DogPaddle

If the others don't work try a quality mild human shampoo and conditioner. I started this after a groomer here (HF maybe?) said the whole dog shampoo only thing was bunk. My boys, paticularly Zaphod used to get a bit itchy after baths but this worked for me. I use Pantine - expensive but its in my shower anyway and their coats are great.

I would suggest brushing or at least running your hands over and through the coat in the shower or tub. This works for our lab/huskey cross because the wet fur clumps up a bit and comes out easier, also, it doesn't fly away when wet. If you load him up with conditioner first it may help, depending on fur type. As for the oil supplement and dull dry coat: Is his health fine? What are you feeding him?

One more on the NO side. Do not enable this person to be given care of a child who likely will already have issues and special needs. She is not prepared and even though it may cause tension to deny her a recomendation your responsibility, to prospective foster children and society, is not to. I hope your son and dog are recovering nicely.

I wonder how many dogs have been put down over things like this? Not only should small children not be left alone with a dog but there is additionally training that needs to be done when you have a dog and kid household: the children (once old enough to understand) need to be taught how to behave around the dog and the dog needs to have pack order reinfoced as concerns the child. If the dog thinks the child is higher in the group then it then if an accident occurs and dog and child are alone and say the child takes the dog's food the dog will be LESS likely to bite.

[quote] There is a popular notion that skunks cannot eject their musk if they are lifted off the ground by the tail. This is untrue.[/quote] See skunks could teach another lesson here :lol: My brother once thought that baby skunks could not spray, the wee skunk taught him too. Zaphod still smells slightly skunky, I think I may take him to a groomer to finish off the job as he needs his nails done anyway (I hate doing them, they're all black.)

As some of you may know I was working on obedience with the boys so we could start agility. I was worried about recall in paticular. Well, I now know, fairly conclusively that Kavik's recall is good. We were at the park, Kavik was retrieving, Zaphod was playing - he so loves to harrass the little black and white, fluffy, kong obsessed one. Anyway a distraction presented itself and the boys immediately set off after the critter. I guess Zaphod was paticularly interested because it was also black and white and fluffy . . . Kavik responded to an emphatic recall and Zaphod . . . learned a valuable lesson. It got him only in the eyes, mouth and nose but it still took two tins of tomatoe juice and an hour to get rid of half the smell. :lol:

Cassie - yup that's bodybreak. I figured they were getting paid. It just cheeses me off, people will assume that the stuff is good because of the source of the add they won't question. Which is likely why Purina did it. And those bodybreak people cannot think dog nutrition is so different from peoples that a diet of substanderd corn and some slaughterhouse byproducts spiced with suger and salt is good for dogs even if it does have dried peas and carrots in it. :roll: :evil: No response to my email yet.

NP, I don't consider it hijacking but rather evolving converstation. BTW no response to my email yet, tomorrow I think I'll send one again. If anyone wants to add there extensive, comprehensive pet nutrition info or opinion of beneful, here is their email. [email]bodybreak@bodybreak.com[/email]

Cool, this sounds perfect. Tell your son I love the name . . . although I always thought it would be perfect for big huskey chocolat lab or chesapeak bay.

I thought pork was ok as long as it is handled and cooked as you would for people. I use cheese as an occaisional treat and we have no prob. I think moderation is the key in many of these cases.

I've never known a puppy that didn't try to eat its crate pad :lol: I used really old towels - ones I didn't want back but it all depends on your dog. As for the size of the crate - the crate should be big enough for your dog to sit, stand, turn around or lie down in - no bigger. If you need to section it off there are partitions you can buy for SOME crates other people use a custom cute peice of plywood fastened to the crate sides - removable later or wire mesh at least one gage up from chicken wire, increse the gage for stronger chewers - you do not want the vet bill if your dog eats that. Anyway check that sticky in the training section and any questions just ask.

I've never known a puppy that didn't try to eat its crate pad :lol: I used really old towels - ones I didn't want back but it all depends on your dog. As for the size of the crate - the crate should be big enough for your dog to sit, stand, turn around or lie down in - no bigger. If you need to section it off there are partitions you can buy for SOME crates other people use a custom cute peice of plywood fastened to the crate sides - removable later or wire mesh at least one gage up from chicken wire, increse the gage for stronger chewers - you do not want the vet bill if your dog eats that. Anyway check that sticky in the training section and any questions just ask.

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Yup, most people foods are ok. The bad ones I remember are chocolat, lots of onions, lots of grapes. Anyone else have additions.

See the sticky on training in the Training section. Crate training takes time and with some dogs, tiny little steps. Not all dogs respond to it but I would say most do and it makes housetraining a breeze and provides some nice safety. My usual suggestions for dogs with problems with crates are feed and water you pup in there, toss toys for retrieval in there, play games with the crate, start crating for short periods with you present, never punish by crating and PUPPIES EAT CRATE PADS. Good luck.

Canidae is available all over North America. It is not sold in grocery stores or pet values usually. It will be sold in pet specialty stores. This is their website [url]http://www.canidae.com[/url] they have a store locator link on the left side. The foods you have listed are better than the 'Ol Roy class of dog foods but you can feed a better food for the same price or cheaper. The foods you may want to look at are Canidae, Solid Gold, Flint River, Wellness, Wysong and Innova. I'm sure there are others but you'll get an idea from those. Canidae does work out to be the cheapest and is a really good food. When you research cost keep in mind that the amount you feed per day is really important. For quality avoid foods with byproduct, salt, suger, unidentified meat fish or poultry sources, corn, foods without proteins in the top ingredient(s) and foods with a lot of ingredient splitting. I'll try to find old threads on this for you a bit later.

That is a great idea. I do the homemade batches up a week at a time and freeze them. I could grind a week's worth of kibble up at a time and just mix it when I serve. Thanks!

:lol: I'm glad too. I was not looking forward to a vet bill. The foster cat we have is expensive enough.

I always advocate that people actually work out the actual cost of feeding and try Canidae if they are looking for a less expensive food. Good food, need less of it, good price. I was just at Grand Bend last week . . . it rained. :lol:

Don't worry ahead of when you need to, see the vet then see what he/she says then see if you need to worry. If it is HD it doesn't nec. have to be a big deal, there are a few people here with some excellent and simple success stories re HD. Anyway HD usually sets in well before 4 years, from what I know.

BTW Smooshie: Why would you go leaving good ol humid, smoggy London or slushy cold London for "The Beach?" :lol:

They are getting money from Purina, Purina had some link to them on one of their event sites - they were guest speaking at some event I think. Anyway here are the Beneful Ingredients - this is what they think health food for dogs is: Ingredients Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, animal digest, salt, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, zinc sulfate, glyceryl monostearate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite. F-4090 I tend to disagree. It is dog food and it is sadly fairly typical but IMO it hardly qualifies as a healthy diet.

I haven't found this. In fact I have found that two unfixed females together are far more likely to harass each other than two fixed females. With people I myself haven't noticed a difference. Anyone else?

Kavik is underweight. He always has been. He is too busy to eat. Now that he has calmed down a bit though I've noticed that he will eat his whole bowl of cooked homemade without interupption and even warn Zaphod away from it. With his kibble (Innova lately) he will eat if encouraged and monitored but if anything goes on in the room he's done and happy to let Zaphod finish for him. He wasn't quite as keen on the raw homemade. Feeding Innova only would cost me around $75 to $85 a month for both dogs. Feeding my cooked homemade would cost me around $110 to $150 a month for both dogs and prep time. I have been doing one kibble meal and one homemade but I give up, I'll do cooked for both but mix kibble in half and half with one. If he'll eat its' worth it. Damn dog won. :lol: