koolietas

How true

Yep, I'll say...I had enough trouble getting it out of the bag :rolleyes:

Sucker here spent $11 on a fresh farmed rabbit for Koolie last night...it was his first 'experience' with rabbit - and boy did he like it! He stood by the back door for over an hour after he'd finished as if to say "where's the other half". He usually gets chicken, roo, lamb & pork bones...so I suppose rabbit is pretty different to those meats. I found it quite hard to chop the rabbit in half though - kept thinking about all those fluffy bunnies

That's awesome news! You must be sooooo relieved!

We had a peke once that had the surgery to remove the eyelashes that were annoying her...she never had a problem after that...so there are long term success stories!

Lea...I'm not 100% certain, but I think tuna is regarded as an oily fish?

My last sheltie died of a suspected liver tumor just on two years ago...(I didn't have an autopsy done - so we're not 100% certain)...but he went into respiratory failure (and his abdomen had also filled with fluid) so we had to have him pts 4 days shy of his 9th birthday ;) About 15 months prior to his passing, his liver enzyme levels skyrocketed, and after several months of conventional treatment (including a liver biopsy, which failed to find anything) the vet suggested having him pts. I couldn't believe that my 7yo sheltie was facing this...so did some research (mainly via the internet) and then consulted with a holistic vet and together, we managed to get on the right path! What we did... * Liver supplement - 'LivaTone PLUS' Oral Powder by Dr Sandra Cabot (you can buy it at most health food shops). This product contains herbs such as milk thistle which are renowned for liver health/support. * Changed his diet from premium wet/dry food to cooked fish (non-oily fish such as ling, dory, flathead, cod etc.) plus cooked vegetables (pumpkin, carrot, cabbage, potatoes etc.) and was fed 2-3 small meals a day (this is better for the liver rather than one big meal per day) * Accupuncture - had weekly sessions to begin with, and as his enzymes dropped, every 3 months (with enzyme check at the same time). Ernie went from having v.high enzyme levels to the lower end of normal levels within a couple of weeks after we made these changes...he also lost weight and his arthritis disappeared. He was a different dog for that last year - the happiest/healthiest we had ever seen him. Although his death was sudden (he'd only been to the vet for a check up the week before he died - and everything looked great then) it was at least some comfort to know that he had felt better for the last 12 months. There is hope! My boy was proof of that...depending on what your vet specialises in...I would definitely recommend seeking out an alternate vet that will support you in changing his diet/accupuncture/herbal treatments etc. My thoughts are with you guys (Nadine & Lea) - I know as many other DOL people do how terrifying that horrible 'c' word is...but you'll be happier knowing that you are doing everything possible for your furkids :D Feel free to PM me if you would like to...it's always easier to talk to someone who knows what you're going through...

Thanks for your replies everyone. It sounds like the old rule of thumb 'everything in moderation' might be the case here...I think I'll do some more research before I make a decision either way. In the mean time, I'm sure Koolie will be happy to keep getting his sardines/tuna/salmon straight outta the can :D

I have been feeding my boy a barf diet for the past 20 months or so (he's now 2) and have been hesitant to feed raw fish...the only fish he gets is tinned sardines/red salmon/tuna a couple of times a week. I would like to start giving him raw fish - and am curious as to what types of raw fish is best/suitable...?

My boy is fed on a BARF diet (mostly organic). He is never supplemented with any processed foods and all treats I buy are preservative free. I have read online that some dogs don't do well on Barf - so I am really glad that my boy does as I much prefer the Barf diet to cooked/processed foods. You will find very few vets that either know or will recommend a Barf diet. From what I understand, many don't even know what it is and keep in mind most vets get a 'kickback' from selling processed foods (kibble, cans etc.) in their clinics. You will also not find many breeders in Aus that feed their dogs on Barf either. Many receive bags of kibble as prizes at shows - so they seem to use these for their dogs. My vet (a holistic one) highly recommends Barf diets for dogs and cats - but other vets in the same practice don't even know what barf is... IMO Barf is definitely worth a try with your gal... My cats (13, 11 & 9) were never brought up on a barf diet - (although any cats I have in the future will be fed barf) so I feed them Eagle Pack or Nutrience cans & kibble - and they all seem to be doing really well on these products. Good luck - its a very important decision to make. I would recommend doing as much reading/research as possible.

My boy is fed on Barf and has been since he was 5 months old. Before that, he was on a mixture of rmb and a premium dry food (EP) - which he didn't eat very often... He's been fed a mixture of home made barf and the pre-made patties (Billinghurst) and has done great on both. Now the pre-packed patties aren't available in Tas, he is on home made barf and is probably in the best condition of his life. He does really well on barf which I'm very thankful for, as I personally believe it is the best diet for dogs - but I have heard that some dogs don't do well on barf - so I suppose it really comes down to what is best for your dog.

I do my veg pulp separately to the meat... the veg pulp is frozen into daily portions in plastic containers that I can re-use...and every month I get 4 kilos of roo mince from the butcher which I separate into meals and freeze those into sandwich bags. The reason I do the veg & meat separately is so that I have veg separate if I want to add sardines etc. for variety. I add the supplements (garlic, brewers yeast, kelp powder, flaxseed meal, eggs, yoghurt etc.) to the meat - and boy do I hate the smell of the kelp powder - yuck!!!!

Koolie was fed Dr B patties for approx 6 months and he loved them. Unfortunately, they are no longer available in Tas (as we are the only state in Aus that it is actually illegal to feed dogs offal) so I'm doing a home Barf diet now. To be honest, as much as the Dr B patties are convenient, less timely etc. I think Koolie is doing better on the home Barf diet. He seems to have lots more energy (hmmm....is that such a good thing????!!!!) and is coat is a lot shinier too. If the patties were still available, I would definitely have some in the freezer though. They are a good standby - and for me, much better than dry food etc.

My sheltie often has build up of wax - so I clean his ears once a week with a Malaseb dilution (1 part Malaseb to 30 parts Saline). He suffered an ear infection last year, and ran away from me every time I went near him with a bottle of drops - he hated it, and I hated doing it too...so I know what you mean about 'the battle'. Whatever drops you put in your furkids ears - warm it up first! When I was using bottles of drops (epi-otic etc.) I would warm the bottle in a sink of hot water (similar I suppose to warming baby's bottles) so it's not such a 'shock' to them when you're putting the drops in their ears...I now heat the saline first and then add the malaseb - he seems to tolerate this much better now! Good luck!

The vet told me this morning that it is transmitted by air (similar to humans with colds) and dogs can only get it if they are in close contact (ie. coughed on) by another dog that has the disease... I'm going to the vet tonight, so shall ask more about it then...there seems to be conflicting advice/thoughts on how it is transmitted...and the incubation period. The vet also said this morning that they've seen heaps of cases in their practice the past few weeks (Hobart).

Hi Andrea, One of Koolie's best buddies (who is fully vaccinated) may have contracted KC too (vet wasn't 100% certain yesterday) - so it definitely seems like it's doing the rounds in Tas at the moment. Licks from Koolie to Scandal and hope that he's feeling much better soon. Cheers, Catherine