Kirra_Bomber_Zeus

I feed two meals a day - I prefer to feed 2 smaller meals instead of one large one. Ive heard some people say their dogs do better on one meal (basically they refuse or just pick at the second meal) and some say their dogs do better on 2. Mine definately seem to do better on 2, so I just keep it that way

So so true Crest_Fallen And thats whether its someone who deliberately gets a certain type of dog just to 'look tough' or someone who gets a dog and cant be bothered to find out the first thing about training them and being a responsible dog owner

Hi tashnchief I am doing this at the moment. I have 3 dogs and we started feeding raw when our middle dog developed lots of allergies at 6 months old. This is the first time I have raised a pup from 8 weeks on pure raw diet (not barf, we cant use barf because all of the flavours have some sort of beef or beef organ in it which one of our dogs is highly allergic to). My pup (Zeus) seems to be looking really good so far (he is almost 14 weeks). He gets RMB's, lamb, goat or roo as muscle meat (mostly lamb so he gets enough fat), lamb livers or kidneys, mashed cooked veg, sardines or salmon and cottage cheese. I have noticed that he seems to be growing very much 'in proportion' if this makes sense - as in he doesnt look all gangly legs like most pups do at this age I understand that this is because his energy is coming from the protein, not carbohydrates... So, anyway, seems to be working for me so far

Me too - There is one particular pet shop I go to to buy crickets for my Bearded Dragons and everytime Im there I find myself listening in to some comments from the staff and rolling my eyes. Once I heard one of the staff telling a lady all about the frilled neck lizard they had for sale and heard her mention to the customer that they come from 'somewhere in Asia'. I have had to go as far as pulling a customer aside to give them correct information, especially when it comes to reptiles - a small bit of wrong info really can equal death

Bwahaha - I just came back into this thread to write the exact same thing

hehe - you can make sure you become one of the good ones

Just for future reference, you may have been better off taking a qualified dog trainer's advice on this issue rather than a vet's advice. It sounds like a training issue, not a medical issue. edited to add: sorry to the OP, didnt mean to hijack the thread or anything . I too had issues with tantrums from my 6 year old dog when she was a pup - sounds like you have already had some great advice - good luck with it

Erm, yes, well I often like to look at advice given from the perspective of "does this company / person have something to gain by influencing my decision?" - a website for lawyers taking 'dog attack' cases wouldnt be somewhere I would be looking for unbiased information. I also notice that this information: According to the Center for Disease Control, the top 10 most dangerous dogs are: 1. Pit Bulls 2. Rottweilers 3. German Shepherds 4. Huskies 5. Alaskan Malamutes 6. Doberman Pinschers 7. Chow Chows 8. Great Danes 9. St. Bernards 10. Akitas Is more than 10 years old. (its from 1979-1998)... I bet you were rolling your eyes Terrorbull. Isnt it just exhausting when people come up with that sort of stuff "well, this website shows how dangerous they are!" sometimes I get so tired of having to explain the same thing over and over!

Im in WA (South of the river) and I buy from: South St Pet Supplies 372 South Street O'CONNOR WA 6163 Ph: (08) 93378599 and Natural Paws 209 Cormorant Court Southern River Western Australia 6110 (08) 9398 4616 www.naturalpaws.com.au (they also have an online store and deliver) Natural Paws have big lamb shanks for $1 each which is much cheaper than I have been able to find them anywhere else :rolleyes:

Ok, I'll try for a calm response with no swearing Doing this in a bit of a hurry (I am supposed to be preparing for dinner guests, but hey ) so hope it makes some sense 1: Statistics show a large range of different dogs who may attack a person. However, the facts show that the likelihood of a dog attacking depends more on its individual upbringing than its breed. The breeds that do seem to make the 'top of the list' are rarely the dogs that governments look at banning. 2: I think it is incorrect to say that some breeds are more dangerous due to their size and power, however, a larger dog may be able to inflict more damage than a smaller dog in some cases. In the same way that if I was going to be stepped on by a horse, I would prefer a Shetland Pony to a Clydesdale. However, a large dog who delivers one bite and stops would inflict less damage than a medium size dog in a more frenzied attack. 3: Yes, it is correct that certain breeds attract 'dangerous owners'. Over the years the type of breed the dangerous owner wants to own changes. This can be directly influenced by the breed that is depicted as 'tough and dangerous' by the media at the time. The media has made this so. The government has made this so by 'banning' certain breeds. It is well known that making anything 'forbidden' will immediately attract certain types of people to it. This is an issue that desperately needs to be rectified by the media and the government. 4: (ok, trying not to get mad on this one ). I guess it depends on what you class as your 'ethics'. Personally, I feel a statement like that would be akin to saying certain races of people have no right to exist. If, the desired outcome is to reduce dog bites and reduce the instance of breeds attracting 'dangerous owners', then eliminating certain breeds will have no effect on this situation. Dog bites are inflicted by all breeds, eliminating certain breeds is futile to prevent this. Dangerous owners will always exist, they will choose whichever dogs have the most media attention at the time. Eliminating certain breeds will just make dangerous owners turn to another breed.

Aha, I see, thanks I will go and see my friendly butcher today :cool:

Lamb ribs - I will have to try and find some of those! Do you get them from the butcher or the supermarket?

My pup started having chicken wings and chicken legs as soon as we bought him home at 8 1/2 weeks. We also started giving him a lamb shank once a week (they are more of a recreation type bone for him at the moment since he cant chew it up completely like our other dogs). He is 12 weeks now

Im in the same boat too He seemed to respond to me 'yelping' for a while (although Im sure my neighbours thought I was killing my puppy because I reckon I sounded so much like one ) but sometimes he just keeps going and going, and like you said, chasing me to bite my legs. He has definately got a bit better (he started doing it at 9 weeks, he's now 11 weeks and only really does it if he's super excited.) Because of this I have tried to separate him from the other dogs and us when he gets too excited to calm him down. Seems to be working (although this morning he was a complete tornado and nothing I did could convince him to settle ) So, can lots of people reply and tell us that they will grow out of it. please?

Exactly. I find that I dont often go 'foraging' for berries in the bush either - I usually go to the supermarket. Don't remember my husband going out and 'making a kill' to bring home the meat either. However, Im quite sure our digestive system and the way we are 'made up' inside is still the same as before.

It drives me nuts when they use the words 'dangerous' and 'restricted' as interchangable - not at all the same thing!!! Seriously, could they sound any stupider? Pointing out to the government and these TV shows that the Dogo Argentino and Fila are hunting breeds not fighting breeds is just getting so tiring Wouldnt it be interesting to compare how many people are killed by dogs, any dogs, per year compared to say.....their own stupidity? Lurve how ACA uses these type of uneducated comments. Yes, Im sure 'getting rid of' all the APBT's will lower the human death toll significantly Sorry Im feeling even more cynical than usual today :shakehead: excellent

Hahaha - of course I fully understand there are some dogs out there that dont do well on raw for whatever reason but although dogs lifestyle has changed from when they were in the wild I dont believe their digestive system has changed all that much. I dont think (and please correct me if Im wrong) that the OP was saying that everyone should feed raw, and bashing those that dont, I think they were basically saying that they dont appreciate being told that dry is "the only way"....

Sigh. Some vets have open minds, some are half and half and some are completely closed minded (and, I have to add that what some vets have said to me behind closed doors in the consulting room and what they 'officially recommend' at the counter have been rather different). I find it quite interesting when they get defensive and shirty though, it puts me in mind of people that dont like to be questioned because they might not have all the answers. I usually just tell the vet that I raw feed. If they try and comment I just politely say "well, Ive done my own research and do what I believe is best for my dogs". Only in the last week a friend of mine was told by a vet that puppies absolutely can not eat raw meat (erm, ok, I didnt realise dogs learned to cook in the wild) and at the puppy kindy I am going to in a couple of weeks one of the 'talks' is entitled "no bones - why they are dangerous for your dog". I shall be biting my tounge and just letting my dog socialise - the only reason I actually want him to go anyway

Maximum, I would have cried too! that would have been awful I'll send you over some info on diet too, no worries. I know what you mean - it is all so confusing when you get different info from all different sources! I had a real "WTF? moment" the other day when a friend told me that their vet told them puppies were unable to eat raw meat. Interesting. soooo in the wild their mothers obviously made the kill and then came back and lit a fire to cook it for them?

Awwww Fluffy Paws your cats are gorgeous too!

No problemo, I'll PM you later with some info Yup, I raw feed too and yep, that can be a bone of contention with some people also I know what you mean, the epilepsy may have been caused by the heartworm injection, may not have been. I guess thats why I just try and limit my pups exposure to that sort of stuff as much as possible With what you said about the blood test (would have been a titre test): This is why Im not super keen on re-vaccinating just because a titre test comes back 'insufficient'. If this makes sense, the was it was explained to me was: Antibodies show up and come into effect when the immune system is threatend by the disease the antibodies need to fight. So, if the titre test shows 'no antibodies' and therefore 'no immunity' it doesnt necessarily mean that they are not there, just that they are not showing up, which could be because the body is not threatened by the disease at that time. It is a complicated subject and one that I find rather hard to explain without writing 10 pages - lol. Of course opinions differ between people who say immunity lasts for 1 year, 3 years, 7 years, life of the dog etc etc. I guess each person will come to their own conclusion on what they believe is correct and what they will be comfortable with... My 11 year old dog was vaccinated once as a puppy and once when he was 5 years old. My 6 year old dog was vaccinated twice as a puppy and never again. Im comfortable with that and dont believe they are at risk

I actually stopped coming to this forum for a few years because of that sort of attitude from some members - but Ive come back and decided to just ignore those nasty few re vaccs, I did tons of research a few years back after my Staffy had a massive reaction to her second needle. She now has life long allergy problems due to her immune system basically shutting down. I can fully understand the decision on whether to vaccinate and how often is a really hard one - we want our dogs to be safe but over vaccinating is dangerous. Theres plenty of information out there showing that annual vaccinations are most definately not required, my issue was trying to decide what to do for first vaccinations with our new pup. Basically my decision this time is to vaccinate once at 11 weeks for Parvo and Distemper then again at 6 months. thats it. Personally I would definately not vaccinate your adult cats. If they had their vaccinations when they were kittens they should be immune. You can not get 'more immune' you either are or arent. Booster shots do not make sense to me. I personally dont give my dogs heartworm injections at all. maybe if we lived in an area that was mosquito infested and well known for heartworm I would. I think it needs to be assessed on an individual basis depending on the greatest risk for your animals. If you want more info on the dangers of vaccinations let me know, I'll PM you with some reference material. Im not saying that we should never vaccinate or that every dog would be at risk of having a reaction, but I think its a good idea to be armed with all the information to make an informed decision. This is another thing I talk about that seems to get people's back up, but hey I think there are people who are very 'for' vaccinations and all the conventional medicine they can buy and then there are people who arent. Depends up your personal experiences and research I guess

Yes, the water thing is pretty amazing - when we first got her I literally had to be on the lookout if I was doing the dishes to make sure she didnt jump into the hot water!! I understand the brain fart entirely Maximum, my latest pup was BYB by one of our friends - I know better than that too and Ive owned dogs for years. However, I fell in love too. Im sure I will be flamed on the forum more than once for my decision, but hey, I love him and I think he's going to be a great dog. I also have issues with 'normal' vaccination schedules and Im sure I wouldnt have been able to be in charge of how that went if I bought from a registered breeder. So at the end of the day Im happy with the pup I have.

Oh wow - thats one beautiful cat!

Here's a pic of her: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34919246@N08/...57613106160868/ In sepia tone unfortunately so you cant see her colours too well. The kitten that was curled up with my Staffy was one of hers - she also had a beautiful silver one - striped back and snow leopard spotted belly They are pretty cats - also alot like dogs too arent they, playing fetch and swimming (My Staffy girl loves to swim too so as you can imagine she is rather unimpressed when she finds herself sharing her shell pool with the cat.... ) Dont worry maximum, my life is just the same ;) We have 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 bearded dragons (which we also breed so at times we also have babies beardies too) and 3 siamese fighting fish. I love living in a zoo....really.