alicat613

Oh Bk Blue, don't be a tease!! I love avocados but green ones are $2 each and up here!! Hazel, I'm curious about what I feed that has you so opposed? Are you anti-grain/starch? Just wondering! I don't get defensive or upset when discussing food. I love to read about all the different theories and ideas, and take from all of them. I think everyone has to find what works for them and their pets. Although one thing that really confuses me is the dissent over whether or not some things are toxic, like avocados! I mean, either it is or it isn't. But I've even written to some very knowledgable dog diet people and cannot get a definitive answer. While some people say it is ok to feed them, even great to feed avocados, and there is an avocado based dog food, others say its toxic. I find that a little perplexing!!

Same here. My dog is tattooed on his inner belly fold by his leg but also chipped. I mean, really, how many people want to try to look under a grown Danes legs for a tattoo? But it is easily visible, their bellies are naked LOL. My cats are only microchipped. They couldn't be tattooed on their bellies because of their fur. Well they could but no one could see it.

Avocado is actually one of the undetermined. Some people say it is toxic, others say to feed it often. Many dogs can eat it and it is very healthy for them. There is even a big line of dog foods based on avocado - Avoderm. The whole line has avocado. I haven't tried feeding any to my dog because the avocado prices are so high! I will probably do some more research on it before I ever try it out on him, if at all. It's a little weird how many things are so disputed- some say toxic and some say good for them. Well how can that be??

Well I did the Pets1st when we were going to feed kibble and it's really convenient. I'm not normally a person who likes to deal with a 'sales rep', but they aren't pushy and they're really nice. They weren't pushy at all even when I decided to feed naturally and were really interested. I still get supplements from them. Anyways, they keep a record of how many dogs you have and what size, and keep track of how fast you go through the food so they know about when you need some more, call you up to double-check, and then next thing you know it's at your door. Not bad, especially since I live up a hill! The shipping and handling was only like $5 American for 50 lbs! Easily worth just the fact that I didn't have to lug that all around!

PetsFirst Holistic Chicken and Rice is a good food but only available delivery in the lower mainland and a few US states. http:[url]www.pets1st.com[/url] Chris is my rep. They are very nice, never pushy. 50 lbs comes in two 25 lb bags for freshness, delivered right to your door. Wysong can be purchased in 40 lb boxes of 5 individual 8 lb bags. A lot of brands come in 50 lb bags that are not good foods. Kibble is encased in fat that can go rancid quickly especially after opening. The fat coating helps the kibble pass through the digestive system without as much irritation. When rancid it causes diarrhea. Anyways, most good foods don't come in bags more than 30 or 40 lbs.

I only feed 'people food'. Do you really want to feed your beloved pet something that is so far from fit for human consumption that it must be differently labeled? Cats and dogs are not that different from us and should not IMO be made to eat only old dried kibble. They need real food too. The belief that feeding any additional food is bad comes from the pet food industry. I feed a Pitcairn style diet although cooked poultry. Neither I, my dog, or my cats think raw poultry is part of a good meal! :lol: When giving your dogs table scraps, remember to uphold the strictest of nutritional guidelines. They are not used to eating the overprocessed, overflavored foods that we eat. So rather than giving your dog some flavored yogurt, buy plain and whip in some no sugar added frozen fruit or fresh fruit. Rather than making all of the meat or fish together, set some aside that will cook without added flavorings. I make rice with homemade chicken broth, rather than using butter or salt. Definite NOs: Onions (any sort - spring onions, green onion, leeks, etc) Chocolate Macadamia nuts green parts or sprouts of potatos stem or vine of tomato cooked bones raw salmon (in the US at least) Be careful - feed in small amounts always, and introduce slowly: potatoes garlic spinach kale avocados raw eggs - raw whites destroy an important nutrient in the body. I cook the white and leave the yolk runny. I feed all of the above 'careful' items in pretty large quanities (of course he's a large dog). These are all disputed good or bad foods, and the first two are members of the nightshade family which many dogs are allergic to. Dogs can have milk and milk products, but just like humans they were not meant to do so. However I consider them scavengers and they have been getting into dairy goods for centuries. Introduce dairy slowly and see how the dog does. Some may handle some types, such as acidophilus or yogurt better. All dogs should get yogurt or another form of good bacteria to mimic the juices they would get from eating the digestive tracts of their prey. Grapes and raisins are fine in a healthy dog as a rare snack with consideration given to their size. I have an 80 lb dog, and if I'm having grapes he will get maybe up to 5 grapes for himself, or I may put a teaspoon of raisins in his oatmeal. Dogs affected by small amounts of raisins are thought to have preexisting kidney problems. Citrus is fine but most dogs won't eat it because it is so acidic and you may have to watch that. My dog adores tomatoes but if he eats them on an empty stomach late at night, he pukes bile in the morning *yuck* so I always give him something else with them. Broccoli is fine as well. My dog can't get enough of the stuff and my old dog had it in every meal for 10 years just fine. Of course if your dog does not do well on it, then stop giving it to him, but overall broccoli is fine for dogs. All foods should be introduced slowly to the dog, so that if it does not agree with him, you know what food it is. Potatos, peanuts and carrots are all tubers. Tubers aren't a problem. My dog eats at least 2 potatoes a day. Potatoes, onion and garlic are members of the nightshade family which are often toxic to dogs. Onions should never be fed, and garlic only in small amounts. In fact garlic is a great health supplement, but in minute amounts. Some dogs handle potatoes great (like mine) others do not. I generally only feed new potatos (red, yukons, purples) as they are so much more nutritious. Some good safe snack ideas: Sweet potatoes as mentioned. Microwave, slice and tada, instant nutritious and delicious snack. Yogurt or cottage cheese as unadulterated as possible if your dog likes dairy. Fruits especially bananas, berries, cantaloupe, apples and peaches are very popular here. Soft boiled egg (no shell) Raw beef (well in the US at least) if you freeze it and thaw it, any bad bugs are killed and it is a great source of nutrients for your dog as well as digestible fats. I do not believe pets can digest cooked fats. Peanut butter - Parker likes a bit spread on a banana or apple slices frozen peas (Parker actually likes them better frozen!) carrots broccoli

Oh they are very beautiful! I can't handle another dog now, but I hope these dogs get great prepared homes! Danes are great but one does need to be prepared and especially for deaf danes. [url]www.danesonline.com[/url] -Dane info [url]www.deafdogs.org[/url] - great resource for deaf dogs

Oh they are soo beautiful!! They look well behaved too. Sorry about your dog park experience. We have many dog parks here but the major ones have too many rough dogs. And we've found that many of them have a big issue with intimidating dogs (no not mine). We don't go because Parker gets just knocked and slammed into and puppy bones are not invincible! Anyways, we went and got a book, in the local travel section at Barnes & Noble, about dog parks and activities in our area. It has helped us find smaller parks with off leash areas, one with a beautiful beach and only one or two other dogs if any.

Does it have to be an apartment? I think private rentals are easier. Here in WA an animal welfare organization called PAWS maintains a list on their site of apartments that accept animals and lists the rules (numbers, deposit, size etc). If it must be an apartment rather than say, a private condo rental, I would look up animal groups and see if they have recommendations. Good luck.

I was just looking at the ads, why I torture myself I don't know, and it wasn't a mix but they were having a moving sale on puppies...ridiculous.

Let's see.... I got Poppy (2 year old cat) about 4 years ago. She was severely abused and has come very far in her 4 years with a great deal of patience and love. Then a year and a half ago I got Spidey, a feral kitten at 5 weeks. He's a total mischeivious brave little brat. When we brought him home we just put them together without any special preparations and both get along fine, although Spidey likes to play more than Poppy. I don't know about either cat's prior dog history, although with Spidey I was pretty sure he had ever even seen one, having been picked up at 4 weeks. Neither had any dog encounters while in my home, and both are indoor only cats. We got Parker, a male Great Dane puppy late last October. He spent his first tow months at his breeders around many dogs, more cats, a few wolf cubs and a raccoon. His breeder helps in wildlife rescue. We did not do anything special for the introductions. Both cats have claws (declawing is a horrible thing) and have many routes and safe spaces they can always go. The dog is not allowed to harass them, we tell him gentle etc. There haven't been any problems. Spidey likes to play chase with Parker, but won't come that close to him. Poppy will not play with him, but keeps him in line with paw swats and hisses, but she'll sleep right on him at times. She also steals his bed and toys. You do have to think about what breed of dog you have, what their prey instinct is like etc. And if you have a dog who is gentle, and want a cat to play with him, you would want to look for an outgoing active cat. A more sedate cat would be more like Poppy most likely although I've seen some cats that could be typed as cuddlers who love their doggy friends too.

Maybe my dog doesn't because he pees so much? I mean he makes a big old puddle. He stands there looking so bored while he pees (forever, seriously it's like the scene from Liar Liar) and then moves on. If he tried to scratch the spot he'd be sticking his paw in a big old pee puddle!

Eh? I've never seen this!! My dog goes and move on!

Aaron and I were under the impression from somewhere that dogs cannot see television, due to the flatness or something. But Parker absolutely does. He watches all sorts of things, whatever we are watching or even video games. Animals on tv are his favorite! He was really into the Eukanuba dog show, but some of the dogs he didn't realize were dogs!

Actually Gigi, I don't believe it was on cement at all. Even grass becomes slippery. The grass here, although not icy, is very slippery from condensation and moss. I just can't imagine the nightmare poor Kim went through, going out and finding poor Kyra like that. A lot of people think I am overly protective of my dog, I won't allow him to play rough with other dogs or run on slippery grass. He is clumsy and slips more easily, as a huge puppy, than many other dogs. A lot of people just think dogs will always be ok, but sometimes they aren't. Thanks Daisy'smom that is good advice about the pools and covers. Hadn't thought of that, not too many pools here in WA.

Hello all. I just wanted to take a minute to share with you something I think is important for all dog owners to think about, especially in the winter. A woman I know online had let her Danes outside to play. When she came out, one was dead. Autopsy revealed she had snapped her neck, most likely they were playing as Danes do, perhaps he ran into her (he's bigger as males usually are) or not, but something happened and she slipped on the icy ground and died. In memory of Kyra, take caution and remember that dogs fall too and they are not invincible. I thank Kim for sharing with many of us her personal tragedy so we might all be more aware and might even prevent this from happening to someone else.

What is his vomit like? Sorry, I know that's a rather nasty thing to ask you to describe, but it would help explain why he does it. If his vomit is partially undigested, with kibble pieces and long and almost ropey, he's both eating too fast and the kibble expands too much. If that is the case, look for a higher quality kibble, such as Natural Balance, Nutro Naturals, Eagle, Wellness, Innova, California Naturals, Wysong to name a few ideas, that does not appear to be puffy when you look at the kibble. It should look like a nice dense kibble. Then when eating, you can take some river rock type stones that you've run through the dishwasher on top of the food. Make sure they are far larger than your dog could ever eat. The 2 - 3 inch ball suggested above could be dangerous depending on the size of your dog. Make sure he can't swallow or choke on what you use. The rocks can be put back in the dishwasher over and over.

Glad to hear you found out what was wrong. Since the puppy is very young, make sure she gets a lot of cuddling and love and when the time comes, plenty of animal and people socialization. Good luck! :)

Ginger is fabulous for many things, including nausea. Try giving your dog a few store bought ginger snap cookies before the ride. My dog also gets car sick, so i make sure he is fed long before the trip, and give him the cookies a few at a time starting about 30 minutes prior. I continue giving him small bits of cookie in the car, I think it helps to get the yucky nausea taste out of his mouth. You can also buy ginger syrup often at drugstores, should be with nausea meds like Coca Cola syrup or with pregnancy/baby stuff. The problem there is getting the dog to eat they syrup. Supposedly the smell of newspaper helps too, so we have some folded newspaper in the car to put near his nose, although I have to say I don't see much effect from that. It does help for us to keep the windows down a bit and be careful driving so it is a smoother ride. And of course we keep a lot of baggies and paper towels in the car. Luckily with my dog you can tell in advance, so we've got it down to him actually puking right in the bag. Handy, but still a waste of food and not good for the puppy of course.

when your dog sits on you and you really can't get up LOL Lots of truth in all of these!

It should be called something different. As noted, it doesn't protect your dog from the outside world. I've heard of dogs running out and not being able to get back in. Then there's the battery problem. I wouldn't trust one at all. I do know someone who has one. She lives in a weird place where they aren't allowed regular fencing by the neighborhood association. She has the electric fence but doesn't use it as a regular fence, never leaving her dogs out without her right there.

Personally I'm not sure. Doesn't a gentle leader address the problem in a way by removing the result the dog wants? The dog pulls to go forward, but the GL makes it so nothing happens other than turning his head, right? It's an option I'm considering. My boy is very sweet and pretty well behaved but at 5 months he's well into the 70 lbs and as a Great Dane, growing every day. He's normally good on a leash, but when another dog is around or he is really wound up, he pulls. I can't hold him back very well and it's very slippery here so I do worry about falling. We use the command "no pull" but honestly I think he thinks that [i]I'm the one pulling![/i] I certainly wouldn't use it right off if there weren't any problems. I think my opinion is a little skewed by having such a big dog. As much as you think you prepare, it's hard when you realize that your dog can pull you, sit on you and you can't get up, etc LOL. [/i]

See, I hear that about the Zoom Groom, and I have to say I don't see it! I have found that thing to be utterly useless and stupid. At least for me now, my dog doesn't have much hair and so nothing comes off. Anyways, my problem is cat hair, not dog hair, and Gigishiba, I too have found that some materials, especially certain fleeces, attract pet hair. I have these super comfy black fleece pants (wearing them now!) that are practically half pet hair. The little hairs actually get woven in! What a pain. Oh well, they're still ok for around the house!

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EEK! I don't know much about small breeds, but 2 lbs? Also, you talk as if you've had her a while? At 8 weeks? 8 weeks is the earliest a puppy should ever come home. Please get her to the vet ASAP. I hope she is ok.