Getting a dog

AtreuS said:
For our medium sized dog...

food: approx £15 a week. Depends if you want to give them quality food or not. This price is for middle of the road dog meat in tins with a bag of mixer. Add on maybe £3 a week for chews and biccies depending on how spolit your dog is.

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Feeding the very best quality dry food (which supposedly is better for the dog nutritionally) works out cheaper than average wet food.
 
Skidder said:
Feeding the very best quality dry food (which supposedly is better for the dog nutritionally) works out cheaper than average wet food.
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I know but our dog is very odd eater, even more so since our other dog got killed 6 months ago. We have tried all sorts and she just wont eat dry only food. Ive even tried the old "she will eat if shes hungry" approach to no avial :p

I eat a lot of pasta and rice and more often than not the dog gets some meat from a tin mixed with my left over rice/pasta and some dog mixer, she seems happy with it and we give her a big tin of pilchards in tomato sauce once a week for the oils she needs. Vet agrees that this diet is doing her just fine.
 
What you feed it may end up not being your choice, some dogs have strange stomachs. My partners mum and dads dog can only have one certain brand of wet food as everything else comes out as liquid :/
 
AtreuS said:
I know but our dog is very odd eater, even more so since our other dog got killed 6 months ago. We have tried all sorts and she just wont eat dry only food. Ive even tried the old "she will eat if shes hungry" approach to no avial :p

I eat a lot of pasta and rice and more often than not the dog gets some meat from a tin mixed with my left over rice/pasta and some dog mixer, she seems happy with it and we give her a big tin of pilchards in tomato sauce once a week for the oils she needs. Vet agrees that this diet is doing her just fine.
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Ah, sounds well loved. One of my mum and dad's dogs died and the other one became a very strange eater. he had always defered to the bitch as leader and first to eat and became very peculiar about taking anything.
 
Skidder said:
Ah, sounds well loved. One of my mum and dad's dogs died and the other one became a very strange eater. he had always defered to the bitch as leader and first to eat and became very peculiar about taking anything.
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Yes for the first few months after Lulu died she would just nudge her bowl round the kitchen but not eat. Then she started hiding chunks of meat all over the house so we started to feed her outside, but she just wouldnt eat.

Slowly over time its become more normal. Ive always been the dominant "pack leader" so i really dont know why she started this odd behavior after lulu went. Lulu used to eat ANYTHING, and ruby had to muscle in to get any food at all! maybe this has something to do with it. :D

As for liquid poo..... Lulu ( the one that got hit by a car and died ) was a rescue dog and had to eat medicated dog food for about 2-3 years. Any other food would just make her have uncontrolable squirts. It was a fun time trust me!... she was worth the money and the pain though.

lulu+ruby.jpg


Lulu ( top ) Ruby ( bottom )--- RIP Lulu
 
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This is for our small/medium dog - ~10kg.

  • Food - £12 per month - good quality dry food. Plus good quality training treats about another £10 - we do a lot of training and he's *very* food oriented! Add a few extra things to this diet such as peas :)
  • Pet insurance - £15 per month, for a top end policy. Used it once in two years and that would have been about £300. I know of one friend who has not had insurance and spent many thousands when their dog ended up with diabetes.
  • Microchipping - Dunno.
  • Leads, collars, beds and other things -£40? Varies a lot.
  • Dog shampoo - £5 - ish, only when they roll in something vile.
  • Any Vets bills for jabs? Vets can be very expensive. ~£15 to open the door, ~£15 to use a pen, jabs ~£40. Our local vet charges £80 for emergency visit even if you go to their surgery. It cost around £140 to have his 'nads chopped off.
Enjoy! Sounds like your dog will have a great home!
 
tbh, collies / working dogs need a proper run and not just a walk, they're full of energy

something like a black lab or retriever sounds like it fits your bill a bit more :), still very loyal, loving dogs that love to play

-we have a black lab (house dog) and 3 collie/mongrel sheep working dogs
 
I'd love a dog but certainly wouldn't be able to afford the time I think a dog deserves right now.

To you who own one or two - do you tend to be home over lunchtimes, or work from home, or something? The idea of a bored animal stuck alone at home for hours every day makes me feel very sad indeed!
 
my parents live on a farm, so my lab stays outside all day, playing with the cats and greeting passers by. and see's my mum and dad throughout the day.

obviously the sheep dogs are on the quad bike or running :D
 
sara said:
I'd love a dog but certainly wouldn't be able to afford the time I think a dog deserves right now.

To you who own one or two - do you tend to be home over lunchtimes, or work from home, or something? The idea of a bored animal stuck alone at home for hours every day makes me feel very sad indeed!
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I work from home. they're never on their own so don't feel sad on Jimmy and Buffett's behalf.
 
Le_Petit_Lapin said:
Dunno if you lot have dog liscenses in England thats a fiver....a year.
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Are these required? What are they for?

sara said:
I'd love a dog but certainly wouldn't be able to afford the time I think a dog deserves right now.
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That was probably my biggest concern when I was thinking about this last year, but looking at all the time I waste, I have plenty of time to properly train a dog.
 
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