[Akari_32]

Yeah, I buy so much at a time that I need to make sure everything gets used in time lol If I get to where I have more than I can use in time, or it would be cutting it close, I have to resist deals and stop buying LOL

[Akari_32]

Yeah, she’s been getting her food like this since we had to stop used canned. She likes it, so whatever LOL They *make* a canned version of PVD JM, Purina For Professionals doesn’t sell it. For example, the site also sells Pro Plan, but they don’t offer half of what you can buy in pet stores, and not in all the sizes.

Mom has this strict aversion to spending money on “animals”, unless it’s some $25 bed or some plush toy to add to the billions they already have. Even getting vaccines and yearly check ups aren’t a happy thing for her, but at least she does get those done (well, I get them done, and she pays for them LOL). She especially wasn’t happy when I told her it was a base fee of $300, PLUS however much they charged for each extraction, and how much each one costed depended on how exactly they had to get the tooth out. She wasn’t happy with not knowing exactly how much it was going to be. Oh well, it’s getting done now, and that’s what matters lol

[Akari_32]

She’ll need a lot, if not all, of her teeth pulled. We all ready add water to her (dry) food and let it sit for 15-20 minutes until it’s a soggy goop. Purina For Professionals doesn’t sell the canned version of her food, unfortunately (they don’t sell a lot of Purina foods, actually…. Lol).

I’ve never had a dog need a dental. Heck, I’m still working 2 out of three of my first dogs, and they’re 11 and 12, and in pretty darn good health if you ask me LOL Haley may chew on some questionable-type objects at times, but neither of them have ever needed dental attention :p

I hope Gingers blood work comes back good enough to get her teeth done. She really needs it. She’s been so miserable. You’d think I was trying to pull moms teeth with the resistance I’ve been getting on trying to convince her to just get it done!

[Akari_32]

I don’t mind IAMS so much any more, now that they’ve strighten themselves out after that huge crazy thing several years ago, but only the Healthy Natural’s varieties. I just like to be safe with IAMS, because you never know. Now that they are Mars owned, I’ll not buy them any more. This is actually the first bag of it I’ve ever bought! Lol If it’s not something I’m 100% ok with, I don’t buy it.

I keep all my dog food in order of their expiration dates. The bag I bought must have just been put out on the shelf not too long before I got it because it doesn’t expire until sometime in 2016 lol

[Akari_32]

I’m rather interested in seeing how her blood work comes back. I know theres some stuff going on with all those fatty tumors and not-so-fatty tumors she’s got going on. Hopefully theres not anything going on that will prevent her from getting a dental done.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Got an update for you 🙂

I FINALY talked mom into getting a dental done!!!!!!!! Mom was complaining the other day that Ginger was still sleeping at 12:30 in the afternoon (and appeared to have just woken up when I got home around 1), and I told her, rather snootily, that if she would just get her dental done, she would feel better and not sleep so much. She also kept mom up all last night coughing and gagging on snot, and she thought it wise to wake me up at god knows what hour this morning to ask me why she was doing that. Lets just say, I’m not nice at all when you wake me up out of a dead sleep, and until I’m properly woke up and not bothered for a while, my “nice switch” is thoroughly broken LOL So she got a grumbly answer about dental-grumble-grumble-go-away-I’m-sleeping-grumble XD So when I got up a little while later, mom said she wanted me to make Ginger an appointment right away. I didn’t waste anytime, and went down to the vet, scheduled her blood work for tuesday morning and the dental for thursday. One of us is supposed to call wednesday to check on the blood work results, which will probably be mom, since I’ll be at work. Not sure what she’s doing that day… One of us will get to it lol

Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know! Fingers crossed everything goes well >.< Not particularly looking forward to it lol

[Akari_32]

Aw man, I love me some lamb! Yum, yum, yum!

[Akari_32]

So I added up all the food thats in there: 130.5 pound. LOL Too bad, at about 30 lbs a months, it won’t last long.

Ugh, so this morning, she filled the sink with water, and put all the dishes in (dishes soaking in bacteria water is my FAVORITE! Not to mention she left the sponge floating in it….) and you can’t do that in our sink because our dish washer was hooked up wrong and everything leaks if you don’t baby it. So guess who got to take everything out from under the cabinet and clean up 3 gallons of sink water from under the cabinet and the floor?? Meeee! Yaaaaaaaaaay….. -_- She moved out, and that crap didn’t happen any more. Moves back in, 11 hours later, water all over the kitchen floor. Fantastic.

I sent you a friend request the other night, and you accepted it! You should know who I am lol I only use one user name. So if you join an other forum, and see an Akari_32, its 99% likely me (I’ve only been on one site that someone already had that username lol).

So I have a question for you guys. Is it weird that I like to hang on to more questionable brands as long as possible to make sure they aren’t going to be recalled or something? Like this IAMS Healthy Naturals stuff, I’ve had for several months. Plans to use it are very close, maybe within two months. I’m not a fan of IAMS, as you guys know, but I got it at a decent price, and picked one that rated well (I believe the flavor I picked is rated at 4 stars). But yeah, just wondering lol

[Akari_32]

I dunnooooo, my closest is like 7×7 and there’s maybe 1 square foot of floor space in there right now– that’s pretty scary! LOL

[Akari_32]

I really, really can’t help it! LOL she’s just one of those people I can’t get along with for extended periods of time. We all have at least one of those, right?? Lol

Pretty much! I’m kinda scared it might all pull me in and I’ll never come back out! :O

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/432BF5BB-0404-4949-A001-C8A6074616D1_zpshsouygnh.jpg

I mean, look at it! There’s gotta be some sort of Random Crap Monster lurking in there somewhere! AND the floor is covered with stuff! If I ever drop off the face of the earth, check my closet first XD

[Akari_32]

Eh, if it was up to me, she’d probably be sleeping in the yard LOL Not really, but she still isn’t my favorite person. She’s friends with mom, and since its moms house, it’s not really my choice lol Since its just for a little while, I won’t put up a fuss, but if she was staying-staying, I wouldn’t be very happy lol

Well, it does help that most of the dog food is in big bags (a change in pace for me!), and that everything was organized in the room to begin with. I’ll have to post a picture of my closet right now. It’s a little ridiculous. It’s piled 5ft high with “stuff” LOL

Oh yeah, I’ll email you first on what I have for you so you can decide on what you want. 🙂

[Akari_32]

OH MY GOD I NEED PICTURES!!!! loves me some baby sheeps :3

[Akari_32]

Psh, I don’t get any money from her. It all goes to mom for the extra water and electricity she uses up (good lord, this woman is laundry crazy and doesn’t turn ANYTHING OFF!!). Not looking forward to her living here again. She’s got to be one of the most stupid, ignorant people I’ve ever met. Thankfully mom said she’s only staying here until she finds another place to live. *Please* let that be soon!

I moved all the dog food to my closest (well over 100 pounds, I’d say), all the dog and cat treats and random etc type items to the stand under one of the reptile tanks (were I keep the canned dog and cat food), and the litter went out in the garage (or next to the liter box, in the case of two of the tubs lol probably about 100 pounds in all). Now I have to do some rearranging to make some space in my bedroom. Had to quickly move stuff out of the closet to fit all this dog food…. Let’s just say the place looks like a tornado went through.

….Multiple times…. Lol

I’ll get to you as soon as I can go through and get out all the ones I don’t want/can’t use 🙂 I’ll try and do it tonight. I’ve been meaning to get them all out cut out and organized anyways lol If you’ve been through this years calandar and know what’s in there, feel free to make requests!

[Akari_32]

😀 you guys are the best!

Ugh, so bad news. I lost my stock pile room 🙁 Our room mate moved out several months ago, so I moved all my dog food and treats and goodies and cat litter into the spare bedroom, and mom just texted me that she is moving back in tonight and to clean the room up. Maaaaaaan! Now what am I gunna do when I go on big shopping trips?? 🙁

Oh, and I gotta talk to you about these PetCo coupons I got, Naturella! Maybe you can use some lol I bought two calendars, like a nut job XD I’ll email you in a bit lol

[Akari_32]

I wouldn’t recommend any of the foods you’ve listed. Canidae and Blue Buffalo are both Diamond brands, who is know for terrible quality control and equipment repair, and Innova (along with EVO and Califorina Natural), are owned by Mars, who also makes brands such as Pedigree and Iams, and of course, human candy bars.

What I do recommend is that you head over to the Diet and Health section, and check out the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Food list. These are all reputable brands that all contain the proper amounts of calcium and phosphorus for growing large breed puppies. The most up to date list is near the end of the thread.

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Good luck with your new puppy! Post some pics, too! I love Afghans 🙂

[Akari_32]

Are you getting this dog from a breeder in Florida? I’ve been looking for Bull Terrier and Shiba Inu breeders myself lol Good job for doing all your homework and getting the puppy health tested and buying from a good breeder 🙂

[Akari_32]

People also always rave about Purina, but you know….. LOL (that said, I do use some Purina products, but I don’t rave about them! I know what they are, and that’s average at best lol).

It does appear that Wellness CORE Puppy is on the large breed list, btw, in case you didn’t see it. You might want to consider picking at least three different brands, each with different types of proteins (chicken, beef, etc), and go between the three.

I don’t like to buy dog food online either, but only because I live in Florida and it’s 1,000 degrees most of the year, and I don’t want dog food sitting on my front porch baking all day while I’m at work. I also deal hunt due to budget, and I can get everything so much cheaper in store with coupons and sales than I can online lol

[Akari_32]

It appears that Acana is All Life Stages, meaning it can also be used for puppies. Just make sure to pick one that has all the fight stuff large breed puppies 🙂 Chewy.com has a ton of different formulas.

I have heard of Flint River Ranch, but that’s the extent of it. I don’t know anything about it. Check the review side of the site and see if it’s been reviewed, and go from there.

Yes, WellPet (Wellness and Holistic Select) finally got sick of Diamonds crap and broke away from them after the last major recall in 2012 or 2013, and began manufacturing their own foods with very strict standards. Good for them, too, because they are my favorite brand!

[Akari_32]

Ah! Here it is. The list starts a few pages in.

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[Akari_32]

I wouldn’t touch Blue Buffalo, or anything Diamond made (Taste of the Wild, Kirkland, Diamond Natural’s, etc) with a 10ft stick. Wellness is definitely a great food. However, I’m unsure if it’s appropriate for a large breed puppy. There’s a list somewhere around here of food that are suitable for large breed puppies. You should check it out 🙂

Acana and Orijen are not available at chain stores, unfortunately. If you’d like to buy online, you can buy them (and plenty other brands) on websites like PetFlow and Chewy.

[Akari_32]

Ok, I did it! I didn’t want to be a super-stalker and randomly send people friend requests lol

[Akari_32]

Hooray for being a stalker! 😀 LOL

[Akari_32]

Naturella, I couldn’t resist– I’m a total creeper: check your email lol

[Akari_32]

I found Dori on a raw group on facebook lol

[Akari_32]

Doriiiiiii! You cannot hide from meeeee!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2F7BEC9D-432C-49A0-90E3-B28D3D3A06A1.png_zpsvxpjdx7u.jpeg

:p

[Akari_32]

Applaws was a big hit with my cat. Too bad its so expensive and not balanced. It’s a great product, but its more meant to be a treat.

[Akari_32]

Bought a 34 pound bag of Purina Pro Plan Sport 28/18 at Pet Supermarket today for $35.87 today. I price matched PetCo’s sale price ($37.59) and used a Pet Supermarket $5 of $25 purchase. I really wanted one of the 37.5 pound bags of Sport, but Pet Supermarket doesn’t cary those ones ones, nor does PetCo have a buy 10 get 1 free program lol I hope they do good on it, because it’s a really big bag…. lol

[Akari_32]

Theres something about the Spots Stew that is apparently really delicious, even with those huge chunks of veggies lol My cat really like the okra, surprisingly!

[Akari_32]

You make too much work for yourself girl LOL

If you guys didn’t get the email, PetSmart is offering mail in rebates for Pro Plan dog and cat food (small bags) and Purina Pro Plans new litter! I’ll be scoping that out tomorrow for sure!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/51ED2D07-9B88-41B9-8DC8-C262510C5925_zpssny3lzt5.png

[Akari_32]

I judge the amount I have each brand and go from there. This, of course goes off the assumption that every pound of food, regardless of brand, has the same number of cups, but it works. For this particular mix, i did 3 scoops of Wellness, 2 scoops of Ideal Balance and one scoop of BilJac, all into the garbage can, and just did that over and over again, mixing with my scooper as I went. I ended up with a lot more BilJac than I thought I would, and a little extra Wellness, so the top two layers are their old mix, and then a layer of mostly BilJac and some of the other foods, and then it goes to an even mix of the three lol

I usually add water, especially to the Nutro Ultra tubs because they’d really dry for canned food, but I was lazy tonight and didn’t do it lol

[Akari_32]

*snort* girl, they’ll eat anything as long as they can chew it up LOL I did give them three scoops of dry food and three Nutro Ultra 3.5 oz topper tub things, though (one chicken, one turkey, and one salmon) and mixed it all into their dry. I then proceded to randomly scoop it into their bowls… Lol They get excited for any kind of canned food, and I bet the salmon smelled amazing to them. :p

[Akari_32]

Lol Why’s that?

[Akari_32]

I’m just glad that Dweezle eats less than half of what dogs his size are supposed to eat! Haley eats about “right,” but only because she has such a high metabolism, which I’m guessing is because she was never spayed. It’s finally slowing down, I think, though, considering she was just putting on weight while on a diet food LOL (Wellness Healthy Weight). She’s never been a big eater anyways, so the less food I can feed her, the better her tummy feels.

Wow, your guys eat less than Bentley and the cat do… LOL Bentley gets 3.5-4 oz a day, and the cat gets 6 oz on the days he gets raw.

Yeah, I mix it all rather evenly for them. If they were younger and hadn’t grown up on Dog Chow for 9 years before I finally was able to take full control of their diet, I’d just go through the small bags a brand at a time, since I only pick up a few bags of each at a time anyways. But I don’t want to switch them around more than every couple weeks, so I just mix up a big batch of various foods, and give them a couple days transition, with their old food on top of the new food.

[Akari_32]

12 pounds of Wellness CORE Puppy (3x 4lb bags), 7 pounds of Ideal Balance Lamb and Rice (2x 3.5lb bags) and 6lbs of BilJac Puppy Select. They get 4.5 cups between the two of them. Haley is 12 years old, 55 pounds , and Dweezle is 11 years old, 130 pounds lol The scoop I have holds 1.25 cups. Haley gets 1.5 scoops, and Dweezle gets 2. This should last… 3 weeks? Just a guess. Since its mostly high calorie puppy food, and they’re old and lazy, I can probably drop how much they get if it ever warms back up for a decent amount of time. I have to feed them more in winter, being outside dogs (Bleh…. Can’t wait to move out!). The garbage can is on a small 6.6 gallon can, btw.

Whew, barely made it!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/94D00B0E-B994-471A-A063-FEC2130C496A_zpsnx00sluw.jpg

BilJac looks likes rabbit food… Lol

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B1A2D652-F402-4AC4-B729-0FEA7269D6E8_zpsfc9z2ljh.jpg

[Akari_32]

Haley and Dweezle’s menu for the next couple weeks! I hope this all fits in that garbage can…. LOL

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/FD39AD09-5BAA-4C08-8516-52A26C9224EF_zpsld8varbw.jpg

[Akari_32]

Of the foods you’ve listed, I regular use Wellness CORE, of all varieties, and usually the puppy food. My guys love all of them, and I’m very happy with the company.

The only one I personally would not feed on your list is Innova (and their other brands, EVO and California Natural). They use to be owned by Natura, which was a great company, then they sold out to P&G, where they promptly had a major recall when their 3 year contract to keep the recipes the same ran out, and now just recently, they have been sold to Mars. Mars makes foods such as Iams, Goodlife, and Pedigree, and of course they make candy. I’ve already noticed the recipes of EVO have dropped their protein levels by about 10%, and have loaded them up with more legumes.

[Akari_32]

Have you given him any yet? How quickly does he eat one? Bentley eats a plain one in just a few minutes…. lol

[Akari_32]

Holy cheap!!! The bags I have were going for $15 each on PetFlow (5-7 in a bag). I grabbed them on sale for a few cents, each, however.

Haley and Dweezle prefer bones they actually have to work on. Tracheas would be too boring. They’d chomp them down and then come back for more! LOL I’ll have to remember that website next I want to buy them though. Bentley really loved the stuffed one I gave him the other day. After he finished with it, he passed out for a few hours! Wore him right out, which is seriously saying something lol

[Akari_32]

If thats correct, Aimee, then a 32lb bag would last about 28 days. So, about $1.65 a day to feed three dogs, after shipping. If I wasn’t feeding Ginger from that, it would be about what I’m already paying to feed my two, if not a little cheaper on average. What I’m not so sure about is the up front cost, especially buying at least two bags at a time (you can only place one order a month, so it’d be best to over order). If I have mom help with the cost, it wouldn’t be so bad (Gingers estimated cost for the month is $5 LOL). I’ll have to think on it… lol

[Akari_32]

A good kitchen knife may be able to do it.

Thankfully not many things upset Bentleys stomach. He does eat a lot of questionabls things on walks, so I’m sure that contributes to his iron stomach LOL

[Akari_32]

Do you have kitchen sheers? I use mine for everything… lol

These one range from 4-6 inches, and Bentley doesn’t care at all. He goes for!

[Akari_32]

She very quickly loses interest in anything that doesn’t giver her immediate satisfaction LOL I’m pretty sure thats why she doesn’t like the Halo chews– because they’re too hard for her to chew, and she doesn’t get anywhere with them, so she gives up. The Denta Sticks are soft enough that she can eat them in a minute or so. I hope that once her teeth are dealt with, she’ll feel better. Just waiting on mom to have her half of the money for it.

I don’t know where I got the idea for it! But trachea is really high in glucosamine and stuff, and best of all, its not a bone, so no hard bone-poops LOL It fits in nicely with the raw meals I already have balanced out in the freezer :p

[Akari_32]

She’s not got a very strong urge to chew, so I don’t think she would eat a trachea, much less be able to actually chew it. I bought her some Halo dental chews and she can’t eat them very well because they are so hard (they last her days, and that’s with Bentley stealing them every chance he gets). She can chew the small/toy sized Denta Sticks, and I’m just at a point where if anything will help her mouth (like her joints and stomach), I give it to her. I’m at that “if it broke…” Sort of point with her… LOL

[Akari_32]

Patty, that was my thought as well.

[Akari_32]

Bentley is having a great time eating his stuffed beef trachea! He’s been working on it for about 15 minutes or so, and he’s still only about 3/4 of the way through with it.

Here’s a pic of when I first gave it do him:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/69C76A7C-51D6-4B87-AAF2-9C3E6001FBDD_zpsbivfafii.jpg

[Akari_32]

You might try Wellness CORE. It’s a favorite of mine to buy for my dogs, and they love it and do very well on it. It’s a bit cheaper than a Blue Buffalo, as well.

Thay said, not all dogs do well on premium diets, just like not all dogs do well on lower grade diets. Finding what works is what’s most important.

[Akari_32]

Thanks Dori. These are unbranded, from PetFlow. Don’t know who makes them. So far he hasn’t had any issues with them (he’s eaten two plain).

[Akari_32]

Doggy sushi LOL I should totally market these…. :p

[Akari_32]

Hahaha, totally yum! Beef his is favorite :p And LOVES noming on tracheas. He even growls at mom if he think she’s going to take them from him. They didn’t like eachother much, that day… LOL

[Akari_32]

Bentley is such a pain about potty breaks. He gets so worked up about going outside to potty that once he gets out there, all he can do is sniff-sniff-sniff the entire yard, and will not go unless you constantly tell him every 30 seconds or so to go potty, otherwise you’re out there for ages. It drives me nuts!! He also will not potty while on leash unless we are on a walk and he marks something smelly (which for him in just flat out peeing. Over. And. Over. No idea where he gets all that pee from lol), and god forbid he have to poop on leash. Judging by the fact that Bruno does it too, its probably a terrier thing.

[Author]

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