Horsefeathers!

Thanks for the tips. :) I went into the store today to ask if anyone else had been having problems with the Wellness and to buy some more food. In an incredible stroke of luck, I happened to see two bags of Canidae laying on the floor at the front of the store. I asked if they were now stocking Canidae and the guy said he just orders it for his dogs and hadn't taken it out yet. He did sell me one bag and told me he could get more. I am going to try the gang on this Canidae and see what it's all about. Of course, all this was AFTER my trip to the health food store to buy some acidophilus. I really hadn't intended to change foods yet, but couldn't pass up the chance to try the Canidae since it's never been available locally before. One thing I like about it already... it has smaller pieces which my smaller dogs will appreciate. I always did feel kind of sorry for them having to work so hard to eat such big pieces of food, but I'm sure I was more concerned than they were. Sooooo I have some Canidae (wet and dry) and acidophilus. I'm going to give the wet to the Standard Poodles who have the worst digestive problems (Perry has already had one stomach surgery and I get paranoid when they start having problems) since it's supposed to have less preservatives (the canning process preserves it... see, I can be taught!). We'll see how it goes. One other question for TDG or anyone else who might know. My Standard Poodle (Perry) has a problem with bacterial overgrowth in his stomach/digestive tract which manifests itself in horrible, necrotic smelling breath (one thing that led to his surgery). He gets a sprinkle of tilosin powder (Tylan) on his food each night to curb the overgrowth of bacteria. It's been the only thing helpful so far. If we take him off it, the breath of death comes back. Do you suppose the acidophilus could be a good trade off for the tilosin powder? I've used acidophilus before, but have been too afraid to take Perry off the powder, but I do like the idea of him not having to have antibiotics his entire life. Any opinions? Thanks again. :)

I just bought my first bag of Canidae. An incredible stroke of luck as I happened to be in the store I buy my Wellness from to buy more Wellness. This store has never stocked Canidae before (no one here does), but one of the managers there happens to order Canidae for his dogs and hadn't taken it home yet (it was just laying in the front of the store). He sold me one bag and told me he could order more if I wanted to keep feeding it. I also bought several cans of wet Canidae just as a "supplement." I'll report back in on the "time for a change" thread.

I had kind of thought about that, but didn't know... we've been having a bit of a gas problem for the last few weeks and we have bought several bags of food since the problems began. I was thinking that maybe if it were a bad batch, we'd be past it by now? That's the reason I keep buying it. I don't know. I think I will stop by there tomorrow and just ask, anyway, like you said. Of course, the staff at the ONLY store in town who sells it is a bunch of less than "caring" folks. If there was a problem, I don't think they'd tell me even if they knew. :-?

My dogs have been eating Wellness food for over a year, maybe two. Their meals are also supplemented by a cooked natural diet and a little junk here and there. We've been very pleased with the Wellness so far. Initially, we had ONE dog who was extremely gassy during the "induction," but it passed (literally :oops: ). Recently, ALL of our dogs (there are nine in the house) are getting gassy. Most of them are also beginning to exhibit heartburn like symptoms... where they kind of burp and gag and sometimes spew up this vile smelling stuff, but not actually like puking. In an effort to identify the problem, we've cut out ALL cooked foods and snacks for the last week or so. They've had NOTHING but Wellness. Still, they are about to run us out of here. They are all farting and burping like you can't imagine. This sounds like a joke, but it's not... there is so much "force" behind this gas (from either end). They are passing wind rather violently. Poops and such are still normal. Has anyone heard that Wellness has changed their formula or anything? I can't figure out what's causing this recent reaction and in nearly ALL of them. They get whatever Wellness is available... we have to take what we can get because it's not that easy to find here. Still, that's not a recent change. We've always bought various Wellness formulas and mixed old with new when opening a new bag. Any ideas? Do I simply need to change their food? The thing is that Wellness is just about the best thing I can get locally. There is no Canidae or Solid Gold or anything like that available to me locally and online ordering is not an option. The next closest thing would be Chicken Soup For The Dog Lover's Soul. If I have to, I can drive an hour away and stock up on something better. We have actually been toying with the idea of just ditching the dog food altogether and putting them solely on a homecooked diet, but I'm not ready to give up the convenience of kibble yet, with SO many mouths to feed. I was just wondering if anyone had heard of any changes in Wellness, or do I just need to switch to something else for a while? I know that's a good idea, anyway, but it would make it much easier if it were more convenient. :oops:

Oh, how sweet that Annie loves you enough to be willing to drink after you! She could have gotten water from anywhere, but she chose to drink after YOU. Now, is that love or what?? :lol:

Then harrass him every chance you get, provided you have a way to secure Rowie whenever you aren't around. Maybe if you harrass him enough, he'll WANT to quit and you won't have to worry about a contract. I'm with others, though. Most contracts leave "loopholes" where either party can get out of them. I'm sure there's a part of it that says something to the effect of if he causes damage to property, he's out of there. Well, dogs are still considered property as far as I know. Have your parents check it out because I'd just about bet there's some part of that contract he's violated if you look at it technically. If he was ballsy enough to kick your dog with you watching, he's been doing it a while on the sly. Wrongdoers, whether they be thieves or abusers, get bolder and bolder the longer they get away with something. They start out being careful not to get caught. Then they begin losing inhibition. I'd be willing to be dollars to doughnuts his behavior is only going to escalate because he's been able to get away with it all this time. Swift kick to the groin and then get rid of him. Sounds like a winner to me. :)

I say the next time this guy approaches you for anything at all, swiftly and violently kick him in the groin. Then tell him you thought he was going to hurt you. Turnabout and all that... :x

Perhaps I was overreacting a *tad* and gave the wrong impression. Actually, I was kinda sorta kidding. I mean, the truth is that Pauly IS following my husband step for step and the two of them are truly bonding marvelously. Pauly is still very attached to me, though. It just really did make me go >> :o when Pauly began sleeping by hubby. I have to admit that I [u]might[/u] be a [i]tiny[/i] bit jealous. Still, I'm really glad the two of them have hit it off. I won't sic Pauly on him. :P

So I don't need to start sic'ing Pauly on him, or anything? *snicker* :lol:

It's horrible. I can't begin to describe the pain. Oh, the pain... :cry: You remember we were having Pauly problems? How he used to hate my husband and the two of them just couldn't get along. Pauly was MY dog and he always wanted to be with ME. Now... *sniff*snort*waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh* :cry: :cry: :cry: Pauly follows my husband everywhere he goes. He used to always stay up with me and be near me. Now he's my husband's dog!!! If my husband goes outside, Pauly is right on his heels. If my husband goes to bed, Pauly goes with him and lies on the floor by HIS side of the bed. He used to sleep by ME!! Oh, he still comes to me and lays his head in my lap and wants my attention. He still looks at me all dreamy eyed. Still, if my husband makes a move for a door, Pauly will leave me in the dust! WHY????? :cry: :cry: :cry: At least I still have Perry (and Devin and Peanut and Tucker and...). My beloved Perry who never leaves my side. Pauly still loves me, but he's not all MY dog, anymore. :-? :cry:

Or incredibly stoopit! *snort* :roll:

I can't remember what it was like to have only two in the house. Right now there are nine and have been as many as ten. Most are permanent residents, but there are the occasional fosters that come through. We always say the more the hairier. Downside: 1. the obvious extra expense (food, vet care, etc.) 2. more maintenance (bathing, grooming, nail care, first aid) 3. increasing difficulty in finding rental properties that allow pets to begin with, much less multiple pets 4. more noise... one barks, they all (or both) bark 5. more house maintenance (twice the hair, potty training, muddy paws, etc.) 6. if one dog has bad habits, the other(s) can very easily pick those up 7. pack mentality sometimes... I've found that where one dog won't exhibit certain behaviors alone, get them together and they "pack up." For example, none of my dogs would ever individually bother my cats, but they will sometimes all "pack" on them and chase them if we aren't watching (our cats have a safe room... no access to dogs) 8. some dogs will never bond... most can be taught to coexist peacefully, but like people, dogs kind of pick and choose their "friends"... be aware of the possibility that you may bring home a dog that the initial dog never likes (we have a couple that can't stand each other, but they usually coexist peacefully) 9. more potential for property damage (two bored dogs possibly digging, chewing, whatever... just because they have each other doesn't mean they'll keep each other out of trouble... trust me on this) 10. more training... this seems obvious, but I mean that with TWO or more dogs, they are often more easily distracted by what the other is doing. Even if you have a perfectly well trained single dog, when you bring another home, you will need to do remedial training with that dog AND the new one. My dogs are great individually and in small groups, but it takes a lot of diligence (and luck) to get them all to listen... it's too easy to get distracted by what the other one is doing 11. if you have two dogs close in age, then you have to worry about the ordeal of losing two close together... most of mine are within a couple of years of each other and I think about this all the time What makes it worth it (to me): 1. the company... I immensely enjoy their company and couldn't imagine living any other way 2. amusement... there's never a dull moment 3. the satisfaction (if a bit self serving) of being able to look around and know that you saved a life (in the case of rescues) 4. sense of security, whether it's valid or not (barking dogs often deter intruders... several barking dogs, I would think, would be more intimidating) 5. encourages you to get out... if you have dogs that need to be exercised, you HAVE to get out and do it 6. great for socialization (yours)... you'll be amazed at how many other dog people you will meet in the most unusual places. I'm not much of a people person, myself, but I can stand around and talk dogs for hours :oops: 7. great way for you and significant other to engage in more activities (weekends away with the dogs, hiking, swimming, whatever flips yer switch... dogs just seem to enhance the experience) These are just things I thought of right off the top of my head. Again, I can't remember the last time I only had two dogs and there are probably some things I'm taking for granted.

I don't know... I have a Schnauzer who will back up to a tree, back UP the tree with his back feet until he is nearly vertical and then go poop while it rolls down his belly. Wonder who taught him THAT? He's not only a leg lifter, but a butt lifter. :-?

TDG, I love you :cry: !! I want to have your baby. Or you can have mine. What a breath of fresh air you are!!

I have a chart somewhere that shows the difference between raw and cooked (not burnt) meat. It's been a long time since I saw it and I'll try to dig it up, but the general idea was that it wasn't as huge a difference as some of the "experts" say in their books. It'll bug me all night because I can't remember where I put it, or rather how I filed it. :oops: Still, to try to be objective (which is my whole intention whether I always succeed or not), even RAW diets are usually chock full of supplements. I have no problem with the idea of supplementation.

[quote name='Aroura']Just some food for thought, I've heard of many dogs choking to death on kibble, kibble also increases the risk of bloat [/quote] Actually, the latest Purdue study found no higher incidence of bloat in kibble fed dogs vs. raw fed ones :). A groomer on one of my lists recently lost her raw fed dog to bloat. You've "heard of" many dogs choking on kibble. Do you actually truthfully know any personally? I personally know dogs who have been harmed in one fashion or another from raw feeding. I am leary of anything people "heard of" as it smacks of urban legend. Of course, ANYTHING is possible and I'm not suggesting that a dog couldn't choke to death on kibble. I'm only pointing out that I've not met one who did, or seen one come through our vet clinic who did in the five years I've been there. Of course, a dog, person, or anything could drown on their own saliva, or actually die running with scissors, but I've not met anyone it happened to. Still, I've "heard of" it happening. To me the "dangers of kibble" lie more in the content than the way it's handled. Besides, I'm not here to promote a kibble diet, so it's a moot point, anyway. It doesn't have to be one way or the other and STILL no one yet has been able to show me any evidence that feeding a COOKED natural diet is detrimental in any way. It doesn't have to be raw OR kibble.

Shara, come take a handful of my gang home with you. You'll be kissing Coal full on the lips by the time you could get rid of them. You started me thinking and I started a post, too, on trying to accomplish something with dogs around. I'd never really thought about it before until you posted something about it. 8)

You know how dogs just like to be underfoot? You go to the bathroom, they plod along. You go to the kitchen for a glass of water, there they are. Flop on the couch for some downtime, here they come. I'm sure everyone's dogs are like that. However... How do you get NINE dogs to understand that I'm not rejecting them when I shoosh them out of the way to get where I'm going? This place isn't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but if I get up to do ANYTHING, here they all come. They're not even all small dogs. No, the worst ones are the BIG ones. Tucker, the Lab, likes to be constantly in yer face and up close. The evening so far has gone like this. I get home today from running my errands (Monday is take care of business day) and go through the usual ritualistic greetings ("yeah, yeah, love you, too, now go away..."). Monday afternoon/evening is take care of the house day. Soooo I go about my business of starting laundry. Go to the washer to start the water, nine dogs underfoot ("whatcha doin'??"). Go to the closet to retrieve clothes to be washed, dogs underfoot ("whatcha doin'??"). Load of clothes in arms up so high I can't see over them, shuffle through the crowd (to take steps means I'll crunch paws and tails, so we shuffle around here), head for the washer with the clothes, here they come ("whatcha doin'??"). Geez, I wish someone washed clothes around here from time to time so these dogs would know what's going on. Time to dust. I have a system. First I go all around the house and take down all whatnots, knick knacks and doo dads and dust them. Here come the dogs ("whatcha doin'??"). Then I go back and dust the actual surfaces I removed the junk from. Nine dogs still in tow ("whatcha doin'??"). You'd think by now they'd kind of catch on. No, they continue to follow me step for step as I replace the crap I just dusted. Time to vacuum. One would assume THAT would get them out of my hair for a minute or two. Nope, here they come ("whatcha doin'??"). The ones who aren't following me around are in front of it challenging it ("whatthehell's-it doin'??"). By now, clothes are starting to be washed/dry and it's time to fold and sort. Usually, by this time, they are offering assistance in dryer retrieving (oh, if only this were a competition sport somewhere...) and demolition ("hey, those are MY drawz... turn 'em LOOSE!!"). My attempts to fold are apparently interpreted as an invitation to play. Now off to the closet to put sorted clothes away. Here come nine dogs right behind me ("whatcha doin'??"). My dogs are liars. They'd have anyone think I NEVER do housework, as fascinated as they seem by it each week. I think my new year resolution is going to be to try to collectively teach these dogs to stay put somewhere. Individually and in small groups, they're great. I've never really never tried to have the lot of them all do something at once. Then again, I have to admit I just about wouldn't have it any other way. Perhaps I should feel flattered. Ha? :o One final note... several people who know me hate going anywhere with me. Apparently, I shuffle my feet EVERYWHERE I go. They get so sick of telling me to pick up my feet. Habit. :oops:

[quote name='MajiesMom']- Girls just wanna have fun (is that Cyndi Loper?) - I'm so excited (Tina Turner) LOL that is sooo Magic "I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it, I'm about to lose control and I think I like it" LMAO that is my Magic! :ghost_2: - She drives me crazy (don't know who the heck that is by?) Haah brain fart, I can't think of the gazillion others...oh just about any song that has the word magic in it is a Magic song. Do you guys have songs? Choose the one that has the most meaning for you guys. :)[/quote] Let the Queen Of The 80's hits come to your rescue!! Girls Just Wanna Have Fun = Cyndi Lauper I'm So Excited = The Pointer Sisters She Drives Me Crazy = Fine Young Cannibals (ok, I think?) :D Ok, back on topic. Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm a huge 80's fan. :oops:

Good work! :)

I've never heard of Bootscootin' Baby. I have heard of Bootscootin' Boogey (blech), but no clue if they're maybe the same song. Either way, I vote for Dancing Queen. Who could NOT like ABBA? :)

My Peyton girly was adopted the other day (remember the black Standard Poodle I was fostering?). How bittersweet! It's always hard to let them go. She's in a home nearby where I will be able to visit her and see how she's doing. It appears to be a match made in heaven. Peyton is an exceptional dog. Perfectly housetrained, very well mannered, sweet, and good company. Her only "problems" are that she is a cat stalker (never did any harm, but was very intent on stalking) and a bit of a scavenger (will eat cigarette butts, pecans, whatever is lying around). Where she is, she should do well. Good luck to you, Peyton, and I hope you enjoy your new home! :cry:

He's doing great! He and hubby are buds now. Hubby is still in control of ALL resources (food, treats, training), but they are really getting along. It's helped immensely that hubby has been on vacation for the last two weeks and has been with Pauly virtually 24/7 without my constant presence. Pauly's manners and demeanor have improved 1000%. No nervousness, he's happy, bouncy and seems to just adore hubby. The effort has paid off and we are thrilled. Geez, I love this dog; he's such a clown, so I'm glad this all worked out. He's a wonderful dog. It's just that he had a problem with hubby for whatever reason, but they've worked it out. Yay! Goo, I have to say that your suggestion of having hubby not only make Pauly sit and not set the bowl of food down, but rather hand feed him each mouthful has worked marvelously. Hubby handfeeds Pauly every single mouthful of anything he gets and he has to earn every single bite. Thanks!

Really, I'm not being a smart*ss when I say this... I am genuinely curious. I am confused as to how it is that dogs do not have the ability to rationalize or plan and they can't react with emotion and aren't able to make cognizant decisions, but rather behave, for the most part, on instinct, BUT (ok, I know this is a killer run on sentence) there is this overwhelming array of information constantly being thrown about as to how to handle dogs because, doG forbid you screw up, you can ruin their psyches, emotionally scar them for life and throw the entire galaxy out of alignment. Wazzup wit' dat?? The mind wobbles. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwDPAqAe4un8wiTGjuby4ZzhTlcsIAussVoO91ZPVwE0O662MsvnvXS9wNddl1h8ARXmDUYjhTmKfLFVOhRHxW37HTPOFPkF6x6RoqhBOJ2yQDBOGPxKHKeZy0*DMSpst1ulhE5dZC0/homer%20doh.jpg?dc=4675407362494670893[/img]

Welcome to the Dogo family, Apollo! :)