brightstar123

Hi again everyone, Some time ago I had a fantastic response when I posted a link to a survey on cat feeding practices on this forum, as part of my PhD. I ended up getting 8400 responses, which was fantastic. The data analysis was a bit of a nightmare but results are almost finished and the paper should be submitted for publication in the Journal of Preventative Vet Med very soon. As some of you may have deduced, the survey was designed to assess cat-related, management-related and owner-related factors for feline obesity, and it looks like there will be around 15-20 risk factors of great interest, most of which haven't been previously reported. I'm very happy to share as soon as I finish the final analysis I can say that two of the risk factors that are strongly protective against obesity in cats are feeding raw human-grade meat/organs, and feeding raw bones. Feeding a raw commercial diet was not protective (or a risk factor) though. So partially because of that, and also for many other reasons, I have another survey on raw feeding and it would be really helpful if there are any raw feeding out there that would be happy to complete it. This time, the survey is for both dogs and cats. You can feed raw as part, or all, of the diet. You only need to complete it once, for the youngest animal in your household. I apologise, but again it's long (make a cup of tea first!) It will take about 20-25 min to complete. There are just so many interesting questions we need to know the answers too, so it was hard to cut it down! It's really important that the scientific and veterinary communities start to develop a better understanding of raw feeding practices, so that's the main motivation for this. The link is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RawFedPets Please let me know if it doesn't work or there are problems. I know that the options/choices for a few questions are not perfect, but this is to make the analysis slightly less complex. Thanks again for your time and patience, I really appreciate it!

Thanks for that We are now approaching 4000 responses, so nearly half way there!

Just so you guys know, this forum thread was the only place I posted that second link to the survey and from that link there have been 482 responses so far! Amazing job!

Raw feeding is ok, it should be valid for any type of diet. 1512 responses so far! It's very hard to get any other work done, I just keep going on Facebook and Survey Monkey lol. Lots of great comments so far, which is awesome.

I just posted it on reddit, but I haven't used reddit before and it was a bit mysterious!

Thank you Will get started targeting cat people in NZ today! I'll definitely keep you updated on the numbers, it's quite exciting

That's fantastic, thanks It will be great to get responses from lots of different countries. Thanks so much for your help again. My supervisor is really skeptical about whether I'll even get close to 8000, but I'm pretty determined! I have just hit 700 responses in a bit less than 24 hours, which I'm really happy with since it's such a long survey. I think it will take lots of effort and persistence, but I'll get there in the end!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, very helpful

Possibly I just posted to that particular FB page If not, I certainly will!

Thanks guys Anyone got any great ideas about where/how to promote this one? We are trying to get a minimum of 8000 respondents, which might be quite a challenge!

That would be fantastic, yes please do share on social media Does this link work? I didn't realise it wouldn't let you link it after you've done it. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q2MJMLL

Ok, I know that this is a forum for dog owners, but I also know that lots of you have cats too! We are piloting this questionnaire on feline nutrition, feeding practices and owner psychology at the moment and it would be great to get some more feedback. Any comments very welcome (and please share with others). It is a slightly longer survey and will take about 15 minutes to complete but there is a pretty cool prize pack! Thanks guys. Cat Feeding Practices Questionnaire from Massey University

About 6wks ago I shipped my Lab and four cats to NZ with Dogtainers. Friendly customer service but the main thing to be aware of is that some companies offer an all-inclusive service eg Jetpets, where as some are more just freight companies. So companies like Dogtainers don't include the first lot of vet treatments, the MPI fee, handling fees etc. Even still, there was a significant price difference for me between different companies so shop around and get quotes from different vets for the pre-export treatments too. You can provide your own Nexgard and Milbemax at some vets. I was happy to organise/pay for the treatments, fees etc, but I did have to stay on top of things and it was stressful at times making sure everything was done correctly. It would have been nice to have someone else handle everything but it was so much more expensive. Dogtainers were very flexible with crate sizes and they were happy to ship two adult cats together in one large crate, which was great for us. I didn't think they did that. All up it cost me about $4700 total for the cats and the dog and I was pretty happy with that. Next time though, I'll probably just organise it myself as it kind of felt like I almost did that anyway. And yes, be very aware of all the hidden extra fees you have to pay on pick up at the airport, for me it was around an extra $400-500 (on top of the MPI fee I had paid earlier). The AQIS vet that did the treatments for me strongly recommended Sky Pets, I don't know much about them but I'd definitely look into it next time.

Awesome, thanks guys! I'm in Palmerston North, for work. Where are you, Scottsmum? Nothing wrong with a garden hose and a rag - problem is that I work long hours so it's often dark and cold and raining when I take her for a walk etc. I do toilet her just out the door, she's very good and goes on command but the ground is so slushy and muddy, even where the lawn is. I think I'll just have to get used to the constant floor cleaning. And buy a better mop lol.

Yep, NZ is where I am too - the rain is crazy! Thanks for the suggestions, I tried the bath mat too but it's not quite cutting it! I think I need 3 or 4! Will definitely get some microfibre cloths though - easier to clean and dry than towels. I was wondering if there are any kind of high boots that come up the dog's legs and keep them more mud free, just for quick toilet trips? Anyone got raincoat suggestions? That mud mat from Big W looks interesting, not sure if I could get it here.

I've recently moved somewhere where it rains constantly (yay!) and my young Lab and cats came too. I've never had to deal with so much rain and mud before - even a quick toilet trip results in mud splattered up to her belly and chest. I used to have a yellow Lab but she's quickly turning into a chocolate! I'm just looking for rainy day ideas from people that are more experienced than me! Anything from great raincoats to ways to reduce the amount of mud on the dog/carpet/me... All advice welcome!

I'd love an Irish Red and White Setter! I've met a few overseas with lovely temperaments and I love their broader heads compared to the Irish Setter. Pretty rare in this part of the world, generally good with people and other dogs and no squashy face lol.

The dog's movement reminds me of racking Tennessee Walkers and Saddlebred horses in the US. I find everything about that video upsetting, not just the conformation but the handling and the dog's obvious anxiety. I'd like to read more papers on how the extreme conformation of these dogs affects not just health but functionality as well.

Hi Dewclaws, I grew up with Keeshonds and also have had a few foster/rescues, including this girl who was lovely and is very happy in her forever home. I've had loads of different breeds (including other Spitz breeds like Samoyeds, Huskys etc) and I still have a real soft spot for the Keeshonds :) For no particular reason (just how it worked out) we always had females - they were always sweet and affectionate (not at all aloof or independent) but with that cheeky, slightly defiant Spitz spark! There's definite naughtiness potential! I found them to be super smart and trainable and great at obedience (our girls were all highly food motivated!) Our girls always had a burning need to be with people and were mostly inside. A downside is that I found that they were all great watch dogs, with the potential to sometimes nuisance bark if bored and outside. They were always great with other dogs, kids and cats and really became lovely dogs as they matured and grew out of the silly stuff. The coat obviously takes work but I didn't find the shedding to be too bad, the hair mostly stayed in the brushes/combs. I'd be careful with health stuff too as I've seen quite a few with elongated soft palates, laryngeal problems and various skin diseases. Anyway, if you have any specific questions, let me know - they are lovely :)

Hope your pup improves soon :) Not sure where he is being treated but I know that the clinic and faculty at the University of Sydney has several clinicians that have particular interest and expertise in lungworm (both canine and feline) and many of the recent papers have been written by vets there. If you have any ongoing concerns it might be worth contacting them.

The photos of the Afghan lure coursing in the snow are pretty awesome too :laugh:

Sometimes the price for desexing can vary based on which anaesthetic and pain relief drugs the clinic uses. I have visited clinics that charge very little for desexing but also offer very little in the way of pain relief and may also reduce costs by using older anaesthetic drugs with a narrower safety margin, no IV catheter, cheaper surgical materials etc. Of course many clinics just price their surgeries based on the usual factors eg competition, operating costs etc.

I'd love a Welsh Springer, I find them to generally be lovely sociable dogs, fun to work with, a handy size and good with other animals. I know they need more grooming than you would like though. For me the right Kelpie (from certain lines) can be hard to beat too, they can be such easy, healthy allrounders. Sounds like they might be a bit big though!

I recently had a similar problem with a 7mth old foster dog that would toilet repeatedly in her crate/bed and in the house. It took months to turn her around and it nearly drove me mad! I continued to use the crate regardless, as I didn't want her to learn that toileting in the house was ok. I took her outside and supervised every time, I also started to train her to go on command. At night I made sure she was tired before bed and put her to bed around the same time every night. At first I had to get up at 2, 4 and 6am to toilet her (always supervised and no play or interaction) - after months I was able to gradually stretch it to 5:30am. My goal was to prevent toileting in the crate as much as possible, but it was exhausting! Initially I also removed her water around 7pm, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this. I kept her crate in a quiet area but not too far from us, as stress did increase the likelihood of accidents. For various reasons I had to remove all bedding from the crate, which did make it easier to clean. Initially I kept her diet pretty consistent (boring!) and only fed the very minimum amount of high quality dry food. Less food equals less poo! Routine is your friend and I tried to feed her everyday at the same times - for us it's 7am and 4pm. Don't feed dinner too late. I think that's pretty much it, good luck!

I agree about increasing the meat content fairly substantially, frames and wings can be pretty high in bone content. I would ease right up on the bone for a little while to give her gut a rest, then gradually increase the amount again. As others have mentioned, mashed pumpkin is a good (and soothing) additive to increase soluble fibre, or also that frozen spinach that comes in a block at the supermarket lol. I find hearts, tongues (lamb or ox), giblets/gizzards, whole chicken or even marylands, cheap chuck or blade beef and on-sale tins of tuna/salmon/sardines are a nice way to increase the meat content economically. Also completely agree with Haredown Whippet's comment - there are plenty of dogs that do better on raw and plenty that do better on a balanced, good quality dry food.