Messages

1

Dog news / Re: Pet Fertility Clinics Are On The Rise

« on: Feb 12, 2020, 18:48 »

Worrying on so many levels. It feels like the welfare of the dogs is secondary to the potential profits. Some heavier regulations needed quickly by the sounds of it.

2

Training and behaviour / Re: Need Help / Advice With Our 7 Month Old Beagle Puppy

« on: Feb 06, 2020, 19:32 »

Hello Slammer2020, have you tried taking him to basic obedience training sessions. I took my dog shortly after getting her from dogstrust. She was estimated to be 3 and didn't seem to have had much training. She behaved like a puppy in many ways and she was allowed to do her  basic training with the puppy group. The sessions gave me the knowledge I needed to continue her training at home. I found that most issues could be mastered with lots of positive reinforcement for behaviour you want and ignoring or redirecting the behaviours that  you don't. For behaviours you can't ignore such as nipping, we have a stair gate on the kitchen door and she was often in the kitchen in time out in the early days. Sometimes I had to do it several times in a row as she would repeat the behaviour as soon as I opened the gate. She soon learned though.

3

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Problem Eater

« on: Feb 06, 2020, 19:16 »

Yes apologies, I was getting mixed up between, different dog and we cook for dogs, when talking about companies producing fresh cooked food.

4

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Problem Eater

« on: Feb 04, 2020, 18:17 »

Hello Lucy21 and welcome to the forum, I would agree with Dottie that a wet food may be more suitable than dry now. I have a friend who had a lurcher who developed some digestive issues when she was 13. I think she was given something similar to omeprazole for reflux which helped. She got quite fussy with her food and enjoyed lots of chicken and tuna. The danger is, it may make him more fussy if he has human food but it doesn't matter if you are happy to keep feeding  home cooked. There are companies that do balance cooked dinners such as we cook for dogs and butternut box but they tend to be more expensive than other foods.

5

Introductions / Re: New, and frustrated

« on: Jan 27, 2020, 18:09 »

Hello and welcome to the forum, I can't add much more to what Dottie has said. I am no expert but have a feeling that the answers to many of your questions are somewhat subjective anyway. I think most pet owners who are concerned with good nutrition have been left very frustrated at times.

Personally I mostly feed raw and am happy to do so. You do need lots of freezer space and have a good knowledge of food hygiene. My dog also eats it straight away so I don't worry about it being in a warm environment for too long. I choose a raw balance food but am not convinced it provides everything my dog needs. I add brown rice, Cooked oats, quinoa, sweet potato or whatever grain we are having and various veg, again according to what we are having that she can eat. I just try to feed a variety of foods and hope for the best. I keep dry food in for if I forget to get food out or it isn't quite defrosted. I tend to favour cold pressed as it doesn't upset her digestion as other dry foods have.

6

Dog foods / Re: Grandorf

« on: Jan 15, 2020, 07:10 »

Hello,
I put the ingredients through the review generator and it scored 87% . Only the whole grain was highlighted in red. I haven't had any personal experience with this one.

7

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Some useful information about itchy dogs/yeast infection

« on: Dec 30, 2019, 18:33 »

I am a big fan of an oatmeal bath. I use it for myself and the dog. I use a muslin bag filled with oats, leave it to soak in the bath and give it a good squeeze. You can add chamomile flowers to this also. 

Apple cider vinegar spray has really helped her paws when they get a bit irritated. I also use a little hibiscrub in a sink wash  for her feet and that seems to calm them down quickly.

8

Raw feeding / Re: Poppy's Picnic

« on: Dec 07, 2019, 15:12 »

I caught this by accident today. I liked the variety of snacks they had out. The dogs seemed to enjoy the food.  I was interested to see the meatballs being served in a tomato sauce. I had thought that dogs couldn't eat tomatoes but it seems that they are safe if ripe and stems and leaves are avoided.

9

General discussion / Re: Dog shivers with cold after eating raw

« on: Dec 07, 2019, 15:07 »

My dog is usually okay with it straight from the fridge if it has been in for a couple of days  but if it seems very cold or is only just thawed, I add a little boiled and cooled to a warm temperature, water, just before I serve it.  I also tend to add cooked veg and sometimes rice or quinoa to the food which I mix in warm just before serving. That warms it a little too. I would be wary of leaving food sitting at room temperature for too long.

10

Introductions / Re: Millie won't eat dog food

« on: Nov 26, 2019, 18:39 »

Happy to hear that Millie is eating better. I think food tends to take around twelve hours to go through my dogs system.  I am going by when it is obvious what food in, equals stools out. EG  stools contains some corn or other less digestible things. However I think that, if there is a adverse reaction, the body can take less time to get the offending food out.  I sure it can vary. My dog has taken in too much sea water before and it was expelled within 10 minutes!

11

Raw feeding / Re: Changing a new rescue on to raw: advice needed

« on: Nov 26, 2019, 17:24 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. I would agree with Dottie and wait  until he settles before you consider any changes. In my experience, raw
food does tend to result in firmer stools. Good luck with your new dog. I hope he settles in soon.

12

Dog foods / Re: Dry Puppy Food for over active puppy 3 months old

« on: Nov 17, 2019, 19:21 »

Glad you found something.  We would be grateful for any updates you have when your pup has been having it for a while.

13

Introductions / Re: Hello

« on: Nov 12, 2019, 18:27 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your dogs sound like a lot of fun. What you chose to feed is a very personal thing. If you are interested in any particular type of food, I am sure you will be able to find some information about it somewhere on the forum. Some of our members may also be able to share experiences.

14

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Question about dog health

« on: Nov 07, 2019, 17:35 »

They may help to scrap some plaque off the teeth and also help satisfy the chewing urge.

15

General discussion / Re: Help with my dog with Anal Gland issue.

« on: Nov 04, 2019, 17:27 »

I had to have my dogs anal glands expressed when I first got her from the shelter but have had no issues since. She was on a cold pressed food for a couple of years. I think as long as stools are fairly firm, anal glands should express without help. Are you finding the stools to be firm on the Gentle? If so, I would continue on that and see if the problem reoccurs.

In some cases, individual  dogs may just be more likely to need help expressing them.