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11-20-2009, 09:56 PM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Livermore, CA, United States
Posts: 65
| In Anticipation of bringing Baxter Home!!?? Hello again!! I am bringing Baxter home on Tuesday (YAY!!!!!). I went to the pet store tonight and finally got most of the things I think I will need...I spent WAY!!! too much money but I had to do it. My bottom lip almost hit the floor when the cashier told me how much my little "necessities" added up to be, lol. Do I need a bristle brush and a slicker? I bought both because I wasn't sure. I would like to know what you are feeding your puppy? I got Royal Canin, Puppy 33 because that is what she is feeding him but it is not sold at my local grocery store. I would really rather get something from the same place I buy my food. I am not sure if this is the "best" puppy food because I haven't looked it up yet but I'm very curious to know what you all are feeding your puppies/adult dogs. (and yes, I know if I change his food it needs to be gradually introduced). I didn't buy any raw hide but I got lots of chew toys. I am worried about him being in a crate though, but my ex-co-worker is going to let me borrow hers that she brought her kitty home in. I am going to sanitize the heck out of it because Baxter doesn't have all his shots yet. What kind of sanitizer should I use? Vinegar? The crate will be used to bring him home (I want one of those puppy car seats but I can't afford one right now) and will use the crate while I am at work, etc. I hope I don't have a hard time putting him in the crate to bring him home. I bought a retractable leash, too, but won't be using that right away. I am so nervous and want to do everything right so that he is a happy and well adjusted pup. I may have more questions during the weekend so PLEASE bear with me!!! nervous new Yorkie mommy |
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11-20-2009, 10:24 PM | #2 |
and Khloe Mae's too! Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Eastern Washington
Posts: 14,732
| Hi and welcome to YT!! As you have found, owning a yorkie is pricey. You haven't even experienced the vet bills yet! I feed Couver Blue Wilderness, a 6 star food according to this website: Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost Royal Canin is actually not a very good food... it is a one or two star according to dogfoodanalysis, but you can take a look for yourself to determine what you want to feed. I would not suggest ever buying rawhides... they are not good for small dogs. They can chunk off and get stuck... not good! I would suggest bully sticks for a chew treat. I am not sure on the sanitizing of the crate. I think vinegar would work well... Maybe wash it with soap afterwards to reduce the odor. The car seats are really nice. You want your pup to be safe when you are driving around, so I would suggest you travel with his crate until you can afford a seat. Hope this helps a little. Feel free to ask away, there are many helpful members on here that will give you great advice
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11-20-2009, 10:38 PM | #3 | |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Louisville, KY, USA
Posts: 239
| Quote:
You're going to get a lot of opinions on food. What I really recommend you do is to go into the health and diet section and look at the kibble grading chart. Read over how the grading system works, and then keep those things in mind when you shop for dog foods (like, do you mind if your dog food has dye? additives that might cause cancer (ie, worth the potential risk?), has wheat?) Some things are a bigger deal to some then others - as I think you'll soon find out a lot of people are opinionated about what to feed and what not to feed, but its really all up to you. I do recommend avoiding corn and by-products. Meat needs to be the first ingredient. All the other items in the grading chart are good things to avoid, but I would definitely make sure on the other 3 points at the very least. Don't focus so much on whats recommended as you do on... learning about it, and then making a personal decision based on what you learn and what you think matters most to you in the end. Royal Cain isn't a "top notch" food, but its not something you really or necessarily have to feel bad about feeding either. To be blunt though (and I mean no malice in this) you're really not going to find anything worth feeding in your normal food store (unless you homecook). I really recommend just investing in a large air-tight container and buying a larger 12-15lb bag. That bag will last you months and if you store well it will be just as fresh and less trips to the pet store. Don't do the rawhide. Its really not digestible and it can cause serious problems with your dog. Some are fine, but many are not - its not worth the risk. Go with something like "bully" sticks instead, they are safe and 100% digestible. If you don't want to do a crate you can do an exercise pen (I suggest one with a lid if you go that route, many are climbers.) You do want to get it used to being in the crate if you're going to crate train - make it a happy place and reward it for going in the crate. Give it time to get used to it, start from about a minute and work your way up rewarding all the time. You don't have to go crazy with the crate cleaning. I would suggest washing it out with dawn (or any other dish detergent) and then maybe wiping it down with some vinegar to lightly disinfect. You can use bleach if you're careful about rising it out well, but unless you know their cat was sick I think its most likely overkill. Don't feel guilty about the ride home in the crate - its actually the safest thing you can do in case you're in a crash. (Buckle it in though.) Have you picked up a harness yet? (Collars should only be used for id tags, their trachea's are delicate.) | |
11-21-2009, 06:38 AM | #4 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Livermore, CA, United States
Posts: 65
| Thanks you two. That's very surprising about Royal Canin. The girl at the pet store even pointed out that they make a pet food specifically for Yorkshire terriers. I'll do some research before buying my next bag of food (I just got the smallest bag they had until I can gradually switch him over). I didn't really go into raw hide because I covered that in an earlier thread so I'm good on all the info I received about that. Sanitizing the (used) crate is freaking me out because Baxter has only had two sets of shots and I am scared that he may come in contact with something. I will feel better when I speak to my vet on Wednesday. Thank you for all of the advice. I really appreciate it!! Off to do some research!!... Last edited by Suzetteb523; 11-21-2009 at 06:42 AM. |
11-21-2009, 08:09 AM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,921
| Don't feel bad about feeding Royal Canin at this point in time. If she likes it and will eat it, that is the most important thing right now. You want her to readily eat so that she won't get an episode of hypoglycemia. You do want to switch her to a better brand soon, but eating a lower rated brand is better than giving her a highly rated brand that she won't eat at all. Regarding the more expensive specialty brands, I just read an article about the true cost of store bought brands vs premium brands vs super premium brands. For the same size bag, the grocery store brands (like Purina) might be cheaper (per bag) than the Petsmart brands (like Royal Canin) and much cheaper than the very best brands (see the grading chart for lots of examples). The truth of the matter is that the super premium kibble, even though it costs much more per bag than the stuff at the grocery store, you will actually save money by feeding the better kibble to your dog. The cheaper brands are full of empty fillers that are not good for your dog, so the serving sizes are much larger. The high quality kibble doesn't have those fillers, so the serving size is a good bit smaller and the bag lasts much longer. So, by giving your dog the higher quality, more expensive (per bag) kibble, you actually spend less in the long run. That's a win-win in my book ... being able to feed your baby the best quality food AND saving money at the same time. Why feed them crap at all, but on top of that pay MORE to do it? |
11-21-2009, 09:30 AM | #6 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Crofton, MD, USA
Posts: 1,522
| We put our crates in the dish washer on the sanitize setting when we had a false flea-scare! They both fit! Just not both trays at once. |
11-21-2009, 05:05 PM | #7 | |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Livermore, CA, United States
Posts: 65
| Quote:
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11-21-2009, 05:07 PM | #8 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Livermore, CA, United States
Posts: 65
| My dishwasher is not working and it doesn't have a sanitizer setting, even if it did work. Good tip though. Thank you for sharing. |
11-21-2009, 11:17 PM | #9 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Louisville, Ky, United States
Posts: 16
| [QUOTE=Suzetteb523;2888557]Hello again!! I would like to know what you are feeding your puppy? I got Royal Canin, Puppy 33 because that is what she is feeding him but it is not sold at my local grocery store. I would really rather get something from the same place I buy my food. I am not sure if this is the "best" puppy food because I haven't looked it up yet but I'm very curious to know what you all are feeding your puppies/adult dogs. (and yes, I know if I change his food it needs to be gradually introduced). Ive had Solomon for 3 weeks and I went through the same thing trying to find a good puppy food. I chose Wellness Super5 Mix Just for Puppy it a premimum dog food and Solomon really likes it. Just click on the link for more informationwww.wellnesspetfood.com/...Oh and Congrats and good luck with Baxter!!! |
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