I use meat that has been preserved ie with sulphur dioxide then you can't put thiamine in it at the same time. I would have to dose her with thiamine 4 hours before or after. Interesting!! The human grade roo has salt added to it, no other preservative. I have started to feed her a little of the cooked roo with veges today but I will phone him tomorrow to check.

Yep, me too however he doesn't work weekends and he moves around to various clinics during the week so he is difficult to talk to. Looks like I will have to leave a message and hope he gets back to me quickly.

Anyone???

My old girl has started to be an itchy dog...at 11yo it is unusual according to the dermo vet. He wants her on cooked roo + veges. I forgot to ask him if it could be raw instead of cooked in the form of a stew? Also, she has been on RC Hypoallergenic because she also has IBD (which he feels is related). I am wondering if I should move her gradually over to the roo stew or just feed it to her in its place? Obviously I was too busy thinking of other things in the consult and forgot to ask these two important questions. I am sure someone here will know??

Yep, I agree with that Showdog, I would rather a dog with parvo be cared for at a vet hospital where there are vets on duty 24/7 but that is not always the case. There vets that don't offer that 24/7 service and there are also new vets and dog owners coming through all the time who have not experienced what we have....and just maybe there are people or dogs out there that may be helped by passing on this article. IMO you can never have too much knowledge and it is no burden for people to read an article which may in some small way help.

Dog forbid that anyone should have a close encounter with Parvo but I am posting a link to an interesting article regarding a new low cost at home treatment protocol for parvo in puppies which I think everyone should consider passing on to their vet. http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/pages/parvo-puppies-new-protocal.aspx

Went past a pet shop in a shopping centre yesterday. They were selling Am.Staff X Mastiff/Bull Arab puppies. I am sorry but that just seems totally wrong to me on so many levels! What exactly is a Bull Arab??

We have always had a Dobe as well as our other showdogs. I am always very careful when it comes to feeding etc. especially in a large dog to ensure the correct nutrition etc. Neither dog was subjected to rough handling on their vertebrae but both dogs did a lot of running and were very active. The last Dobe boy we had to be PTS at 5 years from Cardiomyopathy and the Dobe girl we had before him had to be PTS at 7 years old because of sudden onset Wobblers. Both dogs were bought from 'reputable breeders' and I followed the breeders feeding instructions in both cases. I will never get another Dobe again even though I love the breed. BustaGirl your dog does not sound like he has Wobblers so it will be interesting to see the results of the tests. Wobblers is basically a spinal problem.

Once it was noticeable I took her to the specialist vet but there was nothing that could be done. Some dogs are very stoic and in her case the spinal deterioration was too progressed. She was PTS.

I want something that I can put in a 10Ltr spray pack and spray about 50metres along part of the fenceline plus an exercise yard that is adjacent to the fence. Fleatrol is a good product by Mavlab but it is too expensive for a large area. I want something that doesn't remain in the environment for too long as I want to be able to have puppies run over it and not be at risk ie. not an organophosphate.

Yes, in a 7 year old Dobermann.

After many years of being flea free, I have noticed the odd flea in the area near our neighbours boundary fence. They have recently increased the number of dogs they have and they don't do any flea prevention/control so I am blaming them, plus it has been very wet here providing perfect breeding conditions. What is the best product to use to spray the area...I was thinking Fidos Flea Free Concentrate might do the job but there may be something better??

If I were you I would be asking this question of your vet who would be able to give you an informed answer from his/her experience. They must deal with this kind of thing frequently.

All dogfood IMO is a bit of a mystery. So much could be hidden (in plain sight) in the ingredients. I am no chemist but looking at the Earthborn Holistic Primitive Nature I am left scratching my head about all the ingredients they list and EHPN is considered to be a very good dry dogfood. I do know that ALL dry dogfood has to be preserved with something either a chemical or salt and Applaws obviously uses salt....but I think it is a vast improvement on some of the dogfoods that are available. I remember back when there was a scare about what chemical Eukanuba used to preserve their product. Regarding the % of starch in Applaws, the starch % is missing from EHPN as it just lists potatoes as its 3rd ingredient so that sounds like it would be a decent % of starch to me...but we will never know as they don't give % on their packet, just individual ingredients and that can be very difficult to compare with the Australian products but they do list protein as 38% and fat as 20% which are quite high IMO and also in the opinion of some specialist vets. However unless we have a standardised way to present these ingredients/data it makes it almost impossible to compare products. But all things considered I am pleased to see that Australia now has 2 Australian made dry dogfoods that are cereal free...and the only way you are going to be able to tell if it suits your dog is to try it. As we know one product does not suit every dog so I am prepared to give it a trial and see the results. So far I am seeing no difference between it and the more expensive imported brands.

Pack says Made in Australia and it was around $14 for 2kg. My lot haven't given it the taste test yet but if it tastes as good as the description reads it will be a winner!!

What happens when you offer the pup more food? Is it still hungry??

So now Coles has come out with their grain-free dog food offering....in competition with Woolworths VIP Grain-free one. We are now spoilt for choice, the ingredients and protein, fat etc. levels look good....and the price, well why would you buy the expensive ones now?? Unfortunately I recently bought a bag of Earthborn Hollistic which I haven't opened yet as I have been trialling the VIP and now the Applaws. I feed so little dry dogfood so any brand I buy lasts a reasonable amount of time...I mainly feed BARF....but the lower cost for the drydogfood is much appreciated, the dogs love it and both foods are made in Australia.

I think I would prefer to do my own for considerably less $$$$, that is if I was going to make a stew. Mine mainly get BARF, plus a whole lot of extras.

Interesting replies. Australia is up there as one of the most expensive places to live. I love my vet/s too BUT I do think that their costs are way too high for some things. I have the feeling that they charge what they do, because they can!

I second the VIP grainfree dogfood from Woolworths. It is a basic dogfood using grainfree alternative which from memory is sweet potato. You can always add some Omega 3/6 oil to it.

I got one from Target. It cost me $199.00 several years and it is fantastic. I certainly got my monies worth out of it as it is used just about every day. At the time of buying it I researched the attributes of the expensive 'dog' treadmills and decided, on comparison, that the human one would do just nicely. Any electric treadmill is OK as long as it is not flimsy and its starting speed is less than 1kph. Mine goes down to 0.8kph. IF it is too fast it is harder to get the dogs to learn to use it. I used an old x-pen to wrap around the treadmill to give the impression that the treadmill had wire sides. It fooled the dogs and works perfectly.!!!

I recently got an email from USA company offering 10 Parvo.(does the 4) ampules for US$15. I know that they are able to obtain and immunisate their dogs privately over there... and yes I also know that there is the freight and associated costs of getting it into Australia....but US$1.50 per dose begs the question .... why is it sooo expensive to get your dog immunised here? Local vets here charge a minimum of $65 per vaccination.

As long the dogs isn't sick, withhold ALL food for 24 hours and then introduce a small amount of food. You may find it is time to reduce the amount of food offered or even cut out breakfast.

Nah, they come into season all by themselves however being near other bitches in season can sometimes bring a bitch into season...but not always! If you are concerned take your girl to a repro specialist vet and get her examined...also ask the breeder as he/she will know or should know her dogs.