Red Fox

Thanks, I haven't seen them before (never looked ) but I'll have a look next time I go shopping

Hmmm... how about that VIP puppy roll? I think I'll try the chicken at our next class too.

He is totally food driven. If I could go to training with a raw chicken wing in my hand I'd be laughing I am working on finding something that he really loves, maybe some shredded boiled chicken pieces right now I use Nutrience kibble but it seems to be losing its effect. I feel that once he becomes used to being around the other dogs that he will start to settle down. I dont expect him to learn straight away though and we all know ridgies have a mind of their own Plus if I cant even get him walking up my corridor in the halti there's no way I will have him wearing it in class on Wednesday. And yes, I agree it's more about the training than the tool

Thanks Huski, I feel exactly the same way. I think that Kei picks up on how uncomfortable I am too which makes it even worse What really makes me cross is that I KNOW he can walk on a loose leash the majority of the time when he is not so excited to see so many other dogs It's like taking a kid into a toy store and telling him he cant play with anything!

I took my 20 week old Ridgeback puppy Kei to his first formal obedience lesson last week and found that although we seem to have little trouble walking on lead at home it is a much different story at training where there are other dogs. He became quite uncontrollable with his pulling and the trainer suggested switching to a martingale (he was wearing a flat collar at the time) for greater control. I was quite happy to do so but halfway through the lesson we he still wasn't co-opperating. The trainer then asked if I would try a halti (black dog infin8). I have never used one before however there were 2 other dogs in the class wearing them and neither seemed to have a problem with it so I agreed to give it a go. Kei spent the next 30 mins trying to pull it off his nose which I found quite stressful for both of us but did my best to persevere with it. The trainer has suggested that I calmly put it on for a few minutes a day and offer some treats to form a positive association with the halti before next weeks training session. What I have found is that Kei will allow me to put it on him and will accept the treats but will NOT walk in it. The minute I try and coax him forward he will start pawing at his nose and pulling backwards. While I dont expect him to accept the halti staight away I feel as if we are going backwards with it. The trainer is quite insistant that I continue with this and I understand her reasoning, however I am beginning to think that a halti is not for us. That said, I am having great results with the martingale during regular walks and training at home. Today wearing the martingale collar we practiced heel and sit comands by walking around the kitchen table (my table is quite large) and putting the most distracting thing I could think of (the cat ) on top of it. No pulling at all and he was very focussed on the task. I am now starting to wonder if we should drop the halti and use the martingale instead. We are both less stressed this way. Any advice?

This would always be my prefered option, however we live in a mosquito infested area so I feel that heartworm prevention is important for us. Intestinal worming is also a bit of an issue as although I'd like to only treat it if there is a problem we have a young son who could get very sick if he were to end up with roundworm or tapeworm so at this stage prevention is better. Fleas are not a big issue for us, fairly easy to treat and not many in our area. Ticks are a non issue so we will not be treating for them at all. However I do agree with you that natural is best if you can do it :p

I think stinky breath when puppies are teething is normal. My boy is 20 weeks old and has just started getting stinky breath over the last few weeks as his larger molars are coming through. We give him partly frozen to completely frozen bones daily (chicken wings/thighs/frames, lamb flaps/shanks) and they seem to help sooth his gums as well as keeping his teeth clean.

When I was looking for insurance policies I found the Bow Wow Meow site too. They are heaps cheaper than anywhere else (and even cheaper again if you pay the year out-right as opposed to monthly) Originally they were my first choice when comparing however there was no-where near as much info on their site as there was on others so I contacted them for a product disclosure statement. TWICE.. never got a response from them so ended up going with Pet Insurance Australia. A bit dearer but in my oppinion if it was that hard to get a PDS from them how hard would it be to make a claim? PIA have a higher cover too- $15000 as opposed to $6000 and the "Major Medical" plan is similar to Bow Wow Meow's $500 excess cover. It's about $15 per week I think. Also, if you're looking for pet insurance it is sometime cheaper if you can bundle it with your current health or home insurance. They often offer discounts in the same way that you get if you combine home and car insurance.

Can someone please explain to me the differences between Prey and Barf? Is it just the vegies and supplements that make Barf different or is there more to it? I am thinking that Barf would have a much higher bone content than prey too (sorry if I sound silly, but I'm still learning and trying to work out the best way to feed raw )

Our breeder gave us a copy of Ian Dunbar's book "After you get your puppy" There is a lot of info in there on bite inhabition, when and how to teach it. The main idea is to yelp and if that doesn't work you call the puppy a bully and leave the room. The puppy quickly works out that the game (and fun) ends as soon as they bite! You then leave the puppy alone to think about it for a minute or two, come out call the puppy and tell it to sit and lay down (to make up) and then resume the game. We did this and it seems to have worked as Kei was quite 'nippy' for a while. Bite inhabition is an ongoing thing though, you need to continue teaching it through-out the dogs life. I think the book may also be able to be downloaded online so you may want to google it. Good luck and hope this helps

The black Kongs are pretty indestructable especially if you get the really big king sized ones.

Hi Labsrule, out of curiosity what are the other symptoms of bloat? Is there always repeated attempted vomitting?

Yes, I could mix the supplements with mince instead. I've actually just ordered some minced chicken frames and minced chicken wings to mix in with his morning meals and incease the RMB content. That way there will be more meat/bone and much less grain. I also plan on making the BARF pattie recipe up as in the book and feeding those as easy meals. The reason that I have chosen to use the supplements I have over say an all in one mix is that I truely belive that the body, whether human or animal, can absorb much more nutients from natural sources and single natural supplements as opposed to synthetic types that are found in many of the tablets, mixes etc. (thats not to say that all the pet supplements I've come across are bad though! There are definetely some decent ones out there, just not much available in my area) All the supplements I use were recommended by my dogs breeder and I then did my bit of research to make sure I knew what each one is for. I'm not fanatical about it though. If we run out of one or I miss a day here and there no biggie

Just to update, I bought some Sentinal this morning and will give that a go next month when Kei is due for worming again. It comes with a bonus pack of Capstar and I also got some Rufus & Coco 'Bug Off' spray to use before and after going into flea prone areas, it's a natural spray so no harm to the cat Hopefully these should control any flea problems that may arise. If the Sentinel works we will stick with it because I like the extra flea contol aspect of it, however if it causes any problems or makes Kei sick we will then move to Interceptor instead. I ended up getting the products from Naturalpetstore.com.au it was a bit pricier than some of the other sites (up to $12 more for the Sentinel!) but I figured that the free Capstar would make up for it, plus they were the only place I could find that stocked Rufus & Coco. Unfortunately I got sucked in with all he pretty stuff and ended up spending an extra $80 on grooming gear so all the savings just went out the window

Thanks, I haven't read that in the books yet, I'm only half way through 'The BARF diet' and haven't started 'Give your Dog A Bone' yet. I will probably cut the oats out or only feed occasionally once we get down to 2 meals a day. To be honest though, we haven't had any probs with the oats either. Kei actually had dandruff before I started feeding them to him and it went away once I cut down on the dry

Thank you. It does sound very complicated when it's written down doesn't it? but it's not really, only takes me about 3 mins to prepare. I tend to give Kei all his supplements in the morning as they mix really well with the oats. I just have all the jars on the bench next to the coffee and the sugar with the amounts I need written on top so I dont have to think I also use some of them in our foods too so it's easy to keep them there. I really do worry about getting it right, I know it's not rocket science and all but everyone seems to have a different take on raw feeding and if I did something to hurt my little boy or affect his growth I'd never forgive myself We already have a 6 year old cat with severe arthritis and I wish I had known more about diet when he was a kitten, it may have saved him a lot of pain

Yes, I have been thinking about this... I also saw a natural flea repellent spray (I think it was Rufus & Coco) that I was thinking might be good to use before we go into areas where Kei could pick up fleas. It also repels flies and mozzies too. Just put on the last dose of Advocate tonight and it STINKS Poor Kei, it's giving me a headache. We haven't had any problems with it, but I dont think I'll be buying it anymore.

Thanks WildatHeart and Dackel

I am currently feeding my 4 and a half month old puppy a mix of fresh and raw (BARF) and planning on changing to a full BARF diet once I have a better understanding of it all. Right now I feed 3 meals a day, breakfast is 1/2 a cup of oats soaked overnight combined with a tsp of frech minced garlic, 1/2 tsp wheat germ, 1/2 tsp brewers yeast, 1/2 tsp kelp powder, 1 tsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp flax seed oil, 1 TBsp natural yogurt. I then add in either some fresh chicken/turkey/or beef mince, or a small can of sardines once or twice per week. Some days I also add an egg or some mashed fruit to the mix and he often has a chicken neck or 3 after this meal. Lunch is always RMB, either chicken wings, lamb flaps/shanks/off-cuts etc. And dinner is 1/2 cup of fresh mince meat mixed with 1 TBsp natural yogurt, some minced veg and the contents of 1 fish oil capsule mixed up with 1 and 1/2 cups of dry food (Nutrience) I also add in some offal every 2nd or 3rd day. This varies and sometimes I swap one thing for another but it's a pretty standard guide of what I feed. I also tend to give one or two stuffed kongs per day to keep him busy (lastest favourite filling is 1/2 a cup of dry mixed with yogurt, topped off with a bit of cheese spread in each Kong and frozen) Anyway, to help me in my quest for the right foods to feed I have purchased 2 Ian Billinghurst books, The BARF diet and Give Your Dog a bone. Great reading, but I've noticed that Dr Billinghurst is against feeding all types of grain Does that mean that what I'm feeding is bad?? Kei is in great health, growing well and of healthy weight range with a nice shiny coat. We have had the occasional upset tummy (2 in 3 months to be exact) which normally gets better within a day at the most. I have been feeding him the oat meal (which he LOVES) more or less since he was about 12 weeks and ran it past both his breeder and my vet who both said it was fine.... now I'm worried that its not I'm also confused because as far as I know VAN also contains grain and lots of people seem to feed that too? I use organic traditional rolled oats, not the quick/microwave type. I dont feed any other grain besides whats in the dry food already, and rice with chicken if he gets a tummy upset. What do you think? Any advice appreciated

Whats the best option for heart worm/intestinal worm prevention if you are trying to go the most 'natural way' I am currently using Advocate plus a tapeworm tablet from the vet once per month. Haven't had any problems as such (cant stand the smell though ) But after reading the long term effects that 'over-treating' can have it's got me a little worried... We are not in an area that is prone to Ticks and have not had a problem with fleas in our neighbourhood (we haven't had to flea treat our cat in the last 5 years and he is checked regularly) However our dog regularly visits the river and attends obedience school so I'm thinking that he will need some flea protection I am not sure of the risks of lice/mites etc. in our area. I've also noticed that a lot of the sites that sell natural and organic dog products sell Sentinal but not Advocate Would a change to Sentinel (with Frontline put aside for an emergency flea treatment if the need arises) be a better option?? Any advice appreciated, we have a month until Kei's next treatment is due

Rish- When you buy a puppy from a registered breeder you are not paying $1000 for a 'puppy' You are paying for a companion who has been fed, vaccinated, wormed and cared for, vet checked and given a clean bill of health. You are also paying for a puppy who's parents have been screened for genetic disease and have been carefully bred to produce the healthiest of pups. You are paying not for the kennels 'name' or reputation but for life-long support from a breeder who wants the best possible homes for each and every puppy they breed. All these things cost a great amount of time and money. Getting a pup from a back-yard breeder or puppy farm who breeds with no regards for their dogs welfare is not a 'bargain', pure bred or not. You may have saved a few hundred dollars now but it could cost thousands in vet bills later down the track. Buying from these people only encourages them to breed more... I am not saying that you dont love your dogs, you obviously care about them and want to share their story with the world, but please dont buy from people like this EVER again. Look after your dogs, be kind to them, and dont let then suffer like their parents. Hopefully they will be lucky and not suffer from any major health probs. You mentioned that 2 have skin conditions... have they been checked for fleas, mites, lice etc? There is a good chance that they may have something like this if they have come from a BYB. Try bathing them in a soothing sensitive skin shampoo and conditioner from your vets and get them checked out if you haven't already. Hope this gives you an understanding of why some people may react the way they did to your post... Please have a look at the link below, you may be shocked http://www.wheredopuppiescomefrom.com.au/

Thanks stormy, no blood but still had me worried since the only other time we have had mucous was after an anaesthetic. Did the chicken and rice thing.. with-holding food was the next step, but thankfully as you would have seen in the above post the problem seems to have 'passed' for now

OK, well yesterday I cooked up some boiled chicken and rice mixed with some natural yogurt and fed for both lunch and dinner (brekkie this morning was soaked oats with yogurt) and today we have SOLID POOP :p Hopefully I haven't spoken to soon but I'm just so happy not to have to scape that sloppy mess up of the lawn

I mix up 1/2 a cup of beef mince and about 2 tablespoons of minced veg with 1 1/2 cups dry and a bit of plain yogurt most nights for Kei's dinner, some nights I add a bit of offal or chicken mince aswell. This is the only kibble meal I give him besides what's in his Kongs and I've not had any problems. I have heard that the dry and fresh digest at different rates too which is probably true, but I'm not sure that different digestion rates would cause an upset tummy or anything else - I think that the body just regulates itself. My breeder and some others that I have spoken to re diet have all had no problems with mixing the dry and fresh together or alternatively alternating the two. Why dont you try both and see which one suits your dog best

Thanks, I really dont think it's anything too serious either. I do pick through his poop when it is a bit odd looking (with the popper scooper, not my fingers ) The mucous was kind of covering the stool like egg white and I could slide it around *eww!* Nothing else unusual in it. I do worry though as I am feeding raw 60% / dry 40% (sometimes more raw depending on the day) and there is always some nut on the internet who is saying that raw bones cause bowel probs. (I don't buy it but they make me paranoid!! )