Tell Me About Your Love of a Dog

[warren]

My wife seems to think she can prepare her own food for this dog. She has researched this. I’m worried though.

There is a great homemade recipe often recommended by vets as a cancer fighter. But, dog's nutritional needs change as they grow and age. Pups need certain foods different from a year old. I'd discuss this with your vet of choice. Find a vet, reputable, with great references and run your wife's idea past him. I'd certainly refrain from such an idea until the pup matures. Also, one food doesn't fit all dogs. Watch the stools and look for any early signs of distress. Dogs take work but, the reward is well worth it.

I had one dog with a mid-life cancer. My wife and I provided a vet recommended home cooked diet for four years. A pound of ground, lean beef, one pound broccoli, and a pound of cottage cheese. Meat and broccoli cooked, cooled and hand mixed with cottage cheese. Serving was a full cup in the morning and the same for the evening meal. We kept a serving in individual freezer containers, one always thawing on the counter. I stress, this was for a middle aged dog with cancer, following a successful removal of the cancer. We got four more quality years out of Brian Boru, a lovely Golden Retriever.

 

[warren]

Don't know why it slipped my mind but, start socializing the puppy immediately, with people and other dogs. This is especially important in populated areas, no jumping happily on unwary people, aggressive behavior should be disciplined immediately.

Training should begin immediately but, make it enjoyable for the pup. Play time as it were. This will be less stressful for the pup and the humans involved.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Im not sure if this is an appropriate story for this group, delete if you must.
A few years ago I was inside our house bathing our two Mastiff/Great Dane mix farm/livestock protection dogs. They had decided that cow crap was a good scent to roll in.
After the baths, while drying them, I hear my wife screaming outside.
I look out the door to see her with our 20 pound Chuihaua/Corgi mix held above her head with three coyotes leaping for him. Moments before one had him in its mouth but my wife attacked(with her voice ), so the coyote dropped our dog.
In an instant my brain said....357 magnum....shotgun.....then I looked down and remember I had 400 pounds of coyote ass kicking dogs with me.
So, I just opened the door.
The dogs went to work.
Two of the coyotes didnt leave the yard, and the third was run down in the woods and.....um......ended.
These dogs have chased off bears, coyotes, bobcats, "wild" dogs, raccoons.....
In fact, they chased a bear yesterday. They have tangled with black bears and coyotes but never ended anything until this time.
My point is, I honestly believe this time was different because my wife was screaming and our little dog was screeching...... like a psycho.
I will grab a picture of them together when I see them. Here is one from an "incident" last year when he got grounded to the house.
When we adopted them their names were Odin and Thor. But those names didnt do it for us. This is Bubba and his twin brother is Roy.
View attachment 309302

Coyote killing dogs are the best!

 

[Sig]

My wife seems to think she can prepare her own food for this dog. She has researched this. I’m worried though.

Thanks again everyone! I’ve read everything everyone posted and looked at the fantastic pictures. This is a look into people from another angle and informative on how a dog can enrich one’s life and family and be a loving friend.

You CAN make your dogs food, but its not as easy as cooking up some meat and vegetables. This works ok when added to a small amount of kibble, or if done with organ meat. Animals organs.....stomach, kidneys, liver......have vital micro nutrients, fats and amino acids your dog needs. Meat and vegetables lack much of these.
The kibble your dog eats is also very important. Dogs do not need corn and wheat.....at all.
The brands we use are "Earthborn" and "Chicken Soup"....these both have varieties that do not contain grains.
We give the dogs half kibble and half "homemade" in the morning and evening. We use game meat/organs and meat and organs from out cattle and hogs.
For what its worth, I am a veterinarian...... who hunts and slaughters livestock.......yes, we do exist.

 

[VDL_Piper]

cooking up some meat and vegetables

Never cook meat or bones for dogs!?

 

[Sig]

Never cook meat or bones for dogs!?

Why is that?
NOT cooking your dogs meat could cause health issues in your dog.
You don't need to overcook the food, but enough to kill dangerous bacteria.
But unless you know how to get the proper nutrients in the food, either don't do it, or also use some dry kibble.
Nutrient deficiency is the most common issue with homemade dog food, but some nutrients can cause toxicity if you use too much. Thats why a BALANCED diet is important.
Feeding uncooked meat to your dog or giving them ANY bones is not advisable. Your dog is NOT a wolf, or a wild animal. Dogs do not have the same gut biome and, due to breeding, they do not have the same digestive tract or size of a wild canine. Even a Great Dane has a much more narrow esophagus than a wolf, and the walls of the esophagus are much thinner.
I cannot tell you how many bones ive pulled from dogs throats, stomachs and intestines.....many dozens over 25 years as a veterinarian.

 

[huntertrw]

Tell Me About Your Love of a Dog​

I would love to tell you about my dogs who have passed, but the subject always brings me to tears. Just remember that a dog will show you grace when you don't deserve it, and also when you do.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Why is that?
NOT cooking your dogs meat could cause health issues in your dog.
You don't need to overcook the food, but enough to kill dangerous bacteria.
But unless you know how to get the proper nutrients in the food, either don't do it, or also use some dry kibble.
Nutrient deficiency is the most common issue with homemade dog food, but some nutrients can cause toxicity if you use too much. Thats why a BALANCED diet is important.
Feeding uncooked meat to your dog or giving them ANY bones is not advisable. Your dog is NOT a wolf, or a wild animal. Dogs do not have the same gut biome and, due to breeding, they do not have the same digestive tract or size of a wild canine. Even a Great Dane has a much more narrow esophagus than a wolf, and the walls of the esophagus are much thinner.
I cannot tell you how many bones ive pulled from dogs throats, stomachs and intestines.....many dozens over 25 years as a veterinarian.

I feed kibble, have too so they get enough protein and energy as I have working dogs who typically cover around 50km per day moving cattle. With regard to the meat/bone, well nutrient is removed and a dogs gut is designed to handle raw meat, bone, fur et al with none of it cooked. Cooked bone splinters and can get stuck in teeth/gums, perforate stomach/bowel. Dogs are wolves, wolves don't cook.........

 

[jerry]

My relationship with our dogs is deeply emotional. All are, or have been, rescues. We have two now, Jackson and Betsy, and lost Maxwell and Gracie within the last few years. Maxwell had injuries that did him in, and Gracie had cancer that wasn’t going away. Being with Max and Gracie in their last moments was one of the most human experiences of my 70 years.




.

 

[milk]

You CAN make your dogs food, but its not as easy as cooking up some meat and vegetables. This works ok when added to a small amount of kibble, or if done with organ meat. Animals organs.....stomach, kidneys, liver......have vital micro nutrients, fats and amino acids your dog needs. Meat and vegetables lack much of these.
The kibble your dog eats is also very important. Dogs do not need corn and wheat.....at all.
The brands we use are "Earthborn" and "Chicken Soup"....these both have varieties that do not contain grains.
We give the dogs half kibble and half "homemade" in the morning and evening. We use game meat/organs and meat and organs from out cattle and hogs.
For what its worth, I am a veterinarian...... who hunts and slaughters livestock.......yes, we do exist.

Thanks for this! I’ll pass it along to my wife.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Been blessed with five great dogs in my life .... pics of a few are all that needs said.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Great looking pups, and good photography!

 

[Sigmund]

I never give my dog bones. I do my best to keep him away from them. He is a Rot with incredibly powerful jaws. He can destroy any of them in short order and then run serious health risks. Ive had to do several xrays on him after he got into things and there were concerns over blockages. Luckily there never has been one.

 

[dingdong]

What more could you ask, for the hard times and the good times..dogs are 100% loyal and never lied
They will wait for you to come home..(and show you if they get bored ) and accompany you wherever


yet sleeps like a handmade, artisan bent billiard

 

[newbroom]

I do love dogs. I've had several in the course of a lifetime. I'm 76 this month! I don't feel able to keep up with the responsibility of a dog. I am always having to go to see one or another darned medical professional and at my age you never know. I've had some issues in the past couple of years. You might say I'm back from the dead. While I was recuperating in the hospital re-hab wing after a colostomy in late '22, I thought about the companionship and love that a dog would provide.
I choose to enjoy interacting with the neighbor's dogs when I see them when I'm out walking with my pipe.
I've even assisted with one of my neighbor's dogs by going to his place and letting the dog out to pee and then giving ole Buster a treat. He's a 15 yr old Dachshund.
Our longtime family dog, a female we called Besse, was the most dog ever. I mist up thinking about her. She was such a love and always by our side. I went to a High School basketball game one night in wintertime in NH and whenever I went anywhere, Bessy came along. It was about a mile or less from the house and I went into the gy m by the side door. I left by the front after the game, never giving a thought to Bessy.
When I went to school the next morning, she was still sitting there by the side door, despite sub freezing temperatures. Pic shows neighbor and Buster.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Someone above wrote that dogs don't lie, ha ha. well, they definitely are sneaky. I am missing a Hilson billiard, several sets of gloves, and we are also pretty sure she has done something with a couple of cases of Mountain Dews. She loves to walk around the house with those large 24 pound cases of cans. She also totes my dumbbells around sometimes. I am pretty sure she just shows off how strong she is.

Anyways, I was planting tomatoes and found a glove. But, it's not one of my gloves, which makes me wonder if the water meter guy may be buried further down in the bed. I also found a large cow thighbone under the porch... at least, I think it is a cow's....

I do put up signs warning people not to come into my yard without me. She would definitely let someone come in, but you probably wouldn't make it out. We didn't set out to get an Anatolian Shepherd. We were under the impression that she was a German Shepherd mix. But, after she way outgrew in size GSD's... and several people telling us that she was Anatolian, we did the DNA thing. And, it turns out that we have one of the top ten most dangerous dogs. But, she is such a sweetheart, even if she does get the zoomies and breaks out furniture. I just hope the meter guys isn't dead.

 

[Sigmund]

You dont need the water meter man. Just make sure your post man is healthy! It would be bad news for PAD and TAD.

 

[Sig]

I feed kibble, have too so they get enough protein and energy as I have working dogs who typically cover around 50km per day moving cattle. With regard to the meat/bone, well nutrient is removed and a dogs gut is designed to handle raw meat, bone, fur et al with none of it cooked. Cooked bone splinters and can get stuck in teeth/gums, perforate stomach/bowel. Dogs are wolves, wolves don't cook.........

Ok, show me ONE veterinarian that agrees with feeding raw meats to your dog. I literally do surgeries on dogs who have had RAW bones caught in their bodies. I worked for the state of Alaska as a veterinarian for 12 years where I did nacropsies on wolves and coyotes. Wolves and coyotes DO get bones caught in their digestive tract and die from it. It happens more than you think. And they have a MUCH more robust gut biome to break down bone. My dissertation in grad school was on the Yukon wolf/coyote hybreds in Northern Alaska.
Zero credible vets will advise giving raw meat or raw bones to your dogs.
Our dogs are absolutely, positively NOT wolves. They have wolf ancestors, but are not wolves. Their bodies and functions are completely different.
Homo Sapiens 100,000 years ago could eat a LOT of stuff we cannot, they are our ancestors, but very different biologically than us.
Anyways, there are a lot of myths out there about raw diets.
Our domestic dogs have evolved over time to eat "cleaner" food.
And wolves absolutely do die from bacterial over growth, and disease from raw meat....and die from raw bones.

 

[Sigmund]

Other than good quality dog food, my rule is that if I wont eat it I wont feed it to my dog. Very careful care (and some luck) is why he has lived well, and far beyond the life expectancy of his breed.

 

[Sigmund]

My napping little lap dog. He is a giant baby but dont touch his master! He has never been taught to guard anything but when I had surgery last year and the nurse came to the house to change dressings and such (yes, we have medical house calls in France) my wife had to hold him by the collar becuase he snarled and bared his teeth to the male nurse when he touched me. He did not like it one bit!