alicat613

So how do you make them mushy? I make stock all the time, and simmer bones for mayb e 8 or more hours, and they don't get mushy so obviously this is not the method! Is there a way to make them soft without a pressure cooker?

Good point. Of course everyone should take into consideration their dogs' sizes and individuality. I only introduce new things one at a time, to see how he handles it. I have a Great Dane, so when I say he has a tomato a day, that is far different than feeding a cat or a Yorkie a whole tomato.

Good luck with the showing!! Will the male pup be shown? If not you could have him neutered around 6 months, should take care of any problems. If you might want to show him AND can keep him from getting in "trouble", see how your current boy acts around other unaltered males. Have you ever seen him try to dominate other unneutered dogs? I do know many breeders who have unaltered males who live together just fine. My 6 month puppy is not *yet* neutered and his best bud is a 3 year old unneutered (responsibly so) bull mastiff, who has never shown an inkling of aggression, territorialism, or humping. I have a male, and if I add another dog, it will most likely be male as well. I personally prefer male dogs. But both will be neutered. I hope my rambling post has helped a bit!

Oh wow!!! How does he go potty out there??

Oh no! Falling dogs not good! My dog knows he's not allowed to run on the hard floors. He can trot, but not run. Luckily we have some carpeted areas. If you keep their nails trimmed and dremeled, they don't scratch the floors.

EEEK! Cooked chicken bones?? Pasta? Sheesh no way here. Sorry, but I would NEVER feed cooked leg bones and why bother going to the trouble if you are going to through overly refined foods in like pasta? And kibble? Here's what I do - buy a chicken, put it in a pot, simmer about an hour or so. Take out chicken, cool. Take off meat and throw everything else back in and simmer for a while. Then strain. Add in chopped veggies (no onion) and herbs, and some meat from the chicken and whatever stuff like garlic, new potatoes (never russet, they're just junk food), etc. Simmer to taste.

Well IMO it's just not the same thing! Give 'em a few beef ribs, they'll go nutty! Whew, I don't feel as dumb now. I know where that is, been there actually. I was stuck on NL as initials...New...L what? That's all I could think of.

Oh, I'm so sorry it's time. I know how hard that is, weighing death versus the pain life has become. We had my Holly girl cremated and made her an urn through one of those pottery shops. We felt that was much more personal and we wanted her to be with us, in whatever form. I wish you all strength for this tough time, and hope Trixie's remaining time is very special.

Really K? That's very odd. Although I'm sure you could get rib bones at least. Can you ask for big bones from the butcher? I'd feel so sad for a dog that never got to chew a real raw meaty bone. BTW where do you live? I feel like a totally idiot, I just can't figure out what NL might be!

Umm K, I think you are thinking of something else. Bones as in, when you buy meat? Like ribs, chicken, etc. You can't tell me that you only have boneless meat at the butcher or market!?! For chewing, beef knuckle bones, rib bones, neck bones, femurs are great.

Oh my gosh that is so scary, I am so glad you are ok!

Thanks for answering, fellow Standard lover! I really did want to know! Well size isn't everything (well for dogs at least :lol:), like I hear that a full grown Dane eats less than a Lab. Also feeding Wellness, you're going to use a lot less than someone who feeds a lower quality food. Dang....that is a BIG chi!! My 2 cats together only weigh 18 pounds!! Badly bred maybe...but well loved I'm sure! Ok now more answers for comparison please! This could be an interesting little study here! Sorry, I feed meat and stuff, about 2 pounds meat a day plus veggies and carbs, so I can't really participate in my little study. How 'bout I supervise?? :D

Actually only the stem and vine of a tomato are bad. Parker eats a tomato a day, he loves them. Grapes and raisins have something with the kidneys/liver function, but I can't recall why exactly. If anyone here has a real juicer (like a Juiceman etc) and has ever drank a big glass of real grape juice will recall that it makes you pee like crazy. Something they have in them, just don't know, sorry!

Lots of great info here [url]http://www.usdpi.org/news.htm[/url] including some advice on pets. I don't think we all need to get carried away, but it is always a good idea to be prepared!

That is interesting... It would be more interesting :) to know what breeds you both have and what food you are feeding! And K... since you have two Saints, can I have one?? :lol:

Could you limit his area more, but still give him a little more freedom? Sounds like you're doing a good job, some dogs just take more time. My Standard Poodle, boy, she would eat the walls, literally, when we left up until she was a year or more.

How old is he and what things are you doing so he won't get bored? Kongs? Hidden treats? Other treat toys? Like we have a "Holy Roller" and we'll put large biscuits in it, that are hard to get out. We put that in the hardwood area, and he will only eat them on carpet. So as soon as he gets one out, he runs to a carpet room and eats, then comes back. We also have a hollowed out bone thing he likes that when I leave I put peanut butter and biscuits in. I also put on Animal Planet (or you could put a video of dogs on if your dog likes to watch TV). He also has kitties that entertain him a lot. Ice cubes, plain or made up snack creations, in the water bowl (plain only) or in a dish or even in the tub if he has bathroom access can be fun. Do you ever call and talk to him on the answering machine? My belief is that dogs are good when they have a belief that you are always watching and never know when you come back. It helps that for us, we don't have a set routine that Parker could figure out. When we leave he has no idea if we'll be gone 20 seconds taking out the trash, or 4 hours. But if it's 4 hours I might call if I have a chance and say hello on the machine and ask him if he's being a good boy...yeah I'm a weird dog mommy LOL. He also has a lot of really big toys. Check around at thrift shops, you can get massive toys for really cheap, and just take any eyes or buttons off. My dog actually wrestles with his stuffies that are bigger than him.

In America money talks. That's why horrible things like declawing are still allowed, why euthanised pets and sick animals and horses are allowed in pet food, why toxins are allowed in pet products, and why puppy mills and BYBs are all over here.

We did the early potty training on a leash method. When he obviously needed to go out, and when he was able to hold it better, when he wanted out I would put his leash on, and stand there and tell him "Want outside? Potty? Say woof" over and over, saying woof like he does, until he did. Then I would praise him and take him out. He only gets to go out when he woofs first and he is excellent at it, no accidents at all since he was less than 3 months old, and he always tells us. I think most dogs will tell you if you teach them how. Good luck!

I think you can make your own stew like this for cheaper and fresher, but of course that takes time and effort and all that. It doesn't look like a bad food at all. That with a better kibble sounds like a great plan.

Microchipping should only be $15-$25. Anymore than that and you're getting ripped off. IMO tattooing is pricier.

How long is he being left? Parker has been left alone since he was a baby, and he is only 5 months old. He can be left alone for up to 4 hours. Well maybe more, but more than that IMO is too long for a puppy. And that's only maybe once every other week. Sorry, but I think people expect too much from dogs a lot of time. Imagine how boring it would be to sit alone for 8 or more hours.

Oh I want some!!! Hazel my mom eats like that too! At first I thought you meant your mom eats Science Diet kibble LOL! I think different things work for different people. I do feed very much like BARF but without bones, bonemeal instead, although I feed grains and starches. I have been reducing those lately and feeding only sweet potatoes or new potatoes, never Russets which are way too sugary. I don't think rice agrees with him!

Here's a converter...it's 154.2 pounds!! WHOA! What kind of dogs do you have?? [url]http://www.dhl-usa.com/lbs-2-kilo[/url] DogPaddle, I just mentioned the main ingredient because if you find that a beef based kibble works great you might not want to switch to chicken. I don't think either chicken or beef is inherently better, all dogs do well on different things, and then some people like in Europe might have reason to avoid beef. What works for you may not work for others. The only diet I don't like is the lamb only kibbles, just worry about natural taurine vs supplemented.

Well my puppy was a baby and just sat there. His breeder has a cat with a tattoo in her ear, a really cool one with pictures and all! The cat just sat there for it, but she trains her cats so I think it's different. I think I'd lose an eye trying to tattoo my cats!! :lol: