dead sheep

have a read of this: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...uxating+patella it's a common problem in little ones

I've never heard of them being used for food. There's not enough meat on them :cool: I've heard things from companion dogs to ratters to guard/alert dogs but never to eat.

what a clever little girl! I'd love to do agility with my Arnie but he is just too dumb. He doesn't get the concept of pointing and direction. If I could run through the tunnel and over the A frame etc with him I'm sure we could do it but he's just such a spazz lol. I think he was dropped on his head as a pup. He is just not smart at all, definately NOT what a chi is supposed to be. He still tries to eat and chase his lead and he 2.5 years old. My other chihuahua is 1. too lazy and 2. probably part scenting dog. He is always 'nose down, bum up' whereas Arnie is more alert and zipping around. I tried to get Mort to go through the tunnel once and he just looked at me, sniffed the edge and pissed on it and wandered off. I's love to see a chihuahua doing Schutzhund

There is no variation in temp between the coats and yes Long and Smooths are bred together.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) first time owner 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? I'll let the breeders answer this but the Chihuahua originates from Mexico, named after the city Chihuahua. 3. How common is it in Australia? err hard to say really. There's alot of BYB'ing going on with chi's but I very rarely run into them at a dog park or out and about so I would say not too common 4. What is the average lifespan? about 14-17 years. A few dogs have been known to live into their very early 20's 5. What is the general temperament/personality? saucy! spicy! cheeky! Big big dog in a little package. Bold, sometimes a little highly strung. They can be wary of strangers sometimes but generally a show pony when they are comfortable. They don't like to be pushed into a situation and would rather take it at their own pace. They are very loyal to their chosen person. Some like to be your shadow while some like to just chill out but be able to see where you are. While they are independant, they do adore their people and love a snuggle. They are very intelligent (mine being the exception ) but more in a way of "what's in it for me?". They are the bestest dogs ever! Badly bred/socialised dogs can be overly protective, nuisence barkers and dog/people aggressive. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? an adult doesn't actually need any exercise but a 20-30 min walk/play at the park every second day will keep their weight steady. I have two chihuahuas and their play in the house and yard during the day is enough. They can be prone to obesity due to owners over feeding and no exercise. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? yes definately! as long as they get a sound healthy dog from a reputable breeder and do alot of socialisation work. New owners to the breed need to realise they are still dogs and need to be treated as such. They don't belong in handbags as they were given 4 legs for a reason. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? yes but you have to make sure you spend plenty of time with your dog when you come home from work.Provide plenty of blankets and toys and maybe a chew toy but dog will probably end up sleeping all day waiting for you to come back. Also leave a large shallow water bowl so dog doesn't run out of water. Chihuahuas can dehydrate quickly. 9. How much grooming is required? I have short coats so I wash about once every 3 months, brush very rarely if ever. Clip nails once a month. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Not at all but the kids need to be well trained so they realise dog is fragile and coule break if dropped etc. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? I'll let the breeders elaborate again but Luxating Patellas is an issue in all small breeds and needs to be screened for in the sir and dam before mating. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) again, one for the breeders but a patella test should have been done on the parents and generally, an acceptable score would be 0

my boys get 1/3 or 1/4 of a frame each and it takes them between 20mins to a few hours.

great photo!

awww snottles he is personally responsible for my love of Frenchies Dis. All your fault ;)

this is Mort and I. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of myself with Arnie pants

if this little chook needs a forever home, please let me know. If she is placid and can get alone with other dogs, I can have a word to my housemate and landlord about having a 3rd dog.

ergh, this is a very very regular occurance at my place with Arnie. He has his own water based lubricant in a pump action bottle on the coffee table so it's easily accessible. "it's not for me, it's for my dog" doesn't sound right

was going to suggest the same thing Tilly morning feed to burn off during the day and sleep on an empty tum.

well Arnie was on pain killers for 3 days afterwards and anti-inflams for about 4 days until he jumped up on to the coffee table in the night and ate the whole bag of anti's and threw them up everywhere. his only downtime was about 36 hours after surgery and he was back to normal, bolting around on 3 legs, jumping on and off the lounge etc. I couldn't tell if he was in pain because he didn't miss a beat. I noticed his leg would shake a little sometimes so I just made sure he had extra blankets to make himself snuggly if he wanted/needed to retreat somewhere safe. He is a bit special. If he had of shown any signs of pain when he first broke his hip at 12 weeks old, I wouldn't have needed the FHO done months later when he decided to start limping so I don't really know how to deal with the pain.

yup. My chihuahua Arnie had one when he was about 15 months old. Your dog will continue to hold it's leg up for a few months to come then gradually start using the leg again. My dog uses his leg now about 90% of the time and his op was over 12 months ago. Recovery is quite painful I am told When it is cold, he limps more. Swimming is very good for recovery so I get him to the beach when it's warmer as often as possible.

what sort of bickies is Bonnie on Helena? Most brands are loaded with grain and low in protein so it's just empty carbs. Try something like Artemis grain free maximal or remove the bickies all together and feed her a couple of chicken hearts for dinner. I don't think chicken necks are very fatty at all. I've noticed since removing bickies and feeding all raw (prey model) that Mort seems slightly slimmer around the neck and waist after a few weeks and he has a very similar structure to Miss Bonnylicious.

if anyone is still following, I spent 2 hours in the kitchen last night removing fat, chopping and bagging animals. for brekie they got a small chicken wing, no dinner tonight but tomorrow will be ox heart diced and a giblet for dinner. I gave them 1/4 lamb heart each at some point and am still waiting for it to turn up somewhere horrible...ie my bed lol the prey model diet looks great and is what I have been attempting in a way, just need a little more offal and a little less bone...and fish oil tablets i see

i don't have big dogs and my oldest boy is certainly not super model thin, but I was thinking if he is sooky aftetr dinner and wants more, can you source a very large marrow bone (ie ox femur) to give him something to grind away on for a few hours each night to keep him happy and make him think he is eating more?

what sort of dogs do you have oonga? I could do a shop for you and bring one of mine over for a play date if you wanted

oonga - the butcher is at Brunswick market on Sydney rd near the police station, it looks like a little shopping centre. I have had a look at the prey model diet and it makes alot of sense. I will take away the kibble and just feed them these wonderful meaty bits this morning they had two chicken hearts and a giblet. dinner tonight is a small chicken neck. will chop and bag meats tomorrow. thanks for you advice people

hah thanks dudes. I wanted some people to notice so I went with the dodgy title. I don't need to have the meats minced but if I diced up each one in a mix, they will pick their favourite bits and leave the other stuff behind. if I give a solid piece of heart it might be buried, stolen or "saved", a giblet which will be eaten, lamb brain which will be licked, nibbled and buried etc. If i mince them, they eat it all in one go and get a taste and even nutritional value of everything included . As for grazing on kibble, it's just what I have always done. My dogs get protective of their bone or "special item" but the kibble is always there so it's not a gobble-and-run food for them. It's just for when they are hungry. As I said, they go through bugger all a week between them, I just like to have it there to bump up the nutrition. Does anyone give brains to their dog?

Hey guise. I'm trying to create the perfect, super variety mince for my dogs and would like to know your opinion on feeding each cut/organ and roughly what % you would use each meal. My dogs are chihuahuas and I feed them about 50-60g of meat per day and/or a meaty bone with one fasting day per week. They have Artemis grain free kibble to graze on during the day but only go through about a cup per week between them. I have the kibble there as backup food and also as a supplement in case I am missing something from their diet. First of all, for bone content my dogs get a mix of chicken necks, chicken wings, chicken frames, ox tail with fat trimmed off and the occasional large joint or marrow bone just for grinding down. I have found a butcher that sells all sorts of animals, cuts and offal (unbelievably cheap). I can choose any of these meats and have them minced together for me. In the mince, I add a handful of chicken of beef mince human grade, I grate a carrot or two, some broccoli, apple and throw in a sprinkle of cheese. My dogs refuse to eat any form of seafood except prawn shells :D They also have plain kangaroo mince once or twice a week. So far I have bought: chicken hearts chicken giblets lamb hearts (fat removed) ox heart ox tounge beef liver beef kidney chicken liver chicken feet The butcher also has lambs brains, ox liver, tripe, lamb feet, lamb heads, skinned rabbits, quails, ducks, goats. I was wondering what meats you would NOT feed and why (eg no nutrional value, too much fat) and also what meats I should feed more and less of in the mince (eg more heart muscle, less giblet, more chicken than cow etc). I can find lots of nutritional info for humans but not so much for dogs. And do you think having such a large variety of meats in their diet is a bad thing? Arnie's shits are always perfect no matter what he eats but if Mort has a bit too much liver/kidney, his crap is a bit runny but apart from that both boys have small, dark, solid, odourless craps. I am so glad I found this butcher. They are so nice and friendly and cheap as anything! Chicken frames are 69 cents a kilo! So yeah, please lemme know what you think about the meats listed and also anything else I might like to add/remove from their meat.

good stuff Bugga the lady who makes the treats is a member on this forum. When the treats arrive, keep them out of puppy's reach see here if you would like to learn why http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=156602

my dogs love a munch on the grass. I don't feed them any fruit or veg. They get chicken frames, lamb flaps, ox heart and liver, giblets, kangaroo mince and Artemis grain free kibble. Sometimes they eat a bit of egg and dairy (cheese sprinkled on their mince or left over milk from my bowl ) Next batch of mince I get, I'm going to grate up some raw carrot, broccoli, spinach and pumpkin and mix it in to see if they will eat it. They don't like vegies and the only fruit they are interested in is grapes so they dont have it

The ones I usually get arn't too fatty but I cut it off half of them as one of my boys is a porker. I got 3kg from coles the other day for 60cents! and they were about half solid fat so I cut it all away. My fellas love their lambies

for training or just little bits of treats you should try http://happypawstreats.com.au/ . They are completely natural and chemical/preservative/additive free. for big treats to keep them occupied, I give them a piece of dehydrated roo tail or a bone. I used to give them smackhos and all sorts of stuff I would pick up but there is just too much shit in them.