larry

hesapandabear-where does natural balance have chicken fat ? from what i can read, it doesn't have chicken fat ? http://www.naturalbalance.net.au/products.php one thing-animals tend to be allergic to the protein components of foods ie a dog may be allergic to chicken, but not affected by chicken fat, if the fat has been filtered to remove meat particles.

have you tried the natural balance dog food ? it's a lamb and rice food, and you can get it from www.pricelesspets.com.au

hi vanessa i was reading this thread, and i was going to also recommend priceless pets-very quick service, and very reasonable prices... FOS-i think you are off the track with this ingredient, i have seen this used a lot in human food, and other pet foods, if you do a google search for FOS (Fructo-oligosaccharides ) http://au.health.yahoo.com/041101/25/1upz.html?r=967673105 you will find they are an organic carbohydrate that help to improve the good bacteria in the gut. yucca-this is a natural plant extract, i have seen this is a lot of dog foods, as it is meant to help with digestion and reduce odour I think that this is a good ingredient to add. From my reading after doing a google search it looks like a lot of pet food companies use this in supplements..... tallow-is the fat from cattle, and dog foods tend to either use chicken fat, beef fat, or lamb fat as one or more of their ingredients, as dogs do need fat in their diet..this is a commonly used source of fat for dog food.... from looking at their website they also add omega 3 oils, so that should improve the levels of linoleic fatty acids that dogs needs http://www.naturalbalance.net.au/products.php

Hi portia friends of our give their large dog 10ml per day of the Omega Magic Plus it worked very well and really improved the coat of their staffie..... so it lasts quite a long time (eg the 1L bottle they got, should last about 100 days...) you can get it mail order from here http://www.perfectpaws.com.au/products.php...ed19b5826eeb779 Here in WA we can get it from vets and pet shops, etc for the other states, mail order, or maybe ask your vet to get it in.... Dingo trainer, i am glad that your dingo's are having good results as well...... i am not a big fan of people using steroids, or other chemicals too often..... so i really like natural products....

be careful with taking cortisone for minor issues, or taking it long term, as there are many dogs that get side effects from prolonged use of steroids like cortisone....

hi sardines are a good source of oil. but depending on how they are cooked in the can, this will greatly reduce the omega 3 oil levels, as omega 3 oils are not that heat stable.... using an omega 3 oil supplement will give you a measured amount of EPA in your omega 3 oil

Hi, We have fed our dogs Natural Balance since they were puppies (www.naturalbalance.net.au ) the one made in Australia ! We have found that their poos are small and firm, and the food seems very digestible If you are on the east coast you can buy it from http://www.pricelesspets.com.au/ together with other dog items. I prefer to buy locally made dog food, rather than buying imported ones.... if you search on the net for ' aflatoxin' you will see that various USA companies have had problems with dogs being poisoned by this....eg diamond, doane, nature's recipe, even pedigree dog food in some asian countries.... You need to check who actually makes a USA brand dog food, as from what i've read doane does a lot of private label brands....

I thought i'd comment about allergies, corn is a very common grain in the USA, and as such most dog foods there use corn, and so if a dog has an allergy, corn is statistically more likely, just because it is used so often. In australia wheat is more commonly grown, so wheat is the most common grain used in dog food, so it is a more likely allergan. Most dogs do not have allergies to wheat and corn, don't forget allergies only affect a minority of dogs, the same as food allergies are not that common in people, however if you do have an allergy, it is most likely to be a common ingredient that affects you. Wheat and corn are not bad as such , it's just that they are used so often in foods, both for humans and dogs. We feed our dogs a locally produced super premium dog food, Natural Balance (the one made in Australia !) http://www.naturalbalance.net.au/ , you can also get it delivered to your house (together with other dog products) http://www.pricelesspets.com.au/ I prefer to buy Australian made products rather than imported goods, as i prefer to support local businesses that produce more jobs in australia, also i trust products grwon in australia, more than ones grown overseas. (eg mad cow, bird flu, etc)

have you looked at increasing the amount of omega 3 oils in your dog's diet ? this should help it's skin and coat to improve

yes, i think it is quite poor for innova to ignore your emails i have also been told that pets paradise is the exclusive importer for innova in australia, so even if other shops sold innova, it would still be helping pets paradise.... something to think about... i think innova is trying to 'play stupid' with this issue.... it's a pity that someone is the USA can't phone them so they can't ignore you....

have you tried increasing the amount of omega 3 oils in your dogs diet, this should help it to heal quicker

hi, have you tried increasing the amount of omega 3's in your dogs diet ? Omega 3 oils are needed for a dog (or human) to have good skin and fur.. The amount of EPA in the omega 3 oil is the important part of the oil you need to check... adding fish oil, or flaxseed oil is a good way to add EPA to your dogs diet. Some supplements that you can get from your vet or pet shop are megaderm or omegamagic plus (the omega magic plus is cheaper than the megaderm)

the VIP brand foods seem to have some very high levels of S02 !!! if i bought their products in the past, i don't think that i would trust them again.... it seems wrong to not list the fact that you are adding a preservative, especially if it has known health issues when used in a large amount....

if you want to boost the omega 3 in their diet then flax seed oil is a lot better than cod liver oil, which has very little omega 3. fish oil is also what you want for omega 3 , not cod liver oil, the above comments about too much vit A in cod liver oil are quite valid too much flax seed oil doesn't taste very good, i prefer to use a omega 3 supplement for dogs, like megaderm or omegamagic plus (omega magic is cheaper than megaderm) that has a balanced omega 3:6 ratio, and added zinc, vitaminA, vit b, Vit E

you might want to think about boosting the omega 3 oil level in the dog's diet, as this is needed to keep the skin and coat in a good condition. I prefer to use a omega 3 supplement for dogs, like megaderm or omegamagic plus (omega magic is cheaper than megaderm) that has a balanced omega 3:6 ratio, and added zinc, vitaminA, vit b, Vit E

once you fix the flea problem, then you might want to consider boosting the omega 3 level in the dog's diet. I prefer to use a omega 3 supplement for dogs, like megaderm or omegamagic plus (omega magic is cheaper than megaderm) that has a balanced omega 3:6 ratio, and added zinc, vitaminA, vit b, Vit E

if you want to boost the omega 3 in their diet then flax seed oil is a lot better than cod liver oil. fish oil is also what you want for omega 3 , not cod liver oil, the above comments about too much vit A in cod liver oil are quite valid too much flax seed oil doesn't taste very good, i prefer to use a omega 3 supplement for dogs, like megaderm or omegamagic plus (omega magic is cheaper than megaderm) that has a balanced omega 3:6 ratio, and added zinc, vitaminA, vit b, Vit E

have you tried boosting the level of omega 3's in your dogs diet to help it repair it's skin ? two omega 3 oil supplements you can try are : megaderm or omegamagic plus from vets or online (omegamagic plus is a lot cheaper) they both contain omega 3 oils and omega 6 oils in the right balance, as well as zinc, VitA, VitB, VitE

from reading above posts dog rocks are meant to work due to them containing zeolite, which absorbs nitrogen you can buy pure zeolite from gardening or pond places it can be added to ponds to reduce ammonia levels so it should be safe to add to dog water bowls

once you have visited the vet and treated the problem, then try to boost the level of omega 3's in your dogs diet to help it repair it's skin, so that the problem doesn't come back once the vet has done a course of steroids, and you've treated the fleas then try to boost the level of omega 3 oils in the diet of your dog two omega 3 oil supplements you can try are : megaderm or omegamagic plus from vets or online (omegamagic plus is a lot cheaper) they both contain omega 3 oils and omega 6 oils in the right balance, as well as zinc, VitA, VitB, VitE

once the vet has done a course of steroids, and you've treated the fleas then try to boost the level of omega 3 oils in the diet of your dog two omega 3 oil supplements you can try are : megaderm or omegamagic plus from vets or online (omegamagic plus is a lot cheaper) they both contain omega 3 oils and omega 6 oils in the right balance, as well as zinc, VitA, VitB, VitE

i can't see how dogs rocks will work in the drinking water, but if you want to try pure zeolite, then it might be worth a try... if you have a fish pond and add zeolite it helps to absorb the ammonia waste from the fish, but if a dog water bowl has zeolite in it, and if the zeolite will dissolve, then any zeolite absorbed would be neutralised in the dogs body..... i have met some people who tried it, but no effect...

hi, see this thread on omega 3 oils http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...=15#entry694020

definately try the different options people have mentioned to sooth the skin, and treat any possible infections, but i would look at omega 3 supplementation in your dog's diet, as this helps the skin to repair itself. you normally find dogs have omega 3 deficiency's (as omega 3 oils are quite unstable) while omega 6 oils are far more shelf stable. even if commercial dog foods have added omega 3 oils, if they are imported, then the long travel times mean the omega 3 levels will drop off greatly over time....fresher is better.... fish oils and flax seed oil are good for omega 3, however want to find out the EPA level in the oil as this is a component of omega 3 oils which is VERY important in helping the skin to repair itself. the EPA level in sardines and fish oil can vary a LOT, so if you have serious problems, which your dog seems to have, then try a commercial supplement from a vet, also these supplements contain added vitamins and minerals which help improve the action of the oils. Friends in perth used megaderm in the past, but now use omega magic plus which is a lot cheaper.... some info from google :"The primary sources of omega-6 are corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil; these oils are overabundant in the typical diet, which explains our excess omega-6 levels. Avoid or limit these oils. Omega-3, meanwhile, is typically found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and fish."

in nsw, but don't want to get from petbarn larry