puakenikeni

Thankyou guys for the info....

Heya Bonzzzzzzz Yeah - looks like you've hit a good one in Precise aye? Thats the crappy thing though with dry food on our market - we seem to lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to dry food. We dont have nearly as many choices as other people do [well in comparision to you guys in the states at least]. Im still trying to get my hands on a packet of Eagle Pack and Innova to try out. Every place i ring around here doesnt know what im talking about when i ask if they stock Eagle Pack and Innova. Hey - how about you aircargo me some of that Precise to try out? Just joking. Take it easy... heyaaaa to Andy.

Hi Kristen, Like everyone else has already advised - get your dogs off the Chum. As for what a better brand of dog food would be - you've been given some good advice already and i suppose your decision will come down to: 1 - How much you're prepared to spend on their kibble 2 - What you have available in your area [i know allll about this - im still trying to find a stockist for Innova around where i live... *grrr*] There are so many different brands out there and what it comes down to is each individual dog. Some dogs have allergies to corn and maize and most of the wheat products which form a great part of the kibble and some dogs have reactions to the meat and animal products contained in them as well . Much like barfing your dog - some dogs go great guns on it - others react violently to it. [Daunting isnt it? ] Some of the better brands [iMHO] would be - Royal Canin, Innova, Eagle Pack and if you like tinned food - Natures Gift. I suppose at the end of the day it depends on what you perceive your dogs do best on. Alot of the time people will swear by something like Pal and say "my dogs have always had it and they are great on it". My opinion is that if thats all they feed their dogs how would they know how their dog would be on something betterrr?? I would have to say the reason why there is such a difference in prices between something like [say] Royal Canin or Innova to Supercoat or Optimum is that Royal Canin and Innova [and alot of the more "pricey" brands] have dehydrated meat as the bulk of their food. The other ones contain mostly meals or maizes which obviously make for cheaper dog food. Corn or maize products arent as bad as what people may think. It still contains many of the amino acids found in meat products but the catch is is that these amino acids are required in larger quantities when you feed them something largely made up of these cereals. Hence why - in the long run [and despite the initial outlay] you will probably end up feeding your dog less of the better food than something average and bought off the shelf in the supermarket. As a rule - dont feed your dog anything with additives anddddd eyeball the label. When reading the ingredients on a bag note what the first ingredient is because thats what forms the bulk of the product. Its hard isn't it? Hope i havent confused you. Im sure you will make the right decision for you and your dogs.

Lia, I saw some Optimum at Woolies out where i live so im assuming that they're one of the stockists. You'd find it [i presume] at most supermarkets and pet supply places. Its pretty inexpensive too - costs around the same as the Supercoat [i saw a medium sized bag for around $10]. Cordelia: Thanks for that. I will bear the "bigger poos=Supercoat" in mind. I was going to buy Kiara a little bag of Supercoat but now i think i will see if she will take to Optimum coz its easier for me to get than Royan Canin. All of the vets around here stock Hills Science Diet and ive read some pretty poor reviews on their food so i ended up going halfway across town to find the right Royan Canin for her which ended up being around $25 for a 3 kilo bag. Will still check though on the exact ingredients in the Optimum and post it here for you all to have a look at.

I was at the vet today and thought i would do some eyeballing of their products. I noticed they are now stocking Royal Canin [which is what i feed Kiara "sometimes"]. Thing is i also got the impression that it was made by Waltham - same company that is pushing the new Optimum dog food because the packaging had a massive "Waltham" logo on it. Interesting since i was thinking of buying Kiara either the supercoat or the optimum when this lot of kibble runs out but i had a look at their label and they didnt tell me much. The label for her royal canin food is extensive and she seems to like it when i give it to her so im not sure now if i will switch her. I dont have an issue in feeding her Royal Canin for the rest of her life if thats whats "healthier" for her [kibble wise]. I will probably eventually barf her when she's older because at least then i know exactly what she's being fed and besides, i have an issue with dog food companies touting their products as containing all this "fibre" etc.. and you find out their definition of fibre are peanut shells. I guess my question is - does anyone here have a better idea of whats in optimum and supercoat coz their label doesnt say much at all.. Im thinking of emailing the optimum and supercoat people and asking them to send me a comprehensive list of whats in their kibble but thought i would ask here because im sure [and hoping] someone will know and be gracious enough to advise me..

jemappelle: Can you dig that recipe out when you get a chance? I wash Kiara's eyes on a regular basis. Someone told me to use Bicarb Soda with a little water? Apparently it gets rid of the stains? I dont even know how safe this is but i have been using it and Kiara isnt fussed about it at all.

Thankyou guys for the wellwishes. Kiara is coming along in leaps and bounds. *hah* And to think that last night i believed she was going to die... im such a worry wart/stress head when it comes to her. No more wheezing. Her aunts have been here taking care of her while mummy and daddy have been at work *thank GOD for little brothers and sisters & school holidays ehh* Her appetite seems to have returned to normal.. but im still feeding her softish food. My baby seems to be well on the road to recovery.. While she was sick i just kept thinking about all those people with very sick puppies/dogs. Hopefully everyones babies are all fighting fit and thanks again for all your concern. Saane & Kiara

Update on Kiara Hi everyone and thanks for your well wishes. Makes me feel heaps better. Ok... took the baby to the vet and he examined her. Told me everything was pretty normal [i even took a stool sample for them to analyse]. Vet told me the jelly like stuff in her poo was probably the last of the worming tablets doing its thing. Kiara was alert [she even managed to bark at the gorgeous Samoyed's that arrived at the vets the same time we did]... He took her temperature and it was ok.. He checked her throat etc.. said it didnt appear to have anything stuck in there per se... He told me that it appears she has a chest/respiratory infection which is irritating the walls of her throat. He gave me some pills - Clavulox and Aminophylline tablets to give her. Said to watch her for the next 24-48 hours and get back to them.... She has taken her tablets and drunk a little bit of water - hasnt eaten since this morning though - ive been trying to coax her with some softish food but she only licks it then loses interest. Her breathing is not as wheezy now [because she is napping] but i am going to keep an eye on her. I dont think i will be able to sleep tonight... Heres hoping the worst of it is over... it kills me looking at her little face. Its almost like shes saying "Mum.. Im sick". Poor baby. Thanks again you guys... you're all really great.

Hi everyone Thanks for your concern and well wishes.... Toohey: Thankfully my husband is at home with her. His "weekend" is Monday and Tuesday. hes been given strict orders to keep his eyeballs and all his attention on her until i get home. LB: Yeah im going in to see the Vet at 4pm this afternoon [in around 40 minutes] Will let you all know what the prognosis is... I hope its nothing serious... When i went home for lunch i cradled her in my arms and tears just streamed down my face. I looked up and my husband was blubbering away as well. *trying not to get too worried/upset or i'll start bawling and i havent even finished work yet* Thanks again... will keep you up to date with what the vet finds!! Ps - Sorry.. but do you think im being melodramatic? I started crying here at work [i couldnt contain it] and when people found out i was crying coz my puppy was sick they looked at me like "wtf?!?!". I felt like saying "screw you asssssshole." It pings me off when people say "its only a DOG for gods sake"..... [but thats another post... ]

I just come back to work after dropping home to visit my little baby and she is sick.. I have to take her to the vet at 4pm today but i started crying when i was on the phone to the surgery!! She is having trouble breathing.. and i felt around her neck and she has a lump at the front of her throat.. when i touched it she closed her eyes and i dont think it hurt when i pressed on it. She did a poo this morning after i left for work - it was normal but had a jelly like substance in it too. She is wheezing but last night she coughed... and she coughed again when i was home. Her eyes are watery too. I am so worried about her... she is my first pet/puppy. She is a 15 week old Pom. She has been drinking a little bit of water and immediately after drinking her breathing isnt as laboured but then it starts sounding really tight again... I dont know what it could be.. shes due for her 16 week shot next week.. I wormed her sunday and she was fine this morning [no hard breathing].. Im so worried......