The things you will do for your dogs

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Dec 2, 2003
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My Chihuahua is on the BARF diet and I stocked up on chicken parts today. She gets a mix of chicken wings and necks, as well as gizzards. So I bought 2lbs of hearts, 3lbs of gizzards, 8lbs of necks, and 5lbs of wings. The necks and wings werent skinned, so I have spent over an hour skinning them tonight, and Im not even done. I havent even gotten to the wings yet, and thats the hard part, lol.

After Im done skinning I have to seperate the meals into baggies. Im beginning to wonder if this damn dog is really worth it. {D
 

Bulldog08

Arachnosquire
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Mar 1, 2007
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I hear you... My bulldog has anal gland 'issues'. I have to squeeze his anus to get a greenish discharge about every 2 weeks. If I don't he smells like rotten fish. Pretty nasty... buy my 2 year old finds it highly funny. He is darn lucky he is cute...

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Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Dec 2, 2003
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841
Oh man, my bf has two English Bulldogs. They are adorable, but I hope to god we never have to do that. Thankfully they are outside dogs, and will have to stay that way. The male is completey unhousebreakable. Hes got bladder issues, and so he lives in an insulated heated/airconditioned dog house outside. I swear its nicer than my apartment, lol.
 

Scarp172

Arachnoknight
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Feb 1, 2006
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Bulldog- you do know you can have the glands removed right? I had a dachshund and she had issues with those as well. Apparently they stink AND itch for the pup. They can become impacted and cause problems too, but you'll both be thankful after removal.
 

Taceas

Arachnolord
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May 12, 2006
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Ours has to get ProZyme added to her food or she's gassy and nasty to be around after she eats. Apparently she can't digest something in any food we've tried. Whatever the cause, who knew dog farts could be "greasy and cling to the nose".

What the heck is the BARF diet? Sounds nice and wholesome. Our dog gets lots of chicken parts as is, since we raise our own meat chickens.

My parent's dog has anal gland troubles as well. She has to get them expressed every month or she scoots and sits there and licks her bum all day trying to relieve the itching. She's too old to have them removed, the vet said it would probably make things worse, so we just opt to take her to the vet and have it done every month.
 

Varden

Arachnodemon
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May 22, 2005
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My pug fell off the porch when he was a puppy and broke his leg. To this day, I still carry him up and down the stairs, every single time he has to go out.

But I can live with this hangup. At least I don't have to squeeze discharge from his butt.
 

Bulldog08

Arachnosquire
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Mar 1, 2007
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131
Bulldog- you do know you can have the glands removed right? I had a dachshund and she had issues with those as well. Apparently they stink AND itch for the pup. They can become impacted and cause problems too, but you'll both be thankful after removal.
Yes I've read about removing the glands. Bulldogs tend to have problems with anesthesia due to their anatomy. I'd rather not chance a problem. With gloves and lots and lots of paper towels it isn’t too bad... :liar:
 

thisgal

Arachnoknight
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Feb 9, 2006
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Good job feeding your dog actual meat! Chopping up various animals is what all dog and cat owners SHOULD be doing!
 

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Dec 2, 2003
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What the heck is the BARF diet? Sounds nice and wholesome. Our dog gets lots of chicken parts as is, since we raise our own meat chickens.
BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Its a diet based on what a dog would eat in the wild, and what their bodies are designed to eat. Most kibble is made almost entirely of grains, which dogs just arent designed to digest. It can cause health problems and lead to obesity. There are many informative websites out there about BARF diets, but for the best info I recommend joined the Yahoo raw feeding group. Its just called: rawfeeding.

I cant say its the easiest way to feed a dog, but its certainly the healthiest.
 

Atalanta

Arachnoknight
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Sep 29, 2003
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My good friend's Shih tzu is on two different kinds of barf diets: the acronym (raw foods), which makes a lot of sense for just about any pet, and the other kind where she eats everything in the yard, barfs it up, then eats that.
 

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Dec 2, 2003
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My good friend's Shih tzu is on two different kinds of barf diets: the acronym (raw foods), which makes a lot of sense for just about any pet, and the other kind where she eats everything in the yard, barfs it up, then eats that.
ROFL!! Thats hilarious. Thank god my Chihuahua doesnt do that. Though she does have an affinity for slugs. I wont let her kiss me after a slug feast, it grosses me out more than raw chicken breath.
 

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Well, I have found there is another downside to the BARF diet. I was seperating eggs for my Chihuahua earlier, and accidentally dropped the egg yoke right on her head. I dont think its the best idea to feed the dog and watch American Idol at the same time.

She kinda enjoyed it though.{D
 

Raindog

Arachnoknight
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Jul 13, 2004
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BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Its a diet based on what a dog would eat in the wild, and what their bodies are designed to eat. Most kibble is made almost entirely of grains, which dogs just arent designed to digest. It can cause health problems and lead to obesity. There are many informative websites out there about BARF diets, but for the best info I recommend joined the Yahoo raw feeding group. Its just called: rawfeeding.

I cant say its the easiest way to feed a dog, but its certainly the healthiest.
I raised Kilo on the BARF diet and he was a very healthy pup. In the last few years I got lazy and started feeding him dry kibble, since then he has had skin problems. It might be time to get him started back. The transition will be a pain in the ass and his system likely won't respond well at the start but I think it might be worth it.
 

Texas Blonde

Arachnoangel
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Dec 2, 2003
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I raised Kilo on the BARF diet and he was a very healthy pup. In the last few years I got lazy and started feeding him dry kibble, since then he has had skin problems. It might be time to get him started back. The transition will be a pain in the ass and his system likely won't respond well at the start but I think it might be worth it.
I put Gixxer (my Chihuahua) on the BARF diet without an adjustment period, and she did fine. Actually, she been healthier than ever. There was never any problems with adjustment, though I did give her a short fast period to clean out her digestive tract.
 

Goomba

Arachnobaron
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Feb 22, 2007
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My Cane Corso, Romulus, has the whole backyard to himself essentialy with a house-length covered redwood patio. He has a twin sized mattress with a cotton slip on cover that's washed bi-weekly, as well as his own blankets that my father and I personally cover him up with when it's cold. Oh, he also has his own miniature swamp cooler since we're in AZ, either that or he'll sleep on our tiles in the kitchen...


...mind you he's 155 pounds hehe
 

jr47

Arachnobaron
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Aug 4, 2005
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i once had to help my dog have 8 pups. she was a medium size mutt. and got bred by a boxer. the pups were to big for her so i climbed in the dog house and when she would push i pulled. got em all out but it took hours. every time we would get one out she would turn and start licking my face. also got the job of cleaning them off. partly cause i was in her way and she was really worn out. but it was a cool experience. lost one pup that night. the rest done great.
had a nieghbor that worked for a local vet come the next day and checked her out. she said if she wouldnt of had help she would of probably died. so i was real glad she started before we all went to bed. it was really cute when they were 8 weeks cause they were almost half the size of mom.
 

Taceas

Arachnolord
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May 12, 2006
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658
Interesting about the BARF diet. I may have to try it when we get a bigger deep freeze. 2 deer, 15 chickens, and frozen rodents has our current one packed solid.

Right now Maia is eating dry Nutro Natural Choice, which is better than a lot of stuff due to it being primarily meat and naturally preserved. But she still gets most of our raw meat scraps, which she adores.

Every fall she comes back with deer parts from where hunters around here don't bury their gut piles (which is inconsiderate and gross). Nothing like stepping out the door in the garage and slipping on testicles or a big juicy liver.
 

Lorgakor

Arachnomom
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Sep 9, 2004
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2,369
I'm curious about the BARF diet. Is there a concern at all about pets contracting salmonella or e-coli from the raw meat?
 
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