hi folks...my name is leslie anne davey and i have been involved in owning,
exhibiting, breeding since 1968....i also own a pet supply grooming shop in
ladysmith that i started in 1988....

about a year and a half ago, i started looking at alternatives for pet
care...many years before that i quit using dips in my shop, i always did a
simple shot regime (8 & 12 weeks only), thereafter once a year till 7 years
of age...no rabies unless travelling out of country & never rabies with
yearly vaccines.....dropped lepto from vaccines around 15 years
ago......used some chinese herbs in the past for various problems health
wise i encountered, when the vit c craze hit the human market, i transferred
it to my canine care....i guess i have been semi - natural for a long time,
but, it wasn't until oct of 1999 that i decided to incorporate a natural
dept in my store/shop.....

when i decided to put a natural dept in my store i had already decided on
some products to start with and have spent many a nite on the internet
looking for products to bring in..my natural dept has solid gold,
azmira,pinnacle,avo derm, & holistic blend foods, azmira & tasha's
herbs/essences and natural cookies made in b.c. .....also azmira treats and
bones and northern biscuits made in canada, and bach essences (rescue remedy
got me thru the stressors of christmas grooming:).....i am still looking for
more things...have found a natural cat formulation for hair balls that is
made in b.c. and am currently looking at another food to bring in...

as for my own dogs, i have always made a meat stew of sorts for them using
beef or chicken (farm raised) ground up with organic rice flakes & cooked,
raw carrot & apples ground up, raw garlic & parsley ground up and various
herbs & such which i freeze in big pacs and feed with the commercial diet
which is eukanuba performance for the young dogs, eukanuba senior for the
old dogs....BUT....i have made a conscious decision to move all my dogs on a
naturally made commercial food and at this moment, it is going to be the
solid gold (either the beef or the lamb)...which means i'll be feeding 9
dogs on this p roduct....i am tired of the flatulance, hair loss at times,
color change in the irish, irritable bowel in another that is alright on the
solid gold or eukanuba low res diet.....for me to make this decision is
quite a feat as i have been feeding eukanuba products for over 15 years
(when they first launched it here in canada), but over the last year or so,
i have noticed the dogs just arent' doing well on the diet....and have just
decided i have had enough...the food is definately different and does not
have that feel & look it had some 10 years ago...they say there is no
change, but my dogs tell me different...

i started looking for a natural email list where i could benefit from my
peers in their experience with regard to natural and holistic approaches...i
must admit i am pretty well versed in canine care, but, when it comes to the
holistic approach or the natural approach, i am green and need to
learn...both for the benefit of my own personal dogs and my client dogs.....

anyhow, you are welcome to take a meander through my website to see my dogs
(there is one picture of me:)....and my stores website is off there as well
(that is still under construction)......hope to talk soon...cheers...lad
Leslie
Darkenwald Setters & K9 Clips Ltd.
Vancouver Island, Ladysmith, B.C., Canada
darkenwald@... k9clips@...
http://www.members.home.net/darkenwald
http://www.members.home.net/k9clips