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And baby makes three!

Meg, I'm not getting another one! :laugh:
I'd been spending time getting both Rosie and Bertie to walk nicely on my left, but I'll probably switch to boys that side, Rosie on the right. Rosie generally walks nicely at heel with Bertie trying to forge ahead. I'll check out the instructions but I'm pretty sure I can switch sides on her harness. (The default set up is for walking with the dog on your left with it on)
I couldn't believe how small Flash's sister still is. Her owners asked what the heck I feed my little heffalump on. I explained briefly and they didn't think they could afford it. SO I did explain how cheap it is to get raw food for one small dog and the local shops that are helpful. I don't think it's a case of her being the runt of the litter because the people who I got him from kept a bitch puppy who was exactly the same size as Flash when I picked him up and they were also amazed at how big he is when they saw him, so I'd already run through his feeding schedule with them and got the same 'oh that must cost so much' sort of reply.
I'm not exactly militant about raw feeding. I don't weigh up all the different proportions for each daily meal, I just balance it over each week, but I do really believe in the benefits. I keep the costs down by bulk-buying and looking out for the bargains in my local supermarkets meat section and running a small chest freezer just for the dog and snake food. For example I got all their portions of liver and heart for the next couple of months for pennies because it was just in date. Most of the pre-packed raw food diets on the market are IMO overpriced and a way of cashing in on people not having the confidence to just go ahead and feed their dogs without a label claiming each meal is 'Scientifically balanced'.
 
Afterwards, I did have a bit of a fume to myself. Both sets of owners wanted to know how Flash was in such robust good health and growing faster than his sisters. Both declared it would be too expensive for them to do. Well, IMO, don't get a pet if you can't afford it! Obviously life can throw you curve balls like unexpected vet bills, but the basics like feeding good quality food and inoculations are a given expense.
Flash was an impulse addition to the family, but if I'd had worries about the cost of raising him I wouldn't have got him. I probably spend an average of $30 a month on feeding Rosie and Bertie which is far less than I'd spend on good quality kibble and wet food. Which I know from when I converted Ellie from commercial food to the raw diet all those years ago. The cost of his inoculations is what I'd normally have spent on fishing trips or a couple of DVDs or books in any given month.
I get a bit angry about people who bemoan the costs of looking after any pet because to me it's like raising your children. Having pets is not a right, it's a privilege. They bring such joy to your life, but in return you owe them a decent standard of care!
 
His size might just be him...he's a mixed breed and might have gotten more of the staffie line for height and weight than they did...part of why having mutts can be a crap shoot....they don't always come out the size you expect! Their dogs might have inherited more of the whippet size and weight. As for raw, I like it, I've fed it, but yes, it far exceeded the cost of the high quality grain free food I get. While I can get deer meat for free during hunting season, I have one dog that will absolutely not eat it. She will only take chicken and pork raw...even beef she won't eat...liver pieces for organ meat has to be well hidden in the chicken skin or she won't eat that. Heart she'll eat, but it's not an organ meat...tripe she won't touch. Whole chickens are cheaper than pieces but are loaded with salt which mean you have to soak the chicken a long time to get it out of there....I have 70 lb. dogs and it was getting too expensive to feed three of them on that as well as fairly time consuming. I was pre-making the meals since they are fed twice a day and storing it in the other fridge....it would get stinky if left for more than a couple days and while the dogs don't care, I do. My cats get whole raw prey and just for them it costs me almost $6 a day to feed just them. The dogs would have been $5 a dog a day....While I agree if you can't afford a dog don't have one, there are levels. I feed a very high quality food that still is within my means and the dogs are in excellent health. Everyone has beautiful coats, they don't go to the vet except for yearly checks, they've never been sick and they are almost 10 years old. I do give them turkey necks and chicken backs along the way if I see some on sale and they love that.....My foster gets fed the same things my own dogs get. I could get free food from the rescue but that will be crap food that I wouldn't feed a stray.
 
I'm not saying good-quality grain free is bad, it was what Ellie was raised on. I personally felt she was healthier and fitter after I changed to raw. What I totally do hate is the supposed 'quality' big name kibbles which are full of starch and sugar and additives. What both of Flash's sisters are fed on is basically overpriced rubbish IMO. On the company website it claims the reason it contains grain is because dogs need carbohydrates. Here's a link to it's ratings from independent sources.
http://www.whichdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0012/bakers-complete-adult
And to be honest feeding a whippet sized dog is a lot different to multiples of big dogs like yours.
If I had those sort of tummies to fill I'd have to have a whole family sized freezer to even think about how I'd be able to bulk buy to feed raw, but then again I am lucky that I've got 4 family butchers within walking distance, as well as getting the chicken backs or lungs and lights for free from the farm shop.
 
I get a bit angry about people who bemoan the costs of looking after any pet . . . .

I'm sorry if I derail your thread Janine, but this really irks me to no end!

I'm volunteering tomorrow for a low-cost vaccination clinic in my area. We only charge $10 for DHP, and $10 for rabies.

To be fair, we get a lot of folks who are out of work, and really need help to keep their pets healthy. But I see more than my share of those that abuse the generosity. All of us - vets, techs, and clerical staff - volunteer our time. We barely cover costs, but are told specifically not to turn anyone away who says they don't have the money.

Well, they have the money, but don't want to take away from their beer, cigarette, cell phone, fast food fund. These people drive up in $40k vehicles, wearing $5k in gold chains, but say they don't have $10!! Of course, this isn't the majority, but enough that it really makes everyone mad! Of course, if an animal looks obviously thin, or otherwise neglected, we counsel them on proper care, and in bad cases, we talk them into surrendering the animal. The police department has officers there as well, just to be sure things are under control.

Sorry; rant over. :eek:

Kathy
 
I'm sorry if I derail your thread Janine, but this really irks me to no end!

I'm volunteering tomorrow for a low-cost vaccination clinic in my area. We only charge $10 for DHP, and $10 for rabies.

To be fair, we get a lot of folks who are out of work, and really need help to keep their pets healthy. But I see more than my share of those that abuse the generosity. All of us - vets, techs, and clerical staff - volunteer our time. We barely cover costs, but are told specifically not to turn anyone away who says they don't have the money.

Well, they have the money, but don't want to take away from their beer, cigarette, cell phone, fast food fund. These people drive up in $40k vehicles, wearing $5k in gold chains, but say they don't have $10!! Of course, this isn't the majority, but enough that it really makes everyone mad! Of course, if an animal looks obviously thin, or otherwise neglected, we counsel them on proper care, and in bad cases, we talk them into surrendering the animal. The police department has officers there as well, just to be sure things are under control.

Sorry; rant over. :eek:

Kathy
Unusual or unexpected expenses, like a major vet bill, I can understand people asking for help with, but for me personally I'd say that normal costs like feeding, vaccination and neutering are what a responsible person considers before they get the pet. And I'd be willing to bet that most people who do ask for the help with those things could actually afford it if they tried. If they really can't? Why do they own a pet they can't look after? Ok you could own the pets then lose your jobs, but because of people here abusing the help they get from charities too there are limits on the numbers of pets per household they will help. And yet people complain as if they have a god-given right to own pets and have others pay the bills.
Remember over here thanks to the welfare system there are very few people in absolute poverty, they will have a roof over their head with the rent paid, help with their fuel bills etc. As for those who don't, if they cannot look after their own basic needs why should they inflict that lifestyle on a pet?
 
I work in rescue so I see all kinds of things and I get every excuse in the world as to why they are dumping their dogs at the shelter. It's a sad thing.....I wish people would spay and neuter....we have so many puppies being produced here that we're euthanizing them for lack of space. It kills me when people breed dogs because they "want their dog to experience the beauty of birth" "their dog is so wonderful that they want more just like her" "they WERE going to get her spayed but she got pregnant before they could" "another dog got in the yard and got her pregnant" I had to say no to a dog yesterday that is dead today because I did.....I have no more room at my house to foster another one....it hurts me to know that dog is dead because no one stepped up for him and that his owner didn't care enough about him to keep him....and this happens every week of every month of every year....
 
Oh, where to start? LOL
I whole heartedly agree with J9 on if you cannot afford the general upkeep for pets, (food, vaccs, training gear, etc) then you shouldn't have them. It's not fair for the animals to be kept substandard.
That said, I do understand when people lose there jobs, homes, etc & need help, but so often I hear (even with reptiles).."I canot afford topay much for the animal...". If you're that strapped for cash, how do you expect to care for the animal?
People with animals should also have a reserve fund for emergencies. I know first hand how quickly that can get wiped out. I had an $800+ vet bill for one of my ferrets, from bladder stones, & he died during surgery. Last March, I paid over $1,200 in vet bills for my GSD, & ended up losing him to cancer.
If you keep animals, you are responsible for their care. They rely on YOU to provide for them, much like children do.

I'm not a fan of kibble foods,either. The only kibble I would/have fed my dogs is Fromm Surf & Turf (grain free). I feed my dogs Darwin raw food. Yes, it's a commercial raw (made locally, in Seattle), but I like the convenience of having it pre-packaged. I know I can save money if I did it myself, but I am willing to pay for the convenience of having it delivered to my door once a month, pre-separated in 1/2 lb bags, ready for me to thaw out & feed to my dogs. Even the difference between the highest quality kibble & feeding raw is huge, IMO.

Meg, Malinois/GSD was pulled from a shelter in CA, by a local GSD rescue, to prevent her from being euthanized due to lack of space. There were two GSD's pulled along with her, & all 3 were transported to WA state to be put up for adoption.
It a huge problem, all over & is incredibly sad.

Edit to add: No, I do not think that everyone who has dogs should be feeding the most expensive food, but I do think they should consider the health of the animal & feed a good quality food.
 
We do ship dogs north for adoptions there...generally puppies and smaller dogs...however, we still have so many here that it's overwhelming. In just three local shelters we euthanize 2000 dogs and cats a MONTH...yes...that's a month...and we are still overwhelmed. People here do not spay and neuter, do little to keep their dogs contained and believe it's God's will that they should procreate and that it's unnatural to spay/neuter...men seem to take it personally when you neuter and think the dog misses their testicles....Derp! One of the things about living in the South that I don't like! They are fine with dumping the puppies at the local shelter though....makes me crazy!!
 
Flash will be neutered, but I'm not totally sure at what age. I've been reading up on possible links between early castration and joint injuries. In whippet and lurcher forums the consensus seems to be that later alteration of males is preferred. With him being basically a lurcher with mostly whippet in his genetic makeup that's the best breed-specific advice I can go by. Of course it will depend on how the little booger develops his personality as he matures but 10-12 months seems to be the age to aim for.
 
Staffies and the pit breeds like that have sloping patellas and as a result, do tend to have ACL problems. Whippets are prone as well. Didn't matter in the case of my friend's dog though...he wasn't neutered until well after two years old and ended up with both ACL's needing surgery....Your dogs are pretty active though so you might want to wait. Like you said though, it might depend upon how he is once he hits maturity. You'll start seeing it around 6-8 months as his hormones kick in. With Bertie being an insecure dominant dog there might be a clash there. The neutering won't help as much then. Generally if you can keep the hormones from coming into play you have fewer problems between competing males.
 
Staffies and the pit breeds like that have sloping patellas and as a result, do tend to have ACL problems. Whippets are prone as well. Didn't matter in the case of my friend's dog though...he wasn't neutered until well after two years old and ended up with both ACL's needing surgery....Your dogs are pretty active though so you might want to wait. Like you said though, it might depend upon how he is once he hits maturity. You'll start seeing it around 6-8 months as his hormones kick in. With Bertie being an insecure dominant dog there might be a clash there. The neutering won't help as much then. Generally if you can keep the hormones from coming into play you have fewer problems between competing males.
yep, that's right on the money. If Flash was actually expected to work for a living, if I took them to a racing or coursing club or if I ran them on rabbits regularly, I'd wait until after 18 months after reading up on it. As he'll just be a high-speed pet I won't have to wait that long.
And as you know, the dynamics between 2 dogs vying for dominance will be different to the situation now with adding in a puppy and as he matures. Fun times! I have't seen my trainer for some time as there's been such improvement in Rosie and Bertie but I think a session is due to keep us on the right path.
 
While Flash was eating his breakfast, Rosie and Bertie enjoyed a wrestling match in the front room. Then we went for a walk with Flash meeting up with most of our regular dog-walking friends. Then suddenly I felt what can only be described as a burning punch to my calf. Immediately I had bruising and swelling, then Rosie was shaking her head.......looks like we both got stung by something. Her poor eye is all swollen so she's had some antihistamine
 

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Oh dear! Sounds like a bee or wasp nest! Benadryl will do the trick (Diphenhydramine) 23 mg/ per 25 pounds...keep and eye on it especially since it's her eye that's swollen. If it can't open, you might need to get some ointment for it so it doesn't get an actual infection in the eye....from lack of tear production.
 
Oh dear! Sounds like a bee or wasp nest! Benadryl will do the trick (Diphenhydramine) 23 mg/ per 25 pounds...keep and eye on it especially since it's her eye that's swollen. If it can't open, you might need to get some ointment for it so it doesn't get an actual infection in the eye....from lack of tear production.
Both of us have had some Benadryl as soon as we got home, my calf still hurts a little but the swelling is down. Rosie's asleep but her eye looks less swollen as far as I can see without disturbing her. (All the dogs have an afternoon nap) If it's not better in the morning we'll be up to our vet. Obviously if it gets worse we'll go to the emergancy vet today. There were sleepy wasps around so I think we both got stung. Would cooled boiled water be ok for bathing her eye later as I haven't got any saline? Or I could make a weak salt solution if that would be better?
 
I don't know...you could make a warm poultice to put on the eye area to help take down the swelling or if it's hot to the touch, an ice pack.
 
I don't know...you could make a warm poultice to put on the eye area to help take down the swelling or if it's hot to the touch, an ice pack.
I'll check her properly when she wakes up. The swelling on my leg is almost gone so hopefully hers will have gone down too.
 
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