Our Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Adolescent Support Group)

[MonCoubousMonTourmalet]

Okay folks, let's head into late summer/autumn.

What do you all feed your dogs?

Currently feeding pooch and mutt health and digestion kibble which has sorted out his sensitive tummy but am aware there are issues with the way kibble food is processed.

We have previously tried pure ( the one you add water to rehydrate)... dog enjoyed it (literally will eat anything) but the smell was so awful I actually binned it as it made me gag and looked like brown slop.

I like the idea of raw feeding but realistically it's a lot of hassle to store it / defrost it in a really busy household and im nervous about bacteria given that ive got very young children in the house.

Wet food is just a bit stinky / meh - he gets wet food in a kong (usually frozen) if we leave him in crate or something and we also use wet foods in lick bowls and Mats just for fun.

Pros of kibble - great for puzzle and scatter feeding which we do loads of ( rarely eats from a bowl tbh)
Really convenient
High meat / low crap is still a really reasonable price
Lots of choice on flavour etc
Good for teeth

Cons
High heat / processing alters nutritional content?

What is everyone else doing?

@stillchasingdereksheppard it’s lovey to hear such a positive update. It’s really disheartening when you think they’ve forgotten everything and then they surprise you. It’s great that the rescue hasn’t just left you to fend for yourself, that should be how all rescues operate.

I can’t remember how old your pup is. Midge is 19 months and he has recently switched to adult kibble. It’s salmon based and suits him. It’s a minefield!

@Nella68 What did the trainer say? Sounds like the bitch has reached peak mating time. I'll stand by my previous comment - it's absolutely effing ridiculous to allow or bring an in season bitch to a training class. Two people and their dogs sessions were ruined, because of one selfish one.

@brushingboots I'd go back to the same breeder if I wanted another puppy. I'd even buy an older retiring dog from him. He trials his dogs and has over 30 years of breeding experience. All of his dogs have the relevant health checks and he uses carefully selected studs, not his own dogs. But the puppies are born in kennels and not raised in the home. Fortunately P and K didn't mind the transition. 😁

@stillchasingdereksheppard I posted somewhere about this the other day – I think on the puppy thread – but pupsy is on:

Skinners Maintenance Plus kibble half and half with raw from various brands and of various flavours, topped with PureFlax flaxseed oil and a cod liver oil tablet. It works perfectly and I genuinely don’t find the raw a faff or any more messy than cooking a spag bol! I’ve never had an issue with hygiene and she eats better now on a variety of meats than she ever did before raw. I don’t scatter feed or do anything fancy with it, I just give her her food in a normal stainless steel bowl and she (mostly) eats it. She isn’t a hugely enthusiastic eater anyway so I don’t mess around. She has pate for training treats and then a variety of natural chews as and when.

@Nella68 bloody outrageous for a bitch in season to be coming to a class! The absolute cheek of some people. Fine to take them for a very rural walk where you’ll see no one (and even then people will disagree) but to take them to a class with intact dogs… utterly bonkers and very selfish. I’m not surprised he was feral, poor Midge.

@stillchasingdereksheppard I raw fed my dogs for 17 years, but I found it really difficult to get any weight on P. I was having to add so many extras to it, that it was costing me a fortune. And once I got a puppy and a foster dog, it was no longer financially sustainable.
So I switched to Country Kibble - Turkey, Cranberry and Sweet Potato. They're all doing really well on it. P has finally gained and maintained weight, so she no longer looks half starved.
I haven't looked into the cooking process though, to be honest. I picked a brand recommended by a dog nutritionist, so that's good enough for me. She does raw feed her own dogs, but doesn't judge anyone for feeding other types of food.

@SpanielsGalore she never used to let them attend the classes but the rules have recently been changed and bitches in season can now compete so she lets them come now. It was very hard work!

@Nella68 They're allowed to compete!!!! Who the fuck thought that would be a good idea? If I had paid money and travelled a distance to a competition and it was ruined by an in-season bitch being there, I would be absolutely livid.

I'd love to do agility with mine, but I can't find a competitive club within an hour's travelling time up here.

@SpanielsGalore I think it’s been controversial!

@Nella68pup is 10 months. Hes on adult kibble though as vet thought he was getting a bit porky as he was already neutered. I forgot he does have a skin and coat supplement oil on top as well.

Hes done really well on the pooch & mutt so inclined to keep it but I could definitely add in some raw food or similar to keep it interesting for him & if there are benefits health wise of them eating fresh food as well?

Pup will guzzle down anything at 100mph so the puzzles and scatter feeding also slow his down. We also use slow feeding bowls and obviously the lick bowls and Mats as well. Spreads it out a bit for him and keeps him busy while I do school run etc or while partner is teaching online and doesnt want his lecture to feature puppy on lap with teddy in mouth 😬

It does feel like a minefield! There are so many options! I am looking at the nature's menu raw options at the moment as theyre avaliable in our local pet store frozen so I could get them little and often (freezer space an issue) without any bother rather than having to do a bulk order online and store. Any experiences?

Vet is pretty quick to dismiss raw saying there is no evidence to suggest it has benefits but there are risks with bacteria etc but is this due to people preparing it wrong or just in general?

Interesting you use skinners - my sisters working cocker came on skinners but they couldn't get it anywhere local and switched. Do you get it online?

The background is that we mentioned "snark" in reference to a comment spaniels made on a thread about a badly trained Labrador.

The second "snark" was me on a random what puppy thread, where I was told that old breeds have no role any more and that my dog is a dinosaur.

Neither of these was a reference to doodles at all.

The sole reference to doodles was in relation to a puppy farm, it could have been any breed - Cocker, Labrador or Goldie, but just happened, on this occasion, to be Australian Labradoodles. So Nella took offence at that and asked us not to talk about it but Landsharks felt that we shouldn't be censored because it has relevance here.

And now I see you're all making little barbed digs about someone who was far and away the most experienced dog person here and often the best placed to offer advice.

So this has seemingly gone today from being a non judgement thread to everyone feeling judged; Nella with her doodle, @SpanielsGalore because hers are from a trialling background not a breeder, so I may as well add my own two pennorth and say that I feel judged on this thread because I don't let Brie off the lead.

I thought it was a safe haven here, because everywhere else on mn I seem to be facing the "big dogs are dangerous" viewpoint, and Landsharks at least understood how hard that is.

So now I don't know if it's worth the effort if it's all just training talk and nothing more.

@stillchasingdereksheppard M is a fast eater and is not at all fussy. We use a snuffle mat for his kibble. We started with a bowl but he didn’t draw breath!

As he seems happy to eat whatever he gets given I’ve not been in any hurry to give him anything else to make it more interesting. The only time I need to give him something really tasty is when I want to hide his worming tablets. I have to crush them and mix them in with tinned dog food- he’s still suspicious.

@stillchasingdereksheppard It is definitely a minefield! Nature’s Menu is good – I use Durham Animal Feeds most frequently but other brands too as and when I see ones that look interesting or new flavours we haven’t tried before. Don’t often use Nature’s Menu but only because they don’t do quite so many flavours, and I like to give pupsy a lot of game and other novel proteins. I buy 8/9 blocks of 450g ish a time, usually, and that lasts me about a fortnight. I don’t order online though as I can get them locally and prefer choosing them in person. My vet says it’s fine to feed whatever suits my dog so I do – she raw feeds her own dogs but I’ve never had any judgement either way from any vets, for which I'm grateful.

I get Skinners from our local ag shop too but if they don’t have it I just order it on Amazon and it’s the same price! I prefer to buy it locally but in a fix I know I can order it and it comes next day.

@Aubrielle I’m not making digs at anyone, barbed or otherwise. Was just supporting @Nella68 and Midge, who have been part of our coven for a long time. I haven’t been on here a lot lately for lots of reasons so am not caught up on any snark at all as I don’t read much beyond here.

I’ve learnt a lot from @LandSharksAnonymous and others about breeding and find it really interesting, and from you about baby Brie and all her lovely quirks. It’s not for me to have any opinions on anything breeding-related except pupsy’s own lines because I’m not qualified to.

I’m not judging anyone. There’s no reason that I can see why @SpanielsGalore should feel judged about her lovely girls coming from a trialling background. I’d buy a dog from a trialling kennels any day. Next time I will probably get a dog for trialling! I’d love to trial pupsy but I’m too busy at the moment.

It’s not clear to me why anyone should feel judged. That isn’t why we started this and it isn’t why we continued it either. We continued it to have a safe place to chat about whatever it might be and I for one have made actual human friends from it.

It wouldn't occur to me to think anything about gundog pups coming from a trialling background either, that would just seem pretty normal to me @brushingboots

I don't know where I am with this because now I have paranoia again about whether I'm saying all the wrong stuff or it has any relevance.

And I'm sorry if I was part of what upset you @Nella68 I don't think it even occurred to us at the time about Midge even being a doodle - it was more of a general thing about puppy farms, irrespective of breed. My first dog was a puppy farmed dog.

Yeah, I know, it's lovely that you & Bupster and Yorkshire Felix are all firm friends @brushingboots That does feel like a good thing that came from all of this.

And now I see you're all making little barbed digs about someone who was far and away the most experienced dog person here.

@Aubrielle I can't see where anyone has made a barbed dig at @LandSharksAnonymous . I said she was a gold standard breeder, with a very high bar. If that is a dig, then I'm a monkey's uncle.

I don't feel judged on this thread. More in the wider world of The Doghouse. But that's a me problem. No one knows who my breeder is, so why would they be judging me? My comment this morning was only intending to say how difficult it is to find a breeder who ticks all of the boxes.

My dogs are from a breeder. He trials his dogs, judges trialling competitions and has trained FT CH. His dogs are fully health tested and the studs are carefully selected. He was recommended by a friend. But shock, horror! I have seen him advertise on Pets4Homes!! That automatically makes him a bad breeder to a lot of people. But I would absolutely go back to him for another puppy, as their temperaments are exemplary. And after 14 years of walking a dog with issues, it's bloody nice to be able to relax when out.

I do believe dogs should be allowed off lead to be able to run free. But I asked you why that isn't possible with your breed and you explained. I did not tell you you were wrong.
But then on the thread about walking in - season bitches, you judged me and said I was ridiculous to think I could keep P happy without walking her. Not gonna lie. I was extremely pissed off about that and felt like I had been stabbed in the back.
But I left it out in The Doghouse and didn't bring it back to here.

Apologies to everyone for unintentionally starting a landslide this morning. It was not my intention. I shall stick to comments about adolescent dog behaviour in future.

@brushingboots (It's more that I once saw my breeder advertise on Pets4Homes that I feel I would be judged for.)
I've got to ask because you have said it twice and I don't know what it means - what is an ag petshop?

@stillchasingdereksheppard I bought the big bags of free flow mince of Nature's Menu. But then ended up adding sardines, soaked oats, eggs, veg and olive oil to try to get weight on P.
I have bought the blocks, but I find those go quite mushy once defrosted. They do come in more variety though.
P also had lamb ribs, pork ribs, chicken wings, duck necks, turkey wings and necks for the bone content. She still gets these occasionally as a treat.
When she was a puppy, I bought Nutriment trays. They were good and come in a variety of meats, from what I remember.

And I have found most vets disagree with raw feeding. When P went to Edinburgh Vet School, they wanted advance warning of her diet, so they could double glove up.

@Aubrielle No need for paranoia – not from me anyway. This remains a safe place for all of us.

@SpanielsGalore Oh it’s just the local agricultural shop and that happens to be the nearest shop to my house! It’s mostly a tractor dealership and an equestrian shop but they have a dog section too.

Those vets with double gloves – mental! I just wipe my surfaces down after I’ve fed pupsy like I’d do with any food, raw or otherwise. Her bowl gets washed every meal regardless of what’s in it.

@Nella68mine just eats the wormer and flea things which are the 'palatable' ones from the vet but still ... he thinks anything including cow poop is delicious and would never say no to a calorie or two.

I might try the nature's menu and see what he thinks / how his tummy is on it.

Thanks all

@brushingboots Agricultural did pop into my head after I had asked, because I thought of my local (20 miles away, but that's local up here 😂) Harbro store. I buy dog food and wellies from there.
It's more the bacteria in their mouths apparently, than the raw food they eat. K eats her sisters' poo if I don't get to it first. You're not telling me her mouth is more hygienic than a dog who has eaten a bowl of mince.

@SpanielsGalore Ohhhh that makes more sense haha. Pupsy isn’t a very licky dog to be fair, but yeah, last night she happily carried a pigeon for about 15 minutes before presenting it to me as a lovely gift.

To me it felt like it was being suggested that no breeder lives up to her standards, that's all @SpanielsGalore Maybe I was wrong.

I didn't say you couldn't keep your in season pup happy without walks, I said it was not enough for mine. I just don't feel it is fair to confine a bitch for 3 weeks even if you keep them in during the receptive phase. It isn't necessary when they can just be lead walked. Whatever, I am not arguing the point here and if I upset you then I apologise. We do walk them right through their season, we always have, and never encountered any issues with males following us.

But thank you for admitting your feelings about dogs being allowed to run free. And yes, I was well aware that I was being judged for that, It is never any different because people with smaller dogs never understand. Sylvie had 100% recall to be off lead but none of the others have. And it is a fact that people do not welcome a boisterous 50 or 60 kg puppy rushing up to their kids or their tiny toy dog. Because it is bloody scary if you don't know them. These are hugely intimidating dogs whichever way you look at it. She might look cute on a photo -I know you & Landsharks both said you'd want to cuddle her, but up close your dogs would hate her. I guarantee it. This is why she will not be off the lead anywhere but the dog field with the deer fencing.

There are at least a couple of YouTube videos where PMD/LGD folk give their reasons for not letting their dogs run free, so it is not about me being a pathetic, clueless trainer it is just a general guard dog trait. I feel that being able to walk well on a lead is vital so that is very much the focus for my dogs. But in any case yeah, go ahead and judge me for it, you're not the first, you won't be the last.

It's fair to say that we all have opinions and all make judgements all the time, whether we admit it or not.

@Aubrielle I did say it was hard to find a breeder that lives up to @LandSharksAnonymous 's standards. That's a compliment. Not a barbed dig.

And again. I don't judge you for keeping Brie on a lead. I asked why and you explained. It's not for me and my dogs. But it is for you and yours.

Gosh. If I spent all day judging people who did things differently to me, I'd have no time left to write snarky posts on MN. 😁

Sorry again @SpanielsGalore
Having a rubbish day all round, in a lot of pain so need to get off here. Already put my foot in it on another thread 🙄 Too much snark is not a good thing for any of us 😔

@Aubrielle sorry to hear you are having a bad day, and I hope your pain settles down and you are feeling better tomorrow ❤️

What a good girl! I think.
Was the pigeon dead or alive? If dead, my pair would have alternated between rolling on it an eating it. K did present me with a live duck once. Fortunately, I got I off her and it waddled away unscathed.