Look up Rodney Habib (I think that's how his surname is spelt), he does some brilliant write ups about dog food, esp home made with herbs and spices. I've emailed him a few times and I've started looking into adding coconut oil and kefir into my dog's food.
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I LOVE huskies (and other northern spitz breeds like malamutes, samoyeds, norwegian elkhounds etc), but isn't HK a little on the warm side for them? I mean, right now its fine, but between May and September, its gonna be quite unpleasant for them in the heat and humidity.
Anyway, I'm not saying you shouldn't own huskies here, but just curious to know how you accomodate those northern breeds when the weather gets hot and sticky.
Well it really depends on the owner of such breeds, how much common sense do they have and how much effort/money they willing to pay to keep such breeds, I never paid 1$$ for my dogs, all are adopted from ppl who thought huskies are great pets until they start growing in size and wont fit in their less than 500sqft city apartments LOL.
I moved to the villages just for my huskies, i have a fenced off garden, during summer at least 1 ac is running through out the day, the dogs get walked early in the morning and late in the evening, during the day they are allowed to go in an out of the house to the garden where they do sunbathe until they get too hot and then wander back into the house to cool down, these big dogs sleep at least 18 hours of the day, I wish i could do that. At least once every month or once every two months we go to the doggy swimming pools in Shueng shui where they can run around swim in the pools. its a lot of hard work but as long as they are having fun its worth it.
I do see some maids walking large breed dogs that have heavy coats during middle of the day in summer, those owners are so daft, people who go hiking in summer with large dogs and dont take enough water, they should be charged with animal cruelty, last year a few dogs died if I remember correctly from the news.
I have found that the natural, organic, non commercial food is better for the well being of my pets than the commercial supermarket stuff . It all works out same same in price anyway. Our beagle ate the commercial stuff, as did our first cat, but affected both in different ways. When we adopted our then obese cat five years ago, he was brought up on this supermarket purina stuff. His coat and poo stunk, could not lose the weight, so I did some research and found that the Royal canin obesity management does not work as it only increases the appetite. Hills was worse. Our cat was always hungry and thirsty on it. So now, we give him Almo Nature cans and Avoderm Dry food. Orijen and Organix is also very good. As a result, kitty's weight is normal and the rest is good health. Even the stray cats that come over for a daily feed love the stuff, and it is no more expensive than the regular food found at PnS. I get his food from a shop in Sham Shui Po on Wong Chuk st. They are cheaper than Whiskers n Paws and the pet supplies place in Mui Wo. This shop also stocks Orijen, Organix and other similar brands in both large and small packets.
Last edited by Natfixit; 17-01-2015 at 12:55 PM.
If one must go down the supermarket route, stay away from Pedigree. It wasn't that long ago that there was a local news report on some dog food sold in HK that contained elements that can cause cancer in dogs.
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I am currently feeding my two 10 lb dogs a food called Zeal from New Zealand. Risotto Lamb I think. It sounds better than my daily meal. Another plus for this food is that it is softer. One of our dogs is older and it makes it a lot easier for him.
Regarding can food, don't feed it for a normal diet every day, since it's soft, and their teeth don't get worked as much. Also, check the ingredients. You'd be surprised what's in there.
Agree on avoiding the supermarket stuff. Usually it's very low quality. You'll notice the "output" is voluminous and not as good as when you feed them higher quality stuff. That said, for larger dogs it can get quite expensive.
@Natfixit we adopted a beagle from a rescue and they gave her Hills Science Diet and we just continued. She does drink a lot of water and we take out for a wee 4x day and we get an occasional accident at home as well. Didn't occur to me that the kibble is making her thirsty. What did you switch to?
Last edited by shri; 12-03-2015 at 10:38 AM.
We never fed our beagle Hills. A mix of dry and wet with plenty of water. However, Hills DOES make our cat drink more.
Best to change to Origen or Organix, or a natural organic food. They are less salty, less additives. Avoderm also is good, plus amother NZ brand ( forget the name.) Given that beagles will eat till they are sick, best to avoid Hills, Royal Canin or any brand as such that coats their food pellets with an appetite enhancer, i.e. Scent. Avoid commercial stuff. Even my mum now believes that it gave our beagle cancer.
For accidents, train him/ her to use indoor doggie pads, if you can. It may help clean up.
Last edited by Natfixit; 12-03-2015 at 10:39 PM.