[nagdu] Counting The Costs

Tue Sep 18 17:28:06 UTC 2012

Ok thanks.  It would also depend on the dog.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark J.  Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:18:00 -0400
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Counting The Costs

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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