Pet Paradise

[samls324]

Show off pics of your pets, tell stories, anything you want to share about those special animals in your life 🙂 Post as much and as often as you want!




Here are are my fluff babies DJ and Gunner (also called Lulu or Lou). They are mother and daughter. DJ is my baby and Gunner is a daddy's girl. They are approximately 9 years old and very spoiled!

This is DJ. She loves to be near me.

Miss Gunner Lou loves her catnip carrot

[HelloCoffee]

I'm so glad to hear this update! Sending hugs to you and Coal!

[tsavorite]

@Insomniacmuffin, 

 I have wondered how Coal is doing! Thanks for the update!  Sweet kitty.  I'm so glad that you still have him to pamper.  Enjoy every minute.  We all need to realize how precious our time with our furry little friends is and how much they give us. 

[Tamara76]

@Insomniacmuffin.  Hugs to you and Coal and the hubby!   I am glad to hear he is stable for now and that he gained some weight.  Just keep loving him and enjoy the good times you have.   

[starsandbucks]

I'm so sorry I missed your original post. That's a tough decision to make. I'm glad your baby is doing well right now. 🙂 I had a dog who became who became very ill and we thought we were going to lose him (I even had a talk with him and told him it was ok to let go - gah! I feel like crying all over again!) and we put him on prednisone as a last ditch effort and it was amazing the overnight recovery he made! It saved his life and was a miracle medication for him. I'll never forget it. I'm glad your baby is responding well. Hugs to the whole family. 

[shirleylin88]

I need puppy help!! does anyone have any grain-free puppy foods they recommend? I am looking into Orijen Puppy food.

Also how long does a bag last you? My puppy will be approx 7 pounds when we get him! 

[Anonymous]

@shirleylin88

Hello! 

You are right about Acana and Orijen being the same company. I've been using their products a very long time and stayed with the combination through their plant transition from Canada to the states. I have 3 boxers, two of which are under the age 1. I rotate Orijen puppy, Acana and Zignature zssentials. I buy the large bags and rotate each meal a different food. My youngest is a show pup but we keep them all on the same food and diet.

After 12 weeks I started giving them a little can of whole sardines in olive oil once a week for added healthy fats and the girls get a small diced up tomato with theirs to help with acidic balance and not kill my lawn. They get absolutely no grain or any table food. My pups eat 3-4 cups a day at 6 and 8 mths old and my 2 year old only eats 2. My oldest dog is a cavalier King Charles spaniel and he eats 1 cup a day. The thing to look for especially on dog food advisor is what suits your specific breed. Costco and some brands are 4-5 star rating but for my specific breed I need a higher protein content. The high protein in Orijen might make some dogs have loose stools because it's too much for that breed or dog. It's trial and error but I hope that helps.

My pups also run 4/5 times a week when we hike usually around 6-9 miles at a time. I have an active breed though but that varies their food consumption. What breed are you getting? 

Congrats on the puppy!

[shirleylin88]

Hi @Anonymous thank you so much for the extensive review and information!

we are getting a mini labradoodle in a few weeks and want to be prepared. Ideally I would like to wean off of the costco brand as I'm not entirely sure if it's grain free and I definitely want to stick to everything grain free. 

I read from other doodle owners that the fromme puppy was also good, we ended up getting 5lb bags of the orijen and fromme as I too have heard the orijen has high protein and could result in loose stool. I'm not worried about the gaining weight part as my boyfriend is a daily runner so our pup will have opportunities to be pretty active on his daily runs if necessary. 

He he will be 20-25 pounds fully grown but as the breed ages they are prone to hip dysplasia. Do you have any tips on weaning your dog to new food or have your pups have no issues transitioning between the 3 foods? Also I was also recommended to put coconut oil, I still have to research this though. 🙂 

[Anonymous]

This is my baby. She on her way to a 70 pound adult;)

[jriskus]

Soooo sweet! Want to pet her smooshy muzzle!

[Tamara76]

OMG!  She is soooo cute!  @Anonymous 💗

[shirleylin88]

She is beautiful!!!!! What a sweet face 🙂 I will definitely upload some pics when he makes his way home!!!! He will be 8 weeks when we get him. 

[Anonymous]

Oh and save your receipts! Acana/orijen has a loyalty program every 12th bag free. I send them my receipts and they can either be Acana or Orijen doesn't matter and they send a coupon for a free bag! Free $80 bucks is a great incentive. @shirleylin88

[Anonymous]

@shirleylin88

Its all a matter of opinion on transitioning some people says you should do it slowly over weeks others do over a few days. My big boy came from his breeder on Costco puppy. While it's rated high it's also made by diamond which has one of the largest recalls in the history of dog food that many dogs lost their lives with. Diamond also produces taste of the wild and a slew of other brands. While I love Costco I'm scared off the dog food. This recall was 12-13 so not long ago. I had him fully off it in 3 days with no issue.

I had them on one food for a solid week then as a snack I'd give them a small amount of another food etc until that snack became a meal size portion. I would say probably a week to introduce a new brand and by the time I had them for a month I was rotating 3 foods without issue. 

My mom is a breeder and shows and she does fish oil or sardines packed in olive oil. Many people use fish oil caps too. Another thing which was the best puppy advice I got was having them on puppy formula til 12 weeks of age. Not a lot but a small bowl a day. Most breeders let their pups go around 8 weeks and most of them still nurse and eat solid food at the time so the formula was a great supplement to help them out. 

You picked a great breed and I can't wait to see pics! 

[kromance]

I would recommend the following:

1) Acana brand (I use grasslands regional bag)

2) Whole earth farms (offshoot of the merrick brand)

3) Canidae

4) zignature

I have Thundy on a rotation diet and those are the 4 brands i use regularly - and all grain free! I get my pet food delivered from Chewy . com  (new members get 20% off)  Since he is on a rotation diet - i always get him 12lb bags or even 5lb bags. They generally last me for a few months tbh. He is a picky eater - so on top of the kibble, I also get toppings from whole earth farms (their canned stews are something he loves alot!)  Those 12 cans last me about a month. 

Whatever you decide to get for your furry friend, make sure you check with dogfoodadvisor . com

I hope that helped 🙂

[shirleylin88]

Thank you @kromance for the recommendations! I believe from my research Orijen and Acana come from the same manufacturer so they are very similar. I did place my order on Chewy.com, I love that site it's just like amazon prices for pets! Orijen got 5 stars from Dogadvisor for their puppy food, and Costco surprisingly got 4.5

and thanks for the recommendation for the toppings - I will look into that 🙂

[kromance]

AW yeaaa! 🙂 Good stuff @shirleylin88 

Im sure your pup will love orijen! I just placed an order for dog food right now at chewy too! lol. 😛

Costco dog food is manufactured by Diamond pet foods - so that is probably why its good. Most of the Kirkland stuff is made with superior quality ingredients! ( i loveeee costco!) 😉

[shirleylin88]

yay!!! hopefully it'll all work out 🙂 thanks for the tips!! I love that chewy.com is soooo fast in shipping!

[jriskus]

Hi @shirleylin88!

Not sure what type of pup you're getting, but my two bernese mountain dogs LOVE Orijen food, and between the two of them have eaten puppy, adult, and senior types. We usually mix in another grain free brand to keep things interesting, but we ALWAYS have Orijen as the main one.

Puppies typically eat A LOT - like 4-6 cups a day for large breeds!, but definitely make sure to follow the instructions on the bag based on current size. And if you do have a large breed dog, definitely look for a large breed puppy food, since those are specifically formulated for the special needs of the big guys.

Good luck with your new best friend! 🙂

[shirleylin88]

Hi @jriskus - I am getting a mini labradoodle and just purchased a bag of the Orijen Puppy - he is being fed Costco puppy right now which I heard is actually not bad, but would like to upgrade. Thank you so much for your advice and input!! I hope he will love the Orijen when I start weaning him off the other puppy food!

[Anonymous]

I thought you guys would get a laugh out of our Husky puppy! She is so curious! She wants to be beautiful just like us and chewed through my Boscia mask!

[Tamara76]

Awwwww - She is beautiful just the way she is!  No Boscia necessary - LOL!  💗💗💗.  @Anonymous