Yonjuro

Have you tried bully sticks? They are a great chew that will help clean the teeth and there is no bone in them. Frozen carrot is also good for cleaning teeth. Also Sunday Pets dog food comes in a briquette shape that needs chewing so that might be another option to consider.

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There is some calcium in lentils and in meat products and some other vegies. I don't feed my dog bones on a regular basis. They get stuck and cause problems - because she doesn't chew them properly. But she got a boiled egg this morning in its shell - and she ate some of that - though it usually goes straight through unchanged, there is some calcium in that. Most of my dog's calcium comes from dairy (yogurt). Same as me - I don't eat bones either. I would not think a dog would be getting adequate calcium from muscle meat and/or veg/lentils alone and I can find no mention of adding dairy or calcium supps to the diet on the AA+ page either. Hence the question: Does the Superboost supplement contain adequate calcium to form a complete and balanced diet once mixed with muscle meat and veg in the same way that VAN does (thus eliminating the need for bones) or not? I'm not knocking the Superboost supplement, I'm questioning the 'Superfood' recipe - particularly the vegan variation. Good question. I don't do their diets, I only use the supplement, but I would be very interested in the answer.

[ I don't think so, as bones only make up 10% of a balanced raw diet. Perhaps in the past where less was known there may have been much more bone in white poop :)

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Yeah, my wife is a beautician and came out of the kitchen the other day with honey smothered all over her face and hands... I was like "WTF???" and Ronin just looked at her and licked his lips :D She explained that it was an excellent skin treatment, and I was tried to explain that the expensive honey is for the dog :laugh: Suffice to say it didn't go down too well :D By the way, she also has nicked around half of Ronin's Calendula Tea for her own uses, if I keep using these type of things for my dog then I am going to need a padlock for his first aid box LOL

Had a visit to the vets yesterday for a check up with Ronin. The vet who treats quite a few huskies asked me what I feed him as his coat, eyes, teeth and weight were all amazing in his eyes. He said that he might look at recommending the AA and Calendula Tea to some of the dogs he knows with problem itching. Again, I can't qualify exactly what it is that has seen Ronin's condition so vibrant, but AA Superboost has been a regular part of his diet for 3-4 months now. He also gets half a probiotic capsule for 14 days, then none for 7 days then 14 again. He gets no junk food or treats that contain suspect ingredients flavours or preservatives. He only gets the occasional Calendula Tea rinse and no shampoo. (Huskies are not a stinky breed though) This probably won't address Airedalers dogs particular problems but is just my general comment and findings on the AA Superboost product.

This is a great question and one I was wondering about a couple of days ago

wow, this has gone south pretty fast. @Airedaler, have you considered having a holistic vet have a look at you dog? I think they specialise in working on boosting immune systems? I have no experience in this though, nor am I a tree hugging chia muncher :D but it sounds like some alternate treatments might be in order or a least worth a shot. Again, I wish all the best in this difficult time. If you decide to try the AA Super Boost and you don't like it I will buy the remaining off you without hesitation, or someone closer would grab it I am sure.

Sorry, I can't really be of any valuable assistance, I have responded to your original question about AA and have given you my anecdotal findings. I don't believe it is a miracle product, but I also don't believe it is 'snake oil' given that all of the ingredients are widely used in holistic veterinary medicine. I suppose you have tried probiotics? Thank you Yonjouro. Sometimes anecdotal findings are as useful as scientific ones. Your experience is valuable information as far as I'm concerned. Probiotics have been tried. You are most welcome, I wish I could offer more information. I really hope things pick up for your dog it is heartbreaking when you try things to little avail. I wish you all the best. I am sure Erny will see this soon who knows far more than I do on AA and other health matters.

Sorry, I can't really be of any valuable assistance, I have responded to your original question about AA and have given you my anecdotal findings. I don't believe it is a miracle product, but I also don't believe it is 'snake oil' given that all of the ingredients are widely used in holistic veterinary medicine. I suppose you have tried probiotics?

I use the Augustines Approved - Super Boost and I think it is excellent. It is a powder that you add to raw or kibble and it all organic and human grade. It has vitamins and minerals and various anti-inflammatory ingredients. You only need 1 teaspoon per cup of food and I actually only use only half a teaspoon per cup. My dog no longer has any itches and he looks great. How much of that is due to the supplement I cannot say. It is pretty economical in any case so it gets a thumbs-up from me. It seems to be quite palatable to my dog. I sometimes mix it with a teaspoon of high TA honey or some coconut oil if I feel like adding a bit more oomph to his food. What are you looking for in the supplement Airedaler? Turmeric (which is in the AA) is an excellent supplement for a whole host of conditions and costs next to nothing :)

Oh yeah, turmeric is brilliant stuff!

I think Labs do have a particular smell. +1 on the Calendula tea, also; DoL member Steve has some shampoo, conditioners and cologne that use natural ingredients and essential oils that will probably help with the immediate issue.

Had a friend who lived in Fremantle. ( Now back in the UK). She sourced the 'local' honey. I wanted to use local honey as a compliment to the bee-keepers in Australia. During my searching I was horrified to find that a certain famous honey supplier mixes imported honey into its blends. As a consequence I only buy 'from the source'. Agreed - can't go wrong when buying direct from a good and known source i.e. the beekeeper

VM has already answered, but rest assured I also had to look it up when I was first looking to buy some good honey :D That is a great rating for honey. Juggling my memory banks, TA10 used be the start for honey with good medicinal properties.We make use of honey for medicial reason for humans & furkids all the time.My OH did a really fine job of gourging a long hole in his leg ( careless in his workshop). Needed 11 stitches. To aid his recovery I use Manuka TA15+ when I dressed the wound. Scar is nearly gone. And that was only 3 weeks back. The 10+ is my understanding as well for manuka, but I believe the manuka UMF(Unique Manuka factor)rating differs slightly from the TA which is a pain trying to work it out exactly. According to the Manuka association it measures the non-peroxide activity. Where as the TA measures the peroxide and non-peroxide activity I believe. So the TA number will generally be higher when compared to a UMF - confused? Me too :D TA means Total ActivityBelow is a site I have used for Jarrah (Yummy) Honeyhttp://www.farmhousedirect.com.au/purepeninsulahoneypl/organic-jarrah-honeyHope that helps :D That is a good find and a good price as well for people on your side of the country!

Yes, the one I have is raw unprocessed. Nearly all of the supermarket stuff is processed using heat which destroys the active compounds and enzymes. The Jarrah stuff is a bit harder to get as the trees only flower under certain conditions. There are different grades/levels of TA available. It makes me wonder if the Paws Manuka gel is heated in the processing, if so then it is really just the name Manuka they are selling it off as the particular medicinal properties of that honey would be rendered useless??

Awww, Baylee and tigger - too cute!

This is Ronin at around 10 weeks with his Snuggle Puppy ... and here he is at 6 months with the same toy! The toy has had a few trips to ER for emergency sutures but it is still in pretty good shape, especially for a husky that can really destroy any toy he so desires :laugh:

Hi all I thought I would start a topic on good old honey. We can't buy Manuka Honey in Perth due to the environmental protection of our own honey industry, but I believe our local Jarrah honey is better in some aspects than the imported stuff. I am not sure exactly but I read somewhere that Jarrah is superior internally and Manuka has some superior external properties, but both are excellent for both uses? The Jarrah honey I have has a TA of 36+ and is around $28 for 380g, I am not sure how this compares with Manuka but would be happy to hear from those more knowledgeable than I. I can get TA26 + from a bulk supplier (farm direct to health food shop, in barrels that you buy how much you want) at about $14 for 500g. One thing I discovered was mixing high quality honey with turmeric for a great wound healer and for hot spots. I recently made up a batch of treats for my dog, I used 1 tablespoon of honey, around 1 teaspoon and turmeric and a teaspoon of pure virgin coconut oil. Then marinaded some chicken breast fillets cut to thin schnitzel pieces and gently baked. Then cut it into 5mm squares for high value training treats. I know some of the goodness of the ingredients will be lost in the baking, but it seems to be slightly more appealing (if that is possible :D ) to my dog and it surely won't do any harm. Anyway, I will be interested to hear from others about how you use honey.

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...this is not a time for shoulda, coulda, woulda. HuskyDrake is grieving the loss of her beloved dog that was taken in the most horrible of ways.

As a Husky owner I cannot begin to understand how you feel. Such a terrible incident that the bull owners should have seen coming. This makes me so sad to read and angry at your neighbours.