espinay2

That is pretty much it. I must admit I don't see much bitchiness. But maybe that is because of the people I choose to associate with and the attitude I choose to take. There is bitchiness everywhere in life if you choose to let it influence you. I always have fun with friends at shows and find it a great social outlet and fun day out with the dogs. Sometimes it seems the time in the ring is just the excuse for a day out or a weekend away lol!

The only study where raw egg whites have been shown to be an issue is when they were fed without yolks as part of an already low biotin diet. From that study the old wives tale that 'raw eggs are bad' developed via Chinese whispers with no reference back to that one original study!!! There are no studies showing issues with feeding whole raw eggs.

As mentioned she will be what she will be. Definitely don't try to 'build her up' as you could do irreparable damage to her that way. Keep her lean and growing slowly. That is the healthiest for her growing bones and joints. What her substance and build will be is not something that you can change. Give her time to grow.

If wolves and dogs are so different, what should a wolf/dogx eat? Or a Dingo? Or a dingo/dogx? Or a Czechoslovakian wolfdog or saarloos wolfhound who had wolves used in their creation? Or the Australian cattle dog which had the dingo used in its creation? Where do you draw the line?

Wolves and dogs are both canis lupus ....

Fwiw, chickens are not vegetarian and any chicken allowed a degree of free ranging will be eating meat I.e. bugs etc. protein is very important to chicken health. Unless a specific animal product free food is chosen, chicken feed also contains animal products particularly as a source of protein. Only way to ensure a chicken stays vegetarian is to lock it in a cage where it can not scratch at the ground. Also agree with HW. Cropping, on particular large scale monoculture farming, kills a lot of animals.

'the wolffog without the wolf' bet that is what attracted her - wolves are 'cool' and rather romantic and she perhaps had a naive 'teenage' fancy about the romance of it all? ; One website that may help is www.learntobreed.com Also perhaps get her to watch the shelter episode of the program on ABC titled don't blame the dog. It should still be available on Iview.

To be honest, based on what you have told us, I doubt much will make an impact. I wouldn't bother with info about importing as I am doubtful she will get that far. Perhaps the best way to make an impact will be to talk about the legal and regulatory side of breeding. For example tHe legal requirement in Vic to health test for instance and the implications if she doesn't. The fact that legally she can be held liable. Apart from that I am not sure what will sink in given that nothing has sunk in so far.

No idea, I'm not a cat person and have never owned one. Perhaps if you're interested you could do some research :) You asked taurine, I answered taurine. Ummm, did you read the study I posted????? No, because the summary said they were cooking the taurine, and I have no interest in cooking the taurine, so the study wasn't really relevant. But if LisaCC is interested then that's good and she could read it. Plus I don't care about cats, I'm allergic to them and don't know anything about them, and don't have any. The study investigated the level of taurine in a wide range of foods - both raw and cooked - inlcuding a wide range of plant matter and seaweed.

No idea, I'm not a cat person and have never owned one. Perhaps if you're interested you could do some research :) You asked taurine, I answered taurine. Ummm, did you read the study I posted?????

that's got to be the funniest thing I've heard all day. Maybe all week. Have you not heard of seaweed? Even in seaweed the levels are quite low and would be inadequate as a form of supplementation: (though yes, they are found in more than red meat, and until reading this study I was not aware of how high the concentrations were in marine animals - learn something new every day!) "Taurine concentrations in animal feed ingredients" http://www.vetmed.uc...pdfs/spitze.pdf

"Comparison of effects of vegetable protein diet and animal protein diet on the initiation of anemia during vigorous physical training (sports anemia) in dogs and rats." http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/3612320 "Nutritional and Ethical Issues Regarding Vegetarianism in the Domestic Dog" http://www.une.edu.a...etarian-dog.pdf This one makes no real conclusions, but is an interesting read, particularly in relation to the ethical issues. though I guess it depends how someone views the diet of 'production animals' as to whether they agree or not with the opinion, as this in itself raises an ethical issue. In regards to taurine, which is negligible to non-existent in plant based foods (but abundant in animal products, in particular red meat), the following articles are relevant in relation to the link between taurine deficiency and cardiomyopathy: (a vegan diet would have to be supplemented artificially with taurine) "Taurine deficiency in Newfoundlands fed commercially available complete and balanced diets" http://avmajournals....urnalCode=javma "Taurine status in normal dogs fed a commercial diet associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy http://www.vetmed.uc...pdfs/Torres.pdf

Not like humans. Their gastrointestinal tract, from teeth to anus, is VERY different from a humans. Their teeth can not grind food the way a humans can so they can not process them that way - their teeth are designed for ripping, tearing and crunching in a vicelike fashion. There is no side to side jaw movement, only up and down. Human saliva contains amylase which helps break down starchy foods. A dogs saliva does not. It contains lysozyme which aids in killing bacteria. Unlike humans, dogs can not digest cellulose so this has to be broken down artificially for them first. Their stomach acids are much stronger than humans - designed for processing large chunks of meat. The pH of a dogs gastrointestinal tract is higher (more acidic). Again to aid in dealing with bacteria and to break down large chunks of meat and bone etc. The dogs stomach has comparatively a much larger volume than a humans when compared to the rest of the gastrointestinal system. Most of a dogs digestion takes place in the stomach, as opposed to a humans which takes place in the intestines (a dogs stomach is a 'processing depot' wheras a humans is just a 'transit lounge') Dogs intestines are much shorter than humans (comparatively only about 5% of the length of human intestines). Humans longer intestines are better suited to the processing of grains and vegetable matter wheras the dogs intestines are designed to quickly pass the meat slurry created by the stomach through the system. This fast rate helps reduce issues with any remaining bacteria which dogs - as carrion eaters as well - are more likely than humans to encounter. The internal surface of a dogs intestines is also much smoother than a humans, to aid in the quick transit of food. Humans need to have longer intestines and a slower rate of digestion to adequately remove nutrients from grains and vegetable matter. The shorter intestines and faster transit time for dogs means much less is absorbed through them and as mentioned, they can not digest cellulose so it (and anything it surrounds) will not be digested.

Every individual dog in a breed is different. The first one is somehow always extra special and will remain that way, but each one brings something new and you love them all as individuals. The other layer is breed traits. While personalities vary there can be a common thread of the traits ghat you liked to live with. This is one reason people stick to one breed - because those traits 'fit' them. It will be up to you to decide if you like that fit with the Amstaff or want to try something different.

It is the 'right' of an animal to eat a diet that is 'natural' for them. As a captive carnivore we have an obligation to provide them with a diet suitable to their species. They may survive without meat but IMO they will not thrive. There are lots of other pets that people can keep of they don't feel they can feed meat to an animal that should by nature eat it. JMHO. FWIW I was vegetarian for several years and know quite a few vego's who feed a raw meat diet to their dogs.

As you can imagine I have a lot of kilos of dogs to feed here ;) The key to less expensive raw feeding is good suppliers and ample storage space. It really does depend on where you buy and how much you can store as buying in bulk does reduce costs. Sometimes it can take some searching to find good suppliers that are easy enough to get to regularly and some places may have better or more options than others. Take a look in the pinned topic on where to buy raw for instance.

hmmm. Parson Russell? The tail has thrown me a bit though.

Clarifying, it is not against the LAW..it is against the rules of the registery in that state, (Dogs NSW). Many back yard breeders mate on the first season and every subsequent one...they provide what RSPCA requires for housing, food/water etc, and never have an issue. They are not charged with abuse, nor are they put out of business, in fact, they thrive much to the exploitation of their animals being used. ANYONE can take a bitch, breed it on the first heat cycle and sell the pups without risk of being charged by a LAW...in VIC, just add a microchip, and all is well with the world. It is ONLY the registries that make these RULES, and they only apply to purebred dogs, in that, by breaking them, the dogs will be ineligible for registrations. Unless of course you're in Vic and have a litter of unknown parentage, and then you'll still get papers on them..but that is another story! Actually in NSW it is against the LAW as these things are standards written into the NSW State Government's Code of Practice for Breeding Dogs and Cats (see section 10.1.1.) and non compliance is subject to prosecution under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, and/or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (General) Regulation 2006. Has there been prosecutions then? I don't know. But as it is in the Code, I would not take the fact that there have not been prosecutions for that part of it as proof or precedent that there will not be at some point. Unfortunately, no matter what we think and what the scientific evidence is to the contrary, the law is there and CAN be policed should they wish to do so.

If you are worried about bones, as mentioned, feed bigger. They also need to be MEATY (which I think many forget) as it is the action of the teeth going through the meat and sinew etc which provides a lot of the abrasive cleaning action. Hard bones without meat will not clean more than the tips of the teeth, and if they are too hard can result in fractures. Large (as big as your dogs head) softer MEATY bones are your best bet for teeth cleaning. Also feed muscle meat it LARGE chunks.

Old groomers trick :laugh: Glad it worked :D

The main difference between feeding processed foods and raw foods is the 'live food' factor. Foods that are raw contain enzymes and amino acids that are destroyed by heat. Many of these can not be artificially replaced and many we do not yet fully understand the benefits of. There are many amino acids present in the body and many of these can only be provided by diet. Some we do understand a little better. An understanding of the importance of taurine for cats was thrust upon us as without it cats will become very sick and die. This was discovered in the 70's when cats fed solely on commercial foods were doing just that. Taurine is now required to be added in artificially to cat foods after the cooking process. BTW, the destruction of taurine via heat is one of the things the Pottengers Cats study shows clearly. Taurine is not yet required to be added to dog food, though some I think have started to do so (you would need to check whatever food you are feeding). Taurine deficiency in dog can contribute to issues such as heart disease (in particular dilated cardiomyopathy) and some breeds may be more prone to this than others (particularly the giant breeds such a Newfoundland's, though I understand American Cockers are another that can be prone). http://avmajournals....urnalCode=javma http://www.vetmed.uc...pdfs/Torres.pdf http://www.vetstream...eeform/fre60031 IMO, whatever you choose to feed, providing at least SOME raw foods i.e. raw meat, is of benefit to provide amino acidsand other 'live food' elements which may not be present in a commercial processed product. Providing it in large chunks of muscle meat or as raw meaty bones provides the added benefit of teeth cleaning, jaw exercise and mental stimulation which provides also better mental and physical wellbeing.

Peanut Butter!! Rub it in. It will get it off.

Mioritic for sure (no google needed here either. Someone I know in Norway has one)

Clarifying, it is not against the LAW..it is against the rules of the registery in that state, (Dogs NSW). Many back yard breeders mate on the first season and every subsequent one...they provide what RSPCA requires for housing, food/water etc, and never have an issue. They are not charged with abuse, nor are they put out of business, in fact, they thrive much to the exploitation of their animals being used. ANYONE can take a bitch, breed it on the first heat cycle and sell the pups without risk of being charged by a LAW...in VIC, just add a microchip, and all is well with the world. It is ONLY the registries that make these RULES, and they only apply to purebred dogs, in that, by breaking them, the dogs will be ineligible for registrations. Unless of course you're in Vic and have a litter of unknown parentage, and then you'll still get papers on them..but that is another story! Actually in NSW it is against the LAW as these things are standards written into the NSW State Government's Code of Practice for Breeding Dogs and Cats (see section 10.1.1.) and non compliance is subject to prosecution under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, and/or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (General) Regulation 2006.

Yes! :) This is Berger des Pyrenees 'face race' which is the smooth faced version of the breed.