Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[sunshine426]

Thanks for posting y'all's personal experience with "stubborn" dogs. My friend refers to it as "PIA" took me a few minutes to translate, but so true. My little guy still has his stubborn issues and he is only 5 months old, but we are working on it. He is so handsome that everyone stops and looks at him, so of course that makes it worse when I am dealing with less than desirable behaviour. Like lying down in the middle of the aisle and just looking at me with this angelic look. I've resorted to telling people we are working on a "down-stay" and then he looks great, but really, I'm thinking what can I do to get this pup on his feet......

 

In a year and a half I will be bragging when he graduates!

 

My sweet flat coat graduated with a high school student. He is being used for balance issues, and I think he will be FABULOUS! He has such a nice steady walk. I actually had him at a high school last year, and he did really well in the noise and confusion and crowded hallways, so hopefully this will be great as well.

 

Off on my cruise in one week. I've started packing. I will have a quick visit on Wednesday with my foster pup then Thanksgiving then off to "Princess land". Hope everyone here has a great Thanksgiving.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Sunshine: Reno was such a big boy, we took him to obedience training when, I thought he was too young. I think he was 12 weeks, 3 months old. The trainer said age didn't really matter. It broke my heart to see that little fluff ball in a down stay with a toy inches from his nose. But he did it. Never did very well with the "come" instruction. It was like he had selective hearing or his paws in his ears wagging, "I can't hear you." It was an amazing site seeing the little guy drag the newspaper in from the driveway. It was almost bigger then him. He was so proud of himself! :D

Have a great cruise, I am sure you will.

[rangeley]

Sunshine, You must be so proud!! Since we have been going once a month to hang out with the puppy raisers, we have seen how much the dog graduating means to them. They are so upset when things don't go well. They and YOU are amazing people and us recipents of these animals cannot express our graditude enough!! :D In case your're not around this week, have a great cruise!!!!!

 

Wexler had bathroom issues again yesterday. Both stool samples we sent to the vet were negative. After talking to the vet, we have decided it must be the dog food. Maybe it went bad. So last night we called Petco and explained our problem. With no hesitation they told us to bring back the unused food and they replaced it for free. They will give the unused food to the sales rep that comes in every few weeks. We are hoping that this does the trick.

 

Cindy

[Quampapetet]

Hopefully the new bag of food solves the problem! You might want to look into feeding a better-quality food, though. Check out sites like http://www.OnlyNaturalPet.com for info. and recommendations on what those are.

 

Also, have you scoured your yard to make sure he isn't scarfing up something while out there? At this time of year there could be fallen fruit or nuts from trees. Or wild animal droppings. Or a neighbor could be throwing something into your yard.

[sunshine426]

Two new litters of pups are in the nursery. No names yet. Both Mom's are new mommies. I was up with one, she was so happy to have a visitor, I think she was wondering when she could sign those puppies up for a mother's morning out program. That or she was looking for a cigarette...She really seemed to want to spend time with humans and not the pups. By the time I left, she was on her side with all 6 puppies nursing.

[rangeley]

Hopefully the new bag of food solves the problem! You might want to look into feeding a better-quality food, though. Check out sites like www.OnlyNaturalPet.com for info. and recommendations on what those are.

 

Also, have you scoured your yard to make sure he isn't scarfing up something while out there? At this time of year there could be fallen fruit or nuts from trees. Or wild animal droppings. Or a neighbor could be throwing something into your yard.

 

Both dogs are on a high quality food. The same food he's been on at CCI. Wex is always on a leash so he is watched very carefully. He does tend to try to eat things. But we haven't let him off for those reasons. Bailee is off leash alot, cuz she behaves. She seems to be alright so far.

 

Cindy

[wizard-of-roz]

Sunshine: Have a wonderful cruise.....You've certainly earned it!

Cindy: We once got a bag of Eukanuba kibble and Brenda (the piggy) wouldn't touch what I had put into her dish. She sniffed it out and then literally refused to eat it. Was she sick? I had to find out....and, since we live in "ground zero", where the 1994 earthquake originated from.....I always keep extra food in her travel bag. The food in the bag was from a different lot than the one she had refused so, I thought I'd see if it was the food or was she ill. She gobbled it up.

It was the food from this particular bag, she simply refused to eat it. I took it back to Petco and they never even questioned me and gave me a replacement bag. Obviously, there was something wrong with it and Brenda knew it!

Upon further checking we saw that the bag she refused had a long expired expiration date on it.....Who knew!!!!! From that day forward we check all the expiration dates on her food.

 

I hope it's something simple for Wex and Bailee.

 

We're off to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving; then Christmas with the family and the cruise in January.....So many wonderful things to look forward to! And best of all is to spend these good times with my beautiful family and my amazing Service Dog, Brenda! :)

Happy Holidays, Everyone!!!!!!

[Quampapetet]

Both dogs are on a high quality food. The same food he's been on at CCI.

 

Food that Petco sells isn't very high-quality food. They are starting to carry some more natural stuff, but still, you don't want to buy dog food at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Petco/Petsmart, etc. And programs aren't going to feed very high-quality food because they need to save money. Not knocking your decision, just stating facts.

[Quampapetet]

Upon further checking we saw that the bag she refused had a long expired expiration date on it.....Who knew!!!!! From that day forward we check all the expiration dates on her food.

 

 

Also be sure to check the dates on your own food; grocery stores aren't always the greatest at keeping expired foods off their shelves, either! My mother had to return something last week that she had bought and when she got home realized that it was already past its expiration date. That happened to me several years ago, so I always check the dates on everything in the store before I buy them - that's how I cought some all-natural treats at the pet store that were well past their dates (so I told an employee about it). Expiration dates are our friends. ;)

[flsunnymommy]

I have to agree that a lot of the training programs do not feed high quality food. Our local trainer feeds Purina One which is not good food. We had to consider the cost of better food into our budget, but the difference it made with our dogs was so dramatic!! Our dogs work so hard for us. We found an affordable natural food with no additive, and no grain. We do Grandma Lucy's Truth http://olivegreendog.com/true-grain-free-chicken-dog-food.html as it is good, but affordable. Since you rehydrate the food, a 10lb bag of food lasts us longer than a 40lb bag of dry kibble dog food.

[wizard-of-roz]

Food that Petco sells isn't very high-quality food. They are starting to carry some more natural stuff, but still, you don't want to buy dog food at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Petco/Petsmart, etc. And programs aren't going to feed very high-quality food because they need to save money. Not knocking your decision, just stating facts.

 

Wow! To make such a "blanket" statement about CCI and the food that they've chosen and recommend that their graduates feed their dogs and, not to mention, have done so for many, many years, is pretty thoughtless and untoward!

I'm curious, Quam, how much education do you have in the care and feeding of dogs? Do you have a degree in the dynamics of the health and digestive tracts of puppies and senior dogs? I would hope that before you give such random advice, it would behoove you to be careful about the degrading of an Organization that has been very successful in the care and maintenance of Service Dogs for many, many years. And, that much investigative work, by Certified Licensed Vets [through CCI] went into the choosing of Eukanuba for their dogs.

We are all entitled to our opinions and certainly we all welcome good advice in caring for our dogs......God knows, you guys have been so helpful to me in solving some of Brenda's allergy issues.....but, be careful how we degrade Organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence and the way in which they maintain their pups and growing dogs.

Of course additional food and supplements can be used and given to specific dogs with specific digestive problems, with a Vets assistance......but if someone shares their issues with us it's best to give suggestions only! And, Eukanuba isn't for ALL dogs, even CCI dogs may have digestive issues with this food and need to be put on special diets. They're individuals, just like people!

BTW-I forwarded your statement on to the Graduate Department and the Vet Clinic of CCI to get a response from them, as to your opinion that they're using a "poor quality of food, to save money!" I'll let you all know what they say.

[wizard-of-roz]

Dear Quam,

 

You are so helpful and are always "there" when we all come for advice and assistance....and, I thank you for that.

If it were not for Canine Companions for Independence, I would not have this amazingly wonderful dog in my life. She brings "richness and fullness and completeness" to my world [not to mention what she brings to my husband!] What she has brought to so many [in my world] was really a secondary joy, that none of us expected.

I thank CCI for that and will always be indebted to them for all the hard work that they do to allow me to have her in my life.

CCI works very hard to keep a wonderful reputation in our community and in communties all over the United States.

Am I defending the way that they take care of their dogs [not only in the food they choose] but in every way?........You're darn right I am!!!!!!!

Please accept this in the manner in which I truly meant it......with a full heart and a gentle spirit.

With Love and Licks,

Roz & Brenda

[Quampapetet]

I didn't say CCI was terrible for feeding a lower-quality food, just that that is what they are doing. It is their choice, then once you get a dog, it is your choice on what to feed the dog. Just look at the ingredients, quality of the ingredients, where the food is made, how the food is made, etc. and you will see the differences between high-quality foods and other foods. There are plenty of resources online and offline (books, magazine articles, etc.) for you to gain education of the subject.

 

BTW, most vets don't know as much about nutrition as most ppl think they do. They only study it for a class or two in school. They're not nutritionists, though you can find canine nutritionists out there (albeit for a high $ price). And, of course, money gets in the way, which is why some recommend the junk foods they sell you like Science Diet.

[Quampapetet]

I have to agree that a lot of the training programs do not feed high quality food. Our local trainer feeds Purina One which is not good food. We had to consider the cost of better food into our budget, but the difference it made with our dogs was so dramatic!! Our dogs work so hard for us. We found an affordable natural food with no additive, and no grain. We do Grandma Lucy's Truth http://olivegreendog.com/true-grain-free-chicken-dog-food.html as it is good, but affordable. Since you rehydrate the food, a 10lb bag of food lasts us longer than a 40lb bag of dry kibble dog food.

 

How are you liking that food? It looks similar to Honest Kitchen and other dehydrated foods. I've been looking into Honest Kitchen foods, which if you buy from them they do give a small discount for certified service dogs (5% off I think), but it is pretty expensive. I currently feed all-natural, human-grade (made in human food factories) canned food in the morning and have cans to last 'til about March (I bought a year's worth at once to save money), so it is hard to figure out what amount to feed of the dehydrated food. (At night she gets 1 cup of her all-natural, grain-free dry food, but I don't know if it would be that same amount or less if I switched that meal to the dehydrated food. I don't want to spend the amount per day with 1 cup [adding to the amount of the canned per day], but would be fine with 1/2 cup's expense.)

[flsunnymommy]

We originally did Honest Kitchen and Chewy loved it!! He licked up every drop. It was a great food, but pricey. Still a 10lb box would feed an 80lb dog for a month. The higher quality food and less filler, the less they need to eat. I now do this Grandma Lucy Truth as it is cheaper, but still all human grade in a human plant with no filler or additives. When you use a cup of dehydrated food, you add at least a cup of water (one dog likes it runnier) so it at least doubles. I like the Truth as it is not all ground, so there are real chunks of chicken in it. It makes a consistency like oatmeal and they love it. I am adding just a little bit of the Blue Buffalo Wilderness as it is a kibble to the pups food.

 

If you go here http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ you can see the list of ingredients in most dog foods.

[Quampapetet]

We originally did Honest Kitchen and Chewy loved it!! He licked up every drop. It was a great food, but pricey. Still a 10lb box would feed an 80lb dog for a month. The higher quality food and less filler, the less they need to eat. I now do this Grandma Lucy Truth as it is cheaper, but still all human grade in a human plant with no filler or additives. When you use a cup of dehydrated food, you add at least a cup of water (one dog likes it runnier) so it at least doubles. I like the Truth as it is not all ground, so there are real chunks of chicken in it. It makes a consistency like oatmeal and they love it. I am adding just a little bit of the Blue Buffalo Wilderness as it is a kibble to the pups food.

 

Does Grandma Lucy only have the chicken one? Or do they make other varieties as well? I like to switch up the variety of the dry food every month (approximately, whenever each bag is finished) and the canned I switch up every two to four days (depending on if I am mixing cans together or not, as I mix Weruva and TikiDog together or feed just Weruva if it is the 1/2-sized cans [great for travelling an odd number of days] or the meatloaf-style cans [all meat plus vitamins/minerals], which I don't like as much as the other cans, even though these are things like Kobe Beef and Wagyu Beef [or some name like that, LOL] with a variety of things - all of which you see, of course - like shrimp, chicken pieces, peas, dried egg, pulled steak strips, brown tuna [not white like humans get in a can], etc.).

 

If you go here http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ you can see the list of ingredients in most dog foods.

 

Yup, that is a good site! There are some others out there that are good, too. I wish I could recall the name of the author that has some good books on canine nutrition out. I'll try to remember to look it up and post on here with it.

[flsunnymommy]

Truth only has lamb and chicken. Honest Kitchen has a few others and one just for RAW diets. The Blue Buffalo looks promising as a kibble with meats of chicken, turkey, salmon and whitefish. Until I saw the difference in food, I never knew. I thought about going RAW, but my son feeds his dogs, so that would not work well ;)

[Quampapetet]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I am not pro-raw diets. And, yes, especially if it is a child doing the feeding! Gotta keep him safe. :)

[DisneyKidsDad]

Wow! To make such a "blanket" statement about CCI and the food that they've chosen and recommend that their graduates feed their dogs and, not to mention, have done so for many, many years, is pretty thoughtless and untoward!

 

I'm curious, Quam, how much education do you have in the care and feeding of dogs? Do you have a degree in the dynamics of the health and digestive tracts of puppies and senior dogs? I would hope that before you give such random advice, it would behoove you to be careful about the degrading of an Organization that has been very successful in the care and maintenance of Service Dogs for many, many years. And, that much investigative work, by Certified Licensed Vets [through CCI] went into the choosing of Eukanuba for their dogs.

 

We are all entitled to our opinions and certainly we all welcome good advice in caring for our dogs......God knows, you guys have been so helpful to me in solving some of Brenda's allergy issues.....but, be careful how we degrade Organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence and the way in which they maintain their pups and growing dogs.

 

Of course additional food and supplements can be used and given to specific dogs with specific digestive problems, with a Vets assistance......but if someone shares their issues with us it's best to give suggestions only! And, Eukanuba isn't for ALL dogs, even CCI dogs may have digestive issues with this food and need to be put on special diets. They're individuals, just like people!

 

BTW-I forwarded your statement on to the Graduate Department and the Vet Clinic of CCI to get a response from them, as to your opinion that they're using a "poor quality of food, to save money!" I'll let you all know what they say.

 

Well Roz...you beat meto it. But I couldn't have said it better myself.

[wizard-of-roz]

To All: I spoke directly with the Vet tech [Cindy] at CCI, Santa Rosa. She has worked at CCI for 5 years and reassures me that CCI chose Eukanuba many, many years ago [long before she came to them] because of the anti-oxidant and vitamin and mineral content of their food. They found it to be high quality dog food.

CCI pays for their dog food, just like we do. They've NEVER gotten it for free, although they have been offered [by other companies] to get their food for free, if they pushed the brand with their graduates......they said; NO THANK YOU! They buy in bulk and can get a better price but there are a lot cheaper foods out there that they could buy. They choose not to because of the success that they've had with Eukanuba. They've found that the puppies/senior dogs and all inbetween do better on these products.

In the spirit of not being argumentative or defensive, I just thought it was a good idea to find out the "truth" about why this organization uses this specific product.

I'm not a bit surprised.....this is a quality organization and as I felt, they do what they feel is the very best for their dogs.....be they puppy or senior!!!!!

[flsunnymommy]

Eukanuba is not a bad food, just not near the best. Many dogs do well on it, but I prefer to go with a food not made in a dog food plant as many have been subjected to recalls which have lead to the death of pets. Our vets office has a nutrition consultant that works with any of the animals that may need it (allergies, coat issues, low energy levels, teeth problems, joint or weight issues) and we went over numerous brands and nutritional information to determine what is best for our dogs. I will suggest looking at the nutritional information on your pet food to determine what is best for your dog. I will not feed my dog anything I will not eat and we stay away from additives, grains and by products.

[dvdfreakmc]

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been a stranger, but just caught up on reading all the posts tonight. Susan, Cameron and I have been in flux the past several months with our kitchen gut and redo and are just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

 

Glad to hear about all your great cruising. We really haven't been anywhere since our cruise in the summer with HAL, but we will have to see if we can get back into the swing of things next year.

 

Cameron is growing up so fast now, and what a blessing it has been. He marched in the Horsham Street Parade yesterday in the Middle School Band playing the trombone. He is getting so much better at being independent. Werin isn't getting left behind though, but there have been more opportunities where Cameron is doing things by himself without needing Werin as much.

 

Hope all of you are well and going to have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

[wizard-of-roz]

Eukanuba is not a bad food, just not near the best. Many dogs do well on it, but I prefer to go with a food not made in a dog food plant as many have been subjected to recalls which have lead to the death of pets. Our vets office has a nutrition consultant that works with any of the animals that may need it (allergies, coat issues, low energy levels, teeth problems, joint or weight issues) and we went over numerous brands and nutritional information to determine what is best for our dogs. I will suggest looking at the nutritional information on your pet food to determine what is best for your dog. I will not feed my dog anything I will not eat and we stay away from additives, grains and by products.

 

My husband is so funny....he literally wants to taste everything that Brenny puts in her mouth......so, you guessed it, he had to taste her kibble! He said, he thought it was tasteless but smelled good!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been a stranger, but just caught up on reading all the posts tonight. Susan, Cameron and I have been in flux the past several months with our kitchen gut and redo and are just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

 

Glad to hear about all your great cruising. We really haven't been anywhere since our cruise in the summer with HAL, but we will have to see if we can get back into the swing of things next year.

 

Cameron is growing up so fast now, and what a blessing it has been. He marched in the Horsham Street Parade yesterday in the Middle School Band playing the trombone. He is getting so much better at being independent. Werin isn't getting left behind though, but there have been more opportunities where Cameron is doing things by himself without needing Werin as much.

 

Hope all of you are well and going to have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

 

Peter, it's nice to hear from you. I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!

Cameron is feeling very safe in his world, obviously. You all and Werin have certainly done the right thing in making him feel capable and allowing him to spread his wings!

 

Take care and I hope you plan a cruise soon!

[Quampapetet]

To All: I spoke directly with the Vet tech [Cindy] at CCI, Santa Rosa. She has worked at CCI for 5 years and reassures me that CCI chose Eukanuba many, many years ago [long before she came to them] because of the anti-oxidant and vitamin and mineral content of their food. They found it to be high quality dog food.

That many years ago it likely WAS a comparitively high-quality food because ppl didn't know as much then as they do now and not as many brands/products were out there then as were now. At one time not so long ago, there were NO commercial dog foods - ppl just fed the dogs table scraps and had no idea what nutritional values the dogs needed or were lacking in and all.

Euk. is not as bad as some foods out there, especially a lot of the other stuff at big-box pet stores (Petco, Petsmart, etc.) that is akin to feeding your dog junk food, but it also isn't in the high-quality category like the stuff you can find at mom'n'pop shops (including online shops). Read up on ingredients and dog nutrition and such on the site that FLSunnyMommy posted.

That's fine that CCI wants to feed Euk.; they can feed whatever they choose. But every dog owner should read up on dog foods so they can make their own decisions on what to feed. Most have no clue, which is why they go and buy whatever cheap thing they can find at the grocery store or Wal-Mart.

 

CCI pays for their dog food, just like we do. They've NEVER gotten it for free, although they have been offered [by other companies] to get their food for free, if they pushed the brand with their graduates......they said; NO THANK YOU! They buy in bulk and can get a better price but there are a lot cheaper foods out there that they could buy. They choose not to because of the success that they've had with Eukanuba. They've found that the puppies/senior dogs and all inbetween do better on these products.

I'm surprised Euk. hasn't ever given it to them for free after all these years!

 

In the spirit of not being argumentative or defensive, I just thought it was a good idea to find out the "truth" about why this organization uses this specific product.

 

I'm not a bit surprised.....this is a quality organization and as I felt, they do what they feel is the very best for their dogs.....be they puppy or senior!!!!!

 

Again, they can do what they want and I doubt the biggest organizations would feed a super high-quality feed just because they need so much of it and run on donations, but Euk. is not one of the highest-quality dog foods out there - that's just a fact. However, do be aware that feeding a high-quality feed does not necessarily mean it will be more expensive. Lower-quality feeds have fillers and such that mean you have to feed more of it, so with a high-quality food, you end up feeding less quantity, therefore the price is not as high as it seems if you just compare the prices of the same-sized bags of the two feeds. (You also can get less poop, which is nice! ;))

 

Again, not criticising anybody or whatever organization they're a fanboy of, just educating ppl.

Edited November 24, 2009 by Quampapetet