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Post by amyjo on Jun 2, 2004 8:19:03 GMT -5
My dogs are gonna be kennelled for 12 days while hubby and I go to Portugul. The kennel we use is fantastic and they said they will feed them whatever I bring - RMBS and other raw food included. But I have to admit - I am a little nervous about them being under someone elses supervision while they eat bones.
Do you guys think I should get "high quaility" kibble or make up some ground turkey/canned fish/egg/with a little liver meals?
Is there any evidence that once off kibble (grains) and being accustomed to meat only that re-introducing kibble will be problematic - kinda like someone on atkins who goes off the diet and blows up? or like the healthy guy who ate McD's for a month and got so sick? Am I just a paranoid freak?
I can't ask this on rawfeeding - they will ream me for even thinking about k***le.
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Post by Brooke on Jun 2, 2004 8:51:02 GMT -5
Did you ask the Kennel about it at all?? I would. I mean as a liability I would think that they'd want to if they are ok with feeding this kind of meal. Have they had to feed it before to other dogs?
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Post by amyjo on Jun 2, 2004 9:27:35 GMT -5
yeah - I talked to them - they said they would do whatever I want them to do - it is ME who is worried about haaving them noshing bones under someone elses care.
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Post by Nicole on Jun 2, 2004 14:53:49 GMT -5
Hmmmmmm. This is a tough one. I am like you Amyjo. I wouldn't feel comfortable. Maybe you should discuss your concern with them. Will they stick their hand down your dogs throat and do the heimlich if he is choking?? Will they supervise feeding time?? If it were me (and I know it is easier for me to say this because I feed kibble) I would go with the kibble. You are not going to have a good time in Portugal if you are are a nervous wreck.
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Post by sibemom on Jun 2, 2004 16:49:39 GMT -5
I would make up the ground mash like you were talking about and bring some GOOD KIBBLE to feed. There should be no problems with them handeling it as long as it is a good brand. I have been feeding Blade and Willow, Canidae along with raw and Blade is doing just fine. I would be concerned to about them feeding the RMB's but I think it is great that they are willing to do things your way. Map out complete instructions for them on feeding the mash/kibble and I think it will be fine
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Post by Aussienot on Jun 2, 2004 20:26:03 GMT -5
What I did over the 2 weeks I kenneled my two at Christmas time was make up 28 meals. Some had beef chunks, or liver or fish, and eggs and veggie mash. I also bagged up frozen chicken wings and turkey legs for about half the meals. These are easy bones to chew and choaking is extremely unlikely.
Each meal went in a freezer bag and all the bags were loaded into 2 fridge-shelf sized boxes. One box was marked for Finn and one for Sailor, as she eats a bit more than him.
It was not ideal, but at least they still had RAW, if a bit light on the bones. I wanted to package it out for myself so I knew the proportions were right, and I figured having it all frozen would make it easier on the kennel staff. They may well have thought I was being a compulsive crackhead, but they didn't let on. My family had no problem telling me they thought it was extreme.
On the other hand, no harm in doing a bit of the dry stuff for a short time. And much easier on you.
Portugal sounds groovy. Hope you have a lovely time.
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Post by Brooke on Jun 2, 2004 23:38:03 GMT -5
That sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Maybe just nix the bones part for the two weeks. Cut the meat off the bones maybe or just buy boneless meats. It's just for two weeks
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Post by Aussienot on Jun 3, 2004 0:43:25 GMT -5
those boneless cows are really hard to herd . . . hee hee hee ...
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Post by Brooke on Jun 3, 2004 0:48:58 GMT -5
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Post by Dobemom on Jun 3, 2004 13:12:05 GMT -5
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Post by amyjo on Jun 21, 2004 6:46:57 GMT -5
Well - I settled for a bag of Wellness. The first igrediant was Chicken but it also had barley and fruit so we'll see how they fared - (I pick them up in an hour)....
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Post by amyjo on Jun 21, 2004 9:24:07 GMT -5
well - I am back and I can't say I am impressed. They are happy and healthy so that is good but all three of them have much duller coats and they have really lost that "glow". They also are shedding like fiends...and the teeth are looking a little "tartary" not nasty but not sparkly white like when I dropped them off. I also just had my first wiff of kibble poo in six months and I gotta say - I don't miss it!
I guess Wellness is a good brand. for the money though I am not really impressed. I would say my impression is "adequate".
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Post by Willow on Jun 21, 2004 9:25:54 GMT -5
I will be interested to hear how they did.
I bought a 40# bag, dumb me, of Maximum Nutrition and was feeding Kerra a handful almost every day in with ground raw turkey, and would give her the usual RMB's for the other meal. Well, she started to poop more again, of course, and now I notice that she has her strong DO back again, her coat was beginning to look dull again and she was putting on weight! I haven't been feeding her the ki**le for about 4 days now, so will see what happens.
I have also heard, and believe it, that the grains in dog food makes them hyper. Kerra would run around barking at stuff more on the ki**le and is more relaxed on just RMB's.
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Post by amyjo on Jun 21, 2004 9:28:44 GMT -5
I think we were typing at the same time ;D
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Post by Willow on Jun 21, 2004 9:31:43 GMT -5
We posted at the same time, Amyjo! ;D
Isn't it amazing the difference we see in our dogs when we feed RMB's?
I just cannot justify feeding "crap in a bag" except in a situation like you had or some other justifiable reason. (if there are any!) ;D
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