Dave-o

He's just over 1 week old. I get to pick him up at Easter, so it's a long wait... Follow BooksBorderCollie on Instagram. I'm going to be really lame and photo-journal him as he grows up (Because I'm really excited)

...no longer looking

It's interesting seeing the differing opinions. Personally if they were my puppies I wouldn't take them somewhere so busy, just because of health risks. But on the other hand socialising dogs at a young age is a positive thing that will improve their temperament. Dogs are generally hardy animals, people seem to forget that in 1st world countries - go tell an African they're being irresponsible socialising their 8 week pups.

That's interesting to know mita, and good for them Still looking for a BC...

That's always sad to hear. I heard in Finland you can't buy a dog from a breeder if there are dogs available in the pound/rescue. I don't know whether it's true or not (I read it on the internet), or how the mechanics would work, but it's a nice idea.

Tinkerbell would be perfect for me. That was one of the dogs I tried to foster/adopt. I had a home inspection with DFL last Monday but have heard nothing back, then sent a follow up email a couple of days ago. They're all volunteers and I imagine they get busy.

No idea what to make of that. Bizarre. I'd prefer to see 50 Shades of Greyskull. What can I say, I liked He Man as a kid.

Thanks mita, I've tried going through pet rescue for a couple of collies over the previous weeks but not had any luck. The trouble is I'm after a popular breed that's easy to rehome, which makes me feel a bit bad that I'm not willing to accept an older dog or different breed. I need an active dog as I live by the dog beach and run in the evenings. Collies are perfect for me and my lifestyle, and they're my dog of choice - is that selfish? As much as I'd love to rehome a dog it's more likely I'll buy through a breeder.

Oh, I agree a pup can be raised on raw, my point was the owner needs to have a full understanding of what's required.

Not suitable to watch at work I take it... people might think I'm odd if I start screaming.

I've decided to get another dog. Preferably a full Border Collie, but I'd also consider a collie x rehomed or from rescue. If anyone has one or knows of any around then let me know.

I think it's a good thing to mix raw with a decent dry food. A mixture offers a more balanced diet. If your husky has an intollerance then try eliminating certain foods from the diet and give it a go for a couple of weeks instead of changing foods daily. Is the Black Hawk grain or grain free? Most allergies are grain based, but it may be chicken if that's what you're feeding raw. It may be trial and error for a while.

Hmm... Supercoat... can't say I'm a fan. Personally I'd feed a properly formulated diet for the puppy, and no harm mixing in raw to get them used to it from an early age. Maybe something like Canidae Pure Foundations or Earthborn Puppy Vantage? Here are the AAFCO minimum requirements for a puppy vs adult, so it's worth noting a full raw diet might not cover all the nutrients your puppy needs.

I'd also suggest Canidae Pure Sea. With that you're avoiding most of the common allergens like grains and meats such as chicken. It's also a relatively limited ingredient food, so that helps too. Give it a couple of weeks and see how it goes. Does he eat anything in the garden, like grass etc?

Yes, possible problem. That's the reason I put (likely) cause.

Last week I had a lady tell me her dog had become seriously ill from eating from a bag of Supercoat. Before she realised the food was the (likely) cause she gave the bag to her neighbour, which resorted in her dog vomiting. She returned to the store, and the clerk said Purina had visited to buy up all remaining bags of Supercoat from that batch, of which there were none left. She asked where the food could be analysed, and I've found a lab that would do chemical, toxin, and heavy metal screening but it would cost $700. I gather she has little money available for such an analysis. I contacted Purina Australia to ask if they would fund the analysis, but they didn't reply. They normally give me a lacklustre reply at the very least. Does anyone have any clever ideas? If Purina did distribute a bad batch and neglected to announce it to consumers then that's very concerning.

Dogs are pretty good with chickpeas, and peas too if properly processed, but their diet should be more meat focussed. Chickpeas are a better source of fibre than anything like beet pulp.

Thanks Yonjuro, I'll contact them. I've tried a few food labs but they won't analyse pet food.

The only thing I find with regular MFM is it's pretty low in meat proteins, and even the grain free will have a fair amount of vegetable proteins from the peas and lentils. The grain free is decent food otherwise and the ingredients are well chosen.

Does anyone know of a laboratory that would analyse pet food?

Old topic, but the reason is the amount of beet pulp in the food, which isn't a good thing...

100% throw it in the bin.

Feed him more regularly? I think the main thing is he's healthy...

It's because they care :)

It's never too late in my opinion. As long as you can take the time and have the funds I'd go for it if it's what you want to do. Personally I'd go down the TAFE route, it has to be a better and more practical way of learning.