Yonjuro

I wouldn't get a furminator - they have a blade and can cut the guard hair which is exactly what you don't want. I don't know much about labs but would have thought a good quality comb or a short undercoat rake to be the best bet?? I also get asked if I shave my Husky all the time and poor thing they must get so hot in summer. I have seen a couple of huskies that have grown back after a shave and it is very sad to see how 'puffy' they look - the guard hairs seem to stick straight out rather than laying over the undercoat. The two I recently saw were owned by a lovely couple that rescued them so I don't know when they might have had the shave.

I really like good old Lucas pawpaw ointment :) It heals very quickly.

Grrrr, damn it Sheena, now I am going to have to get some of those!!!! :laugh:

Check out Bassendean Pet Food Supplies, I am pretty sure they have made up packs that might suit your particular requirements https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bassendean-Pet-Food-Supplies/156429651165498?fref=nf

I know my boy would go nuts over them, but they are pretty expensive, how long does it take to gobble one down ?

Another one to look at is Wellness Core - Ocean Recipe, which has a very high protein and no grains. http://wellnesspetfood.com.au/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=72

That doesn't surprise me, they are very rich and fatty and that smell they give off ...

I found cows ears to be better than pigs, they last a little bit longer and are not as fatty. But my experience is similar to Mrs RB, most of these chews get demolished in under 3 minutes. I have bought the blackdog dried beef knuckles a couple of times, they are so big that they can't fit in the mouth and therefore don't get devoured they will last a long while. I haven't tried one since my boy is quite big now, so I don't know how they would go, but I don't think he would be able to eat the whole thing??? Nothing I have tried comes close to the raw beef neck, that I give him frozen on an old towel. He will chew and chew until he is exhausted - which is a very very good thing with a teenage husky :D I get them from the butcher and get him to cut it into 4 or 5 pieces depending on the size. Pop them in individual freezer bags and into the freezer. I will say that I do feed prey model raw, so if you are feeding kibble, you just need to moderate how often you feed them due to the amount of additional calcium the dog will be getting and whether your dog eats the whole thing. If the dog just chews the meat and gristle off with a small amount of bone then every day would be okay. If he eats the whole thing then once or twice a week. The bonus is bright white teeth

I have fed them once and they were happily munched down by my husky, but too fast for my liking. I prefer bully sticks or tendons for prepackaged chews but stick to raw beef neck for a longer lasting chew (around 2 hours)

This TOTW has 3% less protein than you are ideally looking for but might be worth putting on the list, the pacific stream is around 5% less. I could be wrong here but I believe it is the quality of the proteins rather than the quantity (within reason) that determine how good it is. I have said elsewhere that I really liked the TOTW pacific stream and also the wetlands - the Wetlands would be no good for you though. I haven't tried the "southwest canyon and think it is pretty new. http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/dogs/dry_food/southwest_canyon_canine_formula/ As you are in WA, I had only excellent service and cheap shipping of around $5 from Pookinuk

You could perhaps try crushing his bone content and adding it to the raw meat and organs to start with. There is a theory that it takes a few weeks before the ph level of the stomach changes to be able to accommodate bones better. So there is a possibility that you may be able to overcome the problems you are facing. Whole fish also has the correct amount of bones, and they are softer and easier to digest. I fed mixed for a long time and never had any problems with bones, but as we all know each dog is different. I am not saying you should change diet, but there are possibly ways around your particular set of problems. Barf is another suggestion :)

A sure way to get the postman mugged by your dog :D

Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream... this was the best kibble my dog was on before I switched to raw feeding. :)Thanks Yonjuro, I'll keep that one in mind for the future. We haven't tried TOTW. :) It sounds like you are onto a winner with the food from this topic, but it is always good to have another on your list should the current food not work out. Great, I never tried the Canidae but from all reports it is a good food and certainly easier to get from most shops. I will look forward to hearing how you go with the TOTW, I really rate it (for what thats worth :D) I know there are a lot of Husky people around the globe that complain that their dogs are very very sensitive and most rate the TOTW Pacific stream as their preferred kibble. I also liked the TOTW Wetlands version, but it does have chicken and chicken liver secondary to duck which would make it unsuitable for some dogs. Sorry to hijack this thread, maybe someone can start one on TOTW if they wish to talk about it in greater detail :)

Yes, one was Canidae pure sea (grain free). Oh, the foods that we've tried over the years. Off the top of my head we've also tried: Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Holistic Select- anchovy Ziwipeak -venison (good food but we tried it at a terrible time, there was a risk of cross-reaction with his beef allergy. Dermatologist switched us onto another elimination diet) Royal Canin- Boxer Hills-ZD VAN (Dr Bruce was always very helpful, but we found Bruno was not ok with oats). Raw diet, various meats tried for about 18 months. I wanted to feed raw dammit! Various elimination diets: kangaroo and sweet potato, goat and barley, goat and quinoa... There are more but I won't go on. Please note, I'm not knocking any of these foods, many just didn't work for Bruno (apart from the cooked elimination diets, and one of those caused him to lose an unacceptable amount of weight). He's a tough case as he has food and environmental triggers, so sometimes it's hard to work out exactly what is causing symptoms. I'd happily give Ziwipeak a go again, just need to wait until winter, when his seasonal allergies settle down. I just thought I'd share our experience with this food as it's rare that we find anything that works. And that Bruno will willingly eat. :) I think it is excellent that you are having positive results with this food and thank you for sharing your findings. It is definitely one that I will store in the memory banks should the need ever arise :)

Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream... this was the best kibble my dog was on before I switched to raw feeding. :)

It sounds like a rotting tooth to me, maybe there is one that you can't really see. Did the vet give his teeth a good look over?

They appear to be dried with the bone inside.

Cheers, have you compared them to deer antler in terms of hardness or brittleness?

Well I am going to disagree... I think a dog food review site is a good starting place as it examines the ingredients ,volumes and protein/fat levels etc to give you an indication of whether it is worth trying. It helps you make a short list of what you would like to feed before going down the path of trialling numerous different foods. Of course the old adage of 'the best food is what your dog does best on' is important but trialling 4-6 weeks for each food is not ideal for health or budget. I see so many dogs every day walking or going to the off lead park, and I reckon one in ten is in what I would say is 'good condition'. So anything that gives some info is a good thing in my mind. I can't see how a side by side comparison of various foods and their make-up can be a bad thing. It is also worth remembering that not all dog owners are as well versed in canine nutrition as DOLers and will rely primarily on the kid from one of the big retail chains for a food recommendation or the vet recommending their stocked/sponsored brand. I wouldn't expect Dave-o to trial every food on his dog either, this would be grossly negligent on his behalf, I see him asking people here who are generally more dog savvy of their opinions as a positive thing. I am guessing that Dave-o would probably choose the best food for his dog based on the info he can gather. Anyway, I don't really have a horse in this race as I feed raw, but I still have a keen interest in what is out there and canine nutrition in general, so I say good on him for doing these reviews :)

I was wondering if anyone has tried goat horns as a chew. I noticed Butchers Superior has brought them out. I don't give my boy deer antlers out of fear of him breaking a tooth but was interested in whether they would be the same?

Yeah, $400 plus bad service is a bitter pill to swallow - pun not really intended. But apart from that, I am so pleased to hear that Danny is happily eating and that is brilliant news!

Thats is some positive improvement DDD Wishing all the best that it continues. Keep up the great work.

I have a husky and many think wow they must get super hot in summer. I do everything that Kavik listed and that is all I need to do to make sure my boy is happy and comfortable. I just finished blowing out a heap of undercoat with a forced air dryer and a comb to remove more fluff. 30 minutes work and my dog looks great and there is less hair in the house, it is pretty simple to manage without going a clip. I imagine this to be far easier with short hair breeds like a lab. The main thing is not to take them out in the heat of a 35C + day, but this is really the same for any dog. Each to their own I suppose, but no clipping for me.

I am guessing propaganda, I would think that the fur in necessary to shield the skin from the sun. I personally wouldn't clip. :)

You could just use a normal large ceramic dog bowl and concrete it to a paving stone roughly 25cm x 25cm - this way you will still be able to empty it or clean it. I would be hesitant to use a concrete bowl from the nursery as they generally will leach minerals for quite a long time. I tested the ph level of water from a concrete bowl in the garden and the alkalinity skyrocketed. Having said that the alkalinity of my tap water is already 7.6 so the concrete just pushed it off the chart. If your tap water is neutral (7) or slightly acidic (<7) then I don't think you would have an issue. Having said that I have never seen neutral tap water :) I use a bowl like this one, and think they would make a good one to concrete to a paver.