[nagdu] Counting The Costs

Tue Sep 18 17:18:00 UTC 2012

Sarah

There is no absolute answer to that question. You have to figure it out by 
trial and error. However, I find that higher quality foods with no fillers 
work well.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah" <coastergirl92 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Counting The Costs

> What kind of food is the best to feed your dogs to make their poop more 
> firm?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Vanessa Lowery" <vlowery at dhr.state.md.us
> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:30:44 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Counting The Costs
>
> I don't have a dog that is as large as Mark's, but I also feed a more 
> expensive food because I want nicely firm stools.  I get that with the 
> Great Life Buffalo formula.  Yes, it is more expensive, but it lasts about 
> four or five weeks, and it is the closest to being a raw diet without the 
> time needed to purchase and prepare a raw diet.
>
> So some of the cost associated whit food is going to vary from handler to 
> handler.  I have ordered Great Life from two different vendors, and the 
> price did not vary much.
>
> I use PetCo for a bath for Griffin about once or twice a year, and it has 
> usually been about $40.00.  I sometimes have them trim his nails, and that 
> runs about $10.00.  I also clip his nails myself.
>
> Toy prices are going to vary, depending on where you buy them.  I try to 
> get the Cuz balls and Ruffian toys because it takes Griffin longer to 
> destroy them.  Actually, the two oarge Cuz balls are still in good shape. 
> Both are the Bad Cuz Balls (with the pointy ears), an donly one of them 
> has lost an ear.  The Ruffians don't ahve quite as long of a life in the 
> jaws of Griffin, but they hold up for a number of months.
>
> Vet care is going to vary based on, in part, the dog's age.  Griffin is 
> almost ten, and he does have a chronic medical problem, so his care is 
> slightly more expensive.  However, my vet does give a discount on some 
> things.
>
>
>
> Vanessa Lowery, LGSW
> Adult and Community Services Division
> Adult Services Screening Unit
> 410-853-3550
> VLowery at dhr.state.md.us
>
>
> "Mark J.  Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com> 9/17/2012 6:57 PM
> Cindy,
>
>
>
> I wish I could use an inexpensive dog food, however, doing so results in 
> my
> dog's waste product being the consistency of mashed potatoes at best, and
> pea soup at worst.  Although this food is expensive, my dog appears to be
> healthy, happy, full of energy, and is consistently dropping firm easy to
> pick up, baseball sized nuggets.  Because this food has no fillers, if you
> have a smaller dog, perhaps the food could last you longer, because you
> would have to feed a lot less.  I feed my dog just shy of 3 cups a day.
>
>
>
> Also, on principle, I don't want to feed my dog a product full of hard to
> digest fillers, and other chemicals.  Although it is impossible to avoid 
> all
> fillers and chemicals unless you feed your dog a raw diet organically 
> razed
> on local farms, this is the next best thing I could find without 
> sacrificing
> the convenience of a dry food.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 5:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Counting The Costs
>
>
> Mark, glad you brought up the size of your dog.  And, of course, the dog
> food is a huge factor.  If you use some of the other dog foods that are
> commonly used by those of us who feel our dogs are good with that, and
> sometimes all of the dogs aren't, you are spending about twice as much or
> more.  I'm feeding three dogs, but we still go through a bag of food in
> about a month.  So, as Mark says, there is a variation.  Heartworm and 
> flea
> preventive are the most expensive part I think, and you usually get them
> in three to six month packages.  Well, don't know about the spray.
> CL
>
> On Sep 17, 2012, at 3:48 PM, Mark J.  Cadigan wrote:
>
> Perhaps I am insane, however, my dog costs around $150+ a month.  However,
> I do feed my dog an organic dog food that runs around $85 a bag.  He eats
> a bag every 5 weeks.
>
>
>
> I am feeding him origin regional red.
>
> I give him hart guard for heartworm once a month,
>
> Use a topical flea and tick control spray called buddy spray
>
> I take him to a do it yourself grooming place once a month cost only $15!
>
> For training treats and whatnot I feed him organic dried venison strips
>
> He shreds toys, so I end up getting a new one every month or so.
>
>
>
> So, you can see how the price can add up quickly.
>
>
>
> BTW I have an 80lb shepherd.
>
>
>
>
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