new owner starting to panic

[elenamarie]

I do find though that Luna rubs her nose against her crate liner quite a bit and I only figured out the other day that she's trying to "bury" her bone and doesn't understand that the liner won't move like dirt does! Is he rubbing his nose towards a treat when he does it?

Sarah regularly tries to bury treats indoors. When she was younger she would spend a minute or two nosing at the carpet like she was pushing dirt, and when she could still see the treat she'd bark at it like, "HEEEEEYYYY!!!! I can still SEE it!" and then try again.

Silly pup!

[elenamarie]

The raw chicken idea makes me nervous, i don't know why, i'm not silly enough to believe dogs in the wild have ovens or anything , it's just the worry of bacteria and things in raw meat. This is the first time i've ever heard of feeding a dog raw food really. would anyone mind telling me a little more about it?

Well you have to use some logic. If the chicken smells terrible and has changed colors by all means trash it. But normal, fresh raw chicken is good for them. A dog's stomach acid is ten times stronger than humans, and their digestive system moves much faster than ours so bacteria has far less chance to cause illness. It can still happen with bad meat or bad water (drinking out of ponds, etc. can cause intestinal infections) but fresh meat isn't a problem, promise!

Go to the Food and Diet section of the board, there are LOADS of threads on raw feeding.

[elenamarie]

I didn't know Mals only have dark eyes TBH. I should imagine the blue is recessive though so the result of blue eyed husky and a mal would most likely be brown eyes. Sounds more and more likely that the beautiful Stitch is a pure Sibe. The novice in me has been shown up

It helps that I took a couple of genetics courses at the university.

[Nikki Bridgeman]

I've always been told that chicken bones are bad because they splinter, i'm guessing that's not the case

[elenamarie]

I've always been told that chicken bones are bad because they splinter, i'm guessing that's not the case

Cooked chicken bones absolutely will splinter and could kill them.NEVER allow them to have cooked poultry bones. That's why I said ONLY raw bones. Raw bones are much softer, the heat of cooking changes the structure of bones.

I give Sarah a raw chicken leg quarter once a week. She's never had a problem with that, or raw necks, or raw wings.

The food and diet section is here http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/forums/food-diet.37/

[sutsibe]

Hi and - congratulations on adopting your boy!

He looks very much purebred to me! White Siberians may have either liver (as your boy has) or black noses - if he had color, he would be red and white, as liver goes with red, and a black nose would go with black, gray, sable or agouti. A different gene controls the area of the coat that is colored (the 'saddle gene') than controls coat color itself. His head shape is pure Siberian, and how his ears are set on his head also looks Siberian, as well.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

The raw chicken idea makes me nervous, i don't know why, i'm not silly enough to believe dogs in the wild have ovens or anything , it's just the worry of bacteria and things in raw meat. This is the first time i've ever heard of feeding a dog raw food really. would anyone mind telling me a little more about it?

check out the food and diet section -lots of threads on raw food there

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[elenamarie]

Hi and - congratulations on adopting your boy!

He looks very much purebred to me! White Siberians may have either liver (as your boy has) or black noses - if he had color, he would be red and white, as liver goes with red, and a black nose would go with black, gray, sable or agouti. A different gene controls the area of the coat that is colored (the 'saddle gene') than controls coat color itself. His head shape is pure Siberian, and how his ears are set on his head also looks Siberian, as well.

One day, Gigi, I have to talk to you about the genetics behind coat banding. I'm still trying to decide whether Sarah is banded or not.

[sutsibe]

One day, Gigi, I have to talk to you about the genetics behind coat banding. I'm still trying to decide whether Sarah is banded or not.

That's an area I'm not very familiar with - ask, and I can try to get answers from someone with more experience/knowledge than I have!

[Taiya Blue and Miko too]

Welcome to the most addictive forum around! Well done on rescuing Stitch - what a cracking name Loads to read up on the raw feeding section and although scary to start with i've not looked back (when i get onto my laptop later i'll edit this and put a pic up of last night dinner!)

Blues nose has started to turn brown these last few weeks too. Both of ours are happy to lie in the other room and Taiya spends more time alone in the garden or conservatory than she does with us! Blue is a bit more clingy but still don't see them for ages if we don't go looking for them while they're panned out elsewhere!

Edited - pic added and forgot to say we use Dogmatics

[elenamarie]

@Kayote has been using Satin Balls to put weight on her rescue Sibe. Perhaps she can direct you to the recipe, Nikki.

[Luna's Mum]

It helps that I took a couple of genetics courses at the university.

Aaah.....smart arse! **Joke!**

[elenamarie]

Aaah.....smart arse! **Joke!**

LOL Gotta be honest here, y'know?

[Luna's Mum]

LOL Gotta be honest here, y'know?

I'm just jealous....skipped the whole university thing to learn in the big ol' working world. The only benefit of doing that is that I don't have a massive student loan hanging over my head!

[Michelle Melsom]

Hi ^.^ ok here goes Looks full sibe to me and it is very common for a white siberian to have a pink nose. As for the bed thing leave it where it is and show it to him more and treat him there ^.^ Harnesses usually encourage pulling in any dog I have found and the canny collar u are using now shouldnt cause emotional damage but I have never used one. I personally use the martingale collar and it works for me and that is a handsome boy u have there

[elenamarie]

The raw chicken idea makes me nervous, i don't know why, i'm not silly enough to believe dogs in the wild have ovens or anything , it's just the worry of bacteria and things in raw meat. This is the first time i've ever heard of feeding a dog raw food really. would anyone mind telling me a little more about it?

In addition to raw meats, Sarah dearly loves

• 
  
  
• Raw or steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans
  
  
• Mandarin oranges, pineapple, mango, papaya, apple slices
  
  
• Small amounts of cottage cheese, yogurt, and sliced cheese
  
  
• Cooked rice
  
  
• Raw eggs--I usually remove the egg white to preserve B vitamins, which are destroyed by the egg white
  
  
• Peanut butter--I can get her to do ANYTHING for a fingertip of peanut butter
  
  

I am of the theory that variety in their diets assures that they're getting whatever nutrients they need at the moment. Plus, I'd hate to eat the same thing day in, day out forever. I mix her kibble with the above additions. Oh, but don't mix kibble with raw meats! It won't kill them but their bodies digest raw meats at a different rate than kibble.

[elenamarie]

I'm just jealous....skipped the whole university thing to learn in the big ol' working world. The only benefit of doing that is that I don't have a massive student loan hanging over my head!

It isn't all it's claimed to be, for certain! I had some classes that have really added to my life. Then there was the required crap courses, eg sociology. UGH! I couldn't believe I had to PAY for that.

[Toshi]

Pigmentation in a dog’s nose is determined by genetic factors, just the same as

hair

color

aging.

The most common cause of a fading nose is called “snow nose†or “winter nose,†because the dog’s nose will fade to pink or white during the winter months, and return to black once summer arrives. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs, and Siberian Huskies have this seasonal variation in the color of the nasal planum. Some dogs within these breeds, and even dogs of other breeds, have noses that change from black to brown or pink as the animal ages. The cause is thought to be a breakdown of a certain enzyme called tyrosinase, which is responsible for producing pigment. Apparently, the enzyme becomes less efficient as the dog ages, causing the nose to fade from black to brown or pink. Tyrosinase is also temperature sensitive; it works more effectively in warmer weather, which explains the fading of the nose during winter months. While a dog with a completely pink nose (also known as a Dudley nose), can be disqualified from the show ring (depends on breed), dogs with originally black noses that fade to pink are still allowed to be shown.

[Michelle Melsom]

Good info quote ^ I like the idea of putting sunscreen on ur dogs nose if its pink lol

[elenamarie]

Pigmentation in a dog’s nose is determined by genetic factors, just the same as

hair

color

. Depending on the breed, the dog’s nose may be black, pink, liver colored, or self colored (same color as coat). But, what does it mean if your dog’s nose changes color? If your dog’s nose is turning pink, specifically turning from black to pink, there could be many causes for the loss of pigmentation. Sometimes the change indicates a medical condition, and other times, a dog nose turning pink is a completely natural part of aging.

The most common cause of a fading nose is called “snow nose†or “winter nose,†because the dog’s nose will fade to pink or white during the winter months, and return to black once summer arrives. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs, and Siberian Huskies have this seasonal variation in the color of the nasal planum. Some dogs within these breeds, and even dogs of other breeds, have noses that change from black to brown or pink as the animal ages. The cause is thought to be a breakdown of a certain enzyme called tyrosinase, which is responsible for producing pigment. Apparently, the enzyme becomes less efficient as the dog ages, causing the nose to fade from black to brown or pink. Tyrosinase is also temperature sensitive; it works more effectively in warmer weather, which explains the fading of the nose during winter months. While a dog with a completely pink nose (also known as a Dudley nose), can be disqualified from the show ring (depends on breed), dogs with originally black noses that fade to pink are still allowed to be shown.

Didn't know that Labs and Goldens have snow noses too--learn something new every day!

[Toshi]

My friend has a retriever and she gets "snow nose" during the winter months.

[Michelle Melsom]

Ye I did not know that either. Was a good article to read tho I didnt really think about the allergy thing to the bowls either

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

ive never put suncream on skylas nose - i was told there wasnt any need to and that she would probably just lick it off anyway

[Sabien&Abs]

Hi Nikki, good on you for giving Stitch the good forever home he needs. He is beautiful and he looks like a pure Sibe to me. My boy has a 'snow nose' (pink and white) so don't worry about the colour of his nose, mine also likes to rub his nose on the carpet ( he also likes to walk up to us and sneeze in our faces!). Our Sabien is the same as Stitch and is quite happy to sleep on his bed in a different room, rather than spend lots of time with us. He was like this as a pup, and Sibes are very independent, does not mean he loves you any less (our Sabien clearly loves his pack, but is also very friendly with other people and likes to sleep in a different room). Remember they were bred to pull, and this takes time and perserverance to improve. Sabien is sometimes still like a freight train if he is particularly excited about getting to the park! Try keeping leash short but relaxed so he is beside you, and if he pulls stop and wait until he is relaxed. As I said this will take time and patience but you will get there. It sounds like you are doing a great job. Enjoy your Husky.

[Nikki Bridgeman]

Thank you for the advice everybody!! It's great to know he's ok :-) x