Doggy Dog Health

Question:

Just a brief update on our Angel… I did not put her down today as the bloodwork came back showing her white count was elevated.  The Vet told me that perhaps the reason she was so thin is due to some sort of systemic infection and put her on some heavy duty antibiotics.  However, her liver levels were not all within the norm either and he explained that we might have to consider the fact that she has a liver shunt.  He explained it as best he could to me and when I got home I found this site… http://www.shihtzu.org/health/astchlth/astcshnt/ Angel needs another test to find out and she is having that tomorrow.  I could not, with good conscience put her down until we know for sure.  After reading this page though, it seems very obvious as to what the diagnosis will be.  There will be no option, if she has the shunt, except to put her down. Anyway, some of you have written with words of kindness and encouragement and I want to Thank you…  This is a very difficult time for us as I’m sure you can imagine. Julie — http://www.geocities.com/carolynnsmom1994/angel.htm Come and read about our ‘Little Angel’ http://www.geocities.com/stingersjoolz/carolynn.html Carolynn’s Place!

Response:

Hi, I have a Weim that is almost a year old.  She had a very rough start in life, she was born a full 6 hours after her last littermate and ended up being MUCH smaller than the rest. The Breeder saved her but the Mother wouldn’t feed her or care for her so Angel was raised by hand and bottle fed her whole puppyhood.  She was weak obviously, and has developed ‘Swimmer’s Ribs’ among other things.  I took her back in January when she was 5 months old.  She was very skinny and emaciated looking but I took her because I fell in love with her right off the bat.  I knew going into this that there would be a LONG road ahead of us healthwise… Angel was fixed and had a massive hernia repair done on Feb 1st of this year.  The surgery took over 3 hours and 3 Vets to do.  When it was over, one of the vets told me that she had had adhesions throughout her entire inner workings from the hernia.  He did tell me that as far as he could tell though, she would begin to gain weight and be just fine now that surgery is done. We have tried since February to put weight on this dog.  She is still thin as a rail.  Night before last, after finally being crate trained/housebroken, she seemingly lost control of herself and began urinating everywhere again.  I took her back to the Vet for bloodwork. Bloodwork is not back yet but Angel is still at the Vet because I wanted her to stay there in case the bloodwork showed something that needed taking care of immediately.  After calling the vet back for the 5th time yesterday they finally told me that the bloodwork wouldn’t be in until later today.  I asked to speak to a Vet and got the same one that had talked to me after Angel’s surgery back in February.  I explained to him my fear that she was diabetic due to her obsession with drinking water and her failure to thrive and so on.  He then told me that in his opinion she has an "Inadequate Liver" and he suspected this from the time he assisted in her surgery back in February. I have NO clue what the ramifications of this are other than he told me she would need a special diet, medication, and that she would always remain sickly.  He said even with the special food and whatever, her life was not going to be long and happy. Of course I would never put any animal through this sort of life so we have made plans to have Angel put to sleep today.  They can’t do it of course until I go in the office and fill out the form, so I came here hoping that someone here has experience with Inadequate Liver problems and can tell me a bit about their experience.  The idea of putting Angel down has broken my heart.  But on the same hand, the idea that I would sentence her to a life of being sickly and having other problems is too much to bear. Any advice is appreciated… Thank you, Julie — http://www.geocities.com/carolynnsmom1994/angel.htm Come and read about our ‘Little Angel’ http://www.geocities.com/stingersjoolz/carolynn.html Carolynn’s Place!

Response:

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > Hello Paulette, > > I wasn’t trying to make it something ugly. Giving to charity is an ap= > prov=3D > > ed method > > of expiating one’s negative Karma and gaining admission through the P= > earl=3D > > y Gates. > > Reformation is never impossible, just more difficult for some of us..= > =2E J>=3D > Oh Jerry,really… > It was a nice gesture,admit it,huh? > As for giving to charity, it can come in a variety of methods. > "Kindness" is all that matters. > Paulette~ > — > =A0A dogs life is too short… > =A0=A0 Their only fault really… > Excellent point, Paulette. Nice thinking. Howe else could a poor man, mak= > ing > amends for his past transgressions, give to charity??? I like that… Kin= > dness. > Much appreciated. J>>>

Sometimes money isn’t so important,you know? Paulette~> —  A dogs life is too short…    Their only fault really… Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

>> Hello Paulette, > I wasn’t trying to make it something ugly. Giving to charity is an approv= > ed method > of expiating one’s negative Karma and gaining admission through the Pearl= > y Gates. > Reformation is never impossible, just more difficult for some of us… J>= >Oh Jerry,really… >It was a nice gesture,admit it,huh? >As for giving to charity, it can come in a variety of methods.

Gracie, Jerry prefers charity to begin at home, like when someone donates $99 to the Jerry Howe Retirement Fund — i.e., they buy one of his totally worthless "little black boxes." :>) — Not The Poster Formerly Known As Dogman http://www.i1.net/~dogman

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello Paulette, > I wasn’t trying to make it something ugly. Giving to charity is an approv= > ed method > of expiating one’s negative Karma and gaining admission through the Pearl= > y Gates. > Reformation is never impossible, just more difficult for some of us… J>= > Oh Jerry,really… > It was a nice gesture,admit it,huh? > As for giving to charity, it can come in a variety of methods. > "Kindness" is all that matters. > Paulette~ > — >

Question:

We are having a problem with our 6 month old GSD mix and would appreciate any help. Although he is potty trained he will not tell us when he needs to go. Therefore we have to guess for ourselves. The first few months we had him I fed him at regular times hoping this would make things easier. However I gave up because he only eats when he is hungry which is at various times and so I now feed him on demand (which suits me better anyway). He doesn’t really tell me when he is hungry I can just tell by the way he is. I suppose this is how I usually judge when he needs to potty, but sometimes I don’t notice and an accident happens. My husband and myself are rarely at home during the day but the dog comes to work with us and spend all day beside us. He gets plenty of exercise,attention etc and is well behaved in other areas. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thank you in advance,  Laura.

Response:

On a very hot day, and with no watermelon in sight, Mon, 13 Jul 1998 >We are having a problem with our 6 month old GSD mix and would appreciate any >help. Although he is potty trained he will not tell us when he needs to go.

Laura, why wait for him to ask?  He’s still a PUPPY, eh? Take him outside (always through the same door, preferably) at regular intervals based on his food and water intake. In fact, you can’t take him outside too often right now. Eventually, you’ll find him standing at the door looking over at you. He’s trying to tell you something, and if you’re really paying attention, which you should always be doing to a PUPPY, you’ll figure out what it is. Use that female intuition you’re so famous for, eh? >Therefore we have to guess for ourselves. The first few months we had him I >fed him at regular times hoping this would make things easier. However I gave >up because he only eats when he is hungry

Only feed him *twice* a day, Laura.  Half in the AM and half in the PM.  Generally around the same times each day. Put his food down for 20 minutes.  Period.  If he didn’t eat anything, pick it up.  He just missed that meal.  He won’t starve.  I promise. And the next time you put it down, he’ll probably gobble it all down. Once you’ve REGULATED his INPUT, Laura, his OUTPUT will automatically become regulated, too. Just PAY ATTENTION. > which is at various times and so I >now feed him on demand (which suits me better anyway).

That’s not what it sounds like to me, Laura.  Otherwise you wouldn’t be having this trouble, eh? >He doesn’t really tell me when he is hungry I can just tell by the way he is.

[...] If I let my Labs eat *every* time they were "hungry," Laura, they’d look much more like NEWFOUNDLANDS than Labrador retrievers. I repeat:  Feed your dog 2 times a day.  At each feeding, *half* of the amount recommended on the package. And don’t worry about whether your dog is "hungry," eh? Worry only about keeping him HEALTHY. Good luck with your GSD puppy! — Dogman About Hunting Retrievers http://www.i1.net/~dogman/fieldtrl.htm About The Finest Sour Mash Whisky Under The Sun http://www.georgedickel.com "Violence, when there are alternatives, is immoral. Violence, when there are no alternatives, is survival." Dogman "Do unto others as they do unto you." Dogman

Response:

We hung a bell by the door.. its amazing how quickly she picked up on it. When I did it, I rung the bell each time we went out.  Within the day, she was doing it.  Before, she would sit beside the door, just out of our view sometimes, and if we didn’t get to her immediately (like within 30 seconds) , she would let loose on the hardwood floor   (whew, at least it wasn’t carpet).   She would never come *get* us.  (I know, I know… at 3 mo.  we should be WITH her all the time… that was before I realized I should have been tethering her to me)   Now she reaches up and rings her bell, sits down and waits.  She knows we’ve heard her and are on our way.  She watches us come to the door, where before, she would just watch out the sliding door, and not look *for* us.  My only complaint, is… once in awhile it gets to be a game and she dings us just to go outside and play.   My remedy…. we go out to potty, then we come in to play.  We go out to play when *I* choose…. maybe 10 min later, but not when she dings.  Dinging is ONLY for potty trips. — Sue and Jadee (AKA Mistress Psycho Satan Puppy) (ps.  its a JOKE>>> this is NOT her registered name <S>) remove _ after apple before emailing > On a very hot day, and with no watermelon in sight, Mon, 13 Jul 1998 >We are having a problem with our 6 month old GSD mix and would appreciate any >help. Although he is potty trained he will not tell us when he needs to

go. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> — > Dogman

Response:

>We hung a bell by the door.. its amazing how quickly she picked up on it. >When I did it, I rung the bell each time we went out.  Within the day, she >was doing it.  Before, she would sit beside the door, just out of our view >sometimes, and if we didn’t get to her immediately (like within 30 seconds) >, she would let loose on the hardwood floor   (whew, at least it wasn’t >carpet).   She would never come *get* us.  (I know, I know… at 3 mo.  we >should be WITH her all the time… that was before I realized I should have >been tethering her to me)   Now she reaches up and rings her bell, sits >down and waits.  She knows we’ve heard her and are on our way.  She watches >us come to the door, where before, she would just watch out the sliding >door, and not look *for* us.  My only complaint, is… once in awhile it >gets to be a game and she dings us just to go outside and play.   My >remedy…. we go out to potty, then we come in to play.  We go out to play >when *I* choose…. maybe 10 min later, but not when she dings.  Dinging is >ONLY for potty trips.

You don’t HAVE to use a bell.  Also, you can make them "speak" first, see they want out and make them come to you and sit wiggling, just have them do "something" that will get your attention, before they get to go out. Emily

Response:

THAT MAKES GOOD SENSE, I WILL TRY IT!!

Response:

What a fantastic idea and what a clever dog. >We hung a bell by the door.. its amazing how quickly she picked up on it. >When I did it, I rung the bell each time we went out.  Within the day, she >was doing it.  Before, she would sit beside the door, just out of our view >sometimes, and if we didn’t get to her immediately (like within 30 seconds) >, she would let loose on the hardwood floor   (whew, at least it wasn’t >carpet).   She would never come *get* us.  (I know, I know… at 3 mo.  we >should be WITH her all the time… that was before I realized I should have >been tethering her to me)   Now she reaches up and rings her bell, sits >down and waits.  She knows we’ve heard her and are on our way.  She watches >us come to the door, where before, she would just watch out the sliding >door, and not look *for* us.  My only complaint, is… once in awhile it >gets to be a game and she dings us just to go outside and play.   My >remedy…. we go out to potty, then we come in to play.  We go out to play >when *I* choose…. maybe 10 min later, but not when she dings.  Dinging is >ONLY for potty trips.

– Sharon E Lawrence

Response:

It is a great idea – I first read about it in SuperPuppy that book I keep telling everyone that I think its so good www.superpuppy.com is where you can find it online it has lots of good usable puppy training non violent exercises in it Nancy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> What a fantastic idea and what a clever dog. >We hung a bell by the door.. snip bell training scenario

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Question:

I thought my 4 year old was a bad eater but my recently adopted mongrel type terrier is taking the biscuit (or not as the case may be). He is one year old and has no feeding routine at all. I have bought dog food wet and dry,given him cereal in the morning and used kitchen left overs all of which he eats on one or two  occasions but then he refuses them and will go up to 2 days with no food. He will eat any meat that we are eating and begs for it. He is a very small dog and I only have him 2 months. Is it just bad habits that he has developed and how can I get him into a regular eating time and stop him from wasting all this food. All suggestions appreciated. Thanks Helen.

Response:

well if he is a full grown dog and not a very large one he may need far less food than you are generally offering and so can ‘afford’ to be picky add to that it is likely he has long since learned that holding out gets him better choices than gobbling the food up does. I would say to have your vet make sure he is healthy and then pick a premium food to feed him and stick to it. Offer the food twice a day at set times and NO treats AT ALL! If you are training him using treats use the kibble only. Let him see your other dog eat the food he has refused. Offer him the food first and if he does not take it then feed it as part of your other dog’s dinner right in front of him. Food competition often helps picky eaters. Up his exercise a bit – make him hungry when it comes to food time. Be firm – you are not starving him even if he looks at you with ‘those eyes’ <G> Nancy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I thought my 4 year old was a bad eater but my recently adopted mongrel type > terrier is taking the biscuit (or not as the case may be). > He is one year old and has no feeding routine at all. I have bought dog food > wet and dry,given him cereal in the morning and used kitchen left overs all > of which he eats on one or two  occasions but then he refuses them and will > go up to 2 days with no food. He will eat any meat that we are eating and > begs for it. He is a very small dog and I only have him 2 months. > Is it just bad habits that he has developed and how can I get him into a > regular eating time and stop him from wasting all this food. > All suggestions appreciated. > Thanks Helen.

Response:

> He will eat any meat that we are eating and >begs for it. He is a very small dog and I only have him 2 months. >Is it just bad habits that he has developed and how can I get him into a >regular eating time and stop him from wasting all this food. >All suggestions appreciated. >Thanks Helen.

I ve noticed my picky eater will eat the whole bowl if I make him wait a couple hours from his usual time. Forexample if I feed him at 8 am before I leave for work, the food is in the dish when I come back at 6pm, but if I wait until 9 or 10:30 on my day off or have my husband do it he licks the bowl clean. May the saints protect you, And sorrow neglect you, And bad luck to the one That doesn’t respect you.               ~~AN IRISH PROVERB

Response:

Feed him less.  You’re probably overestimating how much food he needs. It’s okay to give him meat and table scraps, but he’ll be less inclined to beg if you save it up for his dinner and give it to him at the same time every day. >I thought my 4 year old was a bad eater but my recently adopted mongrel type >terrier is taking the biscuit (or not as the case may be). >He is one year old and has no feeding routine at all. I have bought dog food >wet and dry,given him cereal in the morning and used kitchen left overs all >of which he eats on one or two  occasions but then he refuses them and will >go up to 2 days with no food. He will eat any meat that we are eating and >begs for it. He is a very small dog and I only have him 2 months. >Is it just bad habits that he has developed and how can I get him into a >regular eating time and stop him from wasting all this food. >All suggestions appreciated. >Thanks Helen.

– Kelly Cassidy Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Mail Stop WH-10 University of Washington, Seattle

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Question:

Hi, Has anyone here used Carnique dog food? I’m searching for the best dog food I can get my hands on for my rottweiler puppies, any help will be greatly greatly greatly appreciated. Thanks Tsao

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > My puppy’s trainer recently recommended I change my puppies food.  I have > been feeding him a mixture of Science Diet Canine Growth regular and the > Science Diet Lamb and Rice Canine Growth. > Per the recommendation of my puppies trainer (who has several dogs and > really loves animals and seems to know quite a bit about them) I have > switched him to Eukanuba Medium Puppy/Puppy Lamb and Rice mix.  My little > one seems to like the food the same, so I’m not having any kind of problem. > My question is this – to dog owners rather than pet food distributors and > sellers.  I have read many articles about bad dog food – mainly in dog food > ads however – so I’m not sure how legitimate they are. > Is Eukanuba good food for puppies/dogs? > Is Hills Science Diet? > What is the real story about pet food?  I love my little one, and want him > to have a well balanced Diet.  My puppy’s trainer said he has visited the > Iams/Eukanuba processing center and has seen how they make it – so he > recommends it.  I am new to this – and want to know what is best for my > puppy. > surf the newsgroups lately. > Thank you. > – Melissa

In MHO Solid Gold is the BEST food on the market. Its natural and does not use chicken…just lamb and fish. Theres no junk on it and it can improve the dogs health noticably. I wouldnt know where you would buy that in the US tho. But I could check. dak

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> <snip> > My question is this – to dog owners rather than pet food distributors and > sellers.  I have read many articles about bad dog food – mainly in dog food > ads however – so I’m not sure how legitimate they are.

I have a strong background in bio, and have studied this dog food thing about as extensively as I could.  What I have found is this:     different dogs seem to do better on different foods I’ve seen dogs do great on the cheapest garbage available from Wal-Mart.  My father and I used to raise/train champion field trial hunting dogs, who ate nothing but the old Purina Hi-Pro.  My dog however, seems to react very negatively to anything but the newer "ultra" premium type stuff available. There are also folks who are really into feeding their dogs raw food.  I think it’s an intriguing idea, and may try it myself sometime. The bottom line is this.  Some dog foods are better than others.  I prefer to feed my dog the best stuff I can get my hands on, because it really makes a difference for _him_.  Any of the "premium" brands such as Science Diet, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, etc. are probably good rounded diets for these animals, but you can go up a notch to Solid-Gold, Innova, California Natural, etc. if your dog isn’t doing well. (p.s.  all of the ethoxyquin lit seems to be rather unpopular with the scientific community, but for just a few extra dollars you can get a food preserved with natural anti-oxidants, or nothing, and perhaps give yourself a little peace of mind) dc

Response:

My puppy’s trainer recently recommended I change my puppies food.  I have been feeding him a mixture of Science Diet Canine Growth regular and the Science Diet Lamb and Rice Canine Growth.   Per the recommendation of my puppies trainer (who has several dogs and really loves animals and seems to know quite a bit about them) I have switched him to Eukanuba Medium Puppy/Puppy Lamb and Rice mix.  My little one seems to like the food the same, so I’m not having any kind of problem. My question is this – to dog owners rather than pet food distributors and sellers.  I have read many articles about bad dog food – mainly in dog food ads however – so I’m not sure how legitimate they are. Is Eukanuba good food for puppies/dogs? Is Hills Science Diet? What is the real story about pet food?  I love my little one, and want him to have a well balanced Diet.  My puppy’s trainer said he has visited the Iams/Eukanuba processing center and has seen how they make it – so he recommends it.  I am new to this – and want to know what is best for my puppy. surf the newsgroups lately. Thank you. – Melissa

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Question:

DON’T USE IAMS!!!! Use Wysong, Sensible Choice, Natures Recipie or a high quality food. Iams, Science Diet use rendered by products and addictive flavorings. Their nutritional value is poorest among all foods, and you pay more. Their preservitives are also toxic.

Response:

>I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats. The dog >and one of the cats have declared a truce, after about two weeks, but the >dog and the other cat are still working on it. The problem is, my dog much >prefers the cats’ food to her own. My cats eat Iams dry food, and the dog >eats (or used to eat) Kirkland dry food. Is there anything I can do (or >should do)? I was thinking of switching to Iams dry dog food to see if she >would eat it. Any thoughts?

Use anything but a Kal Kan product which includes Pedigree or Waltham petfoods.

Response:

> DON’T USE IAMS!!!! Use Wysong, Sensible Choice, Natures Recipie or a > high quality food. > Iams, Science Diet use rendered by products and addictive flavorings. > Their nutritional value is poorest among all foods, and you pay more. > Their preservitives are also toxic.

Moonie,         Perhaps you’d care to share your source of such ridiculous information. Neither IAMS nor Science Diet use rendered products or addictive flavorings. Both use appropriate highly safe preservatives and have the guts to put it on the label, which the foods you describe above chose to simply leave it off the lable. (Making a fool out of those that buy it *thinking* it isn’t there. Between Hill’s and to some degree IAMS they have done more research on pet nutrition in one year than all the foods you recommend in fifty years. Steve Crane

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Hi,  we had the same trouble, move the cat food onto a tall table or stand where the cats are allowed to eat.  worked great for us. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats. The dog >The problem is, my dog much  prefers the cats’ food to her own.

Response:

   >Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs.health    >X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.4.0    >I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats.    >The dog and one of the cats have declared a truce, after about two    >weeks, but the dog and the other cat are still working on it. The    >problem is, my dog much prefers the cats’ food to her own.    >thoughts? Thanks Hi, Seth, There’s no real need to switch the dog’s food.  He’s eating the cat’s food because it has a stronger smell and a sharper flavor than the dog food.  Try putting the cats’ food up high, on a tall piece of furniture, shelf, or something like that, where the cats can climb to reach it, but the dog can’t jump to get it.  I once saw a line of food advertised as being suitable for dogs and cats, but it was really cheap stuff, so probably not exactly very good for either species.  Besides, cats’ nutritional requirements, especially protein, is considerably different from dogs’ needs.  Training your dog to leave the cats’ food alone no matter what might be a tall order, depending on the dog, although it might not be impossible. Reply to Brent Reynolds "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of e-mail!" Net-Tamer V 1.10.1  - Registered

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >    >Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs.health >    >X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.4.0 >    >I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats. >    >The dog and one of the cats have declared a truce, after about two >    >weeks, but the dog and the other cat are still working on it. The >    >problem is, my dog much prefers the cats’ food to her own. >    >thoughts? Thanks > Hi, Seth, > There’s no real need to switch the dog’s food.  He’s eating the cat’s food > because it has a stronger smell and a sharper flavor than the dog food.  Try > putting the cats’ food up high, on a tall piece of furniture, shelf, or > something like that, where the cats can climb to reach it, but the dog can’t > jump to get it.  I once saw a line of food advertised as being suitable for > dogs and cats, but it was really cheap stuff, so probably not exactly very > good for either species.  Besides, cats’ nutritional requirements, > especially protein, is considerably different from dogs’ needs.  Training > your dog to leave the cats’ food alone no matter what might be a tall order, > depending on the dog, although it might not be impossible. > Reply to Brent Reynolds > "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of e-mail!" > Net-Tamer V 1.10.1  - RegisteredI treat my dogs with Tuna — the non-dolphin killing kind — the stuff

you buy for yourself. They love it. I’ve often wondered why dog food companies don’t make a line of fish-flavored dog food. Of course, I have cats at home that love to eat dog kibble! THat’s okay when they’re older and we want to cut down on their protein intake anyway — kittens need the higher protein dose found only in cat food. Leo Grillo       D.E.L.T.A. Rescue po Box 9 Glendale, CA 91209

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I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats. The dog and one of the cats have declared a truce, after about two weeks, but the dog and the other cat are still working on it. The problem is, my dog much prefers the cats’ food to her own. My cats eat Iams dry food, and the dog eats (or used to eat) Kirkland dry food. Is there anything I can do (or should do)? I was thinking of switching to Iams dry dog food to see if she would eat it. Any thoughts? Thanks Seth http://home.earthlink.net/~selgart/

Response:

> I recently got a dog from a friend of mine. I also have two cats. The dog > and one of the cats have declared a truce, after about two weeks, but the > dog and the other cat are still working on it. The problem is, my dog much > prefers the cats’ food to her own. My cats eat Iams dry food, and the dog > eats (or used to eat) Kirkland dry food. Is there anything I can do (or > should do)? I was thinking of switching to Iams dry dog food to see if she > would eat it. Any thoughts? > Thanks > Seth

It wouldn’t hurt. The Price/COSTCO Kirkland Signature food is likely one of the worst foods on the market. The calcium and phosphorous levels are out in winter wonderland. Like many private label product, the lowest bid wins, in this case it worse than usual.

Response:

>dog and the other cat are still working on it. The problem is, my dog much >prefers the cats’ food to her own. My cats eat Iams dry food, and the dog >eats (or used to eat) Kirkland dry food. Is there anything I can do (or >should do)? I was thinking of switching to Iams dry dog food to see if she >would eat it. Any thoughts? >Thanks

Our dogs used to get into our cat’s food.  They loved it because cat food tend to have higher meat content (& protein).  If you switch, switch to something more rich in protein like a premium dry food.  In the meantime, keep the cat food out of reach. giino JRT website http://www.pipeline.com/~giino – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >http://home.earthlink.net/~selgart/

Response:

Belinda .. I drive about 120 miles to an all natural turkey farm and buy case loads of raw .. no chemical added .. turkey parts .. then spend the rest of that day and the next seperating frozen pieces for repackaging . my dogs line up waiting for the "oops" fallen piece .. yes, it does take the time but I don’t remember the last time we had that black gunk in the ears .. On occassion, I have taken a foster into my house (with 4 dogs of my own, that’s not always possible) and there is a major difference in their fur in less than 2 weeks .. and that’s with carefully mixing their food with mine .. which takes almost the full 2 weeks .. They have a observable positive improvement with just a little of the "real" stuff.  Mary Schmidt

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>Belinda .. I drive about 120 miles to an all natural turkey farm and buy >case loads of raw .. no chemical added .. turkey parts ..

Mary, how did you find this place?  I’m wondering if there might be something like it in my area.  I have read in many sources that turkey is the least "polluted" meat source, and I would love to get organic poultry. Everyone had gizzards and hearts tonight, but I’m afraid it wasn’t organic! Belinda

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>I accept for granted that one vet’s view points may >different greatly from another vet’s view point .. and I never was much >for excepting the word of anyone as being "TRUTH’ .. just an educated >opinion ..

Mary, I talked today with a new vet, and very hesitantly answered her truthfully when she asked what I feed my pets–I asked if she had a problem with feeding raw/natural diet.  She said, "Problem?!? I could kiss you!! It’s so good to know that there are people out there learning about this on their own, and having the guts to try it."  And I’m the first to admit, it DID take a pretty big leap of faith to feed that first raw bone, but many moons and lots of improved health later, I have no regrets.  Today, they just got a whole chicken (shared between the cats and dogs) and some yogurt for live acidopholus cultures.  It is so gratifying to see them relishing their "real" food, and I love it when the groomer says, "What kind of supplement are you giving them? They look great."  I wish I could tell her the truth, but she would lose it, so I usually just mumble something about yeast and vegetable oil. Our best, Belinda

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Path: news01.micron.net!skin02.micron.net.!newsfeed!newsfeed1-hme1!newsfeed.inter netmci.com!206.229.87.25!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net! news-in-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!204.97.220.6!earth.s uperlink.net!not-for-mail > Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav > Organization: SuperNet Inc. (908) 828-8988 > Lines: 3 > NNTP-Posting-Host: nb-dialup-90.superlink.net > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I) > Xref: news01.micron.net rec.pets.cats.health+behav:5017 > is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can > food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, > meats…

No, it is not true. Alot will depend on the type of food you are feeding them but get a good book on animal nutrition and you will read that cats eat greens and such outside, not just because they have an upset stomach like I once believed but because they need the minerals, nutrients etc that are in them. Just like humans, they need a balanced diet also. Most cat food has less protein in it than they need also, less EFA’s and they will get that better from real meat. Not tuna, because in all actuality, it is not so good for them in large amounts, but beef, chicken, turkey etc. I am not a vet, I just have been doing alot of reading and studying lately, do to a cat that developed "allergies" which I have been told by numerous people is probably a diet problem. So I started reading alot.

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Hi Belinda, sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated .. it’s especially frustrating for me when I hear people speak knowingly on a topic when they are getting that information from the back of a can.  I have moved and I just naturally seem to use different vets.  I usually tried to keep one animal with a vet he/she was use to but with the newer animals I wanted something more local .. that’s how my "using different vets" started ..  now, I accept for granted that one vet’s view points may different greatly from another vet’s view point .. and I never was much for excepting the word of anyone as being "TRUTH’ .. just an educated opinion .. one educated opinion that just may happen to differ from the educated opinion of the vet I took one of the others to see last week. Thanks for the information about the Hill’s company providing the nutritional education for so many in the veteriarian community .. I didn’t know that but it doesn’t suprise me. Did you know that the original lymes disease testing kits were supplied by the drug comany that provided the "treatment"??? and those kits were coming back with almost 100% positive?? Finally someone .. another doubter no doubt .. checked out the slides that were provided .. and just guess what they found??   I have been able to successfully change over an older cat to varieties including "live" food .. I use a tiny bit of blue green algae and slowly increase the tiny to a bit more .. and the transition is made .. I do find it a little more difficult to switch cats back and forth than I do to switch dogs but by now, mine are use to it. Mary  Schmidt

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> Path:

news01.micron.net!skin02.micron.net.!news-sea-20.sprintlink.net!207.14.7.19 !new s-sea-19.sprintlink.net!news-in-west.sprintlink.net!206.229.87.25!news-peer .spr intlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!feed1.news.erols.com!news.ecn.uoknor .edu !munnari.OZ.AU!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.latrobe.edu.au!not-for-mail > Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav > Organization: La Trobe University > Lines: 39

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > NNTP-Posting-Host: 131.172.192.11 > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win16; I) > Xref: news01.micron.net rec.pets.cats.health+behav:5104 > Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly > change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience > that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. > I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody > else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not > interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are > pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale. > Ummm..    well, from my personal experience… > Firstly, please note I am NOT saying you are wrong.  You have offered > conclusions from your experience.  That’s what I’m doing here. > I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause > digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food > over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z > for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there. > But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually > they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see > fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats. > That’s one reason, and my vet’s advice is another reason, why my cats > get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh > meat and occassional bits of vegetable, usually leftover roast-meat > &-veg mix.  Which is what I _suggest_ to anyone who asks me for my > recommendation, opinion or whatever. > Different strokes, I guess…. > The pet principle: > No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is > on, it’s the wrong side. > Right on, there……    :) > Maryanne   not selling any food brands, site names or recipe books….

Maryanne, I agree completely, if a cat has always eaten one type of food, digestive problems can occur if changes are not made at a relatively slow pace, but….. within a period of maybe a month I changed three cats from cheap food which was always supplemented with people food, i.e. meat scraps, milk, pieces of cheese, some vegetables that they like to a extremely good premium food which I am not selling and had no problems at all. Other than one of the three looked at me like I was crazy all of a sudden. Mine came from a cat that developed allergies and everything I have read says that is usually an overall diet problem lacking in EFA’s and minerals and taurine and such that are not normally in most foods. All I have read says that feeding them a variety of food will help to insure that they get all that they need, just like humans. We don’t eat one thing day after day after day and we don’t from the beginning. Anyway, Just wanted to put my two cents in. Everyone has their own histories and opinions and anyone with a new cat should get some reading material on animal nutrition and at least think about what it says. I wish I had years ago, better late than never.

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>Right again–I adopted my cats as very young kittens from the pound, and >started them off right.  Have you heard of the "Pottinger cats"?  What a >frighteningly eye-opening study!

What are the "Pottinger cats"? Sounds intersting — can you share a few details? Kathie

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The Pottinger study was done back in the 30′s .. and within less than 3 generations there were major genetic problems, health problems, skin problems … in other words .. The Big THEY .. has known this for over 50 years .. wait til you here about the muntitons companies becoming fertilizer companies after WWII because they needed to find something to do with nitrogen (by product of munitions manufacturing) .. Do you know what Black Hoof is? Mary Schmidt

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>I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause >digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food >over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z >for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there.

I agree 100%.  The variety in my cats’ diet (and yours) is more than likely possible because we do incorporate fresh foods.  It’s a good cycle: The more variety of fresh foods you feed, the more improvement you get in digestive tone, and the better their digestive tone gets, the more variety of fresh foods you can incorporate. >But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually >they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see >fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats.

Right again–I adopted my cats as very young kittens from the pound, and started them off right.  Have you heard of the "Pottinger cats"?  What a frighteningly eye-opening study! > my cats >get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh >meat and occassional bits of vegetable,

Maryanne, I think this sounds like a very good diet—certainly considerably better than condemning them to a lifetime of a single source of nutrition–and an "embalmed" one at that!  The fresh meat is giving them precious taurine–something that has to be supplemented in commercial foods. Sincerely, Belinda Whose cats got a big helping of Pitcairn’s "Beefy Oats" tonight! (And it’ll be "Polenta for Cats" tomorrow!)  :-) P.S. It seemed when I re-read my last post that I was coming down a little hard on Stuart–that was not my intention.  I need to take my own advice and not get so defensive!  My apologies.

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Stuart writes: >I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody else’s

product its because they have one of their own to sell> I don’t recall complaining about any specific product, I just think that a natural diet is better than a processed one–for animals and people!  And I don’t sell any products of any kind. > I’m not interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else

you are pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale.> Stuart, did you even read my post?  It was intended in the sincerest spirit o helpfulness.  I do not "push" ANYTHING.  I make a homemade diet for MY cats, and dogs, and MY pets ONLY.  I also supplement with Wysong food occasionally.  I do NOT sell it, I BUY it, for myself only!  When anyone asks me for commercial food recommendations, I always give a list of half a dozen or so.  I do NOT sell books, I READ them, which sounds like is something you might try before condemning something just because it’s not what you do yourself. > if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly >change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience that

changing cat’s food is unhealthy.> As for this little gem, it’s so ridiculous it’s hard for me to respond. My animals have not been sick one single day since I started feeding a natural diet (they saw the vet plenty when they were on commercial).  I do not "constantly change my diet", I feed a natural fresh diet composed of a variety of fresh, whole foods, which are better than anything that comes in a paper bag with a shelf life of a year or more!  The main recipes I use were developed by a DVM who also happens to have a PhD in nutrition, and has YEARS of personal research to back up his diets. Okay, I can see that IF you are locked into feeding a commercial food and nothing else, then yes, switching brands frequently can very well cause stomach upset.  When I talked about Dr. Wysong suggesting variety among commercial foods, it should be noted that he was speaking of different formulations within his own brand. Since you cited "personal experience" (albeit only about commercial food), here are just a few of my personal observations of the benefits of a natural diet: *Absolutely NO tartar buildup.  I will NEVER have to have a professional tooth-cleaning(complete with dangerous anesthesia), again, nor will I ever have to brush my pets’ teeth. *Dramatically improved muscle tone *Clean, healthy breath *Brighter eyes and more vigorous behavior–more energy *Increased digestive efficiency and tone *Dramatically improved skin and coat health There are many more benefits of a natural diet, too lengthy to get into here.  Again, please try not to be so defensive–I am NOT attacking you.  A while back, I would have made the same arguments you are making, and I would have made them every bit as vehemently as you are!  Like I say, I was a confirmed SD feeder, and nothing would have changed my mind…until I started learning the truth about what is really in pet foods (not any one brand, mind you–ALL commercial foods, though some are better than others), and the effect a lifelong diet of non-living foods saturated in chemicals has on our pets.  If I had never been exposed to these things, and read some books, and talked to some people who know more than me, I would still be doing things the same old way! Since you obviously do care for your animals very much, I don’t think you’d ever regret getting more information about issues concerning their health–even if only in an attempt to prove us "natural feeders" wrong!  If you like, I can give you several internet sources for more information if you want something with easy access, from objective sources (i.e. people with nothing to sell). Sincerely, Belinda

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Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ The pet principle: No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is on, it’s the wrong side. Polly DM or DL B+O+W+S G .03 X++ L– W- C+ I+++ A+ E— H S V+ F Q P B PA+ PL+++ SC

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> Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly > change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience > that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. > I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody > else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not > interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are > pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale.

Ummm..    well, from my personal experience… Firstly, please note I am NOT saying you are wrong.  You have offered conclusions from your experience.  That’s what I’m doing here. I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there. But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats. That’s one reason, and my vet’s advice is another reason, why my cats get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh meat and occassional bits of vegetable, usually leftover roast-meat &-veg mix.  Which is what I _suggest_ to anyone who asks me for my recommendation, opinion or whatever. Different strokes, I guess…. > The pet principle: > No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is > on, it’s the wrong side.

Right on, there……    :) Maryanne   not selling any food brands, site names or recipe books….

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A healthy cat should not have trouble with it’s digestive system .. the reason so many cat’s do have trouble is that we fall for the "glib" the salesman is giving us ..of course, "don’t switch" is written on the back of the can you are buying. They are warning you against their competition .. hello ..  check http://www.altvetmed.com there is an excellent article on the brainwashing of the public.  My momma told me to watch out for those smooth taking salesmen .. If your cat or dog has problems when you switch, try giving it some "live" food .. yoguart should do it .. With the occassional exception of an allergy, there should never be a problem .. Mary Schmidt

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I feed my cats a steady diet of dry food.  I have one cat with a fussy digestive system, and she tends to get a little diarhea when I change their food.  I’ve found a lamb and rice type to be the best – I feed Whiskas lamb and rice, its AAFCO or whatever that is approved.  Anyway, they seem perfectly content with that.  I also feed them a can of food every week or so, just because they like it so much.  I also give them tidbits from time to time, but not ever very much.  I think that as long as the cats have a healthy base for their diet, the occasional treat of soft food or a bit of fish in moderation is perfectly fine.  I try to eat healthy myself, but I do like a chocolate bar now and then, even though I know it is bad for me, bad for my teeth, etc.  As long as I don’t eat chocolate too often, I’m fine.  I tend to look at it that way for my cats – I try to feed them healthily, but occasional treats in moderation are just that – not essential, but not harmful either. Allison Nugent                          1-919-684-7766 Box 90305, Durham N.C. 27708-0305, USA  http://www.phy.duke.edu/~acn Center for In Vivo Microscopy:  http://wwwcivm.mc.duke.edu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can > food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, > meats…

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>A healthy cat should not have trouble with it’s digestive system .. the >reason so many cat’s do have trouble is that we fall for the "glib" the >salesman is giving us ..of course, "don’t switch" is written on the back >of the can you are buying.

Wrong again. The advice to stick with one brand of cat food comes from my Polly’s  vet not salesmen. Cats are not humans they don’t need variety. Switching foods too often is bad for cats. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci Polly DM or DL B+O+W+S G .13 X++ L– W- C+ I+++ A+ E— H S V+ F Q P B PA+ PL+++ SC

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Just about every vets office I’ve been in sells animal food .. and different vets sell different brands .. Dr. Schoen is a vet, Dr. Bernstein is a vet and the list goes on .. and they all talk about the disgrace of the animal food market ..check out http://www.hfa.org/about.html  The Humane Farming Association and read what happens on the farms in our country today .. and when "black hoof" has rotted out the legs of the cow and it’s sent to slaughter and declared "unfit for human consumption" guess who eats it .. after it’s been rendered at about 250 degrees .. rendered into liquid it then is dried .. meat meal is one of those things .. dead dry infected … the animals body adjust to one brand of food (?) because it’s system can no longer tolerate any kind of change .. the animals inability to handle change is a warning signal that health is lacking and dis-ease is either approaching or is present. I find that it is better for me to not depend on commercial interests to supply me with the "truths" I live by .. Mary Schmidt

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>If your cat or dog has problems when you switch, try giving it some >"live" food .. yoguart should do it ..

What is yoguart? Is it yogurt? Why is that "live food"? And BTW what is Gerbers? Is it a brand or a sort of food? Marjolein, who is sorry but never lived in the States.

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Stuart> Wrong. Cats are not humans, feeding cats more than one kind of Stuart> food can cause problems with their digestion. Cats are better Stuart> off with one brand of food and one flavor. I dunno, I think it would be ok if your cat mixes squirrel with rabbit, or mouse with sparrow. —              An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of              being called an idea at all.  – Oscar Wilde        The ARSCC  –  http://www.arscc.com/  –  We Don’t Exist

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Stuart,  Where are you getting your information that animals should be fed one single over-processed, embalmed, chemical-laden food for their entire lives?  I understand where you’re coming from, as I used to say the EXACT same things that you are saying now—I swallowed what I was told by my vets and the pet food industry for years. Please understand, no disrespect to vets, I love all of mine, and respect their knowledge.  BUT–sometime, ask your vet what sort of nutritional courses he/she had in vet school.  You’ll be appalled at how little they actually learned about nutrition (sometimes just one short course!), unless they learned it on their own.  All 4 vets I asked locally also admitted that their nutrition texts and materials were provided by–get this–Hill’s, the makers of Science Diet!  So what do you think they’re gonna recommend? Stuart, the more of your own research you do into pet nutrition (APART from what you find under the guise of the commercial pet food industry), the more you will learn that the ideas you express, while widely believed, are so far from the truth as to be the opposite of the truth in many cases. I have to go along with Mary on this one–she is right on track.  The makers of the commercial food I use when circumstances neccesitate (i.e. travel, boarding, etc.), Wysong, actually recommends adding fresh whole foods to your cat or dog’s diet, and gives you guidelines on how to do it! Dr. Wysong also suggests that if you MUST feed a commercial diet, that you at the very least provide plenty of VARIETY–that’s right, the dirty word for most manufacturers, after all, can’t have you switching brands, now, can they?  Wysong suggests switching formulas of their food frequently, as NO animal, human or pet alike, can possibly get EVERYTHING it needs from one single source its whole life.  IF you just think about it, you will see how true it is.  Maybe you could live on nothing but Kraft macaroni and cheese for years and years, but what kind of condition would your immune system, digestive system, skin, hair, muscle tone, etc. be in?  Not very good. Try Dr. Pitcairn’s book, Anitra Frazier’s book, or many others on a natural diet for your animal.  I feed a raw/natural diet to my dogs and cats, recipes that conform to AAFCO standards, only with fresh, whole, living foods–and the key word is VARIETY. Please have an open mind and do a little investigating before you go unequivocably saying that people are "WRONG" when they espouse a different opinion than yours.  Check out the altvetmed site that Mary posted earlier, it’s a good one. Sorry to be so long-winded, Belinda

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It’s as true as you are only suppose to feed all baby’s Gerbers. Mary Schmidt

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is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, meats…

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>It’s as true as you are only suppose to feed all baby’s Gerbers. Mary >Schmidt

Wrong. Cats are not humans, feeding cats more than one kind of food can cause problems with their digestion. Cats are better off with one brand of food and one flavor. If you read the directions on the better cat foods they will tell you to gradually change your cats diet from whatever they had before to the new food. For example when Polly’s ready for adult food I won’t just switch her from kitten over night, but will mix a small amount of adult with the kitten, gradually increasing the one and reducing the other over a week or two. Otherwise she gets a gassy stomach. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci

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>is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can >food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, >meats…

A cat’s digestion system becomes accustomed to one diet, changing foods can cause problems. Its better to stick with one brand. Most human food is not healthy for cats, just adds extra calories they probably don’t need. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci

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I had four cats I adopted in the early ’80s, one of which developed urinary problems.  My vet put Sonia (the one with problems) on the Hill’s C/D diet. With four cats, it was impossible to separate the food out, so I had all four on the diet for many years.  Sonia developed cancer and we lost her, but the other three cats lived to be ripe old ages. My other vet put my current cats on a low-magnesium diet.  Cosmo has FUS, and was on the Hill’s S/D for six weeks.  I then switched all the cats to the low magnesium diet.  The vet gave me a list of commercial foods that are considered to be low magnesium, and this is what I have them on now. Unfortunately, Mojo also developed FUS (I’ve read on the ‘net that 3% of cats will develop FUS even on the low magnesium diet), and we lost him recently.  Had they been on the Hill’s diet, I wonder if he might have avoided developing it in the first place. I also talked to one of my vets yesterday who said that the latest research on FUS suggests not only the low magnesium diet, but a low-pH diet. Further, they’re now suggesting feeding canned food only, due to the moisture content — this, of course, makes them go more, which keeps their urinary tracts unblocked. Hope this helps. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine > and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which > has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet > wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of > course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones > problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. > Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat > owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! > Denise Connolly

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>Eddie, my 6-year-old male, is also prone to very painful bouts of FUS, and >has been on Hill’s c/d for a year or so now, after a month of s/d and a >course of antibiotics to clear up the first, worst bout.  The vet who >prescribed it to me actually keeps track of every bag that is sold – i.e.., >when you go in to buy a bag, the receptionist checks to make sure it’s what >you’ve been prescribed, and notes when you’re buying it.  Not all vets do >that, however, because since I started a new job a few months ago and >haven’t been able to get to my local vet for the food, I’ve just been going >in and picking it up at a vet’s near work.  Thankfully for me, they’ve never >questioned that, although I do think that my local vet’s thoroughness is a >good sign.

snipped….. Buy any prescription diet from my vet and it too, is checked prior to purchase and logged on to the cat’s record. My cats are currently on normal Hill’s maintenance and all three prositively glow with health, leap and bound all over the place – just like cats are supposed to!:-) Reagrds, helen S

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 >My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine  >and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which  >has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet  >wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of  >course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones  >problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem.  >Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat  >owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! Denali is on Hill’s C/D (the food that your cat will probably graduate to) for her FUS-she is prone to developing crystals in her urine, giving her painful symptoms.  Every other type of food seems to cause her trouble, but she is clear on the Hill’s C/D. Whether or not your cat has to stay on this food indefinitely depends upon the severity of the case-your vet can advise you.  A potentially serious problem that can arise with male cats with FUS is urinary tract blockage. This can be life-threatening in a matter of hours, so you should take your vet’s dietary advice seriously. Be sure to provide your cat with plenty of fresh water, and try to make him exercise, so that he will be inclined to drink and flush out his urinary tract. Marca

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> My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine > and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which > has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet > wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of > course!)

Eddie, my 6-year-old male, is also prone to very painful bouts of FUS, and has been on Hill’s c/d for a year or so now, after a month of s/d and a course of antibiotics to clear up the first, worst bout.  The vet who prescribed it to me actually keeps track of every bag that is sold – i.e.., when you go in to buy a bag, the receptionist checks to make sure it’s what you’ve been prescribed, and notes when you’re buying it.  Not all vets do that, however, because since I started a new job a few months ago and haven’t been able to get to my local vet for the food, I’ve just been going in and picking it up at a vet’s near work.  Thankfully for me, they’ve never questioned that, although I do think that my local vet’s thoroughness is a good sign. Eddie’s FUS gets triggered by several things – occasionally he manages to sneak a bit ( a few pieces, that is) of our other cat’s food, which varies between Purina ONE and Nature’s Recipe, and that sets him off every time. If the litter goes too long without being replaced (we use old-fashioned litter, as good clumping litter isn’t available here in New Zealand), he usually starts to show symptoms – I’m not sure if this has something to do with some "used" litter irritating him, or if it’s just that he "holds it in" for longer periods to avoid having to use a box that’s not pristine…I assume it’s the latter, though. Anyway, the bottom line is that the Prescription Diet foods have proven wonderful – and for Eddie, who only gets a scant half-cup per day (and he is anything but underweight), a 1.8 kilo bag lasts a month, so it’s not expensive. I have my doubts that (many) vets are making a profit from Hill’s for selling this food – can anyone confirm or deny this? Regards, Krista

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>My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine >and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which >has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet >wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of >course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones >problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. >Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat >owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! >Denise Connolly

 All of my cats are fed on Hill’s dry food alone (maintenaince formula) and all are positively glowing with health. *Make sure cats on dry food have unrestricted access to fresh water*. One side benefit to dry food is that my cats’ teeth are positively gleaming white with no tartar or gum problems. Here in the UK Hill’s isn’t just sold by vets – the feline growth, maintenance and senior varieties are sold in major pet superstores. It’s only the ones for particular medical problems that are sold *only* by vets. Hope this helps

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My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! Denise Connolly

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Belinda .. I drive about 120 miles to an all natural turkey farm and buy case loads of raw .. no chemical added .. turkey parts .. then spend the rest of that day and the next seperating frozen pieces for repackaging . my dogs line up waiting for the "oops" fallen piece .. yes, it does take the time but I don’t remember the last time we had that black gunk in the ears .. On occassion, I have taken a foster into my house (with 4 dogs of my own, that’s not always possible) and there is a major difference in their fur in less than 2 weeks .. and that’s with carefully mixing their food with mine .. which takes almost the full 2 weeks .. They have a observable positive improvement with just a little of the "real" stuff.  Mary Schmidt

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>Belinda .. I drive about 120 miles to an all natural turkey farm and buy >case loads of raw .. no chemical added .. turkey parts ..

Mary, how did you find this place?  I’m wondering if there might be something like it in my area.  I have read in many sources that turkey is the least "polluted" meat source, and I would love to get organic poultry. Everyone had gizzards and hearts tonight, but I’m afraid it wasn’t organic! Belinda

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>I accept for granted that one vet’s view points may >different greatly from another vet’s view point .. and I never was much >for excepting the word of anyone as being "TRUTH’ .. just an educated >opinion ..

Mary, I talked today with a new vet, and very hesitantly answered her truthfully when she asked what I feed my pets–I asked if she had a problem with feeding raw/natural diet.  She said, "Problem?!? I could kiss you!! It’s so good to know that there are people out there learning about this on their own, and having the guts to try it."  And I’m the first to admit, it DID take a pretty big leap of faith to feed that first raw bone, but many moons and lots of improved health later, I have no regrets.  Today, they just got a whole chicken (shared between the cats and dogs) and some yogurt for live acidopholus cultures.  It is so gratifying to see them relishing their "real" food, and I love it when the groomer says, "What kind of supplement are you giving them? They look great."  I wish I could tell her the truth, but she would lose it, so I usually just mumble something about yeast and vegetable oil. Our best, Belinda

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Path: news01.micron.net!skin02.micron.net.!newsfeed!newsfeed1-hme1!newsfeed.inter netmci.com!206.229.87.25!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net! news-in-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!204.97.220.6!earth.s uperlink.net!not-for-mail > Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav > Organization: SuperNet Inc. (908) 828-8988 > Lines: 3 > NNTP-Posting-Host: nb-dialup-90.superlink.net > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I) > Xref: news01.micron.net rec.pets.cats.health+behav:5017 > is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can > food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, > meats…

No, it is not true. Alot will depend on the type of food you are feeding them but get a good book on animal nutrition and you will read that cats eat greens and such outside, not just because they have an upset stomach like I once believed but because they need the minerals, nutrients etc that are in them. Just like humans, they need a balanced diet also. Most cat food has less protein in it than they need also, less EFA’s and they will get that better from real meat. Not tuna, because in all actuality, it is not so good for them in large amounts, but beef, chicken, turkey etc. I am not a vet, I just have been doing alot of reading and studying lately, do to a cat that developed "allergies" which I have been told by numerous people is probably a diet problem. So I started reading alot.

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Hi Belinda, sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated .. it’s especially frustrating for me when I hear people speak knowingly on a topic when they are getting that information from the back of a can.  I have moved and I just naturally seem to use different vets.  I usually tried to keep one animal with a vet he/she was use to but with the newer animals I wanted something more local .. that’s how my "using different vets" started ..  now, I accept for granted that one vet’s view points may different greatly from another vet’s view point .. and I never was much for excepting the word of anyone as being "TRUTH’ .. just an educated opinion .. one educated opinion that just may happen to differ from the educated opinion of the vet I took one of the others to see last week. Thanks for the information about the Hill’s company providing the nutritional education for so many in the veteriarian community .. I didn’t know that but it doesn’t suprise me. Did you know that the original lymes disease testing kits were supplied by the drug comany that provided the "treatment"??? and those kits were coming back with almost 100% positive?? Finally someone .. another doubter no doubt .. checked out the slides that were provided .. and just guess what they found??   I have been able to successfully change over an older cat to varieties including "live" food .. I use a tiny bit of blue green algae and slowly increase the tiny to a bit more .. and the transition is made .. I do find it a little more difficult to switch cats back and forth than I do to switch dogs but by now, mine are use to it. Mary  Schmidt

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> Path:

news01.micron.net!skin02.micron.net.!news-sea-20.sprintlink.net!207.14.7.19 !new s-sea-19.sprintlink.net!news-in-west.sprintlink.net!206.229.87.25!news-peer .spr intlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!feed1.news.erols.com!news.ecn.uoknor .edu !munnari.OZ.AU!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.latrobe.edu.au!not-for-mail > Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav > Organization: La Trobe University > Lines: 39

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > NNTP-Posting-Host: 131.172.192.11 > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win16; I) > Xref: news01.micron.net rec.pets.cats.health+behav:5104 > Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly > change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience > that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. > I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody > else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not > interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are > pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale. > Ummm..    well, from my personal experience… > Firstly, please note I am NOT saying you are wrong.  You have offered > conclusions from your experience.  That’s what I’m doing here. > I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause > digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food > over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z > for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there. > But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually > they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see > fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats. > That’s one reason, and my vet’s advice is another reason, why my cats > get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh > meat and occassional bits of vegetable, usually leftover roast-meat > &-veg mix.  Which is what I _suggest_ to anyone who asks me for my > recommendation, opinion or whatever. > Different strokes, I guess…. > The pet principle: > No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is > on, it’s the wrong side. > Right on, there……    :) > Maryanne   not selling any food brands, site names or recipe books….

Maryanne, I agree completely, if a cat has always eaten one type of food, digestive problems can occur if changes are not made at a relatively slow pace, but….. within a period of maybe a month I changed three cats from cheap food which was always supplemented with people food, i.e. meat scraps, milk, pieces of cheese, some vegetables that they like to a extremely good premium food which I am not selling and had no problems at all. Other than one of the three looked at me like I was crazy all of a sudden. Mine came from a cat that developed allergies and everything I have read says that is usually an overall diet problem lacking in EFA’s and minerals and taurine and such that are not normally in most foods. All I have read says that feeding them a variety of food will help to insure that they get all that they need, just like humans. We don’t eat one thing day after day after day and we don’t from the beginning. Anyway, Just wanted to put my two cents in. Everyone has their own histories and opinions and anyone with a new cat should get some reading material on animal nutrition and at least think about what it says. I wish I had years ago, better late than never.

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>Right again–I adopted my cats as very young kittens from the pound, and >started them off right.  Have you heard of the "Pottinger cats"?  What a >frighteningly eye-opening study!

What are the "Pottinger cats"? Sounds intersting — can you share a few details? Kathie

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The Pottinger study was done back in the 30′s .. and within less than 3 generations there were major genetic problems, health problems, skin problems … in other words .. The Big THEY .. has known this for over 50 years .. wait til you here about the muntitons companies becoming fertilizer companies after WWII because they needed to find something to do with nitrogen (by product of munitions manufacturing) .. Do you know what Black Hoof is? Mary Schmidt

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>I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause >digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food >over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z >for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there.

I agree 100%.  The variety in my cats’ diet (and yours) is more than likely possible because we do incorporate fresh foods.  It’s a good cycle: The more variety of fresh foods you feed, the more improvement you get in digestive tone, and the better their digestive tone gets, the more variety of fresh foods you can incorporate. >But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually >they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see >fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats.

Right again–I adopted my cats as very young kittens from the pound, and started them off right.  Have you heard of the "Pottinger cats"?  What a frighteningly eye-opening study! > my cats >get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh >meat and occassional bits of vegetable,

Maryanne, I think this sounds like a very good diet—certainly considerably better than condemning them to a lifetime of a single source of nutrition–and an "embalmed" one at that!  The fresh meat is giving them precious taurine–something that has to be supplemented in commercial foods. Sincerely, Belinda Whose cats got a big helping of Pitcairn’s "Beefy Oats" tonight! (And it’ll be "Polenta for Cats" tomorrow!)  :-) P.S. It seemed when I re-read my last post that I was coming down a little hard on Stuart–that was not my intention.  I need to take my own advice and not get so defensive!  My apologies.

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Stuart writes: >I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody else’s

product its because they have one of their own to sell> I don’t recall complaining about any specific product, I just think that a natural diet is better than a processed one–for animals and people!  And I don’t sell any products of any kind. > I’m not interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else

you are pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale.> Stuart, did you even read my post?  It was intended in the sincerest spirit o helpfulness.  I do not "push" ANYTHING.  I make a homemade diet for MY cats, and dogs, and MY pets ONLY.  I also supplement with Wysong food occasionally.  I do NOT sell it, I BUY it, for myself only!  When anyone asks me for commercial food recommendations, I always give a list of half a dozen or so.  I do NOT sell books, I READ them, which sounds like is something you might try before condemning something just because it’s not what you do yourself. > if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly >change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience that

changing cat’s food is unhealthy.> As for this little gem, it’s so ridiculous it’s hard for me to respond. My animals have not been sick one single day since I started feeding a natural diet (they saw the vet plenty when they were on commercial).  I do not "constantly change my diet", I feed a natural fresh diet composed of a variety of fresh, whole foods, which are better than anything that comes in a paper bag with a shelf life of a year or more!  The main recipes I use were developed by a DVM who also happens to have a PhD in nutrition, and has YEARS of personal research to back up his diets. Okay, I can see that IF you are locked into feeding a commercial food and nothing else, then yes, switching brands frequently can very well cause stomach upset.  When I talked about Dr. Wysong suggesting variety among commercial foods, it should be noted that he was speaking of different formulations within his own brand. Since you cited "personal experience" (albeit only about commercial food), here are just a few of my personal observations of the benefits of a natural diet: *Absolutely NO tartar buildup.  I will NEVER have to have a professional tooth-cleaning(complete with dangerous anesthesia), again, nor will I ever have to brush my pets’ teeth. *Dramatically improved muscle tone *Clean, healthy breath *Brighter eyes and more vigorous behavior–more energy *Increased digestive efficiency and tone *Dramatically improved skin and coat health There are many more benefits of a natural diet, too lengthy to get into here.  Again, please try not to be so defensive–I am NOT attacking you.  A while back, I would have made the same arguments you are making, and I would have made them every bit as vehemently as you are!  Like I say, I was a confirmed SD feeder, and nothing would have changed my mind…until I started learning the truth about what is really in pet foods (not any one brand, mind you–ALL commercial foods, though some are better than others), and the effect a lifelong diet of non-living foods saturated in chemicals has on our pets.  If I had never been exposed to these things, and read some books, and talked to some people who know more than me, I would still be doing things the same old way! Since you obviously do care for your animals very much, I don’t think you’d ever regret getting more information about issues concerning their health–even if only in an attempt to prove us "natural feeders" wrong!  If you like, I can give you several internet sources for more information if you want something with easy access, from objective sources (i.e. people with nothing to sell). Sincerely, Belinda

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Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ The pet principle: No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is on, it’s the wrong side. Polly DM or DL B+O+W+S G .03 X++ L– W- C+ I+++ A+ E— H S V+ F Q P B PA+ PL+++ SC

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> Belinda, if you want your cat(s) to be sick because you constantly > change your diet that is up to you. I know from personal experience > that changing cat’s food is unhealthy. > I’ve found that when somebody around here complains about somebody > else’s product its because they have one of their own to sell. I’m not > interested in your cat food reciepes or books or whatever else you are > pushing. My cat’s health is not for sale.

Ummm..    well, from my personal experience… Firstly, please note I am NOT saying you are wrong.  You have offered conclusions from your experience.  That’s what I’m doing here. I’ve found that chopping and changing a cat’s diet does often cause digestive problems for the cat – when the cat has been fed one same food over time.  Take puss who’s been fed nothing but X-flavoured Brand Z for two years and try changing his food.  I’ve had problems there. But if the cat starts off with a varied diet, I’ve found that usually they do perfectly well on it – in fact, over years you tend to see fewer health problems in the varied-diet cats. That’s one reason, and my vet’s advice is another reason, why my cats get fed a mixture of premium dry, quality and premium tinned, fresh meat and occassional bits of vegetable, usually leftover roast-meat &-veg mix.  Which is what I _suggest_ to anyone who asks me for my recommendation, opinion or whatever. Different strokes, I guess…. > The pet principle: > No matter which side of the door the cat or dog is > on, it’s the wrong side.

Right on, there……    :) Maryanne   not selling any food brands, site names or recipe books….

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A healthy cat should not have trouble with it’s digestive system .. the reason so many cat’s do have trouble is that we fall for the "glib" the salesman is giving us ..of course, "don’t switch" is written on the back of the can you are buying. They are warning you against their competition .. hello ..  check http://www.altvetmed.com there is an excellent article on the brainwashing of the public.  My momma told me to watch out for those smooth taking salesmen .. If your cat or dog has problems when you switch, try giving it some "live" food .. yoguart should do it .. With the occassional exception of an allergy, there should never be a problem .. Mary Schmidt

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I feed my cats a steady diet of dry food.  I have one cat with a fussy digestive system, and she tends to get a little diarhea when I change their food.  I’ve found a lamb and rice type to be the best – I feed Whiskas lamb and rice, its AAFCO or whatever that is approved.  Anyway, they seem perfectly content with that.  I also feed them a can of food every week or so, just because they like it so much.  I also give them tidbits from time to time, but not ever very much.  I think that as long as the cats have a healthy base for their diet, the occasional treat of soft food or a bit of fish in moderation is perfectly fine.  I try to eat healthy myself, but I do like a chocolate bar now and then, even though I know it is bad for me, bad for my teeth, etc.  As long as I don’t eat chocolate too often, I’m fine.  I tend to look at it that way for my cats – I try to feed them healthily, but occasional treats in moderation are just that – not essential, but not harmful either. Allison Nugent                          1-919-684-7766 Box 90305, Durham N.C. 27708-0305, USA  http://www.phy.duke.edu/~acn Center for In Vivo Microscopy:  http://wwwcivm.mc.duke.edu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can > food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, > meats…

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>A healthy cat should not have trouble with it’s digestive system .. the >reason so many cat’s do have trouble is that we fall for the "glib" the >salesman is giving us ..of course, "don’t switch" is written on the back >of the can you are buying.

Wrong again. The advice to stick with one brand of cat food comes from my Polly’s  vet not salesmen. Cats are not humans they don’t need variety. Switching foods too often is bad for cats. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci Polly DM or DL B+O+W+S G .13 X++ L– W- C+ I+++ A+ E— H S V+ F Q P B PA+ PL+++ SC

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Just about every vets office I’ve been in sells animal food .. and different vets sell different brands .. Dr. Schoen is a vet, Dr. Bernstein is a vet and the list goes on .. and they all talk about the disgrace of the animal food market ..check out http://www.hfa.org/about.html  The Humane Farming Association and read what happens on the farms in our country today .. and when "black hoof" has rotted out the legs of the cow and it’s sent to slaughter and declared "unfit for human consumption" guess who eats it .. after it’s been rendered at about 250 degrees .. rendered into liquid it then is dried .. meat meal is one of those things .. dead dry infected … the animals body adjust to one brand of food (?) because it’s system can no longer tolerate any kind of change .. the animals inability to handle change is a warning signal that health is lacking and dis-ease is either approaching or is present. I find that it is better for me to not depend on commercial interests to supply me with the "truths" I live by .. Mary Schmidt

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>If your cat or dog has problems when you switch, try giving it some >"live" food .. yoguart should do it ..

What is yoguart? Is it yogurt? Why is that "live food"? And BTW what is Gerbers? Is it a brand or a sort of food? Marjolein, who is sorry but never lived in the States.

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Stuart> Wrong. Cats are not humans, feeding cats more than one kind of Stuart> food can cause problems with their digestion. Cats are better Stuart> off with one brand of food and one flavor. I dunno, I think it would be ok if your cat mixes squirrel with rabbit, or mouse with sparrow. —              An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of              being called an idea at all.  – Oscar Wilde        The ARSCC  –  http://www.arscc.com/  –  We Don’t Exist

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Stuart,  Where are you getting your information that animals should be fed one single over-processed, embalmed, chemical-laden food for their entire lives?  I understand where you’re coming from, as I used to say the EXACT same things that you are saying now—I swallowed what I was told by my vets and the pet food industry for years. Please understand, no disrespect to vets, I love all of mine, and respect their knowledge.  BUT–sometime, ask your vet what sort of nutritional courses he/she had in vet school.  You’ll be appalled at how little they actually learned about nutrition (sometimes just one short course!), unless they learned it on their own.  All 4 vets I asked locally also admitted that their nutrition texts and materials were provided by–get this–Hill’s, the makers of Science Diet!  So what do you think they’re gonna recommend? Stuart, the more of your own research you do into pet nutrition (APART from what you find under the guise of the commercial pet food industry), the more you will learn that the ideas you express, while widely believed, are so far from the truth as to be the opposite of the truth in many cases. I have to go along with Mary on this one–she is right on track.  The makers of the commercial food I use when circumstances neccesitate (i.e. travel, boarding, etc.), Wysong, actually recommends adding fresh whole foods to your cat or dog’s diet, and gives you guidelines on how to do it! Dr. Wysong also suggests that if you MUST feed a commercial diet, that you at the very least provide plenty of VARIETY–that’s right, the dirty word for most manufacturers, after all, can’t have you switching brands, now, can they?  Wysong suggests switching formulas of their food frequently, as NO animal, human or pet alike, can possibly get EVERYTHING it needs from one single source its whole life.  IF you just think about it, you will see how true it is.  Maybe you could live on nothing but Kraft macaroni and cheese for years and years, but what kind of condition would your immune system, digestive system, skin, hair, muscle tone, etc. be in?  Not very good. Try Dr. Pitcairn’s book, Anitra Frazier’s book, or many others on a natural diet for your animal.  I feed a raw/natural diet to my dogs and cats, recipes that conform to AAFCO standards, only with fresh, whole, living foods–and the key word is VARIETY. Please have an open mind and do a little investigating before you go unequivocably saying that people are "WRONG" when they espouse a different opinion than yours.  Check out the altvetmed site that Mary posted earlier, it’s a good one. Sorry to be so long-winded, Belinda

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It’s as true as you are only suppose to feed all baby’s Gerbers. Mary Schmidt

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is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, meats…

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>It’s as true as you are only suppose to feed all baby’s Gerbers. Mary >Schmidt

Wrong. Cats are not humans, feeding cats more than one kind of food can cause problems with their digestion. Cats are better off with one brand of food and one flavor. If you read the directions on the better cat foods they will tell you to gradually change your cats diet from whatever they had before to the new food. For example when Polly’s ready for adult food I won’t just switch her from kitten over night, but will mix a small amount of adult with the kitten, gradually increasing the one and reducing the other over a week or two. Otherwise she gets a gassy stomach. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci

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>is it true that I am only suppost to feed the cat one kind/brand of can >food?? is it good to give the cat "a little" human food?? like fruit, >meats…

A cat’s digestion system becomes accustomed to one diet, changing foods can cause problems. Its better to stick with one brand. Most human food is not healthy for cats, just adds extra calories they probably don’t need. Stuart Johnson Stuart’s Castle: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/ "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."  – Leonardo Da Vinci

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I had four cats I adopted in the early ’80s, one of which developed urinary problems.  My vet put Sonia (the one with problems) on the Hill’s C/D diet. With four cats, it was impossible to separate the food out, so I had all four on the diet for many years.  Sonia developed cancer and we lost her, but the other three cats lived to be ripe old ages. My other vet put my current cats on a low-magnesium diet.  Cosmo has FUS, and was on the Hill’s S/D for six weeks.  I then switched all the cats to the low magnesium diet.  The vet gave me a list of commercial foods that are considered to be low magnesium, and this is what I have them on now. Unfortunately, Mojo also developed FUS (I’ve read on the ‘net that 3% of cats will develop FUS even on the low magnesium diet), and we lost him recently.  Had they been on the Hill’s diet, I wonder if he might have avoided developing it in the first place. I also talked to one of my vets yesterday who said that the latest research on FUS suggests not only the low magnesium diet, but a low-pH diet. Further, they’re now suggesting feeding canned food only, due to the moisture content — this, of course, makes them go more, which keeps their urinary tracts unblocked. Hope this helps. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine > and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which > has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet > wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of > course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones > problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. > Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat > owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! > Denise Connolly

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>Eddie, my 6-year-old male, is also prone to very painful bouts of FUS, and >has been on Hill’s c/d for a year or so now, after a month of s/d and a >course of antibiotics to clear up the first, worst bout.  The vet who >prescribed it to me actually keeps track of every bag that is sold – i.e.., >when you go in to buy a bag, the receptionist checks to make sure it’s what >you’ve been prescribed, and notes when you’re buying it.  Not all vets do >that, however, because since I started a new job a few months ago and >haven’t been able to get to my local vet for the food, I’ve just been going >in and picking it up at a vet’s near work.  Thankfully for me, they’ve never >questioned that, although I do think that my local vet’s thoroughness is a >good sign.

snipped….. Buy any prescription diet from my vet and it too, is checked prior to purchase and logged on to the cat’s record. My cats are currently on normal Hill’s maintenance and all three prositively glow with health, leap and bound all over the place – just like cats are supposed to!:-) Reagrds, helen S

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 >My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine  >and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which  >has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet  >wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of  >course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones  >problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem.  >Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat  >owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! Denali is on Hill’s C/D (the food that your cat will probably graduate to) for her FUS-she is prone to developing crystals in her urine, giving her painful symptoms.  Every other type of food seems to cause her trouble, but she is clear on the Hill’s C/D. Whether or not your cat has to stay on this food indefinitely depends upon the severity of the case-your vet can advise you.  A potentially serious problem that can arise with male cats with FUS is urinary tract blockage. This can be life-threatening in a matter of hours, so you should take your vet’s dietary advice seriously. Be sure to provide your cat with plenty of fresh water, and try to make him exercise, so that he will be inclined to drink and flush out his urinary tract. Marca

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> My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine > and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which > has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet > wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of > course!)

Eddie, my 6-year-old male, is also prone to very painful bouts of FUS, and has been on Hill’s c/d for a year or so now, after a month of s/d and a course of antibiotics to clear up the first, worst bout.  The vet who prescribed it to me actually keeps track of every bag that is sold – i.e.., when you go in to buy a bag, the receptionist checks to make sure it’s what you’ve been prescribed, and notes when you’re buying it.  Not all vets do that, however, because since I started a new job a few months ago and haven’t been able to get to my local vet for the food, I’ve just been going in and picking it up at a vet’s near work.  Thankfully for me, they’ve never questioned that, although I do think that my local vet’s thoroughness is a good sign. Eddie’s FUS gets triggered by several things – occasionally he manages to sneak a bit ( a few pieces, that is) of our other cat’s food, which varies between Purina ONE and Nature’s Recipe, and that sets him off every time. If the litter goes too long without being replaced (we use old-fashioned litter, as good clumping litter isn’t available here in New Zealand), he usually starts to show symptoms – I’m not sure if this has something to do with some "used" litter irritating him, or if it’s just that he "holds it in" for longer periods to avoid having to use a box that’s not pristine…I assume it’s the latter, though. Anyway, the bottom line is that the Prescription Diet foods have proven wonderful – and for Eddie, who only gets a scant half-cup per day (and he is anything but underweight), a 1.8 kilo bag lasts a month, so it’s not expensive. I have my doubts that (many) vets are making a profit from Hill’s for selling this food – can anyone confirm or deny this? Regards, Krista

Response:

>My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine >and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which >has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet >wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of >course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones >problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. >Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat >owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! >Denise Connolly

 All of my cats are fed on Hill’s dry food alone (maintenaince formula) and all are positively glowing with health. *Make sure cats on dry food have unrestricted access to fresh water*. One side benefit to dry food is that my cats’ teeth are positively gleaming white with no tartar or gum problems. Here in the UK Hill’s isn’t just sold by vets – the feline growth, maintenance and senior varieties are sold in major pet superstores. It’s only the ones for particular medical problems that are sold *only* by vets. Hope this helps

Response:

My Himalayan was recently diagnosed with (very small) stones in urine and the vet has me feeding my cat just Hills Prescription Diet S/D which has medication in it. When my cat has finished with this bag, the vet wants me to feed him another Hills dry food product, which he sells (of course!) I understand that diet does contribute greatly to the stones problem. This is the first cat I have ever owned that has this problem. Can anyone with experience share some info. with me, especially cat owners who have their cats on Hills food only? THANKS! Denise Connolly

Response:

Question:

I have a 19 month old Sheltie that suffers from Pancreatic Insufficiency. She must have enzymes added to her food in order to digest her food. The vet has put her on Pancrezyme.  From the vet, 8 ounces of the Pancrezyme was $84. We use two teaspoons of the product per day. Since we must use the product for the remainder of the dogs life, I am looking for a cheaper source.  Any suggestions? Carryl Smith  

Response:

I went to a health food store.  They had a wide variety of pancreatic enzyme supplement pills at a reasonable cost.  I adjusted the dosage to my dog’s weight.  

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Question:

        My 5 month old CHOW likes apples.  Is it OK to include choppped apple with her food?  What other fruits and vegetables are good and which are bad? Thanks in advance! — HBSc Computer Studies/GIS               Telnet:  192.75.12.103 Trent University                       Peterborough, Ontario, Canada         "Programmers Give Better Output!" PHONE: (705)949-6011            

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> I’m not a vet, but I have read and studied canine nutrition & here are > some things that I have found out: > apples aren’t bad for dogs, but because dogs have a short digestive tract, >  the apples don’t provide much nutrition. onions are bad for dogs for > several reasons. 1. from my experience many dogs will get stinky gas from > onions 2. I have read that onions can contribute to anemia in dogs. > because of that short digestive tract, most vegetables should be cooked so > that the pooches can use them, but raw veggies are ok for treats.

I understand that there is cyanide in apple seeds….not a good idea for your dogs to eat apple cores…. — Wendy Duggan Kyzyl Kum Salukis-Smooth & Feathered

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I’m not a vet, but I have read and studied canine nutrition & here are some things that I have found out: apples aren’t bad for dogs, but because dogs have a short digestive tract,  the apples don’t provide much nutrition. onions are bad for dogs for several reasons. 1. from my experience many dogs will get stinky gas from onions 2. I have read that onions can contribute to anemia in dogs. because of that short digestive tract, most vegetables should be cooked so that the pooches can use them, but raw veggies are ok for treats. hope this answers your questions Robyn the ‘net again, no dear, I  *# *#    WON’T let the dog stay on-line all night again tonite, I promise"                            *#

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I used to feed Ishka all kinds of fruits and vegies without any problems.  She loved them. Kate

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>    My 5 month old CHOW likes apples.  Is it OK to include choppped >apple with her food?  What other fruits and vegetables are good and which >are bad?

I have fed my dogs as treats a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for years with no health problems resulting.  Their favorites among the foods I eat are apple slices (without the core), carrots, avocadoes, cooked potatoes, bananas, and grapes.  I avoid onions and citrus (citrus because the acidity doesn’t seem like a good idea, not because it is poisonous). I know someone with a dog that likes cantalope, although mine don’t. Once in a while they have cooked brocoli or cauliflower, which perhaps can contribute to gas in some dogs, but mine do fine with them. Most dogs can actually eat a wide range of foods.  The key is making sure that most of what they eat is formulated to meet their nutritional needs, and, of course, avoiding poisons like chocolate, alcohol, and onions.

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My dog has eaten apples for a long time. According to at least one vet, they make a good non-fattening treat. Some fruit and vegetables are good, though the prime diet should be a good brand of dog food. Mine gets a variety of vegetables in small quantities with dinner. She even likes Brussel Sprouts!                         Jim & Tasha the Amstaff

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>I have fed my dogs as treats a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for >years with no health problems resulting.  Their favorites among the foods >I eat are apple slices (without the core), carrots, avocadoes, cooked >potatoes, bananas, and grapes.  I avoid onions and citrus (citrus because >the acidity doesn’t seem like a good idea, not because it is poisonous). >I know someone with a dog that likes cantalope, although mine don’t. >Once in a while they have cooked brocoli or cauliflower, which >perhaps can contribute to gas in some dogs, but mine do fine with them. >Most dogs can actually eat a wide range of foods.  The key is making sure >that most of what they eat is formulated to meet their nutritional needs, >and, of course, avoiding poisons like chocolate, alcohol, and onions.

My Pomeranian loves apples!  He loves to chase them like a ball first and then eat them.   It was the first time in my life that I’ve known a puppy to like apples….and so cute to watch. Hmmmm….onions are bad for dogs?  

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My Welsh terrier (long gone, unfortunately) really liked apples, and they never seemed to have any bad effects on him.  Our current Irish wolfhound will do (almost) anything for a slice of apple.  And for her birthday, which is conveniently around St. Patrick’s day, we sometimes give her a (plain) baked potato for a treat….yes, we do have sick senses of humor…. but she loves us anyway. "Support your local tech writer:  Read the manual!"

Response:

>        My 5 month old CHOW likes apples.  Is it OK to include choppped >apple with her food?  What other fruits and vegetables are good and which >are bad? >Thanks in advance!

Not only does my dog like apples, she loves them so much that I can use them as a training treat (although chooped apple in my pocket isn’t completely pleasant).  Some of her other favourite vegies are raw broccoli stems, cauliflower and carrots.  One of the funniest vegetables to watch her eat is corn – she nibbles at it with her front teeth until all the kernels are gone. I try to feed her a good variety of fresh vegetables, both for fun and chewing, but also to cut down a bit on commercial food. Try some other things with your Chow – she’ll tell you what she does and doesn’t like. Donna & Sorka

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>I used to feed Ishka all kinds of fruits and vegies without any >problems.  She loved them. >Kate

My dog loves all veggies, and most fruit except citrus.  Few calories, and not bad nutrition.  I have seen her "browse" raspberries in the back yard, as well as eat onion tops. — Jon D. Richards Operations Research Analyst MESC NBS

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My dog is a mixed breed and started eating apples this year as they started falling off of the trees.  He also, plays with them first and then eats them when he is through; that is why we started calling them "apple-balls".  We tell him to get an "apple-ball" and he runs out and gets an apple.  We thought he was really weird because we had never heard of a dog that ate apples before.

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MM>My Welsh terrier (long gone, unfortunately) really liked apples, MM>and they never seemed to have any bad effects on him.  Our MM>current Irish wolfhound will do (almost) anything for a slice MM>of apple.  And for her birthday, which is conveniently around MM>St. Patrick’s day, we sometimes give her a (plain) baked MM>potato for a treat….yes, we do have sick senses of humor…. MM>but she loves us anyway. Getting way off the topic, I walked over to my neighbours to return a tool, and Donka (mini-schnauzer) followed me over.  When we got back in the house she dropped a _beet_ at my feet.  Don’t know where she got it, and I wasn’t going to try to return it with the tooth marks in it (now, if Coco, the GSH pointer had picked it up, I _would_ have given it back  ), but I figure the only thing to beet that (sorry) would be a dog who picks broccoli (Yech!).                                       |     St. Thomas, ON, Canada  * 1st 2.00 #5897 *

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>Getting way off the topic, I walked over to my neighbours to >return a tool, and Donka (mini-schnauzer) followed me over.  When >we got back in the house she dropped a _beet_ at my feet.  Don’t >know where she got it, and I wasn’t going to try to return it >with the tooth marks in it (now, if Coco, the GSH pointer had >picked it up, I _would_ have given it back  ), but I figure >the only thing to beet that (sorry) would be a dog who picks >broccoli (Yech!).

Hey, *MY* dog does this!  Well, not exactly *picks* broccoli, but almost loses control when I bring it out for whatever meal I’m making; he *must* have the stems.  I guess he likes the crunch.  He can’t get enough of it. Katie and Danny, the sweet black Lab

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I had a Lhasa apso who pinched the broad beans off the plants, she would eat the beans but spit out the shucks. Jane

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This is really healthy for him.  Loads of folic acid and other vitamins. Marianne – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Hey, *MY* dog does this!  Well, not exactly *picks* broccoli, but almost loses >control when I bring it out for whatever meal I’m making; he *must* have the >stems.  I guess he likes the crunch.  He can’t get enough of it. >Katie and Danny, the sweet black Lab

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KL>>Getting way off the topic, I walked over to my neighbours to KL>>return a tool, and Donka (mini-schnauzer) followed me over.  When KL>>we got back in the house she dropped a _beet_ at my feet.  Don’t KL>>know where she got it, and I wasn’t going to try to return it KL>>with the tooth marks in it (now, if Coco, the GSH pointer had KL>>picked it up, I _would_ have given it back  ), but I figure KL>>the only thing to beet that (sorry) would be a dog who picks KL>>broccoli (Yech!). KL>Hey, *MY* dog does this!  Well, not exactly *picks* broccoli, but almost los KL>control when I bring it out for whatever meal I’m making; he *must* have the KL>stems.  I guess he likes the crunch.  He can’t get enough of it. KL>Katie and Danny, the sweet black Lab Ishka used to love broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage any part of them.  I miss her when I’m cleaning and doing the vegies.  She loved asparagus too.  In fact, I hardly bought a food she didn’t love.  :) Kate

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we call our beagle "salad dog" because he loves peas, carrots, fresh green beans, apples, etc. when we took him to our garden, he would root around in our pea plants looking for peas — my husband would feed him all the pods the ground squirrels had gotten. if you are eating an apple, Toby will attack you for it. All this from a dog who sampled his first vegetables by accident (he’s all over dropped food in the kitchen)

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Tasha Yar (Border Collie/Terrier mix) loves vegetables and fruits, especially carrots (she gets one a day), apples, and oranges.  These days I can’t open the refrigerator without her nosing around the vegetable crisper.  Not the kind of thing you want dinner guests to see! — Linda B. Fairtile New York University

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>Tasha Yar (Border Collie/Terrier mix) loves vegetables and fruits, >especially carrots (she gets one a day), apples, and oranges.  These >days I can’t open the refrigerator without her nosing around the >vegetable crisper.  Not the kind of thing you want dinner guests to see!

i just had to giggle at the thought of a dog nosing around in the frig!! poor honey; i have a ‘freezer on the bottom’ style frig so she would almost have to jump in the frig to put her nose into the vegi bin. so far, the only thing she doesn’t like is cranberry; anything with cranberry in it gets a PUTI! catherine

Response:

> > Tasha Yar (Border Collie/Terrier mix) loves vegetables and fruits, > I can’t open the refrigerator without her nosing around the vegetable > crisper.  Not the kind of thing you want dinner guests to see! > My Aussie, Molly, loves seedless grapes. It is funny to watch her try to bite > through the skins, so I usually split them for her.

Our weird dogs love olives.   And frozen peas – they seem to know the sound of a bag of frozen peas being opened and come tearing around to get their share.   It’s quite funny watching them chase frozen peas all around the floor.  Unfortunately a lot seem to end up under the fridge. Rachel

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Question:

it weaves into every cloth in the house……. your couch, your finest suit, and your best coat are the starting points, and then it’s everything left in the house….. and i love Pugs… they have the cutest personality…… a big dog in a small body!…… (and i’ll take fluffy hair over Pug hair every time) excellent response, Maggie kate – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Do they *really* shed that >much? >Yep, they do. >Will it be all over my clothes when I go to >work? >Yep, it will. >Seriously, Pugs are a double coated breed and the coats are fairly heavy. >There *are* things you can do to minimize shedding: >1.  Feed a high quality dog food. >2.  Add a good quality EFA supplement to the food. >3.  Brush, brush, and then brush s’more.  (The Pug, not you.) >4.  If you decide on a fawn Pug, go with clothes in colours that >match…….khaki, off-whites, creams, etc.  If you decide on a black Pug, go >with clothes that are dark brown, basic black, navy blues, etc. Same with your >furniture, rugs, bed coverings, etc. >5.  Is your garage attached?  Change in there.  Does your work have a locker >room, health club, etc?  Change there. >We’ve found in the rescue Pugs we’ve taken in that the black Pugs have less >coat and thus shed less than the fawns.  But there are plenty of owners of >black Pugs that’ll argue with that.~g~ >posted & emailed >Maggie >Pumpkin’s Patch Pug Park Sanctuary & SchippOrphanage >http://hometown.aol.com/cynplahuta

Response:

HI, Not sure why a person has to have air-conditioning, guess it depends where you live??  I have  pugs, and it gets pretty hot here in summer/cold in winter.  I just use box fans and hose them down some, personally  I don’t get along w/ air conditioners myself, either in the house or a car, think it makes everyting worse.

Response:

I have a pug, too, and no air conditioning. I do, however, set up her pen area in our finished basement, where it is cool, during the summer. When we’re outside in the heat, I spray her down with water and keep drinking water available for her.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> HI, Not sure why a person has to have air-conditioning, guess it depends > where you live??  I have  pugs, and it gets pretty hot here in > summer/cold in winter.  I just use box fans and hose them down some, > personally  I don’t get along w/ air conditioners myself, either in the > house or a car, think it makes everyting worse.

Response:

> >Seriously? >I  mean, I don’t have a problem with this, as my double coated GSDs >suffer >even with  central AC in high desert temps. >I was just surprised to hear this statement about Pugs. >Terri > Yep, terri. At least, the breeders I’ve talked to in MN are this way.  I > think it’s sensible because of all the breathing probs Pugs have.

Ah, there’s the clincher… I understand now. Thank you for responding. Terri

Response:

Hi Karen, I don’t know much about pugs, but I do know about shedding, since our dog is a labrador!  Our own experience has been that the sheer pleasure of having the dog around far outweighs the hair problem.  We’ve got it under control by (a) buying a good quality vacuum cleaner (Miele), (b) getting rid of unnecessary rugs and carpets, (c) brushing regularly (eg while watching the TV news in the evening), (d) buying a car with leather seats and (e) changing out of our "good" clothes as soon as we get home.  These were all very minor adjustments to our lives, and even my husband, who wears a suit to work, manages to remain reasonably hair-free when he’s "dressed up".  We always tell guests to wear casual clothes or jeans when they visit, and the dog isn’t allowed to get up on the furniture – that way the armchairs and couch stay reasonably hair-free. Our home may not be as clean as it used to be, but our dog is a delight to have around and we can’t imagine life without her. Christine

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I want to thank everyone who replied, both by post and by email. It seems as > though I just have to decide if I can tolerate the incredible amount of fur > that will be all over the place (I don’t know if I can; I keep my home > pretty clean). But other than that, it sounds like Pugs are awesome dogs! > I’m really in a quandary…

Response:

> << It helps to have air conditioning if you live in a hot area- because > of their pushed-in noses they sometimes have breathing difficulties in > hot, muggy weather. >> > Some breeders won’t sell a Pug to a home that doesn’t have at least a window > air conditioning unit, but prefer central air  for prospective homes.

Seriously? I  mean, I don’t have a problem with this, as my double coated GSDs suffer even with  central AC in high desert temps. I was just surprised to hear this statement about Pugs. Terri

Response:

>Seriously? >I  mean, I don’t have a problem with this, as my double coated GSDs >suffer >even with  central AC in high desert temps. >I was just surprised to hear this statement about Pugs. >Terri

Yep, terri. At least, the breeders I’ve talked to in MN are this way.  I think it’s sensible because of all the breathing probs Pugs have.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> << It helps to have air conditioning if you live in a hot area- because > of their pushed-in noses they sometimes have breathing difficulties in > hot, muggy weather. >> > Some breeders won’t sell a Pug to a home that doesn’t have at least a window > air conditioning unit, but prefer central air  for prospective homes. >Seriously? >I  mean, I don’t have a problem with this, as my double coated GSDs >suffer >even with  central AC in high desert temps. >I was just surprised to hear this statement about Pugs. >Terri

Terri…… Pugs suffer easily from heat pr??? too much heat…… and that affects their hearts and breathing……. seeing a Pug with heat pr???… is quickly, however you need to watch them closely when exercising them in warm weather an air conditioner is a really good idea to keep them at 70 to 75 degrees…. much more, and you can actually see the change in their breathing/comfort level my heavy coated Belgian Tervuran had less difficulty in heat than the poor Pug did i still *love* Pugs……. their character is simply priceless! kate

Response:

There is a new product out called Mrs. Allen "stopshed"  that gets rid of all the shedding. Has anyone here tried it?

Response:

I want to thank everyone who replied, both by post and by email. It seems as though I just have to decide if I can tolerate the incredible amount of fur that will be all over the place (I don’t know if I can; I keep my home pretty clean). But other than that, it sounds like Pugs are awesome dogs! I’m really in a quandary…

Response:

If you wanted to look into other small "bulldog-type" breeds, you could read up on the French Bulldog or Boston Terrier, you may find their shedding more acceptable. — -Testarossa, Ginger (Lhasa Apso), Elly Mae (Greyhound Mix), and Phoenix (Mastiff)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I want to thank everyone who replied, both by post and by email. It seems as > though I just have to decide if I can tolerate the incredible amount of fur > that will be all over the place (I don’t know if I can; I keep my home > pretty clean). But other than that, it sounds like Pugs are awesome dogs! > I’m really in a quandary…

Response:

>You might want to consider subscribing to Pug Talk magazine. It’s >informative and funny.

Do you have the contact info?

Response:

>>You might want to consider subscribing to Pug Talk magazine. It’s >informative and funny. >Do you have the contact info?

Pug Talk Magazine c/o VIP Publishing 5031 Plover Rd. Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494-9705 $30 a year if you’re in the States, $45 a year Canada & Mexico, $60 a year Europe, $80 a year Pacific Rim. It comes out every two months but it’s mailed on the 28th of the even numbered months so, for example, the Jan-Feb issue isn’t mailed til Feb 28th, so don’t panic if it doesn’t come right away. Maggie Pumpkin’s Patch Pug Park Sanctuary & SchippOrphanage http://hometown.aol.com/cynplahuta

Response:

Pugs are great. My little girl is cuddled on my lap as I type this. She’s snoring away!!! The noises that comes out of my pug make me laugh. Snores, snorts, yowls–just cracks me up. She hates to have her nails trimmed, but can’t wait to take a bath. We do obedience competitions. Pugs are also very good at agility, but don’t expect them to be the same speed as a border collie! You might want to consider subscribing to Pug Talk magazine. It’s informative and funny. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >My husband and I have 2 boys, ages 5 & 11. We live in a townhome in the >suburbs and have been researching dog breeds. Pugs seem to be ideal for us. >Great with kids, fun temperament, loyal, protective without being >aggressive, laid back but clownish, and heavy shedders. Can anyone add to, >rebut or substantiate? I’ve become enamored with this breed from all I’ve >read, but want to hear real-world experiences. Do they *really* shed that >much? Will it be all over my clothes when I go to work? (My husband goes to >school at night and his home during the day, so someone will always be >around.) Are they as delightful as they seem?  Please help! >TIA, >Karen

Response:

<< It helps to have air conditioning if you live in a hot area- because of their pushed-in noses they sometimes have breathing difficulties in hot, muggy weather. >> Some breeders won’t sell a Pug to a home that doesn’t have at least a window air conditioning unit, but prefer central air  for prospective homes.

Response:

My husband and I have 2 boys, ages 5 & 11. We live in a townhome in the suburbs and have been researching dog breeds. Pugs seem to be ideal for us. Great with kids, fun temperament, loyal, protective without being aggressive, laid back but clownish, and heavy shedders. Can anyone add to, rebut or substantiate? I’ve become enamored with this breed from all I’ve read, but want to hear real-world experiences. Do they *really* shed that much? Will it be all over my clothes when I go to work? (My husband goes to school at night and his home during the day, so someone will always be around.) Are they as delightful as they seem?  Please help! TIA, Karen

Response:

>Do they *really* shed that >much?

Yep, they do. >Will it be all over my clothes when I go to >work?

Yep, it will. Seriously, Pugs are a double coated breed and the coats are fairly heavy.   There *are* things you can do to minimize shedding: 1.  Feed a high quality dog food. 2.  Add a good quality EFA supplement to the food. 3.  Brush, brush, and then brush s’more.  (The Pug, not you.) 4.  If you decide on a fawn Pug, go with clothes in colours that match…….khaki, off-whites, creams, etc.  If you decide on a black Pug, go with clothes that are dark brown, basic black, navy blues, etc. Same with your furniture, rugs, bed coverings, etc.   5.  Is your garage attached?  Change in there.  Does your work have a locker room, health club, etc?  Change there. We’ve found in the rescue Pugs we’ve taken in that the black Pugs have less coat and thus shed less than the fawns.  But there are plenty of owners of black Pugs that’ll argue with that.~g~ posted & emailed Maggie Pumpkin’s Patch Pug Park Sanctuary & SchippOrphanage http://hometown.aol.com/cynplahuta

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>We are considering getting a pug.  Could not find a faq on the breed. >Please e-mail comments on the breed.  Medical problems?, easy to >housebreak? >thanks in advance. >–

I owned a Pug for 15 years.  They are the best pet to have.  All they want is food & love, probably in that order.  She never had any medical problems at all.  I have had a Boxer, German Shephard and now a Cocker Spaniel.  If opportunity arose I would most definetly get another Pug again. The only draw back was that she shed all year round. Hope this isn’t a deterant for you when making your decision as the love returned out weighs this by far.

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> We are considering getting a pug.  Could not find a faq on the breed. > Please e-mail comments on the breed.  Medical problems?, easy to > housebreak? > thanks in advance. > —

   The often have lots of nose problems because of their short stubby noses.       Amy Ellinger

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We are considering getting a pug.  Could not find a faq on the breed. Please e-mail comments on the breed.  Medical problems?, easy to housebreak? thanks in advance. —

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You don’t own a pug, pug’s own you.  They are delightful little pets who have all the benefits of toy dog loveability without the usual drawbacks such as yappiness and snapping.  My family had a little male when I was a kid and the dog was great with us.  You have to watch their breathing though and never over exercise. Our little male did try to mark the house though.  He probably should have been neutered–as any dog should that you aren’t planning on showing. Hope you find a good one! Jacqui

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