[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I'm sorry, but I'll have to disagree with all you guys. My cat's like family and she comes with us everywhere. She's a baby who hasn't grown up ever. Even though I got her first, I dare say my family prefers her over me if asked to make a choice!

While I do the opposite, I do agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly!!! Its not any different for me deep from within the heart. But should you allow your child to be strong and independent or a shy homebody that cannot cope with the world all alone?

Thats a choice one has to make.

--Ragul

[drdeepudev]

Dear 999, Rocky rocks. Glad to see him. I agree to what Sankar said regarding the dominance of Rocky. I too closely follow Cesar Millan (Dog whisperer fame). May be , with your mother he assumes the role of pack leader, the alpha dog, but with you, he is just a pack member.
Even my dog(2 years old), a labrador is grown on a veg + fish homely diet. (Labradors are known to be gluttons though). His favorite food is aviyal mixed with rice. He had an intolerance towards dog food and dog biscuits. He is even intolerable to cow's milk which will cause digestive disorders. So he is on milk powder (around 6kg a month).
Sankar, awaiting to see your rott. Bringing up a pup is just like bringing up a kid. I was my dog's father and mother. He came to my house on his 40th day. He is my first dog. So, my vet was literally frustrated with me due to my in numerable doubts. The vaccination and deworming schedules must be maintained. Create a vaccine and deworming chart. Ask your vet about vaccinations for Canine distemper, Parvo, Lepto spira, adeno etc. My dog is vaccinated for all these along with his regular rabies shots. (Just for added safety). Wish you all the best.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Ragul

While I do the opposite, I do agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly!!! Its not any different for me deep from within the heart. But should you allow your child to be strong and independent or a shy homebody that cannot cope with the world all alone?

Thats a choice one has to make.

--Ragul

A child grows into being an adult (mentally and physically) and thus taking care of themselves is but natural to groom them for.

A domesticated animal (not the wild) are just that - domesticated within the confines of a house or safe haven. An animal only grows physically. Mentally, they remain the way they always are - albeit with just lessons of survival to aid them in what life throws at them. If animals grew mentally the way humans did, then we humans wouldn't be around.

If this is the way cats are treated, why not treat dogs the same way? Why not send your pedigreed dog you spent more than a few thousands on outside your house to allow him or her to learn the skills of survival?

Do I see double standards in the way people treat cats as opposed to dogs? I just see this being the easy way out. Cats are less responsibility, so lets keep a cat. They will fend for themselves, so I can leave for a week long holiday to Goa. Cats are free (apart from Persians - would love to see the owner of a Persian send his cat out to rummage the garbage in the night!), nobody buys cats, rummaging garbage is what they do, they'll survive .

A cat is equal responsibility as a dog or any other living being (more so if you have brought them up from birth).

My entire family spends an hour each to play with our cat. We have shifts through the day. She always sleeps on my bed next to me. She's the most pampered person in this house, and considering she's child-like in every respect, there is no way we will have peace of mind by letting her out.

Ragul, this was not directed at you - I know you're a cat lover as much as I am.

And if anyone says they do let their adopted stray's out, I want to hear from owners of rottweilers, labs, German shepherds, and the like.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by 999

He never showed aggression towards me.Does let me know he is not happy by barking, but does what he is told.But having said that, he did show aggression when I tried to get pull out a hen from his mouth which he caught straying into the compound.He would not let it go. After a few minutes he let it go. The cutlet chopped meat is mainly to make it impossible for him to segregate meat from rice.
I never thought of him waking ahead as a trait of being a dominant. That is interesting. I always thought he was being more careful for the ones behind. Now thinking of it, he shows that more towards my mother and walks along with me.

You're the leader for him, but when it comes to others he feels he's the top dog that's why he is leading. I didn't know all of this a month ago, only recently did i learn about all these dog behaviour and antics. Gathered from TV, Internet and Books, still got lots to learn. Ok got the meat part, didn't think of that really.

Originally Posted by drdeepudev

Dear 999, Rocky rocks. Glad to see him. I agree to what Sankar said regarding the dominance of Rocky. I too closely follow Cesar Millan (Dog whisperer fame). May be , with your mother he assumes the role of pack leader, the alpha dog, but with you, he is just a pack member.
Even my dog(2 years old), a labrador is grown on a veg + fish homely diet. (Labradors are known to be gluttons though). His favorite food is aviyal mixed with rice. He had an intolerance towards dog food and dog biscuits. He is even intolerable to cow's milk which will cause digestive disorders. So he is on milk powder (around 6kg a month).
Sankar, awaiting to see your rott. Bringing up a pup is just like bringing up a kid. I was my dog's father and mother. He came to my house on his 40th day. He is my first dog. So, my vet was literally frustrated with me due to my in numerable doubts. The vaccination and deworming schedules must be maintained. Create a vaccine and deworming chart. Ask your vet about vaccinations for Canine distemper, Parvo, Lepto spira, adeno etc. My dog is vaccinated for all these along with his regular rabies shots. (Just for added safety). Wish you all the best.

Thank you! Will take another month or so for him to come home. Have started arrangements for him already. What is the schedule of vaccinations, every three months? Haven't checked with Vet yet breeder is supposed to give me a chart with the pup if not will get one done.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

A child grows into being an adult (mentally and physically) and thus taking care of themselves is but natural to groom them for.

A domesticated animal (not the wild) are just that - domesticated within the confines of a house or safe haven. An animal only grows physically. Mentally, they remain the way they always are - albeit with just lessons of survival to aid them in what life throws at them. If animals grew mentally the way humans did, then we humans wouldn't be around.

Nopes. Cats have strong instincts and if you let them roam from a young age, they hone their skills and sharpen their instincts automatically. I would say it would be an injustice to a cat to let her be otherwise. How many families have the luxury of having family members to dote over them constantly?

Do I see double standards in the way people treat cats as opposed to dogs? I just see this being the easy way out. Cats are less responsibility, so lets keep a cat. They will fend for themselves, so I can leave for a week long holiday to Goa. Cats are free (apart from Persians - would love to see the owner of a Persian send his cat out to rummage the garbage in the night!), nobody buys cats, rummaging garbage is what they do, they'll survive .

Most cats in the neighbourhood do the rounds of various houses in the vicinity. Its only in localities that are largely cat hostile (high rise apartments, no open spaces, dirty overflowing garbage bins) you will see cats rummaging garbage.

Easy to say the owner is lazy and irresponsible. But if one likes cat for what they really are, one will like them for their independence and survival traits, and approach the task of keeping one accordingly.

Of course I have been heart broken when leaving on vacations, wondering how it will survive - without our emotional warmth for each other, and assurance of food as a secondary concern. Once can always request a willing neighbour to feed them once a day at least.

Dogs are different and need to be treated differently. I don't know why you are confusing cats and dogs and equating them. Cats are not dogs.

A cat is equal responsibility as a dog or any other living being (more so if you have brought them up from birth).

And part of the responsibility is to see to it that it remains a cat with all its glory. With its 10,000+ years of evolutionary learning intact. We can humanise it to the extent it helps us connect to its soul. But we also have to let go and let them be.

She's the most pampered person in this house, and considering she's child-like in every respect, there is no way we will have peace of mind by letting her out.

Same here from my side. But I wouldn't have any peace of mind knowing the cat has been numbed of its senses out of disuse that it no longer a functional cat. It gives me immense satisfaction to see my cat come back healthy agile with razor sharp attitude and instincts after hours spent hunting for its survival.


I've had more than one cat with the habit of sleeping on my chest most of the night - nose touching nose, what they breathe out, I breathe in, and vice versa. Then one cat had a habit of sleeping with a paw around my neck with body totally outstretched like humans. I've even had a cat that always escorted me to the bathroom and wait on me at the door (anxiously meowing now and then and peering under the door slit to check on me) without fail everyday!! They've had nothing but adoration (and some have even expressed gratitude like no other) for me, never mind that I don't pamper them to the extent you do. I am dead certain they loved me for letting them be.

--Ragul

[999]

Originally Posted by Sankar

You're the leader for him, but when it comes to others he feels he's the top dog that's why he is leading. I didn't know all of this a month ago, only recently did i learn about all these dog behaviour and antics. Gathered from TV, Internet and Books, still got lots to learn. Ok got the meat part, didn't think of that really.



Thank you! Will take another month or so for him to come home. Have started arrangements for him already. What is the schedule of vaccinations, every three months? Haven't checked with Vet yet breeder is supposed to give me a chart with the pup if not will get one done.

I got rocky on the 40th day. There was a shot for him once in the first 3 months. I need to check his records at home for that. After that it was 2 shots a year, one for rabbies and another one for 5 diseases combined. I am not sure whether he needs more. I asked 2 doctors and they said it is all he needs.

[drdeepudev]

Sankar, here goes the vaccination schedule as per my vet. 1st vaccine at 3 months of age (for canine distemper, hepatitis, parvo virus, adeno virus & Lepto spira Ictero haemorrhagica) . The booster dose of the same vaccine at 4th month. 1st dose of rabies shot was taken at fourth month itself, 1 week after the booster shot of Canine distemper and all. Booster dose of rabies vaccine is taken exactly after one month of the previous shot.

So in total, there were over all 4 injections for him. Later on these vaccines are taken once a year. Deworming was scheduled on monthly basis till the age of 6 months. Ask your vet regarding the same. Different vets have different concepts about deworming schedule.

[Red Liner]

Ragul, I guess we'll agree to disagree on this. Its a matter of personal preference.

A city is no place for animals to hone their survival skills where people drive their cars with utter disregard to what's crossing the roads. That is not what nature intended. Its what we humans intend.

A village with a lot of greenery around, I will be hard pressed to not let a cat or any other animal out.You just gave me a good enough reason to start saving for a nice retirement home :-)

A city infested with humans and our atrocities is no safe place for animals, sadly.

Why do I treat cats and dogs the same? Well, because in "my" eyes, they are the same. Both deserve long lives and everything we can do as adopters to give them that safe haven and understand what is safe for them and what is not. Unfortunately, any animal including a cat will not understand the ramifications of rummaging the garbage or getting into a street fight with a possibly rabid predator. We do. Hence, we build those walls of what they can or cannot do. If I get a dog, which I want to, they will both be treated at par - and not be allowed to leave the house without me being by their side.

Surviving on our streets is not something I will torment anyone to - let alone my cat. To each his own.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Sankar

We are primarily a vegetarian family, as in we don't cook non veg here since my mom is a vegetarian. But i and dad do eat meat and i'm collecting dog food recipes in advance, to cook for him when he comes home. Otherwise i never cook

Btw Royal Canin and Eukanuba kibbles are better than Pedigree. Been reading up a lot of dog food reviews lately from India as well as abroad. RC and Eukanuba are rated much higher than Pedigree based on the ingredients. Price difference is also huge. Its not feasible for me to give him RC everyday, can't afford to, but i plan to keep RC as a backup for the times i can't cook for him.

Sorry to butt into your conversation with 999 but couldn't resist when you mentioned the food part

In terms of sheer quality, from personal experience the order of sheer food quality, I have found

1. Hill's Science plan (top notch, no other brand comes close), equally expensive
2. Royal Canin, take the breed specific variant instead of going by the weight range. Fantastic brand with formulated food for every pedigree breed
3. Eukanaba - although priced slightly higher than RC, I find RC better

Pedigree is just a budget dog food and quite frankly, its among the very average brands out there. I would stay away from it, home cooked food is better.

My recommendation is RC - try to find if there is a Rottweiler specific food in RC, usual schedule is RC starter till 2 months, RC baby dog from 2nd to 4th months, maxi junior from 5th month to 18th month and maxi adult from then onwards. Someone told me the baby dog variant has been done away with, and they start from maxi junior directly after 2 months. Need to check this

Since you mention meat, I am from a vegetarian family and we don't ever cook meat at home. There is a brand called "Butch", they supply a kind of jelly-like ready-to-eat dog food in 800gm, 2kg and 5kg loaves. There are variations -
- Blue label - fish + chicken
- White label - chicken + rice and vegetables
- a mutton variant, I don't know what that thing is called, I hardly bring it

Both blue and white labels are fantastic. You can refrigerate the loaf for around 10-12 days. I usually cut up the loaf into pieces of 100-200gm and mix it up with the regular dog food (I use Science plan) everyday. That provides some more bonus for them in taste so they love it. Butch works wonders if you give it solely as the food without mixing it up with anything. Anytime you want to feed meat, this is always an alternative.

Also, one last point - since you are getting a pup, please feed him the regular dog food for all meals for the first 8-10 months and after that, slowly get the dog food to once a day, the other meal can be anything he likes. I know the expense will be high when feeding dog food for both meals but when giving for this initial period, the advantages are higher

The reason I say this is their growth rate is immense in the first 1 year and nothing can quite substitute for the nutrients obtained in the recommended dog food. I also recommend a calcium tablet supplement - quite cheap to buy and usually it is given one or two per day, makes their bones very strong. Ask your vet for which brand to use.

Sorry for posting too many boring details Good luck with your rott! Do post some pics when you get him

Originally Posted by drdeepudev

So in total, there were over all 4 injections for him. Later on these vaccines are taken once a year. Deworming was scheduled on monthly basis till the age of 6 months. Ask your vet regarding the same. Different vets have different concepts about deworming schedule.

+1 to the above. Different vets have different opinions and approaches on deworming. For the first 6 months it is monthly. After the 6th month onwards, it is once in 4 months. This is the usual approach. The measure is usually 1 tablet per 10kg of body weight when it is done. Anyway, Sankar will find out about the specifics in some time, when his pup comes!

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by 999

I got rocky on the 40th day. There was a shot for him once in the first 3 months. I need to check his records at home for that. After that it was 2 shots a year, one for rabbies and another one for 5 diseases combined. I am not sure whether he needs more. I asked 2 doctors and they said it is all he needs.

Originally Posted by drdeepudev

Sankar, here goes the vaccination schedule as per my vet. 1st vaccine at 3 months of age (for canine distemper, hepatitis, parvo virus, adeno virus & Lepto spira Ictero haemorrhagica) . The booster dose of the same vaccine at 4th month. 1st dose of rabies shot was taken at fourth month itself, 1 week after the booster shot of Canine distemper and all. Booster dose of rabies vaccine is taken exactly after one month of the previous shot.

So in total, there were over all 4 injections for him. Later on these vaccines are taken once a year. Deworming was scheduled on monthly basis till the age of 6 months. Ask your vet regarding the same. Different vets have different concepts about deworming schedule.

Thank you! Definitely helps.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Sorry to butt into your conversation with 999 but couldn't resist when you mentioned the food part

In terms of sheer quality, from personal experience the order of sheer food quality, I have found

1. Hill's Science plan (top notch, no other brand comes close), equally expensive
2. Royal Canin, take the breed specific variant instead of going by the weight range. Fantastic brand with formulated food for every pedigree breed
3. Eukanaba - although priced slightly higher than RC, I find RC better

Pedigree is just a budget dog food and quite frankly, its among the very average brands out there. I would stay away from it, home cooked food is better.

My recommendation is RC - try to find if there is a Rottweiler specific food in RC, usual schedule is RC starter till 2 months, RC baby dog from 2nd to 4th months, maxi junior from 5th month to 18th month and maxi adult from then onwards. Someone told me the baby dog variant has been done away with, and they start from maxi junior directly after 2 months. Need to check this

I have heard about Science Diet, but i'm not sure if its available here. The one shop i went to didn't have it, will have to check at the shop 999 mentioned. I got Science Diet price from the Internet, it was around 5k plus for the largest bag (15/12kg iirc), RC Rott was for 4.4k for a 12kg bag at the shop. RC website mentions only the Junior and Adult versions now, they must've discontinued the others, have found both at the shop too.

Since you mention meat, I am from a vegetarian family and we don't ever cook meat at home. There is a brand called "Butch", they supply a kind of jelly-like ready-to-eat dog food in 800gm, 2kg and 5kg loaves. There are variations -
- Blue label - fish + chicken
- White label - chicken + rice and vegetables
- a mutton variant, I don't know what that thing is called, I hardly bring it

Both blue and white labels are fantastic. You can refrigerate the loaf for around 10-12 days. I usually cut up the loaf into pieces of 100-200gm and mix it up with the regular dog food (I use Science plan) everyday. That provides some more bonus for them in taste so they love it. Butch works wonders if you give it solely as the food without mixing it up with anything. Anytime you want to feed meat, this is always an alternative.

How much does Butch cost? Couldn't find Butch at the shop i went to, have to try the other one. Not sure if its available here easily.

Also, one last point - since you are getting a pup, please feed him the regular dog food for all meals for the first 8-10 months and after that, slowly get the dog food to once a day, the other meal can be anything he likes. I know the expense will be high when feeding dog food for both meals but when giving for this initial period, the advantages are higher

The reason I say this is their growth rate is immense in the first 1 year and nothing can quite substitute for the nutrients obtained in the recommended dog food. I also recommend a calcium tablet supplement - quite cheap to buy and usually it is given one or two per day, makes their bones very strong. Ask your vet for which brand to use.

Yep i understand that correct nutrition is important for their growth during this period, i will give him the best i can.

Also i have read that too much of calcium is bad for large breeds during their puppyhood, any info guys? Will confirm with Vet when i meet him.

Sorry for posting too many boring details Good luck with your rott! Do post some pics when you get him

Not at all! Will do so

+1 to the above. Different vets have different opinions and approaches on deworming. For the first 6 months it is monthly. After the 6th month onwards, it is once in 4 months. This is the usual approach. The measure is usually 1 tablet per 10kg of body weight when it is done. Anyway, Sankar will find out about the specifics in some time, when his pup comes!

Lots to learn..lots to learn..


Btw what do you guys say about Drools dog food. I'm not considering it but i have seen the pack at the shop. Their website doesn't give any info regarding the ingredients, its as if its under development. The Drools company is a part of some ibgroup which has some poultry farming business.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Sankar

How much does Butch cost? Couldn't find Butch at the shop i went to, have to try the other one. Not sure if its available here easily.

The Butch 2kg loaf costs around 300 bucks for the blue/white labels. There is some 10-20 Rs. difference between them, blue is costlier

Also i have read that too much of calcium is bad for large breeds during their puppyhood, any info guys? Will confirm with Vet when i meet him.

As long as you stick to the recommended dosage, there should be no problem. It is similar to de-worming tablets in measure - it is given as 1 tablet for 5kg or 10 kg of body weight.

Btw what do you guys say about Drools dog food. I'm not considering it but i have seen the pack at the shop. Their website doesn't give any info regarding the ingredients, its as if its under development. The Drools company is a part of some ibgroup which has some poultry farming business.

Drools? Never heard of this brand. I will check with some other friends of mine and let you know if they are good. I've personally never seen it in any shop. What is the price range like? That is a sure-shot giveaway, if they price it like Pedigree, then that segment is their competition

[Aroy]

I had read a lot about dog food on the net, and ultimately concluded that it is not worth it. So we prepare the food every 5 days. My dog is a black Labrador, six years old and extremely fit and trim. Here is the recipe

. Pressure cooker 5 liters
. Seasonal vegetables : Bottle guard, Pumpkin, Cabbage, Potato skins what ever is priced reasonably : 1-1.5kg, chopped into 20-30mm pieces. All vegetable unpeeled
. Par boiled rice (the cheaper coarse variety is the best) : about 400g
. Garlic paste : one table spoon
. Turmeric : one tea spoon
. Animal Fat or vegetable oil : 3-4 table spoons
. Chopped tripe (liver, heart, kidney) : 100-200g, depends on what is in stock.

Mix and boil the ingredients in the pressure cooker for half an hour. Let it cool. The above makes 10 portions (we use the take away food tubs, filled to the brim).

Each portion is one meal, given twice a day.

The basic food is supplemented, as and when available (any where between every day to once in a week), with any combination of
. Cooked Mutton bones : about 4-6
. Raw Chicken carcass (after they have extracted the "bone less chicken) 1/2 at a time
. Raw mutton - ribs : about 2/3 ribs as one continuous piece

. Both garlic and turmeric ensure tick and mite free dog.
. Parboiled rice has a lot of vitamins missing in polished rice.
. Vegetable give roughage.
. Raw meat gives
a) satisfaction
b) clean teeth. You will be surprised how white the teeth remain if the dog chews raw meat regularly. The white teeth also result in no bad breadth.

A Labrador will eat itself silly. Once as an experiment we gave a free reign and he was going strong after 3 bowls and wanted more.

Please note that the diet has to be restricted for the first two years, for large dogs, especially carbohydrates, as the dog will tend to grow heavy while its leg muscles are developing. If they get too heavy, legs will be permanently weak, giving rise to muscle atrophy at old age. So err on the lower quantity, and supplement with a lot of meat instead or rice and wheat products.

[kri$hna]

Originally Posted by Sankar

I have heard about Science Diet, but i'm not sure if its available here. The one shop i went to didn't have it, will have to check at the shop 999 mentioned. I got Science Diet price from the Internet, it was around 5k plus for the largest bag (15/12kg iirc), RC Rott was for 4.4k for a 12kg bag at the shop. RC website mentions only the Junior and Adult versions now, they must've discontinued the others, have found both at the shop too.

When you buy a 10kg or more pack, you ll usually get a discount of 15 to 20% and that is a better way to go about buying because the supply is guaranteed ! I once had such a situation, my tiger got used to Sabor & Vida, which is not easily available in market and had tough time sourcing it. Finally, he is off it and onto Drools & Eukanuba

Also i have read that too much of calcium is bad for large breeds during their puppyhood, any info guys? Will confirm with Vet when i meet him.

You get use PET TAB tablets (1 per day before meals) which will provide him all the essential nutrients required. It has calcium in good quantities as well, my tiger grew up with this and no other supplement !

Btw what do you guys say about Drools dog food. I'm not considering it but i have seen the pack at the shop. Their website doesn't give any info regarding the ingredients, its as if its under development. The Drools company is a part of some ibgroup which has some poultry farming business.

I have been feeding my GSD with Drools for almost 6 months now and it has been a good alternate to RC. Only issue is, this food stinks like poultry only ! (real chicken eh ). I hate that stink daily in the morning ( never got this with RC, Eukanuba or Science Plan). I use a ratio of 70:30 with Drools:Eukanuba/science plan, which is a good compromise for nutrition and diet i believe. My tiger always had a very bad apetite and this combo is working for him a little better.

One more suggestion, you get this powder called SAMFUR powder. It is an extract of eggs, nutritious and healthy. We used to mix that with his rice (usually curd rice) or the kibbles and he likes it. It develops protein content i guess and also calcium. You dont get this in all pet shops, but vets usually stock it.

Never feed your dog immediately after/before an exercise or walk. It would affect their digestion and might result in bloating. My dog is a lazy eater and works for him as he eats a few grams only ! ha ha

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The Butch 2kg loaf costs around 300 bucks for the blue/white labels. There is some 10-20 Rs. difference between them, blue is costlier

Drools? Never heard of this brand. I will check with some other friends of mine and let you know if they are good. I've personally never seen it in any shop. What is the price range like? That is a sure-shot giveaway, if they price it like Pedigree, then that segment is their competition

Butch price is pretty ok, got to see if its available here, i guess i can use it to spruce up the diet once in a while.

Drools is a an Indian brand, saw it at the breeders place too. I didn't check its price when i saw it at the store.

Originally Posted by Aroy

. Pressure cooker 5 liters
. Seasonal vegetables : Bottle guard, Pumpkin, Cabbage, Potato skins what ever is priced reasonably : 1-1.5kg, chopped into 20-30mm pieces. All vegetable unpeeled
. Par boiled rice (the cheaper coarse variety is the best) : about 400g
. Garlic paste : one table spoon
. Turmeric : one tea spoon
. Animal Fat or vegetable oil : 3-4 table spoons
. Chopped tripe (liver, heart, kidney) : 100-200g, depends on what is in stock.

Mix and boil the ingredients in the pressure cooker for half an hour. Let it cool. The above makes 10 portions (we use the take away food tubs, filled to the brim).

Each portion is one meal, given twice a day.

The basic food is supplemented, as and when available (any where between every day to once in a week), with any combination of
. Cooked Mutton bones : about 4-6
. Raw Chicken carcass (after they have extracted the "bone less chicken) 1/2 at a time
. Raw mutton - ribs : about 2/3 ribs as one continuous piece

. Both garlic and turmeric ensure tick and mite free dog.
. Parboiled rice has a lot of vitamins missing in polished rice.
. Vegetable give roughage.
. Raw meat gives
a) satisfaction
b) clean teeth. You will be surprised how white the teeth remain if the dog chews raw meat regularly. The white teeth also result in no bad breadth.

Aroy, i have taken down your recipe in my dog food recipe book. Will put into use shortly. Your lab looks healthy and trim. You said you feed him cooked mutton bones. Is it okay? I've heard that cooked bones can splinter and cause damage. Also heard that bones if uncooked are okay.

Originally Posted by kri$hna

You get use PET TAB tablets (1 per day before meals) which will provide him all the essential nutrients required. It has calcium in good quantities as well, my tiger grew up with this and no other supplement !

I have been feeding my GSD with Drools for almost 6 months now and it has been a good alternate to RC. Only issue is, this food stinks like poultry only ! (real chicken eh ). I hate that stink daily in the morning ( never got this with RC, Eukanuba or Science Plan). I use a ratio of 70:30 with Drools:Eukanuba/science plan, which is a good compromise for nutrition and diet i believe. My tiger always had a very bad apetite and this combo is working for him a little better.

One more suggestion, you get this powder called SAMFUR powder. It is an extract of eggs, nutritious and healthy. We used to mix that with his rice (usually curd rice) or the kibbles and he likes it. It develops protein content i guess and also calcium. You dont get this in all pet shops, but vets usually stock it.

Never feed your dog immediately after/before an exercise or walk. It would affect their digestion and might result in bloating. My dog is a lazy eater and works for him as he eats a few grams only ! ha ha

So Drools supposedly has real chicken in it, is it? Hope its not just chicken flavour/smell. Already onto sourcing the NutriVet multitab tablets, thanks for the tip! Instead of Samfur i was thinking of feeding him raw egg, hope that is sufficient.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Aroy, i have taken down your recipe in my dog food recipe book. Will put into use shortly. Your lab looks healthy and trim. You said you feed him cooked mutton bones. Is it okay? I've heard that cooked bones can splinter and cause damage. Also heard that bones if uncooked are okay.

If your dog has bones, especially raw mutton or raw beef ribs from the day one, then he will be used to chewing them thoroughly before swallowing. The problem with cooked bones, especially chicken is that they are very hard and if not chewed thoroughly, bigger pieces will obstruct and at time perforate. As my Lab has been on raw bones since he came, he is well versed in the art of reducing bones to a pulp before swallowing. As a precaution give only raw bones (preferably ribs) for six to ten months initially, after that he will chew every thing thoroughly.

Regarding Dog Food, there has been a lot of debate on the net, and the negative sides are
. Dog food is dry, and if sufficient water is not mixed, may lead to stomach "bloating", when the dog drinks water after meal
. Dog food is a monotonic diet with no variety. Just as humans crave variety, so do animals. Home cooked food gives the variety missing.
. As Dog food has a constant formula, if any nutrient is missing from the mix, it will never me made up.
. If you have to mix meat and other ingredients with the Dog food, might as well as do it whole hog and make the food at home, at neary a tenth of the cost.

In short cook a batch of food every five to seven days. That way you will be more involved in his upbringing.