my2boys

I'm glad you've posted this Stormie. I'm wary of new "cute" type products but saw this the other day at the local pet supplies and ummed and ahhed about it. I will buy it next time and give it a go. Thanks Stormie I have noticed this and was wondering if it was ok. Also noticed they have a product called Rufus and Coco Super Skin and Coat supp. Was wondering if you have tried this?

Thanks Clyde. I have read about the EPO but still haven't tried it. It is worth considering as nothing else seems to work at the moment. I have washed him once in the Head & Shoulders and that took the itch out but just not sure how often to wash him in it as he has started to itch again only slightly though. I really don't, if I can avoid it, go down the antibiotic road again. One thing I did forget to mention was that someone on DOL mention grapefruit seed extract as a rinse but I cant seem to find out where to buy it and does it really work.

Hi all I have just read a couple of past posts and was wondering what success have you had with these two products, especially with the skin and coat range from Rufus and Coco. Also how often do you wash your dog's in the Head & Shoulders. Josh has some minor skin issues and we have tried many shampoos and supps. (malaseb, quit itch, episoothe, aloveen and fish oil) He reacted badly to aloveen and and the fish oil didn't seem to make much difference. The malaseb and quit itch dry his coat out way too much. Episoothe worked the first couple of times but not so good after that. We feed him a raw diet as I know that the corn etc in dry food sets him off. I also have a feeling that the silt in the dam water may be a cause to his itchy skin so we have fenced them off but he isn't a happy JAN now because he can't go for a swim and being a goldie that is like torture. His reaction to the fenced dams is jumping into the cow troughs and I can't fence them off. Thanks in advance my2boys

Having lost my best friend and companion to bone cancer in both rear legs 2 weeks after his 5th birthday I too believe that desexing needs to be thought about seriously before going ahead. Like you Morgan the breeder of my gloldie also agreed with me when we discussed desexing. I was worried when we brought the subject up as I had heard some breeders prefer that if you aren't going to breed or show they do prefer you to desex. No-one can say that desexing Max at an early age caused the cancer but then my vet couldnt say that it didn't either and when I told him that Josh wasn't going to be desexed I never got the "lecture" on responsible ownership. As far as comparing livestock to pets and desexing it is like chalk and cheese.

Funny you should say that, I cancelled our travel plans, and have decided that we are just going to take it one day at a time, and build up to short drives, etc I didn't want to risk the 30 minutes each way travel and have a bad experience for him, and set us back A few weeks is nothing really, when you consider I want to travel with him for 15+ years. He was a very timid fella when I got him - the runt of the litter that noone wanted, and he shook like a leaf around people, but he has come so far in a couple of months, and now is the most friendly, affectionate little thing that everyone falls in love with I really want our trips to the beach, park, to friend's place, etc to be great for him, so will keep going. I drive like a Nanna when he's in the car But the footwell sounds good, we might play in there tomorrow and see how we go Thanks! Will grab some this weekend - did you crush them in food or get your dog to take them as a tablet? No food as this is what made him sick just gave them to him about half an hour before trip. He eventually grew out of being car sick. I think he was about 12 months old.

You could try Travel Calm Ginger tablets made by Blackmores. I have used them in the past and were great.

I brought the book about 3 weeks ago from his clinic .

Thanks Clankaree and everyone else for clarifying that sultanas and raisins are toxic. I have never fed them to my dogs because I had heard that they were toxic to them BUT after reading this book (which seems to be quoted a lot here) I was extremely confused. I just hope that no-one who buys this book and doesn't have the knowledge with regard to these two ingredients feeds them to their dogs. my2boys

This is why I am confused. He writes " Add honey, yoghurt, dried fruit such as raisins or sultanas....."

I have just finished reading this book and I noticed that Dr Billinghurst suggest you can give your dog sultanas (page 276). I thought these were toxic to dogs. Please correct me if I am wrong. Wonderful book full of great info with regard to BARF diet.

Slightly of topic but we kept a very close eye on them and he didnt attempt to do anything with her and she had been on season 2 to 3 weeks before camp. Not sure how often they do come in season as never had much to do with female dogs

Thanks everyone for your great advice. I WILL NOT give into my boy's demands. Even though I get the "Oh come on mum you know I don't like that food" look or the "If I winge long enough she WILL GIVE me what I want" Oh and my boy is not desexed nor was the Chi. We had discussed this before we went to camp with the Chi's owner and they were pretty sure that she wasn't going to be in season (which she wasn't) nor their other female dog a G.S.D Thank goodness Josh didn't have a fizzy fit and fall in love with both of them as he would of had his paws full rounding up both of them from the other dogs. Not sure what attracted him to the little one but I think it was her tarty butt because he sure lifted her off the ground many times licking it. Oh and ArtyFarty Josh has a friend at home but Sam is a boy. Thanks again my2boys

How come you let your dog annoy other people trying to enjoy their holiday? My dog didn't annoy anyone. The owners of the female dog were camping with us along with 17 other people and 10 other dogs. They thought it was hilarious that my boy would go to that extent to see his girlfriend. If I thought for one minute he was annoying anyone then I would have prevented him from trotting off to their tent. Not sure if you have ever been camping with that many dogs but I can assure you the noise they make when they all wake up and start playing is extremely loud.

Ha Ha now that would make my boy a very happy man. We did consider dognapping his girl friend there at one stage but I don't think her owners were very happy with that idea. Mind you I don't think either dog would have minded very much at all as she had the tartiest butt I have ever seen

So do I just keep offering him the raw and if he doesn't eat it give it to him the next meal? Or do I fast him for 24 hours until he is very hungry then feed him the raw? I have tried to wean him off the cooked (cooking it less each time) but last night I gave him total raw and he turned his nose up at it. There are no treats given. Oh and yes he is healthy apart from LOVE SICKNESS

Hi all. I started feeding my goldie barf about 3 months ago and he was doing great, eating all that was put in front of him (though not real keen on vegies). Then we went camping over christmas and he fell in love with a Chihuahua. I mean FELL IN LOVE. He followed her, drooled over her and when we stuffed her up our jumpers and he couldn't find her he whinged and wined. Every morning he would trot down to her tent and sit at the door whinging until her owners had enough and let her out. He didn't eat (only picked) for 5 days. He lost so much weight that I began to really worry, and as we were there for 12 days, I did the unforgivable and cooked him up a Camp Stew. He gobbled it down like there was no tomorrow now the little monster won't eat raw meat. So I guess my question is WHAT DO I DO NOW????? Thanks my2boys

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have ordered "Give your dog a bone" to read. Rose I live in Tassie on a farm so getting the variety can be a little difficult and because of Tassie's laws with regard to feeding offal I can't do that. We have a pet shop which sells chicken mince and wallaby mince along with wallaby tails and bones. We also have an abundance of beef mince as we kill our own beef. I also buy chicken neck and frames from our local supermarket. Is there anything else you can suggest to try? my2boys

I have decided to put my Goldie on a Barf diet after months of skin issues. I have been doing a bit of research but boy there is so much conflicting information out there i.e yes to vegetables, no to vegetables, do supplement, dont supplement on and on. I guess what I need to know what is the ratio for meat and vegetables and do I have to supplement. How much to feed him e.g with the raw meat? I have him on 8 chicken necks in the morning and 2 cups of raw beef(home grown) or chicken at night with some Vets All Natural Complete Mix. Then he will get some marrow bones once or twice a week. When I run out of the VAN I would like to do it all myself. I really dont wont to muck this up as I have heard some very scary stories about stuffing up with Barf. Any help at this stage would be really appreciated. my2boys

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I will keep him on the coconut oil (Organic Virgin) for now but will keep researching into it. From what I have read coconut oil has had a bad rap for a few years and it seems to be now getting the thumbs up. Oh and the one I get is unrefined not hydrogenated. my2boys

I got the organic virgin coconut oil from the health food shop. My boy's skin has also improved. I was giving him fish oil caps but I couldnt find anywhere how much vit e to give him and I didnt want to over or under dose him. From what I have read yes coconut oil does have saturated fats in it but they are different from butter etc. Some research has stated that coconut oil can reduce cholesterol levels in humans. Maybe I need to read a little bit more about it

From my understanding of the little bit I have reseached coconut oil does not make the dogs fat if anything it has the opposite affect. I have also found this little bit of info: Virgin Coconut Oil is the richest natural source of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). Fed to pets it can have multiple benefits: Reduces or eliminates odour and bad breath in dogs Clears up skin conditions such as eczema, flea allergies, contact dermatitis, itchy skin, etc Makes coats become sleek and glossy Helps reduce weight, increases energy, improves digestion May help with arthritis or ligament problems Can also be applied topically to cuts, wounds, infected ears, bites and stings my2boys

Hi everyone Just wonering if anyone out there uses coconut oil in their dogs diet. I have tried a few oils but my fussy boy just doesnt like the taste of them so I then started giving him coconut oil and he just gulps it up. It seems to do the same job as fish oil with regard to skin and coat condition. my2boys

My young Golden Retriever also had problems with retained canine teeth and one of the lower ones pushed his lower adult tooth inwards. My vet surgically removed offending retained teeth and suggested we wait for a few months to see if the lower tooth would correct itself. He is now 9 months old and yes the problem tooth has moved into the correct position. But none of his other teeth were blocking the natural line of his lower canine so I'm not sure if the same thing will happen with your pup. my2boys

I too have just recently lost my boy to the dreaded bone cancer. It was one of the hardest things to see our beautiful companion go through. But at least now we know he is no longer in pain and is runing free with all his friends. The only pain now is the one in my heart. R.I.P Kiesha and our boy Max