Dog_Horse_Girl

I work at a Vet Clinic and we sell Eagle Pack. It is a very good food. My sincere apologies, I meant a "vet recommended" like food such as HSD or Iams, Eagle Pack is AWESOME food and one of the few that I do recommend for ppl bent on feeding processed. HTH.

I don't, GM I read the labels and understand what it all means...b/c labels are often misleading,it's helpful to know what each ingredient really means. I also don't feel it necessary to repeat information given by another member when I had planned to say almost the same things. And please don't get me started on "vet recommended" foods b/c my opinion on those is quite low.

Sorry, GM, I thought we were discussing canned food for canines? And if that is still the case, my comments on a canned food diet, stand. Why? B/c I understood the OP's concern was that their vet recommended a canned food diet for their pup. That is simply not an acceptable diet for a pup IMO, but more importantly, most vets don't recommend soft foods either...and I have to wonder why this one did. It's just a very odd "recommendation" IMO.

If you want to feed a raw, whole foods diet, then do so. Just reduce the veg/fruit component b/c a dog doesn't need much vegetation compared to meat/bones/offal. IMO dry foods are mostly bad...with a few exceptions. But don't offer a 'vet' food b/c they're not the best available canine nutrition IMO. You could go for something of higher quality or you could resume a raw foods diet. Just do appropriate research into what is better for your pup.

Oh, Jodie. Not again. I know you'll find the right path for Ollie to follow...I'm sending you some super-hugs to help ease your pain.

Vets don't exactly spend much time on canine nutrition, in fact, the 'average' is a single lecture on the subject. Yep, a single lecture. That's around 1.5 hours. Of course most motivated dog owners know how best to feed their dogs. But some vets still think we are incapable of making informed choices...hence the rather odd (and often patronising) 'advice' to fee this food or that, b/c we couldn't possibly know how to feed our dogs any other way. If you are commited to feeding your dog a raw, whole foods diet, and you are motivated to research your choices thoroughly, and you are confident in your abilities to feed your dog appropriately, then you do not need the products offered by pet food manufacturers, nor do you need the often well-meaning but potentially misguided advice from a vet that you are doing the wrong thing in following a raw foods diet. The comment I get from most vets about our dogs? "They're in excellent condition." Which is closely followed by, "Their teeth are in great shape, how do you clean them?". I always tell the truth: that my dogs are fed a raw, whole foods diet that I home prepare and I have done this for over three years now. BTW - canned food is just not acceptable for most dogs or pups. It's full of stuff they do not need and very light on the ingredients that work best for the canine. JMHO.

Sorry, no advice about litter training a dog...have never had to try this.

If you don't mind paying for "flavoured and coloured water", which canned food is basically that, then go ahead and aim for a "better" one such as Nature's Gift (not a bad product but it's not the ideal food for a dog)...but it's far less expensive to feed fresh, whole raw foods and the dog's condition will be much better too! Oh, canned food produces rather awful "side effects" in most dogs...slurpy poo, copious farting, and stinky coat/skin. BTW - barley is something that a canine would never choose to eat...and offal is something the canine *adores*.

I'm also concerned that a kennel operator may not be as hygienic with raw foods as I am at home. I have to say that the times our girls have boarded have resulted in tummy issues except the last one...the last kennel we insisted that the girls only get raw foods. Previously, we have been OK with the kennel feeding them on whatever is usual and we noticed a huge (and negative) difference when the dogs came home...processed foods just aren't as good for our dogs as is the raw, whole foods diet I follow with them at home. If possible, choose a kennel that will feed what you feed...otherwise, choose a home-based carer b/c you *have to* supply the food yourself.

Oh, Jodie, after the last time I saw Ollie when he was doing soooo well, this is a complete shock to me. I'm sending heaps of pawsitive thoughts for you all today...you're all doing such a great job. Hang in there.

I'm shocked that a reputable and ethical breeder would release any pup at such a young and under-developed (socially and physically) age. I would be contacting him/her again to ask why they found it acceptable to do this at all...it's just plain wrong IMHO. Good advice about getting your new pup to the vet...this is imperative in a pup so young away from its mother and littermates.

My dogs are fed a raw, whole foods diet. So I can't respond appropriately to the poll. BTW - college, not colledge. :D

Sure, the majority of lost dog owners are probably less than responsible for their dogs, which is usually why they're left entire. However, we also have many owners of entire dogs that claim they are responsible but that someone else left the gate open, or the dog found another way out of the yard, or that no matter what they do, the dog finds a way to escape the yard. When asked if it's possible to put the dog somewhere more secure such as indoors, the response is usually in the negative. And many of them think it's "cruel" to desex their male dog, yet they have their female done AFTER she's had one litter too many and they've had trouble "getting rid of" the resulting pups, OR they simply dump her at the pound b/c they can't be bothered getting her desexed - how cruel is that? What bothers me the most is that these dogs are the ones that suffer due to the owner's lack of understanding or lack of action to avoid the dog roaming. I don't like having to call someone to advise them that we think their dog has been found, dead by the roadside...but that's part of my job. :D When the outcome is a dead dog, and when that could have been avoided by desexing the dog rather than leaving it entire, that's a preventible death...when ppl say that they don't know how to tell their children that the dog is dead, I tell them to be honest but gentle. And we advise them that if they get another dog, it's best to desex it/chip it/have an appropriately fitted and adjusted collar/get the dog registered with council/check fences and boundaries for gaps or loose palings or ways to scale or jump the perimeter. The same ppl have the same dogs go missing repeatedly. So educating them isn't really helping to reduce the problem. What else can we do?

Jodie, I'm providing you (and others reading this thread) with MY experience at work every single day. I'm tired of trying to help ppl whose dogs go missing and I'm tired of trying to educate ppl as to the benefits of desexing their companion animals when those who ought to know better even think about keeping a sexually entire companion animal. How can we possibly hope to educate the vast majority of ppl with companion animals when those that ought to know what is the right thing to do, feel that they can be the exception? I'm not saying that your dog will ever go missing, but if its sexually entire, then there is a very strong likelihood that this will happen. Otherwise, why is it that the majority of missing dogs are sexually entire? Are the ppl that keep them really just incredibly stupid when it comes to securing their yards? No, I don't think so. The sexually entire adult male canine will do *whatever it takes* to get to a bitch in season and guess what? Yours won't be any different just b/c you consider yourself to be different. There is a saying (which is quite true) that an outdoor cat has a much shorter life than an indoor cat. There could be another saying that the dog most likely to go missing is a young adult male with his testicles intact. How do you propose to manage the situation so that YOUR dog will be any different from the rest? BTW - no matter how angry the issue of missing dogs makes me, I still treat every single person that has "lost" their dog with compassion, respect, and understanding. They may not necessarily know at the start of the call that they could do better by their dog, but I hope that if their dog returns home, they *might* be prompted to change their management of the dog and his environment. If just one person becomes educated as a result of speaking with me, then I've made a difference. And that is surely worth it.

As a shelter worker that is constantly bombarded with "lost dog" phone calls and people coming in frantically searching for their missing dogs, I can honestly say that the GREAT MAJORITY of missing dogs are sexually entire, usually male, and often larger breeds and mixes. Why do they go missing? Because they're excited by the scent of sexually entire females on heat, because they're bored in the home environment, and because they can get out. I can also honestly say that most missing dogs are not microchipped, are not registered, are not wearing a collar or other form of identification...and that most people say they were "just about" to get the dog desexed/registered/chipped/buy a new collar. Really! Desex your companion animal because it's the right thing to do.

House training is about supervising your pup, providing adequate and well-timed toilet opportunities, and not expecting too much too soon. You have some great advice. House training, in a nutshell, is easy as long as the dog is being trained appropriately. Newspaper training has its advantages, but then you have to re-train the dog to toilet outside, when it's just much simpler and quicker to train the pup to go outside in the first place. And as my manager says, if the dog is toileting inside, it's the person's mistake, not the dog's...the person didn't watch for the signs, or was busy when the dog had finished eating/had just woken up, or the dog wasn't confined to its crate...etc, etc. Good luck! :rolleyes:

I feed my dogs on raw meaty bones, raw offal, raw veg/fruits, raw eggs, sardines, yoghurt, and sometimes some lean muscle meat (also raw). You can feed whatever you like as long as its not poisonous or toxic to the canine, but the diet you describe isn't ideal. If you remove the processed foods that would be a great start. Also remove the rice b/c it's not needed and can produce loose stools (to name one nasty side effect). Dogs don't need biscuits but we feel better in giving them...but they don't need them! I advise new adopters to avoid overly-processed dog foods and to incorporate raw meaty bones on a regular basis. That's about as far as I'm allowed to advise b/c of where I work and the foods we use in the shelter. I also advise everyone to conduct their own research...with anything to do with canine diets or medications such as h/w preventives - b/c everyone will find what works for them AND their dog over time.

Each of us has to make our best-informed choice when it comes to our dogs and their health. I happen to continue in annual vaccinations b/c IMO the jury is definitely still out on that issue. I also have no problem in treating my dogs monthly for prevention of intestinal worms b/c they do go off our property and therefore come into contact with other dogs' faeces (not everyone picks up after their dogs, sad to say). Their health is my responsibility after all, and I take that responsibility seriously. I'm sure there are some valid concerns over certain regimes and chemicals in vet treatments. But when it comes to h/w, I'd still opt for a monthly tablet over any other type of preventive and I would certainly NEVER opt for an injectible. There are too many adverse outcomes with the proheart products...JMHO.

WooHoo Jodie!

I thought the thread was asking about h/w treatments, not preventives. But preventives it seems is the real issue, so here is my response. I've had several vets over the past few years b/c we move around (my DH has a job that requires regular moves around the country) and each of them has recommended we continue to use Interceptor. When the new Interceptor Spectrum came out, our then vet in Melbourne recommended we switch to it rather than try a different preventive altogether. I have to say there have been no negatives about this product EVER for us and the three dogs. It's readily available, inexpensive, easy to use, and the dogs tolerate it very well. I'd rather be preventing h/w than attempting to treat it. JMHO.

Jodie I have to say I opened this thread with dread, and completed it with joy! That's such good news! Keep up the good work and have a drink to celebrate, you deserve it...

After buying my own bulk supplies of chicken frames, intact, I would NEVER feed "chicken pet mince" or "ground chicken" to my dogs...the number of carcasses that are not properly cleaned which still have the bile duct and bile spillage is astounding. The butcher/chicken shop won't remove contaminated carcasses b/c that eats into their profits so they just throw it all into the grinder and sell it to you anyway. This can cause some damage to the GI tract over time and in the first instance, definitely causes a very nasty reaction (dreadful squirting motions combined with projectile vomiting). The treatment is often antibiotics, IV fluids, and about a month of a special restrictive diet to restore the balance and calm the GI tract down. I have had ONE case of this problem (bile contamination) with my Lilly and I would never wish to repeat the experience. Nor would I wish it upon anyone with a dog - it is frightening and upsetting for all concerned.

I'm sorry that you consider my replies "lectures" b/c that's not my aim. Educating ppl is the beginning of the process not the end. A person is entitled to ask questions about a topic and should also expect replies that go off topic b/c that's human nature, also called hijacking on some forums. We are each entitled to draw on our knowledge in replying to any post on any topic, are we not? I hope that the OP has managed to find an appropriate groomer for her lab cross. There are so many to choose from in the ACT region that it can't be that difficult to find a good one IMO.

That's right. Also unnecessary and off topic. How about YOU retract your unecessary and off topic comments so you don't offend a genuine dog lover who came here seeking advice for a particular concern and nothing else? Because I was not being rude or patronising, simply stating a fact. There IS no such breed as a labradoodle, a dog of this type IS a lab cross poodle. Unless we continue to educate people when they make a mistake, we'll have ppl assuming these crossbred dogs are actual breeds when they are not - as another DOLer often says, "education is the key". I am educating this person as to the type of dog they keep b/c there is no such breed as a labradoodle. OTOH, it seems you were being rude AND patronising in a deliberate manner. Edit for typo...typ is not a word but type is!

I'm so sorry. You made the most difficult decision of all, and Sam thanks you for that. You loved him enough to let him go. Run free, Sam!