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Merlin

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Posts posted by Merlin

  1. Hi everybody - this is a post from another forum that really needs the word spreading - poor lady and poor animals!  There are so many good folks on this forum and I have seen so many happy endings...  I have more animals than I can handle at the moment myself, busting at the seams in fact so can't actually come to her rescue despite being in the same department - I might be able to foster if things get desperate and options run out but in the meantime I'm hoping people will reach out to this lady and help her.  Thanks.

    jo stephens
    posted on 19/02/2010 at 14:01

    e-mail jo stephens

    I urgently need to rehome my menagerie, my husband has left me (I wont bore you)

    I have an amazing bunch of animals and no way of maintaining them

    and know that inevitably I will have to return to England and would

    like to find good homes rather than try in a rush and have to use a

    pound,

    I have 2 donkeys, Ned a rare breed Badut Poitou, a young pretty and

    very silly boy who will grow to be an extremly hansome and strong man.

    He is almost 2, castrated and up to date with all his immunisations and

    fully papered.

    Napoleon a large beautiful gentle donkey, extremly soppy and

    affectionate and enjoys lots of cuddles and kisses. He is also

    castrated and up to date with everything. They must be together as they

    have bonded so well'

    4 goats, Dandelion a rescue girl very sweet and gentle (not too pretty)

    Dennis a castrated male hand reared and very gentle. I would like these 2 to be homed together

    Rose and Doris both hand reared, large horns very friendly and I would like them to be homed together.

    7 cats

    Bertie and Gloria (siblings) a ginger tom and a dark tabby sweet and gentle

    Tim a pure white (deaf) tom. He is a real honey. He has recently had

    his jaw and his tounge rebuilt (following a accident) and has no

    teeth.He is a stay at home softie.

    Annie and Lizzy (sisters) one a grey and ginger and one a tortishell, Lizzy is really beautiful and sweet, Annie a bit skitty!

    Teddy Edward a ginger tom and the sweetess boy ever very

    affectionate and a bit dribbly and Claude a tabby and white tom,

    independant but a home lover has a slight limp following a fractured

    hip.

    Numerous hens and a goose all free range.

    I would love to keep my 6 dogs but ................ I have Michael

    an old vagabond who moved in with us when we arrived 2 years ago very

    pretty and sweet and very independant.

    Connie a 2 year old Great Dane, Stunningly beautiful sweet natured

    and large, loves to cuddle up on the sofa infact has her own sofa. Up

    to date with every thing and spayed.

    I have a beautiful border collie Flo who we rescued 6 years ago

    after she suffered horendous abuse. She is extremly intelligent, but

    still has a few hang ups (frightened of brooms, bit of a eating

    hangupand some anxiety)

    I have 3 small terriers which I am hoping I can hang on to but..............

    I am obviously devestated and hope genuine animals lovers can help

    me and take on some of these beautiful creatures . I am in Dept 12

    Jo

  2. Hi and thank you for your reply - received your pm also.  Will email reply to find out what times you would have available and in the meantime am very glad to hear you are popular as I think there is a huge call for pet and home sitters, especially in France where kennels, good kennels that is, are in short supply.  I notice another lady on another forum has just started up and she has been snowed under with replies and requests!  So all power to you and I will email you today.  Many thanks.

  3. Chrissie - sorry have only just read your post.  The diet you mention that your vet says your dog will have to stay on for the rest of his life is also 'one on the hit list' !!!  Yes even this one - once only available through vet surgeries in the UK and here and now freely available in the large pet stores.... why?  Because it too has changed hands and is now manufactured by one of the large companies under the same name as before but the ingredients are not good!  Vets simply don't seem to catch on to this or bother to read what is out there for all to read.  I had one of ours on Hills because she had a kidney problem (we thought) - actually it was just a really bad bout of a urinary infection she picked up because she drank some nasty pond water we tracked it back to.  I'm not getting on my soap box again but some of these dog foods actually degenerate organs as I have said before.  What I would do is get in touch with Seulement Naturel or look at the website (it's in English as well as French) and just look at all the ingredients - one of the Arden Grange foods contains cranberry extract I seem to recall which is specifically for the urinary tract..... they will send you sample packs of the food if you email them the problem or simply buy a small 2kg bag of one that you think might be the best - look at the protein levels.  How old is your dog?  Older dogs do not need such high protein content as growing dogs - how active is he?  Working dogs need different levels to our ordinary pets who just love a good run out on walks....... it all matters and the Arden Grange range caters for all including expectant bitches and puppies.  Buying in small amounts to start with isn't the most economical way of course but once you establish one sort that suits your dog you can then order in bulk and get a discount as well as free delivery.  It's so worth it and I don't believe for one minute that your dog has to stay on Hills for the rest of his life - it's borrocks!  Introduce a new food slowly and I'll bet it works - it did for us and we have never looked back.  Dogs' insides were never meant to eat the complete foods we give them today...... we have to be aware of that, but there are plenty of ways to feed them a more natural diet with a little thought and Arden Grange food goes a long way to helping.  There is also a moist food Nature Diet you can get from this company, in sealed packs which are just brilliant for sensitive tummies and recovering animals that need no mixing with kibble as they form a complete nutritious meal.  Everyone who sees our dogs, two big GSH X Beauceron who have amazing shiny coats, good teeth and bright eyes etc., (even the vets) ask what we feed them!  The other two Heinze 57 mutts likewise, they are old and came with problems related to their age and ill treatment that have all cleared up in a matter of months thanks to correct feeding through this company and their products.  It's worth a bit of effort and patience to get it right and have a healthier, happier dog (and owner).  It's a sad fact that you can't always go by what a vet says as more often than not they do not research these foods and simply go by what the rep who sells them tells them - there is also quite a substantial financial kick back from their sales of these products which is indeniable by any vet!  I hope you get it sorted.

  4. For all who might want to give some thought to changing their dogs' diets here is the website that will take you in the right direction  http://www.seulementnaturel.fr/ -  Always remember that when you change your dog's diet, you need to do it gradually over a week mixing a little of the new in with the old - avoids tummy upsets.  The foods at Seulement make a visible difference to your pet in quite a short space of time, better coats, energy levels and so on, also better pooos!  You will need less because it's a better product and enables the dog's metabolism to function easier and better.  It's a huge step up from anything you can buy in the shops and your order is delivered to your door within 48 hours!  Go have a look and do you and your pet a big favour.

  5. Menuiserie, I get all my dog and cat food from Seulement Naturel and am good friends with Sue who runs it.  She is always researching new healthier products and is also trying to help me get organic poultry food over from the UK which, as we run an organic vegetable small holding, I need to do to bring the hens in line with all the rest of the stuff we do.  It's interesting that Sue tells me that 85% of her clients are French which is very encouraging from the point of view of converting a greater number of people here to feed better quality animal products to their pets.  It's not all about money, very often people just need to be pointed in the right direction and shown that it is easy to change and the reasons why it makes sense.  It's frightening when you see how the big manufacturers more often than not endanger the products by their greed instead of enhancing them with their technology for the better of all concerned.  We came to France to have a simple country life and work with nature once again, which is what we are doing..... and it is so much more rewarding on all fronts.  This thread seems to have strayed from the puppy in question, but I hope that it all helps put her, a new little dog, on to the right road to a very health and happy life.

  6. Russethouse - James Wellbeloved has indeed been bought out by Royale Canine and as such is no longer the same quality!  Sad to say that Royale Canine is on the hit list as I discovered during my research.  I initially had my two GSH X rescue pups on this when they were small and it was a disaster which is why I started my investigations.  I have had rescue and pedigree dogs for 30 years and wish I had learned about the pet food industry sooner - it would have saved me a lot of money and kept the dogs healthier in later life.  We expect our vets to advise us about such things (or breeders if you choose to buy a pedigree) but sadly they are all, in some way, ' in-the-pay' of these manufacturers or are just simply unaware of what they are actually feeding.  Reading on the side of a bag of dog food is essential, but even then I'm sad to say, it's misleading and a load of gobbledigook to most pet lovers who believe they are buying the best for their companions and trust the marketing done by these pet food companies.  It's a huge racket and actually, in an alarming number of cases, bad for the animals.  Ingredients are 'disguised' as being something they are not to line the manufacturers pockets because the industry is BIG business and ultimately the vets get their pockets lined too as they get kick backs for selling some extra expensive brands that are so called veterinary approved (that's piffle to put it politely) and let's not forget the bills owners end up paying for sick animals whose organs have gradually been damaged by such foods.  I actually tried three different veterinary clinics, with several vets in practice, to explain to me the ingredients on the bags of the so called 'scientifically structured' dog and cat food......... not one could!  Furthermore we discover that the name on the product is no longer made by them - yes, you guessed it, in fact as with most of the food you buy it comes from one of maybe three huge manufacturers and just turned out in different ways....... none of which are 'safe'!

    Yes so I got on my soap box a little there, but it's because I was so enraged when I discovered that for years I had been hoodwinked into thinking I was doing the very best by my dogs and spending money I sometimes didn't always have to buy them what I thought was the best.  My fault, the information was out there, but I had no way of knowing how to research it and nor did I suspect that the industry was so unethical.  Now I know better and I know I will have healthier dogs who will live longer and whilst I am still spending money, this time I know where to find the food that is as close to being 100% good nutrition as I can get and the rest I grow myself.  If more people are made aware then the petfood industry would have to change and stop ripping us off - the good foods sell themselves and are not anymore expensive than the junk the big companies retail all over the place.  Pet stores should be more selective, as should vets, as should supermarkets.......... but hey I know we're dreaming here..!!  So it's up to us the pet owners to be more aware and do something about it.  Here endeth the epistle according to Merlin...... my apologies to all who have taken the trouble to read this!

    Go look at Seulement Naturel - and you puppy will be fine!

  7. Try feeding smaller amounts three times a day - also try mixing in some meat or fish of some sort (home cooked scraps with vegetables and a little gravy).  I have been researching dog foods for some months now and it's criminal what manufacturers actually put into certain so-called complete dog meal - no actually it's horrific.  I have four dogs and have now gone the route of ordering dog food in bulk from the UK through an English lady in Grenoble - Seulement Naturel - which actually works out cheaper than the better brands here in France (even the ones the vets sell at huge expense and are actually rubbish!).  One of our rescued puppies had problems whilst growing similar to those you relate and has since remained a very fussy eater.  It was because of her that I started to research dog food and delving into the pet food world...... hmmmm, quite shocking!  We live out in the middle of nowhere and so delivery of dog/cat food from these folks is great and VERY efficient.  I have also learned that feeding dogs raw meat is just the best thing you can do for them, mixed in with a GOOD proprietary kibble and lots of vegetables is just the best thing. Yes it's a bit more fiddly until you get a routine sorted but so much better for your pet.  I could write oceans about all this and stand on my soap box for hours as I am now into the natural, herbal products that deal with fleas/ticks/worms and they DO work also!  Our dogs will live longer healthier lives as a consequence of our bothering to find out more about what we are subjecting them to in terms of diet, even with the best of intentions!  It's not rocket science and makes absolute sense and the manufacturers are perfectly wise to what they are doing as are the vets and it's all down to.... money!

    Try your puppy on some home made food (gradually added to her kibble) and have a look at the site I mentioned above.  If you would like further information please email me and I will be glad to help. 

  8. Chin up Rosie, where there's a will there's a way.  Keep the thread on here 'live' and someone will come up with a solution hopefully as there are some very good people on here.  Many people would not even bother and just leave the poor things to fend for themselves....... it's happening a lot I have been reliably informed which is very very sad.  Try putting a few more details about the cats (males/females/colours/neutered?) and some photos might do the trick also.  It all helps.

  9. Can anyone recommend reliable and experienced petsitters for a friend of ours who is looking for a long sit of possibly several weeks whilst he undertakes some work in London this coming Spring?  He has two dogs, a lovely house and lives in the Aveyron (12) a couple of km away from us.  We can't help him out as his dogs chase our cats mercilessly!  It's a responsibility that should be taken seriously and therefore I would prefer to get recommendations from folks on here rather than just asking if there is anyone out there willing to do it - if you get my drift!  Many thanks.
  10. I'm sorry to read of your plight, but at least you have started to think about it well ahead of time and whilst some will judge you as you say, I say 'there but for the grace of God....... etc'.  Do you have friends/family back in the UK (with gardens) that might be persuaded to take them on for you I wonder?  If you started to ask around now you could have the passports done in time and maybe even find that they will help with the veterinary costs.  It's worth a try as I think you will struggle to find them homes here......... maybe the incoming inhabitants of your house will be prepared to take them on when it is sold..??  I  once took resident cats on when I bought a place and they were very happy for many years with us.  I can't think of what else to suggest other than try calling Phoenix Association for help and possible contacts - they will help if they can.  I wish you well and hope you find a solution for your pets.

  11. Friends of ours regularly travel over with their two dogs and a cat on the overnight ferry down the west coast and then drive inland - the animals have to remain in the car during the ferry trip and you are not allowed down on to the car deck to check on them.  Theirs are quite used to the trip and because it's overnight they just sleep.  If you just mean to cross over from Dover to Calais then obviously it's only a couple of hours but you then still have the long trip down through France.  All Ferry companies make the rule that you cannot return to the car deck once the ship has set sail.

  12. I hear what Judie is saying and of course this can happen.  Having said that Judie you have a potentially volcanic mixture there of those two breeds - both 'fiery' small breeds if they put their minds to it!  Something more laid back in a cross mix perhaps but again this is why I think Phoenix are so good as they have their dogs with foster homes first and by the time they offer them for homing they already know how the dogs react with other dogs, cats, children, poultry etc.  They can comment on the temperament of the dog in question, if it's an older one, and actually wouldn't advise a dog if they thought it wouldn't settle in the destined environment - also taking into account the garden, fencing and so on.  Puppies are a different matter and don't come neutered either ...... but we took on two of their puppies and an old one after that and they all get on splendidly.  I do hope you get something sorted as it sounds like you could offer a nice home to one of the so many poor creatures that are suffering desperate fates at this time.  Good Luck.

  13. Over the years I have successfully integrated all manner of rescue dogs together in complete harmony in our home and it's not usually a problem at all.  Most recently we adopted our fourth rescue and the other three were incredibly kind to the new little one who has had an extraordinary bad life for the past nine years and is very nervous of everything and everyone!  I think that in your case I would advise a neutered little lady rescue for Scout to have as a new companion.  It would be very unfair to have him become the 'underdog' again and I think a little girl would make him very happy as there would more than likely be no rivalry at all, just a period of settling in naturally, and then some nice times for you all to enjoy.  Something around the same age would be perfect and you would be doing some lovely creature a real favour as the 'older' ones tend to get overlooked in the rescue centres - also I have found, over and over, that the older ones settle quicker as they are swift to appreciate their new found comforts and good life and soon fit in with the established routine.  I wouldn't hesitate to go and look at the Phoenix Association as they are very good and kind at placing the right dogs for the right homes - also if it doesn't work out they take the dog back and try something else.  We had three from them so please go and look - this is their contact detail :For all adoption enquiries please phone 05.53.54.94.81 or email [email protected]

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