Organic fertilizer my dog won't eat?

14 years ago

I've pretty much given up on blood meal, bone meal and the poultry manure as my dog goes crazy every time I apply it to my garden. Have a winter garden, mostly greens which are heavy feeders. Is there anything I can use to apply nitrogen that is organic that my doberman won't go crazy over?

Surely someone else has this problem? I really don't want to resort to electric fencing as the garden is sort of decorative around the side of the house and fencing would not be very attractive. Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

justaguy2
14 years ago
Try grain meals such as alfalfa or soybean. Soybean is higher in nitrogen.

If you weren't in zone 9b I would caution you that cold soils don't see organic matter converted to nutrients very efficiently, but your soil may not get cold enough for this to be a concern.
jean001
14 years ago
Try a fence. That's the only thing that worked for me.
Related Discussions
Dog Proof Organic or Safe Synthetic Fertilizer??
Q
Comments (6)
I noticed that Rose-tone contains bone meal. Years ago, when I used bone meal for a fertilizer, my dogs wouldn't leave the plants alone. Since then, I try to avoid fertilizers that contain bone meal. My two favorite fertilizers that I use now are Rose Glo by Maestro-Gro and Microlife - neither lists bone meal as an ingredient and both are available locally here. My current dogs do like to eat the Rose Glo (one will eat it straight out of the bag if given a chance) when it is just sprinkled around the plants, but they will leave it alone once I have watered it in. They don't really seem interested in the Microlife. An organic fertilizer that does not contain bone meal might work with your dog, but many other ingredients can also be attractive to dogs. This is just my experience with my dogs, and your dog might have different preferences. Here is a link that might be useful: ingredients in Rose - tone
...See More
Organic fertilizer that dogs won't eat
Q
Comments (6)
i have done a combo of fencing the plants and training the dogs. i use those little low green wire fence-edgings, only about a foot high, which in themselves aren't enough to keep out a serious or unsupervised dog, but I have trained the dogs to recognize those as "Not here, you idiot!" Judicious use of a watergun while relaxing on the deck, pretending I'm not paying attention:) I also showed them the fence sections before I put them in, and explained that these were a "NO!" It takes a little time, but they do get it. I also will give the dogs a little bone meal just for them, scattered in the spots they ARE allowed to dig up. They also have "their" mint and verbena patch, cause they love to eat those. Always easier to get somebody doing what you want them to do, instead of stopping them doing what you don't want them to do:) You can also fertilize with dog by-products (need I be grossly specific?) if you have a dog who won't put his nose where he's been to the bathroom. If, that is, you are not planning to eat your roses, because dog waste can carry parasites. it's very palatable to the roses, however. This will also keep cats from using the bed as a bathroom, and tends to discourage rodents for the same reason. cover it with a little soil so it doesn't discourage you from smelling your roses. one last note: i found my terrier neck-deep in a flowerbed one day. She was ignoring my frantic yelling, and i was just about to cause her serious bodily harm when she proudly yanked up a vole and presented it to me. talk about your organic controls:)
...See More
my cat won't eat
Q
Comments (12)
There's another thread similar to this but I'll post the response here also: My cat was not eating or drinking, not peeing, or having bowel movements. She was throwing up green foamy stuff & gagging at the smell of wet food. She was hiding under the bed, not wanting to come out & very lethargic. This went on for 5 days when I finally took her to the vet. The vet only did a physical and told me he needed to do a billion tests to find out what was wrong & it would come out to be $356. I didn't have that money so I just got fluids subcutaneously injected. They said it might help with her appetite. They gave me all the possible causes that it could be which have been listed on this site already. That night I gave her 10ml of water via a syringe every 2 hours 3 times. I blocked her way of getting under the bed. I added a scoop of her dry food into a cup of water & in the morning it was soggy enough for me to mush into a paste. When I added water I got it thru the syringe. I gave her 5 ml of the food mush the next morning along with 10 ml of water before I went to work. There are videos on youtube that show you how to feed the cat. It took me about 15 minutes. While I was at work my mom gave my cat 10 ml of water every two hours & 5 ml of olive oil every 2 hrs. Her friend has a cat that gets into everything & often has blockages & she uses olive oil for about a week and it helps her pass it. When I got home from work I gave the cat 10 ml water & tried with the food. Later on she ate a bit on her own and was drinking on her own. Today, I went to a clinic that my mom found online (Women's Humane Society) and they were cheap compared to all other local places. I told them the symptoms and based on that the vet did an xray. They saw that she was very constipated which has been causing her enough discomfort to now eat. They gave her an enema & stool softener & she was passing stool for about 20 minutes. The vet prescribed stool softener, a/d cat food (which, of course, she happily ate infront of the vet after I said she wasn't eating), & an appetite stimulant. She's not drinking water on her own but still not eating. I'm sure her tummy just hurts from the enema. He told me I MUST have her eat a can of food a day. He used a popsicle stick and smeared it on the roof of her mouth to feed her. It was $205 total. (30 physical, 120 xray, the rest was for the Rx) Good luck to everyone. 24-48 without eating isn't a concern for vets. Don't let the vets fool you into a million tests, insist on just fluids & an xray. Make sure you search around for a place that provides great care & is inexpensive like the place I went.
...See More
Worms Won't Eat My Delicious Worm Chow
Q
Comments (11)
To revise albert's comment based on my experience with Purina worm-chow (today). If I sniffed on the worm-chow especially when damp, I noticed some ammonia smell. Could just be me but I rather be cautious. So I do not bury it, just a light dusting over the top, moving the shredded newspaper aside. It could also be just this batch of Purina worm chow because I can understand that one batch could be different from the other, they are floor sweepings from producing all other dry pet food. Al: I did an experiment to fatten up worms and it seems to work. Use a take out plastic container and select ca. 50-100 mature worms. Cut a couple of holes in the lid. Add some flat pieces of egg carton material layered and some bedding for bacteria start-up, shredded newspaper and add some food on the opposite side. I have access to used weed grass mats from a juice store. These are excellent material for a worm bin, especially start-ups, and I imagine because of the microbes and tight spaces to rub off their cocoons off their neck. I checked and the majority of cocoons were found there. But also pot worms. They seem to be in the habit to attached themselves to worms and cocoons, providing them with moisture and that slimy saliva like stuff worms have around their body. So, I just sprinkle powdered egg shells around it. I keep them moist rather than damp, if you know what I mean. Because of the tight space, use worm chow sparingly.
...See More
Kimmsr
14 years ago
Are you sure you need that Nitrogen?
What is the nutrient balance in your soil?
What is your soils pH?
What is the level of organic matter in that soil?
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
Fencing in this location is not an option. The alfalfa/soybean meals are great options. I'm sure she'd eat a little of those but if topdressed she at least wouldn't be digging for them.
I do need to check the nitrogen. I'm mainly concerned for my lettuce and other fast growers which I'm sure my pH is probably high. It's Arizona caliche which I broke up and added about 4 inches of store bought compost on top of and didn't stir well so possibly I don't need the nitrogen for the fresher garden as the garden greens are the first to grow on that side. Although, I was concerned because I can see that the compost is not completely broken down. (even though actually labeled as garden soil it has recognizable chunks of manure)
The side with tomatoes/peppers (yes, my tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are still producing although I'm currently not fertilizing except a small amount of epsom salts recently) started with the "garden soil" on top of caliche and also had at least 6 inches of fresh pine shavings on top of that. Currently, that is all nearly decomposed (from last summer) and gone into the soil. Soil now looks like darker clay with a little bit of rotted pine shavings on top.
Drainage on both sides is not good because of the caliche on top of dense clay. I'm finally seeing some earthworms on the side I did last spring with the maters/peppers/eggplants.
Are the soil test kits from the store any good? How about the pH kits from the pool, which I have. Can that be used in some way?
justaguy2
14 years ago
Nitrogen isn't something that can be meaningfully measured by home test kits. Many professional labs don't even include it in their testing because it's so quick to leach or turn to a gas that by the time they gave you the result it would be much different. You spot nitrogen deficiencies by slow growth and/or yellowing of the oldest leaves progressing to the newer leaves as time goes on. Over time you will get a feel for how much of your chosen N supplement to add throughout the growing season for various plants.

I wouldn't worry about the pH as there is flat out nothing you can do about it when your soil is cemented together by calcium carbonate ;) It is what it is and the only way to change it would be growing in a container. If your plants are growing well, it isn't a problem.
socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24
14 years ago
Gardens Alive has a "vegetarian" fertilizer - however, one of my dogs prefers that to the bloodmeal-based varieties.

Diluted pee would provide nitrogen . . .
jonas302
14 years ago
You can dissove the alfalfa pellets for rabbit food in water and the dog will not mess with them as much mine will eat all the pellets otherwise

I would be thinking liquids so there is nothing to eat

People think my garden fence is for deer but its more usefull agaist black labs(:
tiffy_z5_6_can
14 years ago
Dissolve the alfalfa pellets and mix into the soil or place under mulch. I have dogs as well and they have never touched it. Another thing I use is UCGs (Used Coffee Grounds). They won't go for that either.
Michael
14 years ago
Fish Emulsion?

Organic fertilizer my dog won't eat?

Comments (9)

justaguy2

jean001

Related Discussions

Kimmsr

tracydr
Original Author

justaguy2

socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24

jonas302

tiffy_z5_6_can

Michael

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Organic fertilizer my dog won't eat?

Comments (9)

Related Discussions

tracydrOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

tracydr
Original Author