Andisa

If I feed all bones my Rottie will do the same, I feed ox cheek with the bones to prevent constipation. I often add fruit/veggies to the meat as well. Many raw feeders hate it when people say to add fruit/veggies, as they don't get the full benefit that we do. Can't hurt, but they love it and it adds to the bulk without the grain. I also add 3 caps. of fish oil or sardines to the meals. You can add liver or kidney but be careful not to give too much or it will give the reverse effect. Not nice. But it will get things moving. I either use barf patties bought or homemade or add the Vets all natural (less than the recommended amount due to the grains) to the meat. Are you feeding chicken mince (pet mince) with the frames, if so this is a double whammy of bones as the chicken mince (pet mince) is usually minced up chicken frames. Make sure that they are not putting any nasties in the mince, its no good. Easy test is to separate the mince a bit, if it is the same color all through then they add crap to keep in longer, if it is not nice and pink all the way through then it should be chemically free. You can still feed it but you will need to add the extras to get things moving again. The vet will probably tell you to stop feeding the bones, remember that most vets think that pet food comes out of packets. Most have forgotten that dogs and cats need bones, not just physically but mentally as well. If your vet recommends bones then your luckier than me. Mine (3 so far) hate them, and I have been lectured about "people like you who put their pets in danger will never get it" then he added "irresponsible people like you". But that's another story.

She may have said the # 10 because she thought that the dog was heavily matted or gave you the # 10 blade as most clippers are purchased with a # 10 blade. I would only use # 10 doing a tidy up around the face (poodle look), feet and private bits, under the armpits if matted. Leave the head longer (fuller) than the body and shape with curved scissors (depends on personal choice) invest in a #3-#4, (nice length) #5-#7 (short length) to use on the body and legs. You can scissor (long straight scissors) the legs instead of using the clippers for a fuller look to the legs. Try to get hold of a grooming book to get the idea where to use what blade. After a bit of practice you will get the hang of it. If you go back too short, it will grow back, just take a little longer. Tip, when cutting around the fringe comb forward and shape around the fringe, don't comb back and trim, or it will look silly. The eye brows will grow back. Trim the ears and tail to desired length. You may want to get adventurous and give your pooch a lion trim, # 10 will give a nice shaved bum. ( I have done this to my Maltese - just for fun, it was worth a laugh)

I don't feed the full strength VaN, as I don't want to give too much grains to her (still don't like the idea of grains all together) but she otherwise seems fine. I usually only use 1/3 of the mixture. At first her skin went a little flaky, but with the fish oil caps that was soon sorted out. By the sounds of things apart from the grain in VaN, there is not that much difference with that and the barf. I think that it depends on what meat / meat-bone that is mixed with the VaN. My Rottweiler has NEVER eaten dry or canned food ever, so I can not compare grains with her, other than the little she has had with the VaN. I was only trying this out but will go back to the barf, as I am a Barf distributor. I am looking in to stocking both, so out of curiosity I thought that I should give it a go. I have noticed that the end product is not as good as when she was on all Barf though. So picking up after her is not as pleasant. I have also tried all RMB's no Barf or VaN and following Lonsdales way as well. Adding organ meat 2 x p/wk. I will give pretty much give anything a go just so long as I stick to Raw. I do believe that like any diet, there is more than one way to feed Raw. I do personally think that Billinghurst based diet is a bit too bony, so extra meat needs to be fed to avoid constipation. I suppose that it all depends on the dog that is being fed. Just out of curiosity I have noticed that my 13 yo Maltese is not keen on the Billinghurst Barf diet, but will eat the meat/VaN. or home made barf without garlic / brewers yeast. He is a Chicken man by choice. This little man has never been in better health since he has been raw fed. He has a heart murmur, kidney or liver problems (can't remember which) arthritis in his L fr foot. He is medication free and stuts his stuff as good as the young dogs. Changing his diet possibly saved his life. He was barely 2 + kgs when we got him 5-6 yrs ago and for the first couple of years that we had him, we could never get the weight on him. After a huge struggle changing his diet over (he ate next to nothing for 2 weeks) he is in the best condition of his life. He averages 4 kg +/ -. He is 22cm high. He can grow his coat long now, before a natural diet his coat would break off when it was only an inch long. His skin is like that of a young dog. His ears look "brand new" and his eyes are still quite clear. Not bad for 13 yrs, most people ask me "how old is your puppy, she's beautiful". You would never know that he is 13 yo male.

My girl will hopefully be having her 1st litter Oct 1. (to be confirmed) I have spoken to many breeders and ordered in Wombaroo. As I have not needed to do this before now, I have decided to go with what I was told to be better than the other brands. Other breeders have said that they have used different brands with less growth rate than what Wombaroo can do when raising whole litters or supplementing. Wombaroo is the leading brand that the Zoo's use. I figure that if they think it is good enough for them, then I will give it a go. I have a Rottweiler, if she takes after her Mother /Grand Mother, then I will need it. I ordered in 2 x 5 kg bags for me and another 2 x 5kg bags for a friend. Good luck with your babies, I have been following your girls progress. She is beautiful, so are her babies. (keep up with the chicken, she needs it, she will eat other food when she is ready) Check out LEERBURG KENNELS. They breed GSD and highly recommend their homemade puppy milk. Quick and easy, I would have used it if I couldn't get the wombaroo. Lisa. I didn't look at the date, I have no idea how I found this old one any way. Funny timing though.

My girl will hopefully be having her 1st litter Oct 1. (to be confirmed) I have spoken to many breeders and ordered in Wombaroo. As I have not needed to do this before now, I have decided to go with what I was told to be better than the other brands. Other breeders have said that they have used different brands with less growth rate than what Wombaroo can do when raising whole litters or supplementing. Wombaroo is the leading brand that the Zoo's use. I figure that if they think it is good enough for them, then I will give it a go. I have a Rottweiler, if she takes after her Mother /Grand Mother, then I will need it. I ordered in 2 x 5 kg bags for me and another 2 x 5kg bags for a friend. Good luck with your babies, I have been following your girls progress. She is beautiful, so are her babies. (keep up with the chicken, she needs it, she will eat other food when she is ready) Check out LEERBURG KENNELS. They breed GSD and highly recommend their homemade puppy milk. Quick and easy, I would have used it if I couldn't get the wombaroo. Lisa.

You should have no problems. I have fed Shih Tzu pups from 6 weeks on whole chicken wings, never bothered to cut them at all. They can manage more than we give them credit for. Just keep an eye on the pup until you can feel comfortable. Lisa.

I don't usually contribute, but I couldn't go past this one. 2 1/2 yrs ago we lost our 12 yo GSD x Collie, due to Rimadyl. She was on a high dose due to severe arthritis, but we were never told about how dangerous this medication is. When she first started with Rimadyl, only 1/2 tab a day only if necessary, she coped with it. But as she got worse, she ended up on 3 tabs p/d. Within less than 2 weeks she was pts. Signs are passing blood, diarrhea, lethargic, vomiting - the list goes on. I would strongly advise anyone to treat any of these drugs with caution. I will not give them to any of my pets again. I changed my dogs diets over to all raw after researching about arthritis and cancer. I ask you to please do a google search on RIMADYL and learn all that you can. I hope that no one ever has to watch the pain and suffering that Rimadyl can put a dog through. I felt that my beautiful old girl should have passed with dignity, I believe that instead she was murdered by the drugs that I gave her. In your research you will find that Rimadyl has a very high death rate all over the world. Strangely enough the highest death rate is with Labradors. This is not the wonder drug that it is claimed to be. I personally wish that it was taken off the market. Since your dog is so young I would only use all natural diet and supplements as soon as possible. I would hate to hear of another dog going through what mine did. I am a groomer and have tried to warn many people from using Rimadly, sadly only to get that dreaded phone call telling me that they had lost their dog because of a bad reaction to that drug. Good luck and please do the research. Lisa.