jakeyjangels

Another once a year washer with shampoo. Weekly swim at the beach & then a good hose off with rain water completes our bathing routine :)

Following one of my breeders guidelines, I feed one clove of garlic to each of my boys, once a week as part of their raw diet without a problem. So far fleas are non existent.

Human company is more important to our 2 Labs than anything. They get about an hour a day structured exercise. Routine is also very important to them. We have a game of ball for about 10 minutes an hour after their dinner. They then settle for the rest of the night.

or frequent dog parks.

Thank you everyone for your replies. minyvlz I don't think the F&V & bone content of BARF patties is to high a proportion. Following my breeders recommendation, I purchased & read cover to cover two of Dr Billinghurst's books. I have used his 'methods' (patties/roll & homemade recipe with approx 30% F&V) for over 2 years & since both my Labradors were 8 weeks old. I have had outstanding results. They are both happy & very healthy. Some of the benefits I have seen are: beautiful healthy soft coats, less shedding, no doggy odour,clean teeth & ears & very few fleas are just few of the benefits I have seen. They have no health issues & have only had vet appointments for desexing & vaccinations. I have been very careful not to over-exercise. No long boring walks just play exercise & obedience training. I think my sisters vet is giving bad advice hence starting this topic. I can't believe that there is a better form of calcium for puppies than chewing (soft) bone. I do not believe in & have never used calcium powder.

Thank you for your replies & your link espinay. I will forward your link to my sister.

Thank you for your reply Bullbreedlover. Can I ask what brand of dry food you would recommend other than Advance & why don't you feed or recommend bones? Her puppy is a Miniature Australian Bulldog - expected weight on maturity 20kgs. A miniture Australian Bulldog.(Australasian Bandog is the name to use. Havent heard of minitures in the breed) Shudder to think how much they are worth. I feed Proplan Large breed puppy for my babies and Adult kibble when they are about 9 months. Although if the weight of this puppy is only going to be around 20 kilos then it is up to your sister to decide whether to swap foods or not. Our Bulldogs are never fed bones nor rawhide as I have heard of too many heart breaks from losing dogs which have choked and died on the fore mentioned items. Even my Bullmastiffs are never fed bones. Understand the breed isn't purebred and only mentioned the puppies breed to indicate size. That is the breed name the puppies are sold as. Hope I didn't insult you or your purebred breed. (Happy to pm you the breeders website my sister purchased from for you to have a look ). You are right to shudder re the price! Even though I have never had an issue with feeding bones with my 2 Labs, I understand your reasoning for not feeding them. I am just after a valid explanation regarding puppies unable to consume calcium from bones. Thanks

Agree re taking advice from vet! But have to disagree re BARF ! Thanks for your reply

There is no such breed, it is a cross bred. I don't feed calcium nor puppy food to growing babies. Could you please explain SwaY what you do feed to growing babies? And is calcium from bones the hardest/wrong form of calcium for puppies? Thanks

Thank you for your reply Bullbreedlover. Can I ask what brand of dry food you would recommend other than Advance & why don't you feed or recommend bones? Her puppy is a Miniature Australian Bulldog - expected weight on maturity 20kgs.

My sister has a 9 week old puppy- Bulldog breed. As I feed a totally RAW diet to my two, which I could explain the many benefits, she has gradually started puppy on a RAW diet. *BARF patties & chicken necks & wing tips Yesterday she took her puppy to the vet (for vaccination) & was told that calcium from bones is the hardest form of calcium for a puppy to absorb so therefore needed some dry puppy food in her diet (Advance) for the calcium source in her diet. * until 6 months old Would really appreciate comments on this advice as I thought feeding about 60% raw meaty bone in the diet was the perfect source of calcium for a puppy. Thank you * Edits

I feed RAW but never pork. As others have said, too fatty. And I never exercise for at least 1 hour after a meal. Also as previously posted I would keep it simple with one particular meat per meal with offal/fish added once only a week. Hope Missy is OK today.

My boys love apples so feed regularly without the seeds. Fantastic natural breath freshener too.

Both my dogs have always been fed BARF or big dog. I used to make my own but because I live close to where it is made, I am able to buy in bulk direct from them. If there has been a recipe change, we haven't noticed. Jangels & Louis love this food & thrive on it combined with other RMB's. I wouldn't feed anything else.

I wouldnt be putting it in the microwave with the bones in it I only microwave them on defrost setting, just enough so they're soft enough to break up, not so they're warm. And this is only if I forget to get one out the night before. :) I wouldn't microwave either. When I forget to take out of freezer, which happens, place them in a container & pour boiling water over. 20 mins & they are thawed.

I've been in a similar situation. As others have said, it's not worth the risk. If your gut feeling is aggressive behaviour, & your dog is uncomfortable like mine was, I would find alternative exercise or leave the park as soon as the problem dog arrived. I just can't be bothered with the stress of dealing with idiot owners anymore so we very rarely go to our local off leash park.

He is much better today Yes he looks happier in this photo which is great.

Poor baby. He looks very sad. Hope his recovery goes well. (He looks very similar in colour to my Jangels).

Kidney liver or heart ,usually lamb, added about once a week to the other raw. (To safeguard against bacteria I always freeze for at least 24 hrs after purchasing then thaw & serve).

How sad ..... Hope there is a happy outcome for Lizzie.

Exactly the same here. My boys don't get a doggy odour or fleas so I don't bath but they swim often.

Or me :laugh:

I feed both my two Labs on this & they do fantastic on it. I have found their staff (except the owners young son who lacks customer service skills & is there on Saturdays ) very helpful. I would raise your concerns with them.

Thank you so much for your replies everyone

Hi all, I have a neighbour who is looking for a 2 or 3 year old Lab after having his 13 year mate put to sleep a month or so ago. My neighbour IMO would make the perfect owner for a Lab as he has just retired, (fit & healthy) & has no other pets. He lives by himself in a low set home which he had a ramp installed for his old dog so as to avoid the 3 steps he had. He lives two houses from a lovely walking track where i saw him frequently whilst walking my 2 Labs. He is a keen gardener so doesn't want to go through the puppy stage. His new dog will be an inside dog that he will take with him when he does his odd handyman jobs in the neighbourhood & visits his kids. He would prefer a black or chocolate female Brisbane or surrounding area so as he can view before purchasing. He doesn't have internet so I will keep checking pounds for him as I can't seem to find a Brisbane based Lab rescue group. If anyone knows of a Lab that needs a perfect home please contact me here or PM is fine & I can put you in direct contact with him. Thank you from Jill. edited for spelling!