I would suggest looking into your barf diet to determine if there is a bit too much fiber that causes the stool to be too dry. From looking at the ingredients list provided at the website, I can't help but to think that perhaps it is. The vegetables listed at the site contains both soluble and insoluble fiber sources, and most importantly, it is the fact that the vegetables are given raw. Raw vegetables are very difficult for canines to digest and utilize, given their extremely short digestive tracts and the lack of carbohydrate-digesting amylase enzyme in their mouth. Unless those vegetables are blended and chopped finely so that it breaks the cellulose walls in order for the dog to fully utilize its nutrients. Perhaps the cause of those dry stools is that fact that there is too much fiber in the diet and the best way to combat it would be indeed to increase the moisture content in the food. Adding liquid into the diet or perhaps increasing your dog's intake of fluids should help.

As for teeth brushing, I am a strong believer in brushing a dog's teeth, irregardless if they chew on bones or anything at all. Don't bother with rawhides. Those are artificially bleached, and chemically preserved hides of animals that often causes stomach obstruction when swallowed due to the fact that it increases its size when contact with moisture. It also adheres firmly to dust, hair, dirt, bacteria and germs after a while. Chewing on bones does clean the teeth but not every corner of it. It still all boils down to giving their teeth a good brush to ensure a lifelong of disease-free gums and teeth. Dogs, like us, develops a sticky film over their teeth after every 36 hours or so, and this sticky films turns into plaque over time if allowed to. Therefore brushing your dogs teeth at least every 1 or 2 days or so almost guarantees good dental health if done correctly. Get a toothpaste without sorbitol or xylitol, as most toothpaste in the market now contains these 2. Most importantly, a good toothpaste contains enzyme that helps retard bacterial growth and removes and breaks tartar buildup.

Well said. You made a very good point there. It is a common believe amongst the public now that dogs have a certain lifespan and that each and every dog should adhere to it. I was at a pet shop once and I overheard the sales assistant informing a customer that the average lifespan for small breed dogs is 6-10 yrs, while bigger breeds lives slightly longer, about 10-12 years. It is much to my dismay and horror that a staff of this extremely well-known pet shop is giving such baseless, untrue advice to the public. Not only is she giving an expiry date for a living being, she also got her facts very wrong as it is known that bigger breeds tend to age faster than smaller breeds.

Perhaps many do not know that the oldest dog ever live actually survive to a good age of 29. According to an article in the Dog World magazine a few months back, it is common now for dogs to be in their late teens to their twenties. A beagle that died at the age of 28 holds the Guinness record for the oldest living dog. There were also yorkshire terriers that lives to be 26, a labrador that's 25, mutts that are still going strong at 20 plus. So what made anyone think that a dog dying at 12 is normal?

My poodle is fed on pedigree and other cheap supermarket brands for almost half his life. It was during this period when he develop cataracts when he was 5, a cancerous prostate, many tumor-like lumps all over, and a very bad heart disorder. He had since switched to home-cooked food and though he is blind from the irreversible cataracts, he is 16 and is still going strong. His teeth are all still intact, with just one missing incisor.

I've had friends telling me their dogs died of old age. When asked what age, it is most often 6, or 7, or the occasional 10 or 11. And they all died of many avoidable degenerative diseases like cancer, or diabetes, or heart failure. But to the public, to die of cancer or any other diseases are considered dying of old age. What were they fed on? The convenience of supermarket brand pet food.

Don't anybody knows wolves often leave the stomach of their preys uneaten? Barf people always say, give them vegetables, fruits, bla bla to mimic the stomach of the animals wolves it and all and i know all barf websites says that and all, but go read up articles in wolves biological behavior, wolves conservation centers, and wolves dietary needs and habits. Wolves leave the stomachs alone. They eat everything but the stomach.

This post has been edited by k9groom: Jan 1 2012, 10:48 AM