Sagittarian

We are so sorry to hear this... Julie, the pain never really goes, it just gets easier to bear. Lloyd had a super life and that is the part you'll come to remember in time. Phillipa

If nobody has already done so... let me welcome you to dogzonline. Mostly, you will find that there is a wealth of genuine information - or at the very least - genuine care. For you to have received negative PMs is unacceptable, and those responsible should be ashamed. We all start somewhere! When - many years ago (in the dark ages lol) - I started in my breed of choice, there was little information available about nutrition. These days, there is almost too much information. Choices are everywhere, and people sometimes get quite emotional over a brand of petfood. Whether people prefer to feed BARF, or Pal, or Eukanuba, or Eagle or whatever is for them to decide. Personally, over the years I have fed Supercoat, Pedigree Puppy, Advance Senior (which got our recently deceased Saint to his grand age of a health 12 plus years), Nutrience, Hills, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Nutro, Eagle Pack, Pro Plan, and probably a few more. Every dog is different. If someone runs down a brand, it is important to ask why. As someone said somewhere, no petfood is perfect. That is why we have choice, the ability to add supplements, veges, fruits, meat, bones or whatever we personally feel is beneficial. To those who are so judgemental I ask you - a) have you visited a number of petfood factories to the point of truly understanding the processes involved, and b) do you really understand the impact you have in what you say. A lot of newbies come here asking genuine questions, only to fall into the middle of a brand versus brand heatwave. Now. Back to the truly interesting subject of what goes into petfood. But with some objectivity. :D

How's it all going now? Hopefully a bit more sleep all around!

Nutro Chicken or Lamb Meal is dehydrated meat. That is - the wet content removed prior to weighing. Same as quite a few other premium foods. Nothing nasty!

Gomez... if there is anything in Nutro Choice that you don't recognize, feel free to pm me and I'll find out for you, or else email the company. Some ingredients - both in petfood and human food, can sound very strange unless you know what it is. As for a "lot of their formulations having corn" in Nutro - some products have corn gluten. Some Eagle Pack formulas contain corn, as do many, many premium petfoods - and often it is ground yellow corn. hollythegoldenretriever - we all have opinions on food, as we do about all aspects of raising dogs. What is right for your dog is what is best. Sags

There is plenty of information available about the individual products recalled in the US. Nutro does have some wet food recalled - none of which is available in Australia. As do many other companies who have premium dry food in Australia, and a wider range availabe in the US. We continue to feed Nutro - currently Large Breed Senior. Sags

Ashka... no the canned food and pouches are not available in Australia. I would suggest that timing is coincidental, as acquisitions of this size are not made in a matter of weeks.

Give me time.... working on it!

Glad to hear the computer problems are heading the right way! Nothing worse. Sorry that you're not well though, if you were a doggie I could suggest some nice natural remedies but people aren't as easy for me to help heal lol.

I've been told by the Victorian BARF distributor that the new Perth distributor is Nicole Gallagher; email [email protected]. Hope that helps.

Timber for longevity - watch for treated pine, better to use a non toxic stain/paint on normal pine or similar. For chewers simply buy some strips of metal about 5cm wide and attach them around the opening. Much nastier to chew . No reason to pay more than about $230 for a decent sized timber kennel with a metal roof though. Plastic for easy care, moveability and cleaning. Look for a heavy top for good insulation properties. Can be sprayed with a bitter tasting substance to help avoid chewing if your dog responds to it. There are top quality large plastic kennels around for $150. Crate is great for indoor and limited outdoor use. Even with a decent cover, I wouldn't leave mine in a crate outdoors. That's just me though. Houndhouses are ace - but not for chewers! Even with bitter bite or similar they can be eaten! But for those who don't, wow they are good. My two girls try to fit into one extra large HH - imagine 2 adult St Bernards doing that.

LOL @ me... I thought I was the only one with computer gremlins and Australia Post issues. I once sent something to the right address number, suburb and name, but mistakenly changed the first letter of the street name - it all eventually made its way back to me. Thanks to a very understanding recipient, we started all over and worked it out. What would worry me is if I'd paid for a product that didn't arrive... my personal experience with advertisers on DOL has always been positive.

We looked at stocking the Australian Natural Balance but could not get definate answers about proportion of meat used, consistency of ingredients and a few others. The US Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula is not the same product involved in the current issues, according to our information. (unless something has changed in the last couple of hours).

Almost without exception, our customers with pancreatic dogs report having fed marrow bones as a regular part of the diet. Possibly removing most of the marrow first might reduce the risk, but for our own dogs, I won't chance it. JMO

Kitkat... there are several wholesalers/distributors that carry the pharmacy lines and sell into retail stores. It simply is a case of having an account with them and then negotiating the best price. If you are lucky enough to buy from an onselling vet, it can be a lot cheaper than through the distributors. That's my experience only of course.

That Drontal price shocked me! There are some wonderful generic alternatives, and "name" alternatives too for that matter. A ten kg tablet for $2.00 is more appropriate - five kg 75c - two kg 50c. Bayer and the rest of them happily sell wherever they can. Money is money is money. What they sell it for to the various distributors, and what those distributors onsell for, is where the huge differences in price come in. Sags

zayda_ahser - good points. It makes it incredibly difficult for dogs with allergies (or for that matter humans) when ingredients and amounts are not clearly listed, or are hidden in "label talk". Just look at the hoohaa over a certain brand of fruit drink at present. I'd love to get rid of the generic "animal fat" and "animal digest" on some labels and have a bit more information. We see a lot of dogs with allergies - sometimes the owners are at the end of their tether - and often they don't understand the ingredient list so are making their dog worse unintentionally. Having followed your journey for some time, I have to say how much I enjoy reading your posts and your willingness to share your knowledge and experience. Sags

Nothing that a slosh of alcohol (over the wound then into the mouth) won't quickly fix!

Um... hello! What's wrong with rolling around naked in the grass????? :rolleyes: Like there's any grass here!

We've been overwhelmed by emails and calls and the loving thoughts here. Thank you so much for understanding our loss and helping remember this wonderful dog. The other Saints miss him as much as we do, but each day gets a little easier. Thanks again. Sags

Do you know if your dog is beef sensitive? That particular product is coated with beef tallow, so might be worth reviewing diet. Agree with Tash regarding sardines etc - nice oily fish can make a big difference even if diet is excellent - some dogs just need that bit extra to see results. Sags

In the early hours of this morning, our beautiful Mitch left us for greener pastures. I believe his beloved daughter Christie was waiting for him. Mitchell was aged 12 years, 2 months, and 6 days. He lived with us for just over 10 of the those years, coming to us as a young adult. His breeder - Phillip Paton (along with co-breeders Maureen Potter and Julie Ingham) most generously gave Mitchell to us not long after we lost Man of Colours at a young age. Mitch sired 8 litters, and has many grandkids and greatgrandkids. He was a big ladies man and still checked out his daughter and grandaughter on a daily basis - just in case. We've been talking about some of the moments that are forever etched in our memories. The first sight of him off the plane from NZ. I fell in love with him straight away. The times he would carefully stalk magpies, only to just miss out on catching one. The way he would sit on the front deck and watch the kids play, then check along the front fence should a car stop. He even once took himself off to the local pub to say hello. It's going to be a long time before we adjust to not having Mitch. Langley - who is his grandson and has been his best friend - is bewildered. He is very clingy at present and we will spend a lot of time helping him through this. Thank you to those who have recently offered support and encouragement when I've talked about Mitchell's aging issues. Thank you to Phillip for the precious gift of this lovely boy. And thank you Mitchell for being our constant companion for the last decade. We love you. Sags

Hugs We face the imminent loss of our old man at this time so feel the pain Margaret is going through. Sags

Just got off the phone to our co-owners and long time custodians of lovely Louis - Ch Portway Love Game - who has died today following a short illness. Kelly and Christine took Louis into their hearts and lives just under seven years ago. He helped fill the large hole left when they lost their previous Saint. Kelly had a lot of fun showing Louis around Port Maquarie. He was a regular Best of Breed winner and won quite a few class in groups. We met up with Louis last at a NSW Saint Show a few years ago and were so proud of how well this boy had grown up. Thank you Kelly and Christine for giving our boy a most beautiful home and life. I know you will miss him terribly, at home, at the beach, at your sides. ;) ;) Sags

Hate to disagree Hesapandabear, but a friend of ours Staffie had serious grass/seasonal allergies and tried Nutro Lamb and Rice with great results. No more itching, spots or distress. I've used EP "fishy" food in the past with Little Evie, when she had a big reaction to surgery and that worked a treat. Building up an immune system with ingredients that don't aggravate a problem can be a key to resolving allergy problems, whether tummy or skin.