If you want a healthy puppy/dog and live longer. Then buy the more healthier expensive foods on the markets. Don't buy the cheap stuff from stores, go to pet stores and read the ingredients. You don't want anything that has by products as that is just garbage meats that they use. No whole wheats at all. And yes, no corn products at all for dogs or cats. They put them in because they are cheap and not good for our pets at all. I checked all kinds of foods and what is in them and didn't like what they put in them at all. I spent alot of time checking them all out and what can be bought around here. Also big suggestion is after you have checked around, then buy, don't buy huge bag, just buy the smallest bag to test your dog out on it first to make sure its liked as some dogs don't like certain ones. Our female dog, it drove me crazy as she would only eat dry and canned foods with chicken in it and so I had to search for them and found one brand and then the pet store didn't always have them and I finally had to give up and look and try another one. You can check on the internet for brands and check the ingredients what is in it. Yes, you will be paying a fortune but then again is your dog worth it? After hearing and still hearing of pets dying of kidney problems I worry about the cheap foods that people are still buying and feeding their pets and may still be a problem. Also so they don't get the runs, go slowly on introducing a new food, so mix it with the old food and put more and more of the new one until finally its used to it and no more old food. Now, tons have gone to the raw meats, at our local place we buy bones for our dog, they do the raw meats and tons come in and buy them up. I refuse to do that. I can't imagine giving raw meats to them. No, its cooked meats for our dog.

Post 1 reply.- Here´s the situation, we don´t know if the dog is allergic to something and we can´t find out until the animal is exposed to the allergen and the allergy manifests, the animal may be allergic to something in the diet, either to the protein source ( animal or vegetable meal ) or to the carbohidrate source ( vegetable flours ), some animals may be allergic to both, the protein source and the vegetable source, why is this ? we don´t know for sure but we do know that certain protein and carbohidrate sources are more allergenic than others, soy ( soy meal ) and corn gluten is known by us as one of the most allergenic protein sources, the same way we know that corn is one of the most allergenic carbohidrate souces, however some animals are allergic to chicken, others are allergic to turkey, others are allegic to certain fish species, others are allergic to several at the same time; the situation here is that most dogs are not allergic to any of them, therefore the food companies manufacture foods for the vast majority of the population, the system is fine but not infalible, I say not infalible because within that population there are individualities, problem arises when you have the bad luck of owning one of those individualities, it´s like purchasing a lottery ticket and winning the lottery. When the generality does not apply to individuals is when you have to find the solution to a problem. In many cases the same companies that manufacture the food offer alternatives to treat those individuals that do not adjust to the general population in the form of special diets with different protein and carbohidrate sources, if that company doesn´t offer them there are other companies that do and if that doesn´t work there are other alternatives, there´s always light at the other end of the tunnel. I´ve been to the Purina facilities and labs in St Louis, not only the test facilties are extraordinary but the degree of professionalism of the people working there in all the departments is overwhelming, they make good quality products. Post 2 reply.- Hot spots represent a particular problem, first the animal has the hotspot reaction, it itches and hurts, the animal licks or scratches, to an already damaged area the animal adds the trauma of licking and/or scratching, since the integrity of the skin is broken then bacteria begin to grow infecting the area, which causes more itching and more pain, more licking, more scratching, more trauma and so on, what started as a very small area in a matter of days it becomes a huge problematic area because it extends; I´ve had cases where they bring me a dog attatched to hot spot, yep, that big is the hot spot. The use of local anesthesics like lidocaine in hot spots is contraindicated. Hot spots have bacteria growing in them, local anesthesics like lidocaine are methabolized by the bacteria and use it to grow. The only local anesthesic is use is ice to make the area numb while the procedure is taking place

Yup, it was "look what I bought with my graduation money!" No bed, no toys, no leash, no bowls, no collar. After a while, put him in his room and went to his girlfriends house. Suprise, suprise when he returned a few hours later the pup had peed and pooped all over his new clothes (which of course, were on the floor :) ) At least the rest of the family is making sure he gets fed, played with, cleaned up after, etc. Little sister is actually doing most of the caring, since who can resist a wiggly puppy? Nope, my friend didn't want the dog but now he's part of the family. Thanks for all the advice. If we were closer friends I'd just take him to the vet myself - as it is we are more like friends/co-workers and I don't want to insinuate that they can't take care of the dog. They're trying. I'll try to find out what kind of worming it was, and suggest he may need something stronger than an OTC med.

Ann T, it wouldn't do her any good to get any "ideas", the doctor took care of that after Bud. Somehow, he was enough, LOL. kathy, I think it would be be a ball to get a bunch of the forum "kids" together. Except they'd probably spend all their time talking about how weird all us grownups are. sorry LindaC, not even a taste. She was 17 days old in that picture and her mother is still pretty picky about what she eats, LOL, if you can imagine. Sol, next year she gets all the cookies and fudge she wants. Pam, if sugar, cookies, frosting, sprinkles and candy are involved, i don't think Bruvver will ever get so cool that he won't get involved! Jessic, I kind of liked that cookie too, it started out as a bell and became an angry bird. It's creative, for sure. Annie