[HappyHippy]

Hi,

I've been out test driving my new car that hubby bought for me !
(Sound like I'm showing off ? It's a wee 1.1 Fiesta and it only cost £100, but it's REALLY tidy and MOT'd til Sept)
My trusty old subaru estate is on it's last legs with both CV joints on the way out, a leaking sump and an exhaust that's just held together by mud ! So it'll be relegated to working out in the fields lugging stuff about.

I'm lucky enough to be excused from cleaning up in the garden after the dog on account of the fact I'm pregnant and don't want to risk toxo-thingimiyjig!  But it's usually my job and not a pleasant one (especially when the dog in question is an 8 and a 1/2 stone german shepherd who s**ts like a shetland pony lol!)

My seed catalouges are dog eared already, but can't really justify ordering until I've got the beds built (still waiting for the weather and hubby's gout to improve !) but til then I'll keep planning !

Karen   

[Guy]

hussar - also managed to get the base for the new fire in the bedroom in - and my daughters boyfriend (builder - v. handy at times , has fitted new window sills in hall and lounge also found where the rats have nested this winter - compost bin 2 , bloomin big b*gger

[doganjo]

8 and a 1/2 stone german shepherd who s**ts like a shetland pony

What do you feed it on - that has a lot to do with what is produced at the other end.  Maybe you'll need to change to a better grade of dog food.  I can recommend new one just out - Challenge.
Annie

[HappyHippy]

Hi Annie,
He doesn't actually eat that much ! 1 normal sized can with about the same of mixer once a day (and whatever the kids don't finish - but not broccolli anymore since i discovered it's toxic to dogs)
He does love cheese though and can tell if you've taken it out the fridge even if he's at the other end of the house, also tomatoes, carrots and most veg - but he doesn't get that kind of stuff every day or anything.
I suspect it's the mixer that just 'bulks up' and produces large amounts (or maybe it just feels that way cos I'm the one who has to clean it up lol!)
Karen x

[ballingall]

Had a busy weekend here, the other half spent Saturday down in Dumfries, so I took the opportunity to muck out the big double pen in the goat shed. We deep litter the goats, so it takes a good hour to muck out a single size pen, and 2 hours for the double one. Me and the Jack Russell caught another rat (big one this time after the babies we got in the last mucking out session). Also trimmed the feet of our two visiting goats in preparation for them going home, and cut Kream's feet for the last time before she has her babies- due in about 4 weeks. Other jobs like feeding goats, chickens etc were all done, I don't tend to mention them as they're normal routine!

This morning, we unloaded the big bale of hay out of the van and into the goat shed, loaded up the two visiting goats and took them home to Auchterarder, where there was a lot more snow than here. Then went on to Perth and the Scottish National poultry show where we bought a pair of Indian runners and a trio of Cayuga ducks.    I never showed poultry a lot, but people that I don't even remember were stopping to say hello! Home again, to sort out houses for the ducks, and cleaned out the chickens as well- who were a bit perturbed to have Cayuga's as their new next door neighbours!

Sabrina, glad to hear the news you recieved was good 

[doganjo]

1 normal sized can with about the same of mixer once a day

That sounds very little for a dog of that size.  My dogs weigh about 16 to 18 kg and get a large cup (not quite mug sized) of complete dried food twice a day each, with a little warm water and a spoonful of tinned food or scraps to mix it.  My GWP has a weight problem and probably weighs about the same as your Shepherd, so she gets the same as the others.  My dogs take a lot of exercise so they are presently on Wagg Worker, but I am about to try Challenge although it's a lot dearer.

Mine poo twice a day and I lift it right away.  I like to check they are normal stools, but then that's because I'm a dog breeder I suppose

I would suggest the tinned food isn't giving him enough bulk and the mixer is going right through him.  Try a complete with a small amount of tinned instead.
Annie

[ballingall]

We feed similarly to Annie, ours get a complete dried food (own brand for the jack russell and the young collie and Bakers for Jess because she is so picky with food, and it is her favourite) then we mix it with a tin of sardines in sunflower oil. The own brand sardines only cost 30-35p per tin and we only use one a day.

We have fed mixer with tinned meat before, and my mother still would given her choice, but I prefer the complete food.

[sandy]

I feed my dogs an all in one working dog food, gold medal Dr something? anyway, I give both dogs a cupful twice a day and sometimes they will have something else mixed in, usually leftover something although I left a bin bag in the yard yesterday and forgot to put it in the dustbin, so Islay a Labrador, had all the treats in her bed, we arrived to be greeted by her with a potato in her mouth!!! saying that, I noticed the last bit of jam sponge had dissapeared from my kitchen and it wasn't Steve!!!
Yesterday I spent a lot of time moving from room to room doing nothing. Steve went logging for a while, I did my hair several times and it ended up ridged with hairspray, then I cooked some spaghetti for the chickens and made them a strawberry jam sandwhich for a treat, while they were eating I cleaned out the hutch and took some photos but they kept moving or trying to get the camera. I went to work for an hour then to Stirling for food, we ate too much, Steve spend the last £5 we had with us in a charity shop, he bought some books to read on the train, then we came home and then went to Stirling again to collect a table and chairs for outside.....so Today, I am determine to get much more done, first, coffee and toast and of course some couch surfing!!

[Guy]

we use tesco complete dog food (chicken) £10 a sack - 1.5 scoops am and one scoop pm , from the youngster to the old gal!! all look really well and have bags of energy ( two of them took apart a compost bin last night to catch a rat!!!). anyway not much doing here today as i have to go back to work later.

[rustyme]

I feed my lot with Gusto adult complete dried from tesco. It costs £5.95 for 10 kilos, it is a working dog feed so therefore vat free.  They all get any leftovers added to, or instead of ,the dried food , depending on what the leftovers are. The spaniels get one tin twice a day and the weimaraner gets just a tad more,plus a slice of white bread. I use empty soup tins as a measure. The morning feed I add water with a couple of spoonsful of bisto granules in , and the evening one they just have water on it. There is always fresh water for them when they want it . The food keeps them in good condition and a bag lasts about 8 days , so not very dear to keep 4 dogs. I have used Dr John gold and wagg worker , but I went to Gusto as it was cheaper but also it had the same protein and vitamins etc plus tesco deliver it with my weekly shop.

cheers

Russ

[doganjo]

Thanks, Russ might try that one.  Don't over do the Bisto though - is there salt in it?  salt can be a problem.

[rustyme]

hello Annie,
             I hadn't really thought about the salt content . The dogs get any leftovers from the table and they have any  gravy  on that !!!! But the amount they have in the water I put on their food is only 2 teaspoons Mixed with 2 litres of water and that is shared between all 4.  Would you think that ok ? The leftovers with gravy isn't very often ( I was bought up to eat whats on the plate , so I do ) . If it is a bit iffy I can always buy them something without salt.....Not sure what though ?

cheers

Russ

[sandy]

I'm no dog expert, just like them as companions but it's funny how we put our tastes onto dogs, I also sometimes put Bisto or similar on, often a bit of oil or occasionaly a raw egg mixed in, in fact, I bet if dogs could choose they would eat some rotting carcus and some other very smelly stuff like poo!!! I know that when I give my dogs too richer food they tend to get loose stools, I also find the bigger lumps in the dried food I buy better as they have to eat a bit slower, I did have a terrier and he was a very fussy eater, the only thing I do no is NO sweeties for them (or  me) and you do not have to have the expensive stuff, that is unless you want to spend your money....anyway, my Chickens are fussy eaters, they have thier daily greens from the wild, either a sandwhich jam or cheese, or some pasta and of course corn and pettlets, they otherwise forrage away all day.....

[HappyHippy]

Hi all,

My dog used to have a complete dry mix and we thought he was doing fine on it (he had been a skinny runt of a rescue aged 9 months - previous owners were still feeding him on bread & milk - can you believe it!) however at one visit to the vet she pointed out that he was actually 10Kg overweight (but as I've said before - he's a BIG german shepherd) we reduced his complete food slightly & upped the excercise and he was slowly losing the excess weight. But after leaving him with granny for 5 days (along with his bag of dry food) while we went on holiday, we returned to find she hadn't bothered with the dry mix but was feeding him mince and tripe instead !
So not surprisingly he totally turned his nose up at dry food, we adopted the half dog meat half dry to get him at least eating SOME dry food and are planning to now reduce the amount of wet food.

Annie, I know it doesn't seem much at all (especially when compared to what my friend's St Bernards eats!) but he's just not interested in it - think he prefers to hold out for treats! But he's got plenty of energy when we're out and just loves lying about in the house the rest of the time so I'm not too worried about him - might try the working dog mix though rather than a typical complete mix & see how he goes.

On the subject of Bakers Complete - we had another GSD who went a bit aggresive, after trying various other options we contacted a dog behaviourist to try and help (the dog was fed on Bakers complete) and one of the things she told me was that Bakers have colourings in the food that some dogs react to, much the same as children react to colourings, it was a few years ago and ingredients may have changed since then - but thought I'd mention it anyway.

Karen  

[lordlonk]

2 year end accounts very overdue - completly wrecking my head -
orders to pack
hungry cat and german shepherd
scaffolders have blocked the entrance to my office with scaffoldfor next 2 weeks - wasnt happy

saw a sucsessfullady  in food on breakfast yesterday said she wont have lunch till she gets a order -might be a bit hungry today