seregil

Thanks for your thoughts Yonjuro :) . I have heard that about acid levels too. Unfortunately the commercially made BARF foods I have looked at have all still contained chicken in some form, usually for adding bone content. I can't imagine these foods containing chicken bone without some accompanying fat and protein attached. I do use the Frosty Paws Beef and vegetable patties a few times a week and he has been OK with those as long as I don't give him too much.

Yes Trinabean, it is the kangaroo that was the problem. What I do like about the Natural Balance is that it has a nice short list of ingredients...... rather than a bit of just about everything but the kitchen sink!! I have tried two of the Earthborn ones, I think it was the lamb/grain-free and also the fish/grain-free. Neither were any good for my boy. I am not even sure if grains are a problem for him. He is OK with a bit of tinned fish like tuna, mackerel and sardines. I may still look at trying TOTW and Canidae fish varieties at some point (when I am feeling brave!). I would dearly love to just feed all raw but bones of any description cause my boy major problems, colitis and often vomiting as well. He does tolerate raw beef well and gets that every day with his dry. I can't just feed him raw beef without some bone content to balance things, he is also very bad at eating any vege's.

are you sure the smell is coming from his breath? Have a look at his skin - some skin conditions can give off a strong odour. .....or could the smell be coming from the other end?? (ie gas) any change of diet? how are his poops? just a thought. If there is a dead tooth it should have been pretty easy for your Vet to see.

i can so relate to the poop issue! With one of my dogs our early morning walk and inevitable 'output quality' determines my mood for the day!! Good solid poops is a good day for me . This food looked great until i saw the ingredients..... my dog is sensitive to chicken, kangaroo and eggs . Bugger!! would have loved to spend my money on a locally made food but so far RC Sensitivity is our only option. Have also tried some of the American fished-based ones (think one was Earthborn) but he did not do well on that either. So many foods that appear to not contain chicken still use "chicken fat". Supposedly they say it is only the protein component that dogs react to but not sure if that is the case with my boy.

just to add to Rappie's awesome reply, I would have thought the time between the visit to the vet and the dramatic increase in coughing would have been too soon? I would think the incubabtion period for kennel cough would be more than two days? more like 5 days or so.

With regard to "protein levels", my thoughts exactly Sagittarian, was thinking the same thing. With regard to assuming the breeder will be feeding the absolute best, I have to respectfully disagree. While good breeders will always be feeding what they consider is best for their puppies, I tend to see that their choice will also be strongly influenced by price!! All of my dogs have come from registered and very experienced show-breeders. Each of my last three purchases where fed either Supercoat Puppy, Bonnie or Blackhawk by their breeders...... personally I don't consider any of these particularly "top of the range". (...... and yes, I know there will be someone out there that says their dog thrives on these foods.....) I have ended up changing them over after a couple of weeks of settling in to something I am happier with, ingredient wise. One of my current dogs, who was raised on Blackhawk, ended up with all sorts of digestive issues. Not saying BH caused it but he was certainly a whole lot better when I took him off it!!

Not exactly "natural" but Advantix spot-on is very good. Does fleas, ticks and other biting insects. Very good at keeping biting flies off dogs. Pretty sure the active ingredient is Permethrin???

Lollipup's reply is spot-on in my opinion. Early socialisation is so very important and you cannot wait until all vaccinations are complete because the critical socialisation window will be closed by then. Remember, NOTHING will 100% prevent your puppy from potentially coming in contact with Parvovirus. Even if your puppy never left your premises you yourself could walk it home on your shoes. Even 12 weeks of age is leaving it late to start a good PPS. As has been said, it needs to be a good well-controlled one, not a free for all. These days people seem to focus on their puppy playing with other puppies but this is just one facet of 'socialising', albeit an important part. Socialising also encases meeting unfamiliar people, children, walking on different surfaces, different smells, noises, traffic (trucks, bicycles, motorbikes, not just cars).... the list goes on. Socialisation involves many other opportunities on top of your weekly PPS. As has already been stated, many more dogs die every day as a consequence of behaviour than die from Parvo these days. NOt trying to say it is not an extremely serious disease by any means, just trying to put it in perspective. It is worth noting though that "black and tan breeds" like Rotties and Dobes do have a genetic predisposition to some of these viruses which may be where some of your vet's concern arise from. At the end of the day, it is a personal choice.

LisaCC just getting a sample of a food for my boy is not always enough to know if it will suit him. Sometimes when I try a new food it can take up to a week or so of gradually mixing the new food in before I start to get problems. His reaction to the Earthborn Lamb was faster than usual. I did actually take the rest of the bag back to Petstock as I had used so little (and it was nearly $50 for the small bag ). They did refund me but were rather reluctant as it was not a 'palatability' issue so I doubt they will let me try something else then expect a return..... It was a shame as I rather liked how Earthborn's ingredients list read. I have looked at Holistic Select too and may try that one day. Personally I would rather buy Aussie made, like Blackhawk. Tried Advance, that was disastrous and it also did not suit my other dog who can normally eat anything .

That's our problem. My boy is doing really well on Earth Born Coastal Catch. It's fish based and grain free, they also have a lamb version LisaCC I have tried Earth Born's lamb variety. Started off just adding about a tablespoon to his current diet....got to day 4 then explosive poo's . Haven't been game enough to try their fish one, its too expensive to waste if it does not work for him and last time it took me several weeks to get his poo's back to reasonably OK. I have also tried him on BH fish and potato and while he did not get the runs per se, his poo's were still just barely formed.

I find that a little weird....why not call it Beef & Chicken, or Chicken & Lamb. Why don't you get on their facebook page & tell them, you are a bit disappointed. My thoughts exactly Sheena! and I already have commented on their facebook page.

Well how disappointing!! . Finally got to read the ingredients for the new grain-free range only to find they ALL contain bloody chicken. One of my dogs has a chicken sensitivity and I was hoping the new beef and lamb varieties might have been an option. I was also hoping I could use the tinned stuff to mix in with his Royal Canin Sensitivity as I have trouble getting him to eat it. ......easy to tell that chicken is a cheap ingredient.

Hills Prescription range has one called T/D which is specificly for dental care, there is a "small bites" and "regular bites", depending on size of dog. Your dog needs to be prepared to chew a large kibble but these bikkies are supposed to have a particular texture that does not 'shatter' but rather the teeth actually penetrate through the biscuit, giving a cleaning action. I think they also contain some sort of special 'plaque inhibiting' enzymes or something. I don't have first hand experience but I have heard of otherwise fussy dogs that absolutely love the taste of these. Your vet would be able to get them in for you.

That's interesting, thanks for sharing. I am always on the lookout for foods with obscure ingredients for one of my dogs who has food sensitivities and very dodgy digestive system . I do have to wonder how well dogs would digest lentils though, they are awefully high in fibre (the last thing my dog needs )

Has anyone seen these new Blackhawk varieties in stores yet? Supposed to be released "mid-August". A grain-free dry food range as well as tinned. I am keen to try the tins with my very fussy, chicken-sensitive dog. I am particularly looking for an ingredients list but still nothing on their website yet.

I don't think I have ever had a dog of mine that could handle lamb bones of any kind, lamb flap being the worst, gave them dreadful runny poo's or colitis, often accompanied by a vomit or two. Most likely because they are very fatty.

Staffntoller answered perfectly. If it was as easy as reducing quantity, adding veges etc then there would not be so many fat dogs. ..........actually the same applies to humans, if I could just reduce my calorie intake I would not be fat either.... but I am because I don't . That being said, the vet practice I work at have had best results with RC Obesity. Yes, it is expensive but sometimes once a client commits to something like this they can be more determined to make it work. It is much higher in protein than most commercial 'diet' foods and does help a lot with satiety..... and no, I am not a RC rep !

The main Australian made dry foods that come to my mind are Blackhawk, Advance, Nutro and Natural Balance. How good each of them are, well, depends who you talk to :). Some dogs just do better on certain brands. Personally I have never had a dog that could eat Advance, always got sloppy poos. Don't know of any rating systems in Australia (would love to see one myself) but you should be able to go to each product's website and see their ingredients list.

Newfsie, where did you find info on augustineapproved.com? All it says is 'launching soon', facebook does not really say anything about the food either (except how great it is.....). I'm always interested in anything like this as I have an allergic puppy at the moment:-)).

Thanks everyone for your replies, much appreciated! I ended up getting a new bottle of Zoff from the chemist and that has finally got the stuff off. I had been given a bit of the remover in a little bottle but it must have been past its use-by date i guess. Cheers

I am trying to remove the glue my Sheltie pup's breeder put on her ears as she has a show next week, also it has come off the head anyway and will need to be re applied. He told me to use bandage adhesive remover but it is doing *nothing*! I have been working on it for two days now, pup is surprisingly tolerant. Should I be dabbing it, wiping it, rubbing it? I have left it to soak for a couple of hours then tried again but it is still there. It is not a big blob or anything but it is enough for the judge to see in the ring. Is there something else I can use that is more effective? I don't want to risk irritating the skin though. Any help greatly appreciated!! ( I will put this post in the "grooming" forum as well ) Seregil