Dog_Horse_Girl

That's great! Perhaps you could try stuffing the kong with treats such as biscuits and peanut butter, or chicken parts and freeze? My dogs love these kongs the best. :p The point to these types of things is that they're interactive and provide the dog with stimulating activity plus reward (food) for their troubles. Dogs are busy with their brains AND bodies...makes for a happy and tired dog.

Um, I tried my greyhound on BWD and others...all bad for her. The only processed food she did OK on, and just OK not brilliant, was Royal Canin. She and all my dogs are fed a raw, whole foods diet partly as a result of Lilly's troubles with the processed foods. HTH.

I'd never leave any of my dogs outside unattended. Brown Snakes, idiots with baits, heat-stroke, to name but three reasons why they're kept inside. :D

I was referring to the impact of a dog losing its life or being seriously injured due to one of these make-shift toys breaking up into sharp pieces, and either getting caught on the way through or tearing or impacting in the bowel.

I guess they're cheaper than Buster Cubes or Kongs...but how much is your dog worth to you? These sorts of things are OK in a pinch, but why not splash out and buy your dog some safer toys to perform the same functions as these bottles (that is, dispensing food or treats)? A kong can last a year if it's looked after, a Buster Cube is pretty much a "forever toy" as they're hard to destroy. :D JMO.

Why don't they just let the dog back inside? Problem solved. There are air collars available now that spray a jet of air instead of citronella, but if the dog is barking b/c of separation anxiety these collars are going to do more harm than good. :D I would encourage your friend to chat with their dog's vet about the issue, and if necessary, get a referral to a behaviourist.

So sorry for your loss. Kiah, run free at the Bridge...you go get 'em, girl!

I don't feed processed foods but if I did, I'd boycott HSD. Two reasons: the "food" is crap, and it's a major sponsor of the RSPCA. You should see the size of some of the shelter dogs' poos...huge is an understatement! What goes in - if not used by the dog - is shat out. The better the food, the smaller the poos. If you're after a decent processed food, try Eagle Pack, Nutro, Royal Canin, Dick van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formulas, or Nutrience. All are good foods IMO.

Suffice to say that the spin this organisation puts out is at odds with what it actually does...which overall, it does very little. It receives HUGE amounts of donated funds and goods, huge amounts of gov't funding, and yet it kills, on average, 50% of the dogs that enter its shelters. Many of the actual staff are wonderful - it's the overall organisation that stinks...and stinks badly. PM me if you would like any clarification. I will *never* support it in any way EVER AGAIN. It's just not something I could comfortably do from an ethical POV.

That's what I do as well, but I freeze my slop into zip-lock bags - one meal (for all my dogs) in each bag. I only use frozen veg if it's not practical to use anything else, such as on a road trip. Obviously I cook it b/c I'm fairly sure the dogs wouldn't eat it otherwise. But it's not generally considered part of a BARF style diet.

Frozen veg? Nope, not at my house...the dogs' fruit and veg slop is made with whole, fresh ingredients including the vegetation. I only 'cheat' and use frozen if we're travelling. I don't make my own patties and I only use the pre-made ones occasionally (once every week or two at most). I serve RMB's, offal, slop, etc all separately but in the one bowl if that makes sense? The patties are a 'side dish' if you like but the RMB and other whole ingredients are the 'main course'. VAN makes a puppy mix I think so I wouldn't feed an adult mix to a pup...

So are you saying that you didn't separate each patty? That you defrosted the whole package at one time? If so, there's your problem. It's not the product but the user! Separate one or two patties from the end of the roll and only thaw that one or two at a time (depending on how many you plan to feed in ONE meal)...

It's not a roll though, but individual patties. Take the package out of the freezer, remove one patty (or more if you need more than one), defrost patty, feed it to dog/s. It *can* be tricky to separate the patties but I use a really sharp knife, tap it into the dividing join, and presto! The patty frees itself. ETA - I'm talking about Billinghurst patties. Also the VAN products are great, but I use the complete mix very rarely. It's got a LOT of grains in it and that's one reason I don't routinely feed it. The last package I bought would have been in late 2005...and I usually use it if we're travelling instead of fruit/veg pulp.

No.

My dogs get veg/fruit slop only two or three times a week. Don't stress about "how much of this how often" b/c that's going to do your head in. Just look at the overall food for a week and as long as you've got mostly RMBs, some whole muscle meat if you choose to feed it, veg/fruit, offal, they're the basics. The rest are "add-ins" that you give less frequently such as yoghurt, eggs, canned or raw fish, etc. I don't routinely supplement my dogs' diets with kelp or alfalfa either but they can get a cod liver oil capsule from time to time if needed.

Dogs in pain exhibit the behaviours you describe. Allow time for the anti-inflammatory shot to work, which should happen fairly quickly and the effects should stay for a couple of days. If no change, then back to the vet for further tests/medications. But you're going back anyway so that's OK. I would be keeping her warm and comfortable, with a soft bed and plenty of blankets, plus warm liquid-type foods for now. Offer small meals frequently because she may not be feeling very hungry. If you can spend some time with her now, please do so. If nothing else, she will feel comforted by your presence and you will feel better that you're spending this time together. I have had a few geriatric dogs now...it's sad to see them decline but they feel quite OK as long as we make them comfortable and show them we care. Sometimes they seem to want to be alone...allow your girl the choice at least some of the time (perhaps you can be in the next room).

I've been advised by more than one vet that the only drink a person should offer a dog or pup is water. In cases of severe dehydration where an IV fluid line is not required (or before making the decision to administer fluids via IV lines), then it's quite OK to offer water that has some electrolyte solution added. I also add ice cubes to my dogs' water bowls in hot weather. Dogs and pups are just like people - not designed to digest lactose! Cows milk should be reserved for...cows! ;) If you feel you simply must give your pup milk, then please obtain the powder from your vet and make up as per the directions. But it's really not necessary and IMO a complete waste of money. ;)

Showdog, We have rats and mice here (small plague at the moment) - we live in a commercial strip, Lola has already caught at least 1/2 dozen rats.. I know nothing about this extra vaccination - would you advise it for us?? If you live in the wet tropics, then yes - your dogs should be vaccinated against lepto. If you do not live in the wet tropics, then no - your dogs don't need protecting from a disease that doesn't exist where you live.

She only barks when outside. So the answer to your problem is simple: put her inside when you're not home.

This is not necessarily so, as C7 covers corona virus. I have never used C7 until recently when there was a big outbreak of parvo/viruses. I spoke to the vet about the viruses which were going around and he told me to get the C7 because he was finding that dogs vaccinated for Corona (which is the C7) were in fact faring better against the recent outbreak of gut viruses which were being attributed to parvo, many of which were quite possibly not parvo but corona. I will not use C7 as a rule in future, but should there be another bad outbreak of viruses like there was recently, I will consider it again. My dog had no adverse reactions from it at all and I had no trouble with viruses either. And the portion of my post that you quoted assumes that you read the whole post to which I was replying. Tia already mentioned 'corona' - my post was simply adding the name of the other virus that makes up the C7 vaccine...leptospirosis. It was lepto that I was referring to in the post that you've quoted me when I said that a C7 isn't necessary IF your vet is indicating it is necessary for lepto b/c lepto only occurs in the wet tropics. Tia made no mention of the necessity or otherwise of vaccinating against corona and b/c I've never had a (southern) vet recommend a C7, I do find it a little odd that a vet would ONLY offer a C7. Whatever happened to choice, to informing the consumer as to the genuine need for a particular course of action, of vets being open and honest with their clients? Personally, I would only opt for a C7 in the wet tropics. Or if my dogs had been vaccinated with C5 and we moved to a tropical location part-way through their vax-year, I'd opt for the lepto-only component. It works out more expensive in dollar terms, but I wouldn't be over-vaccinating my dogs, which is also a consideration for me. :rolleyes: BTW - lepto is virtually always fatal to dogs. It's not something to take lightly at all.

Ace is short for Acetyl Promazine. Ruby is aged six and a half years now and still gets motion sickness. So it isn't always something they "grow out of" and your vet should NOT be advising you that your dog will do so. :rolleyes:

Ruby suffers from genuine motion sickness. Our lovely vet in Melbourne prescribed Ace for her, which I have to say helped enormously. We are potentially looking at another road trip and I have no doubt that our current vet would do the same. Some dogs just don't "grow out" of motion sickness. And some don't "grow out" of anxiety-based responses. Either way, Ace works... :rolleyes:

Unless your dogs are travelling to the tropics, there is NO need for a C7...leptospirosis is the disease in question and it doesn't occur in temperature or cool climate regions, only in the wet, humid tropics. If this were me, I'd find another vet.

Paula, I'm so sorry to hear of Shadow's passing. You and Harry must be devastated. Shadow, run free at the Bridge...go show 'em what a GREYT girlie you are!

Any bones fed to a dog must be RAW. I think vets panic and assume we're all silly enough to feed our dogs cooked bones. Which I know some people do but really? Most of us are aware that bones are great for our dogs but they must be fed RAW. As for parasites...what a stupid thing to say. If you're buying from a reputable source, and if you're buying HUMAN GRADE foods, then it should be just fine. ;) The scare tactics some vets still seem to use are just ridiculous.