brightstar123

Hi guys, hope everyone had a nice Christmas! I'm looking for suggestions for different raw meaty bones and meaty chunks for my small Labrador x seagull. She is going well on 100% raw but I need more inspiration for big bones/meat that she really has to work at. She does chew stuff but only as much as she needs to - lamb hearts, chicken drumsticks, brisket chunks etc will all go down almost whole if I'm not careful. Surprisingly she's not a typical gutsy Labrador usually - she'll pick at dry food and is a healthy weight. The bones are always well digested and she has no other relevant health concerns. Ox tongues seemed a bit more chewy and lasted a little longer than hearts. I've tried lamb necks too which were better but I can't always get those. I'd like to get more teeth-cleaning benefit out of the bones and obviously it's much safer for her if she's chewing bones more. With the larger chunks I run into portion control problems sometimes - taking the bone back when she's had an appropriate amount can be tricky sometimes as I forget and then if I remember I have a dirt and slobber-covered half-eaten bone in the fridge :laugh: Do others take big bones back and refrigerate them, or just leave them? It's pretty hot here and there are a lot of flies around. Anyway, any suggestions for raw stuff that will be hard work for her will be appreciated!

I think any responsible breeder will want to be assured that you won't breed from their lines, hence the contract. This doesn't affect ownership it is to stop backyard breeders and puppy mills. :) I think that the OP means typical Breeders Terms/Contracts, where there is a clause allowing for the possibility of the dog/bitch being returned to the breeder for the purpose of breeding. Breeders contracts can sometimes also specify a whole range of things about raising/showing/competing etc with the pup ...

In the past I've had to find some inexpensive ways to keep older, arthritic medium to large breed dogs comfy and well supported. Not sure if others have done the same thing but I purchased some very cheap but great condition cot and bassinet mattresses on Ebay, as well as some waterproof mattress protectors and some fleece and cute baby blankets. Did the trick nicely for the rescue oldies, at a cost of around $30-40 max per bed.

Yep that's exactly the same as this guy! Tree bases are the preferred spot around here but we don't have many rocks :) Sounds like yours is a bit better though - mine is no bag from about halfway on! Jokes aside, I actually thought it was quite uncommon for males to use faeces to mark?

Didn't see this post before I wrote mine - so interesting to hear of other entire males that could be marking like this! Are the poos normal the whole time?

Interestingly I have had two dogs here recently that have had similar issues - normal poops at home or on days with low activity but during walks/exercise etc they will poop multiple times and the first is usually normal, then so on, as you described. The female will poop at the beginning of an intensive exercise period regardless of whether she really needs to go (usually quite soft) - perhaps from being kennelled in the past or perhaps because exercise and/or stress can increase bowel motility. The entire male seems to try and poop all over the whole park, almost like a marking behaviour. I have had to stop him from repeatedly straining as it just seems to worsen the transient diarrhoea. It's quite odd. At home though, both dogs produce formed, normal faeces and seem to have no other issues with their diet or health. It also seems to be something that doesn't vary much according to diet - for example both dogs have been on premium dry and 100% raw and it still happens. Were you getting normal faeces on the original diet, apart from the exercise periods? Are there any other signs of digestive problems like bloating, stomach rumblings, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, poor appetite, poor coat, itching etc? How did he go on the 80% raw diet? Does your dog get very excited/stressed about going for a walk/exercise?

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone can recommend nice spots to walk in the bush with your dog near Sydney? Perhaps state forest walks? We are happy to make day trips or even an overnight from Sydney. Interesting swimming spots would also be great - at the moment we go to the massive dog-friendly beach near Port Kembla, which is lots of fun, but I don't know any river/lake/creek places. Both on/off leash places would be ok. We are keen to get a bit more off the beaten track and are sick of suburban pavements and crowded dog parks lol :laugh: Thanks for any suggestions!

Epiotic or similar will do the job as others have said. I also use a 50:50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water which seems to work well too, although if they have a lot of brown wax and a yeasty smell I would start with the Epiotic and once they are under control use the vinegar mix to keep them clean and fresh!

I wouldn't do raw if you are immunocompromised, it's just not worth the risk. Your health is obviously very important! Aside from the handling of raw meats, there have been reputable studies that show that dogs that are raw fed can shed more bacteria like salmonella, which is why it's usually preferred that therapy dogs around unwell kids/elderly aren't raw fed. I'm a big fan of raw but I'd stick to dry for now (just my opinion though obviously :) )

Lol this is a pretty funny thread! I've had problems with this with some of our dogs. I had one girl on Canidae grain free (Pure Elements) and it was a disaster - when I changed her back to Canidae All Life Stages the stenchy farting 99% stopped. I suppose all those legumes do have a reputation for that kind of thing :laugh: Another girl is on raw and it's fine apart from the sardine based meals or any dairy like yoghurt. Or eggs. A boy I had recently couldn't handle raw at all - he would not only clear the whole house constantly but also have nasty diarrhoea too. Maybe try some other dry foods - could be worth a shot?

I have seen some great results from Dasuquin and there is some encouraging research on ASU (one of the ingredients in Dasuquin), particularly in horses but the small animal stuff is coming too. Apart from the ASU it's pretty similar to other joint formulas though. But yes, you can definitely buy most of the ingredients as human supplements and combine them, it can be cheaper. Wild krill oil seems to be an interesting alternative to fish oil too. A lot of my friends in the USA swear by SAM-e, especially for older dogs.

Yep our boy knows 'put it away' too lol! Pretty handy sometimes!

Great close up pic! Yep it looks like trauma with a mild bacterial infection or at the worst maybe fungal. One of my dogs has had similar abrasions on her chin, nose etc clumsily jumping out of cars/utes or chasing a ball onto a hard/rough surface. Keep it dry (as much as possible) and clean, vet in 5-7 days if worsening or no improvement. Betadine is a good suggestion, it tastes a bit gross so might help to stop him licking it. It's good to notice stuff like this, as others have said, it's not over-reactive! Good luck :)

Wow that's not a good story! Yes a sticky tape prep would probably be my first choice. Good luck and let us know how it goes :)

Consult sounds good, your vet should check his general health and carefully examine his skin, especially the ears, eyes and belly as well as the nose/muzzle. From there your vet should be able to recommend and/or perform appropriate tests. Hopefully just something minor and not the start of a larger problem, as Persephone said, a week is not long so fingers crossed. Our horsey pink/purple spray is Cetrigen, a mild antibacterial, if that's what it was shouldn't have done any harm.

Hmm it's tricky to see properly without being able to look at the spots quite close-up. Do you mean the pink area right below his nostril, most visible in the 3rd photo? In the last photo it looks like his nasal pigmentation is much darker? I'd say you are getting quoted for more than a scrape - a scrape probably wouldn't be my choice for a tricky spot like that anyway - although it's hard to say without seeing him in person. Sunburn can certainly worsen several immune-mediated diseases affecting the skin on the nose, like Pemphigus and Discoid Lupus. I'd also find out a bit more about what you are getting quoted for...

A closer photo would be great. Perhaps if they were quite concerned there may have been a reason that the vets wanted to proceed straight to biopsy or a more expensive type of test? Otherwise I can't imagine why it would cost so much. All of Persephone's questions are valid - also are the red areas flat or raised? Any weeping or crusting? Do they seem itchy or sore? How long have they been there for? Any other lumps or bumps? Any changes to diet, garden plants, household sprays/cleaners etc? Also how old is he?

Panosteitis should be diagnosable by the x-rays your vet took, depending on whether they included the radius and ulna in the frame (these are the bones most commonly affected). Usually there is pain on palpation of the long bones, rather than flexion of the joints, although sometimes it's not very clear. I agree with your vets in that it sounds like a soft tissue problem - nerves, tendons etc - as pretty much anything else should have shown up on the rads. As well as protein content, be careful with the calcium to phosphorus ratio in his diet since he's a young big fellow. Sounds like you have got it right before but it can be a challenge sometimes when they are growing very quickly. Hope he continues to improve :)

Both quotes sound pretty expensive for a basic skin work up! Are you seeing a specialist dermatologist? What tests are included apart from the scrapes?

I have a pretty fear aggressive dog and I use products made by Friendly Dog Collars +/- a muzzle and a very light lycra vest that says 'Rescue Dog in Training'. The red'Caution' lead/harness works best - no one has ever tried to touch her but people do still stop near her and talk to me. I find most people are just curious and generally well-meaning and with a friendly explanation they will wish us all the best and move along.

Such a funny description - yes I have seen similar! Depends on the male, I think. I had a beautiful boy who was affectionate, focused and keen to work. Also always clean downstairs and never had the lipstick out when guests little kids were cuddling him :laugh: Another boy I had always left dodgy small yellow blobby stains on the lounge/rugs etc, which I have to admit is a bit gross! And the lipstick was out all the time! He had a very sooky/soft temperament and would have been great for a family, I found him a bit soft and lacking in any kind of drive. Love my current girl's energy, determination and guts but it's all down to the individual, isn't it? I always used to have boys and everyone always recommended boys as pets, but I think I've crossed over to the dark side now :)

Totally agree with all the other comments. I never allow our dogs to follow the cats around, they get rewarded for neutral behaviour/ignoring the cats to the point where they avoid even looking at them. I think our cats would be quite stressed if more than one dog was following them around. To start with, I crate the dogs (never the cat) and allow the kitten to roam then move to dog on the lead and reward calm/neutral behaviour like everyone else has said. I use my smaller female dog alone more at the start because she's very gentle, slow-moving and less intimidating. Usually it takes me a few weeks or sometimes a lot more to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe together, although I have two adult cats here that will never be fully relaxed around the dogs and I still have to make sure that the dogs don't approach. Kittens are generally faster to settle so I'm sure everything will be fine soon :) Just keep safety in mind and remember that the cat is always the one who should initiate the contact.

I use Ruffwear collars/leads/harnesses for hiking/trail running etc - very secure, never had any problems and they last forever. People can abseil off some of the carabiners they use as clips so I don't think they would break easily! I have some Mendota leads for retrieving, they are also ok. For fancy stuff there are some beautiful handmade English leather leads and fabric leads on Etsy, could be worth a look. I've also seen leather leads and collars by Otto Schumacher in Germany that are stunning quality but they are harder to order online. For example: http://www.reitsport-mueller.ch/files/os-dogsfashion.pdf I personally find leather doesn't suit my dogs, I like the lightness, strength and durability of synthetic, although I'm often tempted by the Hennessy and Sons collars :D

Actually I don't think coconut oil has any omega 3 and very little omega 6 :) I know some of the benefits for people e.g. high smoke point when cooking, but obviously that doesn't really apply to raw food! I've also heard owners mention that their dog's coat is nice when feeding coconut oil, but I've also heard this with evening primrose oil/borage oil and krill oil/fish oil too. Just curious as I like cooking with it (like the flavour!), but logically can't really find a good reason to add it to my dogs' raw diet. Any extra feedback appreciated :)

Just curious about the reasoning behind the addition of coconut oil? Do you add it as an extra source of saturated fat in the diet?