An 'old-style' dog....

Ben84

I didn't spend that much on accessories with my dog. A good quality leather lead lasted him his whole life. I used pyrex dishes for food and water, the type you often see in charity shops for a pound or two, which also lasted the whole time. As for a bed, we started out with a tough cardboard box with a couple of old army blankets in and later bought a plastic one. Dogs aren't fussy, but it's good to put it somewhere warm and not too busy, ideally somewhere people don't smoke too often as I think smoke is disruptive to sleeping. I know I've always woken up short of breath when there's smoke in the bedroom. Older dogs may appreciate more padding too. Whatever you pad it with, something you can machine wash is ideal. Even if you don't have a machine, blankets labelled for machine washing tend to be stronger. A good quality hair brush is worth it for grooming, but you don't need an expensive or special one, the ones sold for humans are fine.

We didn't really have dog toys, he was never much interested in them and just collected sticks to play fetch with. Some items not intended as dog toys are best avoided though, (like tennis balls) as they can break up and be eaten!

I didn't find he needed washing often either, in fact you can wash dogs too much, but every once in a while he'd roll in mud (or worse!) and I just washed him in the bath with some head and shoulders. Sometime people claim human shampoo isn't suitable, but comparing the labels I found they're pretty similar. The major ingredients all matched. However, we're all different, and in fact even some humans can't use regular human shampoo (I'm one of them), so watch for any irritation whatever you use.

There are however big spends, food, some medicines like worming and flea treatments, and occasionally vet visits. Setting something aside for that will be useful sooner or later. Around the house, you'll probably also get through lots more vacuum cleaner bags and may need some flea spray for the carpets - which can be expensive for a can.

Dogs can get in to lots of things too, so try to keep food up high, also a fire guard is good. Candles are best avoided. Chewing can be an issue too, and electrical cables may be a hazard. I'd be careful about turning things off at the wall and keeping cables out of reach until you know if your dog likes to chew stuff, as unfortunately I do know of of dogs being injured by chewing cables.

System

you cant beat an old knotted tea towel for a game of 'tug of war'.:D If your doggy is into that sort of thing of course.

Towser

Is Animal Friends Insurance £3.86 per month the best one for an "old style dog" or do you not bother?

Also I am spending £11.48 per month for or rescue dog Towser on the Vets Practice Plan which mainly includes de wormer and de flea treatment plus other benefits such as the odd injection as well as discount on food which we don't use 'cos we use Amazon. de wormer and de flea treatment or should I not bother and just buy them in bulk when they come up in Aldi?

We get a pretty good buy on James Well Beloved dog food (which was recommended from the kennels we got Towser from) on Amazon. Does this have a high meat content? We were told it is better for him because it does have all the additives and colorants the cheaper varieties have.

What is the highest meat content, lowest additives, cheapest dog food on the market? Can you suggest a cheaper alternative or are we doing well?

He is doing pretty well on the diet he is getting as his weight is stable. His main food is James Well Beloved 15kg which lasts about 2 months but is topped off with kitchen and table scraps.

Towser

Insurance Do you need it for a dog?

Honey_Bear

There are entire threads over on the Pets Boards about this subject. I don't know my adoptees history - two out of three were strays, so I don't even know how old they are which means the premiums are eye-watering. What is affordable is Third Party Insurance, which is free if you join the Dog's Trust for £25 pa or £12.50 for a pensioner. If your dog escapes and causes a car accident the owner is 100% liable and Dog's Trust Membership is a win win way of covering yourself, I think. (I found that tip on this website, so I'm not advertising for the charity.)

lostinrates

Re the vet plan inc wormers,

I signed four of ours ( the 'younger four' ) this year. Mainly because my health is decreasing and I want things to be easier to maintain for my DH if I am in hospital or not about. But its SO MUCH easier to have the vet remind me by text when to worm and also, though I am still capable of trimming claws etc, to know that our scheme means the vet nurse will do it for free is really helpful.

kippers

There is so much useful advice on here and it is really helping me, thank you so much. I had only just read about 'crates' and at first I thought they were cruel but I keep reading positive things?....what do you all think about them and what are your dogs sleeping arrangements?

moments_of_sanity

kippers wrote: »

There is so much useful advice on here and it is really helping me, thank you so much. I had only just read about 'crates' and at first I thought they were cruel but I keep reading positive things?....what do you all think about them and what are your dogs sleeping arrangements?

When they aren't used as a punishment or the dog locked in them for hours just because you want some peace they are the greatest invention. I had one for my Dachshund years ago and he loved putting himself away in it and I now have one for my 5 yr old Border Collie as she goes through phases of being clean overnight and then something (which we haven't been able to identify)will set her off and she will be messing on the carpet when left. Her crate is never punishment as she has no idea she has been put in there because I don't want to get up every morning to a carpet that needs cleaning and as soon as tell her it's bedtime, she is in it waiting for her bedtime biscuits. Her tail is always waging when she goes in and it seems to calm her, almost like it's her safe spot.

We also used the crate for our 3 years old Border Colliewhilst he was in the puppy stages. If left, he chewed plaster off the walls, ate door handles, window sills, ripped the kitchen vinyl up (cost us nearly £2k in repair bills) so we decided to crate him when we couldn't be with him, he again had no problem going in and was never a punishment. He is now 3 yrs old and doesn't need the crate anymore.

kippers

Just thought I would say thank you for all your very helpful comments. I now have a lovely Jack Russell Terrier cross from the RSPC and she has been with since Thurs.

The first night was a nightmare with mess on the floor, howling and scratching on the kitchen door, but I moved her bed nearer to us (the bottom of our stairs) and she has been fine since.
She is lovely and I am on the waiting list with the RSPCA for training sessions now, so all is going well. She is adorable.