[nagdu] Counting The Costs

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Tue Sep 18 17:39:27 UTC 2012 

Well, Fisher eats Imes MiniChunks, which is most recommended (or was) by The Seeing Eye, and when he isn't eating paper or plastic, his stools are firm. Dogs are like people; different dogs have different tolerances.

CL

On Sep 18, 2012, at 12:18 PM, Mark J. Cadigan wrote:

> 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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