wolfpup

The other thing to do is obviously to change the 4ft fence for at least a 6ft fence. Better that than a severely hurt dog (or worse). Got to admit I am not a fan of the invisible fencing - not a fan of anything that will hurt an animal.

Happy New Year Jay - absolutely no idea how long I have been here but my first husky (& 2nd) are only 8 years old now - I have always wanted one - but knew I needed experience in other breeds first. Have had 9 other dogs previously - from borzois to mongrels - (I am currently 74 years old) and they will be my last dogs - but I saved the best till last. In many ways I am sorry I waited so long - but I truly believe my experience with other breeds (all rescues) has enabled me to really enjoy my current dogs unique temperaments and personalities (both my boys are also rescues). I am the 4th owner of one boy, (and he was only 12 weeks old when I got him) - he was gifted poor genes from his parents and is slowly loosing his sight (stromal corneal dystrophy) and has 9 different food allergies (true allergies, not intolerances) - both conditions made me study dog nutrition (a) to keep him alive (b) to delay as far as possible his deterioration in sight and (c) cured his epilepsy. Marley (avatar) I got on the 17th December - my Xmas prezzie to me - and it involved a dash to the other side of the country to get him as another rescue organisation was also on their way to pick him up, I just had a feeling about this pup (yep I am strange that way) - but I was right - this dog is my soul mate. I have never had a dog so 'in tune' with me, and me with him. Even his vet acknowledges that he would not have survived with any other owner, but he appears to know what I done to keep him alive and healthy, and he lets me know he appreciates it. My other boy, Mikey, - a severe abuse case - I have had for 5 years now - and he is just starting to trust me - it has been a really long haul with him, but I realized shortly after getting him that brain damage had occurred (eye pupils are different sizes). They make us laugh each and every day and keep us young (and fit)

My thoughts are with you and your family. I have had all sorts of dogs over the last 60-70 years - none have gotten under my skin like a husky, and I have been lucky enough to have had some exceptional dogs. Run far little one, run free.

I am so sorry - has the vet said what is causing it?

If he is off his food - he will 99% have bone broth. Most dogs will lap up bone broth when they will have absolutely nothing else - and it will keep a dog alive for weeks just on its own. Do you make your own? Do you know how easy it is to make?

Well 11.5 is very young to not be able to go 150 yards - if it were me I would be hammering the vet's door down to find out exactly why. Is it arthritis, back problems (spine), hip problems, etc. Is your dog pooping normally? Is he behaving quieter than normal? Does he appear depressed - (sign of pain). Obviously only you can make the decision - but my vote would be for a visit ASAP. Will keep my fingers crossed for you

Before you read on - can I please give you some caveats:- 1. I am English - not American or Canadian - therefore can come across as a bit blunt. 2. I am not the most tactful person on the planet 3. I am on the autistic spectrum 4. I do know what I am talking about. I had a look at a couple on the list you gave me - the chicken and the beef. It didn't take long. Before I go into any sort of detail, ideally you should be looking for double the protein to fat content. Fat cannibalizes protein. i.e. if there is 15% protein - the fat content ideally should be no more than 8% - or at least as close to it as possible. If the proportion is 16% fat and 14.5% protein as in the beef recipe - the dog physically cannot eat enough of the food to get the proportion of protein he/she needs. The same goes with the chicken, with 13% protein and 10.5% fat - although the ratio is slightly healthier. I did not go any further because the labelling does not give the detail needed to do a proper analysis. However the fat content is too high on each and every type of food I looked at. I highly commend you on feeding your dog raw food (as a preference) - it is the best type of food for your dog - however there are a few basic rules that will help you out:- 1. ALWAYS check the protein to fat ratio - it is the best/easiest way to check the quality of the food you are paying for. This brand is relatively 'cheap' because it has such a high fat content. 2. Do not stick to one brand only - each manufacturer has its own idea on what makes a 'complete' meal. By varying brands you will be getting different ratios of nutrients - therefore rounding out any 'lack' of vitamin, mineral, amino acid etc in any particular manufacturer's product. 3. Ideally you should be looking for as close to double the protein to fat ratio, up to 10% vegetables - things like broccoli, spinach, kale, sprouts, arugula, parsley, dandelion leaf and root, fruits including apples, pears, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. Dogs NEED protein and fat in their diet - they can survive on just these two ingredients alone for a VERY long time - however they need small amounts of micro-nutrients as well, these can be supplied by the vegetables and fruit, together with supplements like chlorella or spirulina (blue/green algae) - an adult husky would need between 1/8-1/4 teaspoon a day - so a very small amount (that packs a big punch). Is it possible for you to feed your dog from scratch? i.e. buy the meat, then add in bone, & vegetables etc to make up the meal? It does take time, and if you are a working mum - then the answer is no, you have enough on your plate. It just that I have two 30+ kilo dogs that cost me around £20-23 a week to feed them both - and one of them is severely food allergic so can only have organic and guaranteed wild food/meat. He can eat no meat that has ever eaten grains (so no poultry whatsoever or conventionally raised beef/pork/venison etc). Alternatively, check out other raw food manufacturers and look at the ingredients list and percentages - usually with this type of raw food (and I do use some prepared raw meat myself) you want the best % of protein to fat you can get/afford - for the last 40 million years dogs have been eating animals that contained around 5%-8% fat and that is what their bodies are ideally designed to cope with - anything much higher puts a strain on the pancreas (and yes, dogs have been around that long).

Very happy to meet another raw feeder - it is what they have been eating for 40 million years after all, and is what their bodies have evolved to eat and digest most naturally. I would be very happy to swap notes/menus tips and tricks.

A husky should have up to 15/16 years - some get even longer. A LOT will depend on his diet throughout life, his exercise level, his general immune system (greatly dependent on his diet) and a few other criteria. However it also depends on his genes, how long did his parents live etc. why do some humas live to be 110 yet others die naturally in their 40's, 50's and 60's? I have two rescue boys - both 9 years old, one is already slowing down (has 9 different food allergies) and showing classic sigs of arthritis - apart from spells where he is like a puppy, leaping up, jumping and full of life - (his nickname was Zebedee when younger) - the other, larger, stronger, heavier dog - has yet to see a vet in the 6 years we have had him (apart from a ripped dewclaw) - no sigs of any problems. If you think your boy may have things like arthritis - then natural foods can do as much as drugs to ease his way. Every time you crack an egg, peel off the inner membrane and give it to him. My boys get an egg every other day each (raw beaten) and the eggshell membrane of every egg I crack. You can also buy eggshell membrane from Amazon - from memory look for NEM (natural eggshell membrane) on the bottle. Remember that if you use medication for a human - this will have been designed for a 150lb person - reduce the quantity for the weight of your dog (i.e. give 1/3 - 1/2 as much) Also New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels are excellent. You can sometimes get them frozen whole, or powdered _ a company called Riaflex is the company I use - there are no fillers, pure dried green lipped mussel powder - so whilst not cheap around £45 for the tub I get - it lasts him 3-4 months however. Its no secret on this forum that I advocate a raw diet for dogs - its what they have been eating since they came into existence - we have only been messing with their food for 100 years ................ and have seen their average lifespan HALVE in that time. (I have a 'thing' about nutrition).

I got mine off Amazon - I have one for long hair and one for short hair (just different length prongs) - although I use the one for long hair on both dogs - it really depends on which dog I start grooming first. You don't need a fancy overly expensive one - if your dog is short haired and you get a slicker with long prongs, just dont press hard into the skin is all.

A slicker is also an invaluable tool - it will not only help with tangles in a longer coat - but also grabs MUCH more hair than an ordinary rake - but I do use both on both types of coats.

I second that, - do not let the furminator de-shedding tool anywhere near your dog. An undercoat rake plus the doggie hairdryer (blaster) are your best friends. Twice daily grooming outside whilst in moult is a must I find that giving them a bath at this time greatly cuts down the time of the moult and assists with shedding. It can take a month for my short-haired boy to get rid of his excess, but my long haired boy can take 2 months and wont start properly until he has a bath. It obviously makes the hair far silkier and easier to brush out.

https://thenaturaldogstore.com/blogs/health/dog-gut-health This might help

Do an internet search for raw dog food shops near you - they are most likely to have bone broth - alternatively just do an internet search. However bone broth is VERY easy to make (and free usually). Ask a local butcher for bones - I use lamb bones - leg bones as well as spines (spines purely for the meat), leg bones sawn in half to expose the marrow in the leg bones. I put the bones in a slow cooker for 48 hours (can be 24 hours) with some apple cider vinegar (around 2-3 tablespoons) and top up with water and let it cook on low - then take off the meat from the bones, ditch all the bones (and the fat) and save just the broth - freeze what cannot be eaten within 3 days - you should have enough for a couple of weeks for one dog. I do a batch every week as I have 2 dogs who are addicted to the stuff and go through around 5 litres between them. Basic Bone broth contains the following nutrients:- BONE BROTH VITAMINS B6 B12 C D K THIAMIN NIACIN MINERALS ZINC IRON CALCIUM MAGNESIUM POTASSIUM COPPER PHOSPHORUS SILICON SULPHUR AMINO ACIDS ARGANINE GLUTAMINE GLYCINE PROLINE ALSO CHONDRITIN GELATIN GLUCOSAMINE HYALAURONIC ACID RIBOFLAVIN TRACE MINERALS The main thing to avoid with any dog suspected of having food allergies is kibble. You can avoid most allergens by just feeding a raw meat and vegetable diet - the same sort of diet dogs have eaten for the last 40 million years. However you need to know just what allergies your dog has in order to work out what to feed and not feed. Bone broth will not sort your dog's problem out on its own - if she does have food allergies then she could easily die because of them.