Postings by Fudge's Family

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Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Sat Feb 13, '10 10:00am PST  One thing I can point out is that pre-made raw is generally ground, and ground meat almost always has a higher bacterial load than whole, unground meat. This is because ground meat has more surface area for the bacteria to live on--on whole meat, it's only on the surface, while on ground meat, it's pretty much all throughout it (assuming that the meat has become contaminated, that is). So I would venture to guess that ground supermarket meat likely has a similar bacterial load as pre-made ground raw pet food (though I don't know for sure, I'm just making an educated guess). Whole supermarket meat, on the other hand, would likely have a lower bacterial load. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Mon May 19, '08 10:17pm PST  Max, you can find the FDA article here. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > To hot to eat?

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Mon May 19, '08 10:01pm PST  Fudge does that too...my house also gets very hot when it's hot out, and she only ate about half of her normal amount during the hot days. She's back to normal now though. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > limited vaccination schedule?

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Tue May 13, '08 8:33pm PST  Yay for a new puppy! "Booster" shots really have a bad name, since you can't boost immunity to a virus--you're either immune or you're not. As Meridian said, the reason that puppies generally get 3 shots over a few weeks is because they have to make sure that the maternal antibodies are gone. If they're not, they'll just kill the virus in the vaccine (via passive immunity) and the puppy won't form its own (active) immunity. Unfortunately for us, when the maternal antibodies are gone varies depending on the mother, puppy, how long they were nursing, how healthy they both are, etc. So people generally just give the set of three to try to get the vaccine in there soon after the maternal antibodies are gone. That said, Dr. Ronald Schultz, who is probably the most famous canine immunology researcher in the country, vaccinates his dogs once for parvo and distemper (and I think he does adenovirus too), and then never again. He generally waits until 12-14 weeks of age to do it, to hopefully catch them at a time when the maternal antibodies have worn off. And then he does a titer test about two weeks later, and if it's positive, that means the vaccines took. He then only does rabies as required by law, and that's it. There's also Dr. Jean Dodds's vaccine schedule that she recommends which Bosley linked to. It involves a few more vaccinations than Ronald Schultz's (though his isn't really recommendations, it's just what he does himself), but it's still a good way of looking at things. So if you're really wanting to go for minimal vaccinations, I would try to get a titer test done about 2 weeks after those initial shots that the breeder gives (a few weeks late is fine, just don't do it too early). I'm not sure at what age the puppy's getting the shots, but if you get a strong positive titer for both distemper and parvo and the puppy is past 12 weeks of age, I would consider that "successful" and not worry about future vaccinations. I personally don't believe in any boosters after that initial puppy series. Even if those first vaccines didn't take for some reason (maternal antibodies, weak immune system, etc.), once the puppy is over a year old the chances of him getting sick from distemper or parvo is very low, and if he does get sick, the chances of him dying are even lower. These diseases are almost always puppyhood diseases (and distemper is rare even in puppies). Plus, there's all the natural exposure that he will get between the time of puppy shots and that first year (when the next booster is usually done), so it's quite likely he could become immune that way too. Here's some great articles by Christie Keith that you should read through if you haven't yet: Titers: What do they tell us? Titers and Canine Vaccination Decisions Re-Vaccination: Vaccination for Previously Vaccinated Dogs and Older Puppies Puppy Shots: Vaccination Issues for Breeders You can see the rest of her articles here. I hope this answered your main questions! I think it's great that you have a vet who you can work with to figure out a minimal vaccination schedule. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > Show me what you eat....

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Sun Apr 27, '08 9:08am PST  I uploaded a new video of Fudge eating! She's eating a (frozen) chicken foot and then a piece of boneless beef roast. You can see the video here. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Tue Apr 22, '08 9:28pm PST  This website is also pretty helpful for learning about different types of meat, and you can see what they look like too. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > dumb question...freezing raw meat, how long does it last?

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Mon Apr 14, '08 3:39pm PST  Bacteria and other microbes (like mold) are the cause of food poisoning. When food is frozen in a good freezer (something that keeps food frozen solid), bacteria on the food can't multiply. They aren't killed, but they're basically stuck at the amount that they were when you froze it. Once you defrost the food, they can start multiplying again. If you freeze meat soon after buying it fresh, it will technically be safe to eat (for both humans and dogs) forever--that is, until you defrost it. That said, it will get freezer burned after a couple of months, and won't taste good to humans (it will be kind of grayish in color). Dogs generally don't care, which is nice. Dogs are also generally capable of eating unfrozen meat that has lots of bacteria on it. If they are healthy, their bodies are good at handling high bacteria loads. They are good at eating garbage and poop without getting sick, after all. Humans and cats are different, and need food to be fresh in order to not get sick from it. I think this site will help you learn about what freezing does and how to use it effectively. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > Have you ever...

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Thu Apr 10, '08 11:17pm PST  Nope, if I'm going to a grocery store I make sure that I'll be heading home after, so I don't have to worry about stuff getting warm. That said, I have brought a cooler to work before when I was picking up an order from a local meat co-op because I wouldn't be able to bring it home until the end of the day. Have you ever injured yourself while cutting/portioning meat out for your dog? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Raw Food Diet > Raw diet has made it into the movies...

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Tue Apr 8, '08 7:45am PST  Raw is also in Harry Potter! It was movie 5, and I'm pretty sure it was in the book too (though I don't remember for sure). Hagrid gives Fang the raw steak that he was using on his bruised face. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Fudge How can I be- this cute?     Barked: Tue Apr 1, '08 9:54pm PST  I personally don't deworm at all. I don't think it's necessary if there are no signs of worms. Even if there were some worms in Fudge's poop, I would wait it out and see if they went away on their own before attempting to do anything about it (they do often go away on their own). If you are more comfortable deworming on a regular schedule, there shouldn't be any reason to change how often you do it because of the raw diet. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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