VintageDiva

Check out your local supermarkets and pet supply stores. I get fish heads at my local seafood shop, kangaroo tail pieces, rabbits and beef steaks from a local pet supply/feed store, and chicken frames from Lenard's. Supermarkets stock many things at reasonable prices - I've picked up chicken giblets, chicken necks and prawns from the deli sections (plus I've found that chicken pieces like wings/thighs/legs are cheaper in the deli than in the actual meat department of the same store). Through extensive searching of the supermarkets in my local area I've been lucky enough to find fresh goat, quail, rabbit, kangaroo and the usual assorted bits and pieces like offal/organs/other meat. For some reason the supermarket in the lower income part of town has the most variety meat wise - not sure why, but it's good for me!

Charcoal biscuits are great for teeth (reducing tartar build-up etc) and also for helping with bad breath.

Hi Tiggy, I also don't have ready access to whole prey, and make do with what I can find. I'm always looking for something new! I don't measure exact percentages or amounts with Bean's diet (meat/bone/offal); I simply keep a mental check on what he's eaten during the week and adjust things accordingly. I've had no real problems with weight control (he seems to burn it off quickly). However, if he does look heavier, I simply reduce the meal size for a couple or days. Bean also gets a fast day once a week or so. An average weekly diet for my 20kg, 23-month-old Staffy would be: Monday: Half a beef neck (this inedible bone gives Bean something to chew on throughout the week while I'm at work) in the morning AND small homemade offal/organ patty with a couple of chicken giblets for dinner. Tuesday: Kong stuffed with two chicken necks/chopped boiled egg for breakfast AND large turkey frame for his main meal. Wednesday: No main meal (semi-fast day due to the big meal the day before) AND small homemade offal/organ patty with a raw egg for dinner. Thursday: Kong stuffed with two chicken necks for breakfast AND large lamb neck or pig trotter for his main meal. Friday: Kong stuffed with two chicken necks for breakfast AND a large, fresh salmon head for his main meal. Saturday: Raw egg in shell for breakfast AND half a rabbit for his main meal AND small homemade offal/organ patty with a couple of giblets for dinner. Sunday: No breakfast AND a good sized section of goat for his main meal AND small homemade offal/organ patty for dinner. Feeding a raw diet is a lot of fun! I always enjoy finding great meat bargains and thinking up new things to stuff in his Kong. It's also always nice when people comment on Bean's shiny and fresh-smelling coat, sparkling white teeth, and odour-free breath! Feeding raw makes so much sense.

Hi Alan, Unfortunately I can't offer any advice, but I can bump you back up to the top of the forum. Hopefully you'll have some responses soon.

I also like to leave my dog with something to do while I'm away at work. The big thing is to give him/her a good walk or a run not too long before you head off to work - this really does help. As for keeping him busy, I give him one bone a week which I know he can't completely eat. This is so he has something to gnaw on for the rest of the week, and also more than one "big" bone a week wears the teeth down. Bean used to get marrow bones, but these caused problems (lots of stomach gurgling, then diarrhoea). He now either gets half a beef rack (only a few dollars for a whole rack at the butcher - they generally just chuck them out) or a beef neck/back bone. The beef rack doesn't include much meat/fat; it's mainly bone. The beef necks/chuck bones are meatier, but also include parts the dog cannot eat, so there's always bits left to gnaw on later. As other people have mentioned, Kongs are great too. But I have yet to work out how to make them last very long - even when I freeze mince etc inside, my little monster is finished relatively quickly. Hope this gives you some ideas... good luck!

I'm on a strict budget at the moment and have found I can feed Bean really well on a very small amount... He's mainly on all-chicken for health reasons at the moment. Chicken frames (totally edible and still with a fair amount of meat & fat on them) are only 25c each at Lenard's. Lenard's also have chicken cuts (meaty legs, wings, thighs) for $1.99 a kilo. Also pet chicken mince (I mix it with mashed or grated vegies) is something like 80c a kilo. For cheap but nutritious extras I add things like a bit of fishy cat food (no name brands actually seem to be the most additive-free), a raw egg, gravy from last night's dinner, or some of the oil from a tin of tuna. I also check out the pet section in the meat aisle at the supermarket when I'm shopping. There are generally always great bargains, especially with lamb offcuts.

Definitely raw for all meats. I mix raw chicken mince with cooked mashed vegies for extra nutrition, and stuff that in the Kong. You can freeze it in there as well, which means it will take your dog longer to eat (and keep them out of trouble for longer!). It's a good boredom buster for work days.

Thanks everyone! Though ignoring him doesn't seem to be helping overly much, and I'm about to post a request for help about two of his bad habits in the General section. I had no idea Staffies could be such little terrors (looking cute all the while)!

What a great story! I think I may have to start carrying round a bag of treats with me 24/7...

When I first got him home the mouthing was constant whenever he was extra happy. I didn't do what I should have done right at the start, which was stand up and walk away, ignoring him. I just moved my hand out of the path of his mouth. Now that I immediately stop giving him attention and walk away, I have noticed lessening in the mouthing but he definitely still does it if I forget to be calm when saying hello etc. I'm in Bendigo. And I will be joining the local obedience club... my sister is an instructor there so she will hopefully be giving me some good tips (I'm sure she wouldn't want me to embarrass her)! We start Beginners Class on the first Sunday in April. I've already started training him at home to walk calmly, sit and wait. He learns quickly apart from a tendency to pull a fair bit when walking and to be distracted by anything and everything - people, dogs and cyclists in particular! As for the jumping problem, Terrorbull... that doesn't seem to be getting any better at all! It's obviously something he's been allowed to do all his life. He still jumps on me whenever he feels like it, especially when he wants to get my attention. I've started to tell all my friends and family to turn around and ignore it as well, otherwise I don't see any way he'll ever learn it's not good to jump.

They definitely are icky! Bean is much better now. He's on an all chicken diet at the moment with some mashed pumpkin and carrot for tea to keep up the vegetable side of things. He gobbles it all up and looks for more! I hope to post some photos of him soon in the Photo section. He's been with me for just over a fortnight now and it's all still a little overwhelming. He's a great dog in so many ways though, and that is definitely helping... he just needs obedience training and help with kicking some bad habits he seems to have been allowed to get away with in his previous home (mouthing and jumping up in particular, which look deeply ingrained and may take awhile to stop).

Thanks Terrorbull... We went to the vet this afternoon. It's not worms, has nothing to do with the desexing and isn't his anal glands. The vet thinks it's a food allergy which is aggravating his gut. I'll be feeding him a bland diet of cooked chicken and rice for a week or so, to see if that stops the scooting. I'm thinking it may be a beef or lamb allergy, as it's only been in the last 5 or so days that he's been getting that, and the scooting etc started three or four days ago. I guess I'll just have to do an elimination diet... I'm glad you like the name! I get a lot of positive responses about it - even the vet nurses call him "Beanie Baby" sometimes, like I do! You just can't help it... he's so cute! I've attached a photo taken last week.

Thanks for that... I just got back from a walk with Bean and have remembered a few things I should have mentioned! He was wormed during his checkup the day after I brought him home (9 days ago) so I don't think it's that. Also, I have seen him straining occasionally when going to the toilet.

I brought Bean, my 13 month old Staffy, home about 10 days ago. Today was one week since he was desexed. For the last two days (approx) he has been maniacly rubbing his bottom along on the grass, dirt, carpet, mat etc. I am not sure if this is itchiness/uncomfortableness from the castration or impacted anal glands or an infection. Any help/advice would be appreciated! It has been one week since his desexing; the internal stitches area looks good with just some general redness. For the first 13 months of his life (until I adopted him) he lived on canned food and the occasional chicken neck and assorted bones; I don't know if he has suffered impacted anal glands before. For the last 10 days he has been eating the BARF diet, with chicken frames, assorted fully-edible bones, raw vegetables etc etc. I weaned him off the canned food over the first three days. He has had minor diarrohea (interspersed with normal poos) for two days or so. His anal area looks a little red - possibly from the friction/rubbing? All other health aspects are good - he has not vomited, is definitely not dull or listless, loves his food, loves his walks, and has settled down well in his new home with me. The bottom rubbing mainly occurs after he makes a sudden lurch to his feet, like he has a sudden itch; occasionally he will be calmly sitting down outside when he does it. He gets a "bigger" edible bone when I head off to my part-time job during the week, to keep him occupied for a little while; this is generally part of a lamb neck. Could a bit of bone have aggravated him on the way out? Or still be stuck in there? Should I be upping his weekly dose of vegetable oil to help him? Any advice and comments would be appreciated... as a first time dog owner (have had family dogs before but at age 28 this is my first dog just for me) everything is a bit new and a little overwhelming! Thanks