Mary's Mama

Try this website. [url]www.rawdogranch.com[/url]

I am intrigued by all the belief systems being shared. I dont believe in puppy food at all for any reason. All of my dogs have been raised on adult food, although high calorie adult food, since the day I brought them home. They are in excellent shape. I believe puppy food often has too much protein, even for small breeds. Just out of curiosity, are your dogs rescues or did you get them from a breeder. If a breeder, call and ask what they recommend.

Maybe I am crazy and I know it is a different country, but I would not go to that vet again. There is no procedure except surgery that I can't be present for, and my dogs love their vet, she is extremely kind, gentle and loving to them. Seems to me maybe they have a reason to be so afraid. Something to think about anyway.

RnP - Thanks for understanding my position, and offering support. Same to Hmmmm. I will say to Scottie Lvr that at our park if a dog that I know is aggressive enters or a breed I am leary of enters I do leave. I have jacks and they will try every dogs patience so I dont take the chance. Of all the dogs that have been banned from our dog park (on individual basis after 3 seperate incidences each) the breed we have the most trouble with is retired racing Greyhounds. Just something I found interesting. I have seen very few bully breeds in general, maybe that is a good sign there is fairly educated ownership in my area. I can only hope.

...thank you for being such a good dog. Always remember how much we all love you, and we will come for you soon. Enjoy spending time with Jordan and Grandma Beck, we know she is taking care of you for us. You will never be forgotten or replaced. We miss you greatly. Mom and Dad

I read a consumer report review of pet health insurance. The problem is that it does not cover anything routine, and there are often pretty low limits on hit with large deductibles. The advice given in the article was to get quotes on what it would cost you monthly. Then open an interest earning account of some kind and deposit your monthly premium there each month. That way you have a "fund". This is what I do and it is working rather well. I also have one credit card with a large limit that should anything super drastic occur I have that to fall back on. The insurance is kind of a waste for the benefit you actually receive. JMHO!

DH has made his decision and we have scheduled an appt at the vets for Monday morning. He is a complete mess and I am doing my best to console him. Everyone here is very sad. Thank you for all your thoughts, they were very helpful. :cry:

I have never owned a dog that lived to old age. Bo is not getting better. Everytime we get one illness under control another one comes along, old ones come back. It is starting to get to the point that my husband is having thoughts it might be that time. He has a very hard time with it, which is very understandable. He says he can't bring himself to give Bo a death sentence, that he would rather see him go naturally. But he also doesn't want him to suffer or prolong the inevitable. I have known for some time that this day was coming soon. I dont know how to support my husband. I dont know what to say to make him feel better. I dont know what advice to give. Last night we found that his umbilical hernia (which he has had since birth with no problems) looks like it is going to rupture. This is what sent Zack over the line. He says we could fix it, but what would be next and how soon till something else happens. Also he is having increasing trouble walking and getting up. He looks lost and confused. It is very sad but I think it really his time. Does anyone have any advice on how I can help my husband through this. He got Bo when he was 12 years old and they are best friends. I can't imagine how painful this must be for both of them. Here is a link to Bo's webpage. He is such a sweet boy. [url]http://www.jrtzone.com/kingsqueens&jacks/Bo.htm[/url]

I just had my 11 lb Jack Russell neutered at 22 weeks. He came through with flying colors, I am really glad I did it early. Also, I have a 13 year old Sheltie that has lived his whole life with an umbilical hernia. It has never changed or caused a problem. Neither of the issues are severe. Listen to your vet and you will be pleased.

Well let the lashing begin. I use a flexi lead with a splitter to walk Mary and Stew. However, we walk in a very quiet neighborhood, I am very vigilant about keeping them under control, and they are trained very well. They must stop at each street corner and sit down, that way they dont run out into the street. They are so good, they do it automatically now. They also know better than to walk in the street, they know the curb is their boundary until I say "okay lets go". If people approach, we step into a yard off the sidewalk and they sit until the person and/or dogs have passed. I understand the concerns with the flexi lead but as with correction collars it is a useful tool [b]if used properly[/b]. Once again the problem is the irresponsible owner. My main reason for using it, I walk my dogs so they can have fun. I do not expect them to heel the entire walk. I want them to wander around and smell and romp in the grass, be a dog. My other reason is the tension in the lead prevents it from getting under their feet and tangling in their legs. Maybe it is a individual dog thing but it is much easier for me to walk them with the flexi than a regular lead. It is sad those accidents occured but I would have to blame the owner not the product.

You are not alone. I had the same problem with my female. She did not ever like her crate. It stressed her out which is why she had accidents. They were not intentional, but merely a symptom of the stress she felt being confined. I have felt the exhaustion you describe. My recommendation is to put the crate away for a while. Get baby gates and keep her in a kitchen or safe room while you are out. Do that for a while. Then start adding the crate back in slowly. Put it in the room with her as her "bed" with no door. Also when you are home, toss treats in the back of the crate and get her to go in after them. once she will go in and get the treats easily start working on closing the door for a few seconds and move up and up on your time. Dont leave the house and lock her in the crate until you are sure she can handle it. Some dogs love crates, some dogs dont. This is the procedure I went through with my girl. She now will go in a crate and is okay with it but we still dont leave her in it while we are gone. Not sure if it is a clausterphobia or what but she just freaks out. Crate training does have its benefits but it is not always the answer. Please consider other alternatives. Poor girl is just scared.

First for the puppy not eating much, they will go through spurts of eating more and then eating less. It is part of the growth cycle. I wouldn't worry about it at all. He will not starve himself and 6 lbs at 14 weeks is a good weight. Also, if you are feeding meals great, if not please do so. Put his food down and then take it up 15-20 minutes later. He will learn he has to eat while it is there or it goes away. You could also try adding a small amount (tblsp) of wet food with a little water for gravy if you want. As far as puppy food goes, I dont believe it is necessary to feed him a puppy food. My pup started eating adult food (high fat/protein) at 14 weeks. He has grown really fast and I think if he had been on puppy food he would have grown too fast. Canidae is a great all life stage food and I highly recommend it. My dogs eat Solid Gold Mmellinnia. There is also Innova, Wellness, Natures Variety, Natural Balance, California Naturals, and many many more. It is a pretty personal decision, you need to decide exactly what you want in a food and then read the ingredients of the brands you are interested in. Good luck.

but is it enough? You may remember in April we had a puppymill bust just outside Charlotte. The owner was a 77 year old lady named Delores Perez. Yesterday she was found guilty of animal cruelty! Here is the link to the local story. [url]http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/6224015.htm[/url] But as the article points out, she could just move elsewhere and start again, just like she did 20 years ago. What can really be done to stop this? What do you all think about requiring a license to breed?

By trying so hard to accommodate her you are making things worse. You have to teach her to eat what you give her when you give it to her. Dont change foods so often that makes it worse. Find the food you want her to eat and stick too it. Dont add anything to the food to entice her, only add to reward her after she starts eating the way you want her too. Put the food down, set the timer for 20 minutes and set it near the bowl. When the timer goes off pick up the bowl. She may miss a meal or two but she will get hungry enough eventually to eat what you give her. And she will learn when she sees the timer, that it will beep and the food will be gone. During this time you have to be sure to give no treats. Do this now before she gets much older. It's like my mom did with me as a kid, if I didn't eat my dinner I didn't get a bed time snack. My dinner would go in the fridge and if I got hungry before bed I had to finish it first before I got a cookie or whatever. I do this with my dogs regularly. Both my dogs have days that they want to eat more than usual and/or less than usual. She'll be okay.

The more you coddle her about it the worse it will get. It is the same thing with Bronxie's post on the main forum. I had the same problem with Mary. So I started her on the 20 minute rule. She eats all her food pretty quick now. Dont change her food. If she is hungry she will eat. Dogs will not starve themselves. The only other possibility is that 6 am is too early. Mary is not a morning dog. She eats better eating mid morning (11) and late evening (8). So give her less time to eat, and yes she may miss a meal or two but it wont hurt her. And maybe adjust the schedule to suit her more.

I dont have big dogs so I wasn't thinking about the growth issues with them. Have you considered Solid Gold Mmellinia? It really is an awesome food with a moderate calorie level around 450/cup, Innova is well over 500. Go! Natural is about 600 calories. While Wellness is only about 350. Some believe that the higher the calorie count the better the quality of food. It is just more nutrient dense and you can feed less. And like Rosebud said, Eagle is great food. If you are interested in a feeding program for large dogs you might want to read [url]www.greatdanelady.com[/url]. Even though she breeds great danes her methods can be used for all dogs. She has some excellent information and it will give you specific feeding instructions.

Missing Link is a good supplement. I think supplements are important. Some nutrition is always lost from the food when cooked, the supplements help to replace some of those lost nutrients. I use a supplement that is similar called Dr. Krugers. The cool thing about them is that they will give you a free sample (and it isn't a small bottle) to try out. Got to [url]www.dockruger.com[/url] if you'd like to check it out.

Not heard of the lips turning like that but have heard of the nose turning, when using plastic bowls. Do you use plastic bowls?

I think you really need to judge that for yourself. All my dogs have slept in my bed since day 1 and always will. Even the tiny puppies. I just make sure to wake up and take them out so they dont have an accident in the bed. Crate training is a great thing but I dont think it has to be a life sentence for every dog. You need to decide what works best for you and your dog.

The thing about training a jack is that they are independent thinkers. You will need to keep it fun and entertaining or they will quickly decide it is no fun and quit. Never use force, or negative reinforcement training methods. Being overly forceful with a jack can make them more aggressive than is already in their nature. So just be sure to find a trainer that uses positive methods. Also if you could find a trainer with previous terrier experience that is a plus. Many folks that have only trained larger dogs, dont understand the terrier personality and get frustrated. I saw in your other post that you had a cocker. I think that will be helpful to you. I know cockers can be stubborn and difficult to train, not sure how much they are like jacks but it might be similar.

Is this your first dog? Did you rescue her? Jacks are a very difficult dog for first timers. I encourage you to read read read!!! You will need to keep her busy and occupied. Here are some good sites [url]www.terrier.com[/url] [url]www.jackrussells.com[/url] Most important: [color=red]NEVER[/color] let her off leash! Jacks will disappear in an instant (yes you will find out that mine are off leash trained, they are completely abnormal!! :D ) You cannot catch her, I promise. My girl ran a lure course once, the motor was able to run 35 mph. She caught the lure everytime. You should consider a harness for walking (gotta have a collar with tag just in case she escapes). If she has trouble on the leash look at a gentle leader or sporn harness. Dont use a choke collar on a jack, you can collapse her esophagus. You will need tons of toys. Preferrably durable ones. They can destroy a toy like a dog 4 times their size. Kongs are great and stuffable for the times you just want 20 min of peace. Nylabones are good just be sure to get the super durable ones. Pretend you are buying toys for a great dane. Please be sure to feed a high quality dog food, they are not available in the grocery store or large pet store. Do a search on foods here and you'll get a ton of info. Enroll in obedience class right away. A jack will try to be top dog and you need to really reinforce that you are in charge. You dont want to have a snappy aggressive dog. Enjoy the peace while you still can, you're about to get hit by a hurricane :lol:

Bo - Bo Jackson (remember him :lol: ) Mary Jane - Al Green song playing on the ride home Stewart - Multiple sources (Mad TV, The Family Guy, The Simpsons)

Oops that was me.

Kiger - I apologize. I thought I remembered you changing foods more frequently than that, especially lately. What other foods have you tried besides Wellness and Canidae? Are they the only ones available to you? I hear that Eagle Pack is an excellent moderate food. If you are looking to find something for him that maybe isn't so rich (I do agree with Carol, the foods can be too rich) but still of good quality, Eagle may be a good alternative. (Have you ever read [url]www.greatdanelady.com?[/url], you could even send her an email, she is an excellent source for nutrition information) What about Natures Variety? They offer dry, freeze-dried raw, and frozen raw. They have very nice ingredients and maybe you could use half raw and half kibble to cut down on costs? Another great food that is not well known here is Go!. It is a canadian food but they are starting to sell in the states. Are you not wanting to feed raw permanently? How do you feel about home cooking?

I say none of the above. Wellness is good but is really pretty low in protein and high in carbs. For a young adult I dont think I would go with it. The other two are completely weird. The second one with by-products and such is OUT. But the first one looks okay. I just question the guarateed analysis. The protein is good but the fat is way too high. Got any others in mind?