[Pamela]

HOw do you get the dog to stay for an hour - for that matter - do you stand or sit? I dont' think I could do it. I am taking them to groomer next week and I hate to have the hair cut short in winter but with my shoulder problem I can't brush that great and if I have to bathe her I woudln't be able to dry her with a dryer. So I am having them both cut short. boo hoo - I love Ginger fluffy like she is now! But she is only that way because she was bathed at the groomer.

 

[poodleit]

Pamela,

I trained my dogs to stay calm on the table since they were puppies. They both are show dogs They HAD to learn to stay still.
Brushing is hard on your back and shoulders. You can always find more comfortable position, but still. If you brush every day it does not take long, but if you skip a day time spent on brushing doubles, tripples etc
Your girls are beautiful. Keep them in trim that is most comfortable for you. They want you to be able to play with them. lol not brush

 

[WonderPup]

Curly dog, keep a spray bottle with water next to your table. If you find that an area is already started to dry and is going to end up curly re-wet it with the spray. If your dog get's a little freaked or is to wiggly for you to spray just where you wanted instead of all over whats already dry (yup that happen yeaterday lol), use a really wet wash cloth, I mean soaking wet, to re-wet the area. I have a little bucket that I can fill with water and soak a cloth in if I need to.

I'd say thats a good choice Secreto.

 

[Pamela]

Thanks Poodleit - she does want to play - they both do - all the time! lol HOpefully I will be able to throw a ball someday soon!

 

[spoofan]

To avoid curly hair you 'line' dry.
Cover the dog with dry towels,exposing only the part you are brushing/drying.

 

[CurlyDog]

Thanks for all the good tips!

 

[Blue Fox]

MsFancyPants ( love this name ),

my choice is raw feeding. very rarely dog will have an allergy to good quality meat.
I do not feed commercially prepared food - I just need to know what's in their food ( call it anal )
Personally, I would not do any allergy tests on my dogs unless there is a valid concern.
Just make sure NEVER mix kibble ( or cooked food) with raw in the same meal. These foods digested differently, and mixing them together might harm your dog.
SECRETO: I would be dancing if it would take 1 hour for me to dry my Poodles. lol
I am using Metro Force, and it takes me good 2.5 per poodle ( Standards in full coat).
I was told to make sure the coat is completely dry after blow drying - to keep it from curling.

My bold bit - there is some conjecture that this is not an issue depending on what your feeding at the time. The general thought is that it would take a lot longer to digest kibble than the rest of the raw but that really depends on what your feeding eg. bone would take longer than kibble. As BARF is modelled on what humans think dogs in the wild eat it seems a little odd because a dog in the wild would eat intestines, meat and bone all in the one meal all of which would take differing times to digest.

Having said that I don't mix my raw with kibble at the one sitting - seems like too much hassle to prepare as my kibble is stored in another room to the fridge :smile: T has primarily raw but has access to puppy biscuits during the day as I can't always get home to give him a lunch time meal. I have found a great recipe for a vegie/fruit mix concoction which I hope to make very shortly to see if he will like it.

He gets quite an assortment of things at present - sardines/tuna, eggs, chicken necks, beef bones, lamb flats, roo mince, meat trims, yoghurt, cottage cheese, I could go on but you get the idea. If you do want to feed BARF get the book "Give Your Dog a Bone" it's very helpful in explaining how, why etc ...

 

[CurlyDog]

I just ordered that book but it hasn't arrived yet. I started on raw with the advice of the holistic vet that I saw. He acknowledged that people say this but said he can't see any reason not to mix raw and kibble.

 

[atlas]

allergy testing

Fancy,
Allergy testing usually costs between 200-300 dollars, and requires only a blood sample sent to the lab - no actual testing is done on your pet, like a scratch test. We had the Spot test done on our dog Bentley because he had ear infections and ended up having two surgeries to repair aural hematomas. Not wanting him to suffer any longer, we tested and got back a wonderful customized profile of his allergies, both indoor/outdoor & food related. It also came with a list of foods & treats he would not be allergic to. While you can't do much about outdoor allergens like grass or trees, you can always wipe down your pet with an unscented baby wipe when she comes in from outdoors. Bentley is allergic to 21 outdoor things, and cigarette smoke & dust indoors. He has 8 food allergies, including eggs, rice, & wheat - so I am happy we tested him as we feed him only foods on his list and he has had NO troubles in 2 years. We started him on venison/potato from the vets, but now feed Natural Balance duck & potato. He is a healthy, bouncy, itch free dog who acts like a pup rather than 12.
Common reasons to test would be itching, excessive licking, diarrhea, or ear infections. Hope this helps!