bommy

When we had Molly go under GA to have some lumps removed the vet gave us a choice of two anesthetics, one was cheaper but harsher on their systems, we went the more expensive & didnt have any problems. Sorry cant offer any other info. Jacqui

I would go the vet, it is always the safest option, even though it may be nothing it may be something that needs treatment. Better you get it checked out & then you wont be worried.

HI larns, That is fantastic! GOODCHOICE!

Gillybob, I had the opposite response from my vet, he now feeds his own animals BARF! Midniara, I showed my vet those pages this morning (we had a early visit with Molly) they said to decide what I wanted to do but they had gotten the impression that it is more form the tree itself the skin & the pits that the toxicity arrises & not the flesh & that in small amts it wont hurt them..this is sooooo confusing, so I rang my breeder and she has fed avo's to her babies moderately for the last 25 years! Now she said FLESH only though as the rest of the avocado will kill the dog. The pets place site advises the following :'Avocados. The leaves, fruit, bark and seeds of avocados have all been reported to be toxic. The toxic component in the avocado is "persin," which is a fatty acid derivative. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement, abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart. The amount that needs to be ingested to cause signs is unknown. Do not feed your pet any component of the avocado. " So i think ill stop it now just to be safe...shame they love it soooo much.

Midniara, thank you I remember Steve (i think mentioned that once before) I had asked my Vets & they advised in small amts it shouldnt hury them as long as it wasnt in bulk which is why I have kept 1 small avocad a week in their food but those links have my changed my mind, I have printed them out to take & show the vets tomorrow as well.

Hi Larns Steve has basically advised you on what I believe about Bonnie as well, I have a link somewhere about fillers in commercial dog food when I find it I'll post it for you. But basically if you give a fully balanced barf diet there is no need for dry kibble based products as some of the ones out there are "fillers" & depending on what is in them can be doing more harm than good for your dogs. Since swapping from a kibble based to full BARF we have noticed our dogs toileting is 100% better & the poos turn white & blow away in 24hrs, where as with kibble we had to pick it up daily as it didnt decompose as fast. As an example for a BARF diet, we went through this with our vet & this is what we feed, CHICKEN: Minced chicken Chicken winkgs,necks & backs Chicken giblets Chicken feet Beef: mince, (larger bones for recreation through the day) Ox tongue & tail Offal Lamb: Mince Flaps offal Fish: sardines or tuna (canned or fesh) Vegetables (raw) any green leafy vegies Bananas 1 Avocado/week Eggs 1/day/dog Yoghurt daily. we alternate the different meat & fish varieties around on a weekly basis to give variety. But honestly as long as your baby is performing on your diet & its not harmful to them (ie no chocolate or other dangerous to dog foods) you should feed what you are comfortable with.

Hi larns, The only thing I would take out is the Bonnie dry food. My vet didnt know much about BARF until I broached him about in an attempt at looking at ways to boost Major's immune system, after hours of research he gave it a thumbs up the only thing he requested is I worm regularly (which I do anyways). Major was 4mths at the time & we havent looked backwards with it, Is your vet actually in Blackwater or Emerald? (sorry cant remember Blackwaters VET situation). Raw chicken bones are fine for puppies, I always cut mine into 3 sections for the puppies though, until they get used to chewing the bones, also if you freeze your bones I always defrost in the fridge never use the microwave. Good luck Jacqui

Hi Guys Its actually govt legislation under the Welfare of Animals act most states have one & they state as an example pretty much what this NSW one does : "6 HEALTH CARE 6.1 Disease Prevention 6.1.1 For dogs, vaccination against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and canine cough is required. A current vaccination certificate ( certifying that vaccination was done within the preceding 12 months) must be produced for each dog before admission. Checking for heartworm infection is recommended prior to admission. 6.1.2 For cats, vaccination against feline infectious enteritis and feline respiratory disease is required. A current vaccination certificate (certifying that vaccination was done within the preceding 12 months) must be produced for each cat before admission. 6.1.3 Animals known or suspected to be suffering from an infectious disease should not be admitted for boarding." How quick they were to accept the BSL but they r a bit slow when it comes to general day to day pet care! I asked my vet if we could change our vacc to 3yrly & he was happy to, only trouble is with a few big trips coming up & a few nights having to be in kennels we had to vacc. Jacqui

wow Jessami I didnt know that! my dogs love it they normally get about !/2 avocado each week.... but I think I'll stop that now... thanks for the info Jacqui

I just want to start this off saying that I love BARF & believe it has played a huge part in our babies health & wellbeing. 1. what do you feed? 2 eggs /week chicken carcass & necks Chicken wings Offal lamb flaps pork mince pork trotters (1/mth) cottage cheese yoghurt Vegemite Recreational M B's beef & lamb offcuts chicken meat sardines tuna green leafy vegetables carrots avocado banana brocolli flax seed oil 2. how often? max of 3 small meals/day 3. how much? varies for each dog/cat but on avg a 35kg animal approx 11.20oz's/day 4. what breed, age, sex and weight is your pet? Breed Boxers x 2 AGES : 6yrs & 7mths SEX: F & M Weight: 28.5kgs & 19.5Kgs (Chief {at the bridge} was 38kgs) 5. where do you purchase your ingredients from? The local F& V shop & Local butcher (who BTW actually minces the meats & offals in different varieties for me so the babies get to eat a bit different every day) 6. have you always fed your dog this diet, or did you change over to it gradually? if yes, how did your dog react? Up to 2mths ago our dogs were kibble babies (i ashamedly admit!) then I had troble with Major's immune system & researched & secided BARF was the way to go so we changed immediately overnight, it had no negative effects on the babies (cats included) & we have only had positive results. 7. what have been the advantages and disadvantages? Advantages - better poop! no longer dark & sloppy now lovely & white & harder - better gum & eye colour (more pinker) - healthier coat - weight gain for Major & Molly has lost weight & is no longer balancing on the verge of obese -more energy & happiness No disadvantages 8. have you seen changes in your dog, ie. coat, energy levels? Glossier, softer & healthier. hope this helps good luck