aussielover

Just wondering if anyone has tried the new Hills metabolic diet for weight loss in dogs or cats?

Trying to work out whether to change our food for weight clinics or not.

Have heard positive reviews about the new metabolic food- apparently you don't have to be quite as strict with this particular food?

Most of the negatives I've heard about is that it is expensive, the kibble is quite big and that it causes copious smelly poos.

Thanks :)

I gave a friend $400 to look after my dog for 3 weeks. It was at her house though so there were no other duties.

Pet sitting businesses usually charge between $25-40 per day.

I'd probably give them around $5-600 for the three weeks depending on what other duties were required.

That's just my opinion though...

Not sure where to put this but I thought canberra people should be aware.

Animal emergency centre and Lost Pet database have reported 2 separate incidents of suspected poisonings today. So far I can only find facebook information.

Suspected poisonings have occurred in the Charnwood area with up to 4 dogs reported to have died. Ratbait is the suspected cause.

Also in Bonner, baited meatballs were thrown into a dogs yard- luckily the owner saw and the dog is ok. There have been other reports of poisonings in this area as well. It looks like snail bait was used in this case.

Please keep an eye on your pets, and report any suspicious behaviour.

https://www.facebook.com/aeccanberra

https://www.facebook.com/CanberraLostPetDabase

That's so sweet!

BTW your guinea pigs and bunnies look like they have an awesome enclosure!

Well DAS release entire dogs for rehoming. New owners are given a voucher for desexing but it's not really enforced

Your pups, your choice.

If you don't think the dogs you breed can cope in this situation it's best to be honest and upfront with buyers.

I would be honest and upfront with a breeder about my work hours and how I intend make them work with a pup and then it's up to them to decide.

I love frenchies :)

As other have said, you should get the dog fully vet checked before considering dietary changes. This would include full blood panel and possibly even xrays as he may have something like a partial obstruction in his gut somewhere.

Often when dogs have a mild tummy upset vets recommend cooked chicken and rice, however this is a temporary measure and is not fully nutritionally balanced so not appropriate for long term use.

I wouldn't be feeding a dog with vomiting and diarrhoea any raw meat or bones until the cause of the problem has been identified.

A Raw diet can be more cost effective then kibble but i'm not sure exactly what you mean by home cooked. I guess it would depend on the ingredients you use as to whether it would be cost effective.

I spend quite a bit on my dog- she is a large breed though. Previously she was on a premium brand kibble, but I've just started feeding a raw based diet which at the moment I'm probably spending a but more on than the dry food. It seems to be worth it though. Her coat is a lot shinier and healthy looking, and she seems to have more energy, and of course she just loves the food!

Agree you should contact K9Pro.

It sounds quite serious at the moment. Until I could consult with a behaviourist, I would not be giving this dog free range in the house or yard at this stage and definitely not ever have food or toys freely available when this dog is around. You could even consider leaving a long lead on him when he is in the yard or anywhere he could pick up something you don't want him to have.

I am not sure medication would be beneficial unless he also has other issues as well. I've actually not heard of medication being used for resource guarding alone. In some cases they can actually make the dog more aggressive.

On a positive note, resource guarding is quite often relatively easily resolved, although like all behavioural problems may require some degree of management for the rest of the dog's life.

When I switched to raw about five weeks ago I started off with VAN because it was an easy way to feed raw. After doing a lot of reading I've moved on to more of a prey model diet with 80% meat 10%bone 10% offal. But I still add a little bit of VAN to each meal. Ive found that ingredients are easy to get, but it pays to shop around and compare prices. Staples for me are chicken drumsticks and beef mince because its cheap and always available at Aldi. Ox heart, lamb heart, lamb neck & ribs I buy from the butcher. Chicken liver and giblets from Coles. And green tripe from Petbarn.

Have you noticed any improvement/change in your dogs condition or anything?

I bought the VAN mix and am soaking it now. It smells pretty good!

Cost isn't that much of an issue for me but I dont want to spend hours searching for and preparing my dogs meals!

I only use lamb flaps and chicken frames for bones as my dog had had an obstruction from a bone before. Is this ok or does she need more variety?

Through Linda. She organized for mindy to be part of the long term trial in Australia.

It's not available for regular vets yet in Australia

My dog had been on it for about 3 years now. Unfortunately it seems not to have had much effect with her so we have stopped them now.

I have heard that other people have had better results but realistically the absolute best I have ever heard of is a 50% reduction in symptoms. Most improvement with in the 30% range and it's difficult to tell whether it's placebo effect (in the owners mind), other treatments etc until you stop the injections.

What has helped my dog the most is moving to a cold dry climate. The new apoquel tablets are good and she also responded well to Atopica.

Which would you recommend?

I've been doing some reading and vets all naturAl and barf seems to be based on similar principles and are both veterinary developed.

Raw or prey model advocates seem to suggest that veggies and grains are not needed at all in the diet?

Which do you prefer and which is easiest to prepare/get ingredients for?

My lab lies in a frog position all the time and waddles when she walks. She has been xrayed and has fantastic hips.

I wouldn't worry if the pup is active and not showing any signs of pain :)

Agility equipment should not be fixed or solid!!!

It's unsafe dogs, especially fast dogs that know what they are doing and can't necessarily tell the equipment is concrete.

A malinois actually died in Europe in a regular agility competition from hitting the tunnel (I think it was actually the way the tunnel bags were placed) very hard.

Is the dog lame, showing signs of pain or abnormal or restricted movement?

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They surprisingly did have health insurance although they're saying the health insurance refuses to pay....

Good luck to evergone going to agility nationals 2014! Wish I could be there too!

Good luck to those trialling at Glenreagh this weekend as well. I had a great time there last year.

All i can say is I hope the little girl recovers from this and actually is benefitting from all the press and donations.

KFC hasn't completed their investigation and are offering the 30k regardless of the outcome which is a good gesture I think.

If we look at facts alone, realistically all we have at this stage is the grandmothers word that the incident occurred like it did.

Interesting to note that the fundraising goal has changed more than 3 times since the KFC incident to over double the original aim.

But as i said all that really matters is that the little girl gets better.

Yes westiemum it's the same drug. It's worked very well for my dog. It cans out the the US this year in early jan. Unfortunately it may be a year or two before we get it.

They have comfortis for cats in NZ but we still don't have it either

They are very cute labradore! I think your older boy is more similar to my dog in type. With the other one, this is a dog I'd have to touch in person to condition score, but I don't think he's overweight at a glance. He has a lovely happy face :)

Overweight dogs in agility, flyball, retrieving, herding etc do generally not win, and would certainly not win a prestigious national competition.

I have no problems with type- horses for courses.

I prefer dogs, of whatever breed, mix or type to be fit and lean. And I do expect a labrador to look somewhat athletic, it is after all a gundog. But perhaps my interpretations and expectations are wrong. Luckily there are people breeding dogs like this even if they're not winning in the show ring.

It is still undergoing approval in Australia as far as I'm aware. There's actually a world wide shortage at the moment as well.

My dog is currently in a long term trial of this drug. It's certainly an effective drug in many cases, although all drugs carry risks of side effects. The risks are similar to Atopica (cyclosporine). It's faster acting than Atopica, but I have no idea how $$$ it will be.

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Cavaliers are generally good family dogs- very gentle and sweet but can also keep up with higher energy activity if required.

If people would consider an adult dog then a well trained lab or Goldie could suit.

Marvellous that the pet owners here know more about specific breeds than some of the most learned judges in the country. ie, labradors, and Westminster. Of course the judge wouldn't know a good labrador. He has probably never seen one.

Read up on the labrador - see what his job was .... and still is in a lot of cases. It was not to canter a couple of meters and drag home a sparrow or two. He needs a great spring of rib, excellent layback of shoulder and hindquarter to do the job he was meant for. He does not need long legs like a greyhound.

I don't think the Westminster dog is particularly fat .... I think if you saw him and had your hands on him, he would prove to have an excellent spring of rib, and good conformation. and a "dense" coat, as required by the standard.

Quotes from the AKC standard of the breed.

The Labrador Retriever is a strongly built, medium-sized, short-coupled, dog possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation that enables it to function as a retrieving gun dog; the substance and soundness to hunt waterfowl or upland game for long hours under difficult conditions

Above all, a Labrador Retriever must be well balanced, enabling it to move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort. The typical Labrador possesses style and quality without over refinement, and substance without lumber or cloddiness. The Labrador is bred primarily as a working gun dog; structure and soundness are of great importance.

Proportion--Short-coupled; length from the point of the shoulder to the point of the rump is equal to or slightly longer than the distance from the withers to the ground. Distance from the elbow to the ground should be equal to one half of the height at the withers. The brisket should extend to the elbows, but not perceptibly deeper. The body must be of sufficient length to permit a straight, free and efficient stride; but the dog should never appear low and long or tall and leggy in outline. Substance--Substance and bone proportionate to the overall dog. Light, "weedy" individuals are definitely incorrect; equally objectionable are cloddy lumbering specimens. Labrador Retrievers shall be shown in working condition well-muscled and without excess fat.

If you get your rulers out, I think the dog pictured would prove to be properly proportioned.

I suppose if you own a weedy labrador, lacking in bone, and in bad condition, you may think this particular Labrador is too fat and too low. Reading the standard shows that he is correct.

There is no way that labrador is anywhere near working condition. There's nothing athletic about it. Do you really think it could work for long hours? No working dog looks like that.

You only need look at the labrador profiles on dol to see the trend in showing larger dogs but if you don't think the first dog posted is overweight you probably won't see the issue.

Thank you for implying my dog is weedy and in poor condition. She is of a finer build than some but if anything she could do with a kg or two off (like me).

Dogs with less than ideal conformation greatly benefit from being kept lean.