Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tripe Humor
Category: Pets and Animals
A LITTLE TRIPE GOES A LONG WAY
When my new English import arrived, he was the picture of health. His coat was hard and dense. He had good weight and was in beautiful condition with plenty of hard muscle. His diet, in England, had consisted of raw tripe and kennel biscuit but, after two short months on a high quality North American kibble, he looked like a refugee from Bangladesh.
After listening to weeks of nagging by retired handler, the esteemed Pat Tripp,I finally succumbed and started searching for raw tripe. It could not be the bleached white variety found in the supermarkets. As Madame Tripp so eloquently explained, it had to be the uncleaned, green, slimy variety that was oozing with undigested crud. "Your Lakelands will think they have died and gone to heaven!" she promised.
I spent days on the phone, calling butcher shops and talking to people who thought I was a lunatic but eventually found a source quite close to home. Unable to drive myself as I was recovering from a bad cut on my hand, I invited my long-suffering husband, HG, to come along. (HG is short for Human God whichis how the dogs see him.) He knew I had been looking for raw tripe but what does he know about tripe? He's Japanese. He only knows raw fish.
It was a beautiful day and I found HG working in the garden. "I've found a place that sells raw 'meat' for the dogs. Want to take a break and drive me?" I innocently asked. "What is it, a butcher shop? How far?" he wanted to know. "It's called Grand Maison and it's about a ten minute drive." I didn't bother to tell him it was a slaughter house. He was going to find out soon enough.
Grand Maison was located on a quiet, country road, in a large, white building. The only indication of the type of business was the sign advertising the weekly special. So far, so good. We parked in the lot and looked about for the entrance. "Not very well signed for customers." noted HG, the ever efficient retailer. Spotting a door, we climbed the stairs and went inside.
Unfortunately it was the wrong door and we found ourselves in the heart of the operation, so to speak. Reeling backwards, HG bolted outside. I followed. "Have you lost your mind?" he hissed.
Before I could answer, a kindly gentlemen appeared and directed us to the front office. It was a small room with a little service counter, behind which was a rather robust woman wearing a white lab coat. "I would like about 20 pounds of uncleaned tripe." I told her. "Is this for his dinner?" she asked with a boisterous laugh, motioning towards H.G. He was not amused. As she yelled my order into the back, I turned to find HG staring at a sign with his jaw dropping to the ground. Obviously they did not believe in wasting any part of the animal.
In big, bold letters, the sign read, Ears - $5, Lungs - $10, Lips - $5, Testicles - $5, Dinks - $5, etc. H.G. stood there shaking his head, turning slightly green and muttering, "I don't believe this!"
Meanwhile, a fellow appeared from the back and informed the woman that there was no tripe. "Whaddya mean there's no tripe?" she demanded. "It's on the hook!" He insisted there was none. "Well, get some fresh stuff!" she ordered, flinging open the door and stomping into the back. About 5 minutes later she reappeared, face flushed, with red stains on her formerly white coat. "It'll be ready in a few minutes," she announced. In an attempt at humor, admittedly a weak one, I whispered to my husband, "She probably wrestled it to death." I could feel his glare burning into the back of my head as I went to the counter to pay for the tripe. The few minutes seemed to stretch on forever but, at last, the same man came out and presented HG with a medium size cardboard box.
Back outside, I got into the van as HG deposited the box in the back. Climbing into the driver's seat, he turned and just sat there, staring at me. "What's the matter?" I asked hesitantly. In very slow, measured words, he uttered, "It's still warm!" I could control myself no longer. It was not just the look on his face, although that helped. I burst out laughing. The more he stared, the harder I laughed. "Well, I told you she probably wrestled it to death." I howled. With tears running down my face and the windows wide open, because of the stench, we drove home. "You are NOT taking that stuff in the house!" he exclaimed as we pulled into the driveway. He got out of the van and headed back to his gardening. Pat had warned me that it would be difficult to cut so I got the sharpest knife I could find - HG's large Japanese chef's knife.
Donning a pair of rubber gloves, I spread a tarp on the lawn and meekly asked HG to get the box. I began to haul the tripe out and he was making a quick exit when he spotted his knife. Well, the way he carried on you would have thought it was a ceremonial sword. How dare I use his knife for something so disgusting! What was I thinking?
As he tried to convince me of my folly, the neighbor's dog appeared out of nowhere and plunged her head into the tripe. Hot on her heels was her owner. "Oh my Gawd," moaned HG "Get that stuff back in the box before he thinks we've gone mad!" It was a little late for that. The neighbors had decided long ago that we were mentally deranged. It might have been because of our killer duck who patrolled the property line and regularly beat the daylights out of their dog. It may have been the time I was hanging off the ladder to the tree house, screeching "KILL IT, KILL IT" to Molly and Winston, who had cornered a rat....but that's another story.
There I was, trying to cram the tripe back into the box but the dog's head kept getting in the way. Too late! The neighbor, eyeing the tripe, said a faint hello, hauled his dog out of the box and beat a hasty retreat home. HG forgot all about his knife and could not get back to his yard work fast enough. I busied myself cutting the slimy mess for about half an hour when HG reappeared to say he was leaving to pick our son up from school. "Wait." I said, trying to convince him that the whole episode was worthwhile. "I want to show you how much the dogs will love this." Now you would think that after living with Lakelands for over 30 years, I would know what they were about to do to me, but noooooo!
Calling the girls outside, I offered each of them a piece. Abbey took one sniff and high-tailed it back into the house. Molly reluctantly took hers and instantly spit it out. After a brief investigation, she ate it but then she considers raccoon droppings to be a delicacy. Not about to give up, I headed for the kennel runs. "C'mon, Rory will gulp this down." Rory (our English dog) drew back his lips, took the tripe with his front teeth and dropped it on the ground. After eyeing it for a few seconds, he went to the far corner of his run and sat with his back to us and his nose in the air. Winston, bless his heart, swallowed it whole, not even tasting it, which was probably just as well. We returned to the front yard just in time to find Molly, upchucking in the driveway. "Great idea!" muttered HG as he climbed in the van and drove away.
By this time my hand was more than a little sore but, within minutes of HG leaving, I had a brainstorm. My Mother had given me an electric meat grinder that had never been used. Rushing inside, I dragged it out of the cupboard and assembled it. Back outside I ran, cut several chunks of tripe and hurried in to grind it. I had to work quickly so I would be finished before they got home. Setting a stainless steel bowl under the chute, I began to feed the tripe into the grinder piece by piece. Nothing was coming out except for a tiny bit of liquid but I kept on feeding. Unfortunately, physics was never one of my strong suits. All of a sudden the grinder erupted like a volcano, shooting its contents everywhere. There was partially ground tripe on the counters, on the floor, dripping off the ceiling and walls, in my hair, on my clothes and all over Molly and Abbey (much to their disgust). I knew my life, or at least my marriage, would be coming to an end in about 15 minutes. Like a madwoman, I stripped off my clothes and shoved them and the grinder into a big plastic garbage bag. I ran my head under the tap and wrapped it in a towel. Grabbing both dogs, I hustled them down to the dog room, hosed them off and stuck them in crates. Back upstairs I flew with the bleach and I hurriedly wiped down the counters, walls and floors. I did the best I could with the ceiling, praying he would not look up. After throwing on clean clothes, I emptied a can of air freshener in the house and hid the garbage bag outside.
The weather had suddenly changed and it was now raining. Just as they arrived, I yanked the towel off my head and picked up the knife. Bolting out of the van with "I don't want to even know about it!", YGIT (Young God In Training) headed for the house. HG vanished but reappeared a few minutes later with an umbrella.
Holding it over me for a short time, he said in his gruff 'I am in charge' voice (the one I let him use when I've really screwed up), "You had better go in and dry your hair before you catch a cold. I'll finish this." He didn't have to say it twice. I was gone. By the time I got out of the shower, both of the Gods were gagging and bagging as they packaged the tripe into meal sized portions for the freezer. (Did I mention I am blessed?)
About a month or so later, HG was sitting in the kitchen, gazing upwards. "I guess I had better paint the ceiling.", he remarked. "It's looking a little stained. It must be from the explosion when you were canning pears." "Must be," I agreed as I walked into the other room and crammed my face into a cushion to muffle the laughter.
POSTED on the Natural Pug Yahoo group, but author not noted.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Daisy was spayed
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Daisy was spayed
Category: Pets and Animals
My precious Daisy, who has nursed two litters of some of the most wonderful puppies ever, was spayed yesterday. Her puppies were some of the most wonderfully emotionally balanced and intelligent dogs I've ever seen. But the second litter was too hard on her physically, so we needed to do what was best for her.
The night before her procedure, I laid down with her to explain what was going to happen so she'd know what to expect. She moved over to the other side of the bed as I talked. When finished, she was still a little offish, so I asked her if she was mad at me and she flopped her body over into my armpit and gave me kisses. The vet staff said she handled everything well and didn't seem to be upset as she was waiting in her crate.
We kept little Rizzo out of her second litter to continue her lines. Rizzo has a nice balance of Daisy's intelligence, Tiki's (grandma) small size and nice nose-roll, and a strong dose of sassiness from somewhere. I'd like to say she inherited Cooter's sweetness, but her sweetness ends when she gets what she wants. For instance, she'll put her paws on my leg soft as a butterfly and look up at me with totally adoring eyes, but once she's in my lap, she just wanted to get there to find out what I was reading, eating, or what she could get into on the desk, table, bed, etc. She is a user and a charmer who has us totally wrapped around her little paw.
But no matter how much we love little Rizzo, there is only one Daisy. :)
Daisy was spayed
Category: Pets and Animals
My precious Daisy, who has nursed two litters of some of the most wonderful puppies ever, was spayed yesterday. Her puppies were some of the most wonderfully emotionally balanced and intelligent dogs I've ever seen. But the second litter was too hard on her physically, so we needed to do what was best for her.
The night before her procedure, I laid down with her to explain what was going to happen so she'd know what to expect. She moved over to the other side of the bed as I talked. When finished, she was still a little offish, so I asked her if she was mad at me and she flopped her body over into my armpit and gave me kisses. The vet staff said she handled everything well and didn't seem to be upset as she was waiting in her crate.
We kept little Rizzo out of her second litter to continue her lines. Rizzo has a nice balance of Daisy's intelligence, Tiki's (grandma) small size and nice nose-roll, and a strong dose of sassiness from somewhere. I'd like to say she inherited Cooter's sweetness, but her sweetness ends when she gets what she wants. For instance, she'll put her paws on my leg soft as a butterfly and look up at me with totally adoring eyes, but once she's in my lap, she just wanted to get there to find out what I was reading, eating, or what she could get into on the desk, table, bed, etc. She is a user and a charmer who has us totally wrapped around her little paw.
But no matter how much we love little Rizzo, there is only one Daisy. :)
Head-buttin' guard dog
Monday, June 11, 2007
Head-buttin' guard dog
Category: Pets and Animals
One of the things Gator loves about being a show dog is all the different people he meets. He struts through the show area, trying to sneak sniffs wherever he can and thoroughly revelling in all the attention anyone is willing to bestow on him. He gets a kick out of all the different people.
Well his benevolence ends when his girl comes into heat. When some folks stopped by the house, he and Mariah were out on the front porch and Gator kicked into a protective mode like we've never seen! He rushed to the edge of the steps and barked with all his fur raised up high. The guys on the front sidewalk ignored him as we talked. When they weren't paying attention to his important message, he actually ran down the steps and head-butted the guy's knee!!!
Turns out our visitor has a male blue pit boxer at home. Gator must have smelled the bully breed on this guy and was telling him to stay away from his woman! Once we put Gator and Mariah into the ex-pen, he was perfectly content, although he did keep an eye on those men just to be sure!
Head-buttin' guard dog
Category: Pets and Animals
One of the things Gator loves about being a show dog is all the different people he meets. He struts through the show area, trying to sneak sniffs wherever he can and thoroughly revelling in all the attention anyone is willing to bestow on him. He gets a kick out of all the different people.
Well his benevolence ends when his girl comes into heat. When some folks stopped by the house, he and Mariah were out on the front porch and Gator kicked into a protective mode like we've never seen! He rushed to the edge of the steps and barked with all his fur raised up high. The guys on the front sidewalk ignored him as we talked. When they weren't paying attention to his important message, he actually ran down the steps and head-butted the guy's knee!!!
Turns out our visitor has a male blue pit boxer at home. Gator must have smelled the bully breed on this guy and was telling him to stay away from his woman! Once we put Gator and Mariah into the ex-pen, he was perfectly content, although he did keep an eye on those men just to be sure!
What is an obedience title, really?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
What is an obedience title, really?
Category: Pets and Animals
What is an Obedience Title Really? Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores: a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain. And, though the dog himself doesn't know or care that this achievement has been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.
A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that pleased you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. In addition, a title says that you love your dog. That you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and in the end your faith was justified.
A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few: that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear, short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend. Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name. An Obedience title is nothing less than true love and respect, given and received, and recorded permanently.
- Author Unknown
What is an obedience title, really?
Category: Pets and Animals
What is an Obedience Title Really? Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores: a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain. And, though the dog himself doesn't know or care that this achievement has been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.
A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that pleased you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. In addition, a title says that you love your dog. That you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and in the end your faith was justified.
A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few: that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear, short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend. Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name. An Obedience title is nothing less than true love and respect, given and received, and recorded permanently.
- Author Unknown
Friday, June 08, 2007
LOLPugs?
In case you've been missing out, there's a hot phenomenon called LOLCats or Macrocats. Do a search or check out these sites:
Thank goodness dogs haven't been left out of the fun!
But look out everyone, 'cause here comes LOLPugs!!! It's just getting rolling, but our pugs and frenchies had to get in on the action with some of their own shots. Watch the new www.lolpugs.com to see how it grows and send in your own!!!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Titer Testing instead of vaccinations
Friday, June 01, 2007
Titer Testing instead of vaccinations
Category: Pets and Animals
The current pressure is for everyone to vaccinate annually for booster shots to be a "good" dog parent. Taking a dog to the dog park, to the groomer's or to the boarding kennel, you'll always be asked is your dog "current" on their vaccinations. Considering that in most areas, rabies is the only vaccination mandated by law, and all vaccinations have a very long lifespan (studies indicate anywhere from 7 years to a lifetime), then most of us should be able to answer positively that the animals are current. Puppies should have their puppy shots and a one-year booster and the animals should follow whatever their local law is on rabies. There are studies showing that there has never been a case of rabies in an animal who has received two rabies shots during it's lifetime, but that's for another conversation and hopefully the Rabies Challenge Study will help us make strides in this area of medicine. So why do we have to present paperwork showing that the animals have been vaccinated for everything, not just rabies, within the last year? And if the animal hasn't been vaccinated, then why should the facility be concerned if the owners are willing to sign a waiver? After all, it's the unvaccinated dog that carries the risk. An animal with a built up immunity will carry the illness with them without showing any ill effects and should not get an illness if exposed, right?
There are studies that indicate that vaccinating too frequently results in a condition called vaccinosis and many veterinarians believe this condition is at the root of many of the chronic problems we're seeing today in dogs. Of course, there are some who intentionally perpetuate the problem because they get to continue treatment on the animals. Like some human doctors prefer to throw prescriptions at the patient instead of addressing the underlying issues at hand for a real cure.
Research and education is the only way to truly be responsible for our own health and the health of those loving souls whose existence in in our care.
When the next round of shots are due, we are going to try a different approach and have titer tests run. Although not infallible, they offer a possibility of measuring antibody response in the body to determine if the animal is safe from or at risk for that particular illness. Here is an article written about titer tests for a very respected dog magazine:
Titer Test
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/titer_test.htm
And here are some related links for you, including two written by veterinarians.
The Vaccine Question - Dr. Pitcairn
http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/vaccinequestion.html
Vaccines - Are They Safe for Your Dog? - Dr. Blanco
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/froghollerfilas/VaccBlanco.html
Vaccine Protocols for Dogs
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/changing_vaccine_protocols.htm
Rabies Vaccinosis Alert
http://www.canineworld.com/drdym/rabiesalert.htm
Vaccine Reaction Study
http://www.pugs.org/PurdueStudy.htm
We are still learning here, but the more I study vaccinosis, the more I can draw upon examples from my history and explain strange behaviors that now make sense for certain dogs whose paths have crossed with mine. I'm sure it's not the answer in every case, but in my quest for optimal health for our cherished pets, it is another piece of the puzzle that must be as thoroughly investigated as proper nutrition, healthy diet, and puppy developmental exercises.
Titer Testing instead of vaccinations
Category: Pets and Animals
The current pressure is for everyone to vaccinate annually for booster shots to be a "good" dog parent. Taking a dog to the dog park, to the groomer's or to the boarding kennel, you'll always be asked is your dog "current" on their vaccinations. Considering that in most areas, rabies is the only vaccination mandated by law, and all vaccinations have a very long lifespan (studies indicate anywhere from 7 years to a lifetime), then most of us should be able to answer positively that the animals are current. Puppies should have their puppy shots and a one-year booster and the animals should follow whatever their local law is on rabies. There are studies showing that there has never been a case of rabies in an animal who has received two rabies shots during it's lifetime, but that's for another conversation and hopefully the Rabies Challenge Study will help us make strides in this area of medicine. So why do we have to present paperwork showing that the animals have been vaccinated for everything, not just rabies, within the last year? And if the animal hasn't been vaccinated, then why should the facility be concerned if the owners are willing to sign a waiver? After all, it's the unvaccinated dog that carries the risk. An animal with a built up immunity will carry the illness with them without showing any ill effects and should not get an illness if exposed, right?
There are studies that indicate that vaccinating too frequently results in a condition called vaccinosis and many veterinarians believe this condition is at the root of many of the chronic problems we're seeing today in dogs. Of course, there are some who intentionally perpetuate the problem because they get to continue treatment on the animals. Like some human doctors prefer to throw prescriptions at the patient instead of addressing the underlying issues at hand for a real cure.
Research and education is the only way to truly be responsible for our own health and the health of those loving souls whose existence in in our care.
When the next round of shots are due, we are going to try a different approach and have titer tests run. Although not infallible, they offer a possibility of measuring antibody response in the body to determine if the animal is safe from or at risk for that particular illness. Here is an article written about titer tests for a very respected dog magazine:
Titer Test
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/titer_test.htm
And here are some related links for you, including two written by veterinarians.
The Vaccine Question - Dr. Pitcairn
http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/vaccinequestion.html
Vaccines - Are They Safe for Your Dog? - Dr. Blanco
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/froghollerfilas/VaccBlanco.html
Vaccine Protocols for Dogs
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/changing_vaccine_protocols.htm
Rabies Vaccinosis Alert
http://www.canineworld.com/drdym/rabiesalert.htm
Vaccine Reaction Study
http://www.pugs.org/PurdueStudy.htm
We are still learning here, but the more I study vaccinosis, the more I can draw upon examples from my history and explain strange behaviors that now make sense for certain dogs whose paths have crossed with mine. I'm sure it's not the answer in every case, but in my quest for optimal health for our cherished pets, it is another piece of the puzzle that must be as thoroughly investigated as proper nutrition, healthy diet, and puppy developmental exercises.
Vaccination Study for Pugs
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Vaccination Study for Pugs
Category: Pets and Animals
As posted on the Pug Dog Club of America site, there is a new study on vaccination reactions in several breeds who seem to be more reactive to them: dachsunds, chihuahuas, mini-pins, boston terriers, boxers, australian terriers, and kerry blue terriers.
The doctors are looking for blood samples taken within 3 weeks of a reaction to a vaccine and if blood can also be taken from a sibling without a reaction, even better.
Here is more information: http://www.pugs.org/PurdueStudy.htm
Vaccination Study for Pugs
Category: Pets and Animals
As posted on the Pug Dog Club of America site, there is a new study on vaccination reactions in several breeds who seem to be more reactive to them: dachsunds, chihuahuas, mini-pins, boston terriers, boxers, australian terriers, and kerry blue terriers.
The doctors are looking for blood samples taken within 3 weeks of a reaction to a vaccine and if blood can also be taken from a sibling without a reaction, even better.
Here is more information: http://www.pugs.org/PurdueStudy.htm
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Grains of Rice
Grains of Rice Category: Pets and Animals
A post just reminded me of a story. In the post, the person said that they found what appeared to be grains of rice in the fur surrounding the anus of the dog. A sure sign of tapeworms.
Years ago, we were babysitting a neighbor's dog in addition to having our own. One day I went out to the yard to investigate and saw what looked like bird seed in the stools. Then it hit me - grains of rice... they must have worms! Or at least one of them did. And if one of them did, then I'd need to worm both of them to ensure that nothing was passed back and forth. So off to the vet we went with doses for both dogs. Time passed and both were doing very well - no more rice in the stools. And I was keeping a close eye - no one would suffer a bit of care while under my watch!! A week later, more grains of rice, so another dose of wormer was given. Again, it all cleared up.
Finally the boarder went home and I filled in his parents on what we had done because at this point we still didn't know whose stools had the problem. All was fine in the yard for about another month. Then one day I'm cleaning and I look out the door and there is my springer spaniel, raiding the pile of bird seed that I had set out. And the next day... rice in the stool. All that time it really had been bird seed!! And my dog sent me on a wild goose chase!
A post just reminded me of a story. In the post, the person said that they found what appeared to be grains of rice in the fur surrounding the anus of the dog. A sure sign of tapeworms.
Years ago, we were babysitting a neighbor's dog in addition to having our own. One day I went out to the yard to investigate and saw what looked like bird seed in the stools. Then it hit me - grains of rice... they must have worms! Or at least one of them did. And if one of them did, then I'd need to worm both of them to ensure that nothing was passed back and forth. So off to the vet we went with doses for both dogs. Time passed and both were doing very well - no more rice in the stools. And I was keeping a close eye - no one would suffer a bit of care while under my watch!! A week later, more grains of rice, so another dose of wormer was given. Again, it all cleared up.
Finally the boarder went home and I filled in his parents on what we had done because at this point we still didn't know whose stools had the problem. All was fine in the yard for about another month. Then one day I'm cleaning and I look out the door and there is my springer spaniel, raiding the pile of bird seed that I had set out. And the next day... rice in the stool. All that time it really had been bird seed!! And my dog sent me on a wild goose chase!
Gypsy Update
Gypsy Update Category: Pets and Animals
We just heard from Gypsy's mom. We have a water pug on our hands - go figure! She loves the water. Not ony does she super enjoy raiding the goldfish pond every once in a while, she actually (gasp) uses the bathroom in the rain!!! She is keeping them entertained with sticking her tush up in the air and barking herself backwards, burying her bones in interesting places (and actually remembering where they are!), and cuddling when they're all settled down. She is just beautiful - it's fun to watch her grow!
We just heard from Gypsy's mom. We have a water pug on our hands - go figure! She loves the water. Not ony does she super enjoy raiding the goldfish pond every once in a while, she actually (gasp) uses the bathroom in the rain!!! She is keeping them entertained with sticking her tush up in the air and barking herself backwards, burying her bones in interesting places (and actually remembering where they are!), and cuddling when they're all settled down. She is just beautiful - it's fun to watch her grow!
The honies
The honies Category: Pets and Animals
Never a dull moment - that's the motto of our lives. Springtime brings plenty of projects and it's the same in this house! But to give you an update on a few of the puppies...
We still have 3 pugs -- two males and one female -- for adoption. They are really something else. The boys are happy, healthy dogs with great attitudes toward life. They love their cuddling time and they're both pretty good on the leash. They are mostly housetrained in that they will use the doggy door to go outside when they need to. If they are in the crate or the pen the night before, they will wait for me to open it and then run outside with the others to use the bathroom. I'm very proud of them! Little Carmen, however, has an issue with the stairs on the back porch down to the ground. They are very scary. So she will sit on the top step while the others use the bathroom, wait for their return, run back inside with them and use the bathroom on my kitchen floor. If I try to pick her up and take her out, she pulls one of those expert escape moves and backs out of my reach lightning quick. She's the kind who will come up to you when you're not looking, but will dart out of reach when you go to grab her. The boys, however, revel in all the love and attention they can get and they work so hard to prove just how good they are. In the next two weeks I'll finish up some of my larger projects and in the meantime, we're going to start working on some basic commands while they're so eager to please!
Four-month old Rizzo went with me to visit family the other day and we worked on sit over there. She did very well with it! I was very proud of her! She's a little imp, always into something with that strut of hers. The other morning I was trying to wake up, but just couldn't seem to get out of bed. And I added some more furniture to the bedroom which, in the pugs eyes, made a lovely bridge over to the dresser. So as I was torn between sleep and awake, she sauntered over the bridge to the dresser and stuck her head in a partially open drawer and started pulling out unmentionables. Ugh. So I had to get up, rescue my clothes from her and get the drawers closed. Then I tried to relax again. Next thing I know she's on the dresser again and now she found the cosmetic bag and drew out a large powder brush. It was longer than she was tall, so she had to hold her head back really high to be able to halfway run back to the bed with it. Once successfully back onto the bed with her new treasure, it wasn't mean mom who took it from her. No~ it was mean Isabella. Hmph.. what to do now? One more trip to the dresser sticking her head behind the stereo resulted in hidden treasure. A crinkly bag with a cord in it! Crinkles and cords in one shot!! It was the jackpot. So she brought her grander treasure over to the bed. It was promptly stolen by Isabelle, but at least Rizzo got her powder brush back! Life was good till I gave up on sleeping and took all their toys away.
The females are all working their way into heat again. Tiki is in full blown heat and Cooter is beside himself. He has been known to open crates from both the inside and the outside, so we had Tiki in a crate where the bars have the little hooks on them. Still didn't stop him. I came in from working on the yard just as the door swung open and Tiki was leaping out. I caught her in my arms and put her back in, put a blanket over the crate and put Cooter in another crate. Sheesh! That boy is good! Might as well rename him Houdini!
Daisy is in heat again and has decided that Gator is the man for her. He's more than willing to oblige, but I have bad news for both of them - ain't happenin. And I remind myself that this is just the beginning.... so glad we already had Petunia spayed!! No matter how many black females we could have sold if we bred her one more time!!
The only mating we might consider is Mariah and Gator (the french bulldogs) and we're currently in contact with his breeder to check into that option.
Speaking of Mariah, she had an issue with her harness. Evidently, the price tag was torn off, but the little bit of plastic didn't come off with it and was irritating her where it poked her skin. She started rolling in the back yard to scratch herself, but I didn't realize what was going on. But she would roll and roll more frequently. Then I took her over to Mom's house to work on something and she finally got her point across. She got her motor going in the kitchen, took off at top speed and when she hit the doorway from the kitchen to the living room, she flipped over onto her back and slid 3 feet. She had Mom very impressed with her slip n slide skills on the carpet. Then I finally figured out something might be bothering her and that's when I found the plastic piece.
Now that the plastic piece has been cut off, she still enjoys her occasional roll in the dirt. But at a much more relaxed pace. She finds the longest patch of dirt in the yard, lays on her back and scootches the entire stretch on her back. When she rights herself, she looks like she has a monk's haircut of brown dirt. Then she sniffs and finds just the perfect spot, and then scootches along her belly, swimming in the dirt. Once completely covered with this precious substance, she shakes it all out, looking like pig pen. I guess it could be worse - she hasn't rolled in anything that smells nasty!!
Never a dull moment - that's the motto of our lives. Springtime brings plenty of projects and it's the same in this house! But to give you an update on a few of the puppies...
We still have 3 pugs -- two males and one female -- for adoption. They are really something else. The boys are happy, healthy dogs with great attitudes toward life. They love their cuddling time and they're both pretty good on the leash. They are mostly housetrained in that they will use the doggy door to go outside when they need to. If they are in the crate or the pen the night before, they will wait for me to open it and then run outside with the others to use the bathroom. I'm very proud of them! Little Carmen, however, has an issue with the stairs on the back porch down to the ground. They are very scary. So she will sit on the top step while the others use the bathroom, wait for their return, run back inside with them and use the bathroom on my kitchen floor. If I try to pick her up and take her out, she pulls one of those expert escape moves and backs out of my reach lightning quick. She's the kind who will come up to you when you're not looking, but will dart out of reach when you go to grab her. The boys, however, revel in all the love and attention they can get and they work so hard to prove just how good they are. In the next two weeks I'll finish up some of my larger projects and in the meantime, we're going to start working on some basic commands while they're so eager to please!
Four-month old Rizzo went with me to visit family the other day and we worked on sit over there. She did very well with it! I was very proud of her! She's a little imp, always into something with that strut of hers. The other morning I was trying to wake up, but just couldn't seem to get out of bed. And I added some more furniture to the bedroom which, in the pugs eyes, made a lovely bridge over to the dresser. So as I was torn between sleep and awake, she sauntered over the bridge to the dresser and stuck her head in a partially open drawer and started pulling out unmentionables. Ugh. So I had to get up, rescue my clothes from her and get the drawers closed. Then I tried to relax again. Next thing I know she's on the dresser again and now she found the cosmetic bag and drew out a large powder brush. It was longer than she was tall, so she had to hold her head back really high to be able to halfway run back to the bed with it. Once successfully back onto the bed with her new treasure, it wasn't mean mom who took it from her. No~ it was mean Isabella. Hmph.. what to do now? One more trip to the dresser sticking her head behind the stereo resulted in hidden treasure. A crinkly bag with a cord in it! Crinkles and cords in one shot!! It was the jackpot. So she brought her grander treasure over to the bed. It was promptly stolen by Isabelle, but at least Rizzo got her powder brush back! Life was good till I gave up on sleeping and took all their toys away.
The females are all working their way into heat again. Tiki is in full blown heat and Cooter is beside himself. He has been known to open crates from both the inside and the outside, so we had Tiki in a crate where the bars have the little hooks on them. Still didn't stop him. I came in from working on the yard just as the door swung open and Tiki was leaping out. I caught her in my arms and put her back in, put a blanket over the crate and put Cooter in another crate. Sheesh! That boy is good! Might as well rename him Houdini!
Daisy is in heat again and has decided that Gator is the man for her. He's more than willing to oblige, but I have bad news for both of them - ain't happenin. And I remind myself that this is just the beginning.... so glad we already had Petunia spayed!! No matter how many black females we could have sold if we bred her one more time!!
The only mating we might consider is Mariah and Gator (the french bulldogs) and we're currently in contact with his breeder to check into that option.
Speaking of Mariah, she had an issue with her harness. Evidently, the price tag was torn off, but the little bit of plastic didn't come off with it and was irritating her where it poked her skin. She started rolling in the back yard to scratch herself, but I didn't realize what was going on. But she would roll and roll more frequently. Then I took her over to Mom's house to work on something and she finally got her point across. She got her motor going in the kitchen, took off at top speed and when she hit the doorway from the kitchen to the living room, she flipped over onto her back and slid 3 feet. She had Mom very impressed with her slip n slide skills on the carpet. Then I finally figured out something might be bothering her and that's when I found the plastic piece.
Now that the plastic piece has been cut off, she still enjoys her occasional roll in the dirt. But at a much more relaxed pace. She finds the longest patch of dirt in the yard, lays on her back and scootches the entire stretch on her back. When she rights herself, she looks like she has a monk's haircut of brown dirt. Then she sniffs and finds just the perfect spot, and then scootches along her belly, swimming in the dirt. Once completely covered with this precious substance, she shakes it all out, looking like pig pen. I guess it could be worse - she hasn't rolled in anything that smells nasty!!
What is really in dog food?
What is really in dog food? Category: Pets and Animals
This lawsuit filed against many of the major pet food manufacturer companies out there ought to be required reading for anyone owning a dog or cat or anyone thinking about getting one. What are you really feeding your dog or cat? When the raw products, which have very little nutritional benefit to begin with, go through the rendering process at high temperatures which destroys what little good they had to offer, then what is the benefit? When traces of phenobarbitol and anti-biotics are found present in the meat after being processed, how can they deny that there are sick and diseased animals being put back into the pet food?
The major brands of pet food have been purchased by major companies as a dumping ground for their waste products in a money-making agreement to please every shareholder.
http://www.mflegal.com/petfood/Complaint.pdf
And here is a news report on the subject:
http://cbs4.com/special/local_story_143224354.html
Add to it that cyanuric acid was found in a randomly sampled bag of Iams large breed food and there are other foods causing illnesses which have not yet been recalled:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-reports-cyanuric-acid-in-dry-food_20070524
For those who are still intent on feeding dry dog food after reading these links, then the only ones I can recommend would be those among the Whole Dog Journal's list of better options. And at this particular point in time without further research, the only food I would feel comfortable buying for any long-term feeding would be Flint River Ranch dog food.
For now, we're very happy with our decision to switch to raw and the dogs are happy and healthy!
This lawsuit filed against many of the major pet food manufacturer companies out there ought to be required reading for anyone owning a dog or cat or anyone thinking about getting one. What are you really feeding your dog or cat? When the raw products, which have very little nutritional benefit to begin with, go through the rendering process at high temperatures which destroys what little good they had to offer, then what is the benefit? When traces of phenobarbitol and anti-biotics are found present in the meat after being processed, how can they deny that there are sick and diseased animals being put back into the pet food?
The major brands of pet food have been purchased by major companies as a dumping ground for their waste products in a money-making agreement to please every shareholder.
http://www.mflegal.com/petfood/Complaint.pdf
And here is a news report on the subject:
http://cbs4.com/special/local_story_143224354.html
Add to it that cyanuric acid was found in a randomly sampled bag of Iams large breed food and there are other foods causing illnesses which have not yet been recalled:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-reports-cyanuric-acid-in-dry-food_20070524
For those who are still intent on feeding dry dog food after reading these links, then the only ones I can recommend would be those among the Whole Dog Journal's list of better options. And at this particular point in time without further research, the only food I would feel comfortable buying for any long-term feeding would be Flint River Ranch dog food.
For now, we're very happy with our decision to switch to raw and the dogs are happy and healthy!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Warning - spread of a contagious virus
Warning - rapid spread of contagious virus
Hot on the heels of the pet food recall comes a virus that is kicking canine butts all across the US. This highly contagious virus is affecting whole households and in some cases, whole neighborhoods, at a time and apparently does not require physical contact nor contact with feces or urine.
So far it has been seen in Texas, Iowa, Missouri and New Jersey that we know of through communication on one board, only.
The beginning stages are a reluctance to eat. This is usually followed by vomiting, diarrhea or both. Most cases have an elevated temperature (102-103). Dehydration is quick. Vets are having problems diagnosing - at first it appears to be a poisoning or salmonella related. In many cases they are prescribing anti-biotics either as a precautionary measure or against the secondary infections that have been seen, especially upper respiratory infections. IV treatments or sub-cu treatments have also been used to deal with the dehydration. Puppies and seniors are especially at risk. Once the worst has passed (1- 5 days), there are some residual problems getting the dogs to eat and put the weight back on (2-4 weeks).
If you have a high risk dog or your dog is showing signs of dehydration, get it to a vet right away for proper treatement. Conventional treatment includes IV's or sub-cutaneous fluid injection. They might also prescribe anti-biotics for secondary issues or URI.
For myself, I will have on hand plenty of Parvaid (for many symptoms, but especially the diarrhea and vomiting) and Vibactra Plus (an anti-biotic and anti-viral) which should not only deal quite effectively with the symptoms, but should also serve as a preventative measure. Another good item to have on reserve is colloidal silver which deals with problems that are bacterial, viral or fungal in nature. I also have Willard Water which should help combat dehydration more effectively. I will also be calling my veterinarians to notify them of this illness in case it spreads to this area. Warning, do not use the Vibactra Plus at the same time as a vet-prescribed anti-biotic. And the same for any intestinal illness, be sure to follow up with probiotics to restore the natural balance of good bacteria in the system.
And the general wish for those who have had it to those who haven't, "I hope this is something you never have to deal with."
Hot on the heels of the pet food recall comes a virus that is kicking canine butts all across the US. This highly contagious virus is affecting whole households and in some cases, whole neighborhoods, at a time and apparently does not require physical contact nor contact with feces or urine.
So far it has been seen in Texas, Iowa, Missouri and New Jersey that we know of through communication on one board, only.
The beginning stages are a reluctance to eat. This is usually followed by vomiting, diarrhea or both. Most cases have an elevated temperature (102-103). Dehydration is quick. Vets are having problems diagnosing - at first it appears to be a poisoning or salmonella related. In many cases they are prescribing anti-biotics either as a precautionary measure or against the secondary infections that have been seen, especially upper respiratory infections. IV treatments or sub-cu treatments have also been used to deal with the dehydration. Puppies and seniors are especially at risk. Once the worst has passed (1- 5 days), there are some residual problems getting the dogs to eat and put the weight back on (2-4 weeks).
If you have a high risk dog or your dog is showing signs of dehydration, get it to a vet right away for proper treatement. Conventional treatment includes IV's or sub-cutaneous fluid injection. They might also prescribe anti-biotics for secondary issues or URI.
For myself, I will have on hand plenty of Parvaid (for many symptoms, but especially the diarrhea and vomiting) and Vibactra Plus (an anti-biotic and anti-viral) which should not only deal quite effectively with the symptoms, but should also serve as a preventative measure. Another good item to have on reserve is colloidal silver which deals with problems that are bacterial, viral or fungal in nature. I also have Willard Water which should help combat dehydration more effectively. I will also be calling my veterinarians to notify them of this illness in case it spreads to this area. Warning, do not use the Vibactra Plus at the same time as a vet-prescribed anti-biotic. And the same for any intestinal illness, be sure to follow up with probiotics to restore the natural balance of good bacteria in the system.
And the general wish for those who have had it to those who haven't, "I hope this is something you never have to deal with."
Friday, May 18, 2007
California Proposed Spay/Neuter Bill
CA Healthy Pet Act, AB 1634 Category: Pets and Animals
Elected representatives have a duty to evaluate legislation for the benefit of the people they represent and to the government they serve. And to do the most good with the money that is entrusted to them. It continues to amaze me when I see poorly written legislation such as the CA Healthy Pet Act, AB 1634 and the current Senate Bill S. 1082 which would adversely effect dietary supplement and natural remedies (http://www.newstarget.com/021830.html).
In an effort to educate the people of California, as well as the rest of the nation, this site points out problems with the California legislation.
http://www.ab1634.com/
There has been a massive influx of response to the officials, and the overwhelming majority are against the proposed legislation, but they still seem reluctant to believe that the masses of people could be right! If you are in California, it would be to your benefit to contact your representative. If snail mail is the preferred method of communication, try to use a postcard or fax instead of an enclosed letter which might have to undergo screening before arriving to its recipient.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
The National Animal Interest Alliance has a 12-page article posted on their website outlining both the benefits and the associated risks with early alterations. There is a wealth of information on the subject to be found online, not just in conjunction with this bill and I would encourage people to do research before determining when they prefer to alter their pets. Obviously, we encourage spaying and neutering and animal population control, but the timing should be made to the animal's benefit, and according to the ultimate purpose of the animal. Not because legislation is micro-managing owner decisions.
http://naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
If this legislation passes in California, I'll be very disappointed in the leaders of that state and their inability to truly evaluate all aspects of the decisions they make. Let's just hope that the leaders of the other 49 states are a little smarter...
Elected representatives have a duty to evaluate legislation for the benefit of the people they represent and to the government they serve. And to do the most good with the money that is entrusted to them. It continues to amaze me when I see poorly written legislation such as the CA Healthy Pet Act, AB 1634 and the current Senate Bill S. 1082 which would adversely effect dietary supplement and natural remedies (http://www.newstarget.com/021830.html).
In an effort to educate the people of California, as well as the rest of the nation, this site points out problems with the California legislation.
http://www.ab1634.com/
There has been a massive influx of response to the officials, and the overwhelming majority are against the proposed legislation, but they still seem reluctant to believe that the masses of people could be right! If you are in California, it would be to your benefit to contact your representative. If snail mail is the preferred method of communication, try to use a postcard or fax instead of an enclosed letter which might have to undergo screening before arriving to its recipient.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
The National Animal Interest Alliance has a 12-page article posted on their website outlining both the benefits and the associated risks with early alterations. There is a wealth of information on the subject to be found online, not just in conjunction with this bill and I would encourage people to do research before determining when they prefer to alter their pets. Obviously, we encourage spaying and neutering and animal population control, but the timing should be made to the animal's benefit, and according to the ultimate purpose of the animal. Not because legislation is micro-managing owner decisions.
http://naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
If this legislation passes in California, I'll be very disappointed in the leaders of that state and their inability to truly evaluate all aspects of the decisions they make. Let's just hope that the leaders of the other 49 states are a little smarter...
Tick Season
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tick Season Category: Pets and Animals
Does anyone out there have a tick for a friend? Anyone out there feeling a special little something for the little guys? I suppose they have to have a friend somewhere, and as kind as I am to the insect world, I haven't found my common ground with ticks. Fortunately I haven't had to deal with them for a very long time.
As a child, my father worked a Christmas tree farm seasonaly. He would grab some kids, take them out to the field, trim the trees in the summer and harvest them at Christmas. So twice a year we would go through "the routine." After coming home, mom would make them remove their outer clothes to a certain designated area, then father and son would have to sit in front of her while she ensured there were no ticks in their hair, then they would check the rest, shower, clean the clothes and the house was safe from these fearsome intruders. I was a mere observer in the process, but learned that ticks were horrible creatures. So one day when I was about 9, I was standing in the house, looked down, and there was a tick ON MY LEG!! I screamed and was immobile. I couldn't even run to my parents, the fear was so great! My brother ran down the stairs, asked what was wrong and in the "it's no big deal" gesture that a big brother can make, he swooped the tick off my leg and it met with swift justice. In our house, a tick wasn't dead unless it was burned with the edge of a match because they can grow back from the head.
Fast forward to being a young adult, newly married, with a wonderful pet-of-a-lifetime. I wanted to train her to become a search and rescue dog. In the area where we trained, there were many ticks, and many different kinds of ticks. The first trip out, there were 2 ticks on her I had to find and remove. The second trip, 5. But the third trip out did me in. Not only did I find and remove 12 ticks of all different shapes and sizes (not to mention the burs and foxtails), but then when I went to the bathroom to get a shower, I found one of them on me. It was on my arm, just under the edge of my t-shirt sleeve, hidden from view till I was in the bathroom. In the years that had passed, I had learned a few tricks. I now knew that putting a salve over them such as Vaseline would prevent air flow and they would remove their head in order to get to the air source. Of course, I couldn't find any. On to plan B - pouring isopropyl alcohol over them will cause them to pull out their head for safe removal. I awkwardly positioned my arm over the sink and began to pour. I poured on and off, rechecking the tick with no apparent change in movement. I was beginning to stress. Then I paused to think maybe it's head wasn't imbedded after all and it wouldn't hurt to try to tweeze it off. Success!! The tick pulled away quite easily in my tweezers, but now here I was with a tick and no matches. Of course, it cannot be flushed because urban legend has them crawling back up the pipes and adhering to places even harder to see. So I walk through the house, tick in tweezers, searching for a match. They have an amazing ability to squish their innards around to where they can escape tweezers. That sucker got away from me 3 times on my search. Finally I am back over the sink in the bathroom, match in hand, tick back in the tweezers and I've worked up a good and angry state of mind. I was supremely focused that this tick was not going to get away from me again! So I lit the match and POOF... the alcohol still in the basin of the sink whooshed up and singed my eyebrows and bangs. In the process, I had jumped back, flinging the tweezers with the tick to some corner of the bathroom. I spent the next 20 min on my hands and knees searching for the tick, afraid it was going to crawl in my bed at night if I didn't. Finally, behind the toilet, there was the scorched and quite dead tick.
We didn't do any more search and rescue after that.
Since then I've grown, and I think I could handle pulling off a tick without averting my head and closing my eyes. But I'd still rather not deal with them if I don't have to. We have been changing to a natural form of life for the dogs as much as possible and haven't had to use any flea/tick products yet this spring. Instead, I have diatomaceous earth and natural oils on standby when they're needed.
Just as important as trying to repel the fleas and ticks is the knowledge of the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses. These illnesses are often tricky to diagnose and when a dog has contracted one and it is usually up to the owner to track down the cause with determination to try to combat it. Here are a few pages to keep in on hand:
http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/home
http://www.vintagegoldens.com/tick.htm
http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/ticklinks.htm
One of the biggest signs is the dog become quickly and mysteriously achy. Here is another list of some of the early symptoms:
low platelet counts
light
anemia
swollen lymph nodes
photosensitive eyes
discharge from the eyes
cough
lameness, joint pain and swelling
recurrent diarrhea
vomiting bile
unexplained weight loss and/or loss of muscle mass
increased water consumption
Keep in mind that chronic conditions also develop when left untreated. Please see the above sites for more information.
May your summer be fun and tick-free!!
Tick Season Category: Pets and Animals
Does anyone out there have a tick for a friend? Anyone out there feeling a special little something for the little guys? I suppose they have to have a friend somewhere, and as kind as I am to the insect world, I haven't found my common ground with ticks. Fortunately I haven't had to deal with them for a very long time.
As a child, my father worked a Christmas tree farm seasonaly. He would grab some kids, take them out to the field, trim the trees in the summer and harvest them at Christmas. So twice a year we would go through "the routine." After coming home, mom would make them remove their outer clothes to a certain designated area, then father and son would have to sit in front of her while she ensured there were no ticks in their hair, then they would check the rest, shower, clean the clothes and the house was safe from these fearsome intruders. I was a mere observer in the process, but learned that ticks were horrible creatures. So one day when I was about 9, I was standing in the house, looked down, and there was a tick ON MY LEG!! I screamed and was immobile. I couldn't even run to my parents, the fear was so great! My brother ran down the stairs, asked what was wrong and in the "it's no big deal" gesture that a big brother can make, he swooped the tick off my leg and it met with swift justice. In our house, a tick wasn't dead unless it was burned with the edge of a match because they can grow back from the head.
Fast forward to being a young adult, newly married, with a wonderful pet-of-a-lifetime. I wanted to train her to become a search and rescue dog. In the area where we trained, there were many ticks, and many different kinds of ticks. The first trip out, there were 2 ticks on her I had to find and remove. The second trip, 5. But the third trip out did me in. Not only did I find and remove 12 ticks of all different shapes and sizes (not to mention the burs and foxtails), but then when I went to the bathroom to get a shower, I found one of them on me. It was on my arm, just under the edge of my t-shirt sleeve, hidden from view till I was in the bathroom. In the years that had passed, I had learned a few tricks. I now knew that putting a salve over them such as Vaseline would prevent air flow and they would remove their head in order to get to the air source. Of course, I couldn't find any. On to plan B - pouring isopropyl alcohol over them will cause them to pull out their head for safe removal. I awkwardly positioned my arm over the sink and began to pour. I poured on and off, rechecking the tick with no apparent change in movement. I was beginning to stress. Then I paused to think maybe it's head wasn't imbedded after all and it wouldn't hurt to try to tweeze it off. Success!! The tick pulled away quite easily in my tweezers, but now here I was with a tick and no matches. Of course, it cannot be flushed because urban legend has them crawling back up the pipes and adhering to places even harder to see. So I walk through the house, tick in tweezers, searching for a match. They have an amazing ability to squish their innards around to where they can escape tweezers. That sucker got away from me 3 times on my search. Finally I am back over the sink in the bathroom, match in hand, tick back in the tweezers and I've worked up a good and angry state of mind. I was supremely focused that this tick was not going to get away from me again! So I lit the match and POOF... the alcohol still in the basin of the sink whooshed up and singed my eyebrows and bangs. In the process, I had jumped back, flinging the tweezers with the tick to some corner of the bathroom. I spent the next 20 min on my hands and knees searching for the tick, afraid it was going to crawl in my bed at night if I didn't. Finally, behind the toilet, there was the scorched and quite dead tick.
We didn't do any more search and rescue after that.
Since then I've grown, and I think I could handle pulling off a tick without averting my head and closing my eyes. But I'd still rather not deal with them if I don't have to. We have been changing to a natural form of life for the dogs as much as possible and haven't had to use any flea/tick products yet this spring. Instead, I have diatomaceous earth and natural oils on standby when they're needed.
Just as important as trying to repel the fleas and ticks is the knowledge of the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses. These illnesses are often tricky to diagnose and when a dog has contracted one and it is usually up to the owner to track down the cause with determination to try to combat it. Here are a few pages to keep in on hand:
http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/home
http://www.vintagegoldens.com/tick.htm
http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/ticklinks.htm
One of the biggest signs is the dog become quickly and mysteriously achy. Here is another list of some of the early symptoms:
low platelet counts
light
anemia
swollen lymph nodes
photosensitive eyes
discharge from the eyes
cough
lameness, joint pain and swelling
recurrent diarrhea
vomiting bile
unexplained weight loss and/or loss of muscle mass
increased water consumption
Keep in mind that chronic conditions also develop when left untreated. Please see the above sites for more information.
May your summer be fun and tick-free!!
May is National Pet Month
May is National Pet Month Category: Pets and Animals
Someone just passed along a receipt to me from KMart that shows that in honor National Pet Month, KMart is celebrating by supporting pets and their owners. If someone adopts a dog from a local animal shelter between April 29th and May 26th, they will receive a FREE 1-month supply of Pedigree dry dog food from KMart. See store associate for details.
Someone just passed along a receipt to me from KMart that shows that in honor National Pet Month, KMart is celebrating by supporting pets and their owners. If someone adopts a dog from a local animal shelter between April 29th and May 26th, they will receive a FREE 1-month supply of Pedigree dry dog food from KMart. See store associate for details.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Planet Dog
Monday, May 14, 2007
Planet Dog Category: Pets and Animals
Thanks to part of our extended family of dog lovers, we learned about these absolutely wonderful chew bones made for puppies (orbee-tuff bones). They're perfect for pug puppies and we'd recommend them to anyone bringing home a new little one!
http://www.planetdog.com/puppy.asp
Then at a dog show, I met a distributor who was selling other Planet Dog items, including these wonderfully soft, yet strong, hemp and fleece harnesses. They also explained that a portion of the sales go to promote programs for and about dogs.
Now that I've had a minute to sit down and take a peek around their website, I'm very impressed. They have funds set aside for grants and have helped sponsor programs such as at-risk youth learning to work with dogs, the prison program where inmates do basic training on shelter dogs to help them find a home. And then there's one I really enjoyed reading about...
Because we raise small dogs, we see many people who don't have the room or the energy to deal with large breed dogs. It's true that they require more in some ways, but I truly love large breed dogs. So I loved this particular grant that I read about on Planet Dog's Grantees Page. The Service Dog Project in Massachusetts trains large breed "balance" dogs to help aid people with mobility issues such as Parkinson's, MS, and stroke recoveries. That sounds absolutely fabulous! Not only do they get help with balance and recovery, but they get the loving therapy of a wonderful, large breed dog.
There are a lot of good things happening out there in the world! :)
Planet Dog Category: Pets and Animals
Thanks to part of our extended family of dog lovers, we learned about these absolutely wonderful chew bones made for puppies (orbee-tuff bones). They're perfect for pug puppies and we'd recommend them to anyone bringing home a new little one!
http://www.planetdog.com/puppy.asp
Then at a dog show, I met a distributor who was selling other Planet Dog items, including these wonderfully soft, yet strong, hemp and fleece harnesses. They also explained that a portion of the sales go to promote programs for and about dogs.
Now that I've had a minute to sit down and take a peek around their website, I'm very impressed. They have funds set aside for grants and have helped sponsor programs such as at-risk youth learning to work with dogs, the prison program where inmates do basic training on shelter dogs to help them find a home. And then there's one I really enjoyed reading about...
Because we raise small dogs, we see many people who don't have the room or the energy to deal with large breed dogs. It's true that they require more in some ways, but I truly love large breed dogs. So I loved this particular grant that I read about on Planet Dog's Grantees Page. The Service Dog Project in Massachusetts trains large breed "balance" dogs to help aid people with mobility issues such as Parkinson's, MS, and stroke recoveries. That sounds absolutely fabulous! Not only do they get help with balance and recovery, but they get the loving therapy of a wonderful, large breed dog.
There are a lot of good things happening out there in the world! :)
Carmen the booster signal
Friday, May 11, 2007
Carmen the booster signal Category: Pets and Animals
After little Makai went to his new home, Carmen was kind of lost for the day. she had other puppies and adults to play with, and still had mom, but it wasn't the same. You could tell she missed her littermates, being the only one left. But she soon enough found other things to occupy her puggy days and new ways to play with the others. Although the german shepherd, Jaeger, spent most of his time outside, she somehow became very attached to him. She would communicate with him through the wires when he was crated and took a liking to him, even though he was Goliath compared to her tiny body.
Spending most of his time in the back yard, Jaeger still found lots to do and lots to say. One day he gathered all the loose items in the yard and on the deck and arranged them in a circle. When those objects weren't enough, he disassembled my water fountain and put the pieces parts into his circle. Evidently that still wasn't enough, so he chewed the hose up and added it to his collection. That satisfied him, but when we replaced the hose with a new one, it became a personal challenge. So he tugged on the new hose till he broke a water line in the basement. That's when Jaeger became restricted to the kennel until he returned to his permanent home.
From his kennel, he told us when the pugs were playing, when they were flirting and when someone was walking by the alley. He had a lot to say. Carmen felt the need to repeat everything he said because obviously anything Jaeger said was very important. She was like a little booster signal in the living room. Jaeger barked, Carmen barked. Jaeger yipped, Carmen yipped. Jaeger howled, Carmen tried really hard to howl. If only we understood dog talk, we'd have a play by play of whatever trouble was going on at any given time :)
Carmen the booster signal Category: Pets and Animals
After little Makai went to his new home, Carmen was kind of lost for the day. she had other puppies and adults to play with, and still had mom, but it wasn't the same. You could tell she missed her littermates, being the only one left. But she soon enough found other things to occupy her puggy days and new ways to play with the others. Although the german shepherd, Jaeger, spent most of his time outside, she somehow became very attached to him. She would communicate with him through the wires when he was crated and took a liking to him, even though he was Goliath compared to her tiny body.
Spending most of his time in the back yard, Jaeger still found lots to do and lots to say. One day he gathered all the loose items in the yard and on the deck and arranged them in a circle. When those objects weren't enough, he disassembled my water fountain and put the pieces parts into his circle. Evidently that still wasn't enough, so he chewed the hose up and added it to his collection. That satisfied him, but when we replaced the hose with a new one, it became a personal challenge. So he tugged on the new hose till he broke a water line in the basement. That's when Jaeger became restricted to the kennel until he returned to his permanent home.
From his kennel, he told us when the pugs were playing, when they were flirting and when someone was walking by the alley. He had a lot to say. Carmen felt the need to repeat everything he said because obviously anything Jaeger said was very important. She was like a little booster signal in the living room. Jaeger barked, Carmen barked. Jaeger yipped, Carmen yipped. Jaeger howled, Carmen tried really hard to howl. If only we understood dog talk, we'd have a play by play of whatever trouble was going on at any given time :)
Vaccinations & Microchipping
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Vaccinations & microchipping Category: Pets and Animals
Dr. Jean Dodds has been a leader in veterinary medicine for years. She is an expert in several areas and has done her best to modify vaccination protocols. She has successfully broken through the barriers several times with governments and veterinary universities, but now she's taking on the whole establishment concerning rabies vaccinations. Thank goodness someone is doing what they can to get the legislation changed. Rabies vaccinations are so hard on our animals and she's moving to provide scientific evidence acceptable to the US government to prove that the immunity properties of the shots last 7 years so that we can avoid the side effects many dogs and cats are experiencing with over-vaccination. To hear a recent interview with her, check this out:
http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/category/animal-vaccination-issues/
During the interview, she also mentions microchips. I'm an avid microchipper (pardon the pun). I had heard rumors that microchips were being associated with cancerous tumors, but figured it was like so many other things in life - if the dog is ill, then it's the weak link that gets attacked. However, after listening to Dr. Dodds in the interview above, I have to sit up and take notice that the microchips themselves might be causing an issue in our animals. For now, I'd highly recommend listening to the broadcast and monitoring your pets for lumps.
In the meantime, I ran across one more article that brings up some interesting reasons not to microchip. If you've been keeping up with pet news, you'll know that California is currently trying to pass some absolutely ridiculous legislation that will force all owners to spay/neuter their animals. There are some exclusions that even well established show kennels would be hard-pressed to meet (including that the pups must be entered into shows by the age of 3 months in order to be excluded, but the minimum age for show entry is 6 months). If this poorly written legislation actually passes, I will lose so much respect for California and legislators in general. Back to microchipping, if the legislation does pass, and you've registered your animal with the microchip companies, then they can use this information to find you and enforce early alterations. Very Big Brother! Check it out in the blog posting titled Outsourcing Pet Owner Privacy for Profit:
http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/
Vaccinations & microchipping Category: Pets and Animals
Dr. Jean Dodds has been a leader in veterinary medicine for years. She is an expert in several areas and has done her best to modify vaccination protocols. She has successfully broken through the barriers several times with governments and veterinary universities, but now she's taking on the whole establishment concerning rabies vaccinations. Thank goodness someone is doing what they can to get the legislation changed. Rabies vaccinations are so hard on our animals and she's moving to provide scientific evidence acceptable to the US government to prove that the immunity properties of the shots last 7 years so that we can avoid the side effects many dogs and cats are experiencing with over-vaccination. To hear a recent interview with her, check this out:
http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/category/animal-vaccination-issues/
During the interview, she also mentions microchips. I'm an avid microchipper (pardon the pun). I had heard rumors that microchips were being associated with cancerous tumors, but figured it was like so many other things in life - if the dog is ill, then it's the weak link that gets attacked. However, after listening to Dr. Dodds in the interview above, I have to sit up and take notice that the microchips themselves might be causing an issue in our animals. For now, I'd highly recommend listening to the broadcast and monitoring your pets for lumps.
In the meantime, I ran across one more article that brings up some interesting reasons not to microchip. If you've been keeping up with pet news, you'll know that California is currently trying to pass some absolutely ridiculous legislation that will force all owners to spay/neuter their animals. There are some exclusions that even well established show kennels would be hard-pressed to meet (including that the pups must be entered into shows by the age of 3 months in order to be excluded, but the minimum age for show entry is 6 months). If this poorly written legislation actually passes, I will lose so much respect for California and legislators in general. Back to microchipping, if the legislation does pass, and you've registered your animal with the microchip companies, then they can use this information to find you and enforce early alterations. Very Big Brother! Check it out in the blog posting titled Outsourcing Pet Owner Privacy for Profit:
http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/
Say my name?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Say my name? Category: Pets and Animals
I'm the positive reinforcer at the house and Tony is the expert at negative reinforcement. Let's just go back to the early days. When I would pick up my keys, someone was usually going to get to go for a ride, so they would all sit at my feet and stare up at me hopefully with their best "I'll be a good dog" look. However, Tony was pretty adamant that everyone was going to be locked up when he left for work. Instead of training them that being in the crates while at work was a rewarding experience, he would just grab them, toss them in crates and leave. No treats, no special words of praise. So when Tony would grab his keys to leave for work, they'd all scatter and get under whatever piece of furniture they could make it to. It was particularly amusing to watch the scattered reactions when we both picked up our keys at the same time. The particularly brave would be at my feet hoping I'd pick them up before they got snatched and crated.
Things changed and I'm with them all now, so we've worked on conditioning and they're fine in their crates when I put them in. Some are even relieved to have a good time for a decent nap. But they still look at Tony suspiciously from time to time, even though they like sitting with him and playing with him.
I went away to the show this weekend and couldn't take my buddies with me. Tony was trying his best to take good care of everyone and was frustrated that when he'd call them, Daisy and Petunia would hide. Under the desk, under the bed, wherever they could go if he said their names. These being the same dogs who are always trying to get up on the sofa with him. He was just trying to feed them or let them out. He said he finally realized it was his voice using their names that had them suspiscious. If he just tossed food into a crate, or opened the door with a general call to go outside, they'd trot right along and do what they were supposed to do. But Lordy don't say their names!!
Say my name? Category: Pets and Animals
I'm the positive reinforcer at the house and Tony is the expert at negative reinforcement. Let's just go back to the early days. When I would pick up my keys, someone was usually going to get to go for a ride, so they would all sit at my feet and stare up at me hopefully with their best "I'll be a good dog" look. However, Tony was pretty adamant that everyone was going to be locked up when he left for work. Instead of training them that being in the crates while at work was a rewarding experience, he would just grab them, toss them in crates and leave. No treats, no special words of praise. So when Tony would grab his keys to leave for work, they'd all scatter and get under whatever piece of furniture they could make it to. It was particularly amusing to watch the scattered reactions when we both picked up our keys at the same time. The particularly brave would be at my feet hoping I'd pick them up before they got snatched and crated.
Things changed and I'm with them all now, so we've worked on conditioning and they're fine in their crates when I put them in. Some are even relieved to have a good time for a decent nap. But they still look at Tony suspiciously from time to time, even though they like sitting with him and playing with him.
I went away to the show this weekend and couldn't take my buddies with me. Tony was trying his best to take good care of everyone and was frustrated that when he'd call them, Daisy and Petunia would hide. Under the desk, under the bed, wherever they could go if he said their names. These being the same dogs who are always trying to get up on the sofa with him. He was just trying to feed them or let them out. He said he finally realized it was his voice using their names that had them suspiscious. If he just tossed food into a crate, or opened the door with a general call to go outside, they'd trot right along and do what they were supposed to do. But Lordy don't say their names!!
Anderson, South Carolina Show
Monday, May 07, 2007
Anderson, South Carolina Show Category: Pets and Animals
I went with my handler to a show this weekend and it was soooooo cool! I FINALLY got to see how a pug and frenchie are groomed from start to finish. The conditions were lousy - they had us set up in an open air cattle barn with sawdust everywhere, on top of red clay which got wet during the monsoon that poured down. I was covered with red clay from head to toe. It was interesting how many alternative solutions people came up with to keep their dogs clean! And some of the things people wore into the ring had me wondering if their nice clothes had suffered some tragic fate during the bad weather. So I learned about setting up, tearing down, grooming, and schedules. Remember I've only had one dog at a time and one ring to worry about I learned about politics (the same woman who complained to another person last month about their dog running up on hers intentionally let her dog run up on my handler's puppy's rear and got him all bent out of shape.). I met the coolest man from Germany who had us cracking up about his stud dog being a stud dog while being examined and they couldn't get his thingy back in even during the photo shoot, so he had to photoshop it out.But the kicker was this rep from Isle of the Dogs grooming products. She was a hoot. Said that one day she was helping a friend with her products for sale, including sqeaky toys and those little lights that hang on the collars and flash as you're walking your dogs at night. Well, it was getting close to ringtime for her, so she dumped her arms full of products, grabbed her dog, and ran to the ring. Ringside, her dog leaned down and drank out of a woman's iced tea and she was embarassed, offered to buy her some new tea, and the woman politely refused. So they're changing over for the next set of people and the woman with the iced tea turns out to be her JUDGE. So then she's trotting around the ring and realizes she has a flashing light still attached to her belt loop and tries to subtley reach over and turn it off. As she's stacking the dog on the table in front of the judge, the judge says in a very prim and cool voice, "do you realize that you have a sqeeze me sticker on your left breast?" It must have rubbed off of the squeaky toys. Needless to say, she got 3rd out of 3 dogs. But she made us feel better about our day - lol. I told her she should have said, "well, I was expecting a male judge." hahahaha ... crazy.
We came out of the weekend with Vincent getting some nice points. He was stunning and stately. And he's such a good boy with a sweet spirit. He was my buddy this weekend. And we met an awesome lady who has been working with and breeding frenchies for 27 years and knows a lot about health in general. She's going to run a saliva test on Gator and we're going to get a plan together!! It was good to see my little man again after so long. He got to come home with me. And Mushu got to go on the trip this weekend, too. He handled it all like a champ, a tribute to Daisy's even-tempered nature.
Anderson, South Carolina Show Category: Pets and Animals
I went with my handler to a show this weekend and it was soooooo cool! I FINALLY got to see how a pug and frenchie are groomed from start to finish. The conditions were lousy - they had us set up in an open air cattle barn with sawdust everywhere, on top of red clay which got wet during the monsoon that poured down. I was covered with red clay from head to toe. It was interesting how many alternative solutions people came up with to keep their dogs clean! And some of the things people wore into the ring had me wondering if their nice clothes had suffered some tragic fate during the bad weather. So I learned about setting up, tearing down, grooming, and schedules. Remember I've only had one dog at a time and one ring to worry about I learned about politics (the same woman who complained to another person last month about their dog running up on hers intentionally let her dog run up on my handler's puppy's rear and got him all bent out of shape.). I met the coolest man from Germany who had us cracking up about his stud dog being a stud dog while being examined and they couldn't get his thingy back in even during the photo shoot, so he had to photoshop it out.But the kicker was this rep from Isle of the Dogs grooming products. She was a hoot. Said that one day she was helping a friend with her products for sale, including sqeaky toys and those little lights that hang on the collars and flash as you're walking your dogs at night. Well, it was getting close to ringtime for her, so she dumped her arms full of products, grabbed her dog, and ran to the ring. Ringside, her dog leaned down and drank out of a woman's iced tea and she was embarassed, offered to buy her some new tea, and the woman politely refused. So they're changing over for the next set of people and the woman with the iced tea turns out to be her JUDGE. So then she's trotting around the ring and realizes she has a flashing light still attached to her belt loop and tries to subtley reach over and turn it off. As she's stacking the dog on the table in front of the judge, the judge says in a very prim and cool voice, "do you realize that you have a sqeeze me sticker on your left breast?" It must have rubbed off of the squeaky toys. Needless to say, she got 3rd out of 3 dogs. But she made us feel better about our day - lol. I told her she should have said, "well, I was expecting a male judge." hahahaha ... crazy.
We came out of the weekend with Vincent getting some nice points. He was stunning and stately. And he's such a good boy with a sweet spirit. He was my buddy this weekend. And we met an awesome lady who has been working with and breeding frenchies for 27 years and knows a lot about health in general. She's going to run a saliva test on Gator and we're going to get a plan together!! It was good to see my little man again after so long. He got to come home with me. And Mushu got to go on the trip this weekend, too. He handled it all like a champ, a tribute to Daisy's even-tempered nature.
Puppy Intensive Care Book
Puppy Intensive Care Book Category: Pets and Animals
Just read a wonderful book by Mrya Savant-Harris, R.N. The book is called Puppy Intensive Care, a Breeder's Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies. It's really wonderful and covers the worst-case scenarios that new breeders fear the most. I learned a few new things in the book and am impressed with the information she lays out. This book is geared toward emergency care of newborn pups, how to handle situations at the beginning and doesn't cover anything like puppy development exercises or socialization, but that's ok. It's for a specific purpose and I'd recommend it to anyone who is planning a litter and wants expert advice. It even comes with a video that shows, among other things, how to tube feed. I haven't watched it yet, but will soon!
Just read a wonderful book by Mrya Savant-Harris, R.N. The book is called Puppy Intensive Care, a Breeder's Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies. It's really wonderful and covers the worst-case scenarios that new breeders fear the most. I learned a few new things in the book and am impressed with the information she lays out. This book is geared toward emergency care of newborn pups, how to handle situations at the beginning and doesn't cover anything like puppy development exercises or socialization, but that's ok. It's for a specific purpose and I'd recommend it to anyone who is planning a litter and wants expert advice. It even comes with a video that shows, among other things, how to tube feed. I haven't watched it yet, but will soon!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Lions, Tigers, and Horses?? Oh, my!
Lions, Tigers, and Horses?? Oh, my! Category: Pets and Animals
Shang got to go with his forever family on Sunday and it was quite an adventure. We met them at a horse show and along for the ride were Shang, Momma Daisy, and brother Fa Zhou. Although the boys hadn't spent much time on-leash, I have to admit they did fantastic. Of course, Daisy setting the example and blazing a trail toward something fun helped!
Her first indication that this was no normal family affair was the huge pile of horse dung she ran into outside the fairground building. WHOA!! The brakes were put on and an inspection was performed that would have made Frank the Pug from MIB very proud! What animal could have made this wonderful stuff that smells good enough to eat?? Or to roll in?? The wonder of it all!
It wasn't too many more minutes before she got to see what this animal was. She was in awe, walking through the barn to get to Shang's family. Then with the excitement of meeting so many people who wanted to pet her, she momentarily forgot the horses. Once things settled down, I lifted her to a stall so she could meet one up front and personal. She was fine till the horse snorted a big breath of air in her direction. Her eyes got really wide and she was pretty much done at that point. Also, somewhere along the line, it occurred to her that her babies were here with these huge beasts and she decided to get a little protective. A horse would walk by her and she would stare silently with big saucer eyes till they got to the end of the row and turned toward the arena. As the tail would swoosh on it's way out of sight, she would give it a big, brave WOOF. That's my girl.
The barn was full of dogs. In our little area we saw an australian shepherd, a border collie, and a beagle. At these, she barked fairly freely, with me trying to correct her. The herding dogs looked at her, recognizing her as a newbie without a clue. But the real kicker was when the border collie ran from his area, past us, outside to do his business, then returned to his place, all without the supervision of a person. She was fixated on him, and kept looking up at me with a questioning look. Why does HE get to run outside without a leash?? I explained this is how GOOD dogs act (hint, hint).
The puppies handled it much better than Mom, taking everything in stride. All these people and cool things to investigate had their little minds totally occupied. Shang went for a walk around the area and handled it like a champ. At least he was smart enough not to bark at the horses, not even a tail swishing out of sight. He did start to get lonely for the pack after we left, but some kids walking by making over him took care of the rough spots. He has settled in with his new family and is enjoying all the cool things in the world out there to discover! We look forward to hearing more about our little flat-faced apricot horse dog.
Shang got to go with his forever family on Sunday and it was quite an adventure. We met them at a horse show and along for the ride were Shang, Momma Daisy, and brother Fa Zhou. Although the boys hadn't spent much time on-leash, I have to admit they did fantastic. Of course, Daisy setting the example and blazing a trail toward something fun helped!
Her first indication that this was no normal family affair was the huge pile of horse dung she ran into outside the fairground building. WHOA!! The brakes were put on and an inspection was performed that would have made Frank the Pug from MIB very proud! What animal could have made this wonderful stuff that smells good enough to eat?? Or to roll in?? The wonder of it all!
It wasn't too many more minutes before she got to see what this animal was. She was in awe, walking through the barn to get to Shang's family. Then with the excitement of meeting so many people who wanted to pet her, she momentarily forgot the horses. Once things settled down, I lifted her to a stall so she could meet one up front and personal. She was fine till the horse snorted a big breath of air in her direction. Her eyes got really wide and she was pretty much done at that point. Also, somewhere along the line, it occurred to her that her babies were here with these huge beasts and she decided to get a little protective. A horse would walk by her and she would stare silently with big saucer eyes till they got to the end of the row and turned toward the arena. As the tail would swoosh on it's way out of sight, she would give it a big, brave WOOF. That's my girl.
The barn was full of dogs. In our little area we saw an australian shepherd, a border collie, and a beagle. At these, she barked fairly freely, with me trying to correct her. The herding dogs looked at her, recognizing her as a newbie without a clue. But the real kicker was when the border collie ran from his area, past us, outside to do his business, then returned to his place, all without the supervision of a person. She was fixated on him, and kept looking up at me with a questioning look. Why does HE get to run outside without a leash?? I explained this is how GOOD dogs act (hint, hint).
The puppies handled it much better than Mom, taking everything in stride. All these people and cool things to investigate had their little minds totally occupied. Shang went for a walk around the area and handled it like a champ. At least he was smart enough not to bark at the horses, not even a tail swishing out of sight. He did start to get lonely for the pack after we left, but some kids walking by making over him took care of the rough spots. He has settled in with his new family and is enjoying all the cool things in the world out there to discover! We look forward to hearing more about our little flat-faced apricot horse dog.
Lions, Tigers, and Horses?? Oh, my!
Lions, Tigers, and Horses?? Oh, my! Category: Pets and Animals
Shang got to go with his forever family on Sunday and it was quite an adventure. We met them at a horse show and along for the ride were Shang, Momma Daisy, and brother Fa Zhou. Although the boys hadn't spent much time on-leash, I have to admit they did fantastic. Of course, Daisy setting the example and blazing a trail toward something fun helped!
Her first indication that this was no normal family affair was the huge pile of horse dung she ran into outside the fairground building. WHOA!! The brakes were put on and an inspection was performed that would have made Frank the Pug from MIB very proud! What animal could have made this wonderful stuff that smells good enough to eat?? Or to roll in?? The wonder of it all!
It wasn't too many more minutes before she got to see what this animal was. She was in awe, walking through the barn to get to Shang's family. Then with the excitement of meeting so many people who wanted to pet her, she momentarily forgot the horses. Once things settled down, I lifted her to a stall so she could meet one up front and personal. She was fine till the horse snorted a big breath of air in her direction. Her eyes got really wide and she was pretty much done at that point. Also, somewhere along the line, it occurred to her that her babies were here with these huge beasts and she decided to get a little protective. A horse would walk by her and she would stare silently with big saucer eyes till they got to the end of the row and turned toward the arena. As the tail would swoosh on it's way out of sight, she would give it a big, brave WOOF. That's my girl.
The barn was full of dogs. In our little area we saw an australian shepherd, a border collie, and a beagle. At these, she barked fairly freely, with me trying to correct her. The herding dogs looked at her, recognizing her as a newbie without a clue. But the real kicker was when the border collie ran from his area, past us, outside to do his business, then returned to his place, all without the supervision of a person. She was fixated on him, and kept looking up at me with a questioning look. Why does HE get to run outside without a leash?? I explained this is how GOOD dogs act (hint, hint).
The puppies handled it much better than Mom, taking everything in stride. All these people and cool things to investigate had their little minds totally occupied. Shang went for a walk around the area and handled it like a champ. At least he was smart enough not to bark at the horses, not even a tail swishing out of sight. He did start to get lonely for the pack after we left, but some kids walking by making over him took care of the rough spots. He has settled in with his new family and is enjoying all the cool things in the world out there to discover! We look forward to hearing more about our little flat-faced apricot horse dog.
Shang got to go with his forever family on Sunday and it was quite an adventure. We met them at a horse show and along for the ride were Shang, Momma Daisy, and brother Fa Zhou. Although the boys hadn't spent much time on-leash, I have to admit they did fantastic. Of course, Daisy setting the example and blazing a trail toward something fun helped!
Her first indication that this was no normal family affair was the huge pile of horse dung she ran into outside the fairground building. WHOA!! The brakes were put on and an inspection was performed that would have made Frank the Pug from MIB very proud! What animal could have made this wonderful stuff that smells good enough to eat?? Or to roll in?? The wonder of it all!
It wasn't too many more minutes before she got to see what this animal was. She was in awe, walking through the barn to get to Shang's family. Then with the excitement of meeting so many people who wanted to pet her, she momentarily forgot the horses. Once things settled down, I lifted her to a stall so she could meet one up front and personal. She was fine till the horse snorted a big breath of air in her direction. Her eyes got really wide and she was pretty much done at that point. Also, somewhere along the line, it occurred to her that her babies were here with these huge beasts and she decided to get a little protective. A horse would walk by her and she would stare silently with big saucer eyes till they got to the end of the row and turned toward the arena. As the tail would swoosh on it's way out of sight, she would give it a big, brave WOOF. That's my girl.
The barn was full of dogs. In our little area we saw an australian shepherd, a border collie, and a beagle. At these, she barked fairly freely, with me trying to correct her. The herding dogs looked at her, recognizing her as a newbie without a clue. But the real kicker was when the border collie ran from his area, past us, outside to do his business, then returned to his place, all without the supervision of a person. She was fixated on him, and kept looking up at me with a questioning look. Why does HE get to run outside without a leash?? I explained this is how GOOD dogs act (hint, hint).
The puppies handled it much better than Mom, taking everything in stride. All these people and cool things to investigate had their little minds totally occupied. Shang went for a walk around the area and handled it like a champ. At least he was smart enough not to bark at the horses, not even a tail swishing out of sight. He did start to get lonely for the pack after we left, but some kids walking by making over him took care of the rough spots. He has settled in with his new family and is enjoying all the cool things in the world out there to discover! We look forward to hearing more about our little flat-faced apricot horse dog.
My Pet Counts Postcard Blitz
My Pet Counts Postcard Blitz Category: Pets and Animals
For anyone who has had a pet affected (death or illness) by the pet food recall, and are annoyed at the reports still citing only 16 deaths (which all occured within Menu Foods Test Labs), there is a postcard blitz under way.
Instructions and addresses are located on this site:
http://64.79.216.38/~itchmo/forums/index.php?topic=107.msg841#msg841
Also, there is breaking news that antibiotics and fungicides can be mixing with melamine to produce toxic effects.
Check out the information on itchmo: http://64.79.216.38/~itchmo/forums/index.php?topic=183.msg1254#msg1254
For anyone who has had a pet affected (death or illness) by the pet food recall, and are annoyed at the reports still citing only 16 deaths (which all occured within Menu Foods Test Labs), there is a postcard blitz under way.
Instructions and addresses are located on this site:
http://64.79.216.38/~itchmo/forums/index.php?topic=107.msg841#msg841
Also, there is breaking news that antibiotics and fungicides can be mixing with melamine to produce toxic effects.
Check out the information on itchmo: http://64.79.216.38/~itchmo/forums/index.php?topic=183.msg1254#msg1254
Adventures of Mulan, Part II
Adventures of Mulan, Part II Category: Pets and Animals
P, our youngest cat, is a great lover of pugs in general. Thinks Akua is his personal buddy. So, we were really surprised that he always seemed to avoid Mulan. When she chased him, he jumped on the chairs to get away, but otherwise made no effort to interact with her. Sure, he would creep close and sniff if she was asleep, but other than that nothing.
Soooo, tonight after dinner, Mulan was baby-gated in the kitchen. P jumped in there with her and reclined on the kitchen bench. So Mulan, abandoned by all, thought yeah, a friend to play with. She started jumping at him and barking. Each time she jumped up, she got a smart box around the chops. We didn't intervene because she's pretty much been tormenting him and B (our other boy cat). She leaves M (our queen) alone because M told her about a week ago, "Oh no you didn't" when Mulan barked at her.
After a few b-slaps, Mulan just kind of milled around beneath the kitchen bench, bewildered. Then, we noticed P reaching out and tapping her head and then withdrawing when she pounced. He would reach out his paws, extend his pads (because he has no claws) and tap, tap, tap. It was one of those moments when we really wished we had a video camera present. P had finally realized that she was old enough to learn her place in the family--and that, according to him, was definitely beneath him. :)
Mulan just came in from outside with the girls--she managed to find a mud puddle out there and yes, wallowed like a pig. Guess who needs a bath? In her muddied state she ran into Akua's kennel and seeing a chance to be free of the little curmudgeon, Akua shut her in. LOL!
*****************************************************
Okay, last night Mulan decided, "I'm done with this stinkin' kennel" and made a concerted effort to dig her way out—from 11:00-12:30 a.m. I finally caved (huge mistake, I know) and brought her into the bed. From there it was all drama and panting, because of course she'd gotten herself all worked up trying to tunnel out of Shawshank. Finally, around 2:00 she calmed down and started to snooze. Then up again at 4:30 for a brisk romp around the yard and breakfast.
We generally put her in her kennel while we're getting ready for work, etc. because we can't keep an eye on her and that's usually when she gets into the most mischief. She howled, she fretted, she dug, and otherwise told us exactly what she thought of us for daring to put her in solitary. When she quieted down for a moment and when we were ready for work I opened her door and she shot out of there like she was loaded on a spring! J Hubby said, "Yep, she's done with the stinkin' kennel." So now, we're on the look out for a bigger bed, since ours is definitely too small for me and Hubby, three cats, one adult and somewhat chubby pug AND one little pug. J Who would have thought such a little stinker would run the house?
**************************
We've come to the conclusion that Mulan is no Couch Pug-tato. Can I just say she is the fiercest little thing I've ever met. She totally RULES this house.:) We were just discussing, as we watched her open up a can of whoop hiney on Akua, that she wasn't at all like her mama--who is reported to be laid back. But no matter how wild and ferocious she is, she's still soooo darned cuddly. Up until a week ago she was sleeping curled up on the top of my head. (Yep, that staying in her kennel until she's house trained didn't last long. :)) Now, however, she's decided she's got puggy things to do in the middle of the night and she's been jumping off of our bed to investigate. Sooo, alas, she has to go in her kennel. She has reached the stage in her house training where she knows what she has to do, but doesn't always want to do it. So we've instituted our standard policy of "no off leash" policy until both cylinders have been emptied. No spankings though. The only thing they really get in trouble for in this house is chasing the cats--which, unfortunately, she's managed to convince Akua is great fun.
P, our youngest cat, is a great lover of pugs in general. Thinks Akua is his personal buddy. So, we were really surprised that he always seemed to avoid Mulan. When she chased him, he jumped on the chairs to get away, but otherwise made no effort to interact with her. Sure, he would creep close and sniff if she was asleep, but other than that nothing.
Soooo, tonight after dinner, Mulan was baby-gated in the kitchen. P jumped in there with her and reclined on the kitchen bench. So Mulan, abandoned by all, thought yeah, a friend to play with. She started jumping at him and barking. Each time she jumped up, she got a smart box around the chops. We didn't intervene because she's pretty much been tormenting him and B (our other boy cat). She leaves M (our queen) alone because M told her about a week ago, "Oh no you didn't" when Mulan barked at her.
After a few b-slaps, Mulan just kind of milled around beneath the kitchen bench, bewildered. Then, we noticed P reaching out and tapping her head and then withdrawing when she pounced. He would reach out his paws, extend his pads (because he has no claws) and tap, tap, tap. It was one of those moments when we really wished we had a video camera present. P had finally realized that she was old enough to learn her place in the family--and that, according to him, was definitely beneath him. :)
Mulan just came in from outside with the girls--she managed to find a mud puddle out there and yes, wallowed like a pig. Guess who needs a bath? In her muddied state she ran into Akua's kennel and seeing a chance to be free of the little curmudgeon, Akua shut her in. LOL!
*****************************************************
Okay, last night Mulan decided, "I'm done with this stinkin' kennel" and made a concerted effort to dig her way out—from 11:00-12:30 a.m. I finally caved (huge mistake, I know) and brought her into the bed. From there it was all drama and panting, because of course she'd gotten herself all worked up trying to tunnel out of Shawshank. Finally, around 2:00 she calmed down and started to snooze. Then up again at 4:30 for a brisk romp around the yard and breakfast.
We generally put her in her kennel while we're getting ready for work, etc. because we can't keep an eye on her and that's usually when she gets into the most mischief. She howled, she fretted, she dug, and otherwise told us exactly what she thought of us for daring to put her in solitary. When she quieted down for a moment and when we were ready for work I opened her door and she shot out of there like she was loaded on a spring! J Hubby said, "Yep, she's done with the stinkin' kennel." So now, we're on the look out for a bigger bed, since ours is definitely too small for me and Hubby, three cats, one adult and somewhat chubby pug AND one little pug. J Who would have thought such a little stinker would run the house?
**************************
We've come to the conclusion that Mulan is no Couch Pug-tato. Can I just say she is the fiercest little thing I've ever met. She totally RULES this house.:) We were just discussing, as we watched her open up a can of whoop hiney on Akua, that she wasn't at all like her mama--who is reported to be laid back. But no matter how wild and ferocious she is, she's still soooo darned cuddly. Up until a week ago she was sleeping curled up on the top of my head. (Yep, that staying in her kennel until she's house trained didn't last long. :)) Now, however, she's decided she's got puggy things to do in the middle of the night and she's been jumping off of our bed to investigate. Sooo, alas, she has to go in her kennel. She has reached the stage in her house training where she knows what she has to do, but doesn't always want to do it. So we've instituted our standard policy of "no off leash" policy until both cylinders have been emptied. No spankings though. The only thing they really get in trouble for in this house is chasing the cats--which, unfortunately, she's managed to convince Akua is great fun.
Adventures of Mulan, Part I
Adventures of Mulan, Part I Category: Pets and Animals
When Daisy and Fabio had their puppies, a very nice family came in search of an addition to their own family. They already had a couple of furbabies, incuding a pug named Akua. When the mother saw the pups at an early age, it was love at first site with little Mulan. So they were able to visit on and off throughout her puppyhood and make the transition to her new home a very easy one. These are some of her adventure stories!
*******************************
Okay, so life here is beginning to settle into a semblance of what it's going to be from here on out. :) Akua has decided that having a little sis ain't that bad. Okay, so she's trying to nurse (if you know what I mean) and he's not to thrilled with that, but we're working with her and she's beginning to understand that it might not be the best move. Certainly, it's not one that's going to make him love her more.
Here's what her latest adventures have been: she discovered the joy of ice cubes today when one fell on the floor from the fridge. She chased that little guy all over the kitchen. Then, she helped her daddy sweep the floor--the broom was a little scary, but she felt better when she could look at it from between his feet.
She's ALMOST ventured outside after the big dogs. She stood on the doorway and I could tell she desperately wanted to join us, but I figured she'd come out in her own good time. She and Akua have been playing and now that I'm not being obsessively vigilant I've noticed that when she gets out of line, he just smacks her down and holds her there until she rolls on her back and holds her paws up to him. :) He's being a very brave pug about the whole thing. Hubby said that he's establishing his dominance and when she gets bigger she'll establish hers--because she's a woman. :)
The cats still haven't quite asserted their authority, but I know the time is coming. She barks at and chases them until they finally realize they out weigh her by about 10 pounds. Then they turn and do the standoff.
She sleeps in her kennel in our bedroom at night and (here I'm really bragging) NO accidents on her blanket. She's even gone from 11:00 to 5:00 the last two mornings without waking us up! What a big, brave warrior princess pug. Still, I can tell she's a sassy thing and we're going to have to stay on our toes to prove we actually ARE the boss of her.
**************************************************************
A couple of nights ago—she went down the stairs (or at least one stair) for the first time. I was taking laundry down to the basement and she was whining and barking at the top of the stairs for me to join her. Her front paws slid to the step below and she stood there with her hind legs high in the air like a cirque de soliel (sp?) performer. I promise I didn't laugh until after I rescued her. J Well, maybe not too much anyway.
She's had her first bath and man did she play it for all it was worth—crying, shaking, carrying on. Had her paws around me the whole time—so we both got a bath. Then dried her off thoroughly and wrapped her in a porous blanket and put her down for a nap on the sofa. Akua felt so bad for her that he jumped up, curled up beside her, and feel asleep too.
*****************************************************************
Last night, she snuggled on the bed with us for a while before retiring to her kennel. My youngest daughter woke up at 4:00 and consequently woke up Mulan. So, took her outside and then put her back to bed. She was shocked at first—hey, where's my breakfast?—but she went back to sleep quick enough.
She adores her Grandma. The feeling is mutual. I come home most evenings to find them snuggled together watching TV.
Mulan is doing great with the big dogs—she chases the biggest one around my yard and is quickly becoming part of my mom's pack. I have to admit though—she is absolutely spoilt. In fact, Hubby just called to let me know that his briefcase had survived four years of law school and only three weeks of a pug puppy. Apparently, she chewed through the handle last night while he was studying.
*************************************************
Okay, now on to the fun stuff. Mulan is getting so big. She still looks tiny to me, but the pink fleecy jacket I bought her when she first came to stay with us is now barely fitting her—it used to hang over her tail—now it barely comes to the end of her hiney. She loves going outside—though the last day or two she has come to the realization that "Oh, they EXPECT me to go outside and take care of business." Before, I think she just thought it a happy coincidence that she took care of business and we had a parade in her honor. J Silly puppy!
I think, too, that she's so busy playing with the other dogs when they go outside that she forgets to take care of business first. So, we are now taking her outside by herself. Then she can go out with the boys when she's done. She'll pick it up in no time—she's so smart. She's working on her sitting and doing pretty good. She's leash trained now—though she still feels as if she should carry her leash around with her. She is doing so well.
She actually slept on the bed with us earlier this week. I know J I said she couldn't until she was housebroken, but she was curled up next to Akua and they were both snoring so happily. She slept through the night. We tried to let her sleep out the next night, but she was more intent on playing than sleeping. She and Akua are getting along fabulously. They play like bandits all the time and more and more she's able to keep her stash of toys. Though, I have to say Akua is quite the greedy thing—if he can steal it from her, he will. He likes to steal things and then jump up on furniture because he knows she can't get up too. The other night he jumped on the footstool to get away from her. She couldn't get up behind him, but he had forgotten to hitch his fat puggy butt over the edge and she took a chunk out of it. J You could tell it stung.
When Daisy and Fabio had their puppies, a very nice family came in search of an addition to their own family. They already had a couple of furbabies, incuding a pug named Akua. When the mother saw the pups at an early age, it was love at first site with little Mulan. So they were able to visit on and off throughout her puppyhood and make the transition to her new home a very easy one. These are some of her adventure stories!
*******************************
Okay, so life here is beginning to settle into a semblance of what it's going to be from here on out. :) Akua has decided that having a little sis ain't that bad. Okay, so she's trying to nurse (if you know what I mean) and he's not to thrilled with that, but we're working with her and she's beginning to understand that it might not be the best move. Certainly, it's not one that's going to make him love her more.
Here's what her latest adventures have been: she discovered the joy of ice cubes today when one fell on the floor from the fridge. She chased that little guy all over the kitchen. Then, she helped her daddy sweep the floor--the broom was a little scary, but she felt better when she could look at it from between his feet.
She's ALMOST ventured outside after the big dogs. She stood on the doorway and I could tell she desperately wanted to join us, but I figured she'd come out in her own good time. She and Akua have been playing and now that I'm not being obsessively vigilant I've noticed that when she gets out of line, he just smacks her down and holds her there until she rolls on her back and holds her paws up to him. :) He's being a very brave pug about the whole thing. Hubby said that he's establishing his dominance and when she gets bigger she'll establish hers--because she's a woman. :)
The cats still haven't quite asserted their authority, but I know the time is coming. She barks at and chases them until they finally realize they out weigh her by about 10 pounds. Then they turn and do the standoff.
She sleeps in her kennel in our bedroom at night and (here I'm really bragging) NO accidents on her blanket. She's even gone from 11:00 to 5:00 the last two mornings without waking us up! What a big, brave warrior princess pug. Still, I can tell she's a sassy thing and we're going to have to stay on our toes to prove we actually ARE the boss of her.
**************************************************************
A couple of nights ago—she went down the stairs (or at least one stair) for the first time. I was taking laundry down to the basement and she was whining and barking at the top of the stairs for me to join her. Her front paws slid to the step below and she stood there with her hind legs high in the air like a cirque de soliel (sp?) performer. I promise I didn't laugh until after I rescued her. J Well, maybe not too much anyway.
She's had her first bath and man did she play it for all it was worth—crying, shaking, carrying on. Had her paws around me the whole time—so we both got a bath. Then dried her off thoroughly and wrapped her in a porous blanket and put her down for a nap on the sofa. Akua felt so bad for her that he jumped up, curled up beside her, and feel asleep too.
*****************************************************************
Last night, she snuggled on the bed with us for a while before retiring to her kennel. My youngest daughter woke up at 4:00 and consequently woke up Mulan. So, took her outside and then put her back to bed. She was shocked at first—hey, where's my breakfast?—but she went back to sleep quick enough.
She adores her Grandma. The feeling is mutual. I come home most evenings to find them snuggled together watching TV.
Mulan is doing great with the big dogs—she chases the biggest one around my yard and is quickly becoming part of my mom's pack. I have to admit though—she is absolutely spoilt. In fact, Hubby just called to let me know that his briefcase had survived four years of law school and only three weeks of a pug puppy. Apparently, she chewed through the handle last night while he was studying.
*************************************************
Okay, now on to the fun stuff. Mulan is getting so big. She still looks tiny to me, but the pink fleecy jacket I bought her when she first came to stay with us is now barely fitting her—it used to hang over her tail—now it barely comes to the end of her hiney. She loves going outside—though the last day or two she has come to the realization that "Oh, they EXPECT me to go outside and take care of business." Before, I think she just thought it a happy coincidence that she took care of business and we had a parade in her honor. J Silly puppy!
I think, too, that she's so busy playing with the other dogs when they go outside that she forgets to take care of business first. So, we are now taking her outside by herself. Then she can go out with the boys when she's done. She'll pick it up in no time—she's so smart. She's working on her sitting and doing pretty good. She's leash trained now—though she still feels as if she should carry her leash around with her. She is doing so well.
She actually slept on the bed with us earlier this week. I know J I said she couldn't until she was housebroken, but she was curled up next to Akua and they were both snoring so happily. She slept through the night. We tried to let her sleep out the next night, but she was more intent on playing than sleeping. She and Akua are getting along fabulously. They play like bandits all the time and more and more she's able to keep her stash of toys. Though, I have to say Akua is quite the greedy thing—if he can steal it from her, he will. He likes to steal things and then jump up on furniture because he knows she can't get up too. The other night he jumped on the footstool to get away from her. She couldn't get up behind him, but he had forgotten to hitch his fat puggy butt over the edge and she took a chunk out of it. J You could tell it stung.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Amendment to the previous post on Nutro
I must make an amendment to the article below. After speaking with a representative of Nutro, I am understanding the situation more. They are deluged with responses and requests for information. They have had to hire people to help field calls and these people do their best, but don't always have access to the information that we need. It is still a suggestion that they poll the callers to see if a particular product is getting a high call volume so that they can check it out, but perhaps they just don't have the facilities in place to be able to adequately track the information coming through the phone lines.
However, the gentleman mentioned below had sent an email to the corporate headquarters on Tuesday saying that his dog was sick. Today (Thursday), they responded to ask how it was. When he responded that it had died, they took immediate action and requested information on symptoms, UPC code on the food, and they are sending him a packet so that he can send them the tainted food for testing. All of this was in response to his email, so that tells me that corporate is genuinely concerned and is going to try to address this situation. I just pray that they are able to quickly address it before other puppies out there suffer the same fate. But for the time being, my faith in the company is at least a little bit restored.
However, the gentleman mentioned below had sent an email to the corporate headquarters on Tuesday saying that his dog was sick. Today (Thursday), they responded to ask how it was. When he responded that it had died, they took immediate action and requested information on symptoms, UPC code on the food, and they are sending him a packet so that he can send them the tainted food for testing. All of this was in response to his email, so that tells me that corporate is genuinely concerned and is going to try to address this situation. I just pray that they are able to quickly address it before other puppies out there suffer the same fate. But for the time being, my faith in the company is at least a little bit restored.
On a Lighter Note
On a lighter note... Category: Pets and Animals
Jolene vs. the Stairs. All of them can go down the concrete steps in the front, where I don't want them to go down. And all of them are scared of the wooden stairs in the back where I do want them to go down because you can see through them. Once they get over the fear, they're fine, but we usually have to sit down and work with them till they're comfortable.
Jolene was no exception. She would stand at the top of the steps upset at not being able to play with the big dogs and join in all the fun until I went to get her. One day while playing in the kitchen, the pack collectively barked and ran outside. She didn't even realize she was following them as she ran past me and flew down the steps with effortless ease. I was shocked!! I was so proud of her that I sent a note to her breeders.
So of course, the very next day she remembered she was scared of the stairs and wouldn't go down them again. I waited about a week, then took one day on the weekend and worked her down them, step by step. She tentatively followed me, getting a little more brave with each up and down. Now she's a champ and you can see her strut her stuff on the ground, showing off in front of the puppies still scared at the top of the stairs. Our little girl is growing up.
Cooter vs. the crate. As many of you know, we were going to wait to breed little Ellie Mae. But when she was around a year old, safely tucked away in her crate, I let Cooter out into the same room to keep him away from the oven fumes as I was cleaning. Everything was going well and I ran an errand while the oven was soaking. When I came back, Tony said that while he was getting ready to leave, he came back into the living room to find them hooked. Somehow or another, Cooter had found a way to open the crate and spring Ellie Mae free.
The next night I let him into the living room to see him in action. He systematically walked around the crate, grabbing each wire to find the one that magically released his woman. I couldn't believe my eyes. When he got close to the correct one, I scooped him up and took him back to the other room. He KNEW one of them would open it.
Fast forward a couple of months. The other night Tony was away on a business trip and Cooter had been getting under my skin for whatever reason. So I needed a break and a good night's sleep. I put him in the crate overnight and the next morning he started whining when he heard my alarm go off. Of course, I hit snooze and tried to go back to sleep and here came Cooter, jumping up on the bed. The stinker has figured out how to open it from INSIDE the crate now. UGH!!
Maybe I should skip the whole crating idea and find a belly band with a padlock on it for when the girls come into heat.
Jolene vs. the Stairs. All of them can go down the concrete steps in the front, where I don't want them to go down. And all of them are scared of the wooden stairs in the back where I do want them to go down because you can see through them. Once they get over the fear, they're fine, but we usually have to sit down and work with them till they're comfortable.
Jolene was no exception. She would stand at the top of the steps upset at not being able to play with the big dogs and join in all the fun until I went to get her. One day while playing in the kitchen, the pack collectively barked and ran outside. She didn't even realize she was following them as she ran past me and flew down the steps with effortless ease. I was shocked!! I was so proud of her that I sent a note to her breeders.
So of course, the very next day she remembered she was scared of the stairs and wouldn't go down them again. I waited about a week, then took one day on the weekend and worked her down them, step by step. She tentatively followed me, getting a little more brave with each up and down. Now she's a champ and you can see her strut her stuff on the ground, showing off in front of the puppies still scared at the top of the stairs. Our little girl is growing up.
Cooter vs. the crate. As many of you know, we were going to wait to breed little Ellie Mae. But when she was around a year old, safely tucked away in her crate, I let Cooter out into the same room to keep him away from the oven fumes as I was cleaning. Everything was going well and I ran an errand while the oven was soaking. When I came back, Tony said that while he was getting ready to leave, he came back into the living room to find them hooked. Somehow or another, Cooter had found a way to open the crate and spring Ellie Mae free.
The next night I let him into the living room to see him in action. He systematically walked around the crate, grabbing each wire to find the one that magically released his woman. I couldn't believe my eyes. When he got close to the correct one, I scooped him up and took him back to the other room. He KNEW one of them would open it.
Fast forward a couple of months. The other night Tony was away on a business trip and Cooter had been getting under my skin for whatever reason. So I needed a break and a good night's sleep. I put him in the crate overnight and the next morning he started whining when he heard my alarm go off. Of course, I hit snooze and tried to go back to sleep and here came Cooter, jumping up on the bed. The stinker has figured out how to open it from INSIDE the crate now. UGH!!
Maybe I should skip the whole crating idea and find a belly band with a padlock on it for when the girls come into heat.
Diamond Pet Foods, Here's Your Sign!
After doing some more digging, I found portions of an interview done with Diamond Foods. They take the leftover production runs or that which doesn't meet standards for dog food and sell them to the hog farmers, preventing it from simply going to a landfill. They distributed the tainted food before the recall was issued.
Here is a portion of an interview:
Q: Please explain the situation with the pet food that was sold to the hog farmers.A: It is common regulated practice for animal food facilities to provide salvage product to farms with non-ruminant animals. This regulated practice is mindful of the environment as it does not waste energy (food) and saves valuable landfill space. All of the salvage food was sold prior to Diamond Pet Foods being notified of the contamination in rice protein concentrate.
Q: What is salvage pet food?A: Salvage pet food is product that comes off the equipment at the very beginning of a run of food. It is high in moisture and thus can’t be bagged.
Q: If your dry foods are not being recalled, how did the salvage food get contaminated?A: We did manufacture two formulas for Natural Balance that were recalled – Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food and Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry cat food – and it was the beginning portions of these runs of food that ended up in the salvage food that was sold.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/dogster/pet_food_recall
Here is a portion of an interview:
Q: Please explain the situation with the pet food that was sold to the hog farmers.A: It is common regulated practice for animal food facilities to provide salvage product to farms with non-ruminant animals. This regulated practice is mindful of the environment as it does not waste energy (food) and saves valuable landfill space. All of the salvage food was sold prior to Diamond Pet Foods being notified of the contamination in rice protein concentrate.
Q: What is salvage pet food?A: Salvage pet food is product that comes off the equipment at the very beginning of a run of food. It is high in moisture and thus can’t be bagged.
Q: If your dry foods are not being recalled, how did the salvage food get contaminated?A: We did manufacture two formulas for Natural Balance that were recalled – Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food and Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry cat food – and it was the beginning portions of these runs of food that ended up in the salvage food that was sold.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/dogster/pet_food_recall
Nutro Max Puppy food, dry, purple bag
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Nutro Max Puppy Food, dry, purple bag Current mood: crushed Category: Pets and Animals
In researching different products and diets, I had a conversation with a woman who runs an animal sanctuary and works with healing animals. She has a protocol for handling poisonings of all types and system malfunctionings of animals affected by the pet food recall. This protocol can be found at: http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/pet_food_recall_protocol.html
In our discussion, when she found out I had formerly been feeding Nutro Ultra, she mentioned that 4 cases of animals dying from this particular Nutro product had been reported to her. Last night, unfortunately, there was confirmation of this. Someone on one of the internet boards I frequent lost his 6 month old pug. The vets thought it was rat poisoning. There was nothing more to be done for the poor pup who was lost (in Minnesota). The anguish of a family being helpless to help their puppy is a terrible thing to see or feel. A call to Nutro responded in denials. I am extremely disappointed because we've been in their food program for breeders for over a year. It would be to their benefit to say "send us some of the food and let us test it" to at least acknowledge that there might be a problem and try to fix it.
Please beware that the contamination might be found in more and more foods, including dry. If your dog has unexplained vomiting, then be sure to check kidney function with a blood test. Also, if the vomiting is right after eating, discontinue that particular food and try either homecooked or raw until the animal feels better.
If you have an animal you suspect is affected, have a post-mortem (or necropsy) done to check for melamine. Be sure to report the information to www.petconnection.com and to the fda (petconnection has a link to fda reporting on their site).
The wide spectrum of this problem has to be recognized and addressed and not swept under the rug in an attempt to minimize the damage. The manufacturers don't realize that this is making or breaking their reputations. Companies like Nature's Balance and Blue Buffalo have been affected, but they have taken swift action to communicate and contain the problem. Companies like Nutro are continuing to deny the issue, allowing more pets to die needlessly, and are establishing a reputation of being all about the profit. Let's hope it changes soon.
**** update ****
Another puppy, this one 10 months old in Georgia has reportedly died from Nutro puppy formula which contains wheat gluten. Reading the label for the holistic line doesn't show any glutens, so it is a safer bet, but still keep a close eye on your pet.
Nutro Max Puppy Food, dry, purple bag Current mood: crushed Category: Pets and Animals
In researching different products and diets, I had a conversation with a woman who runs an animal sanctuary and works with healing animals. She has a protocol for handling poisonings of all types and system malfunctionings of animals affected by the pet food recall. This protocol can be found at: http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/pet_food_recall_protocol.html
In our discussion, when she found out I had formerly been feeding Nutro Ultra, she mentioned that 4 cases of animals dying from this particular Nutro product had been reported to her. Last night, unfortunately, there was confirmation of this. Someone on one of the internet boards I frequent lost his 6 month old pug. The vets thought it was rat poisoning. There was nothing more to be done for the poor pup who was lost (in Minnesota). The anguish of a family being helpless to help their puppy is a terrible thing to see or feel. A call to Nutro responded in denials. I am extremely disappointed because we've been in their food program for breeders for over a year. It would be to their benefit to say "send us some of the food and let us test it" to at least acknowledge that there might be a problem and try to fix it.
Please beware that the contamination might be found in more and more foods, including dry. If your dog has unexplained vomiting, then be sure to check kidney function with a blood test. Also, if the vomiting is right after eating, discontinue that particular food and try either homecooked or raw until the animal feels better.
If you have an animal you suspect is affected, have a post-mortem (or necropsy) done to check for melamine. Be sure to report the information to www.petconnection.com and to the fda (petconnection has a link to fda reporting on their site).
The wide spectrum of this problem has to be recognized and addressed and not swept under the rug in an attempt to minimize the damage. The manufacturers don't realize that this is making or breaking their reputations. Companies like Nature's Balance and Blue Buffalo have been affected, but they have taken swift action to communicate and contain the problem. Companies like Nutro are continuing to deny the issue, allowing more pets to die needlessly, and are establishing a reputation of being all about the profit. Let's hope it changes soon.
**** update ****
Another puppy, this one 10 months old in Georgia has reportedly died from Nutro puppy formula which contains wheat gluten. Reading the label for the holistic line doesn't show any glutens, so it is a safer bet, but still keep a close eye on your pet.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thunderstorms vs. Petunia
Thunderstorms vs. Petunia Category: Pets and Animals
The other night when I was trying to catch up on sleep, we had a true blue, rip roarin', house shakin' thunderstorm. The first sound of it was a huge thunderclap that about shook the roof off. Inside the house, there was a collective jump of fur about 4 feet high off the bed. Most of them settled down afterwards, but Petunia headed for the hills, or under the bed, as it were. She continued to battle with the thunderstorm, mumbling at it under her breath between sounds, and out and out barking at the claps and lightning flashes. She wouldn't come out from under the bed, even with my promises to tuck her under the covers and keep her safe. Instead, she preferred to peek out from under the bed with one eye looking toward the ceiling so she could fend off the intruder. Satisfied when it finally went away, she returned to bed.
The other night when I was trying to catch up on sleep, we had a true blue, rip roarin', house shakin' thunderstorm. The first sound of it was a huge thunderclap that about shook the roof off. Inside the house, there was a collective jump of fur about 4 feet high off the bed. Most of them settled down afterwards, but Petunia headed for the hills, or under the bed, as it were. She continued to battle with the thunderstorm, mumbling at it under her breath between sounds, and out and out barking at the claps and lightning flashes. She wouldn't come out from under the bed, even with my promises to tuck her under the covers and keep her safe. Instead, she preferred to peek out from under the bed with one eye looking toward the ceiling so she could fend off the intruder. Satisfied when it finally went away, she returned to bed.
Quiz - Foods that are bad for dogs
Quiz: Foods that are bad for dogs Category: Pets and Animals
How well do you know what your dog can and cannot eat? Try this quiz to test your knowledge.
1. Many people give this fruite to their dogs as a treat. However, just a few bites can cause fatal kidney failure in some dogs.
a. grapesb. bananasc. applesd. strawberries
2. Dogs who eat this may become very ill from alcohol poisoning:
a. bread doughb. grape jellyc. applesaused. oatmeal
3. Ingestion of a few of these nuts can cause temporary paralysis of back legs in some dogs.a. macademia nutsb. peanutsc. brazil nutsd. pecans
4. Which raw fish can cause poisoning in dogs?a. sardinesb. salmonc. bassd. eel
5. This food is sometimes used to season dogs' meals, but can cause anemia:a. onionsb. chicken brothc. bacon fatd. peanut butter
6. In some dogs, this sweetener causes hypoglycemiaa. sucraloseb. saccharinc. xylitold. aspartame
7. Raw chicken bones are more dangerous to dogs than cooked onesa. trueb. false
8. A common food byproduct used in gardens has been found to cause vomiting, tremors and fast heartbeat when dogs eat it. What is it?a. composted vegetable wasteb. cocoa bean mulchc. composted corn husksd. peanut shell mulch
9. Dogs--especially dogs that are fed a straight diet of dry food with little variety--may get an inflammation of the pancreas called "pancreatitis" if they eat certain foods that they are not used to. Which of the following is likely to trigger pancreatitis?a. mashed potatoesb. raw eggsc. turkey skind. sugary candy
10. Which of the following holiday plants is "least" toxic to dogs?a. actually, none of these are toxic to dogsb. mistletoec. poinsettiad. holly
*******************************************Answers
1. GRAPES - both grapes and raisins can be toxic. Some dogs eat them with, seemingly, no ill effects. However, some dogs become ill after ingesting only a few grapes or raisins. The first symptom is vomiting, followed by acute kidney failure, from which many dogs do not recover. As of yet, the toxin is still unknown, nor do we know why some dogs become sick and others eat grapes or raisins without a problem.
2. BREAD DOUGH: The yeast-containing bread dough can ferment in the dog's stomach, releasing large quantities of alcohol. Small dogs are most susceptible to this toxicity.
3. MACADAMIA NUTS: The ingestion of as few as siz macadamia nuts has caused paralysis in dogs. Dogs with macadamia poisoning will appear anxious and have difficulty moving their rear legs. The legs may appear to be painful. Luckily, the paralysis is temporary and clears up within a few days. The causative agent of the paralysis is unknown.
4. SALMON. Salmon and trout can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmoincola, a type of trematode worm. THe worms themselves can be infected with a type of bacteria knows as Neorickettsia helminthoeca. The bacteria only infects canids: other animals show no symptoms from eating it. When dogs eat raw fish infected with this bacteria, they can show symptoms including weakness, vomiting, loss of appetite, swollen glands, and fever. Ninety percent of untreated dogs die. Cooking kills the worm and the bacteria.
5. ONIONS. Onions and garlic contain a chemical called thiosulfate. When ingested either in large quantities or in small quantities over a long period of time, they can cause an anemia called Heinz body anemia. This is reversible if you stop feeding onions or garlic.
6. XYLITOL. This toxicity usually occurs when dogs eat large amounts of sugar-free candy or gum, although there have been some serious cases from a single piece of gum in a smaller dog. In humans, xylitol does not cause a drop in blood sugar; in dogs it does. This can lead to weakness, staggering, and other symptoms of hypoglycemia. There is also some evidence that some dogs may develop liver failure after ingesting xylitol.
7. FALSE. The reverse is true. Cooked bones are much more dangerous. They are more brittle than raw bones and can splinter into sharp shards.
8. COCOA BEAN MULCH. Coacoa bean shells contain the same toxic theobromine that chocolate does, and are poisonous to dogs for the same reason. The mulch has an attractive chocolate smell that is irrisistable to some dogs.
9. TURKEY SKIN. In dogs, pancreatitis often results from eating a very high-fat meal. Sometimes, when a dog eats a high-fat meal, its pancreas overproduces enzymes to the extent that they actually begin to "digest" the pancreas and inflame it. Common culprits are turkey skin and ham fat. Symptoms include vomiting and stomach pain. This is a medical emergency and such dogs must be treated by a vet. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to pancreatitis.
10. POINSETTIA. Despite common misconceptions, poinsettias are only mildly toxic, and most dogs who eat them will experience no symptoms at all. Some dogs will drool or vomit after eating them. Holly causes intense nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Mistletoe causes vomiting, diarrhea, neurological problems, and heart failure.
How well do you know what your dog can and cannot eat? Try this quiz to test your knowledge.
1. Many people give this fruite to their dogs as a treat. However, just a few bites can cause fatal kidney failure in some dogs.
a. grapesb. bananasc. applesd. strawberries
2. Dogs who eat this may become very ill from alcohol poisoning:
a. bread doughb. grape jellyc. applesaused. oatmeal
3. Ingestion of a few of these nuts can cause temporary paralysis of back legs in some dogs.a. macademia nutsb. peanutsc. brazil nutsd. pecans
4. Which raw fish can cause poisoning in dogs?a. sardinesb. salmonc. bassd. eel
5. This food is sometimes used to season dogs' meals, but can cause anemia:a. onionsb. chicken brothc. bacon fatd. peanut butter
6. In some dogs, this sweetener causes hypoglycemiaa. sucraloseb. saccharinc. xylitold. aspartame
7. Raw chicken bones are more dangerous to dogs than cooked onesa. trueb. false
8. A common food byproduct used in gardens has been found to cause vomiting, tremors and fast heartbeat when dogs eat it. What is it?a. composted vegetable wasteb. cocoa bean mulchc. composted corn husksd. peanut shell mulch
9. Dogs--especially dogs that are fed a straight diet of dry food with little variety--may get an inflammation of the pancreas called "pancreatitis" if they eat certain foods that they are not used to. Which of the following is likely to trigger pancreatitis?a. mashed potatoesb. raw eggsc. turkey skind. sugary candy
10. Which of the following holiday plants is "least" toxic to dogs?a. actually, none of these are toxic to dogsb. mistletoec. poinsettiad. holly
*******************************************Answers
1. GRAPES - both grapes and raisins can be toxic. Some dogs eat them with, seemingly, no ill effects. However, some dogs become ill after ingesting only a few grapes or raisins. The first symptom is vomiting, followed by acute kidney failure, from which many dogs do not recover. As of yet, the toxin is still unknown, nor do we know why some dogs become sick and others eat grapes or raisins without a problem.
2. BREAD DOUGH: The yeast-containing bread dough can ferment in the dog's stomach, releasing large quantities of alcohol. Small dogs are most susceptible to this toxicity.
3. MACADAMIA NUTS: The ingestion of as few as siz macadamia nuts has caused paralysis in dogs. Dogs with macadamia poisoning will appear anxious and have difficulty moving their rear legs. The legs may appear to be painful. Luckily, the paralysis is temporary and clears up within a few days. The causative agent of the paralysis is unknown.
4. SALMON. Salmon and trout can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmoincola, a type of trematode worm. THe worms themselves can be infected with a type of bacteria knows as Neorickettsia helminthoeca. The bacteria only infects canids: other animals show no symptoms from eating it. When dogs eat raw fish infected with this bacteria, they can show symptoms including weakness, vomiting, loss of appetite, swollen glands, and fever. Ninety percent of untreated dogs die. Cooking kills the worm and the bacteria.
5. ONIONS. Onions and garlic contain a chemical called thiosulfate. When ingested either in large quantities or in small quantities over a long period of time, they can cause an anemia called Heinz body anemia. This is reversible if you stop feeding onions or garlic.
6. XYLITOL. This toxicity usually occurs when dogs eat large amounts of sugar-free candy or gum, although there have been some serious cases from a single piece of gum in a smaller dog. In humans, xylitol does not cause a drop in blood sugar; in dogs it does. This can lead to weakness, staggering, and other symptoms of hypoglycemia. There is also some evidence that some dogs may develop liver failure after ingesting xylitol.
7. FALSE. The reverse is true. Cooked bones are much more dangerous. They are more brittle than raw bones and can splinter into sharp shards.
8. COCOA BEAN MULCH. Coacoa bean shells contain the same toxic theobromine that chocolate does, and are poisonous to dogs for the same reason. The mulch has an attractive chocolate smell that is irrisistable to some dogs.
9. TURKEY SKIN. In dogs, pancreatitis often results from eating a very high-fat meal. Sometimes, when a dog eats a high-fat meal, its pancreas overproduces enzymes to the extent that they actually begin to "digest" the pancreas and inflame it. Common culprits are turkey skin and ham fat. Symptoms include vomiting and stomach pain. This is a medical emergency and such dogs must be treated by a vet. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to pancreatitis.
10. POINSETTIA. Despite common misconceptions, poinsettias are only mildly toxic, and most dogs who eat them will experience no symptoms at all. Some dogs will drool or vomit after eating them. Holly causes intense nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Mistletoe causes vomiting, diarrhea, neurological problems, and heart failure.
Camera Hound
Camera Hound Category: Pets and Animals
I have no idea where she picked this up, but without a doubt, Isabelle is a camera hound. She will run in front of the camera when you're taking pictures of someone else and butt them out of the way. She wants all the attention and the flashes on her.
Tony set up a temporary picture studio in one of the rooms and we started taking pics of the dogs in front of backdrops. He's still adjusting the exposure, etc., but the pictures are getting better and better. Training the dogs to sit still is a challenge, of course. So we put a table up and now they sit a bit better on top of the table.
The first time we took Isabelle up, she jumped off the table. I caught her and put her right back on and LEAP, she was back off again. I told Tony to hurry up and snap, and he did take a shot of the empty backdrop. Isabelle's ears shot up and she stared at the camera. Next time I put her up there, she laid down perfectly still and followed Tony's hand wherever it went and cocked her head at cute angles. You couldn't get her OFF of the table after that!!
The Blink Blink
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Blink Blink Category: Pets and Animals
The blink blink. For those of you who haven't experienced it, how to describe? It's along the same lines as the vulcan mind meld and the jedi mind control. Every pug has their own preferred method of bending you to their will, but you don't really see the blink blink coming. Or it's so subtle, it can easily be written off in your mind before you realize how they've got you right where they want you.
Isabella would be the blink blink equivalent of the jedi master in our home. Let's say you went to 3 stores, looking for the perfect something. Like the other day I bought a mechanical pencil with one of the softest grips I've ever used. I was soooo happy with my purchase, especially since I had a lot of work to catch up on and was going to get great use out of it. Within 24 hours, it was in shreds. If this had been Isabelle, I would have ravaged, "WHAT are you DOING to my PENCIL???" to which she would have replied with a What? look followed by the blink blink. The what look serves to proclaim innocence and redirect blame to the person who left it somewhere in the house accessible to the pugs. The blink blink is there to emphasize and throw the accuser totally off track. And somehow it serves to make them so utterly adorable that the pencil is forgotten and they are rewarded with a tummy rub for bringing the mangled piece of plastic back to you.
I thought maybe the blink blink was an Isabelle trait, but I was so wrong. During the throes of tax season, when I was working day and night, somehow little Rizzo would always end up in my lap. I didn't remember bending down and picking her up. In fact, I remember skeedaddling them all out of my way after playtime so I could get some work done. But somehow there she was, always staring deep into my eyes and bringing an inner calm to my soul. Since it was such a mystery, I started paying attention and noticed that she would very gently and calmly lift her paws and put them ever-so-softly on my legs. Then she would stare intently at me till I subconsciously reached down to pull her up onto my lap. She never barked, never whined, and never scratched.
She followed me everywhere, and whenever I would sit down, there she'd be with those soft little paws. One day as I was moving around the house, she was sitting stationary, watching me intently, waiting for me to come to a rest. We made eye contact, and one of the older pugs sat down right in front of her, blocking her view. Her little head bobbed around the side of the older pug and captured my eyes again. And there it was ... the blink blink. D'oh! How long had I been fallen prey to the subtle trickery? Was that how I had become her lap slave so easily??
Rizzo -
ParvAid
Saturday, April 21, 2007
ParvAid Category: Pets and Animals
In our continuous search for education, we have come across a product that is very popular in certain circles. It is a natural remedy called ParvAid that treats parvo with a very high success rate. I first read about ParvAid on the site http://www.wolfcreekranch.net where I bought some diatomaceous earth as a natural wormer. I went through the rest of their products and was impressed with their selection. Since then, I've heard reference upon reference in different groups where I read messages about how wonderful ParvAid works and how many people always have a bottle on hand, just in case. The testimonials on it are terrific. After talking with the woman who runs Wolf Creek Ranch (she also has an animal sanctuary there where sick animals are treated holistically) and discussing some of the issues in our household, I ordered some products and decided to become a distributor. When I have time to re-arrange the website, you'll see links and product information on all the items that they sell and I'll have them on hand here for those who are interested.
Some of the things that their products treat include: parvo, distemper, worms/parasites, coccidia, giardia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, uti, kidney issues, cancer, allergies, vaccinosis, and general health. Check out their site - they have so many helpful products!
ParvAid Category: Pets and Animals
In our continuous search for education, we have come across a product that is very popular in certain circles. It is a natural remedy called ParvAid that treats parvo with a very high success rate. I first read about ParvAid on the site http://www.wolfcreekranch.net where I bought some diatomaceous earth as a natural wormer. I went through the rest of their products and was impressed with their selection. Since then, I've heard reference upon reference in different groups where I read messages about how wonderful ParvAid works and how many people always have a bottle on hand, just in case. The testimonials on it are terrific. After talking with the woman who runs Wolf Creek Ranch (she also has an animal sanctuary there where sick animals are treated holistically) and discussing some of the issues in our household, I ordered some products and decided to become a distributor. When I have time to re-arrange the website, you'll see links and product information on all the items that they sell and I'll have them on hand here for those who are interested.
Some of the things that their products treat include: parvo, distemper, worms/parasites, coccidia, giardia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, uti, kidney issues, cancer, allergies, vaccinosis, and general health. Check out their site - they have so many helpful products!
ParvAid
Saturday, April 21, 2007
ParvAid Category: Pets and Animals
In our continuous search for education, we have come across a product that is very popular in certain circles. It is a natural remedy called ParvAid that treats parvo with a very high success rate. I first read about ParvAid on the site http://www.wolfcreekranch.net where I bought some diatomaceous earth as a natural wormer. I went through the rest of their products and was impressed with their selection. Since then, I've heard reference upon reference in different groups where I read messages about how wonderful ParvAid works and how many people always have a bottle on hand, just in case. The testimonials on it are terrific. After talking with the woman who runs Wolf Creek Ranch (she also has an animal sanctuary there where sick animals are treated holistically) and discussing some of the issues in our household, I ordered some products and decided to become a distributor. When I have time to re-arrange the website, you'll see links and product information on all the items that they sell and I'll have them on hand here for those who are interested.
Some of the things that their products treat include: parvo, distemper, worms/parasites, coccidia, giardia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, uti, kidney issues, cancer, allergies, vaccinosis, and general health. Check out their site - they have so many helpful products!
ParvAid Category: Pets and Animals
In our continuous search for education, we have come across a product that is very popular in certain circles. It is a natural remedy called ParvAid that treats parvo with a very high success rate. I first read about ParvAid on the site http://www.wolfcreekranch.net where I bought some diatomaceous earth as a natural wormer. I went through the rest of their products and was impressed with their selection. Since then, I've heard reference upon reference in different groups where I read messages about how wonderful ParvAid works and how many people always have a bottle on hand, just in case. The testimonials on it are terrific. After talking with the woman who runs Wolf Creek Ranch (she also has an animal sanctuary there where sick animals are treated holistically) and discussing some of the issues in our household, I ordered some products and decided to become a distributor. When I have time to re-arrange the website, you'll see links and product information on all the items that they sell and I'll have them on hand here for those who are interested.
Some of the things that their products treat include: parvo, distemper, worms/parasites, coccidia, giardia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, uti, kidney issues, cancer, allergies, vaccinosis, and general health. Check out their site - they have so many helpful products!
Raw Feeding Update
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Raw Feeding Update Category: Pets and Animals
There is an incredible amount of information out there to absorb. The principals are basic and simple, but they lead to so many more questions and avenues of thought. But let's just start by saying that the dogs are doing WONDERFUL on the raw food. Cooter started out hesitantly and still prefers poultry to red meat, but he actually jumped around my feet yesterday, dancing for his food - something he has never done before. And another first, this morning while getting ready for work, Daisy found an empty food bowl and brought it to me! She looks so much better now and is going back to the doc next week for a follow-up blood test to make sure that her pancreas is totally out of the woods. Everyone seems very happy with the changes going on here and their fur is even more soft these days. The stools are smaller, they need less water to drink, and thier stools aren't as stinky, either! They say after a few months on raw, the doggy odor goes away. I'll have to get back to you all on that one.
Oh - and you should have seen Mariah steal a whole egg from Fabio who had no clue what to do with it. She carried it around, nosed it, rolled it, carried it some more, then finally figured out how to get into it - lol.
This is a pretty neat brochure that lays out a simple explanation on raw feeding and has some good links on it, if anyone is interested:
http://www.usrmb.net/brochure1.pdf
Tony has been ordering more equipment for his studio. He just received a light set with umbrellas in the mail and a holder for the backdrops. There are a few professional-type backdrops on order, then we're going to get new pics of all the dogs up! He's also been shanghied by the council to take pics of all the Village council members for our new updated page to be posted soon. Should be fun!
Raw Feeding Update Category: Pets and Animals
There is an incredible amount of information out there to absorb. The principals are basic and simple, but they lead to so many more questions and avenues of thought. But let's just start by saying that the dogs are doing WONDERFUL on the raw food. Cooter started out hesitantly and still prefers poultry to red meat, but he actually jumped around my feet yesterday, dancing for his food - something he has never done before. And another first, this morning while getting ready for work, Daisy found an empty food bowl and brought it to me! She looks so much better now and is going back to the doc next week for a follow-up blood test to make sure that her pancreas is totally out of the woods. Everyone seems very happy with the changes going on here and their fur is even more soft these days. The stools are smaller, they need less water to drink, and thier stools aren't as stinky, either! They say after a few months on raw, the doggy odor goes away. I'll have to get back to you all on that one.
Oh - and you should have seen Mariah steal a whole egg from Fabio who had no clue what to do with it. She carried it around, nosed it, rolled it, carried it some more, then finally figured out how to get into it - lol.
This is a pretty neat brochure that lays out a simple explanation on raw feeding and has some good links on it, if anyone is interested:
http://www.usrmb.net/brochure1.pdf
Tony has been ordering more equipment for his studio. He just received a light set with umbrellas in the mail and a holder for the backdrops. There are a few professional-type backdrops on order, then we're going to get new pics of all the dogs up! He's also been shanghied by the council to take pics of all the Village council members for our new updated page to be posted soon. Should be fun!
Massages, Updates & More on Raw Feeding
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Massages, updates & more on raw feeding Category: Pets and Animals
Massages... One of the best side benefits about owning a pug is the massages. I will lay down across the bed for a minute to relax or stretch my back, and wherever I go, they follow. They will play on and around me and they are just the perfect weight. As they walk on my back, it feels like a nice massage! Pugs bring a whole new meaning to the term "therapy dog." Did you know that they used to be used like we use heating pads and hot water bottles? And I even read one source that said they were used under the covers to warm the feet before central heating was invented. So for those of you who pack emergency survival kits, don't forget the PUG!!!!
Rawfeeding - the current problems with pet food have launched us into raw feeding. As you can tell from some previous posts, we have been doing lots of research. There are still a couple of unanswered questions for me, but in the meantime Tony has taken the bull by the horns. He ordered a grinder, retrieved his venison from a friend's freezer, and made 40 lbs of ground for us to start using right away. I've also found some chicken thighs and turkey legs on sale and have been giving those to select dogs whole, under supervision, and they are doing quite well with them. Because I'm still in tax season and there just aren't enough hours in the day, I will still leave some kibble for them to access when I am low on time. Once some time frees up for me, it's all raw, though! We just invested in a deep freeze and 200# of chicken parts, but haven't had time to thaw them yet!
So even though we haven't made a full transition, we're seeing happy dogs. Their stools are better (smaller). Daisy's puppies already had thick fur, but Ellie's pups had somewhat thin fur which will grow in thicker as they age. But on raw, their hair is already growing in more thick and softer. The adults are handling it VERY well. I thought we'd see more resource guarding, but they're all on their best behavior for the "good stuff."
I'm still monitoring Daisy from her bout of pancreatitis. Some days she seems up to eating, and other days she just isn't really that hungry. I remove the skin from the chicken/turkey before giving it to any of them, and her health is definitely improving. She turned her nose at the venison at first, but now she's scarfing it down like a champ. This is a good indicator to me that her body is coming back around. It's time to get a follow-up blood test on her to see where things stand clinically.
The pups are getting stir crazy. All that wonderful time outside came to a screeching halt as the most recent cold front came through. In addition to their playtime, I've been taking Daisy's pups one per night and allowing them to sleep with me and some of the adults. They love their special time. Some settle right in (Shang) and some want to play till all hours of the morning (Rizzo). The boys personalities are really distinctive now. They are making it very easy for me to place them in the right homes for them! The girls are still really similar in personality and looks, but one is turning on the sass (Penelope) and one is turning on the sweet (Carmen).
Massages, updates & more on raw feeding Category: Pets and Animals
Massages... One of the best side benefits about owning a pug is the massages. I will lay down across the bed for a minute to relax or stretch my back, and wherever I go, they follow. They will play on and around me and they are just the perfect weight. As they walk on my back, it feels like a nice massage! Pugs bring a whole new meaning to the term "therapy dog." Did you know that they used to be used like we use heating pads and hot water bottles? And I even read one source that said they were used under the covers to warm the feet before central heating was invented. So for those of you who pack emergency survival kits, don't forget the PUG!!!!
Rawfeeding - the current problems with pet food have launched us into raw feeding. As you can tell from some previous posts, we have been doing lots of research. There are still a couple of unanswered questions for me, but in the meantime Tony has taken the bull by the horns. He ordered a grinder, retrieved his venison from a friend's freezer, and made 40 lbs of ground for us to start using right away. I've also found some chicken thighs and turkey legs on sale and have been giving those to select dogs whole, under supervision, and they are doing quite well with them. Because I'm still in tax season and there just aren't enough hours in the day, I will still leave some kibble for them to access when I am low on time. Once some time frees up for me, it's all raw, though! We just invested in a deep freeze and 200# of chicken parts, but haven't had time to thaw them yet!
So even though we haven't made a full transition, we're seeing happy dogs. Their stools are better (smaller). Daisy's puppies already had thick fur, but Ellie's pups had somewhat thin fur which will grow in thicker as they age. But on raw, their hair is already growing in more thick and softer. The adults are handling it VERY well. I thought we'd see more resource guarding, but they're all on their best behavior for the "good stuff."
I'm still monitoring Daisy from her bout of pancreatitis. Some days she seems up to eating, and other days she just isn't really that hungry. I remove the skin from the chicken/turkey before giving it to any of them, and her health is definitely improving. She turned her nose at the venison at first, but now she's scarfing it down like a champ. This is a good indicator to me that her body is coming back around. It's time to get a follow-up blood test on her to see where things stand clinically.
The pups are getting stir crazy. All that wonderful time outside came to a screeching halt as the most recent cold front came through. In addition to their playtime, I've been taking Daisy's pups one per night and allowing them to sleep with me and some of the adults. They love their special time. Some settle right in (Shang) and some want to play till all hours of the morning (Rizzo). The boys personalities are really distinctive now. They are making it very easy for me to place them in the right homes for them! The girls are still really similar in personality and looks, but one is turning on the sass (Penelope) and one is turning on the sweet (Carmen).
Rabies Challenge Fund
Monday, April 02, 2007
Rabies Challenge Fund Category: Pets and Animals
For those of you who are like me - appreciate vaccinations and the protection they give, but don't believe in over-vaccinating, this might interest you. When I read that there were no cases of rabies in the domestic population 50 years prior to my state's decision to legislate mandatory shots every year, you know it's a money-making decision in many states.
Dr. Jean Dodds is a noted veterinarian who has re-written vaccination protocols and is well-respected in the animal community. Now she has teamed up with an animal activist and established a fund to challenge the mandatory rabies vaccinations, citing studies that show that their effects run much longer than governmental bodies are recognizing.
Here is the official web page: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/
Rabies Challenge Fund Category: Pets and Animals
For those of you who are like me - appreciate vaccinations and the protection they give, but don't believe in over-vaccinating, this might interest you. When I read that there were no cases of rabies in the domestic population 50 years prior to my state's decision to legislate mandatory shots every year, you know it's a money-making decision in many states.
Dr. Jean Dodds is a noted veterinarian who has re-written vaccination protocols and is well-respected in the animal community. Now she has teamed up with an animal activist and established a fund to challenge the mandatory rabies vaccinations, citing studies that show that their effects run much longer than governmental bodies are recognizing.
Here is the official web page: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/
Raw Food
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Raw Food Category: Pets and Animals
I've been researching raw feeding for about a year and have only gone so far as to make the satin balls for Gator. However, with a combination of events, we are starting to make the leap to raw feeding, starting with Tiki and Daisy. They've only had a couple of chicken thighs so far. Happy to report no diarrhea or other visible ill effects. On the second one, Daisy managed to eat the bone, but on the third she didn't even finish the whole thigh!
To help with the transition, I joined the yahoo group RawFeeding which is HIGH volume and 4000 members strong. There are so many posts that daily digests have to be sent out about 4 times per day! But the wealth of knowledge and the obvious experience of the folks there who have the good heart to help out the newbies is incredible. They've made me much more brave about the switch. Here are a few sites recommended by one of the advisors in the group:
http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm http://wwwrawfeddogs.net - complete with recipes
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html http://rawfed.com/myths/index.html http://www.rawmeaty bones.com - this one has a .pdf you can d/l and read free
Have any of our readers and friends fed raw? What were your experiences? Any recommendations?
Raw Food Category: Pets and Animals
I've been researching raw feeding for about a year and have only gone so far as to make the satin balls for Gator. However, with a combination of events, we are starting to make the leap to raw feeding, starting with Tiki and Daisy. They've only had a couple of chicken thighs so far. Happy to report no diarrhea or other visible ill effects. On the second one, Daisy managed to eat the bone, but on the third she didn't even finish the whole thigh!
To help with the transition, I joined the yahoo group RawFeeding which is HIGH volume and 4000 members strong. There are so many posts that daily digests have to be sent out about 4 times per day! But the wealth of knowledge and the obvious experience of the folks there who have the good heart to help out the newbies is incredible. They've made me much more brave about the switch. Here are a few sites recommended by one of the advisors in the group:
http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm http://wwwrawfeddogs.net - complete with recipes
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html http://rawfed.com/myths/index.html http://www.rawmeaty bones.com - this one has a .pdf you can d/l and read free
Have any of our readers and friends fed raw? What were your experiences? Any recommendations?
Congrats Vincent!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Congrats, Vincent!
Category: Pets and Animals
That's right. You have to talk to him with respect now. Vincent, the handlers' frenchie, gets the highly sought CH in front of his name now. No more getting chased off the couch, Vincent. And make sure they upgrade your bowl to fine china! Or maybe you just get a bathrobe and cigar?? We're proud of you!
Congrats, Vincent!
Category: Pets and Animals
That's right. You have to talk to him with respect now. Vincent, the handlers' frenchie, gets the highly sought CH in front of his name now. No more getting chased off the couch, Vincent. And make sure they upgrade your bowl to fine china! Or maybe you just get a bathrobe and cigar?? We're proud of you!
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