Connie,

If you're concerned (and I know several people probably are), do you still have his phone number? I don't want to over react and urge action where there doesn't have to be any, but between his being extremely underweight for his alleged age and all the health and care issues that have come up, maybe someone in his area needs to check in on him. Or maybe I am full of crap.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Betty Waldron

I think that Nick has left the building after the last pile up Connie.

That's why I posted. I don't want that pup to suffer. In particular, I was concerned about Nick's original plan to feed raw. The dog recovering from giardia isn't a good candidate for raw.

JMO!

I've been concerned about the pup too Connie. But for whatever reason I think the collective board has made sure that he won't post again......

It was brutal. He did stick around longer then I would of.

Me too...

I stopped reading his posts here NOT because of him, but because of the responses from others. I even lost a bit of respect for a few...

Many sincerely tried to help, and many gave up (I understand) and some just ridiculed.

 Quote: kelsey perkins

Connie,

If you're really concerned (and I know several people probably are), do you still have his phone number? I don't want to over react and urge action where there doesn't have to be any, but between his being extremely underweight for his alleged age and all the health and care issues that have come up, maybe someone in his area needs to check in on him.

Or maybe I am full of crap.

No, you're not.

Yes, Nick is around, and yes, I have PMed him. Others have had a few PM threads as well. I sent a link to this thread in a PM, too.

"But for whatever reason I think the collective board has made sure that he won't post again" ..... Oh, gosh; I have to say that there was plenty (more than plenty) of frustration build-up directly related to his 200-something posts that asked questions over and over and over (usually in several different threads) and then completely ignored or dismissed the responses, followed by "Oh, no! I did what everyone said not to do and not the dog is broken ... what now?"

I lost my patience many times, and deleted many furious posts of my own after I stopped and breathed a bit.

The ones who ridiculed had, in every instance I know of, begun by trying over and over to help and finally realizing that their time and effort was wasted, in many cases with the responses not even read. (And of course, there was behind-the-scenes .... PM ..... frustration added to the mix. It would be nice if the PM torture hadn't spilled into public reaction, but we're humans here. )





But anyway, he became better able to slow down a bit and listen.

I know Nick was determined to switch to raw.

I would like to address the unsuitability of a switch to raw before the giardia is clear, and also the extreme importance of a well-thought-out and balanced diet for this pup.

He didn't have a good start, he doesn't have a robust history, and his diet is very important.

I was thinking of how he is a pup who isn't a good candidate for a "practice" raw diet. (I'm not in favor of learning the raw diet on growing pups, anyway, without loads of learning first and real mentoring during.)

I was thinking about the "bridge" diet of THK with RMBs that many folks who are new to raw use first.

THK makes a couple of puppy-appropriate products (although not all are meant for growing pups!), and I think they're excellent. They are expensive, but if they are carefully combined with the right RMBs with help from folks here, they can be far more reasonable.

Topic continued at http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=334575#Post334566

Just to be clear, I'd stick with top-quality commercial with this pup, probably until adulthood.

I'd also want to mention that Nick said to me once that he planned to use regular grocery stores for the supplies (as I do myself, most of the time), and this does not really make for any money-saving over top-quality kibble. That is, I'd urge that no diet change be considered for money-saving reasons. (I remember that when Nick ordered the raw-feeding books from LB, there was some discussion of saving money via raw feeding; I'd want to go over that carefully so there was no disillusionment there. )

My point is that if Gambit's owner is bound and determined to do the raw diet, I sure would like it to be very careful.

If he is not, though, I would applaud that.

My sincere opinion on this subject:

Nick and his wife quite righly have their hands full raising a Mal puppy and two small children. They are learning as they go on the puppy rearing, and I hope things are improving for them.

Raw feeding is for people who are comfortable with managing some amount of complexity, measurements, the frustration of finding food sources and always having on hand the necessary ingredients to put together the dog's diet. It is not easy. At least not until you've done it for a while. And you have to WANT to add that complexity to your life, twice a day.

Raw feeding is great. But it isn't the only or even the *best* way to feed a dog. There are wonderful high-quality kibbles on the market that are the perfect solution for people who want to give thier pup "the best" without the hassle of lugging home cases of chicken necks, measuring meals to the ounce, dealing with meat-to-bone imbalances, or keeping toddlers out of the dog bowl.

It's worth noting that unless one is buying in bulk, raw is NOT necessarily cheaper than kibble.

My sincere recommendation to Nick is that he find the best kibble he can and go with that. Put your energy and focus into training, not feeding. You (and Gambit) don't need any more stress.

Connie and Tracy- what fantastic posts. Especially from 2 people who feed raw. It's so nice to hear that you believe kibble is a realistic, and healthy choice. (I feed kibble, as I don't have the space for raw in bulk)

Great posts. Thank you.

I wish I had said it!

 Quote: tracy collins

... Nick and his wife quite righly have their hands full raising a Mal puppy and two small children. ... Raw feeding is for people who are comfortable with managing some amount of complexity, measurements, the frustration of finding food sources and always having on hand the necessary ingredients to put together the dog's diet. It is not easy. At least not until you've done it for a while. And you have to WANT to add that complexity to your life, twice a day.

... There are wonderful high-quality kibbles on the market that are the perfect solution for people who want to give thier pup "the best" without the hassle of lugging home cases of chicken necks, measuring meals to the ounce, dealing with meat-to-bone imbalances, or keeping toddlers out of the dog bowl.

It's worth noting that unless one is buying in bulk, raw is NOT necessarily cheaper than kibble.

My sincere recommendation to Nick is that he find the best kibble he can and go with that. Put your energy and focus into training, not feeding. You (and Gambit) don't need any more stress.

You are great, Tracy! I know that you are as committed as I am to raw, but you recognize that it is indeed a choice that is NOT for everyone.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I would like to address the unsuitability of a switch to raw before the giardia is clear, and also the extreme importance of a well-thought-out and balanced diet for this pup.



Just to be clear, I'd stick with top-quality commercial with this pup, probably until adulthood.

You did! You're fantastic too Connie- don't forget it. :P