MiniMum

I may be a one off thing, this is a bad allergy season. I don't know where you live, but in Brisbane at least this summer's allergy season is still really bad. Our fur kid, my oldest skin kid and myself are still suffering from allergies. Took our fur kid to the derm yesterday and he said this summer has been bad.

Hi, so sorry your Duke is having such problems with his ear. our guy came to us when he was 7MO with infected ears/perforated ear drum. Our vet tried so hard to help him, but we ended up having to go to a dermatologist and having a full barrage of tests. It turns out that our TD is atopic and the ear infection was a complication of his allergies. So now I avoid giving him anything that starts up his itchies. I can't recommend any kibble as all the kibbles I have tried set off TD's allergies (even premium ones which are for sensitive skin), and I am suspicious of chicken too. He does well on BARF, with his main protien coming from kangaroo and turkey necks, with some lamb necks and sardines. Finding out what suited him has taken months of trial and error. The dermatologist gave him two (different) lots of antibiotics and ear drops (one of them was panalog) and now, although the eardrum isn't healed up properly (it never will ) there is no more infection. Now he just has weekly ear flushes and drops for the next two months. I would certainly be wary of using anything in Duke's ear unless its cleared by the vet if you suspect perforation. Good luck with it Bec

OMG Crysti_Lei, Biker Mice from Mars! When my son first started talking in sentences that was one of the first things he said . Will have to show him the clip tomorrow I can see why you're having problems finding the right balance with the diet. Maybe if you explain to OH how much money a new freezer can save in the long run? It worked with my OH I know I only have one dog, and he weighs 10kg, but it only costs me $1 - $1.50/day to feed BARF.

Crysti_Lei, off topic I know, but what is in your avatar? It goes too fast for me to see. Would it be possible for you to do up the vege/slops mix and freeze that and just mix with mince as you go? ETA

I remember them too but its been so long I forgot what was on them :D Hey, my dog's name is Bruno. Great minds think alike... Here he is. As you can see he's brown. Bruno is totally appropriate. :p How cute it he?

I'm so sorry Shaw RIP Sandy

I have been thinking about this and I was wondering if some people feel a bone is more brittle being frozen - more likely to snap? But as freezing doesn't change the structure of the bone, making it brittle like cooking it does, I still can't see that being a problem

I dont give my dog sultanas or raisins either. That said, he has snatched up a couple that have been spilt but it didn't seem to affect him.

I haven't heard that one .... I give them to her frozen because; a. It slows down her eating b. in this hot weather it keeps them fresher c. I always did that when she was getting her new teeth as a pup (also gave her chicken necks to slow her eating down .. until she swallowed one whole!! NO MORE CHICKEN NECKS!! SCARED THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME WITH HER CHOKING ON IT!! See what other DOLers have to say about the frozen idea ... I will be interested int he comments myself. I have a friend who feed frozen chicken frames to her dobe - she has had no problems. Don't do it myself, cos my sook doesn't like cold food

Me too - There is one particular pet shop I go to to buy crickets for my Bearded Dragons and everytime Im there I find myself listening in to some comments from the staff and rolling my eyes. Once I heard one of the staff telling a lady all about the frilled neck lizard they had for sale and heard her mention to the customer that they come from 'somewhere in Asia'. I have had to go as far as pulling a customer aside to give them correct information, especially when it comes to reptiles - a small bit of wrong info really can equal death Thats awful - Glad you were there to set things straight.

Our dog's dermatologist said that chicken can be an allergen in dogs. But if she was having chicken in another form (necks etc) its not likely to be that. The only other diet thing I can think of is possible preservatives which can be in mince. You know, I've never thought to try Curash on our guy :rolleyes:

There are other plants besides wandering jew that can cause a problem. These are, apparantly, the main offenders with dog allergies: http://www.dermcare.com.au/pdf/Wandering_Jew.pdf Have you had any changes in her diet? No new worming/flea meds?

Coat is now 'coped with' by the purchase of a coat .. got it this evening. I know everyone is going to laugh at training BUT they don't have to spend 3 hours or so washing and then picking out bits of leaf matter and twigs out of her coat!! At the moment Noodle is 'drip drying' in her pen after baths .. great weather for bathing a Puli. Noodle's cords are not mature (she is only 14 onths old) so still has some frizzy bits which are like velcro to any plant matter or bark chips! And p;eople think poodles have difficult coats

I would say absolute baloney. But I really do have problems with advise from pet shops. I was told a week ago by someone in a petshop that dogs shouldn't eat meat . It sounds like the chicken frames have been working for your Noodle, who by the way, is gorgeous. How do you cope with that coat?

Hi, looking in here last night, but couldn't think of anything helpful, sorry. I have an atopic does, but he doesnt come out in sores like those you described. How did you go at the vets today?

So sorry for your loss Eric. It sounds like Layla had a long and well loved life. Run free Layla

Hi, I have had a sunbeam dehydrator for about five years now. It works well for both cooked and raw meat. I have only dried chicken for our dog so far. I didn't add anything to it (allergy issues), but the drying process concentrates the flavour so they went down really well. With my dryer it took about 2 - 3 hours, but it would depend on how thick/thin you slice up the meat. I think I sliced it about 4 to 5 mm thick. I only had it for about six weeks (it got eaten all up ) without it looking like it was going off, but it was a very humid summer here so I kept it in the fridge. Cheers Bec

Good question Becks I really do think that, like humans, what suits one individual won't necessarily suits another. We are still searching for the right combination ourselves as we have an atopic dog. I'm open to suggestions but as our guy is seeing a vet derm and it looks like he will be having desensitisation treatment, it could be a while before we find the final diet. I'm pretty sure kangaroo and turkey are okay, perhaps also lamb, which he loves. He has some kibble, but the only one he will eat that doesn't send him into a scratching frenzy is Natures Goodness. Tried several premium brands, and he won't eat them. Koolietas, if the desensitisation doesn't work, I may look at removing the extras to see how it goes. She does look good tashnchief. We live on the south side of Brisbane. With the meat I buy in bulk, especially when on special, as we have a big freezer. I buy turkey necks from woolies and look out for cheaper cuts on special or reduced. I also buy in bulk from my butcher - eg a side of lamb which I will keep all the nice chops and the roast for us and chop up the rest for our fur kid. Kangaroo mince (which I use to make the patties) at Woolies is too expensive, so I buy that from petwise - I haven't noticed any negative reactions from it.

I have heard that you can give them ice cubes - something to chew thats also a drink?

Didn't know they made canine ritalin - I certainly wouldn't be doing what that vet suggested

We use a filter, its much quicker than letting it dissipate. Both work though.

Agree with this completely. Unfortunately my OH tries to get our guy to "eat" all his tablets. I stopped him doing it when I found his antibiotic on the floor the next day.

I'm so sorry Yellowgirl. How awful for you. I'm glad that you have your new little girl to help. Run free little Chester

This sounds like a great idea - fish popsicles

I've started to think this is the way to go too.