[Naturella]

D_O – yep!

@Oleanderz, one more thing – you really need to get all family members on the same page about feeding Lucille food and treats, especially when establishing better habits, and while transitioning. You could make similar lists/charts like me about what food they need to feed, or even pre-package them mixes during transition (I still do it with Bru) like this:

3 freezer bags of food at 25:75 new food:old food, each packaged to last 2-3 days
2 freezer bags of food at 50:50 new food:old food, each packaged to last 2-3 days
2 freezer bags of food at 75:25 new food:old food, each packaged to last 2-3 days
1 freezer bag of entirely new food.

So, start the rotation with one freezer bag of 25:75. If all is well, then go to 50:50. If not, go back to the old food. If things are good again, go to 25:75 again. Then to 50:50. If things go bad at 50:50, go back to 25:75 (hence the spare bags). Then if all is good, go back to the 50:50. Then 75:25 and so on. If all goes well from the first bag and transition is complete, you can still feed the spare bags too, she should be fine. Or toss them. But I still feed them to Bru.

***EDIT*** – Also, you can make an Excel spreadsheet with Lucille’s meal times for each day of the month and space for whoever feeds her to put their initials, so that everyone knows she has been fed. Bruno’s meal times are 10.00am and 7.30pm. But you can do whatever works for your family. You can also label the transition bags and explain the procedure to your family, write it out even if you have to. Once she’s transitioned, it will be easier… Till next transition. Eventually it may take less and less time to transition her. Within a week, Bru is able to be entirely on new food. So just see how it goes with Lucille.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

D_O, true, but unless we have a zombie apocalypse or a war situation, I would rather not eat it. Orijen is supposed to be safe for humans too, but still… 😉

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, I will answer a couple of the questions you had to Dori, if both of you don’t mind – dogs can eat plain yoghurt, plain Greek yoghurt, and plain kefir. None of the fruity stuff – just too much sugar and other additives. Pumpkin doesn’t necessarily help with digestion per se, but it provides a lot of fiber, which helps calm the tummy, balance the stool and the bowel movements, and is overall a pretty good tummy additive when switching foods if problems occur. We tend to use canned plain pumpkin from the grocery store as it is already conveniently cooked and pureed in a can, but if you want to go through the trouble of peeling pumpkin, boiling/baking it, and pureeing/mushing it up, you also can. At the grocery store make sure you get plain (100%) pumpkin (and not pumpkin pie filling) cans.

Ok, now to my questions, lol:
When my roommate’s dog had her spaying surgery, he also lived in an apartment and his dog (Casey) was already pretty big, but for the day of the surgery he carried her up and down 3 floors for her to go potty. He didn’t want her stretching and pulling stitches and what not. I don’t know how feasible that will be with Lucille… Or if it’s even necessary, that’s just what he did. You may want to talk to the vet about that and see if she can stay overnight at least for the first day so that she doesn’t have to go up and down steps so much. We also carried Bruno on his surgery day, but he was small (still is), and by the next day he just ran out the door, perky and happy like he didn’t just lose his balls, lol. But talk to the vet about that, or maybe some of the pros will be able to answer. When she is healed, you can exercise her as normal, but not while healing.

Hm, I will look at chewy.com for small Dr. Tim’s – I have fed Kinesis GF, but I really wanted to try Momentum, Pursuit, and RPM… Haven’t seen them in small bags though.

Lucille is a German Shepherd, right? I would probably rotate her every large (not medium) bag for now, just to let her tummy get used to switching slowly, i.e. – you do the rotation, then she has a good amount of time to get used to the new food, then you rotate again, time of “rest” from the switch. If in a few bags all rotations go well, just rotate as you prefer – you can start rotating every medium bag, or just keep it at every large bag. It really is up to you how often you want to rotate, and how she’s taking it. I like to switch up every month or so, and luckily, a small bag lasts us just the right amount of time for that. I have, however, used larger bags even for Bruno (yes, that’s him in the picture, my cutie patootie) – 15 lb Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF and 3 14-lb bags of Earthborn Holistic GF (Coastal Catch, Great Plains Feast, Primitive Natural), but after Coastal Catch, which lasted like 3 months, I decided to half them and put a different food in between them, as you can see from Bruno’s menu list, lol. Your rotation plan sounds good, I would also switch up the protein with every bag, for example:

EB CC – Dr. Tim’s Momentum – Nulo FS Lamb – Victor High Pro GF –
EB PN – Dr. Tim’s RPM GF – Nulo FS Turkey – Victor Yukon Salmon GF –
EB GPF – Dr. Tim’s Pursuit – Nulo FS Trim Cod – Victor Joint Health –
EB MF – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF – Nulo FS Salmon – Victor Ultra Pro – repeat!

*** EDIT *** – Don’t forget that Dr. Tim’s formulas Momentum and Pursuit are not GF! Everything else is. So you can switch between RPM and Kinesis GF to keep it all GF. Does Lucille have a grain allergy, or do you just like the idea of a food being GF? I used to think GF was better until I learned that dogs/wolves in the wild do consume a bit of the stomach content of the prey they kill, which is, often times, grains, fruits, vegetables, and greens, hence those foods contain those ingredients as well. But it is the meat content that matters most, so I still think that Dr. Tim’s grain-inclusive foods are a really good choice. The grain-inclusive Kinesis is the the only one rated 4 stars, all the rest are 5 stars. But you can use the GF Kinesis instead of the GI one. 🙂

This schedule provides diverse recipes and protein sources and if you choose to use bags that last Lucille about a month each, she will be set for about 16 months before a single recipe is repeated! Or 12 months, if you don’t use Victor. Feel free to use the above “meal plan” if you want, I hope it helps in giving you an idea of meal rotation and protein diversification. Or, you can switch the list up, or not use it at all, whatever works for your dog. 🙂

As for my lists, lol, thank you! Feel free to use them as templates anytime, lol, they are NOT proprietary information, lol! I made them for hubby’s ease in feeding Bru when/if I’m gone. And it did take me about an hour to look at all my foods, their expiration dates, and sort them out by dates and also by protein variety, which warranted the freezing of some foods and refrigeration of others… I did scrap some papers in the process, lol, but eventually made it work! So yeah. The toppers were easier to figure out as I only put a bit of each, and they are things I normally have around the house, except for the THK stuff – I mean, I do have it in the house, but it’s not like people-food. Eggs, yoghurt, coconut oil, sardines, and RMBs are though, so yeah.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, it was actually yesterday. Thank you so much! It was a wonderful trip, just wonderful! We got to walk around, take pictures till or phones died, lol, go to 2 museums in the Art District (with an artist (potter/ceramist) husband, that was to be expected, lol), got a year-long membership to one of the Art museums there for each of us (we plan to go back at least once/month, even if just for a day trip!), we went to a wonderful hole-in-the-wall cafe/winery/beer place called Chattz (amazing charcuterie and cheese plates btw!!!), to some cool restaurants, walked around downtown, watched people blow their own glass ornaments, realized how pedestrian/bike/dog-friendly this city is, swore to bring Bruno with us next time (we ended up not bringing him this time…), and swore to see the Aquarium next time (Dori, there was so much art and city to see, we just didn’t make it there on this trip. But we will next time for sure!). I really like this city because it reminds me of my homeland in its structure, architecture, and how pedestrian/bike/dog-friendly it is. AND, it has a RIVER! I love mountains and rivers, so it has Lookout Mountain there (more of a hill really, but it still does the trick), and the Tennessee river flowing right through the city, plus a ton of dog-friendly establishments, quaint little restaurants, cafes, and bars, and it is just great! Ok, rant over, thank you all again for the wishes, Brian and I agreed to the same event for next year as well (hopefully at a different place! We love exploring!). So yeah.

[Naturella]

Thank you, Marie, D_O, and Dori!

Ok, so we were just going to do a day trip… But I found a REALLY affordable offer for a pet-friendly hotel DOWNTOWN (2 miles from the Aquarium, 3 miles from the River Boat), so I booked a room. If we decide not to stay, as long as we call before check-in time, they won’t charge us. I am pumped though! This way we can see a bit more of Chattanooga and do more, plus have our baby with us sometimes! It is our first anniversary and I feel like we deserve a tiny little splurge, like a weekend trip! We never had a honeymoon anyway, lol, so here it is! 😀

I am pretty excited, but done hogging the thread! Thank you all for the kind wishes! 🙂

[Naturella]

Dori, I trust your judgement, you know it, so if you say the Aquarium is worth it, then it surely is! So we will check it out, but first, we will try to catch the daytime River Cruises. And my roommate said there is a really good restaurant across the street from the Aquarium, so we may look into that, or into some local hole-in-the-wall place for good grub. Tennessee BBQ? Maybe! 🙂

[Naturella]

Soooo, it is Brian and I’s first year of marriage anniversary tomorrow! I was having such a hard time figuring out what to do! So FINALLY I got it! I am snatching up this yummy hunk of a man, and taking him either to Chattanooga, Tennessee, or Athens, GA (we live close to Atlanta, GA), and we are exploring new lands! We love doing that anyway, and Chattanooga has a river and river cruises! We did one in Chicago, and loved it, so I’m leaning toward TN for tomorrow. Just a day trip, but should be nice. And we can just walk around Downtown, see what’s up, NOT go to the Aquarium (I mean… The GA Aquarium… Can anything even beat that?! JK, JK, just not feeling it for some reason… But I AM feeling the river cruise, walking down unknown streets, getting lost in a different city with the man I love to the moon and back (and beyond), and finding little quaint eateries, stores, etc. to explore. I just hope the weather permits, it should be warmer in ATL, but I think it will be kind of cold in Tennessee and I already have a mild cold… Meh… Either way, I am sure we will find something to do! 🙂

[Naturella]

Dori, I totally think it’s the wind! I just can’t with this weather here… Warm, chilly, cold, freezing, freezing, then right back at warm again! Ugh…

And I can get some eye drops too. Like, Visine (regular ones)? Or doggy-specific ones? But wiping his eyes at least gets the water out.

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, Cedarcide is also a topical natural oil mix to be sprayed on the dog. If things got REALLY bad, I would use that, but if not, I am not afraid of 1-2 fleas. I will see how Sentinel Spectrum works out this summer. 🙂

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, you are on the right track and in good hands with the pros of this forum! 🙂

So, about exercising – obviously not while she’s recovering from the surgery, but anytime she’s well, appropriate exercise depending on health conditions (joint and bone health, any other underlying conditions, etc.) – usually good long walks/jogs/runs, depending on what Lucille can physically do/endure will be good. Fetch sessions, swims, etc. are other ways to exercise that seem like a game.

Yes, Dr. Tim’s does have big bags! Unfortunately, only big bags… I really wish he packaged in 4-5 lb bags cause I have fed 15-lb bag of his Kinesis GF, but it lasts a while, and I like to rotate more often. One day when we get another dog in addition to Bruno, I will so get 15-lb bags and be cool with it! 🙂 Victor has 30-lb bags of the GF formulas and 40-lb bags of the grain-inclusive formulas.

I am very happy with using THK as a topper and would continue to use it! It makes it so easy to make my dog flavorful, nutritious, extra-hydrating “soups”. I probably would do one topper at a time, so either EB’s tub, or some THK, etc. Treats are still ok to be given, but I’ll get to that in a second. I usually still add a tiny bit of water even when I add canned. IDK about the EB tubs’ consistency, but I like pate style canned, so when I add water, it becomes nice and mushy with the kibble. But that’s just me. Like Dori said, you don’t have to ALWAYS add water, I just choose to do so and Bruno doesn’t seem to mind at all. And he still drinks his water from the water bowl too. Also, once you get Lucille accustomed to rotation, you can totally mix brands, for example using Victor or Annamaet kibble with Earthborn tubs, or Nulo canned, etc. Nulo is also pretty good, and if you email/Facebook the company, they will send you coupons for it. Annamaet sent me samples, and so did Dr. Tim’s. At sportdogfood.com you used to be able to purchase Victor samples for 33 cents/piece, and get up to 3 samples per recipe. So you can totally try them out first before buying, but I really think that all of these are high-quality foods.

Now, I second Dori on everything – free feeding is not a great practice, nor is treat “overloading” while trying to establish good eating habits. So do as she recommends, if you want – cut treats out, pick up food after 20min if not eaten. Try again at the next meal time. I have a feeling though, that once you start rotating and adding toppers, she will be pretty excited to eat her varying meals.

Also, like Dori said – most fruits and veggies are just fine, EXCEPT for onions, grapes, and raisins. I feed Bruno the same things Dori listed, and more, and he’s doing fine. Again, no seeds or pits cause they may be toxic. If you read the ingredient lists of many of those foods, they include a wide array of fruits and veggies that are safe for doggies to eat. So don’t stress it TOO much, but if you ever decide to add broth instead of water to Lucille’s meals, just make sure it has no onions in it.

Ok, so below you will find Bruno’s meal setup for the year – food lineup and toppers per meal. I am now out of the Sojo’s for the weekend toppers, but have a few cans laying around, so that will be the topper/meal instead of Sojo’s. We are currently on the second food in the food list – Wysong.

[Naturella]

Welcome to DFA! It can be overwhelming, yes, but sometimes the best way to learn is just by trying some of the different ideas people post that appeal to you, see how it works with your dogs, and tweak the thing or choose something else.

I just posted the below info for someone else, lol, but it is altered to fit your questions. I am not a professional or anything, I can just tell you what I think and do:

I think that no single dog food is perfect, and different foods have varying amounts of protein, carbs, and fat, but Victor is a high-quality food and all the flavors within it seem pretty good to me. If you want, you can also rotate both within a brand (basically switch up the Victor flavors), or rotate the Victor brand with other good foods, like Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Holistic, and Annamaet, among others – this will offer your dogs a variety in the formulas, tastes, vitamins, etc. The kibble sizes in most of these foods are pretty viable for a Chihuahua to handle, but I am not sure about Dr. Tim’s – the kibbles may be a bit big for a 4-lb dog.

If you choose to rotate brands, give it at least 10-14 days, adding a little bit of new food to the old at a time, and watching the stool – if stool is good for 2 days or so, add more new food, take more old food out, and so on. If stool is not good, back down the amount of new food, up the old food. When they get used to rotating, you can switch brands with every big bag (what I do, but with small bags, lol). For now, you can switch to a brand, then exhaust most of the flavors within the brand just so they don’t have too many changes at once, then go to another brand. Also, you can add canned plain pumpkin to aid their digestion in the process, or a supplement called Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen (THK). I swear up and down by it – anytime my Bruno has an upset tummy, it tightens him back up in a snap! But don’t overuse the Perfect Form – use it only as needed, and the amounts to feed are on the package, as well as on THK’s website. Which leads me to…

… if feeding Perfect Form with kibble, you will need to add some water to it. It will look like a greenish soup of kibble, lol. But, with that said, extra moisture added to dry kibble is always good for the dog. You can add plain lukewarm water, yoghurt/kefir, coconut oil and water, or canned food (and water). Any mix of kibble and canned is fine as long as the dog’s tummy is ok with it and as long as you adjust the amount you add and remove the appropriate amount of kibble so that the caloric intake stays about the same. So introduce the canned slowly, and not while transitioning between brands. You can also add dehydrated/freeze-dried/air-dried foods and water to kibble as toppers too, canned sardines (no salt added, in water only), fresh vegetables and meats, some fruits, and the above suggestions. Make sure you add NO onions or any grape products (grapes, raisins), some mushrooms.

For my 15-lb terrier mix I feed 1/4 cup of dry kibble twice/day, each time with some different topper from the ones mentioned above. I use coconut oil (twice/week), raw egg (once/week), The Honest Kitchen dehydrated foods (4 recipes, each one once/week), Big Dog Natural air-dried food (once/week), yoghurt/kefir (twice/week), 1/2 of a 3.5-oz can of sardines (once/week), 1/2 of a small can of dog food (right now either Weruva or Wellness, twice/week, no kibble at said meal), and a raw meaty bone once/week. All toppers minus the egg, sardines, can of dog food and the RMB I give a teaspoon of. And I add warm water to the mix in all meals. The dehydrated/air-dried foods kind of require it, lol. Bruno loves his “soups” (that’s what kibble and water and toppers look like) and he is slim, but muscular – his body condition is great, his coat is great, and he loves meal time.

So you can implement some, all, or none of the suggestions, or tweak them to fit your dogs’ needs. Good luck, keep us posted, and let us know if you have any more questions. 🙂

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, I live in the South where it is hot and flea-friendly dang near all year round. In the beginning when I switched to just Sentinel, I did see a couple of fleas on my Bruno for about a month or so (it doesn’t kill the adult ones). Then since September, when we started using the Spectrum (and it started getting “cooler” in GA terms of cool), he’s been flea-free. I have continued using Sentinel Spectrum, in fact just bought the next batch to last us till September of this year, and I plan to use it during the Spring and Summer. Don’t anticipate any problems, and if there is an occasional stray flea, they usually go away quickly unless I manage to snatch it up and squish it (though they are SO hard to squish).

I probably wouldn’t use any topical unless it was natural (like Cedarcide or Diatomaceous Earth).

[Naturella]

BeachDogs, I see. Hm… Well, hope it’s not that with Bruno either, but I have determined (so far) that it must be the wind and/or the dust it brings up, and/or the cold itself, cause the colder and windier it is, the juicier his eyes are… We use a wet washcloth and just clean his eyes up. Usually there is little to no gunk, and if there is any, it is mostly clear.

[Naturella]

Oleanderz, thank you for the kind words! You are such an eager-to-learn doggie mommy, it is awesome! 🙂

Ok, let me first say that I completely second Dori’s suggestion to NOT start rotating foods before she is well recovered from the surgery and back to normal, stool included. Sometimes stress, or the pain meds, can affect the stool, so if you had just started introducing a new brand of food, you wouldn’t know what’s causing the stool change.

But, after she has fully recovered from her surgery, you can start introducing and transitioning her to a new food of your choice. I think that no single dog food is perfect, and they do have varying amounts of protein, carbs, and fat, but all 4 brands are high-quality foods and will offer her a variety in the formulas, tastes, vitamins, etc. Like Dori said, if she’s gaining weight, feed her less, exercise her more; if she’s losing weight, feed her more, and still exercise her – she will be gaining muscle mass, which is healthy.

Now, for the rotation – it really depends on how her tummy’s taking it. Give it at least 10-14 days, adding a little bit of new food to the old at a time, and watching the stool – if stool is good for 2 days or so, add more new food, take more old food out, and so on. If stool is not good, back down the amount of new food, up the old food. When she gets used to rotating, you can switch brands with every big bag (what I do, but with small bags, lol). For now, you can switch to a brand, then exhaust most of the flavors within the brand just so she doesn’t have too many changes at once, then go to another brand. Also, you can add canned plain pumpkin to aid her digestion in the process, or a supplement called Perfect Form from The Honest Kitchen (THK). I swear up and down by it – anytime my Bruno has an upset tummy, it tightens him back up in a snap! But don’t overuse the Perfect Form – use it only as needed, and the amounts to feed are on the package, as well as on THK’s website. Which leads me to…

… if feeding Perfect Form with kibble, you will need to add some water to it. It will look like a greenish soup of kibble, lol. But, with that said, extra moisture added to dry kibble is always good for the dog. You can add plain lukewarm water, yoghurt/kefir, coconut oil and water, or canned food (and water). Any mix of kibble and canned is fine as long as the dog’s tummy is ok with it. So introduce the canned slowly, and not while transitioning between brands. You can also add dehydrated/freeze-dried/air-dried foods and water to kibble as toppers too, canned sardines (no salt added, in water only), fresh vegetables and meats, some fruits, and the above suggestions. Make sure you add NO onions or any grape products (grapes, raisins), some mushrooms.

Finally, where to find Victor dog food: sportdogfood.com Victor GF and Farmina N&D GF are the best options, but Farmina is on the pricy side. Victor is pretty affordable.

Oh, and for the boxes – hope she gets some flying discs in her BarkBox or whatever other boxes she gets! 🙂

Ok, sorry for the novel… Good luck, keep us posted, and let us know if you have any more questions! 🙂

[Naturella]

I would have to say that even when Bruno was a little puppy, he received at least one out of 4 meals per day in a puzzle toy of some sort. Either a wobbly tower thing that he had to push around for the kibble to come out (with awesome adjustable levels for varying difficulties and kibble sizes); a treat-dispensing ball; or a small Kong. Normally within just a couple minutes he had figured out the toy and was happily finished with his meal within 5 min or less overall, from serving to the last bite. He also seemed to have a lot of fun and is always excited to see those toys, because they mean fun and food for him.

Nowadays he has about 2 meals per week (randomly chosen, without toppers, just the kibble) come out of toys and he still loves it. We have gotten 2 new puzzlers and use those, and the good ole tower and ball (the Kong got lost in our last move, still need to get a new one). Also, the RMB he gets every Sunday evening he doesn’t get in a puzzle or treat, but spends some extra time working on as it is, well, an RMB.

Personally, I wouldn’t feed ALL meals from a Kong or a treat dispenser/puzzle of any sort because I like to keep using toppers for his kibble and don’t want the mess, but on occasion, I would totally use them for some of his kibble-only meals. 🙂 And I wouldn’t put raw in a Kong or a puzzle toy either.

[Naturella]

Hey, Barbara and Akari! 🙂

Barbara, no worries, I do understand what you mean, and I do love that you don’t have to deal with certain kinds of people and issues when shopping online. But, like Akari said, often times with coupons you can get top notch foods for close to $1/lb, which is a mad deal in my book! 🙂

So, to answer your question, I only have one little guy, Bruno, 15-lb terrier mix. I do, however, get coupons for friends and often shop with or for them. I have a friend with 5 dogs (2 large, one medium, 2 small) and a cat, one with two large dogs and 2 cats, and another with 1 small dog. And, like Akari, I like to stock up on foods and shop from my personal mini “stockpile”, lol. I am finding out, though, that in order to preserve food freshness, I really need to not keep more than 5-6 bags at a time for my little dog, otherwise my freezer/fridge become the house for some of the stockpile, lol. My Bruno eats through a 4-5 lb bag in about a month, so 6 small bags will last him about 6 months. I am currently set till the end of this year, so I won’t be shopping till like November or so, and only for like a couple of bags.

Sometimes websites like petflow.com have “trials” available, which are basically regular-sized small bags of food (4-5 lbs each) for $1/lb, and I usually can’t resist those deals. Luckily, they haven’t had one of those in quite a while. I always tell my friends about it, but one my friends I entirely shop for their dog for them and they reimburse me. That was my “lucky” haul from Petsmart – the doggie will be set till the end of the school year (May-ish), so I will have to get her more food then. I give coupons to other friends and they have had pretty good success too. The other two friends of mine would barely shop in pet food stores unless I go with them, lol. They shop online just fine though, so I make sure to tell them about online deals too. 🙂

[Naturella]

Oleanderz – I think it is great that you still care so much about your pup’s health, even while away at college. Earthborn Holistic GF are great foods, good choice on that one. You can also have your mom rotate foods and this will allow you to take advantage of online deals for other great foods such as Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s, Victor – all very affordable also.

As for dog boxes, I have not tried them myself, but they look like a fun thing, full of surprises, and new things she can try! As long as she doesn’t have any food allergies, then dog boxes are a great way to experiment with new treats and toys! I think the BarkBox has allergy-friendly options too.

[Naturella]

Let’s see if I can explain it – you go to photobucket.com, set up an account, then upload your photos there. Then go to Library (where your photos are), and when you click on a picture, on the right hand side there will be different options on how to post it. I use the HTML one (but the IMG one will work too) – just click on the code and it automatically copies, then come and paste it in your comment on here and your pic will appear after you submit your comment. This will make more sense if you read it while actually using Photobucket, lol.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

@Melissaandcrew – thank you! I really take pride in his shiny and soft coat and healthy skin! Go fish skins, fish-based and other good foods, coconut oil, and canned sardines – I attribute it mostly to his diet, and a tiny bit to the natural soap I use when I bathe him, and the conditioning rub-down with coconut oil I put on him after! 🙂

And I do too – I hope more people will post pics of their beloved babies on the forum, I love seeing them! 🙂

[Naturella]

@Melissaandcrew, thank you, he was passing out like that, with his tongue a bit out… He was too funny! 🙂

[Naturella]

Also, his favorite sleeping places are the bean bag, then our bed/his crate, then the bathroom bed. That sucker is from Costco, and is real comfy (to me), but he likes it less than sleeping on a towel in his crate. Go figure. He would still use it when he comes with us in the bathroom though! LoL. And when I hid the bean bag chair in the closet to clean it some, he would just cry and lay on the floor by the closet door till he got his bean bag chair up. He really didn’t want to sleep on the Costco bed. LoL. Oh well, maybe he will eventually, or our next dog will in the future.

[Naturella]

C4C, lol, I agree, he is not spoiled at all! 😉 And thank you! We think so (that he’s adorable) too! 😀

[Naturella]

Ok, here he is:

Bruno on his bathroom bed:

Bruno on our bed:

Bruno on his bean-bag “chair” (bed):

Derpy Bruno:

Ok, done flooding with pics of my love, I just wanted to post them here for comparison! 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

OMG, Tebow DOES look so much like my Bruno!!! Let me see if I can post a pic with Bruno’s face in it! 🙂

[Naturella]

BCnut, I see, well, just don’t tell her that her babies may become food! 😉

[Naturella]

@Peggy, that’s my baby Bruno! He’s my ultimate little sweetheart! We think he is a Jack Russell – (miniature?) Rat Terrier Mix, some think he may have some Chihuahua in there, some thought he was a Jack Russell – Chihuahua mix… His body (torso?) is REALLY long though, IDK where that’s from. God only knows what exactly he is, but I know this for sure – he is so loved, now and forever! 🙂

P.S. We want to see the infamous Tebow and LadyBug!!! 🙂 I do at least!

[Naturella]

cdubau, coconut oil both topically and internally will help a lot! Make sure to use the unrefined, raw, cold-pressed stuff! Costco has a 54-oz jar for $17, great stuff and a great deal! I also second the fish oil as well – maybe you can alternate – one day give fish oil, the next – coconut oil. I think the coconut oil amount was 1 tsp/10 lbs of body weight, not sure about the fish oil.

And trying a novel protein, as Hanna suggested, may help too. Just make sure to transition her slowly – over at least a week – from what she’s currently eating to a new LID food. You can add some canned plain pumpkin (not the pie filling stuff) or plain yoghurt/kefir, or probiotics/digestive enzymes to aide her digestion during the transition.

[Naturella]

BCnut, glad goat is better! I have a soft spot for goats and lambs as when I was younger (way younger) I milked some family friends’ goat once and we bonded, lol, and plus, goat milk is awesome, and so is goat stew and goat curry, and whole roasted lamb (so sorry if I am horrifying the vegetarian/vegan population)! I don’t know if said goat is a food goat, milk goat, or a companion goat, but ether way, glad she is feeling better! 🙂

[Naturella]

Melissaandcrew and BCnut, I agree that we both should’ve controlled our animals better. I will definitely know for the future! Again, thank you for all the help in educating a to-be-fully-responsible dog person! 🙂 I think the nagging just got to me and I got upset at the fact that it was expected that I would be responsible when the other party wasn’t, BUT, I could’ve set a good example and I didn’t. Note taken from now on, but I don’t think Astro and Bruno will ever be meeting again unless they come to our house with their dog.

[Naturella]

@weezerweeks, I see what you’re saying, but I doubt they sensed anything, knowing them, lol. Plus, Astro is just about Bruno and Snowy’s size, maybe 1-2 lbs lighter. He must be a mix of sorts, cause he seems big for a Yorkie, his dad had said he was 15 lbs, which is what Bruno is, but he seems lighter than that just a bit.

[Naturella]

BCnut, OK, it makes total sense the way you explained it with the metaphorical situation. And I agree – no dog should have to endure a “terrible” (it its own eyes) situation, that’s why I thought the uncle should’ve made sure that his skiddish dog has a place to go to to be safe – his crate, another room, etc. I just didn’t see myself as the “cop” because his dog wanted help from him, not me, and I just didn’t see my dogs’ behavior as THAT intrusive on Astro. Sometimes they would be laying down close to me and Astro would wander around and sniff them, so they would respond by getting up and sniffing back, so he would turn and escape, which is fine, if it wasn’t commented on as if Bru and Snowy are biting him away, lol. If they tried to follow him I would call them right back. But no, I didn’t restrain them or limit their access to the house in any other way than calling them back if they could get close to Astro.

BUT, this is why I love this forum – Bruno is my first dog and I am still learning a whole lot about canine health and behavior, so I really truly appreciate everyone’s input, knowledge, and experience. I love learning and you all are wonderful sources of knowledge and advice. I wouldn’t want my dog to be a bully/bother other dogs, even if he is just being friendly and playful, so I see why I probably should have restrained them somehow too. IDK about the leash though – Bruno and Snowy only associate it with going outside to potty (for now), so I could train him to think of it as “I need you to do as I say” thing, maybe. So again, thanks for all the advice, and I think that I will just carry our crate next time we go somewhere with Bruno, whether or not there are other dogs there – people may react the same way Astro did, lol. Or, if we don’t have to take Bru with us, we won’t.

[Naturella]

Oh, if I knew they were coming I wouldn’t have brought my babies! And idk, I just feel that it’s unfair that I have to remove my dogs if someone wasn’t responsible enough to provide for the comfort of their dog. I will for sure not be bringing Bruno to their house ever again, and make sure to ask who’s coming to family gatherings next time. I may bring some info to them next time, but they never read any of the links I send them (I have before, about dog nutrition and natural chews and stuff, to no avail).

But yeah, better safe than sorry, Bruno won’t be involved with Astro anymore.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

Oh, and also – tails were wagging at all times as far as Bruno and Snowy, and they just wanted to investigate, get to know, and maybe play with Astro. But with his “dad”‘s behavior, no wonder the dog was nervous – loud, demanding voice, tension in his alpha – the poor dog must have thought he was in a danger situation and he will always think that when there are other dogs around if that’s how his alpha is acting. So he will never be calm and social with other dogs… Makes me sad for him.

And any attempts on my side to just get the dogs together, make them sit, or do something at the same time for treats so that they have a positive experience around each other never worked as Astro doesn’t know how to do tricks – either attention-span is low; he was never taught; or is not food-motivated, or all of the above – he is fed mostly from the table while his owners eat, so he knows he will get the good stuff then, so he doesn’t really do treats. So he would just wander off by his owners. Meh…

[Naturella]

BCnut, I had forgotten about Soil Based Organisms! Thanks for reminding me!

And do you feed raw green tripe, canned, or dehydrated/air-dried?

[Naturella]

… Ok, I caved, Wysong is in packs in the fridge now… All that’s under the sink are the sandwich bags with THK for toppers, small bag of BDN tripe (for topper), and the freezer bag with about 1/3 of the Wysong for feeding for the next 10 days or so, however long it lasts. I don’t think anything else can enter this fridge until we eat some of what’s already in there. I guess that’s a good thing? 🙂

[Naturella]

Cheryl, do you mean Snowy? She is the beige-white-ish one on the top. I believe she is a maltese-shihtzu mix of sorts, or something like that. They were pretty tired in that pic. Casey sleeps a lot anyway, and Snowy had just had a bath, and Bruno was at Snowy’s house before that, and both had gone to the pet store as well. So they had an eventful day and were pretty tired. 🙂
Can’t wait for them to get that stage again tonight!

[Naturella]

Thank you all for the suggestions! And like I said, no PF will be used daily anymore – if anything, I will use some probiotics after some research.

And ok, so unopened foods are relocated in our closet. That’s where I keep the samples actually. I hope it is dark and cool enough – we usually keep the closet door closed and when the heater is on in our bedroom, the closet is still frigid, lol. I don’t think having the light on every once in a while will hurt anything too.

As for the opened food, I don’t really want to put it in the fridge because going in there twice/day, even just to grab a quick scoop, I fear of condensation, although it is such a quick thing. The opened food will stay in an airtight container, closed up with a food clip under the sink in the bathroom where we feed Bruno. I could repack it in freezer bags to keep in the fridge, but in a medium-sized 2-bedroom apartment, and a roommate that occupies equal space, places for dog food are limited, especially with shared fridge and pantry – plus the fridge and freezer already have all sorts of other foods bunched up in there, THK, some kibbles, some raw for Bruno and for humans (to cook), so yeah… One day, when we finally live alone (Brian and I), I will be free to put anything anywhere I want! 🙂

[Naturella]

Hm, I could also put them in the laundry room, on the top shelf… I will go play with some ideas now, and see how it goes and where they fit the best.

[Naturella]

Dori,

Yeah, I guess I was just thinking of adding more probiotics to his diet, but as noted, I’m not really sure he needs them. I will consider all suggestions on good brands though, including what C4C suggested. I have decided to not use PF regularly, and use it as needed only.

As for the food under the sink – thank you for your concern and suggestions! I do know that they should be in cool dark places, but it appeared that the coolest/darkest place would be the cabinets under the sink. The plumbing (pipes) is insulated with some plastic covers so the pipes themselves are only bare toward the top of the cabinet where they connect with the sink above. It is pretty dry in there from what I’ve seen and felt (no leaks or steam/moisture that I’ve seen), and it is cool for sure because when we have freeze warnings they tell us to open those cabinets so that the air in there is not too cold and the pipes don’t freeze up. BUT, with that said, I would consider putting the foods somewhere else, like the closet maybe. The pantry is not an option and neither are any of the kitchen cabinets. So that leaves us with the closet, as dark and cool as it gets in there. So thank you for bringing this to my attention! 🙂

[Naturella]

C4C, I will look up that probiotic and see. I don’t know if he really NEEDS it or PF constantly, he also does get yoghurt again twice a week, and he seems overall ok, I was just trying to make things more complicated than they already are, I guess! LoL! But thank you for the suggestion, I will check it out! 🙂

[Naturella]

C4C, Snowy is the odd man out. She is here just for the weekend and she’s not used to playing much with humans or dogs. She will happily be petted and get tummy rubs all day long, sleep, and chew on Bruno’s toys. She wouldn’t engage in play with Bruno or Casey and doesn’t like being sniffed or have body contact with other dogs much. Bruno and Casey have been living together ever since we got Bruno in 2013, so they play, wrestle, chew on each other (not really, lol, more like he tries to chew on her feet, ears, and cheeks during play time), groom each other (lick each other’s eyes and ears), cuddle, and are just very much close. I think Snowy is slowly warming up to Bruno a tiny bit, but she is definitely stand-offish with Casey and Bruno has had to “defend” poor Casey from Snowy’s little attempts to be the boss, lol. As for Casey, she is a gentle giant and perpetually looks sad and confused no matter what, lol. 🙂

[Naturella]

So, I present to you, our little dog pack for the weekend:

Bruno (middle), Snowy (the small one on the top), and Casey (the big one – the roommate’s dog). 🙂

[Naturella]

Peggy, this is odd… Do you think they are self-regulating somehow and have been getting enough calories? I have heard/read that if a dog truly is hungry, they will eat when they get to that point of true hunger… Or, they are sick, but I hope that’s not it. How have they been eating today, if at all?

As for us, Bruno and Snowy (this weekend I am dog-sitting the dog of the family I babysit for) had 1/4 cup of Acana Pacifica dry with 1/2 3.5oz can of sardines in water, and 1/2 tsp THK Perfect Form each. Bruno’s stool has been good, just a tad softer since we switched to Wysong Nurture with Quail, so I have been giving him PF this week to firm him back up. So far so good, he’s almost back to normal. On Saturdays he always has a fish-based kibble with his sardines, and these days it is Acana Pacifica. Next up I have a small bag of GO! Sensitivity and Shine Salmon.

Dinner today will be 1/4 cup of Wysong each, with 1 tsp each of Sojo’s Turkey, and 1/2 tsp each of PF.

Tomorrow’s breakfast will be 1/4 cup Wysong again with 1 tsp of Sojo’s Beef, 1/2 tsp PF. Dinner tomorrow will be dried duck feet! 🙂

Right now Snowy is on Wellness CORE Puppy, but she’s had Wysong before and did well on it, and she is so good about switching foods up now, so she is fine with the variety. I have a lot of dog food at my house so I don’t mind feeding an extra pup for a few days. 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

BCnut, I was thinking that too! Bruno is great practice for my future baby/child-rearing skills, lol!

I think that unless blood/bones/organs are coming out of him in any way; a bone is clearly broken, or he is obviously in a lot of pain or unresponsive, I shouldn’t actually “freak out”. I would be worried if he’s not feeling well, but I will just read up on it, watch him, let him rest, check if he takes food/water, and write here or call the vet to consult. If any of the above “freak out” conditions are present, I will take him straight to the emergency vet or our vet, depending on the time. And, of course, freak out. lol

[Naturella]

D_O, you’re welcome. Idk if this truly does help, but I have heard of freezing dry kibble to prolong freshness, so I am refrigerating the dehydrated food for the same reason, hope it works out. BCnut, that’s kind of what I thought too. I will just stick with using herbal/natural supplements as needed and not just give them to give them. 🙂

Sometimes I need to remind myself of the golden rule: “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken”. 🙂

[Naturella]

Or, I could mix 1 pack of PF and one of PB per THK recipe, but that may just be overdoing it a tad, lol. I could just not mix anything unless necessary.

[Naturella]

D_O, I also have some of the ProBloom too, I could use that, you’re right. I mean, Bruno’s stool is pretty good, I was just wondering if there’s anything I could do better…

Ok, so what I did in the end of last year, I packed sandwich bags with each of the THK foods and I keep those under the sink for the daily use, with the rest of Bruno’s dry foods (except some of the dry are in the freezer). I think a sandwich bag the way I packed it would last approximately 1.5-2 months each. Then, the rest of the THK are in labeled sandwich bags in the fridge. IDK if this helps, I am really hoping so, but I am not TOO worried… If his stool changes in a way that I can determine that the THK is causing it, I will stop it, but so far so good, he’s doing well. If I am to add anything to the mix itself, I could just take all the fridge THKs out, leave them out unopened overnight to “thaw”, and then mix them up (one kind of THK with a pack or 2 of either PF or PB), and then repack in sandwich bags and throw them back in the fridge or freezer.

[Naturella]

BCnut, you’re right, as much as I’d hate to admit it, I was the drama queen… Lol. He was just responding to what he felt, and I just freaked out a bit. Well, I’m glad he is ok now, and I guess I will just take it easy next time, if there is ever a next time… I just had never seen him do that before, so it was a learning process for me too.

[Naturella]

So we went to the vet this morning. He walked, sat, stood up on his rear legs and laid down just fine. He again peed while standing on his “injured” leg. They felt up on him, moved his leg around, said they didn’t feel anything wrong. I didn’t want to do X-Rays – I didn’t think there was a need, I mean, he is now back to normal. Maybe when he hit the table his leg cramped up and he just needed to rest and us rubbing and moving it around for him helped, and a good night’s sleep must have helped too. He also ate just fine, and is now resting again. So I think we’re all good here again. 🙂

[Naturella]

Yep! And so… this dog has to be the biggest drama queen that ever lived! As soon as we were getting ready to go out, he was walking on all fours almost normally. As soon as he hit the grass, he was acting totally normally – he even peed while standing on his injured leg. He is now walking 95% normally, still has a bit of trouble sitting and laying down, but he stands on his rear legs (although I don’t want him to), and is acting overall just fine. I’m glad he seems to be feeling a lot better, but that drama queen of a pooch… Oh well, love him to bits! 🙂

[Author]

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