The Dog Thread

[Unchained]

Roubaix is without her toe,no infection,no mobility issues and she is the happiest to not have to wear the cone anymore..

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Roubaix is without her toe,no infection,no mobility issues and she is the happiest to not have to wear the cone anymore..

Fantastic news!

Give her a tummy rub for me, will ya?

 

[Rob5091]

Sad news that the World's oldest dog has died -
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67194721

The world's oldest dog ever has died at the age of 31 years and 165 days.
Guinness World Record holder Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, passed away at his home in Portugal on Saturday.
His death was announced on social media by a veterinarian who met Bobi several times.
"Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him," wrote Dr Karen Becker.

 

[froze]

Amazing! The oldest dogs I ever knew were a 21-year-old Chocolate Lab who later died without making it to 22, and a Chihuahua that also died at 20; and I thought that was old for a dog! None of my dogs have made it past 12...yet.

 

[Unchained]

Amazing! The oldest dogs I ever knew were a 21-year-old Chocolate Lab who later died without making it to 22, and a Chihuahua that also died at 20; and I thought that was old for a dog! None of my dogs have made it past 12...yet.

I worry all the time.. Both my dogs have grey and white hair and they are both ok but I do know they are getting older..

 

[Rob5091]

I think the reason Bobi lived so long was eating human grade food and to quote the BBC article, a "calm, peaceful environment". No stress.

 

[Unchained]

I think the reason Bobi lived so long was eating human grade food and to quote the BBC article, a "calm, peaceful environment". No stress.

Been having problems with both dogs not eating straight kibble regardless of flavor ( and price!!) Instead they leave the food sit for hours, all day and sparrows, pigeons and seagulls come on the patio to eat from the dog bowls. We took the step to making a hybrid chicken soup w sweet potato, rice and spinach, a take on a YouTube recipe. We combine a small amount of the broth mix with the dry food and they destroy it in minutes, bowls of food finished and licked clean in 5 minutes. They are not telling me something I didn't already know.. They prefer human grade food to even the most expensive dog designed food

 

[Rob5091]

Been having problems with both dogs not eating straight kibble regardless of flavor ( and price!!) Instead they leave the food sit for hours, all day and sparrows, pigeons and seagulls come on the patio to eat from the dog bowls. We took the step to making a hybrid chicken soup w sweet potato, rice and spinach, a take on a YouTube recipe. We combine a small amount of the broth mix with the dry food and they destroy it in minutes, bowls of food finished and licked clean in 5 minutes. They are not telling me something I didn't already know.. They prefer human grade food to even the most expensive dog designed food

If chicken works then we found turkey is just as popular.

 

[froze]

I think the reason Bobi lived so long was eating human grade food and to quote the BBC article, a "calm, peaceful environment". No stress.

I can't dispute that, but I've known people who have done just that with their dogs and they don't live any longer than my dogs do that get fed food in a bag. They seem to average 8 to 12 years depending on the size of the dog, usually, the bigger ones like Great Danes are about 8 years. That guy I knew that had those 20 to 21-year-old brown labs told me it was genetic selection is why his all lived a long time. He had around 20 of those dogs and sold them with papers of course, and all of his dogs from that genetic family tree lived to in their late teens and early twenties, and because of that, he got more money for his pups than others did.

I'm sure dog food is important, but I feed mine Blue Buffalo and they live what the average expectancy is for whatever breed we've had, so I'm not killing them prematurely by feeding them bag food. We used to feed our dogs cheaper dog food, but we had kids at the time and trying to run a business, so money was tight, so we just bought cheap Purina bag food. For some reason, in one month bagged dog food, like the Blue Buffalo jumped $15? We used to pay $45 at Costco and now they want $60, and checking around the pet stores wanted more than that. I understand inflation but in one month??

Before any of you go crazy on me about what I said, I'm not a dog expert, I have a hard enough time training dogs! I'm just parroting back what I've been told over the years.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I can't dispute that, but I've known people who have done just that with their dogs and they don't live any longer than my dogs do that get fed food in a bag. They seem to average 8 to 12 years depending on the size of the dog, usually, the bigger ones like Great Danes are about 8 years. That guy I knew that had those 20 to 21-year-old brown labs told me it was genetic selection is why his all lived a long time. He had around 20 of those dogs and sold them with papers of course, and all of his dogs from that genetic family tree lived to in their late teens and early twenties, and because of that, he got more money for his pups than others did.

I'm sure dog food is important, but I feed mine Blue Buffalo and they live what the average expectancy is for whatever breed we've had, so I'm not killing them prematurely by feeding them bag food. We used to feed our dogs cheaper dog food, but we had kids at the time and trying to run a business, so money was tight, so we just bought cheap Purina bag food. For some reason, in one month bagged dog food, like the Blue Buffalo jumped $15? We used to pay $45 at Costco and now they want $60, and checking around the pet stores wanted more than that. I understand inflation but in one month??

Before any of you go crazy on me about what I said, I'm not a dog expert, I have a hard enough time training dogs! I'm just parroting back what I've been told over the years.

Dog breeds can be fickle, some live longer than others and some purebreds have very specific genetic anomalies. (I think it's all that inbreeding and whatnot.) Especially once they get older I think as long as you find food that they still willingly eat (and you're willing and able to pay for if it's pricey) it's all right.

Our dog Toby (a mini Schnauzer-American Eskimo mix) is 15 now and still hanging in there, but he's definitely slowing down. He still likes his Freshpet food though, so, while not the cheapest I can live with that. Seemingly overnight the large roll of Freshpet went up by at least $5 during the height of Covid, btw., the price never really went back down. Ah well, Toby is worth it no matter how much or little time he has left.

 

[Rob5091]

I came to the conclusion that human grade food is cheaper in the long run then the vets bills and kinder to the dog too. As for certain breeds, it is telling that vets have started to tell people not to buy certain breeds (like pugs, bulldogs and King Charles spaniels) as they're so inbred.

 

[froze]

From the way humans act in this world, I think we're a bunch of deranged inbreds too!

 

[Rob5091]

From the way humans act in this world, I think we're a bunch of deranged inbreds too!

Talking of deranged inbreds and as Halloween is just around the corner, the most gruesome bit of prime- time TV and I believe only shown once on TV, the X-files epsisode "Home"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(The_X-Files)

 

[froze]

Talking of deranged inbreds and as Halloween is just around the corner, the most gruesome bit of prime- time TV and I believe only shown once on TV, the X-files epsisode "Home"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(The_X-Files)

I never watched all the episodes of the X-Files, was always too busy to watch much TV. But I did like the show, and that particular episode seemed interesting.

At one time the human population was not that great, and I think people inbreeded with each other since any other community could be miles away, too far to travel, so they inbreeded with each other to keep the population growing in that community. As time went on that became worse and worse.

We see very strong evidence of that within the Amish community, there is even a small town near where I live where most of the community is related to each other, and they do at times marry each other, but most of the time they don't realize that they're related and they either find out just before or just after marriage, then they have to divorce, or stay together and forget about it! The Amish are secretive about their children that turned out less than perfect, they hide them at their homes and only go to English communities without the seriously impaired ones. But as a whole, I seriously believe that due to all the inbreeding, the human race is facing a serious problem that will eventually destroy it, either due to our own insanity, or from ailments we can't recover from, or evolve into something substantially less than we are today, which is pretty bad by itself.

Most people don't want to accept the fact we're declining in that regard due to inbreeding because we all think we're normal, sort of like a person who has schizophrenia, they think they're normal and will stop taking their meds. The only thing that might save the human race if we don't destroy ourselves first, is some sort of correction man can do to our DNA to make it stronger and better.

Anyway, just my theory.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Talking of deranged inbreds and as Halloween is just around the corner, the most gruesome bit of prime- time TV and I believe only shown once on TV, the X-files epsisode "Home"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(The_X-Files)

I saw that episode and it just totally gave me the heebie-jeebies, it's something that sticks in your mind and not something I'd like to rewatch. It's just really scary and very disturbing stuff, better than any Halloween horror movie.

 

[Rob5091]

Probably published to ward off people wondering why their dog does not live to be 30, the UK's Guardian has a follow up on the recently deceased Bobi. A veterinary professor of animal welfare, Andrew Knight, talks,
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...as-long-as-bobi-reported-to-have-died-aged-31
"... there are ways to help your dog lead a long and healthy life. Bobi could have benefited from the owners’ decision not to keep him on a lead. “His lifestyle seems to have provided plenty of opportunity to exercise and explore his peaceful farm and forested surroundings without restriction, helping Bobi to stay physically and mentally well,” said Knight.

Bobi was said to have been fed human food soaked in water to remove seasoning, a detail that has stoked controversy in the veterinary community and has been upheld as a shining example by raw feeding advocates."

Then of course, the usual cr*p about kibbles being healthy - it's junk! it's the left overs, swept up from the floor in the slaughterhouse and then burnt to a crisp! It's a way to make money from waste basically. Ground up bones, beaks, feet, claws, skin whatever. Do some research and wonder why it costs nearly as much as human grade meat and fish - it's a scam!

 

[Unchained]

From the way humans act in this world, I think we're a bunch of deranged inbreds too!

Good thing my parents could not test me or my brother or we would have surely been left for adoption..Would have had a baby wristband at the hospital saying " free to a good home "

 

[Rob5091]

Two women sue Hills about "prescription diet" foods -
https://www.pmkm.com/judge-greenlig...e-conduct-in-marketing-prescription-pet-food/

Judge greenlights class action against Hill’s for “unethical and unscrupulous” conduct in marketing pet food to the owners of sick cats and dogs​

On Friday, September 29, 2023, A federal judge decided that an $80 million lawsuit against Hill’s Pet Nutrition can move forward as a class action. U.S. District Court Judge Jorge L. Alonso (Northern District of Illinois) came to that decision after reviewing evidence that supported allegations that Hill’s, one of the largest pet food makers in the world, engaged in deceptive, “unethical and unscrupulous” conduct in the marketing of “Prescription Diet” products, a high-priced line of pet foods sold to the owners of sick cats and dogs.
The lawsuit brought by Illinois women Holly Vanzant and Sherry Nevius alleges that Hill’s tricked them and other consumers into paying inflated prices by naming the brand “Prescription Diet” and requiring consumers to obtain a veterinary prescription in order to buy the food. The suit also alleges that Hill’s marketed the pet food as helping to “cure, treat or mitigate” diseases in sick pets, even though the products contain no drugs or medicines and no government regulator ever authorized the company to make such drug-marketing claims about the products.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Two women sue Hills about "prescription diet" foods -
https://www.pmkm.com/judge-greenlig...e-conduct-in-marketing-prescription-pet-food/

Judge greenlights class action against Hill’s for “unethical and unscrupulous” conduct in marketing pet food to the owners of sick cats and dogs​

On Friday, September 29, 2023, A federal judge decided that an $80 million lawsuit against Hill’s Pet Nutrition can move forward as a class action. U.S. District Court Judge Jorge L. Alonso (Northern District of Illinois) came to that decision after reviewing evidence that supported allegations that Hill’s, one of the largest pet food makers in the world, engaged in deceptive, “unethical and unscrupulous” conduct in the marketing of “Prescription Diet” products, a high-priced line of pet foods sold to the owners of sick cats and dogs.
The lawsuit brought by Illinois women Holly Vanzant and Sherry Nevius alleges that Hill’s tricked them and other consumers into paying inflated prices by naming the brand “Prescription Diet” and requiring consumers to obtain a veterinary prescription in order to buy the food. The suit also alleges that Hill’s marketed the pet food as helping to “cure, treat or mitigate” diseases in sick pets, even though the products contain no drugs or medicines and no government regulator ever authorized the company to make such drug-marketing claims about the products.

My vets are all stocked up on a certain pet food, never paid attention to what brand it is. (Could it be Hill's? I'll have to check next time.) But I never felt forced or encouraged to buy it, the cool vets will just tell you to get your pet food at Costco or whatever and not directly from them because they know they're overpriced. (No worries, they make up for it in actual vet bills - Toby's allergy shot costs $90/mo! ) Same thing with dog shampoos and all that - unless it's specifically prescription they'll just say you can get stuff on Amazon for cheaper.

 

[Unchained]

My vets are all stocked up on a certain pet food, never paid attention to what brand it is. (Could it be Hill's? I'll have to check next time.) But I never felt forced or encouraged to buy it, the cool vets will just tell you to get your pet food at Costco or whatever and not directly from them because they know they're overpriced. (No worries, they make up for it in actual vet bills - Toby's allergy shot costs $90/mo! ) Same thing with dog shampoos and all that - unless it's specifically prescription they'll just say you can get stuff on Amazon for cheaper.

This is the same routine ,same old song and dance that in a way really pisses me off. Don't have a strong opinion about Hill's, but for the rest, they are a pretty contemptuous bunch. Iams and Purina and others have Gucci bags of pet food but the price is at least double. Cat was having problems and the vet asking what we were feeding him.. Iams , @$18 bucks and change for a small bag. Vet explained that there is a lot of ash, cereal and bone meal and we would have to start buying food that is " more pure, better quality ". So my problem lies with the big companies making a majority of their products unhealthy, knowingly, and that price point is paramount, not if it's any good for the animals.
And when I really sat back and thought about it, I was sort of defeated. The government agencies, plain human ethics in the US have the majority of human food that is available is unhealthy, not nutritious and like those spooky movies by Morgan Spurlock who ate only McDonald's, most of it will make you sick, worst case dead. So I got over myself when I thought about the majority of pet food being unhealthy, realizing that nobody but the pet owner, the person who cares for and loves the animal cares. Giant corporations don't care if they are poisoning our pets, after all they have stockholders to answer to..Sounds sort of jaded sure, but from my experience I think it's accurate

 

[Rob5091]

Corporations are only in exsistence to make a profit so it's not surprising that they use any legal means possible to cut costs, increase prices etc.
Pets are unfortunately not like farm animals which are destined for human consumption and so have less stringent rules and regulations.
Again, in the long run, it's cheaper to buy good quality human grade food for yourself and a little extra for your pet.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

This is the same routine ,same old song and dance that in a way really pisses me off. Don't have a strong opinion about Hill's, but for the rest, they are a pretty contemptuous bunch. Iams and Purina and others have Gucci bags of pet food but the price is at least double. Cat was having problems and the vet asking what we were feeding him.. Iams , @$18 bucks and change for a small bag. Vet explained that there is a lot of ash, cereal and bone meal and we would have to start buying food that is " more pure, better quality ". So my problem lies with the big companies making a majority of their products unhealthy, knowingly, and that price point is paramount, not if it's any good for the animals.
And when I really sat back and thought about it, I was sort of defeated. The government agencies, plain human ethics in the US have the majority of human food that is available is unhealthy, not nutritious and like those spooky movies by Morgan Spurlock who ate only McDonald's, most of it will make you sick, worst case dead. So I got over myself when I thought about the majority of pet food being unhealthy, realizing that nobody but the pet owner, the person who cares for and loves the animal cares. Giant corporations don't care if they are poisoning our pets, after all they have stockholders to answer to..Sounds sort of jaded sure, but from my experience I think it's accurate

For sure there are shady vets out there who are pushing a specific brand because they're probably getting some kind of a kickback from the shady corporations, I've just been fortunate not to run into them. I just think it's good that nowadays pet owners can at least google the pet food they buy before they buy, that cheap pet food is mostly crappy fillers has been known for a while. That's not to say more expensive food isn't crap either, but at least the info and consumer reviews are out there.

 

[Unchained]

Part of my biching is to try and deflect reality that my dogs are both getting gray hair and think how much longer they would live if they didn't eat Dog Chow for years..I am turning into the guy standing in the yard,in bathrobe, wife beater T-shirt and Crocs yelling at kids to get off the lawn!!

 

[Rob5091]

From 2012-
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/25/151357194/mad-cow-disease-what-you-need-to-know-now

Mad cow disease has been detected in a cow in California, the first time since 2006 that the deadly disease has surfaced in the U.S.
The first is that the cow in question wasn't destined for the food supply. Its carcass had been sent to a rendering plant in California. Those carcasses are typically used for pet food or industrial uses.

https://wagwalking.com/wellness/can-dogs-get-mad-cow-disease
Some researchers say mad cow can affect any animal who eats beef. But the general consensus as of late is that dogs are not susceptible to mad cow disease. Cats, however, are not as lucky.

 

[Unchained]

From 2012-
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/25/151357194/mad-cow-disease-what-you-need-to-know-now

Mad cow disease has been detected in a cow in California, the first time since 2006 that the deadly disease has surfaced in the U.S.
The first is that the cow in question wasn't destined for the food supply. Its carcass had been sent to a rendering plant in California. Those carcasses are typically used for pet food or industrial uses.

https://wagwalking.com/wellness/can-dogs-get-mad-cow-disease
Some researchers say mad cow can affect any animal who eats beef. But the general consensus as of late is that dogs are not susceptible to mad cow disease. Cats, however, are not as lucky.

Geee thanks for the good news..