blacklabrador

The labrador kibble must be golf ball sized then eh?? You did say "crunch" didn't you?? (as in akin to "chew")

OMG Charmbug she is so CUTE

SP just make sure you be catchin up on those pills where you left off.... there are far too many buns in ovens on DOL at the moment

Hotspot?? I guess it could have been.... it seems to have dried now. But the skin wasn't broken and she wasn't scratching it. I guess it's a possibility. I usually know the labs have a hotspot by the constant licking of it (I assume thats what makes it wet) and when I part the fur the skin is broken. Because Kirri is hairless I guess everything looks different. But it's certainly possible that it was a mild infection rather than a bite

Shandy I think if you have a search on eggs and biotin you might find previous discussions on this. I think although there is some weight to that theory - it only applies if eggs are fed in excess.

I left it at Erskine Park :D Maybe Aunty Kitkat can bring it back for us when she is down there?? :D (Kitkat I found a dead redback in my car when I was at Erskine Park... he's in the carpark somewhere.... can you have a look for me? ;) ) Thanks Feef and Jeanne... yeah the "poor little poppet" is right as rain - giving cheek left right and centre and barking at butterflies. Feef I was gonna give her a lick then thought better of it. I let Tbone do it for him PS Feef and Jeanne I still have those pics on my friends camera... will be coming soon to a Dog forum near you

I left it at Erskine Park

Yep my dogs eat the egg and then the shell. Don't they crush up egg shells and put them back into chook food as a source of calcium so they can keep forming hard shells on the eggs they are producing?

That sounds more likely Jack - Redbacks are supposed to be extremely painful - and she certainly showed no signs of that. I came across the swelling when I was clipping her - and she didn't pull away when I manipulated it. It is a soft swelling and has gone down considerably this morning. I didn't realise that other insects caused localised sweating too. My internet search only seemed to bring up redbacks!! Her behaviour never changed so I wasn't worried. She slept in bed beside me last night - a moment of panic when she jumped three times and barked (musta had a dream) and I thought she was convulsing :D . I was just in hyperalert sleep state I guess!! Thank you guys for your help I will still be crating the dogs this afternoon and spraying out on the back veranda. I have seen redbacks around under the lips of plant pots so I know they are there. The dogs will have to then stay inside until tomorrow and I am sure all the poisoned ones are dead. Raz "localised sweating" probably looks different in a dog that has hair... but the skin sorta gets slightly weepy so whenever you touch it you get moisture on your fingers. Dogs don't have pores like humans but I think the skin weeps in a different way.

This afternoon I noticed a red swelling on Kirri's neck (she is a hairless Crestie so it's easy to see) During the evening I have noticed that the area is "sweating". It is not warm to touch but is wet. I cannot see any break in the skin. She is completely normal - bright and happy - we have been out all evening at my Mums. Her breathing and heart rate are normal. She has just eaten her dinner. I suspect this might be a spider/insect bite. I have just gotten home and searched the net - to find that redback spiders seem to be the ones that cause localised sweating at the site of the bite!!!!! I am gonna have to keep an eye on her... and hope she stays well. Apparently the venom doesn't affect dogs too badly... poor wee girl.

Can I ask why raw, pulverised veges are not to be fed but just meat? Are you saying that the BARF type diets of raw meaty bones and some meals of raw veges are wrong? I agree with so much of what you are saying - but I am curious to know the full story

YAY Solo!!!! Well done Nicole and Alicia

;) From one who knows the true love of a labrador Run free Maya

Yes the steaming treat dispenser... Tbone would follow Fwuffy around all day if he could just waiting for the next treat to appear :D As my brother points out.... I really only ever have to feed the cat *Note - I do not allow my dogs to eat cat shyte.... but they are always so delighted on the rare occassion to find it in the garden that it is gone before I can stop them.

I would never turn a blind eye to the possibility of nutritional deficiency... its just that if you could see my dog's diets I am sure you would agree that it is a very slim possibility.

Tbone and Poppy think that Fwuffy is a treat dispenser too.... Personally I don't think it has to do with deficiencies.... it has nutritional value to them and dogs are opportunists. I discourage my cat from crapping where the dogs can get to it. I would like to see some research done... my thinking would be that 8 out of 10 dogs would go for the steaming moggy turds.

Oh Rozzie.... he looks very happy in Mr Rozzie's arms.... you guys taught him happiness before he died. He died with dignity and love - can there be anything more important in the world??

Oh darlin... thoughts are with you. Let your tears flow in grief today... and hopefully they will mix with bittersweet tears of joy tomorrow. Holding on to a cat and trying to keep it safe is like holding on to water. They are free spirits - "angels with fur".

"The vet told me if I gave him raw meat he would get an infection caused by the bacteria... " Oh dear....thats the funniest thing I heard all day!! Sorry Greentea... but your vet tells you this because he would much rather that you buy the Eukanuaba than feed your dog on a natural diet. This is because he doesn't get commission from the butcher My goodness!! How DID those wild dogs survive eating raw meat all those years?? Honey if you want information on natural diets - in particular the BARF diet the guys here can help you out.

I don't consider myself a paranoid dog owner.. and my kids definitely aren't mollycoddled.... I make informed choices about what I feed them though... and that means that I don't take any uneccessary risks. Dog's can't make decisions about what is safe for them, therefore I have to take responsibility for whatever I hand to them.

If your dog would be just as happy (probably moreso :rolleyes:) with a raw marrow bone that costs $1.... wouldn't you just give that rather than take the chance of giving a cooked lamb bone?? Regardless of the animal, or the part of the body, the COMPOSITION of bone changes when it is cooked. The changes that take place a) make the bone less digestible to the dog b) make the bone more likely to splinter and perforate the dog's gut.

The Petbarn ones are probably smoked - not cooked. There is a difference.

Tbone is sitting here beside me drooling at Molly. Then I scrolled up and showed him the big studly red dog and he ran away. I made the mistake a few times when looking at really young pups in a litter (four weeks old) cause I just didn't expect the girly bits to stick out that much!!

Poodleopus you can't blame shop owners for making a profit... its a fact of life. Unless you slaughter your own cows and sheep and grow your own veges then there will be a markup on whatever you buy. (even then there will be a markup on your stockfeed and fertilisers). If you can find a way around paying so much markup then that is great. But you will still pay markup. Truth is the manufacturers didn't go into pet food manufacturing because they care so much about your dogs. IMHO if they did they wouldn't put half the sh*t they do into pet food. The pet shops and supermarkets can't operate for free either.