[Debbie L]

I keep reading about the good luck people keep reporting about using coconut oil, both for themselves and their dogs. Some rub a small amount into the hair and skin of the dog and some add a little to their food. One lady said she added about a teaspoon to her dog’s food daily and it was flea and allergy free.

[Debbie L]

Good info in your responses and thanks. Like others say they do with raw meat, I too wash my hands and everything the meat touches. I was also concerned, not just about the safety factor of handling raw meat to myself, but the possibility of pets getting a bacterial infection such as E. coli, salmonella, etc. from eating it. Over the years there have been recalls off and on for ground beef contaminated with E. coli. Don’t know if dogs and cats could be sickened with that in the same way as humans or not. Then if you remember a few years ago there was the scare of salmonella (I think that’s what it was) in raw eggs.

If you’ve had luck feeding raw then by all means continue it. I believe I sway a little more to the high quality dry and wet foods. Whatever the source of food for our pets, we all share in common wanting to keep them healthy and live long lives.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Debbie L.

[Debbie L]

HARPERS MOM: You can mix up a solution of food grade DE with water and spray that in the yard. When it dries it won’t be exactly like the dry powdery form, but will be similar. I think it would still have the same destructive effect on fleas and other pests.

Same with the dog, a small amont can be mixed with water and used as a drench like you would a dip.

Safer IMO as a wet form, as if you inhale too much of the powder it can cause some serious lung damage. If you prefer the dry form and have a lot to use be sure to wear a mask that filters dust so to not breathe in the DE powder. Outside if there is a wind the small particles from the dust tend to float around in the air.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Debbie L.

[Debbie L]

One fact about Ivomec, or Ivermectin, it is not recommended to give it to Collies as it could be toxic to them. I don’t think I’d give it to a dog mixed with Collie either to be on the safe side.

I also give my dogs the little round odorless garlic capsules, as well as fish oil capsules. It is my belief that fleas are developing an immunity to all those chemical flea treatments, and feel that naturally treating the dog from inside out is best.

Coconut oil is said to repel fleas either rubbed on the dog or small amounts added to the food each day. Avon Skin-So-Soft is also reported to be effective against fleas.

[Debbie L]

My Fox Terrier was smooth. I’ll find a good dog food, just not one to break the bank though. I often read the ingredients and was surprised mine did not seem to care much for the 4Health. All the bags say 100% balanced nutrition, from the cheapest ones to the most expensive. Of course we know that isn’t true, though.

Ol Roy has been around a long time and I’ve seen a lot of people buy it, but years ago a vet told me it was not good. Another one told me they had seen more dogs with skin problems on Pedigree than any other dog food. I usually stick with Tractor Supply or Orscheln’s when buying dog food. There aren’t too many feed stores around here. At Tractor Supply once I bough Diamond Grain Free and a worker said it was good. I may try that again, probably have to mix with some canned food.

[Debbie L]

You’re right, InkedMarie, there are many dog foods out there nowdays. Back in the early ’60s when I got my first dog, a female Fox Terrier, there weren’t a lot of dog foods, Purina being the main one then. She was white with three large black spots going down her back and a bunch of little black dots all over, black head with short folded over ears, tan cheeks and eyebrows, and a perfectly shaped small white heart-shaped marking right on top of her head. She lived 14 1/2 years on Purina, born July 21, 1960.

I used to raise goats for many years, and back in the 1980s there were really nothing much to feed them but corn or horse sweet feed. Now there is quite a bit more variety, but just like the dog foods some goat feeds are better, and naturally the better grade goat feeds are the most expensive.

Not to worry, I won’t get Beneful again.

[Debbie L]

Actually I have tried some chemical topical flea and tic treatments but these did not seem to be too effective. I applied them as per instructions, but I think fleas and perhaps tics too have become immune to a lot of this stuff. So far I’ve not noticed any definite signs and symptoms of tapeworms. I remember years ago when our family had some property in the deep Texas Hill Country region my dad said he picked six tics off himself in one day. He said he began taking garlic tablets and soon thereafter never got another tic. I’ve read people say they give their dog garlic (not every day) in small quantities and the dog does not have fleas. I’m a firm believer in treating from the inside out.

Back in ’09 my female Collie was aging and her immune system was down, thereby making her more susceptible to fleas. Plus, we had a lot of rain that summer and the vet said that was a factor in the heavy flea load also. I began feeding her Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and within about a month the fleas all but disappeared and she pretty much quit scratching. I didn’t want to use harsh chemicals due to her advanced age. As long as she ate that she was fine, but it doesn’t have the hip/joint stuff in it she needed so I had to add that. She passed in February of 2011 at the age of 14 years and 2 months. I’d try Chicken Soup for the dogs I now have but they have reduced their quantity but gone up in price.

I’ve noticed some places where the dogs have lost hair it is growing back some, so something is working. I’m always looking for ways to keep my dogs healthy and so far these two males, one given to me as a stray when he was a puppy (large mixed breed), and the other a give-a-way no one wanted (Peke-a-Chon), are doing well. Barney is the large dog and Buster the small one.

[Debbie L]

In reading about some of the problems with the loose stools in the dogs, here is a simple treatment that may work. I have not used this on dogs myself, but have on calves and goats and within 2 or 3 days their stools were normal again.

Boil some white rice a few minutes, strain the water from that, and when the rice water cools give to the dog.

I know of course calves and goats are different from dogs, but would be worth a try when nothing else is available and something is needed in a hurry to prevent dehydration.

[Debbie L]

No, feeding Beneful does not mean that I gave up, and product rating does matter to me. Why would I have bought 4Health and Diamond Naturals if rating meant nothing to me? Your remark there is uncalled for. I didn’t say I’d feed Beneful forevermore, just for now.

Perhaps 4Health and Diamond Naturals have earned their ratings, but what good is a so-called healthy dog food if the dogs won’t eat it? These foods may work for someone else, just didn’t for us and I won’t buy them again. A worker at Tractor Supply told me her dog did not like the 4Health too much either, so perhaps it’s not just an issue with my dogs.

When I noticed some things going on while feeding the dogs the foods from Tractor Supply I got concerned and went to a health store for advice. A gentleman there told me those foods didn’t have enough oil in them, so I began adding a little coconut oil and where the bigger dog had lost hair the hair grew back.

As I said in my original post, my concern is to feed a food that is both nutritious and that the dogs like and will eat. I will no longer buy a food that the dogs sniff and go on their way, and that’s what happened with 4Health and Diamond Naturals.

So Betsy, you take care of your dog and I’ll take care of mine. I’ve had dogs in the past that lived long, healthy lives and were fed good food but not the so-called 5-star foods. Dog food performance is more important than a label.

[Debbie L]

I think I’d add a little more than just potatoes and peas. The apples and oatmeal sounds good. Perhaps some egg as well.

Many years ago my aging female Collie had a terrible time with fleas, as her immunity was down due to age. I started feeding Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and within about a month on that the fleas all but vanished. I looked at the ingredients, and unfortunately your dog may be allergic, but the oatmeal and another item listed were high in B vitamins and I believe that’s what helped to repel the fleas.

If you Google it there are many natural homemade dog food recipes on the net. You can supplement the dog’s diet with dog vitamins. To be safe I would if I were making my own dog food recipe.

Another suggestion would be to occasionally give the dog some probios paste, pronounced pro-bee-ose. Your farm and ranch store will know what it is. Very high in vitamins and minerals. Just takes a small bit at a time. Or sprinkle some powdered milk for baby animals on the food. Also at farm and ranch. High in vitamins, minerals and also calcium animals need.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Debbie L.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Debbie L.

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