[Jac]

A lot of good info and advice here!
I wanted to mention the ear hair plucking and teeth brushing because I have changed my mind on both! (Funny what experience teaches us!)
I was one who gave tooth brushes and doggie toothpaste to all of my puppy families...until I got a notice from Pet Edge that the tooth paste was recalled! So, in a panic, I asked them what to do about all of the people who recieved the tooth paste...their response? Oh, you don't need to notify all of your clients, just send us the unused portions back for a refund." Huh??? Recalled for health reasons but don't tell people using it??? So...brushing is good, but don't use toothpaste!
Ear hair...well, I had the opinion that if it is there, it must be for a reason. I reasoned that the hair kept the foreign things from going directly into the ear canal. That is until Chase got 3 foxtails in his ear! Now I have learned that if a foxtail gets embedded in a lot of fur or, worse yet, matted hair, it readily works its way down to the dog...so, when the vet plucked his ear hair, I really thought about it. I don't want to risk those darned foxtails again (I hate that my babies are hurting) and I must admit that $250 in vet bills helped me decide. Now I am working on clipping the dogs down and plucking ear hair...*sigh*
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[bensmom]

Yikes!! Thanks for telling us!!

In fact, my routine has been wash face, put toothpaste on washcloth, scrub teeth, wash face again to get toothpaste out of beard. Now I can eliminate two steps -- application of toothpaste and rewashing the face

Mary in AK
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It's all about the dogs!

[DarcyJan]

I have to admit it is so interesting reading all the responses to my question about food. Also, thank you for the great info on the toothpaste, because I bought some from my vet and now I am not going to use it. Actually, I will call her and ask her if it was recalled. Then, I think I am going to change vets and see if I can find one who agrees with my raw diet selection. I am sticking with it and am extremely careful (thank you!) about handling it. I wash out the sink twice after washing her bowl and I must wash the floor twice a day too if she drags food out of her bowl.

I found out something interesting about my doodle and wonder if anyone has had the same experience......I wiped her ears with a pad the breeder gave me which contains salicylic acid and she FREAKED OUT. She started digging and digging in the carpet and rolling on her ears as if to get the stuff out! Then today, I put an ointment on her nose (which is dry) that I got from the vet and she FREAKED OUT again. She ran to her water bowl to put water on her nose and then rolled around on the carpet as if to wipe it off and was digging again. When I looked at the label, it too said it contained salicylic acid.

Has anyone had this happen with their doodle?

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AGAIN!
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VeeVee's Mom

[bensmom]

I'm wondering why your vet wants you to use salicylic acid preparations to clean ears, moisturize, etc. Did he/she diagnose some kind of dermatological disorder??

From what I read at http://dermnetnz.org/treatments/salicylic-acid.html it's serious stuff to be used very carefully and never on irritated or broken skin, near eyes, or on mucous membranes because it can burn and irritate them. It doesn't sound like something I would want to use on a healthy animal just to clean or moisturize, especially a puppy. This site had warnings not to use it on humans 2 yrs or under.

I use unscented, alcohol-free baby wipes to clean my dog's ears, along with an ear wash gel especially for dogs. My vets have also recommended a 50% solution of water and either plain Listerine or vinegar when yeast is a problem.

Mary in AK
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It's all about the dogs!

[amommy2three]

I am a fairly new doodle owner but I did a lot of research on the RAW diet before getting Kirby. I think its GREAT for your dog as long as you can handle it. I found it to be too difficult to make sure I was feeding enough of each thing (ie. bones, liver, heart,...) to make sure they have a balanced diet. It also seemed to be somewhat expensive and time consuming. Many of the RAW feeders that I spoke with feed their pets on a plastic mat on the bathroom/kitchen floor or outdoors. It didn't work out FOR ME but I do supplement Kirby's diet with RAW meaty bones on a regular basis. I also feed him raw meat or eggs too. I also ran into problems with my vet about feeding RAW. He was VERY AGAINST it and couldn't give me a reason. When I asked him to suggest a good kibble he said they are all good (that any large company has done enough research)! I was not happy with this, among other things, and have since switched vets.

As far as the ear plucking - I'd say DO IT. I purchased a powder from the pet store and it makes the hair VERY easy to remove with my fingers. At first I thought it would be very sad but Kirby doesn't mind at all. Kirby came to me with very hairy ears and they were full of mites. I remove the hair every couple of weeks (10 minutes) and his ears seem to be great. His groomer does an excellent job when he went in last - all the hair is gone.

Now for brushing... I'm pretty bad with that. I only do it about once a week (sometimes a little more) but he also has the bones so he's okay for now. I guess I need to do this a little more.

Hope this helps.

[Annie]

We have been feeding our dood Matey raw since he came home to us 10 months ago. He was fed raw at the breeder as well. He is 1 year old now (today is his birthday) and he weighs 40 pounds and is about 22" at the top of the shoulder. Our vet approves of RAW and also feeds it to her dogs. We buy the chicken and turkey blend patties and lamb blend as well from Bravo, the blend has vegetables and ground bone added. I spoke with the woman who started Bravo and she said that the amount of salmonella allowed in the raw dog food is much less than what is allowed in human food (because they assume that the humans will cook off the bacteria). We have had no problems with this diet. Also as an added benefit, the poops are smaller and typically hard and compact and turn to white dust within a few days.

We also give him a squirt of salmon oil, a vitamin and a bit of probiotics in the morning. We do supplement his meals at times with chicken and turkey necks, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, eggs and our leftover brown rice and chicken.

He also loves his bully sticks (I found a place that sells odor free sticks) and never has a problem digesting them.
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Cheryl & Matey

[blueteal]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATEY!!!!!!!!!!
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Sue & Denver
http://blueteal.net/denver.htm
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
- Josh Billings

[DarcyJan]

I am still feeding Evita a raw diet, even though my vet was against it. We give her Bravo and it is the easiest thing in the world. My hands do not even touch her food. Having read all of your answers, I decided to go with my gut and stick to my guns. And, I am still going to do her ear hairs - the breeder gave me the powder.

Thank you so much for a reply to the salicylic issue. My vet gave it to me for her nose as we pointed out to her that it was a bit dry. I have already thrown away the tube we bought. It is horrible that it is harmful and that it stings. Now I feel really awful My poor baby!

Time to look for a different vet.......
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VeeVee's Mom

[Jac]

I just want to say that since I responded to this, I have been working on research for the chicken jerky toxins and rediscoverd sites that discuss dog food recalls and those not officially recalled...I am appalled! If at all possible, I need to start feeding raw or cooking for my dogs because it seems that all dog foods have something toxic in them and that "the experts" ie: vets, labs, etc. are alligning with the pet food companies (I wonder why$$?) and not being candid with us...sooooo, I really do commend you for selecting raw and I can't imagine anything worse than what we are finding in our processed pet foods!
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[SadieFern]

I had never heard of Bravo and I looked it up. First of all, I'd have to travel an hour to get it and secondly...they had a recall in Sept. of '07 too.
So frustrating!
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~Julie~ Mom to three kids and two furbabies!
Sadie is a labradoodle, born 10/07, Jonas is a cockapoo born 6/08.

[DarcyJan]

Julie, I know Bravo had a recall BUT the recall was on the meat you can buy in a roll like a sausage and cut yourself. We feed Evita Bravo patties that are sealed individually. They have chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, etc. I do not think they were ever recalled. They have ground up bones and vegetables in them, so I think they are great.

You can order them online.....

And, thanks Jac for commending me on the raw. Evita eats voraciously twice a day and is very healthy!
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VeeVee's Mom

[Annie]

DarcyJan, that is true the only recall was on the tubes not on the patties. I live only a few miles from the meatpacking plant where they make Bravo and met with the owner. No dogs were ever sick from the recalled rolls either. Matey just loves the food and so do his Bernese Mountain dog friends and his buddy Snickers the chocolate doodle.
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Cheryl & Matey

[Mud]

I have a standard labradoodle puppy just 4 1/2 mths old and a 10 yr old standard poodle. These dogs are BARF fed and I think it is the only way to go. I live on Norfolk Island and my labradoodle (Hugo the Boss) came from Tasmania. The breeder will only give a health guarantee if the BARF book is purchased along with the puppy. All their puppies start on BARF food from the time they are weaned. BARF feeding is becoming more and more popular in Australia and seems to be prefered by the majority of top breeders and vets, from what I can ascertain.

[DarcyJan]

Thanks, Mud. I am sticking to a raw diet for Evita and I am changing vets to someone who will work with me. I asked my breeder about teeth brushing and teeth sealing wax and he told me my vet was nuts! That all you need to do to keep their teeth clean is wipe them down with gauze every once in a while. So, it seems she is just trying to make money. It is so sad to me....
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VeeVee's Mom

[Libby&Jofi]

I also have a multigenerational labradoodle with a thick fleece coat. I can really understand how daunting it is to have conflicting information.

My dog has had problems with her ears. The first vet said not to remove hair from her ears - said there wasn't much there anyway. Well we left it and she got a nasty ear infection which recurred again and again until about 4 months - she had rounds and rounds of antibiotics but as soon as they stopped the problems came back. We now pluck her ears regularly - a little bit at a time and she is used to it now and doesn't fuss. We also use the K9 3 step ear cleaner which is really great at keeping the ears pristine. You can purchase it from the Doodle Country Store. We also switched her from the vet recommended dry kibble (Hills) to a combination of Canidae (a healthy dry kibble) and raw (Carnibest). The majority of her food is raw - we also give her bones on occasion but I only give her chicken drum sticks or large beef bones from the butcher where she just chews out the marrow, and I make sure to hold onto one end of the drumstick while she eats so that she doesn't ingest the bone all at once. I also feed her raw eggs - I've never had problems with her getting ill on the raw food. There is a small risk but I think the benefits far outweight the risks. The change has been amazing. No more nasty ears or runny eyes, better appetite, happier dog.

You have a 'perfect' dog - and it sounds like a happy dog too - I would trust your breeder and your instincts. Often vets favour a dry food company perhaps because their training was sponsored by this company or the practice is sponsored by them. There are good vets and bad vets - if you're not certain, seek a second opinion. Again I did this after a lot of conflicting information from the first vet I saw - I now see a wonderful vet who supports my choices and works with them - this is really important.