[Cyndi]

I use a grinder/dremel. I bought it at the hardware store. When I had my Doberman, I used to take him to the groomer inside Petsmart to have his nails done. One time when I took him, some f’n b**ch hacked everyone of his nails down to the quick. It hurt him to even walk. I couldn’t even get him to go back into Petsmart after that, he was THAT traumatized. Needless to say, I got that b**ch fired and ever since then I do my dog’s nails myself, with a dremel. It does take some getting used to, and some dremels are quieter than others. My Bailey is really good about it now, but it did take alot of treats to get her used to it.

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Cyndi.

[Naturella]

Hello, wonderful people!

Ok, my next topic of research are pawdicures – do you do them yourselves for your fur babies, or do you let the professionals do it? Do you trust your vets, or commercial groomers such as those at a Petco or Petsmart?

If you do your dog’s nails yourselves, do you use a nail clipper or a nail grinder, or both? What is best (particularly for a small dog, 13lbs)? We have a nail clipper for Bruno but he seems to be afraid of it no matter how slowly we condition him to it, or give him treats. He also gets spooked by the sound of the nail being clipped…

Any input or shared experience will be appreciated!

[Naturella]

Suburban Gal, I do agree with you on the moderation thing though – I was once gifted a single Greenie for Bruno. Did I toss it? No. I gave it to him and he survived. I have allowed the people in the leasing office of the apartment complex where we live to give him a Milkbone when he visits them. I am not supremely exclusive on him not having those treats – I just won’t buy them myself. I would brush his teeth and give him bully sticks and various ears, and chicken backs/necks/other RMBs before I buy him dental treats – I just don’t think they do what they are advertised for.

That being said, he does get a commercial treat every once in a while. I have a jar of Old Mother Hubbard mixed biscuits along with pommegranate Nutro biscuits that he gets one of occasionally. It may not be GREAT for him, but it’s ok with me. Plus, they were on sale! 😀 When doing the daily training session though, he usually gets his kibble as treats.

[Naturella]

I agree with Carlyn (Shasta220). And I actually think the NutriDent ingredients are not THAT bad, I know what more of the ingredients mean than those in Milkbone for example. Before I knew all I do now, we bought Bruno a bag of the Nylabone equivalent of Greenies, NutriDent for puppies, and aside from making his stool green, they didn’t cause him any discomfort, but I doubt they cleaned his teeth at all. Once I learned about bully sticks and other dehydrated natural chews and raw meaty bones, I would not get him any of those commercial “dental” treats ever again. 🙂

[Suburban Gal]

I’ll share a little story with everyone:

One of my college instructors was drinking coffee one night when a fellow classmate asked him why he was drinking it when it was bad for him. The instructor told the class that if he stopped to think about everything that was bad for him before he consumed it then he probably wouldn’t be consuming a whole lot during his lifetime because most things are bad for us. Even if it’s something healthy, like fruits or vegetables, they could still be, under certain circumstances and conditions, bad for us.

It’s logic I’ve come to apply as a long-time pet owner. No matter how healthy I try to feed my pets, both in regular food and treats, the vast majority probably isn’t very good for them so I try not to let the ingredients on a package, bag, box or container scare me to the point I don’t buy it and give it to my pets. A lot of the times it comes down to what they will eat and what I can realistically afford without breaking the bank while STILL trying to do right nutritionally.

[Suburban Gal]

I give Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, Greenies and he really enjoys them.

I’ve never had a problem with giving a dog Greenies. Greenies were awarded the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance in 2007 and good for a dog’s overall oral health.

I think Greenies are just as safe as any other chew. There’s always going to be a risk of choking or intestinal blockage, but that’s with any chew-type treat. If an owner is really THAT concerned, then I think Greenies and other chew-type treats should be given under direct owner supervision and be taken away from the dog if there appears to be a problem.

[Susan]

Since Ive had Patch on his 1 cup of boiled chicken breast & a bit of pumkin & half an egg for breakfast he’s lost more weight this last month, he also has his 2 cups of kibble later thru the day the kibble is only 10% fat & 22% protein & 1.75% fiber, If I add more kibble it just bloats him & he seems uncomfortable, so what other low fat low carbs foods can I give him to gain some weight he only weights 16kilo.. he was between 18-20kilo this time last year but he was on a high fat hypoallergenic kibble that made him very ill, Now Ive learnt he has Chronic Pancreatitis he has to be on a low fat diet…oh, he also has IBD so I cant give him any cheese..Ive been giving him some banana…he also doesnt have no treats, I just use his kibble as a treat..there has to be a food that would gain some weight thats low in fat..

[Susan]

Hi again, What I do when I buy a new kibble, Patch cames to the pet shop with me (we can have dogs in Pet Barn as the shop is for them) & I show him the new kibble when we get home, then I start the new kibble as treats & give it to Patch only as a treat for a couple of days, then I mix a very little thru with his old kibble to get his tummy & bowel use to it, I only start adding under 1/4 of a cup for 1 week then if his poos look Ok & he doesnt seem to have any pain the next week I start adding more just under 1/2 a cup with his old kibble I start to know by now if he’ll get his pain from a kibble..In Lew Olson book she has a section about Picky dogs & what not to do..I also show Patch the 2 different kibbles & let him smell them both in the palm of my hands & I ask, “which one do u want to eat” & he’ll pick which hand he wants to eat, its always the newer kibble he picks cause Ive been giving it to him as a treat so he much think its special..

[Naturella]

Hi, all – again! My new question is, how safe is it for a dog to consume cat kibble? For example, I noticed that the Nature’s Variety Instinct cat kibble of the Rabbit variety is 40% protein, and similar ingredients to the dog one. I am pretty sure the proportions would be different, but… how different? I know the cat is an obligatory carnivore, so the cat food SHOULD be even more meat-based than the dog ones. In fact, the NVI Rabbit for cat has the first 4 ingredients of meat origin, then peas, then rabbit. Then more meat in the freeze-dried bits. So yes, mucho meat.

I am just wondering. I do give Bruno said kibble (I got a small sample of it) as treats once in a while, don’t think it should hurt him – right?

The pet boutique I shop at often told me that the main difference is the protein level and the taurine – which is supposed to help with eyes. So, yeah, basically is “good” cat food safe for a dog to eat?

[Naturella]

I have tried a few samples of it, and really want to try the venison and/or rabbit kinds! 🙂 Bruno loves the freeze-dried raw bites, and we also give him a sample of the rabbit cat formula as treats – it has awesome protein and one sample spread in over a month as treats won’t hurt him, I don’t think! 😀

[crazy4cats]

Frank-
I think most of the 4 and 5 star foods are dye free. Also, there is a video that was posted today on allergies on the review side of this site under off topic discussions. It’s pretty informative. It talks a little about ear infections you might want to check it out. It’s posted by USA Dog Treats.

[Akari_32]

Back nails are not going as well as the front LOL Now we have to tag team him to get them on. When he’s not walking, he’s got his back toes all spread out like “WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS??” After some bribing with his favorite treats (Blue Buffalo), he’s warming up to them, but he still chews at them every few minutes. I tell him no and he gives this really ticked off look and lays down, trying to pretend I’m not there LOL Three paws down, one to go!

[jakes mom]

Not ready, even close, to going all raw so I want to keep feeding the kibble to make sure all the bases are covered as far as nutrition. Don’t want to get involved in adding all kinds of supplements, etc. I’m thinking of the raw as healthy treats, not meals, at this point. I am in awe of the knowledge on the raw food forum!

[chris h]

Hi,

My dog is a golden/collie/spaniel mix that we rescued a couple years ago. She had terrible yeast issues when we got her, her skin was black which looked strange on a dog with golden fur. After too many antibiotics and recommendations from various vets, I decided enough was enough. I researched foods and put her on the Natures Variety Instinct limited ingredient turkey meal formula. I then researched probiotics and I ordered the probiotic miracle on amazon. I get the year supply for $39.99. It took six months and lots of research but her skin is now pink and healthy, her fur is silky and she is a happy dog. We really can’t try too many different foods or else she will start itching and having trouble again but she gets carrots and duck treats which she loves. The probiotic miracle has done wonders combined with the right food. Hope this helps.

[aquariangt]

They’re good, and the good dog ones are small so they actually work for training treats too even though they’re crunchy. Not too high in cal count either. The classic line (Duck/Cherry, Chix/Veg, Sweet Potato/+Cant remember? Salmon?) Are a bit bigger, but easy to break and not too crunchy. I like them.

On topic of treats, we just got in some of THKs, and while my dogs love them, they kinda said they were quick eats so they still worked for training, and during agility last night, the pecks took Dani so long to eat that it was a bit of a hindrance, and she made a huge mess of them. Cool idea, but not sure i’ll use them much

[John B]

Thank you for the replys. Is there some ratio of raw diet (chicken, deer, etc) to dry kibble? Is kibble the main diet and some raw mixed in? Or is one total meal raw then other meals are kibble. She is 11 weeks old now, and only been on dry kibble. I want to slowly introduce raw meat. We give her fruit (strawberries, apples, bananas with veggies carrots, sweet potatoes,) as treats and training food.

[jakes mom]

Here in Ohio we only do HW meds june-nov unless it’s been an unusually warm year. Seems to vary from vet to vet whether dog gets tested every year.
Bobby dog, Jake had his second piece of chicken back and it was about like the first time. I gave it to him and he just kind of looked at it, then me, back at the chicken, gave it a lick. He played with it for a couple of minutes, kept glancing at me. I told him he was on his own, I wasn’t going to hold it again! After playing with it he settled down and chewed it up!
I wish I knew what he was thinking. He likes it obviously, since he ate it, but he doesn’t go crazy, all bouncy and excited, like he does with other treats. Bobby sounds like a cutie, that’s quite a combo! I love it when the ears don’t match the body! Or ears so long it looks like they’ll trip over them! lol
Jake found a bunny nest on our walk in the woods today! He was sniffing under a log and lifted his head, had a tiny bunny in his mouth! Really tiny,eyes still closed. Lungs worked, tho! Was squealing like crazy! I put my hand out and told Jake to drop it and he gave it to me. Seemed ok, wiggling all around , no blood. Jake has a pretty soft mouth. So I put it back into the nest and we’ll stay away from that area for a while! I’ve read that bunny moms don’t care if there’s human scent at the nest, they’ll still care for the babies. So I hope that’s the case anyway! It was so tiny, I could have fit 2 in the palm of my hand! Just adorable!

[Elisa C. R]

Hi everyone!

There may be a mention of Sojos somewhere, but thought I would just start a subject line. I, for the most part, make my own dog treats, but came across the Sojos that are wheat and corn free. Has anyone had any experience with these treats? Your opinion?

THANK YOU!! : )

[Mom2Cavs]

I use to use their treats every day, but have since stopped all soft treats. I liked them a lot for my dogs and they liked them, too. If I wanted a soft treat, they would be some that I would buy again, along with Wellness Pure Rewards. I’ve seen their food online but have never seen it in the stores. I’ve never tried it. I’m not sure but if memory serves me correctly it’s similar to Ziwipeak.

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Shasta220]

Hahaha your posts make me laugh Aleksandra! XD I do feel so disgustingly horrible to feed it to her, yes. They use PP Sport (higher in protein….from those wonderful chicken beaks and extra corn, of course) as training treats for her. So I figured using some of my 4 star kibble half the time would make me feel like she had at least SOME real food in her gut. Plus she loves it! It’s pretty obvious how much she hates her current food – she is a Labrador and she eats free choice. But she only goes through what she needs. No more, no less (I’ve never seen a lab do that).

It was almost relieving to see her fur get flaky and skin get super stinky. I emailed her owners, giving them my story on how Cassy used to be super gross on SD and Purina, but now does fabulously. Hopefully they will see the pup’s icky skin and want to switch…. *crosses fingers*

[Susan]

You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…

[Naturella]

Hello, all!

So, I figured I would ask – what do you all give to your dogs (if anything) for the ailments in the topic? When we got Bruno they told us that Trifexis was the most complete pill, for all them worms (treats and prevents), and kills adult fleas. Well, he was on that till March, when the vet decided that he had plateaued on weight and will probably never leave the 11-20lb segment. So they told me I can no longer buy the individual Trifexis, but only 6-month supplies at a time. So I went online (for financial reasons) and was about to get him some Trifexis, but I saw another drug, Sentinel, which claimed to also treat and prevent all the worm types and kill flea eggs (not adult fleas). It was also cheaper by like $100!!! So we got a 6-month supply of that. Bruno had his first April pill with no problems.

Well… My question is… Is it good enough? Is it really comparable/better than Trifexis? Do I need a complete pill or can I do the twice-a-year shot for Heartworm that my friend does for her dogs and not worry about fleas and such? What about topical anti-flea solutions? Do they work, are they good for the dog? My cousin was saying that he thinks it is much better to put chemistry (topical anti-flea stuff) on the dog than inside (pills that make his skin toxic to fleas), but he’s never had a dog. And what about Heartgard? My roommate uses it, but I think it’s just for Heartworm…

Basically – is there a “best” combination, and what is it, or what is it that works for y’all?

[Ryan C]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to the forum, I came across it when trying to find out if the puppy food we recently purchased was all that the bag said it was. We bought Purina beneful puppy food with soft morsels, and I’m sure you can imagine my horror when I found out that not only was the packaging less than honest about its nutritional content, but that it was downright bad for our dog!

We adopted him at about 11 weeks, he’s now 6 months old, and we believe that he is a labrador/jack russell mix. He was always picky about his kibble – we started him on the kirkland dry puppy food, then went to Taste of the Wild, which he sort of ate, and then moved to Purina – which he seems to really enjoy. Problem is, it’s not good for him!

I think the main reason he enjoys it is because it has softer bits in it, though that’s just a guess. So, my question is, what dry puppy food do you think would be the best fit for him? I’d like to find something that’s 4-or-5 stars, but nothing extraordinarily expensive. I was thinking about getting the Wellness Complete puppy recipe – it’s relatively affordable, and he went nuts over the Wellness salmon puppy treats, so I figured he would enjoy the same brand of kibble that’s also made with salmon.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[Akari_32]

Some other goodies I’ve pulled from my other threads/responses to threads 🙂

~3x 6 pound bags of Blue walnut litter for $8

~15x 3oz and 3x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free (Purple cans) for $0.70

~34x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $17

~52 5.5oz cans of Friskies Special Diet for $16

~9x 3oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $0.35

~4x 4lb bags of Wellness CORE dog food for $10

~6x 5lb bags of Pet Botanics, 1 20 pound Tidy Cats tub, 1 3oz can Blue Buffalo cat food, 1 pouch Blue Buffalo cat treats, 4 small (3.5oz??) cans of Purina Pro Plan cat food for $30

Some coupon sites I use. The Target Coupons I use at Publix.

http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/Category/pet-products
http://coupons.target.com/pets-coupons
http://www.couponnetwork.com/
http://www.projectpetslimdown.com/Home/Offers
http://www.coupons.com/coupons/Pet-Care-Coupons-102/
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_petco-coupons.aspx

[neezerfan]

I’ve had my rescue dog for about 5 weeks now. His vet exam was excellent, bloodwork, fecal, urinalysis, dental all good. Vet said he needs to gain weight. He was 12 lbs 5 weeks ago, should be 13-14. So I used the dog food calculator on this site and have been feeding him enough calories for a highly active 13 lb dog plus giving lots of treats. I weighed him yesterday, 11 lbs! I realize it’s a different scale so could be some discrepancy so I’m going to the vet this week to weigh him there, but I’m trying to get him to gain and he ends up losing? WTH? He is very active, he’s a jumper, pacer and runs a lot with my other dog. My current rotation is Farmina kibble (it’s a winner!), Darwin’s, NV Instinct frozen raw, Whole Earth Farms, Nature’s Logic and By Nature canned. I know Darwin’s can be a little on the lower calorie side so I’m making allowances for that. His poops are a much bigger volume than my other dog’s are. My poor guy is so skinny! His ribs are prominent.
My plan is to order Abady’s granular to add into his food, maybe make some satin balls when I get the time. But here’s my question: do you think he’s more likely to gain if I add in more carbs? What he’s getting now is high protein, do you think that’s just not working for him for the weight gain. If more carbs are the answer, I’d rather give him home prepared additions to his food.
TIA for any advice!

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I see. Yeah, I have given my roommate’s dog a few kibbles of Bruno’s food here and there as a training treat and it took her a minute to eat them, which is so odd, cause it is a much better food (I use Victor GF mixed kibbles and Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit – all from samples – as training treats for Bruno, as well as his actual kibble, which right now is Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with Victor Yukon Salmon and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original). So eventually she ate it, but yeah, I try to not give too much because I am not sure how she would be. She has eaten SD her whole life, switching between the chicken and lamb as protein (at least there has been SOME rotation), and he gives her some chewy fish-based treats (yay fish!), so she has been exposed to that too, so I think she is ok with having a tiny kibble here and there as a treat, especially because her particular SD formula is 3.5 stars, so not terribly bad (Earthborn Holistic CC is 4.5, Holistic Health Extension Original is 4, and the Victor GFs and the Nature’s Variety Instinct are 5, but are all mixed, so it evens out to like 4.5-ish). And I think the lab pup should be ok with a kibble here and there too.

But, I do agree animals sometimes tend to go for the lower-quality food – it took the roommate’s dog forever to try a kibble of Bru’s better food, and I have caught him eating her SD Lamb&Rice a few times, that idiot… So yeah, it probably is like “yummy fast food” to them, idk… lol

[Shasta220]

I probably won’t give the pup more than maybe a few Kibbles of my food as training rewards (even though they buy a different flavor of PPP and are giving me several bags for treats), as I’ve heard some horrid stories of dogs who went from a 2 star food to a 4-5 star and got terribly sick. I may drop a bug of this site in their ears though…

Too funny about Bru Bru! I wonder if dogs sometimes like the cheaper stuff the way people often like hot dogs and McDonalds… Like my cat even! She’s a picky lil thing, and I’ve barely been able to get her consistently eating Felidae, CS, and NB canned. I had a can of dirt-cheap food (it was in the pantry from several years ago. Before I knew anything about animal nutrition, mom used it to put our 17yr old cat’s meds in) out for something (NOT for the cat!). I turned around, and Maddy was pigging out on it….did I forget to mention her bowl was freshly filled with Felidae? *face palm*

[USA]

Hi Guys and Gals

A few years ago when it became clear that there was a problem with the Chinese Jerky I started to make my own jerky treats. I use only free-range chicken for my chicken jerky and wild caught fish for my fish jerkies. My treats have only one ingredient, meat fish or poultry. I use fresh meats from local supermarkets like Whole Foods so all of my treats are human edible. I gently dehydrate the meats to make jerky. I vary the drying times so I can make a more chewy treat or a crunchy treat.

Since dogs are designed to eat a diet high in meat and low in carbs plus they absolutely love jerky treats I wish you guys would make your dog’s treats with more meat and less carbs. You don’t need to use flour or a lot of starches if you make jerky type treats. You can use whole meats, fruits and vegetables or you can grind up mixtures of meat and veggies or fruits and dehydrate them. You can make them in an oven at the lowest temperature or you can use a dehydrator. Veggies and fruits will add antioxidants and vitamins while meat will supply the needed protein and fat.

Even though I call them treats the jerky I make is designed for a carnivore like a dog and since dogs absolutely love meat based treats it is a win win situation!

[Tammy M]

My Pompoo has lost her hair since eating Blue Buffalo dog food & treats. Has anyone else had this problem?

[Akari_32]

I don’t think he liked the taste of the raw chicken. He doesn’t really like those Temptation treats, but I can still get him to eat them when he’s hungry, and he was hungry when I tried the chicken wing with him. He took the bit off my finger, and got this “what is this stuff??” kinda grossed out look on his face LOL I don’t think he likes the chicken broth either.

I don’t think its the bowl or even the pump that bothers him, I think its just the fact that its water that puts him off. He was very interested and checking it out when I plugged it back in tonight, and watched intently as the pump started working and poured water. As soon as the water started flowing, he stalked off. Not without turning around a few steps later to see if it was still spewing out water and if it was coming after him lol

I am still adding water to his food, yes. What makes me think that he doesn’t like the chicken water is that I made his food just like I normally do, only I added a cube of broth instead of some of the water. Mixed it all up like normal once the cube was melted, and he snubbed it. There is a tiny bit more liquid than usual, but its not *that* bad! Most of the food is submersed, and like last time, he won’t touch it if its under the broth. We’ll see how it go through out the night. He still has a little more than half a can to eat tonight, so I dunno what I’ll do about that if he doesn’t eat whats out.

I don’t know whats normal for him! When we got him, he was peeing in about the same amount, but less often, and there was blood in it. After his treatment, was peeing A LOT. Like 4 or 5 balls, larger than my fist, a day. Then I changed his litter the other day, and he’s back to small pee’s, but there are a good amount of them. Like I said before, I can’t tell you if theres blood in there or not because this crap is brown. The whole laundry room smells like cat pee since changing to this walnut stuff. Lots of people complain about that. So I can’t say if its the litter not doing its job in deodorizing that makes mom think his pee smells stronger, or if it does actually smell stronger. I am getting rid of this litter little by little, every night after I scoop, I add in some tidy cats to replace it. Never ever again! I’ll call the vet in the morning and see what they think I should do.

[Akari_32]

I tore a piece off and he ate it. Didn’t seem too please about it, though. I would have let him keep playing with it, but he kept dragging it in my room, which has carpet. I also didn’t want him to get it up on my bed.

I just took the whole thing apart and washed it, so I took one of his metal bowls, added two cubes and some water, and locked him in the room with it. He took a lick, and flipped out, and got a disgusted look on his face. I’m not sure if it was just too hot (I melted the cubes with hot water, making it kind of warm), or if he doesn’t like it at all. I did drop some food in the middle of the bowl, and anything that is above the water line, he will eat it, but he will not go in after it. I may have to just go for fish water…. He did eat the treat off the fountain last night, though, so thats a good thing! I’m gunna keep trying to bribe him with food and treats before going for fish water.

On that note, is there something I can add to his food to make him actually want to drink water? Like, I know lots of salt makes you thirsty. But I’m pretty sure dumping salt into pet food isn’t the best idea lol

Do you guys think I should take him to the vet? Like I said, he pees often, unlike when he was treated the first time, but its in small amounts, like 2.5-3 inches balls. I’m wondering if its just from his new grazing tendencies and my adding more and more water to his food when I put it down, and when he leaves a half empty bowl. I can’t ever breath worth a crap, but mom says his pee does smell bad like it did when he had a UTI last time, so I dunno….

[Akari_32]

Hey guys!

To answer your chicken wing questions, it went pretty bad LOL He didn’t really know what to do with it, so he went with the drag-and-throw-it-around-and-play-with-it option. So after a few minutes I took it away, rinsed off and threw it in the crock pot with the rest of them.

I ended up with a lot more broth than I thought I would have, but it’s not like it won’t get used lol I went out and bought him a fountain bowl (30 damn dollars later, which made me have to borrow gas money from my savings account), and have tried EVERYTHING to get him to drink from it, but he won’t! I tried showing him the bowl, tried dipping my finger in there and rubbing it on his nose, tried bribing him with treats in and around the bowl. Even tried just shoving his face in it (probably not the best route LOL). I’m to the point now were just want to lock him up with nothing but the bowl (and his litter box), spike the bowl with a few more cubes of broth, and that’s all he gets the whole day until he decides to drink it. Any one have any other ideas? I left him with a treat stuck on the spout that flows down into the bowl. If he wants that treat, he has to get in that bowl and get it, and he has to get a taste of that water.

He’s still peeing in small amounts, but it’s back up to the volume where it it usually it. Looks more like he’s passing the same amount of pee, just in smaller batches. I suppose it’s back to the vet Friday morning? I don’t have another $100 dollars! D: it’s not my fault this cat is a retard…. <.<

[Naturella]

I don’t know that Victor is GMO-free, but I love it nonetheless. I got some samples from them and Bruno has been loving all of them except the Yukon Salmon one, which he still eats mixed in with his Earthborn Coastal Catch and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original. We use the other Victor Grain-free samples as treats and he all about them. Can’t wait to feed the Ultra Pro mixed with Back to Basics next year! 🙂

[theBCnut]

Hi Dori

I feed half kibble since the squeamish people in my house could have to feed sometimes, so I don’t worry about upping the protein. Between the raw I feed and the freeze dried, I think mine get about 15-20% carbs, which is a very good level for mine. IDK how much carb is in the raw you feed or what kind of fiber yours need. That would play a part in whether or not it would actually be important for you to keep up with feeding fruits and veggies for treats. Mine get a fruit and veggie mix added to some of their raw and some of it already has some fruits and veggies added, but I really limit my dogs carbs because Micah starts having issues pretty quickly if he gets too much. Angel gets even less, she is basically on an anticancer raw, which means she gets next to no kibble and gets lots of antioxidants and supergreens.

[Susan]

I forgot to mention Patch smells like yeast my friend said he smells of mold, I said mold, I dont give Patch sugar the only sweet thing Patch eats is Banana a few little pieces, I didnt realise that the Jazz biscuit had sugar in them but he doesnt have them anymore, Ive cut out the carbs No Potatotoes or sweet Potatoes, Patches paws got real bad 3 weeks ago, we’ve had rain on & off for over 2 weeks, I dry his paws after a walk but u cant dry in between his toes that’s where they’re real red & sores are, they look like red blisters.. I put his Apex Antibiotic cream on them & they start to get better, then the other paw starts going red & sore the next day, its like it’s spreading, one day the back paws are bad then next the front paws are bad, I think it could be from walking on the wet grass, but Ive been on the computer & he has been sleeping & all of a sudden he goes mad with the licking his paw, I look & his paw will be red swollen & we have would of went for a walk about 2 hrs before, this is why I dont know is it food or is it the wet..Ive booked an appointment with the vet this afternoon as Ive been trying to treat his paws over the 3 weeks & they get better then it rains then they seem to get sore again, I’ll see what she says, I bought him shoes but he wont walk in them, the poor thing looks like he’s walking on the moon, Its very hard cause I mite feed him & it happens or we go for a walk & it mite happen, maybe it was going to happen & Im blamming the food or the rain, the elmination diet he’s sort of on one now, no treats, no different foods, he’s on a very bland diet low fat diet cause he has Pancreatitis & IBD as well..thats why I made him the Banana cookies, as a treat, I gave one to him 1 hr ago & nothing has happened this time.. YET..

[Dori]

Hi “thenut”. I’m always concerned about giving freeze dried meats or fish as treats. Doesn’t “up” the protein levels. I’m already feeding the dogs pretty high proteins due to the commercial raw feeding. I originally started with the raw fruits and veggies (tiny amounts per day) because of Katie’s (yes I will say it again) allergies but then I started thinking that raw freeze dried treats would add more to their daily protein levels. What do you think on this subject? As always, you are one of the posters that I trust your judgement and experience. Thanks, Patty.

[jakes mom]

BCnut, I just had a couple of general questions. I don’t want to go to completely raw yet but wonder if it would be good to give Jake something raw now and then. Like a piece of chicken for supper instead of his kibble some days, or some stew beef or chix on top of his kibbles. He’s a beagle mix, healthy, 9 years old, 30ish pounds. Can I do the same for the cats? Can I just hand them a small chunk of meat or piece of a wing? And I read something about freezing for 2 weeks. Does everything need to be frozen before feeding?
Thanks!
Akari, not up to your level of course, but I got a bag of Wellness treats and 2 big cans of Core for .98!

[theBCnut]

I see the &amp over in the latest replies column when you hover over the thread title and it gives you just the first few words of someones post. I also see code for quotation marks there. I think its funny that this “&” is an ampersand yet it is in the code to tell the post to show an ampersand. Computers are strange.

I do a lot of training so I give lots of treats. For Micah, I use only single ingredient treats AKA freeze dried meat.

[InkedMarie]

I have a few treats here: couple boxes of THK Beams, one box of THK Wishes and one little tube of their Quickies. They’re all fish, can see sense a theme? LOL, safe for Boone but it’s been probably a couple months since they’ve had one, I think. Mean dog mom, I guess LOL

If I was going to use fruits and veggies, they wouldn’t get them anymore than they get what I have on hand. Ive just never been a big treat giver.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by InkedMarie.

[Dori]

Marie. I don’t buy treats for my dogs. Most, if not all, have the same crap the foods have. That’s why I give fruits and veggies. OH! Big slap on the head! I just remembered Boone can’t have fruits and veggies till you figure out his yeasty ear issue.

[Shasta220]

Sue, for your treats, try going back to really basic things. Carrot sticks are good, then one of my recent ones was to combine boiled potatoes, carrots, chicken hearts, and parsley, then bake for about an hour or so. You can bake/dehydrate almost anything, but try to stick to no more than 2-3 ingredients, that way if it makes him act up, you’ll have fewer things to consider.

I agree with the possibility of outdoor allergies, since it seems to be just his paws. I know people who keep baby wipes around, so that might be a good thought as well as the water rinse Dori suggested 🙂

[InkedMarie]

I’d stop the biscuits. Rice, maize, tapioca….all can be problems. I’d offer some ideas for treats to buy but I don’t think you’re in the States, are you?

I must be the only dog owner who’s dogs rarely get treats.

[Dori]

Sue, you really have to cut out all ingredients that I and others have posted. Your dog is obviously has food intolerances and actually they sound more like out right allergies. It really really sounds like allergies and not something else.

Again, try just carrot sticks as a treat for two or three days and see if it makes a difference. Also every time you walk your dog, before bringing him in the house, rinse his feet off incase it’s something his allergic to outside. You can keep a small kitty litter box with some fresh water in it. Rinse his paws (all four) and dry his feet with a clean towel. Don’t forget to change the water once or twice a day. That will help eliminate any issue he may be having from outside walks. What you’ll be attempting to do with the carrot sticks and the rinsing of his feet is an illumination test. It will help narrow some things down.

Allergy testing is sketchy at best. Human allergy testing is not totally perfected, canine testing is very inaccurate. You can have it done two or three different times and will arrive at different results. The only reliable way to know what your dog may have issues with is illumination. It’s really the only thing that works. Dogs can have reactions to multiple ingredients so you have to just do illumination.

Also, please do not put sugar in your treats. Very very bad thing to do. Dogs just love to it. They will eat pretty much everything and anything. Sugar is bad for the systems and horrendously bad for their teeth especially when there is no need to include sugar.

Shasta 220. Good catch on Sue including sugar in the treats, I missed that when I was looking over the ingredient list.

[david j]

Honestly I’ve had a huge struggle with my dog and his nutrition. Anything that my dog would eat, all the major brands, would make him sick. I have him on a prescription food form my vet and its 70$ per small bag!! Insane, so i did research and came across this video/product that explained a lot. The major brands like Iams and Pedigree put a lot more ingredients than they say. DONT BUY them. I recommend you watch the video i came across, it helps explain a lot. let me know what you guys think?? http://goo.gl/7AWYSK
And I agree on making your own treats/food, its the safest way to go, especially after watching all harmful crap they put in dog food. Thanks for all the info tho!!

[david j]

Honestly I’ve had a huge struggle with my dog and his nutrition. Anything that my dog would eat, all the major brands, would make him sick. I have him on a prescription food form my vet and its 70$ per small bag!! Insane, so i did research and came across this video/product that explained a lot. The major brands like Iams and Pedigree put a lot more ingredients than they say. DONT BUY them. I recommend you watch the video i came across, it helps explain a lot. let me know what you guys think?? http://goo.gl/7AWYSK
And I agree on making your own treats/food, its the safest way to go, especially after watching all harmful crap they put in dog food.

[Dori]

A number of dogs have issues with corn, soy (that’s a big one for allergies), yeast, of course, wheat is a biggie too. Sounds like there are a number of ingredients that could cause allergies. Also some dogs cannot eat eggs. Have you thought of given them fresh organic carrots, string beans, blueberries, etc. for treats. Try that for a while and see how it goes. One of my girls has many many food intolerances and allergies so all treats here are fresh organic fruits and veggies. They love them and no allergy issues for Katie. I always have sort of fruits and veggies in the house so I give them what I’ve got. Sometimes a piece of apple, sometimes banana, whatever is in the house. If I’m eating a piece of fruit I’ll give them some too. My girls are very small..5 lbs, 6 lbs. and 7.3 lbs. so remember go according to size.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Dori.

[Naturella]

Wow, Carlyn, thanks so much for the wonderful training guide! I am so excited and will definitely implement it with Bruno.

He does know “wait”, “drop it”, and “leave it”, but I guess only as a “trick”, as in only when we’re “playing”. So I will try the “watch me”, and also stop the popping, because, as Patty said, I really think he just tries to complete the mischief faster and when I’m not looking. So I will turn to positive reinforcement and treats (he loves treats, he has a couple kinds of “treats”, and then, his kibble, which he luckily likes just as much). So yeah, we will start working on that once I can bend/get closer to him, cause I hurt my back last Sunday and moving has been problematic (dang sciatic nerve… 🙁 )

Anyway, thank you all for the great advice, and we will be on it soon!

P.S. Turns out the little plastic part that was from a Christmas light never had a bulb on it, so he didn’t swallow glass, thank goodness!

[Shasta220]

I will agree with the leave it. Giving him a “pop” might be the quickest way, and it seems like they’d learn. It actually just teaches them fear-association. They don’t know it’s bad or wrong, and obviously don’t realize that it could hurt them. They do, however, associate “Hm…after I eat something….I get in trouble….. Eek! I’m in trouble!!!!” And they sense your anxiety/disappointment/upset attitude which goes into more fear.

This gives many owners the impression that their dogs do have consciences and know wrong from right. It is wrong though, dogs don’t have a conscience, they simply know energy signals from their owner, and will associate actions with responses.

I’ll agree with Sue on the leave it.

There are many variations, and most of them will (hopefully) get the same results: a dog that will ignore something on cue.

I taught my Loki (he doesn’t eat everything, but he gets just as dangerous by attacking everything from roosters to weed eaters) the leave it in a few steps.

#1. The stay/still. Make sure Bruno knows how to stay or hold still fairly well.
#2. “Watch me”. This is one of THE most important commands I’ve ever taught Loki. The concept is fairly simple. Start by holding a treat by your face. Say “watch” when he focuses on your face, reward him (I hide a treat in my opposite hand and use that). Eventually try to have the treats completely hidden so you know he’s watching you, not the food. Also try to get him to focus on you for several seconds before the reward. This step can take time and needs practice (a great one to work around distractions, too!)
#3. The leave it. When Bruno is sitting/laying calmly at your request, hold a treat in your fist. He’ll sniff it and know it’s there. Tell him to stay, and place the treat a bit out of reach. If he stays, then reward him (with a different treat. Leave the other on the floor). If he gets up, take the treat and give a correction (just an “ah ah” and a touch on the neck is fine) and put him back where he started.
Once he stays, then ask for a “watch”. When he watches, reward.
Tell him “leave it. Watch me” and move the treat a little closer. If he ignores it, reward.
Eventually, you should be able to have the treat between his paws while he calmly watches you.

I didn’t go /quite/ that slow with my boys, as I sometimes needed that “leave it” in an instant. But if you can make the time to go slowly, then it gives a great foundation.

Your goal is to hopefully get him to the point of /always/ looking at you before taking something on the floor (believe it or not, my crazy anxious Loki will now bring me /anything/ new that he wants, drop it by my feet, and look at me. If I tell him “no” and put it up, he walks off. If I tell him “okay” he continues to eat it/chew it).

Once he does pretty good with the treat, then get adventurous! Try using a favorite toy instead. Try tossing something past him (Loki will leave a treat that goes by his face, but isn’t quite to the point of maintaining eye-contact. He’s gotta turn that head and glance at the treat first…..he’ll get there tho).

Try to incorporate “wait” or “leave it” into your daily routine. It’s a snap to practice, as you can use it on his dinner, his snacks, his training rewards, and even in his playtime! Get creative with it to make “leave it” a fun game, and have Bruno thinking “Oh goody! Something new! I’d better wait for mom’s permission!”

Until you’ve both got a good hold of leave it, prevention is definitely best. Try to keep everything picked up and out of reached, even if that might include confining him to a room or two.

[Akari_32]

Jakes mom, I bought 5 chicken wings tonight, one for him to eat, and maybe one for Bentley to eat, then whatever’s left will be cooked for meat-water (omnomnomnomnom!).

I did look at Pet Supermarket tonight on the way home, and the cheapest one was $20! Yikes! I can whip something up cheaper than that! I just might, too lol I’m gunna check other places and see what I can find.

Stay away from that litter! I hate that stuff! LOL

Bobby dog, it’s ok, I think it’s funny :p His license says Gary but I’m think about teaching to respond to Haru. We all call him Kitty anyways, so I might as well give him a name I’ll call him. He loves those Blue Buffalo treats so much, so I don’t think it’ll be hard. :p

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[theBCnut]

Kibbles are pretty much all high carb because they need the carbs to hold the kibble together. Think about using a low carb canned food instead. There is a topic on the review side for diabetic dog foods and there is someone(USA Dog Treats) that monitors that thread and is very knowlegable about diabetes.