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Pawbly | 9 years ago
6 Wk Old Pup Dropped By Child. Slight Limp. No Whining While…

6 wk old pup dropped by child. Slight limp. No whining while feeling from paw up leg or while trying to walk. Baby asprin?

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  1. julie brader

    Hi….firstly I hope you don’t mind if I say please don’t let your child pick up the puppy, children should treat dogs with care and respect….puppies are not toys.

    A pup should not leave its mother until they are at least 8 weeks old, 6 weeks is very young.

    A puppy’s bones are st

  2. julie brader

    Sorry hit the wrong button!

    A puppy’s bones are still quite soft at 6 weeks old. Perhaps you should pop him to a vet to make sure no lasting damage has been done. 

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amanda Mills | 9 years ago
My Husband And I Were Discussing Making Our Own Dog Food. Our Dogs Are Currently…

My husband and I were discussing making our own dog food. Our dogs are currently eating dry Whole Earth Farms grain free kibble. Sometimes we add in whole Earth Farms grain free wet food in the evenings. We were wondering if switching to homemade food is a good idea and if so how much do we feed our dogs? Our dogs are 60-80 pounds each.

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  1. Jana

    Hi Amanda,

    that is a good question, isn’t it? And the answer depends on whom you ask. Some might tell you, yes, definitely, others will shout out, OMG please don’t do that.

    Here is how it is with food, whether for ourselves of for our dogs.

    The best food you can offer is
    – biologically appropriate (there are arguments about what is or isn’t biologically appropriate for dogs)
    – as fresh and wholesome you can offer (some argue that ingredients don’t matter only nutrients matter; well both do matter)
    – as little processed as possible
    – with as little stuffs that don’t belong into food as possible
    – as natural and organic as possible (again, there are arguments that it doesn’t matter but it doesn’t make sense that it wouldn’t)

    I think Dr. Becker summarized it fairly well in this article:
    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/07/21/13-pet-foods-ranked-from-great-to-disastrous.aspx 

    Again, there are arguments whether raw is best or cooked is best. (there are arguments about every single aspect of what to feed our dogs)

    Advantages of raw: minimal loss of nutrients, high digestibility
    Disadvantages of raw: possible contamination with bacteria
    a) the risk seems higher to people than the actual dog(s)
    b) can be controlled with exercising good food safety

    Advantages of cooked: minimizing risk of bacterial contamination, good digestibility (even better with some ingredients such as veggies; whether raw or cooked protein is better digestible is also debated)
    Disadvantages of cooked: loss of nutrients

    Advantages of making your own food (raw or cooked): full control over ingredients
    Disadvantages of making your own food: if not done properly, there is a risk of nutritional imbalances

    These days you can find commercially available diets for any type of food you wish to feed, whether it’s raw or cooked. Advantage of doing that is that you can find manufacturers who have complete and balanced formulations. Disadvantage is that you don’t control the ingredients directly and have to take the manufacturer at their word on what they put in and where they sourced it. There are some reputable manufacturers out there for both raw and cooked diets.

    How much you should feed your dogs depends on your dogs (not only their weight but also their age and activity level). There are calorie calculators out there.

    Depending on what you have available where you live, home prepared (whether raw or cooked) can be cheaper than commercial. Or not. Depends on whether you can source from farmers, co-ops etc.

    There is the work that goes into making the food.

    MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT, though, is that if you are going to make your own food, whether raw or cooked, is to make sure it is COMPLETE AND BALANCED. This can be best and easiest achieved by
    a) working with a nutritionist
    b) working with a supplement such as BalanceIT
    c) acquiring some good recipes (but whatever you’re going to make will need to be supplemented, AT LEAST with calcium source) Vitamins and minerals may or may not have to be supplemented depending on the ingredients you’d use.

    As for myself, I used to home-cooked for Jasmine for a long time. It worked very well for her. I DID use a supplement designed specifically for balancing home prepared diets (in Canada we have Hilary’s Blend, which I have been using). With Cookie, she decided to “switch herself to raw” on her own (she is an avid hunter) so I figured who was I to argue and I’m now feeding her raw. For the time being I use mostly commercially prepared frozen raw with the odd fresh home prepared raw such as during hunting season. So she’d get a whole rabbit, for example.

    I think reading the above article I linked to should give you a good idea how to improve your dogs’ nutrition and where to start.

    Please do not forget the COMPLETE and BALANCED bit.

  2. Margrit Simons

    Here is a great recipe for home made dog food from Dr. Stanley Coren at UBC. I made it for my dogs and they loved it (until I got to be too lazy). You can look it up on this website : pets.ca/recipes /recipe3

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
I’m Kind Of Freaking Out Because I’m Afraid The Backyard, Where We Take Him Out…

I’m kind of freaking out because I’m afraid the backyard, where we take him out to poop, is really infected, and also, the furniture that he sits on is infected.
Is there a for sure way to kill the eggs of these parasites from my yard and furniture? I’ve read on the internet that eggs only appear in places where he has pooped, so should I not be worried about the furniture?
Also, today I got him the medication he needs to treat these parasites. Will they completely clean the parasites, or will he probably have to do a second round of treatment?
Answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated!

2 Responses

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  1. Laura Kyle

    This is not uncommon. Your vet should have given you meds to kill the parasites. They will probably recommend rechecking a fecal in a few weeks to make sure that all of the parasites are gone. In the meantime, pick up your dogs stool in the yard.

  2. Michelle Dang

    Thank you everyone who replied!

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
How To Prepare Puppies To Stay Alone For A Night And Half Of Day Alone?We…

How to prepare puppies to stay alone for a night and half of day alone?We need to fly in the evening to get our visas done and we’re gonna be home in the early afternoon.They’re gonna sleep in the spacious garden+food+separateBowls ofWater

6 Responses

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  1. Anonymous

    that’s WAY too long for puppies to be by themselves.  please find someone to watch them.

  2. Anna K

    If I had someone who would take care of them when we’re not here, I wouldn’t ask this question. Unfortunately, we’re new in this country and the vet advised us NOT to leave them at the clinic due to distemper outburst (they’ve been vaccinated today for the 1st time).

  3. Anonymous

    Anna, i would look into a pet sitter in your area. seriously. PLEASE don’t leave these puppies alone for more than a few hours. please.

  4. Anna K

    The only option we have is to arrange a pet check in the morning to change water. Pet sitters are not available at my region because of Ramadan (boarding centers are full) or religious issues (dogs are considered ‘haram’ ). I’ve already checked what’s available.

  5. Anna K

    They will be staying in the garden where they usually stay for the whole day ( they poop there and pee). They are in the house usually for the late evening and night. Our lab will be 15/16 week and Golden 13/14. We cannot change the date, because we may not be able to legally enter the country if we stay any day longer – and this is pretty important part.
    I can arrange somebody to change the water in the morning – but no touching the dogs or staying with them – religious issues for my neighbors and the person who will perform the pet check.

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Jasmine | 9 years ago
I Took My Cat To Get His Teeth Cleaned. When He Came Back, Half…

I took my cat to get his teeth cleaned. When he came back, half of his claws had been cut through the quick and had bled. Personally, I am outraged at their carelessness. What do you think, as a veterinarian?

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Kitten Is Just Under 2 Weeks Old, Has Very Swollen Genitals And Producing Discharge…

my kitten is just under 2 weeks old, has very swollen genitals and producing discharge ( smelly) only settled when feeding but walking around crying out

2 Responses

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  1. Joe Mccollum

    Your vet should take a look at this for it could be very serious. Three thing I would initially be concerned about is cancer, infection and testicular contortion. Contortion is where they cross over and the blood supply is cut off. All of these can produce pain and your cat needs to see a vet.

  2. Kelly Furgason

    Hello,
    A kitten that is under two weeks old still needs to be stimulated to produce urine and a bowel movement. Is this happening? Is the kitten with the mom cat? If you are bottle feeding are you using a warm damp cotton ball or wipe to gently wipe the area to encourage a bowel movement/urination? Sometimes when kittens have parasites they can have very soft stool that can get impacted around the area and smell….definately take the kitten to a vet. At this age they can go downhill very quickly if not kept healthy.
    Good luck!
    ~kelly

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Have A Female American Bulldogog At The End Of A Heat Cycle. She Will Be…

Have a female American Bulldogog at the end of a heat cycle. She will be spayed Very soon. However, she has started fighting with my other female, an Alapaha Bulldog. Unspayed dog new to house 4 weeks no problems until a few days ago.

3 Responses

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  1. Laura Kyle

    This sounds like a recipe for disaster. I would spay both of your dogs ASAP. In my experience, fights between new pack members always begun 4-6 weeks after the new dog arrived. There is kind of an initial grace period where everyone is adjusting, getting comfortable, and figuring out what the rules are in the home. Having to intact dogs is only going to intensify a problem that may already be there. I truly hope that spaying you dogs will be the solution to your problem, however if it is not I would recommend an trainer how specializes in dog aggression.

  2. Erika Graham

    We spay all,of our dogs. The only one that isn’t is the new edition. We were told that she had been already. Took her in for a check up and found out she was just beginning a heat. We are waiting for that heat cycle to end. She is a sweet dog and they have gotten along well together until two days ago. I was questioning if the heat could cause this sudden aggression?

  3. Laura Kyle

    Sorry, it sounded like you had 2 intact females in your home. Having a dog in heat can definitely cause some aggression. I hope that is all it is

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Heat Aggression

Heat aggression

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Rabbit Is Only Two Months Old And Now He Can Move His Back Legs…

My rabbit is only two months old and now he can move his back legs. If you try to pick him up he Pottys everywheres

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Persian Male Cat (4 Months Old) Does Not Have Either Thick Or Long Fur…

my persian male cat (4 months old) does not have either thick or long fur but his mother is triple coated. what should i do? should i change his cat food?

1 Response

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  1. Anonymous

    he’s a baby.  he’ll grow into his coat.  feed the best quality food you cat (meat should be the first 3-4 ingredients) and eventually he’ll probably end up fluffy and gorgeous. 🙂