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Old 06-07-2012, 09:40 PM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
1,541 posts, read 2,667,807 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OleTomCat View Post
Lowes caries it in their pool department in 30lb bags.
Thanks Tom. I'm looking specifically for food grade DE, which would be something different. I'm not entirely comfortable with using any other grade in my yard.
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Old 06-07-2012, 09:57 PM
 
Location: Summerville
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Why food grade?

Pool grade should be good enough to spread around your yard....
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Old 06-07-2012, 10:36 PM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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The silica content is too high for the yard because my dogs will be running around in it. Mine are big foot lickers (and they have huge feet to lick) so you can assume that anything they walk in they are ingesting. Danes are pretty susceptible to pretty much all doggie illnesses, especially cancers, so I'm just trying to keep their environment as clear of toxins as I can. I don't KNOW what excess silica can do to them, just hoping to get my hands on food grade.
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Old 06-08-2012, 07:26 AM
 
Location: Goose Creek, SC
870 posts, read 1,980,290 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caili View Post
@Technogeek - It's possible someone in the neighborhood put out rat poison and the squirrels got into it. Please, be careful not to let your dogs even mouth a dead squirrel or any animal.

Flea/heartworm combo - we started using the new Trifexis which is both flea and heartworm. It's a pill, so no messy trying to treat the skin area. So far it's been great for the fleas, and it certainly is easier to just give 1 pill a month instead of dragging out the skin capsules and try and remember the heartworm pill! It looks expensive, but if you add up the cost of flea treatment and heartworm, it's actually a little cheaper. We order it from Drs. Foster and Smith on line. You do need a prescription, but they will send your vet a request for the Rx.

Our vet isn't recommending Frontline at all anymore - he said he's had too many people say it failed - fleas built up immunity, maybe?
Believe me, he doesn't get within a foot of them if I can help it. It's actually easier to avoid them than you would think. Normally, he just kind of plods along but when he gets near a squirrel, alive or dead, he thinks he can get to, he perks up and when he does that I lock the leash and try to find whatever he thinks he's got. It makes it easy to avoid.

I haven't seen anything on him since Monday and he seems to be scratching less. I will probably still bathe him today though.

I've heard that Trifexis is good but I've heard that it can cause a bad stomach reaction in some dogs. Besides, Frontline does work on Ro and he had some stomach nastiness not long after I got him from the rescue so I don't want to aggravate that if I can help it. Besides, he had the heartworm shot in April. I may try it after he's had some time to settle in though and see if he takes to it well enough. If he does, it might be a good alternative since his coat tends to get in the way of getting the topical stuff on him even when it's short.
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Old 06-08-2012, 07:38 AM
 
859 posts, read 1,352,494 times
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The only tummy problem w/Trifexis is that some dogs may bring it back up about a half hour after they've eaten it. (It has to be taken with meals, also). Anyone wanting to try it to see if their dog is sensitive to it, can buy just 1 pill from the vet; if it works, fine; if the dog urps, use one of the other products.

One of my dogs got severe skin reactions from the topical Frontline, so I do understand that there is not one answer for all dogs; we just need to find what works, what doesn't harm our dogs or cause allergic reactions.
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Old 06-08-2012, 07:58 AM
 
Location: Goose Creek, SC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caili View Post
The only tummy problem w/Trifexis is that some dogs may bring it back up about a half hour after they've eaten it. (It has to be taken with meals, also). Anyone wanting to try it to see if their dog is sensitive to it, can buy just 1 pill from the vet; if it works, fine; if the dog urps, use one of the other products.

One of my dogs got severe skin reactions from the topical Frontline, so I do understand that there is not one answer for all dogs; we just need to find what works, what doesn't harm our dogs or cause allergic reactions.
The taking with meals poses another problem. Ronin doesn't eat meals. He kind of picks at his food as the day goes by.

That's why I stopped giving him wet food altogether and just started doing kibble in an autofeeder. He can go to it when he's hungry and even then he usually only does that if I am with him. He's a strange dog. He follows me everywhere. Every now and again I will walk around in a circle or switch from couch to couch in my living room just to watch him do it (I know, I'm a terrible person). That said, he will eat if I walk near his bowl in the kitchen. I've found that I have to stop and let him eat till he's done and then do whatever I was in there to do or he may not eat that day because he's so intent on hanging out with me. He also tends to not go to his water bowl unless he has just eaten or I point to it and say water right after a walk or he sees me put it down with fresh water in it.
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Old 06-08-2012, 08:06 AM
 
Location: BK
171 posts, read 304,145 times
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awesome, all great suggestions, thanks!
we seem to have gotten somewhat of a handle on it but of course when they go outside they bring in some stragglers that i have to pick off. Looks like its going to be our summer of setting up flea defenses...ughhh.

and Techgeek, my first was the same way..until i got another dog. Now he is a voracious eater when dinner time comes and will eat so fast that he chokes himself a little, its pretty ridiculous.
it's funny how much getting a playmate for him changed some of his behaviours and how competitive they became with each other.
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Old 06-08-2012, 08:13 AM
 
3,256 posts, read 5,256,358 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Techgeek View Post
The taking with meals poses another problem. Ronin doesn't eat meals. He kind of picks at his food as the day goes by.

That's why I stopped giving him wet food altogether and just started doing kibble in an autofeeder. He can go to it when he's hungry and even then he usually only does that if I am with him.
It's been a long while since mine were puppies, but one of mine had this same eating issue and I was told that letting them eat/ graze when they want is the main problem with getting them to eat regularly.

What you need to do is have set meal times. You set their food out for 10 minutes and if they don't eat it, pick it up and put it away. Wait til the next meal time and do the same.

Dogs like consistency..consistent schedules. Mine get fed every day at 8AM and 8PM. They remind me when I go 10 minutes past that it's time
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Old 06-08-2012, 08:15 AM
 
45,680 posts, read 23,815,156 times
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My dog use to be a nibbler. When we stayed in an apartment temporarily we scheduled meal times and drink times. It's the only way to try and retrain a dog who has had the luxury of eating, drinking and relieving at will. He now eats in the morning and in the evening. Works perfectly because he now has to have thyroid medicine with his meals.
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Old 06-08-2012, 09:28 AM
 
Location: Goose Creek, SC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robynn View Post
It's been a long while since mine were puppies
mine too...he'll be 4 in November

Honestly, it isn't a major issue. He eats and gets the nutrition he needs and never messes in the house. We do walk on a schedule (between 6 and 6:30 am, around noon, between 5 and 6 pm and between 8 and 9 pm depending on work and other obligations of which there aren't many these days).

I may go to a schedule now that he's on a better food though, he seems to be putting on a few pounds which I think is related to the food being more nutritious and him not needing as much of it. I may also start running him a bit when I take him out in the mornings (it'll be good for both of us).

Just gave him a bath and pulled ONE dead flea off of him. Yup one. Didn't see any wash off in the tub and only got one off when I checked him after the bath...I'm thinking he's picking them up on the walks and bringing them in but I feel better having bathed him. Hopefully I won't have to again until the end of June a few days before it's time to give him his July dose of Frontline.
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