shedding season
- Thread starter pikachu_10
- Start date
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
//My previous vet said it was her 'favourite' food for dogs //
Again, i never cease to be amazed, at otherwise brilliant vets, standing there and telling us this or that is a "great" dog food. Either too many vets do not KNOW, or too many vets don't CARE.
Dogster is right,you are feeding your dog a bag of ground up hooves, beaks, claws, greasy debris leftover after food is rendered,
corn---UNdigestible to dogs, is a just a filler, and some dogs itch when they eat corn,
and "chicken digest" which can be actual POOP.
AND VERY LITTLE MEAT in the whole bag.
Dogs need meat.
It is very possible, that Evie may be itchy cuz of her lousy dog food. Please don't feel bad, i did exact same thing,
i fed my last dog the WORST dog food in the entire world, cuz i did not know what the words meant, and my vet said it was "great" dog food.
We do have some Australian members here, maybe one will spot this thread, and be able to help you out. I will look around online, and see if i can find an Australian dog food analysis site.
also,
no harm in brushing a short haired dog, helps remove skin cells, little dirts, loose fur, helps spread oils around, stimulate healthy skin, etc.
Again, i never cease to be amazed, at otherwise brilliant vets, standing there and telling us this or that is a "great" dog food. Either too many vets do not KNOW, or too many vets don't CARE.
Dogster is right,you are feeding your dog a bag of ground up hooves, beaks, claws, greasy debris leftover after food is rendered,
corn---UNdigestible to dogs, is a just a filler, and some dogs itch when they eat corn,
and "chicken digest" which can be actual POOP.
AND VERY LITTLE MEAT in the whole bag.
Dogs need meat.
It is very possible, that Evie may be itchy cuz of her lousy dog food. Please don't feel bad, i did exact same thing,
i fed my last dog the WORST dog food in the entire world, cuz i did not know what the words meant, and my vet said it was "great" dog food.We do have some Australian members here, maybe one will spot this thread, and be able to help you out. I will look around online, and see if i can find an Australian dog food analysis site.
also,
no harm in brushing a short haired dog, helps remove skin cells, little dirts, loose fur, helps spread oils around, stimulate healthy skin, etc.
Dogster
Honored Member
I'm pretty sure Artemis is in Australia:
http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/home/
It's not THE BEST dog food in the world, but WAY better than the one you're feeding right now.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1730&cat=8
http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/home/
It's not THE BEST dog food in the world, but WAY better than the one you're feeding right now.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1730&cat=8
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
The dog food site here:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
does not update for years and years, and even when it HAS made a mistake, it won't correct or amend the reviews, so that site IS a good start,
but, the site admins there do not seem real up to date, imo. ..... I am not sure the site admins are even still there anymore. (?).
This one seems to stay up to date with current reviews:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
^DO look at the articles going down the side of the home page, too, after a while, you barely need to read a professional review, cuz you can learn which ingredients are GOOD,
and which ingredients are lousy.
http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/index.html
^incomplete, but, very simple site.
Lists of quality dog foods that i *think* are available in Australia: (incomplete list, i just made list from looking around the internet, i have no idea of ALL the brands available in Australia, i can not find a site that is about Australian dog foods)
You can not do better than Raw feeding, if you can afford it. Clever ppl do find ways to get meat at low costs, etc.
Or, even make your own dog food, like once a month, whip up a big batch, and add in veggies, rice or oats here or there as you have to, to create enough dog food, and freeze it in freezer bags, etc. I have done this now and then, when i see some meat on sale, i cook it up, (my dog balks at raw meat)
add in some cooked softened up veggies,
some rice or oats,
and slop it into freezer bags for now and then changes in his diet.
I thaw it out, or give it frozen, either way, my dog loves it.
Incomplete list Dog foods for sale in AU that are okay, to good, to great: (but, most of these seem pricey, imo) I *think* these are available in AU, but, i'm not sure.
Acana
Artemis
Black Hawk dog food
Canidae
Eagle Pack/ Holistic Select
Innova/Evo
Nature's Instinct
Some of the Nutro lines seem okay.
Nutrience
Orijen
Rotation
Wellbeing dog food
So-so dog foods:
Royal Canin---some of it's versions are not so great, but seems better than what you have now.
Merrick, some say it's great, some say it's so-so.
Dog foods i see are available in Australia that are NOT good include Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Dogpro, Pedigree, Alpo, Supercoat,
However, it seems some ingredients used in Australian versions of some of these brands may vary from other countries versions,
so it'd be better to have an Australian site to refer to....
sorry, i guess this is not helpful, and i do know what it is like to be on a budget, i do. I hope some Australian members come by here, and give you some better help.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
does not update for years and years, and even when it HAS made a mistake, it won't correct or amend the reviews, so that site IS a good start,
but, the site admins there do not seem real up to date, imo. ..... I am not sure the site admins are even still there anymore. (?).This one seems to stay up to date with current reviews:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
^DO look at the articles going down the side of the home page, too, after a while, you barely need to read a professional review, cuz you can learn which ingredients are GOOD,
and which ingredients are lousy.
http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/index.html
^incomplete, but, very simple site.
Lists of quality dog foods that i *think* are available in Australia: (incomplete list, i just made list from looking around the internet, i have no idea of ALL the brands available in Australia, i can not find a site that is about Australian dog foods)
You can not do better than Raw feeding, if you can afford it. Clever ppl do find ways to get meat at low costs, etc.
Or, even make your own dog food, like once a month, whip up a big batch, and add in veggies, rice or oats here or there as you have to, to create enough dog food, and freeze it in freezer bags, etc. I have done this now and then, when i see some meat on sale, i cook it up, (my dog balks at raw meat)
add in some cooked softened up veggies,
some rice or oats,
and slop it into freezer bags for now and then changes in his diet.
I thaw it out, or give it frozen, either way, my dog loves it.
Incomplete list Dog foods for sale in AU that are okay, to good, to great: (but, most of these seem pricey, imo) I *think* these are available in AU, but, i'm not sure.
Acana
Artemis
Black Hawk dog food
Canidae
Eagle Pack/ Holistic Select
Innova/Evo
Nature's Instinct
Some of the Nutro lines seem okay.
Nutrience
Orijen
Rotation
Wellbeing dog food
So-so dog foods:
Royal Canin---some of it's versions are not so great, but seems better than what you have now.
Merrick, some say it's great, some say it's so-so.
Dog foods i see are available in Australia that are NOT good include Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Dogpro, Pedigree, Alpo, Supercoat,
However, it seems some ingredients used in Australian versions of some of these brands may vary from other countries versions,
so it'd be better to have an Australian site to refer to....
sorry, i guess this is not helpful, and i do know what it is like to be on a budget, i do. I hope some Australian members come by here, and give you some better help.
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
And Evie, i think it is both sweet, and admirable, that you are researching dog foods.
We all just do the best we can, with what we can afford, and what we understand at the time.
Also, Evie, you said:
//Australia is seriously lacking standards in its pet foods. //
uhm, sorry, but i think most of Australia's crappiest dog foods come from America,
and we in America, i think, can take the dubious crown for
"Country With the Worst Dog Foods Ever"..... uhm, i think that would be america...
..
in USA, we can sell bags of poop, cardboard, ACTUAL POISONS,
hooves, beaks, peanut shells, etc,
and label it "Premium"and charge a lot of money for it, too.
and have vets tell you it's you "great"
Evie, you should consider starting up a website, rating all of Australia's dog foods,
you could get famous. You could sell advertising spots down the margins,
While searching for a site that rates Australian dog foods,
i did notice many many other ppl wanting the same thing as you wanted-------an unbiased site, to compare the nutrional value of Australian dog foods.
You could name the website after your dog, "Evie's Australian Dog Food Analysis" or something!!!
We all just do the best we can, with what we can afford, and what we understand at the time.
Also, Evie, you said:
//Australia is seriously lacking standards in its pet foods. //
uhm, sorry, but i think most of Australia's crappiest dog foods come from America,
and we in America, i think, can take the dubious crown for
"Country With the Worst Dog Foods Ever"..... uhm, i think that would be america...
..in USA, we can sell bags of poop,
cardboard, ACTUAL POISONS, hooves, beaks, peanut shells, etc,and label it "Premium"and charge a lot of money for it, too.
and have vets tell you it's you "great"
Evie, you should consider starting up a website, rating all of Australia's dog foods,
you could get famous. You could sell advertising spots down the margins,
While searching for a site that rates Australian dog foods,
i did notice many many other ppl wanting the same thing as you wanted-------an unbiased site, to compare the nutrional value of Australian dog foods.
You could name the website after your dog, "Evie's Australian Dog Food Analysis" or something!!!
Just had to jump in on this one here, not meaning to offend you in any way Dogster, so I hope I don't...but just to clarify, animal digest being possibly "miscellaneous roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters"--THIS little tidbit of information that some completely uninformed person put on that Wikipedia page is entirely wrong and untrue. When you see unspecified meat products in a dog food ("ANIMAL" byproducts, "ANIMAL" digest, etc), it is true that this could be various animals of different species, and it is certainly NOT the healthiest parts of the animal that you would want your dog consuming...but, it is not from roadkill or euthanized animals. Sorry, lol, as an Animal Science major I just had to jump in a defend the industry...
Great breakdown of Evie's food, though!
Good luck on your dog food search Evie!
Great breakdown of Evie's food, though!
Good luck on your dog food search Evie!
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
Well, Tx and Dogster are both right.
Tx is right, when dog food companies add in dead dogs to their dog foods, they do not call it "animal digest" (well, not usually, although, there are some articles on the net from reputable sources which DO say dead animals ARE labelled as "animal digest").
and Dogster is right, some dog food companies may indeed, be adding in dead, euthanized dogs and cats to dog foods.
And there is no law against adding in euthanized, dead dogs or cats into dog food (or cat food, either). They label this as unspecified "meat", actually just calling it "meat" in the ingredient list.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/euthanized-pets-dog-food/
do NOT watch the video embedded in THIS link....if you plan to eat anytime this week:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dogs-meat-meal/
^THAT is why you want to avoid any dog food which lists generic "meat" in it's ingredient list.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/shocking-truth-about-dog-food/
"Animal digest" can be actual poop.
//Sorry, lol, as an Animal Science major I just had to jump in a defend the industry..//
It's a hard industry to defend at times, Tx, and certainly, not ALL dog food manufacturers participate is such horrific standards, but, sadly, some do. But, i'll stand beside you to defend animal sciences!!!
but i could not dream of even trying to defend the entire dog food industry..to me, those are two different areas, two different things. ("animal sciences" and dog food manufacturers, i see, as two different things, imo)
Tx is right, when dog food companies add in dead dogs to their dog foods, they do not call it "animal digest" (well, not usually, although, there are some articles on the net from reputable sources which DO say dead animals ARE labelled as "animal digest").
and Dogster is right, some dog food companies may indeed, be adding in dead, euthanized dogs and cats to dog foods.
And there is no law against adding in euthanized, dead dogs or cats into dog food (or cat food, either). They label this as unspecified "meat", actually just calling it "meat" in the ingredient list.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/euthanized-pets-dog-food/
do NOT watch the video
embedded in THIS link....if you plan to eat anytime this week:http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dogs-meat-meal/
^THAT is why you want to avoid any dog food which lists generic "meat" in it's ingredient list.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/shocking-truth-about-dog-food/
"Animal digest" can be actual poop.
//Sorry, lol, as an Animal Science major I just had to jump in a defend the industry..//
It's a hard industry to defend at times, Tx, and certainly, not ALL dog food manufacturers participate is such horrific standards, but, sadly, some do. But, i'll stand beside you to defend animal sciences!!!
but i could not dream of even trying to defend the entire dog food industry..to me, those are two different areas, two different things. ("animal sciences" and dog food manufacturers, i see, as two different things, imo)
LOL
Not offended at all, Dogster.
Tigerlily, yes, it is a tough industry to defend sometimes. It certainly has come a very, very, very long way in just the last 10 years, and if you're not in the industry it's very hard to see. A lot of positive changes have been made to meat production and the harvest of animals, which directly impacts the pet food industry. Not to say that the animal science industry is perfect, as it most certainly is not. But, it's not what the media and PETA make it out to be, either. Take for instance the "PINK SLIME" mess that's all over the news. It's not at all what chef Jamie Oliver made it out to be, but the media went crazy with it and the meat industry has taken a HUGE loss simply because one person didn't understand the process and spread an uneducated explanation of it.
Anyway...lol not going to get in any arguements over this, just had to get on my soapbox a little bit...sorry for the thread derail.
Tigerlily, yes, it is a tough industry to defend sometimes. It certainly has come a very, very, very long way in just the last 10 years, and if you're not in the industry it's very hard to see. A lot of positive changes have been made to meat production and the harvest of animals, which directly impacts the pet food industry. Not to say that the animal science industry is perfect, as it most certainly is not. But, it's not what the media and PETA make it out to be, either. Take for instance the "PINK SLIME" mess that's all over the news. It's not at all what chef Jamie Oliver made it out to be, but the media went crazy with it and the meat industry has taken a HUGE loss simply because one person didn't understand the process and spread an uneducated explanation of it.
Anyway...lol not going to get in any arguements over this, just had to get on my soapbox a little bit...sorry for the thread derail.
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
Looping back to conversation on page 2 of this thread,
i finally got a "SHED MONSTER" brush, and i just love it.
I have only used it the one time, just now, and it was just exactly like the video on their website, or the tv commercial,
where you see them pull the brush through one time, and get handfuls of hair out.
This only costs $14.97 . I got this at Walmart.
some Petsmarts also carry it, but mine didn't.
I liked this one, cuz it is so cheap,
and cuz it says it is not sharp/won't scratch their skin like some do. I ran it over my own skin, it did not hurt. It has a lil curve in the blades tip, which are not sharp.
http://www.amazon.com/ShedMonster-De-Shedding-Tool-Medium-Coats/dp/B0052YFPWM
His fur is so much thinner now, i can tell just by running my hands through it, he is now only half the dog he was 30 minutes ago
I plan to repeat this "de-shedding" again in a week or so, too.
i finally got a "SHED MONSTER" brush, and i just love it.
I have only used it the one time, just now, and it was just exactly like the video on their website, or the tv commercial,
where you see them pull the brush through one time, and get handfuls of hair out.
This only costs $14.97 . I got this at Walmart.
some Petsmarts also carry it, but mine didn't.
I liked this one, cuz it is so cheap,
and cuz it says it is not sharp/won't scratch their skin like some do. I ran it over my own skin, it did not hurt. It has a lil curve in the blades tip, which are not sharp.
http://www.amazon.com/ShedMonster-De-Shedding-Tool-Medium-Coats/dp/B0052YFPWM
WORKED GREAT.
His fur is so much thinner now, i can tell just by running my hands through it, he is now only half the dog he was 30 minutes ago
!
This made his fur even more shiney
and more silky now. It seemed to just removed Buddy's massive, thick undercoat.......big gobs of poofy balls of undercoat came out with each and every swipe.
I filled an entire plastic grocery bag with fur!!!
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
There is also a short hair shed-monster, and a longer hair shed monster. Oddly, the long hair one is NOT labelled "long hair",
but, the long hair version shows a golden retriever and a cat on the package,
and the short hair one shows a black lab and a cat on the package.
since the short hair one IS labelled "short hair", i could hold other box and see, this here one has longer comb on it..still is odd the box is not labelled "longhair" but, whatever.. also odd, the short hair version costs $19, and the long hair one costs $15.
I hear that "Shedmonster" does not work so great for short haired dogs or cats.
but, my dog has fairly long hair. Especially his "skirt" is way long.
Works great for my long-hair dog.
but, the long hair version shows a golden retriever and a cat on the package,and the short hair one shows a black lab and a cat on the package.
since the short hair one IS labelled "short hair", i could hold other box and see, this here one has longer comb on it..still is odd the box is not labelled "longhair" but, whatever.. also odd, the short hair version costs $19, and the long hair one costs $15.
I hear that "Shedmonster" does not work so great for short haired dogs or cats.
but, my dog has fairly long hair. Especially his "skirt" is way long.
Works great for my long-hair dog.
LOL
tigerlily46514
Honored Member
Mr-Remington
Experienced Member
My pups coat is starting to get fluffy. I try to brush him everyday, but he fights me. It takes two people to brush him. Is there anything I can do to get him to stand or lay calmly for me?
Evie
Experienced Member
Yep!
Do you use a clicker with him? If not, I'd highly recommend it.
UGHHH Just went to link you back to a video that CollieMan made when teaching his pup to stand to be brushed... but he's made the video's private. Sigh.
Anyway, if your pup's not coping with being brushed you need to go right back to basics. Start by touching the brush on the pup and then reward. Don't actually brush him at the moment, just touch him with it gently. If you want your puppy to be standing while being brushed, you can lure him into a standing position with a treat, touch him with the brush, then click/reward. You need to have your puppy happily being touch all over with the brush (by touching him with the brush and rewarding him) before you start brushing. Then in little baby steps you will need to do (for example) one brush stroke, then reward. Once again, you'll need to do this all over his body, wherever you intend on brushing later, not just on his back and remember that after one stroke each time you must reward. After you puppy is happily getting one brush stroke on him, increase it to two and so on.
Sorry my explaining skills are terrible but I'm sure someone else will explain it better. Just keep in mind that the purpose of the exercise in the beginning is NOT to brush the puppy. Firstly you need for the puppy to associate the brush/being brushed with good things - in this case, rewards. So for a week or so, you aim should not be to brush the pup, but to get the pup associating the brush with "OMG this means good things" by doing what I said above. It's very important to take it in small steps and if your puppy isn't 100% happy at being touched with the brush all over, then do not move onto the one brush stroke all over until he is. Same thing goes for the next step, if the pup isnt 100% happy having one brush stroke on his feet (but he is on his back), do NOT move onto 2 strokes anywhere. You would just need to practise the one stroke for a bit longer until he's a happy pup
Oh I should also mention that if you intend on using different types of brushes you will need to go through this process with the pup with each different brush. They all feel different and look different and the pup needs to have the opportunity to associate each one of the brushes with good things. It should be a much quicker process with the second or third brush you do it with, but you should take the time to do it all the same.
If you follow this process you will end up with a dog who loves being brushed rather than one that insists on running away or trying to eat the brush....
Hope this helps, and someone else will probably add bits of information which i forgot about and they might even be better at explaining it LOL
Goodluck.
Do you use a clicker with him? If not, I'd highly recommend it.
UGHHH Just went to link you back to a video that CollieMan made when teaching his pup to stand to be brushed... but he's made the video's private. Sigh.
Anyway, if your pup's not coping with being brushed you need to go right back to basics. Start by touching the brush on the pup and then reward. Don't actually brush him at the moment, just touch him with it gently. If you want your puppy to be standing while being brushed, you can lure him into a standing position with a treat, touch him with the brush, then click/reward. You need to have your puppy happily being touch all over with the brush (by touching him with the brush and rewarding him) before you start brushing. Then in little baby steps you will need to do (for example) one brush stroke, then reward. Once again, you'll need to do this all over his body, wherever you intend on brushing later, not just on his back and remember that after one stroke each time you must reward. After you puppy is happily getting one brush stroke on him, increase it to two and so on.
Sorry my explaining skills are terrible but I'm sure someone else will explain it better. Just keep in mind that the purpose of the exercise in the beginning is NOT to brush the puppy. Firstly you need for the puppy to associate the brush/being brushed with good things - in this case, rewards. So for a week or so, you aim should not be to brush the pup, but to get the pup associating the brush with "OMG this means good things" by doing what I said above. It's very important to take it in small steps and if your puppy isn't 100% happy at being touched with the brush all over, then do not move onto the one brush stroke all over until he is. Same thing goes for the next step, if the pup isnt 100% happy having one brush stroke on his feet (but he is on his back), do NOT move onto 2 strokes anywhere. You would just need to practise the one stroke for a bit longer until he's a happy pup
Oh I should also mention that if you intend on using different types of brushes you will need to go through this process with the pup with each different brush. They all feel different and look different and the pup needs to have the opportunity to associate each one of the brushes with good things. It should be a much quicker process with the second or third brush you do it with, but you should take the time to do it all the same.
If you follow this process you will end up with a dog who loves being brushed rather than one that insists on running away or trying to eat the brush....
Hope this helps, and someone else will probably add bits of information which i forgot about and they might even be better at explaining it LOL
Goodluck.
Mr-Remington
Experienced Member
Evie- Thank you I am going to give this a try tonight! Wish me luck