Sagittarian

All oily fish is of benefit. You don't need to use the whole tin at a time, in fact best not to until you know how he goes on it. Just a sardine or two, or the same amount of tuna, salmon, mackerel etc would be worth a try. Sags

If he's in pain, he will be off his food and not happy in himself. He may need a change of medication that suits him better as not all dogs respond to treatment the same way. Rather than more food, may I suggest you look for options that will deliver good levels of quality protein along with plenty of calories per bite. As has already been mentioned, eggs & fish are great and the addition of a probiotic (such as Paws Probiotic or similar) may help his gut feel better (when not on antibiotics). Avoid adding really fatty foods or carbs like bread or pasta as they will fill him rather than delivery quality nutrition. Something like Vets All Natural Health Booster or Paws Active Multi Vitamin may help as well, or a similar mix that includes a variety of trace minerals and vitamins. I personally would be pulling back on the volume of chicken frames and switching to a more readily digestible source of nutrition, until things settle down with him. Have a critical look at the dry food you are offering, and if it doesn't have a named meat meal (chicken meal, lamb meal, fish meal etc) as its main ingredient, then look for something that does. Unidentified meats and grains aren't helpful when you are trying to get a dog to eat as you can't gauge what is really in the food. We've been through a giant breed cruciate ligament crisis and after surgery and rehab we had a much happier doggie who had a long and pain free life. With the great selection of joint formulas now readily available, there are good options for after care as well. Sags :)

Sorry, you're not the only one! I have confused myself and now I don't actually know!! Just went and checked an email from my local supplier (agility club) and it's Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion grain free. I pay $85 for 12kg. What is the frequent buyer program? Any idea on what sort of savings? We get a discount through our agility club so just wondering if this discount is comparable! Thanks :D Hi again, From memory, Ocean Fusion contains barley and rye so is definately not grain free. Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch is grain free and is their other fish based product. The loyalty program is buy 8 get 1 free but I don't know if a club would be able to get the cards. Might be worth contacting the wholesaler to find out - when I'm at work I'll get their details and send you a pm. Don't want to keep side tracking the thread. :) Sags

Is Nutro grain free? I've got one of mine on BH and she is thriving on it (best coat in ages), the other gets yeasty ears so have switched her to Eagle Pack Holistic grain free. No idea if it's doing her ears any good or not (as we had the ears flushed not too long ago so right now they're ok), but wanted her to be on grain free just for that bit of extra help. EPH is expensive though and I'm looking for an alternative grain free that is slightly cheaper - it costs $85 for 12kg while BH costs $95 for 20kg! Nutro doesn't have any grain free formulas. Which Holistic Select variety are you using that is grain free? If you are looking for a food that is wheat, soy, corn and beet pulp free then there certainly are some great options out there, or if you want a food that has no grains or cereals at all, then you need a product that is actually packaged as grain free (Artemis Maximal, Canidae has 4 grain free, Earthborn Holistic has 2 grain free, Taste of the Wild, Evo, etc). Sags :) Thanks. She is on Earthborn Holistic Ocean Catch(?) grain free. Whatever the fishy one is It's expensive, but I'll stay on it for a while and see how her ears go. I prefer to have both dogs on the same food for ease, but the price of EH is so for so little that I'll keep my other girl on BH for now. Her coat is great on BH, have had a few compliments on it and ask what I feed. For some reason, people are surprised it's BH Sorry - got confused as you mentioned you were using Eagle Pack Holistic earlier - not Earthborn Holistic. Are you on their frequent buyer program to help out a bit with cost? Labradork - the new grain free HS is definately coming over from what Eagle Pack have told us recently. Sags

Is Nutro grain free? I've got one of mine on BH and she is thriving on it (best coat in ages), the other gets yeasty ears so have switched her to Eagle Pack Holistic grain free. No idea if it's doing her ears any good or not (as we had the ears flushed not too long ago so right now they're ok), but wanted her to be on grain free just for that bit of extra help. EPH is expensive though and I'm looking for an alternative grain free that is slightly cheaper - it costs $85 for 12kg while BH costs $95 for 20kg! Nutro doesn't have any grain free formulas. Which Holistic Select variety are you using that is grain free? If you are looking for a food that is wheat, soy, corn and beet pulp free then there certainly are some great options out there, or if you want a food that has no grains or cereals at all, then you need a product that is actually packaged as grain free (Artemis Maximal, Canidae has 4 grain free, Earthborn Holistic has 2 grain free, Taste of the Wild, Evo, etc). Sags :)

I am in Melbourne, not sure where you are located, but their head office (and presumably their factory) are located in Queensland. I would assume some transport costs may be the difference? I have no idea what the loyalty program is - care to share? We're in Melbourne too. Loyalty program: store provides an envelope for you to keep your receipts and tally up totals. Once you spend x amount you send it all off to Big Dog and they send you a voucher for $40 to use against future purchases. Our customers love these and redeem on a regular basis, depending of course on how much you use etc.

Wow, I'm a bit shocked at that price for Chicken or Combo. Ours are $19.95 and a couple of dollars more for Roo and Turkey. I hope you are at least on the Big Dog Barf loyalty program? Sags

We've had some excellent feedback from a cross section of customers using this product, including owners of puppies and adults with all sorts of reasons for using it. If in doubt, contact PAWS direct and ask to speak to one of their vets. We've found them to be very open and knowledgeable about other similar products, which may help you decide one way or another. Sags

We've always kept them for our regular breeder customers and I know they aren't that kind of price. Will pm you store details and you can phone to see what availability, price etc is. Sags

Gisborne Vet Clinic (03 5428 2805) has a small bucket of Hills L/D in stock at the moment. Give Kim a ring see if they can send it to you. If not, Gisborne is only a 40 minute drive up the Calder. Sags :)

I guess I'm used to grain free foods that actually name the protein source rather than the vague "meat meal or poultry meal" of these ingredients. I personally want to identify what's in a food, otherwise how do I know if I'm offering a protein that isn't suitable for a certain dog? Sags

Our deepest sympathy on the loss of your treasured Panda. Ian & Phillipa

A huge congratulations to Hero and Elizabeth on an incredible journey over the past few years. From the 4Paws team!

Big Dog also have a very good rewards programme so make sure your retailer gives you one of their envelopes and a receipt with each purchase. Sags :)

I don't know what the problem is. It's a Snooza... they do a free repair service..... If you can find the bits!

Are you feeding the Hills kibble? If you are then you can make 'biscuits'. Crush the kibble and then add some liquid (eggs if they are ok). Make into biscuit shapes and then cook in a fry pan. Great tip. I'm going to give it a go. That is a great tip. Will steal it for some of my customers if that's okay, Jules?

Being Australian won't mean a product contains no irradiated ingredients. You need to get assurances from any company to be perfectly sure. No cat food is irradiated coming to Australia - they are either approved for importation or not approved. Dog food that is irradiated (along with treats) will have the sticker advising that the food is not suitable for cats. It is easy to spot irradiated product now, so should actually provide a higher measure of confidence in what you are buying. Sags

So, out of curiosity, now that you know that Wanpy (for example) are irradiated on entry in the country (never used to be but recent deliveries have been), has that affected how you view the product? Sags

Cat/Kitten 600gm $5.95 Puppy 1kg $7.60 Adult 1.2kg $7.60 Joint Health 1.2kg $9.80 Weight Loss 1.2kg $9.80 Sensitive Skin 1.2kg $10.95 That's the pricing that VAN gave us, so it may vary between retailers. I am rather impressed with the range, particularly the Sensitive Skin and Joint Health (the latter contains shark cartilage and green lipped mussel). Will be really interesting to get feedback from those using it. Sags :)

I've just loaded the fridge with the rolls and have to say they look brilliant! Very exciting to have VAN in this format, that really does seem to suit a lot of people. Good range as well.

In the last couple of days, we've had three new foods shown to us by companies/reps. All three have been badged up as holistic. The ingredient lists read from basic to very complex. I've asked each why they call their food holistic. The answers vary as much as the ingredients list. So, my question to Dogzonline-dom is: in your opinion/experience, what makes a dry food holistic, as opposed to premium or super premium? Thanks in advance. Sags :)

Delete. Used it in the kennel area, on concrete paving and inside on slate when we had the dogs. Now use it in the stores on the concrete flooring as a regular cleaner and more concentrated to clean up little accidents from customers' pets. Goes a long way and does the job. Sags

Umm, and makes you want to lick your fingers when it is cabanossi or - guacamole :laugh: (sorry!!) Yet to find bait that really made me hungry enough... but there's always hope. :laugh:

May I add one as a judge? Putting bait into your dog's mouth just as I go to check the bite. Come on, really? My fingers are NOT bait!! So, don't expect your dog to know the difference, not to mention leaving me (and other judges) covered in excess slime and bits of bait. Back to regular viewing. Sags :D

Canidae Australia have posted information on their website that clearly states that Australian stock is not affected by this recall. http://www.canidae.com.au/news Sags :)