Sheridan

I feed my dogs sardines and Eaglepack holistic anchovy. The reason is because I had a neverending stream of tummy troubles and diarhhea after my Grumpy came to live with me (totally different environment - did you know environment can affect a dog??). I tried loads of things and nothing worked except this, so your generalisation is simply that. Oh, and before commercial dog food, my family fed table scraps, so they STILL would not have fed BARF because, a little history for you, Moselle, since you don't seem to know, BARF is a fairly new thing. The first time I heard of it was 1999 when I joined a wheaten email list. So, please, cease pushing this wheelbarrow of you're totally right because this thread has already shown that you're not.

Yeah and without cortisone my dog would have been utterly miserable and I would have had to have him put to sleep at 9 months of age as his quality of life would have been crap. At least cortisone let him have some semblance of normality during his time here. Quite frankly, your suggestion that people who use cortisone as a 'short cut' is offensive. Those people who do use it know that like any drug, cortisone has its good and bad sides and have to make that informed decision. I had a kerry that had an autoimmune disease that affected his joints. Cortisone enabled him to move. There was no cure for the autoimmune disease, no possible treatment for the underlying cause, so I wonder how that one would have been sorted out?

Can you be 100% certain that your wheaten passed away at 6 years of age because he was fed a raw diet? Perhaps if he had been fed a commercial diet he could have passed away sooner than he did....he may very well have had kidney issues from the time he was born. He didn't pass away because of his diet. He would have passed away no matter what he was fed, hence my view that each dog is different. It's just that the BARF people tend to push it as the be all and end all and that isn't necessarily the best thing for the dog. That may be because of an underlying illness, as my dog had, or it may be that the dog doesn't do well on raw. People need to make up their own minds about what is best for their dog without proponents of one food method or another shoving it down their throats, no intended pun.

I fed my last wheaten raw and he died a month short of his sixth birthday of kidney disease. I feed my current wheaten, Woollies sardines, mackerel, and EP anchovy and salmon. He's the healthiest 14.5 year old dog I've ever come across. I suggest that each individual dog is different and a lot of the people pushing one way of feeding wouldn't notice any discernible difference in their dog's condition if they fed them Chum.

Hmmm, good point. Is not the 'P' in RSPCA 'prevention? By definition, it should be about enforcement not about waiting until the cruelty happens. Proactive not reactive, that sort of thing. I suppose if anyone pointed this out to them they'd blather about resources while they quietly pocket squillions in donations. It's 'cupcake day' on the 16th. Methinks anyone who asks me as a doggy person to contribute will get a wee bit of a lecture.

The application was withdrawn not overruled according to the above. It may yet come back.

No corn? What then is corn gluten meal? And tallow? Following is the ingredients list off the website for the food I feed my dogs. Maybe I'm having eye problems but I still can't see corn (gluten meal or otherwise) or tallow? ADULT LAMB AND RICE A premium quality dry food being used by breeders/exhibitors and pet owners with outstanding results. PROTEIN MIN 22% - FAT MIN 12% - FIBRE MAX 4.5% - ASH MAX 11% - PHOSPHOROUS MAX 1.5% - CALCIUM MIN 1.45% - MOISTURE MAX 10% Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Oats, Rice Bran, Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbyl Palmitate), Brewers Dried Yeast, Lecithin, Natural Lamb Flavour, Dried Carrots, Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Blueberries, Dandelion, Peppermint, Rosemary. Tomato Meal, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, DL-Methionine, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate. Okay, then I'm confused as to what brand this actually is. I thought it was the one I queried as that was the post you responded to.

No corn? What then is corn gluten meal? And tallow?

Not every breed has a breed club and some breed communities are so divided that neither side could be trusted to be objective about the other. Too true Sheridan and that creates problems for themselves but I think the issue is to weed out those who are breeding numerous litters without any thought of maintaining the standards and show no interest other than money in the breed.there are also the ''pioneers''who want to import a new breed,but these would probably have been involved with other breeds or with that breed in other countries,so would have a reputation good or bad and Im sure theres a lot involved,also with the less popular breeds these wouldnt be targeted by puppy farmers and it would be near impossible to buy undesexed dogs to breed with its more the ones who cash in on the breed of the moment and designer dogs, Years ago our family bought a giant schnauzer out of the one of the first Australian litters these dogs had great temps and were very healthy others imported later in other states had bad temps which may have been either bad luck or bad choice but it could have destroyed the breeds reputation in Australia. No, it doesn't. Frankly, some breeds are better off without clubs. +1 Breed clubs are a great idea as long as there are no people involved.

It's a switch in the cockpit that must be manually switched on by the cabin crew.

Not every breed has a breed club and some breed communities are so divided that neither side could be trusted to be objective about the other.

Aside from one dog when we were growing up, my family always got their dogs from registered breeders as we have the various Irish terrier breeds. No problems in finding them in the days of no Internet despite my dad never going to a dog show until I took him to the Melbourne Royal in 1999. Irish connections, no doubt. When we went to the Royal in '99, we were actually looking at the kerries but on being invited back the next day to meet a wheaten, we did, and the rest is history. Mini came to me because I threw myself in Merijigs path shouting, 'Pick me! Pick me!'

Why should it only be registered breeders who are affected by this? Clicking on the links for any pound, I see a lot of crossbreeds. I don't know if you're aware of this but in the main, registered breeders don't breed crossbreeds.

If you cannot afford to pay for a dog, the question will be can you then afford to pay ongoing expenses?

I used to feed lamb shanks but they're too bloody expensive now!

Australian shepherds, I think we get it.

Victoria has become a virulently anti-dog state.

Quite so, poodlefan.

At 2.24 the dog was lame. Make up your mind.

So, the not lame dog turned into a lame dog who turned into a not lame dog again. Well, okay.

I don't stand in doorways, Grumpy does. Explain that one Dr Range.

What does the ad say?

Don't post if you don't want people's opinions, is my advice. Or rather, state up front that you only want those who agree with you to post. That way, the majority needn't bother.

I am surprised at this suggestion given how often people are lambasted for dumping their dogs onto pounds to pts rather than taking responsibility and arranging it themselves.

At the risk of being accused of being dramatic, I have no idea why you're asking anything since you seem to have made up your mind before posting. Me, if it were my dog kicked by a much larger and heavier pony, not weight bearing, I'd be taking the dog to the vet to be checked out. But then, I am dramatic when it comes to my dogs' health.