pixie_meg

I have been feeding my 5 month old borzoi a premium kibble (large breed puppy artemis). I've been curious about atleast partly feeding Barf. I'm wary about feeding purely Barf as he is a large breed and i don't want to stuff up his growth. Its probably silly to think this but its a lot easier to trust a kibble designed for that purpose. The other reason i'm not keen to go completely BARF is because we simply don't have the storage for it. We have a very small freezer and handling a lot of raw meat is strange for us being a vego family.

I've found this product:

http://www.vippetfoods.com.au/dogfood/fros...Vegetables/1kg/

Ingredients: Lamb, lamb heart and liver, chicken, fine ground chicken bones, carrots, apples, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, milled flaxseeds, whole eggs, kelp meal, garlic, celery, salmon oil and mixed tocopherols.

I have bought one bag and it is substantially cheaper than the kibble i feed so thought i would feed it a few times a week.

Has anyone used this product? Anything you can see would be wrong with it? And what do you think of feeding 50/50 kibble/barf?

Thanks.

do they really mean xylitol and not aspartame or one of the artificial sweeteners. Xylitol is a non artificial sugar substitute but i've never seen it added to confectionary. like sugarless gum. too expensive for companies to do that i'd say.

edit to add: i just checked out snopes and seems xylitol is toxic at just 3grams ingested. thats crazy.

I read that Eagl pack holistic large/giant breed puppy has been specifically tested on Great Dane pups with great results. We used it for awhile on my borzoi pup with success though my boy ate a lot of it and now we have switched to Artemis. I'm going to give eagle pack another go as i still have an unopened bag here and the protein levels are supposed to be better, though artemis seems to have less fillers. i think i've confused myself.

they seriously need a redirect too. I couldn't find the new site on google and the old site is still active.

what's the address for the new site? cant find it through google.

deelee if you're unsure, I'd take her to the vet to be weighed and get their opinion.

That can depend on the Vet as well. I have seen some dogs that I would describe as fat verging obese, yet informed by the owners the Vet has told them the dog looks fine, weight wise. If the Vets go by scale and then by the average only, or if the Vet is going by what they are used to seeing, this can give misleading information to the dog owner.

absolutely agree. I was told my one vet that my boy was underweight but then went to a sighthound specialist vet who said he was in perfect condition. The first vet was a nob for more than one reason though.

geez people really are giving this person a really hard time.

back on topic, my boy ( a borzoi) fits the criteria though i'm not entirely sure he is typical of the breed. He's affectionate, big(though will weigh less than most giant breeds), fast, couch potato, has fun with other dogs and loves all people. He acts so mature people don't think he's a pup yet we can rough house him at home which he loves. Unfortunately we will have to watch his prey drive around little dogs but he's not aggressive to them. Doesn't require much exercise for his size. He did require some strict training because he was a dominant boy but thats all under control now.

From what i've heard English setters might be a fit too.

We went to a puppy school that would not allow check chains. They also used only positive reinforcement which just wasn't enough for my boy. We did seek out other trainers. We use a martingale which is effective for us. I've also been told by strangers that i'm being cruel for using collar corrections. I think a mixture of methods is a good concept. I don't think one method is better over another, just what ever works for the dog in question so i think its good to educate about many methods. Personally i find the most effective method for my boy to be some corrections, positive reinforcement and pack leadership.

my boy loved grass when he was a little pup but 2 months later he leaves it alone. I don't think there's any harm in it.

i saw this the other day too and was a little surprised.

The one under is labelled a maltese so the 'i am pure bred' tag is meant to be there and i'd say its meant to be there for the other one too.

I understand there is a registry for labradoodles but to me that dog doesn't look like what i've seen as the purebred labradoodles that are registered. A lil OT but does anyone have a pic of what the labradoodle register are trying to achieve, type wise? I'm curious.

Well, i'm glad to say that more people are recognising him as a Borzoi now, though today at the dog park a couple with a little poodle thought my 'greyhound' was going to eat their dog.

i think you've got the wrong section. Hope you find a place.

Apollo

Armand

Benny

Brock

Brockie

Brody

Charlie

Cooper

Cowan

Dash

Gandor

Hudson

Jack

Juggie

Kasper

Lestat

MacKenzie

Milosh

Mistral

Oberon

Payton

Raffy

Reeve

Rupert

Shadow

Sterling

Tazz

Zephyr

i do like eagle pack but am having the same problem as others in that Oberon seems starving on it. he has atleast one extra cup than the feeding guide says to feed and he would eat more again if i let him. We're going to try Artemis to see whether we can feed less and have in more satisfied.

I really enjoyed tonights episode. Very relevant to Oberons issues. with the Dane and the DDB.

my mum used to feed her mini schnauzer grapes very regularly. she didn't know any better and the dog didn't seem affected. I wouldn't worry.

I wish i knew how smart and manipulative an 11 week old pup could be. Love him but how quickly he figured out how to be dominant. Got it all figured out now.

I wish i'd gone with my gut and not got the c5 vax at 12 weeks. too much for his immune system.

I wish i knew how varied different trainers methods were.

Oh and take recommendations with a grain of salt. I was recommended a vet in town who ended up grossly over diagnosing my pup with elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia. 2 vets later and both agree it was a simple hygroma. Was also recommended a trainer whose methods were not helpful at all.

Its not like they were accusing you of something or saying something nasty, I would just be happy that someone is taking the time out to appreciate the dog on the street.

Not everyone is as informed about certain dog breeds as some on this forum- and for someone trying to make a conversation with you because they find your dog striking, I am surprised it bothered you so much.

Oh, i'm not insulted and i don't think they're being nasty its just that when you've heard that guess so many times it just gets a lil old. I enjoy the conversations, its the people who make themselves out to be experts and look at you like you're lying about your dogs breed that bother me.

Pixie Meg. that is one beautiful Borzoi. I met some at Maryborough show recently and one little girl looked a LOT like your boy, she was around the same age too, I wonder if they are litter mates? The couple were lovely and I think had about 4 dogs of different ages. The little girl was absolutely the sweetest thing EVER. Another one I met there, a male, had an Affenpinscher!!!!!!!! as a baby brother Inky he was called. The two of them together and the Borzoi was amazing, so gentle.

The girls from the litter were stunning so it may have been one of them. they just had the sweetest girly faces if that makes sense.

Seriously, I thought I knew my breeds and I would have said the chappie at the back was a young Afghan, not a borzoi at all... so it's not just the general public who get it wrong!

Don't feel too bad RuralPug... he is actually a Borzoi x Afghan

I'm glad you clarified, i was going to say he looked more like an afghan.

Thought i'd throw in some drive pics of Oberon. Te first is him on one of his scent obsessed sessions. Its very hard to distract him when he's like this.

next is him looking at the chickens.

and finally. I was wiggling my foot to get his attention for a photo. he gave the 'caught lip' look. he wanted to kill my foot, but really only for a second.

I don't mind except when they argue with you - I even had a vet nurse insist that 'Borzoi' was a made up name . She was quite happy that labradoodle was a 'proper' breed though

oh dear

Story of my life!

Conversations usually go like this ....

Person 1 whispering to person 2 with great authority - "that's a Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute/Border Collie" (take your pick)

Person 2 to me - "what breed is that?"

Me - "s/he's a Finnish Lapphund."

Person 2 - "a what?!?"

Me (a little slower) - "a Finnish Lapphund."

Person 2 - "oh."

Person 2 whispering to person 1 - "what did she say?"

Person 1 - "what breed did you say again?"

Me - "a Finnish Lapphund"

Person 1 - "is that like a Husky."

Me - "no, they are a spitz breed, but no they're a different breed to the Siberian Husky"

Person 1 - "is it crossed with a Husky."

Me - "no, it is a Finnish Lapphund, that's the breed."

Person 2 - "what country is that from?"

Me (with eyebrows raised ever so slightly) - "from Finland"

Person 2 - "oh ... oh yeah"

They turn away. Whisper whisper. Then turn back.

Person 1 - "how did you say that breed name again?"

of course, generally I am a bit more helpful and keen with information, but when you've been through the same conversation repeated times in the same day .....

sounds just like the conversations i've had. just substitute collie and whippet and greyhound in there.

Before I came on DOL there are so many breeds I had never heard of.

Because I was interested in learing about different breeds I was that person that asked people what their dog was.

Im sure I was way off many times but never meant to offend anyone.

Use it as an opportunity to talk about your beloved breed and dont take it to heart

i don't mind people asking what he is at all. if i was in their situation i'd just say what a lovely dog. What breed is he? Rather than stating questionably that he's a whippet.

Mita, thats the thing, if i'm not fairly certain i wouldn't just guess. so much easier to just ask the question.

I think we need to be a bit more tolerant. There are a lot of breeds out there and enless combinations thereof.

don't worry i don't get mad at them, i just internalise it.