alicat613

Well...I think you should open a pet food store then...LOL seems like your town is seriously lacking one!!

Billinghurst (the BARF man) says do NOT feed kibble and BARF. Kibble is meant to sit in the stomach/digestive system and BARF is not (other way around??) and having them in there together is bad apparently. I have been feeding a cooked diet based on the Pitcairn method for..wow..10 years? Shoot...I'm not that old LOL! It is not expensive at all. I pay less than I would for kibble. I buy meat at an average of $1 a pound, stretch that by making broth out of the bones which I use to make rice or barley and top food, the rest I balance different carbs and veggies and other stuff. It is very helpful to have a vet experienced in this and I am lucky to have found not just a holistic vet and nutritionist, but one who actually studied under Dr. Pitcairn who I have been following for years! Whatever you do, do your research and find some good support.

Oh good idea!! Thanks! My puppy LOOOOOVES goofy games so I'll see what he thinks of this. I love having such a goofy playful dog!

On potatoes...as mentioned the green parts and sprouts are bad. (FYI if you have a potato turn green, store it in the dark and it will be fine in a few days). There are some dogs who do not digest potato well. The reason the Natural Balance allergy line uses potato is because many dogs haven't been exposed to it before. Parker eats potato fairly often just fine, but remember they are a high starch food that is quickly converted to sugars. I try to balance them out with slower grains like whole rices or barley. He also eats a lot of sweet potato which is super good for them and like candy for dogs! He just has no clue that it is so healthy. As far as canned...well I don't eat canned food and I wouldn't give it to my dog either. If you really want to, I'd try to find the most natural products available, look for the lowest sodium and additives, and then make sure no onions, etc. I think the chicken is a great idea. I home feed so that's what I do. I usually buy chicken/turkey - whole, thighs, breast with bones - depending on what is on sale (never more the 99/pound) and just simmer that about an hour, strip off the meat, throw in some parsley and veggies and make a nice thick stock.

Dr Pitcairn's book is really helpful. The new edition focuses on raw, but he also says you can cook it if you are more comfortable. Have you done any research on raw feeding? There are a lot of books out there! Do you want to do raw or cooked? If raw, BARF style (feeding bones) or not? You could also look for a holistic vet who is also a nutritionist so they can help you make sure you are providing well for your dog. The most important thing is to make sure you give a pretty good variety, know what foods not to feed (onions, macadamia nuts, etc) and make sure you are meeting their dietary needs. A good home diet can be great but a poorly researched one can be very bad!

Wow Mei-Mei, too funny! You know people are so different with their dogs than they might be otherwise in "real" life. That's so cute that he has such well cared for dogs! I guess it just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover!

I didn't respond because I don't really feel qualified to explain online. I just take up the scruff on the neck and insert the needle. You should be able to gauge how much scruff to how much needle so you don't poke through. It should just be under the skin. Sorry, that's all I can think of, haven't done it in many years. You can order vaccines through many places, like [url]www.jefferspet.com[/url] Mostly though for single orders I've only seen big combos with 5 or 6 vaccines in them.

I think usually puppy food is fed for too long, but then, I think most dogs are too fat! Giant breeds shouldn't be fed puppy food either. My vet doesn't really recommend it for any dogs but he doesn't really like kibble anyway. I have no idea about Jack Russels but it sounds like your neighbors have this as an all -breed philosophy. I do kinda think it's a ripoff, but then I'm anti-kibble myself. Notice a lot of the really premium brands don't even have a puppy food. Doesn't it seem logical that by amounts the puppy will get what he needs and poop the rest out? In the wild, after nursing the puppy would eat like an adult dog. After weaning, human babies don't get super high protein calcium loaded food, they get regular human food too. I don't feed my puppy any differently than I will when he is an adult, provided no problems arise like allergies. I feed cooked food, like the original Pitcairn diet. Hmmm...food for thought!

Thanks Horsefeathers! They are an amazing breed. Both of mine have always had a modified puppy cut after 1 year. Pretty much the same only a lot shorter everywhere except ears, head and tail. My Holly had a "boyfriend" named Sid who lived down the street. A black male with a similar cut although they also grew a "mustache" on his muzzle. You can find the look in some poodle books. I always thought it looked funny in the pictures, but Sid carried it well! Someday I may again have a beautiful Poodle, just not yet. It's still hard seeing them. My Holly was a very special girl.

Thanks Dogpaddle! :) It is a lot of work! I don't breed either. Once a long long time ago I had this image of breeding as getting to play with cute little puppies and just a happy little career. HA! Whew. Meeting and interviewing breeders, learning what is all involved...no way no how! Never will I get involved in such a complicated and risky endeavor. But I do belong to some good breeder groups and I really enjoy learning the genetics and all involved.

Aww man, I was hoping for a happier ending! You guys and these sad stories...well, it was sad but sweet too. At least (s)he had a nice evening of warmth and quiet before passing on.

I'm trying to understand who saw Dane in there and how and where??? I know nothing about the Argentinan Mastiff, but that is definately NOT a Dane mix. I don't see a single "Dane-ish" attribute.

The Standard Poodle comes from Germany, where they were used as water fowl retrieval dogs. The name poodle comes from the German pudel. The haircut you see on show dogs comes from that too, the cut keeps the body and joints warm but allows the dog freer movement in the water. The topknot (the hair on the head tied up in a bow) was so owners could put different colored ribbons on the head to identify their dogs. They are great guard dogs in that they are not aggressive and no real danger (in a well bred, well tempered one), but are alert, active, and will bark (with usually a nice deep bark not yappy) at things outside or the door, but not excessively so. The other sizes of the poodle were "bred down" from standards by taking 2 very small standards and breeding them, then taking the smallest of that litter and so on. I personally feel the smaller poodles have more personality issues resulting from this.

Well I am a big standard poodle fan. We got our first when I was about 10, my girl Holly who will always have a huge spot in my heart. She was a wonderful dog, and just passed on a few years ago. I miss her terribly too. My grandparents had her sister Molly, and have had several other white standards as well. My mother has another white Standard now, Crystal, who came to live with her after suffering depression at her previous home where she did not get enough attention. All of them have been wonderful, fun, loving dogs, clean too! The only reason that I am a Dane person now instead of a poodle person is that I cannot bear the idea of looking at a standard every day and thinking of my Holly. Well, since poodles are so "big", I think I'm going to breed a new poodle "mix". I'm gonna breed Standards to Standards and call them "Poo-Poodles". Think all this people dying to have a poodle cross will fall for it? :D (I'm joking, for those of you who don't "know" me, I'd never even consider actually breeding anything)

Last month I came across an ad for Great Dane puppies, $300 or will trade (yes, trade) for firewood. so of course, I was totally shocked and really thought I'd found the worst ad ever. Well apparently there is some club or something where these horrible people get together and try to compete or something for the worst ad ever, because shortly after, there was an ad: Great Dane puppies, will trade for ANYTHING. Great...

LOL mold, wolf, whatever. Jeez, wolf crosses, there's a great pet to rehome. no special needs there. Thanks for the area code, I will pass on the info to the rescues, hopefully they can get the Dane at least into a good home.

Would you mind sending me a PM with the area code on the harl dane? I will send it to the rescue here so they can help find her the right home. What is a mold/lab puppy?? I know it's damp and wet up here but I've never heard of a mold dog! LOL

Oh she is cute! good luck finding a new friend!

There are several new "registries" that you can register any dog at. no shows, no papers needed, it just allows people like this to say the dog is registered and rip people off. You could wait for a dog of the same "breed" at the shelter instead and give a good dog a needed home.

I'm so glad you've changed your mind! Breeding is such an involved and complicated endeavor, and even with all the experience and knowledge and help in the world, things can go wrong. A woman I know who has bred Danes for many many years just lost her beloved girl due to complications in whelp. She is absolutely devastated.

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For flea control the best prices I've found were at [url]www.petpharmacopia.com[/url]

I would never feed my dog green eggs. :lol: Great site, thanks for sharing!

Wow Josh, great answer. I'm glad that didn't make you defensive, because it's a mistake I think many people make, because they don't know. My standard poodle came from a backyard breeder, and wow did we luck out. 5 of the other 6 died young, only ours was healthy and long lived. As you get more involved in the "dog world" you will learn a lot about where all these puppies come from, it's very sad. Anyways, I know you love your pup and will take great care of him! Anyways, I noted you are in Australia so I'm not sure if the Advantage and Frontline products are available there. They are much safer than the grocery brands. Best of luck!

I'd check out the state laws. I'm wondering, say the dog was bred in state A, sold to someone in state B, then sold to someone in state C...which states' laws apply? Hmm... Anyways, I know at least here in Washington a verbal contract even is pretty binding. Any contract written and signed by both parties is darn hard to get out of, no matter what the loopholes are here.