Dogs.

[ponytug]

Great point @Larry Caldwell; an Aafco label is essential.

All the best,

Peter

 

[goeduck]

I used to make all of our dog food when I had a dog with special diet (kidney failure). The other dogs ate the same food during that time. Now I use Blue Buffalo as a base (40 to 50% of what they eat) And root veggies, apples, cooked meat, etc. as an adder. Whatever we are eating (unless that contains raisins, garlic, nutmeg, chocolate, etc).

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Many dogs have food allergies. It is far more common than most people realize. 2 of our 3 dogs currently (had 4, lost one this summer from cancer) have multiple food allergies. Some are "mild" allergies and some are "severe". We are using 2 different foods at the moment for the 3 dogs because the dogs couldn't agree to be allergic to the same things.

Our vet allergy tested our dogs. You get a report back for each dog on what their allergic to, and how severe the allergic reaction was. If it's above a certain threshold you should avoid giving your dog any food with that ingredient in it. Some food allergies can produce strange results in the individual dog.

I would recommend having your dog tested for allergies (it's a blood test sent off to a lab), so you're not feeding the dog something that's making him ill, or tired, or itchy, or "gunky" eyes, or doing funny things to his urine ph levels, or any number of other things.

Some of the things dogs can be allergic to are surprising. Some of the ingredients in dog food (I don't mean bad or harmful) like "flax seed", etc (we have a dog severely allergic to flax seed) are also surprising. A very "high quality" dog food can still have stuff in it that your particular dog is allergic to.

 

[goeduck]

I did not know a simple blood test could do that. Good to know.

 

[beckmurph]

 

[mapper]

Our boy Tucker, 7 months old about over 60 lbs. Everybody is his best friend!

 

[Jstpssng]

I i

View attachment 722064Our boy Tucker, 7 months old about over 60 lbs. Everybody is his best friend!

7 months old... how did you get him to lie still long enough to snap a picture?

 

[Jstpssng]

I did not know a simple blood test could do that. Good to know.

I didn't either. Ruger has skin issues... at times his feet get so inflamed that I have to soak them twice per day. Tonight I gave him a Benedryl because I got tired of his constant scratching.

 

[mapper]

He's all on or all off. About 80% of daytime hours are spent trying to get us to play with him. A few minutes after the picture was taken we took him out for a walk, he went from how you saw him to full tilt boogie in about 2 seconds flat. Now he's resting again (probably growing!), waiting for dinner.
This is our third golden retriever, our first was a real gem, wanting more than an6to please us. The next one was a bit more of a problem, she was stubborn until the day she died. Some of it may have been because we had a young child at that time and had less time to devote to her.
This one looks like he is going to be a great dog as well. He minds well and is very smart and gentle if a bit rambunctious at times.

 

[goeduck]

 

[Keweenaw County Yooper]

 

[Buggs67]

We've had several dogs simultaneously since we bought our first house in 1983. The first was a stray who wandered into the yard. Golden mutt. Great dog. Since then we have many, both pound puppies and bure/cross-breeds. GSD/Lab mutt, Rottie/Dobie mix, Rottie/Lab mix, Rottie pure breed, GSD bure breed, Heinz 57 variety rescue pup.

When we last went looking to rescue a puppy in 2014 we had trouble. First we wanted a puppy to add to the two other dogs. Adding an adult to an existing pack is hard. No puppies to be found and the rescues that did have puppies wouldn't let us have them because of their RULES. Some "rescues" were shipping in dogs from Central America to "adopt out" at hundreds of dollars.

Long story short; we ended up buying a Golden Doodle, Golden Doodle Retriever mom, standard Poodle dad. Finbar is the best, smartest, calmest dog we've ever had. He's black but we're OK with that. Never needed to be crated or crate trained, never needed to be leashed. When Mr Tully, the Heinz 57 variety (my wife ran his DNA) died we bought another G/D from the same breeder. Different parents and different temperament but still intelligent, easy going, and more loving than Finbar. While she is well behaved and trained she chases the deer. And I mean for a good 1/2+ mile. She comes back but it worries my wife.

 

[Jstpssng]

We've had several dogs simultaneously since we bought our first house in 1983. The first was a stray who wandered into the yard. Golden mutt. Great dog. Since then we have many, both pound puppies and bure/cross-breeds. GSD/Lab mutt, Rottie/Dobie mix, Rottie/Lab mix, Rottie pure breed, GSD bure breed, Heinz 57 variety rescue pup.

When we last went looking to rescue a puppy in 2014 we had trouble. First we wanted a puppy to add to the two other dogs. Adding an adult to an existing pack is hard. No puppies to be found and the rescues that did have puppies wouldn't let us have them because of their RULES. Some "rescues" were shipping in dogs from Central klAmerica to "adopt out" at hundreds of dollars.

Long story short; we ended up buying a Golden Doodle, Golden Doodle Retriever mom, standard Poodle dad. Finbar is the best, smartest, calmest dog we've ever had. He's black but we're OK with that. Never needed to be crated or crate trained, never needed to be leashed. When Mr Tully, the Heinz 57 variety (my wife ran his DNA) died we bought another G/D from the same breeder. Different parents and different temperament but still intelligent, easy going, and more loving than Finbar. While she is well behaved and trained she chases the deer. And I mean for a good 1/2+ mile. She comes back but it worries my wife.View attachment 722153View attachment 722154View attachment 722155

That’s when I would consider a shock collar. Aside from chewing, when I got Ruger his only bad habit was chasing cars. He'd spent the first year of his life on a chain so really didn't know any better. One day I got tired of it; I was pruning and the orchard owner came out. AS he left my dog started chasing him. Tom stopped the truck so that I could get the dog and left when I started spanking him. I know that's socially unacceptable but he's never chased another vehicle.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My standard poodle does not run deer. The deer know that, and pretty much ignore her.

 

[Dftodd]

My standard poodle does not run deer. The deer know that, and pretty much ignore her.

Same with our German Shepherd.

Was out messing with the smoker. The shepherd was running around the back yard (1.5 acres fenced).

Saw a deer hop the fence over by the apple tree. Deer wandered to within 30ft of the shepherd, rooting around for acorns. Shepherd look at the deer, deer looked at the shepherd. Shepherd went back to stalking the squirrel, and the deer went back to the acorns Deer hung out in the yard with the dog for about 10 minutes or so before hoping the back fence and moving on.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Two years ago I adopted Ella, a standard poodle with Addison's Disease. With medication she can lead a normal life. The ongoing expense is about $200/month, but that's do-able.

Last week she was diagnosed with pyothorax. She aspirated a foxtail, which became lodged in her lung and festered. The only way to save her was major surgery. Boom. When the rubble settled, I was out over $11,000 that I had not budgeted for.

At the moment, the whole bill is riding on plastic. I can take out a HELOC to minimize interest fees. Meanwhile, Ella's original owner, John Simpkins, has started a Go Fund Me to help with Ella's vet bill. If you can help, two old retired people would be very grateful.

Yes, it's a lot to spend on a dog, but I have always said I would give anything to have five more years with any dog I have ever had. This is my chance. Ella is only 4, and has a decade in front of her.

Donate to Please help with Ella's Veterinary expenses, organized by John Simpkins

Recently my former dog, Ella inhaled a foxtail which became lodged in her lu… John Simpkins needs your support for Please help with Ella's Veterinary expenses

www.gofundme.com

Just FYI, Ella is recovering well, with a good prognosis. She still looks like she tangled with a runaway lawnmower, but other than that you would never know she's only 3.5 weeks post surgery.

The bottom line is that the whole mess cost me a little over $12,000. The Go Fund Me brought in a little over $7400, so Uncle Sam will get his money on April 15 instead of having to run a tab with the IRS. I always said I would give anything to have any of my dogs for another 5 years. This gave me the chance to put my money where my mouth is, and a lot of other people's money too.

For those who donated, thank you so much. It made my winter warmer, and Ella's too.

 

[grsthegreat]

 

[RoyJackson]

That's beautiful and exactly how I feel

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Man that hits you right in the feels.