A family who didn't have time for their puppy.
A hopeful tried to find him a new home.
One morning in a parking lot.
A young pup and a gentle man become a foster family.
A chance to learn how to be a real dog.
A breeder that didn't care enough.
An old lab goes to the Rainbow Bridge.
A man is looking for a new companion.
A village who loves canines gave...
Tucker a new forever home.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Annual Review
A few days ago I brought Sabrina and Riley to see the Kind Vet for their annual checkups. I used to do this with Riley every spring and fall ensure we were healthy going into tick season and that we were healthy coming out of tick season. But now I'm content to just test him once a year. We are going on 3 years without any type of flea/tick control, yay!
The vet did a blood panel on both kids and ran a Snap test on each too. The Snap test tests for heartworm, Lyme's, Ehrlichia, and something else I can't remember. Looked like a pregnancy test. Good thing they came out all negative considering we had a real mild winter where the temps stayed warm enough for the ticks to survive. I have been feeding the furkids minced garlic in their meals the past couple of weeks and will be running tick checks when they return from running in the woods. If it starts to get really bad I will have to dust them with DE to take care of any buggers in their coats.
On educating my allopathic Kind Vet:
Last week I brought Mei Mei and Little Li to see the Kind Vet for their annual checkups too. I was concerned about their teeth. Everything checked out A-OK with them except that Mei Mei had a case of tapeworms much to my surprise. Where did that come from? Well, apparently the type she had was from ingesting a flea. Perhaps a lone critter that came home on one of my dogs that jumped on her. Who knows. And while grooming, she accidentally ate it.
So the vet offered me two choices, an injection of stuff I've never heard of or two large pills she had to swallow twice a day. Uh...can you say no thank you and no thank you? So I told her I would call my holistic vet and I was sure there was a natural way to eliminate these worms. We aren't talking a life or death situation here so I opted to wait to hear from Holistic Vet. She was highly intrigued and wanted me to let her know what the outcome was.
In the back of my head, I was already thinking what I could use if it were my dogs (grated carrots and ground raw pumpkin seeds) but I wasn't so sure about cats and whether I could get her to eat carrots and pumpkin seeds!
It turns out I was right. I checked in my bible Dr. Pitcairn and Mei Mei's been treated. Now my vet wants a copy of this book so she knows more natural ways to treat animals. Isn't that just grand?! I'm so happy to have found a Kind Vet who doesn't think she knows everything and is willing to learn. It really doesn't get any better than this.
The vet did a blood panel on both kids and ran a Snap test on each too. The Snap test tests for heartworm, Lyme's, Ehrlichia, and something else I can't remember. Looked like a pregnancy test. Good thing they came out all negative considering we had a real mild winter where the temps stayed warm enough for the ticks to survive. I have been feeding the furkids minced garlic in their meals the past couple of weeks and will be running tick checks when they return from running in the woods. If it starts to get really bad I will have to dust them with DE to take care of any buggers in their coats.
On educating my allopathic Kind Vet:
Last week I brought Mei Mei and Little Li to see the Kind Vet for their annual checkups too. I was concerned about their teeth. Everything checked out A-OK with them except that Mei Mei had a case of tapeworms much to my surprise. Where did that come from? Well, apparently the type she had was from ingesting a flea. Perhaps a lone critter that came home on one of my dogs that jumped on her. Who knows. And while grooming, she accidentally ate it.
So the vet offered me two choices, an injection of stuff I've never heard of or two large pills she had to swallow twice a day. Uh...can you say no thank you and no thank you? So I told her I would call my holistic vet and I was sure there was a natural way to eliminate these worms. We aren't talking a life or death situation here so I opted to wait to hear from Holistic Vet. She was highly intrigued and wanted me to let her know what the outcome was.
In the back of my head, I was already thinking what I could use if it were my dogs (grated carrots and ground raw pumpkin seeds) but I wasn't so sure about cats and whether I could get her to eat carrots and pumpkin seeds!
It turns out I was right. I checked in my bible Dr. Pitcairn and Mei Mei's been treated. Now my vet wants a copy of this book so she knows more natural ways to treat animals. Isn't that just grand?! I'm so happy to have found a Kind Vet who doesn't think she knows everything and is willing to learn. It really doesn't get any better than this.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Sabrina's Midweek Mishap
Little Sabrina strikes again.
Yes, she ate something.
And yes, she stole it off the counter.
I came home the other day to find an empty bottle of Nordic Naturals fish oil capsules with the top chewed off on the floor. No one fessed up right away but there was no need. Sabrina REEKED of fishiness from nose to tail tip. And I mean REEKED like she went swimming in a pool of fish oil.
And apparently it was a brand new full bottle.
She didn't even act like anything was wrong. She went out to the park to play, she ate her dinner, she went to bed, got up the next day, totally fine (well aside from a few hershey squirts). But I honestly thought I would be up with her all night going out to potty or worse, having loose fishy messes in the house.
Nope. Just a very fishy smelling Flat Coat with a very shiny coat and very bright eyes. Maybe all those Omega 3s made her a bit smarter?
Yes, she ate something.
And yes, she stole it off the counter.
I came home the other day to find an empty bottle of Nordic Naturals fish oil capsules with the top chewed off on the floor. No one fessed up right away but there was no need. Sabrina REEKED of fishiness from nose to tail tip. And I mean REEKED like she went swimming in a pool of fish oil.
And apparently it was a brand new full bottle.
She didn't even act like anything was wrong. She went out to the park to play, she ate her dinner, she went to bed, got up the next day, totally fine (well aside from a few hershey squirts). But I honestly thought I would be up with her all night going out to potty or worse, having loose fishy messes in the house.
Nope. Just a very fishy smelling Flat Coat with a very shiny coat and very bright eyes. Maybe all those Omega 3s made her a bit smarter?
Making Waves
So the recent hype in the dog world is that this past week, Oprah had a whole show on dogs. She brought her vet who is a holistic vet to discuss what dogs should actually be eating. (drum roll please.....)
Guess what he recommended on public television to a viewing audience of ??!?!?!
That feeding raw is the best dog diet.
And cooked diet 2nd... good quality canned food 3rd, good quality grain free kibble 4th, good quality grain in kibble was 5th. And regular grocery store bought generic kibble is way way low on the list.
Dr. Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing, is an expert on holistic pet medicine and the veterinarian caring for Oprah's dog Sophie, who is suffering from kidney failure. Based on Dr. Marty's advice, Oprah says she now feeds her dogs a mixed diet of chicken, beef, lamb, brown rice, potatoes and carrots.
Dr. Marty Goldstein on Oprah
Dr. Marty says most people feed their dogs diets that go against their animal nature. He says a dog that eats only dry food is like a person who eats nothing but carbs! Dr. Marty says the best thing for a dog to eat is raw meat. His own dog, Danny, ate this diet and lived to be 19! "Danny lived on fresh cooked meat and brown rice and carrots, peas, lamb, potatoes. You know, real food. What did they eat in nature? They ate real food."
To get Dr. Marty's advice on what to feed your pet, visit Dr. Marty Goldstein
Guess what he recommended on public television to a viewing audience of ??!?!?!
That feeding raw is the best dog diet.
And cooked diet 2nd... good quality canned food 3rd, good quality grain free kibble 4th, good quality grain in kibble was 5th. And regular grocery store bought generic kibble is way way low on the list.
Dr. Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing, is an expert on holistic pet medicine and the veterinarian caring for Oprah's dog Sophie, who is suffering from kidney failure. Based on Dr. Marty's advice, Oprah says she now feeds her dogs a mixed diet of chicken, beef, lamb, brown rice, potatoes and carrots.
Dr. Marty Goldstein on Oprah
Dr. Marty says most people feed their dogs diets that go against their animal nature. He says a dog that eats only dry food is like a person who eats nothing but carbs! Dr. Marty says the best thing for a dog to eat is raw meat. His own dog, Danny, ate this diet and lived to be 19! "Danny lived on fresh cooked meat and brown rice and carrots, peas, lamb, potatoes. You know, real food. What did they eat in nature? They ate real food."
To get Dr. Marty's advice on what to feed your pet, visit Dr. Marty Goldstein
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Kitchen Helpers
Last night I started to make Riley and Agave's birthday cakes. I had a general idea of how I wanted the cake done but no real plan. I headed to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients:
3 lbs of ground beef
a bag of boiling potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
a small glass roasting pot
I already had parmesan cheese, ketchup, bread crumbs and fresh garlic in the refrigerator at home to add to the recipe. I call it the, "Slow Cooked Garlic Meat Loaf with sweet potato filling and mashed parmesan-potato frosting." Hmm....seems kinda long...
It was really quite simple. Here's the final product:
The sweet potato is layered inside the cake. I wish I had a side cut view to see what the inside looks like. The "frosted" lettering on top is done by blending a can of Merrick's Cowboy Cookout and squeezing it out of a makeshift pastry bag (ziploc bag with corner cut off).
This morning I finished the cakes. Riley and Sabrina were allowed in the kitchen to help of course.
Cleaning the "batter" bowl...
And afterwards posed with their new handsome personalized bandanas.
Riley almost couldn't stand looking at his cake. Sabrina wasn't trusted anywhere near the cake.
Sabrina shares her secret scheming plan to hijack the cake to a very innocent and oblivious Smiley Riley.
And the Birthday Boy seems to like the sound of her plan!
The party starts at 2pm. Where will YOU be?
More photos coming....
3 lbs of ground beef
a bag of boiling potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
a small glass roasting pot
I already had parmesan cheese, ketchup, bread crumbs and fresh garlic in the refrigerator at home to add to the recipe. I call it the, "Slow Cooked Garlic Meat Loaf with sweet potato filling and mashed parmesan-potato frosting." Hmm....seems kinda long...
It was really quite simple. Here's the final product:
The sweet potato is layered inside the cake. I wish I had a side cut view to see what the inside looks like. The "frosted" lettering on top is done by blending a can of Merrick's Cowboy Cookout and squeezing it out of a makeshift pastry bag (ziploc bag with corner cut off).
This morning I finished the cakes. Riley and Sabrina were allowed in the kitchen to help of course.
Cleaning the "batter" bowl...
And afterwards posed with their new handsome personalized bandanas.
Riley almost couldn't stand looking at his cake. Sabrina wasn't trusted anywhere near the cake.
Sabrina shares her secret scheming plan to hijack the cake to a very innocent and oblivious Smiley Riley.
And the Birthday Boy seems to like the sound of her plan!
The party starts at 2pm. Where will YOU be?
More photos coming....
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Running Thru Woods on a Rainy Day
Riley and Sabrina had a blast with their BFF (best fur friend), Jaxx, yesterday afternoon. Because both of us fur-mom's had the day off, we decided to take the dogs somewhere different to explore.
We went to Great Brook Farm. It has been raining for 4 days but it seemed to let up just long enough for us to enjoy the woods for awhile. Even so, we came prepared with rain gear and waterproof boots. The recent downpour of rain has left everything feeling clean and fresh. Huge water puddles collected all around and they were all filled with clean, clear water.
Riley happily stuck his snout up to the fresh, crisp air and ran with his tail held up high like a flag. Sabrina found a new best friend in Jaxxy. She is now almost as tall as him and could run with him side by side. They both enjoyed crashing into the big puddles, criss crossing the path, not wanting to miss any interesting smells on either side. Sabrina tried several times to engage Jaxx in a game of tug-a-war with a stick. However, stuffing a large tree branch at Jaxxy's face did not encourage him to play. Usually Sabrina is pestering Riley so it was very cute to see her try with Jaxxy too. They all ran and they ran and they ran. It was pure satisfaction for them as well as for us to watch our furkids enjoy their outing.
We stopped at a small pond to let the dogs swim. Jaxxy is a proficient swimmer. Not only does he love the water, but he will go out to swim just for the fun of swimming! The expression on his face is priceless. Sabrina was a bit adventurous and swam out to retrieve sticks that were thrown about 20 feet out from the bank. She looked very nervous while swimming; which made me nervous and ready to leap into the water to rescue her. I think she needs to take more lessons from Jaxxy so I won't need to be rescuing my retriever in the future. Riley found the entire activity disturbing and stood ankle deep at the shore barking and grunting his disapproval. Whenever Sabrina returned from a swim, he reprimanded her. Perhaps it made him nervous too!
As we drove home, three dogs slept peacefully in the back.
Alas, I apologize for not bringing a camera to capture these precious moments. You will have to use your imagination to picture the wide, happy grins on their faces as they ran carefree, as happy as canines could be.
We went to Great Brook Farm. It has been raining for 4 days but it seemed to let up just long enough for us to enjoy the woods for awhile. Even so, we came prepared with rain gear and waterproof boots. The recent downpour of rain has left everything feeling clean and fresh. Huge water puddles collected all around and they were all filled with clean, clear water.
Riley happily stuck his snout up to the fresh, crisp air and ran with his tail held up high like a flag. Sabrina found a new best friend in Jaxxy. She is now almost as tall as him and could run with him side by side. They both enjoyed crashing into the big puddles, criss crossing the path, not wanting to miss any interesting smells on either side. Sabrina tried several times to engage Jaxx in a game of tug-a-war with a stick. However, stuffing a large tree branch at Jaxxy's face did not encourage him to play. Usually Sabrina is pestering Riley so it was very cute to see her try with Jaxxy too. They all ran and they ran and they ran. It was pure satisfaction for them as well as for us to watch our furkids enjoy their outing.
We stopped at a small pond to let the dogs swim. Jaxxy is a proficient swimmer. Not only does he love the water, but he will go out to swim just for the fun of swimming! The expression on his face is priceless. Sabrina was a bit adventurous and swam out to retrieve sticks that were thrown about 20 feet out from the bank. She looked very nervous while swimming; which made me nervous and ready to leap into the water to rescue her. I think she needs to take more lessons from Jaxxy so I won't need to be rescuing my retriever in the future. Riley found the entire activity disturbing and stood ankle deep at the shore barking and grunting his disapproval. Whenever Sabrina returned from a swim, he reprimanded her. Perhaps it made him nervous too!
As we drove home, three dogs slept peacefully in the back.
Alas, I apologize for not bringing a camera to capture these precious moments. You will have to use your imagination to picture the wide, happy grins on their faces as they ran carefree, as happy as canines could be.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Extra Credit Reading
Warning, this article is long. I just found it browsing around. But it comments on a lot of the common concerns, questions, and doubts from non-raw believers. I'll just post it for you to read. What you decide to do with it is entirely up to you.
Raw Feeders in SF Story
Raw Feeders in SF Story
This is Just the Beginning
Just in case anyone feeds this: Natural Balance expanded its recall, and melamine has been found in a rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance Recall
Can you see what is happening? The commercial pet food industry is beginning to crumble. Company after company is recalling their products. First it's the cheap wheat gluten, now it's the rice protein. What's next? These are all cheap fillers that pet food companies have been depending on for decades to keep their production costs low and their profits high. Cheap Filler
The only good that may come out of this is that maybe now, FINALLY, the pet food industry will be scrutinized and regulated.
Oh, didn't you know that?
Up to this point, the pet food industry has not had to follow any regulations besides labeling what they put into their food. And if you really looked into the ingredient list and researched what Chicken "Meal" or Beef "By-Products" are, you would not be feeding this to your dog unless you didn't care about their health. They are not responsible for testing the actual nutritional value after the food is processed into kibble. They are not responsible for studying long term health.
Also, do you know what happens in rendering plants? Do you really think they will throw out any pieces of meat that are from dead, diseased, and dying animals? Hell no! Do you think they really care where "meat by product" or "meat meal" came from? Or even worse, what kind of meat it is? Is it road kill? Are they from farm animals? Are they from domestic animals? Are they from shelters? If you don't believe this, I understand. It's hard to swallow (literally). But at least believe this.
THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT REGULATED.
Now the FDA has stepped in and is supposedly checking to make sure retailers have pulled all recalled items off their shelves. Even they admit, some of it is still out there. FDA Report This is YOUR responsibility to your pet. Don't expect or assume that the pet food industry, retailers or the FDA is going to fix this problem any time soon.
High profit industry that is not regulated. Hmmmmm.......If that doesn't send a clear message, I dunno what will.
Can you see what is happening? The commercial pet food industry is beginning to crumble. Company after company is recalling their products. First it's the cheap wheat gluten, now it's the rice protein. What's next? These are all cheap fillers that pet food companies have been depending on for decades to keep their production costs low and their profits high. Cheap Filler
The only good that may come out of this is that maybe now, FINALLY, the pet food industry will be scrutinized and regulated.
Oh, didn't you know that?
Up to this point, the pet food industry has not had to follow any regulations besides labeling what they put into their food. And if you really looked into the ingredient list and researched what Chicken "Meal" or Beef "By-Products" are, you would not be feeding this to your dog unless you didn't care about their health. They are not responsible for testing the actual nutritional value after the food is processed into kibble. They are not responsible for studying long term health.
Also, do you know what happens in rendering plants? Do you really think they will throw out any pieces of meat that are from dead, diseased, and dying animals? Hell no! Do you think they really care where "meat by product" or "meat meal" came from? Or even worse, what kind of meat it is? Is it road kill? Are they from farm animals? Are they from domestic animals? Are they from shelters? If you don't believe this, I understand. It's hard to swallow (literally). But at least believe this.
THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT REGULATED.
Now the FDA has stepped in and is supposedly checking to make sure retailers have pulled all recalled items off their shelves. Even they admit, some of it is still out there. FDA Report This is YOUR responsibility to your pet. Don't expect or assume that the pet food industry, retailers or the FDA is going to fix this problem any time soon.
High profit industry that is not regulated. Hmmmmm.......If that doesn't send a clear message, I dunno what will.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
New Favorite Dog Treat
We braved the rain of the NorEaster yesterday to go see the Holistic Vet.
Riley and Sabrina were both due for a checkup. Riley received a wonderful compliment for being in great shape. The vet just suspected a little mild tummy trouble (probably from our big beef meal the other day) and said his left knee will continue to be a chronic issue. I have already e-mailed HARE TODAY to figure out what was in the beef trim. If there were pieces of organ meat, then that will explain the hershey squirts. Organ is very rich and difficult for a sensitive stomach to handle.
Sabrina's recent gassiness apparently was due to some digestive issues as well. She is on a stricter meal plan now and we hope the gassies will subside. Good thing. It's soooooo unlady-like. :P
On our way out, I glanced at the snack shelf and spotted something new. Dried sweet potato treats. I opened up the bag and took a whiff-YUMMY! They smelled good enough to eat and I'm sure I could have. The packaging said, "Tested on Humans." Haha.
Snook's Treats
These treats are the BOMB! Finally something healthy I can give my dogs that doesn't disappear in 0 seconds, that isn't a large messy bone, isn't filled of junk, and they totally love. Any of you out there that feed those disgusting pig ears - THROW THEM OUT AND GET THESE! They are very hard and crunchy and my dogs LOVE them.
I really want to try THESE OUT!
Riley and Sabrina were both due for a checkup. Riley received a wonderful compliment for being in great shape. The vet just suspected a little mild tummy trouble (probably from our big beef meal the other day) and said his left knee will continue to be a chronic issue. I have already e-mailed HARE TODAY to figure out what was in the beef trim. If there were pieces of organ meat, then that will explain the hershey squirts. Organ is very rich and difficult for a sensitive stomach to handle.
Sabrina's recent gassiness apparently was due to some digestive issues as well. She is on a stricter meal plan now and we hope the gassies will subside. Good thing. It's soooooo unlady-like. :P
On our way out, I glanced at the snack shelf and spotted something new. Dried sweet potato treats. I opened up the bag and took a whiff-YUMMY! They smelled good enough to eat and I'm sure I could have. The packaging said, "Tested on Humans." Haha.
Snook's Treats
These treats are the BOMB! Finally something healthy I can give my dogs that doesn't disappear in 0 seconds, that isn't a large messy bone, isn't filled of junk, and they totally love. Any of you out there that feed those disgusting pig ears - THROW THEM OUT AND GET THESE! They are very hard and crunchy and my dogs LOVE them.
I really want to try THESE OUT!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Happy Birthday to Mei Mei
Yesterday was Mei Mei's birthday...here's a cute picture of her with baby Sabrina.
She is also also known lovingly as "Tank" and "Butterball."
I could go into a nice background story as to why she has earned these nicknames, but out of respect for her on her birthday, I will refrain. I think the picture is self explanatory.
Mei Mei is 6 years old.
We actually don't really know for sure her real birthdate. This is just the date the Boston MSPCA estimated when she was surrendered by someone who found her but couldn't keep her. We got her when she was 6 months old. We went to the MSPCA, the DogFather (who was only the CatFather back then) saw her and asked to see her, and she crawled up in his lap and curled up to go to sleep. We went home with her that day. And since then, he's always had a huge soft spot for her. His office is also her lair, her sanctuary from all the other animals in the house.
You wonder what Mei Mei got for her birthday? I roasted some chicken strips in the oven for her. And tomorrow she will get a nice bath. She won't like the bath part but she really needs it!
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