Good nutrition is as important for your pet, as it is for you. Do the best you can to buy a good quality food that fits in your budget. But even if your budget is tight, you can still add nutritional boosters to your pet’s food whatever you feed him. It doesn’t have to be store-bought; it could be a bit of healthy fresh foods you can prepare yourself.
There are a number of options available to you to boost your pet’s food. A good wet food in a can, pouch or tetra pack (carton) usually has more meat than dry food, and has moisture or gravy that will make dry food easier to digest. Actually, ALL dry food should be moistened with a little with warm water, at the very least, for easier digestion. You can kick it up a notch with broth, packaged stews and wholesome toppers in tetra packs. These are a good option for picky eaters too.
Freeze dried topper
Home made broth
Wet pouch food
There are many companies that make a freeze dried food in a patty or nugget form, that can be crumbled on dry food. With warm water added, this will boost nutrition and protein. Freeze dried foods are also sold as “toppers” or “mixers”. You don’t need to add much as a topper, and a small bag will go a long way. Many sites will give you a coupon if you sign up for their newsletter.
You can find pre-packaged pre-cooked dog food in the refrigerator section of your favorite pet store. It can be an add-on, or fed as a complete meal. I can come in rolls that you slice and serve, or as smaller nuggets in bags.
Bone broth for dogs is a great nutritional supplement and tasty treat for your pet! You could buy it at a pet store, but it is much cheaper to make it yourself. I have previously written about bone broth benefits in a blog article on my site. *Do not give broth for humans to your dog. Onions are very bad for dogs!!*
At Thanksgiving, a local market sells free range turkey parts such as necks, backs, wings and giblets for next to nothing. I paid less than $10 for 3 pounds of turkey parts as well as some carrots, celery, and kale, which made about 4 quarts of delicious broth overnight in a crock pot!! (Yes, I had some myself-this is a basic broth for turkey soup or chicken soup for people!) The meat market I go to for bones also sells a pre-mixed dog food. If you find something like this, although it is raw, you can portion it out and cook it in batches to add to your dog’s food.
BONE BROTH FOR DOGS
This super simple bone marrow broth recipe for dogs makes it easy to add important nutrients and minerals to your dog’s diet. Boost your dog’s immune system, relieve joint pain, improve liver health and support healthy digestion with bone broth. (from thebark.com)
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 pounds (or more) raw bones with marrow (chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef, pork or oxtail)
3 inches ginger root, sliced
2 ounces parsley, chopped
4 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
2 stalks celery, chopped
¼ cup organic raw apple cider vinegar (it helps pull the minerals and marrow from the bones)
6 quarts water
Place all prepared ingredients in a large soup pot or slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 12 to 24 hours (12 on the stove at simmer or 24 in the slow cooker on low).
Allow to cool. Remove and discard bones (never feed cooked bones). Place broth in the refrigerator and allow the fat to rise to the top. Skim fat and discard. Put broth in freezer safe containers to store for later.
Bone broth can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to one week and frozen up to 12 months. I recommend freezing in ice cube trays. Freezing in trays is a great way to have single servings readily available. Just warm the frozen stock up before feeding.
You can also buy a little extra meat and veggies when you are home-cooking for yourself, and put aside some un-seasoned, un-salted cooked meat and chopped vegetables to add to your pet’s meals. Although cooked veggies are easier to digest, some pets will also gladly accept some raw veggies like carrots, celery, kale, spinach, or even apples and blueberries on their food.
Other inexpensive alternatives you can cook and add to your pet’s meals are:
Spinach, shredded carrots, pumpkin, squash, peas, green beans, chicken, low fat ground chuck, brown rice…
All discussions about feeding pets needs to include what NOT to feed your pets. From the American College of Veterinary Nutrition: “There are many foods that should not be fed to pets because they are toxic or because they may cause other health problems. Examples include very high fat items such as chicken skin, grapes and raisins, bread dough, macadamia nuts, chocolate, garlic, onions, and foods artificially sweetened with xylitol. More information can be found here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/.”
If you are interested in cooking properly balanced nutritionally complete meals for your pet, check out the following links. You MUST add a vitamin mineral supplement if you are feeding only a home cooked diet! Your pet’s health will suffer without it!
Your pet’s food should not be a mystery. If you don’t recognize the ingredients, or they don’t specify where they come from, it warrants caution. For example, what is “meat meal”? From what animal source? Even slaughterhouse waste is “meat”, but not necessarily a good source.
Pet foods have come a long way especially in the last 10 or 15 years. When the alarm rang about some usafe pet food ingredients from China killing beloved pets, people started to wake up and pay more attention to what they were feeding their pets and what was really in dog food. Some companies have become fully transparent, offering the buyer to look up the ingredients sources in every bag they buy. Some companies even opened their own plants to be able to have full control of the manufacturing process. It can be daunting to research pet foods, but in can be very enlightening, too.
I am not offering expert advice, just raising some frequently mentioned points that are well worth your time to look further into. A great deal of information can be found out there about pet food, some good, some bad. You can look up what certain descriptions such as organic, natural, and human grade, really mean. Plenty of sites review dog foods, but not always reliably. When researching pet food and their ingredients, look at the sources of that information. The most knowledgeable on the subject are animal nutritionists. Talk to your vet about your concerns, and if you still have questions, refer to a nutritionist specializing in this field.
Pretty pictures don’t mean much if you don’t know what the ingredients mean or where they came from.
According to PetMD, “A diet that meets – basic nutritional needs is referred to as “complete and balanced,” which should be indicated on the label as the Nutritional Adequacy Statement by the Association of American of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). You can also read up on the AAFCO and how they work. (See one example at the bottom of this article.)
From American College of Veterinary Nutrion: “Many of the terms used to describe pet foods on labels and in advertising materials are not legally defined. For example, there is no regulatory meaning for the terms “holistic,” “premium,” “super-premium,” or “gourmet.” Thus, a product described by these terms is not held up to any standard higher than would be required for any other pet food on the market, and should not be interpreted as meaning the product is necessarily of higher quality or greater nutritional value.”
Here are a few helpful things to consider when shopping for pet food.
Look at the first three items in the ingredient list. This will show if the food is real meat based, byproduct based or a vegetable filler based. Meat in the top three items should name the kind of meat it is. A named animal “meal”, such as fish meal or beef meal, is not necessarily a bad thing. Protein is an essential part of your furbaby’s diet, so knowing where that protein comes from is important. Adequate protein is needed for puppies to grow and develop, and for all dogs to maintain muscle, fur, nails by feeding their bodies on the cellular level. Essential amino acids that make up protein have to be obtained from food, so a nutritious diet is essential. Some say the first 5 ingredients are the most important, some say the first 8. You be the judge.
That being said, the percentage of protein listed on the label is also worth noting. It has become common in recent years to have high protein levels in foods, well over 35 percent or more. Unless your dog is a working dog, active in trials, agility, field work, search and rescue or some other athletic job, there probably isn’t a need for such high protein levels. This would be a good question to ask your vet or an animal nutritionist.
In an article by NBC News, the ingredient list will also list things that you should avoid. Any artificial color, sugar, salts, and chemical “preservatives like propylene glycol, BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin” should be avoided.
Pet food is a 38 billion dollar industry. It’s complicated and competitive. Therefore, advertising, fancy words and pretty pictures on the bag, are meaningless. Take those with a grain of salt, and look up the food in multiple places, then make your own decision on whether that food works for your dog or not so much.
“Keep in mind, many of these are the same companies that previously bashed traditional grains (i.e., corn, wheat, rice, sorghum and barley). Since these companies have launched ancient grain foods, they also have chosen to remain silent or not provide a reason for their “grain-friendly” formulas, which leaves consumers and retailers with many unanswered questions: If grains were bad before, then why are ancient grains better? Was there something wrong with their grain-free formulas? If so, then why is it a line extension versus a product replacement?”
“If you ever have a question about the ingredients in cat food or dog food, do not hesitate to do a little homework.Some pet food manufacturers have very descriptive websites with lists of commonly used ingredients and descriptions, but if you cannot find the information there, contact the manufacturer.A responsible pet food manufacturer should provide you with the ingredient information, including the source and why it is included in their formulation.“
So in the end, you are the best judge as to what works best for your pet. Does he have any health issues to consider, like diabetes, heart problems, obesity, digestive issues, etc? Does he maintain his weight? Are his stools firm and well formed? Does he get an upset tummy or gas? Does he like the taste and enjoy mealtime?
You are in charge of making your pet’s health the best it can be. Their lives are short enough as it is, why not try your best to give them one as long and as healthy as possible?
Just when you think you’ve figured out a good food for your pet, someone throws you a curve ball. Take the whole grain-free, whole grain thing. On that subject alone, one could write 50 pages. What about dry vs. wet vs. raw? Refrigerated? Home made? It is no easy task to sort it all out, and does require some investigation. Read as much as you can about foods. As always, consult with your vet regarding any major diet changes or questions about feeding.
There is no one food that is the best food for all dogs. The same way that we humans are concerned with what we eat and the quality of what we eat, so too should we be concerned with what we feed our pets. Their food is as important to them as ours is to us. Some problems your dog can suffer from if he doesn’t get proper nutrition include allergies, skin and coat problems, obesity and malnutrition.
Your dog’s age, size, health, activity level, metabolism, digestion, and other traits all affect what makes a food good or not so good for your individual pet. Even within a household, sometimes you need to buy more than one food. Two of my dogs are about the same size, but one is a couch potato picky eater with missing teeth and a sensitive tummy. The other is an active high energy ball-chasing maniac, and he eats twice as much with an additional meat protein topper. A well-balanced nutritional diet, appropriate for your pet, is critical to their health, energy, digestion, and more. Buying the cheapest bag of food in the discount store is not in your faithful friend’s best interest. Don’t just feed your pet to survive, feed him to thrive!
There can be several foods out there that will fit his needs. Rotating between a few brands that you and your dog are happy with is a great idea to give him variety in taste and nutrition. Not at every meal but after a reasonable amount of time such as every few bags, six months, or yearly, depending on how your dog adjusts to a change. I have three brands that my dogs do well on and like, and I go back and forth between them. I also switch up the meat formula within each brand to give them flavor variety. My little picky girl is not fond of change so I don’t switch her food as often. Instead I switch up the wet topper I put on it. One thing to keep in mind, is to stay within the same type of food, and not make changes drastic, like between dry and raw, or even grain and grain free. Too much of a change is a bigger challenge on your pet’s digestive system. Check with your vet!
The most-commonly fed food is a dry kibble. Most families are busy working folks with kids, seniors, businesses, or other responsibilities. Understandably, dry kibble is the most convenient to feed. It is also available at a lower cost than most options and does not need refrigeration. But for the love and health of your pet, don’t feed the first high-processed artificially colored cheap dry food you find on the shelf for the lifetime of your pet. That well-known brand that has been around for 50 years was probably an ok choice among the few available back then, but probably not now. Dry dog food has changed tremendously in the past few decades, and more recently has evolved into many forms such as grain-free, wholesome grain inclusive, baked, raw-coated, human-grade, and even dehydrated (which I’ll address as a separate category).
Dry foods generally contain about 90% dry matter and 10% water. Approximately 95% of dry dog and cat foods are heat extruded, meaning combined ingredients are cooked and forced through a die to create their shapes. A cooking temperature of about 300°F converts the starches into a more easily digested mixture, destroys any toxins and sterilizes the product. Then the food is sprayed with fat or some similarly enticing coating during drying to make it tastier. However, many believe the high heat processing also destroys nutrients, and sometimes the high carbohydrate content in some dry foods is undesirable due to health conditions of the pet.
It’s best not to feed dry food without first moistening it a bit. That way it doesn’t need to pull moisture from the body in the digestive tract, and doesn’t have to make the kidneys work as hard. Also noteworthy is that contrary to the popular belief that dry food is better for your dog’s teeth, unless the food is specially formulated for that, this is really not the case.* At the gumline where it really matters, kibble does not provide a cleaning effect. And if your dog is like mine, there isn’t much chewing going on during eating, just swallowing whole!
More and more baked dry kibble is coming on the market, offering a dry food to pet parents that has not been heat extruded. Baked kibble is touted to be a better alternative with the convenience of dry. There is also raw-coated kibble which introduces an element of raw that we will get to shortly. One last note about dry dog food that I have to make is, if there are different colored bits included, then please, step away from that bag! Why feed your pet artificially colored food?
Wet food is also popular, with options from cans to pouches. These contain an average of 75% water and 25% dry ingredients. Usually, wet foods have a higher level of fresh or frozen meat ingredients. This could be whole meat or meat byproducts. Ingredients are combined with water and left chunky or ground to a paste depending on the style of food being made. Cans are filled, sealed and pressure cooked with heat. Usually cans have a longer shelf life and are well liked by most pets, but is more expensive to feed than dry. Many companies are doing away with cans as containers and using little cartons, sometimes called tetra paks. Wet food in pouches is also commonly available, although pouches are generally small and better suited for small dogs.
Refrigerated foods are a moist cooked food that is often found in a log or pouch form. You just slice off a portion and cut it up a bit, or scoop little moist bites of food out of a pouch. These must be kept refrigerated, and have an expiration date. Serving portions should be allowed to come to room temperature before feeding.
Fresh foods are cooked foods that can be either made commercially by companies that make other forms as well, or special ordered in batches from online “fresh” pet food retailers. These will be made to order, sold frozen and just need to be thawed, allowed to come to room temperature and served. They are nutritionally complete, and don’t need any supplementation. Many online retailers sell by subscribing after filling out a pet profile, and will package them in proportion sizes according to information you provide about your pet. Freshly cooked and conveniently packaged, this is an expensive option for most people if you have a big dog or multiple dogs.
An alternative to fresh foods you buy frozen, is to make home cooked food yourself and freeze it in batches. You have the flexibility to add the ingredients that you and your dog like best. A big drawback here is that you have to add nutritional supplementation to meet the needs of your dog. In addition, it is time consuming when cooking and packaging, but is easy to thaw and serve after that.
From Merck vet manual on home-prepared diets:
“Dogs can be successfully maintained on properly formulated home-cooked diets; this is much more difficult in cats. Advantages of home-cooked diets include the use of fresh, high-quality ingredients chosen by the owner. Disadvantages include preparation time, variable quality control and diet consistency, higher cost, and the difficulty in formulating and preparing a nutritionally complete and balanced diet.”
“If owners choose to feed a home-cooked diet, they should use a recipe formulated by a veterinary nutritionist (vs found on the Internet). It is also important to realize that no home-cooked diets have undergone the testing and research used to formulate complete and balanced commercial pet foods.”
People who swear by raw food rave about the health benefits. Reductions in allergies, shinier coats, and less dental disease are some of the claims. There is no question, there are pets that have overcome some health problems on a raw diet. They also refer to raw feeding as the evolutionary diet of dogs. But over thousands of years, dogs have evolved to be genetically different than their wild ancestors, and have the ability to digest plant products not just meat. Raw food can be commercial or home-made, as well as freeze dried, which I will touch on next. However, raw feeding is still controversial, and has drawbacks. It’s just not for everyone. Not only is it quite expensive, but requires extreme diligence to safe food handling practices, and many veterinarians are not fans of it.
Freeze-dried raw is more convenient and easier to store and serve than frozen raw with many of the same benefits. It is generally sold in patties, chunks or nuggets. People who serve raw at home, often take freeze dried raw on vacations with their pets because of the convenience. The freeze-dried meat provides excellent nutrition in a safer, lighter, easier to store form. Drying and minimal processing removes the moisture from raw meat. Most companies use a form of high-pressure pasteurization prior to freeze-drying, but you should still wash your hands after handling freeze-dried food. Raw coated kibble uses a freeze dried coating on the kibble to give some of the raw benefits to dry kibble. You’ll find more info at the end of this article.
A few forms of freeze-dried foods available.
Dehydrated pet foods can be small dry or moist pieces or a powdery mixture similar to oatmeal. Formulas can be complete with a meat protein or be a base to which you can add your own meat or meats of choice. It gives you the ability to create a home-made style meal, but with the convenience of all the ingredients and nutrients already in the package. The package is usually a bag, or bag within a box. Pound for pound, what you buy will make much more food than what you see in the bag, because you add water to rehydrate the formula. Or in the case of base mixes, you add your own meat protein as well. I feed a form of this as a topper, and I have to say it smells like real food.
No matter what style of food you prefer to feed your dog, do a bit of research and see what’s in that package. There is a lot to be said for quality, and remember to check with your vet if you have any questions.
Obesity in dogs is also worth mentioning here. Far too many owners are unaware when their dogs are considered obese. Some dogs are more prone to obesity, but others are getting a bit too much “love”. Many owners feel they are being kind by feeding more to their furkids. The truth is obese dogs face a higher risk of health problems, some serious, such as diabetes, bone, joint and cardiovascular issues, as well as a shorter life. Monitor your dog’s weight regularly by feeling to see if his ribs are difficult to feel or prominent, and whether you can see a waistline from above and tummy tuck from the side, or if he looks like a stuffed sausage.
There is nothing more scary than your furbaby becoming suddenly ill. Knowing what to do, when it’s ok to handle at home, when to see a vet, or when to rush to emergency, can mean life or death for your best friend.
DIARRHEA:
This is a common problem since dogs will pretty much eat almost anything they can get into their mouth. It can be a temporary one time event or a serious health risk. An occasional, mild, temporary (no more than a day) bout without other conditions like vomiting, lethargy or pain may be okay to treat with some boiled white meat chicken and white rice, some sweet potato or pumpkin (without spices!) added. Very runny stool with no shape that continues for more than a day, means a trip to the vet is in order, especially if you see blood in it. When in doubt, call your vet for advice. You can read more about common information on diarrhea below.
Signs of nausea, licking lips, swallowing repeatedly, or drooling, usual precede vomiting. We all have seen that “look” with the head hanging low, followed by the gurgle gurgle of something coming up. Amazingly, I can be awakened by that sound from a dead sleep! The causes of nausea can be numerous, and can occur pretty much any time: right after a meal or long after, in the middle of the night, or after exercise. It may include undigested bits of food, or just some foamy or yellow bile.
Watch your dog’s behavior for any additional signs of distress. You know your dog best, and what is normal and not normal for him or her. The website below gives good guidelines as to when to worry and when not. Pay particular attention to signs of bloat, especially in larger deep chested dogs, but it can occur in any dog. This would be life-threatening and in need of immediate emergency care! Again, when in doubt, call your vet.
Poopy problems? Although it can occur in any dog, older dogs are more prone to constipation. Pumpkin can also help with this situation. If your dog repeatedly keeps straining with no “end result”, there could be a serious blockage. I had this happen many many decades ago when we didn’t know any better than to give our dogs cooked marrow bones. (A definite no-no!) Other suggestions can be found at the link below.
Always be sure your pet has fresh clean water on hand, no matter what temperature it is outside. But this is most important in hot climates, and hot seasons, and after exercise. My dogs like a little water to wash down their meals, even though I always moisten their meals. Wetting dry and dehydrated food with bone broth made for dogs, warm water, goat’s milk or some wet food is a good idea to help with digestion as well.
BLOAT:
Bloat can very quickly become life-threatening! This is not something to treat with a wait-and-see attitude. Even the slightest possibility of having bloat calls for immediately driving to the closest emergency clinic.
The most obvious symptom is an enlarged abdomen. You may also observe labored breathing, excessive drooling, vomiting, a weak pulse, and paleness in the nose and mouth. Your dog may look like he’s trying to vomit but can’t. The dog’s stomach twists on itself and this is a very high risk situation. The only treatment is emergency surgery! There can be damage to the spleen or stomach, and of those that get surgery right away, a third may not make it. The longer a dog experiences bloat, the less likely to survive. I cannot stress enough the dangerous, life-threating nature of this condition.
This is another condition that is not to be ignored, also known as Hyperthermia. Action is of the essence. Dogs do not cool off by sweating, they cool off by panting. Watch for excessive drooling, a brightly colored tongue and fidgeting in discomfort. If the ambient air is hot then there is no way your pet can cool off. ALWAYS carry cool (not iced) water with you when going on a road trip to the park or where ever you exercise your dog. Keep water accessible at home at all times.
Walking on hot pavement can burn your pet’s paw pads. If you wouldn’t walk on the pavement barefoot, then take caution not to make your pet do it. You should be able to keep your bare foot or your palm on the pavement for 10 full seconds to determine how safe it is for your pet to walk on.
In hot weather, never ever, ever, ever leave your dog in a car. Ever. Even in not-so-hot weather, if the sun is bright, the inside of that car will get too hot for your pet. Just leave your baby at home, if you don’t plan on taking him inside the store/office/house/building you will be entering. In many places, it’s even against the law to leave pets in cars!! Why risk it?
Read, follow and commit to memory, any situations that could make your pet too hot. (Or too cold for that matter!)
Cold weather creates its own problems for your pet. Just as important to avoid heat is to avoid extreme cold, or hypothermia in dogs. In snowy northern climates, keeping your pet outdoors in extreme cold is dangerous. It is best to bring them in the home or at least in some other sturdy structure like barn or garage to protect them from extreme cold. This goes double for older dogs, as they have more difficulty regulating temperatures in hot or cold weather.
Be safe, be heathly and take all precautions needed to keep yourself, your human and furry family members well. And let’s all put our paws together in prayer that 2021 won’t be the crap shoot that 2020 has been!
During the on-going pandemic problems, having a large family gathering is just not a good idea. It’s all over the news and internet. Safety during Thanksgiving now goes beyond any other previous definition of holiday safety. But there are many great ideas out there to try to make the best of it!
The rate of positivity is rising in many areas, and it is feared that there will be a spike in cases a week or two after Thanksgiving due to the lack of adherence to safety precautions. Check the Johns Hopkins, CDC or your county websites for rates in your area. Most areas still have guidelines in place limiting attendance at gatherings indoors! Seniors and others with health conditions should be discouraged from attending in person. But it is understood that these are the people most in need of the family connection. Virtual dinner is a great alternative. If you haven’t already learned, or don’t do “video chat” it’s time to give this a try!!
The hardest part is putting aside all those family traditions. Even the beloved Macy’s parade is just going to be “tv-viewing” only. Many people are back to work, and can’t self-quarantine for two weeks prior to the holiday, so other precautions should be taken, and safety should be stressed in everyone’s home.
Think creatively to safely accomodate your guests at mealtime.
First of all, keep it very small. Sit outside if weather allows it where you live, otherwise, set up multiple tables for any additional households you invite. You can seat higher risk seniors, or children, separately at their own table. If you don’t have the room for more than one table, then attempt to eat in shifts so that only people that share a household are sitting down together. Of course this is not the same as everyone eating together, but let’s admit that life is just not the same any more.
All the rules still apply indoors; wear masks except when eating, and keep that 6 foot distance! No hugging or kissing PLEASE! You can have each household bring their own meals, plates and utensils, or use extreme caution when serving food. When serving, don’t pass dishes around! Keep everything in one place away from your guests, and have one person dishing out plates so that utensils, plates, and serving dishes don’t get shared.
From CDC:
Attending a Gathering
Celebrating virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice this Thanksgiving.
If you choose to attend a gathering, make your celebration safer. In addition to following the steps that everyone can take to make Thanksgiving safer, take these additional steps if attending a Thanksgiving gathering:
Bring your own food, drinks, plates, cups, and utensils.
Wear a mask and safely store your mask while eating and drinking.
Avoid going in and out of the areas where food is being prepared or handled, such as in the kitchen.
Use single-use options, like salad dressing and condiment packets, and disposable items like food containers, plates, and utensils.
Hosting a Thanksgiving Gathering
If having guests to your home, be sure that people follow the steps that everyone can take to make Thanksgiving safer. These steps include:
Have a small outdoor meal with family and friends who live in your community.
Limit the number of guests.
Have conversations with guests ahead of time to set expectations for celebrating together.
If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.
Limit the number of people in food preparation areas.
Have guests bring their own food and drink.
Don’t forget pet safety!
Keep your eye on everyone!
Overindulging and many turkey dinner items are dangerous for your pets. It might be tempting to give your dog a sample of your holiday fare, but dogs can’t tolerate many human ingredients. First, fat, sweet or salty food is a big No-No. Second, all bones are absolutely to be avoided. Third, anything with nutmeg, chocolate, onions, raisins, alcohol or caffeine should be avoided! Guests can also be stressful for pets, so it’s a good idea to exercise your pets or go on a long walk in the morning to make sure they get some attention, and work off some of that excitement and energy. In addition:
Four on the floor, food on the table (or other location high enough to be out of reach of pets). If your pets tend to beg, keep them safely out of the area.
Cooked bones are an obstruction hazard, and raw bones are a salmonella hazard. Neither should be given to your pets.
One or two of these are ok in very small quantities: cooked plain turkey breast, plain unbuttered, sauce-free steamed green beans or carrots, plain mashed potatoes.
Make sure the trash is covered, hidden, and out of reach of your pets! Don’t leave plates sitting around after the meal. Clever pets will get up on the table from a pulled-out chair to get at those great smelling left-overs! (Seen it done!)
It’s been a lo-o-o-ng year of lockdowns, stay at home orders, and cabin fever. With the return of cooler weather in much of the USA, it is beginning to be more pleasant outdoors! Now is a good time to look at keeping those fleas and mosquitos under control and from eating us alive!
Here in the southeast, we had a short mild bout with a few fleas before the rainstorms began. But quickly treating yard, house and pets, we’ve eliminated that problem. As to the next one, not so easily resolved: Mosquitos! With the rains come more places for them to hide and breed. Unfortunately, fleas and mosquitos are a year round problem here!
First and foremost, it is vitally important for all dogs to be on a heartworm preventative. If you live, walk, or travel anywhere near ANY wooded areas, ESPECIALLY in the northeast, tick preventative is an absolute MUST. If you have deer, you have ticks. Period. Lyme disease is sneaky and deadly!
There are lots of sprays and shampoos used to repel or kill fleas. But be careful with them, many contain chemicals and pesticides. Essential oil based products are a great alternative. Fleas don’t like them, and the oils can soothe your pet’s skin, too. Put a drop or too on your dog’s collar, a bandana, or dilute it and put it in a spray bottle to mist your dog. My favorite for this purpose is “Critter Oil.” Made of a combination of many essential oils, it is safe for you, your pets and your home.
For the home, a good natural choice is Diatomaceous Earth. Application needs to be done carefully, as this shouldn’t be inhaled. Be sure to REMOVE PETS and PEOPLE while applying, and WEAR A SAFETY MASK and gloves. Use food grade DE, and follow instructions!
Application tips for DE
Food Grade Diatomaceous earth can be used indoors or outdoors, and will remain effective as long as it stays dry. It is generally considered to be safe to use around pets and humans, but since it is a dust, you should still try to avoid having it blow around, as it will be slightly irritating. **Please follow all product label instructions when applying this and any other pesticide product**.
Places to consider application may include: on and under furniture, pet beds, floors, cracks and crevices, under sinks, and even in gardens. If infested areas consist of carpeting, bedding, or other textiles, you may want to give it a good vacuum first to get the fleas moving.
Next, sprinkle the DE powder over the surfaces you want to treat. You want to apply it in a THIN uniform coating. If you are applying it to carpet, work it into the carpet using a broom to ensure that it gets deep into the fibers. (I use a small cheap plastic garden rake from Walmart.) If the areas are hard to reach, you can use diatomaceous earth in a duster or puffer bottle.
Leave the powder for a day or two so that it can do its job. Then thoroughly vacuum up the powder and dead fleas. If the treated area is out of the way, it can be left there as a preventive measure, and it will be effective as long as it stays dry.
Repeat this process once a week for 3 or 4 weeks to ensure that all eggs have hatched and adults and nymphs have been exterminated.
Another effective product I have used successfully is Flea Busters powder. Like DE, it is a fine powder that you can use safely as long as you apply carefully. My local pet store carries it, as well as food grade DE, or you can order online.
With the events of this year, it has been a slow return to my blog. Not just job loss, Covid-19, political uncertainty and upheaval in our cities, many of us face major adjustments in family, health, work, and other responsibilites. Even going to the grocery store is stressful. Taking care of family and pets is a priority, but taking care of ourselves is also necessary. Please don’t ignore your own health during the pandemic! It can have serious consequences!
In addition to selling crafts, I make my own broth, and I am taking a class for doing pet portraits. In addition, a group of friends working with Racing4Rescues, have created a pet fund for a member of the rescue while in recovery from a debilitating medical issue. Helping others is also a great way to keep busy and stay engaged.
With the holidays around the corner, we’ve been wondering how that is going to look during a pandemic. Is the limited gathering going to be followed? Will families downsize and downplay the big meals and parties? Or will all the restrictions of the previous 8 months be ignored with large groups getting together in a single location and foregoing the masks? So do we hold to our traditions or take a step back and consider the consequences? Food for thought, right?
What about gift-giving? How do you safely give gifts and maintain the new norm? Hmmm… It’s a little overwhelming to think about. And a little sad.
In my own contemplation of all that mess, I’ve continued with the previously mentioned hobby of making pet-themed tote bags! In the benning, it was very hard to look for fabric, especially fabric that had a dog or cat theme. There were just not many available in the local stores, be they large chain stores or local fabric shops. The search went online, and all the way on the other end of the country I found a few fabrics and got started. Holiday fabrics have come in, and offer some more options. Once I finally found fabrics available, I found new places, and more variety. Now I’ve made quite a selection of cute totes to sell on the side.
The site below shows what totes are available. Half of sales are being donated to the Ace and Finn fund at a local pet store, while their human is in recovery. Take a look! I am in the process of adding an online store to this blog. So stay tuned for further details. In the meantime, you can reach me through the comment section at the bottom of this page.
Although my main interest in my blog is dogs and dog-related issues, I’ve heard sad news from my goddaughter’s family. Their 4 cats have come down with a fatal virus. That is the topic of my article today.
There are several common infectious diseases that kill millions of cats per year and many cat patients are at risk. These diseases are known by a confusing set of initials – FeLV, FIV, FIP, FVR, and FPV. About 10% of cats in the USA are infected with one or more of these viruses. Once your cat becomes ill with any of these diseases he or she will eventually die. There are no effective treatments or cures. What will save cats’ lives is preventing the spread of these infections through blood testing and vaccination.
Feline Leukemia Virus, or FeLV. FeLV destroys the cat’s immune system so that he falls prey to anemia, cancer or infectious diseases that a healthy cat would not get.
Feline Immunodefficiency Virus, FIV, a relative of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in people. A blood test that will tell you whether your cat is a carrier for this disease is commonly done in conjunction with testing for FeLV.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or FIP, is what my goddaughter’s family cats have come down with. It is similar but not the same as canine parvo. FIP is a hardier virus than FeLV. It can survive in damp areas, such as the dirt in your garden or sandbox, for several months.
Feline herpes or feline viral rhinopneumonitis, (FVR), is a virus most cats come in contact with at some point during their lives. It is also one of the main causes of upper-respiratory infections in cats.
Feline distemper or feline panleukopenia virus, (FPV) is a highly contagious virus that targets the cells in the intestinal tract and bone marrow. It is rare that cats contract this virus since they are often vaccinated as kittens to protect against it. But in the unvaccinated cat population it can be very widespread.
In the past, feline panleukopenia was a leading cause of death in cats. Today, it is an uncommon disease, due in large part to the availability and use of very effective vaccines. The disease is also called feline distemper or feline parvo. Unfortunately this is what my goddaughter’s family cats have come down with.
**Blood testing for FeLV and FIV (circle one). Only needs a few drops of blood
*** Vaccination for FeLV. Two doses are required the first year. One dose is often given along with the FVRCCP distemper vaccination. Annual boosters are required.
***Vaccination for FIV. Three doses are required the 1st year, about one month apart. The vaccine is then boostered annually.
It is recommended to vaccinate all kittens and adult cats ESPECIALLY if they go outdoors or are at high risk. Of course, letting cats go outdoors in not recommended, and not in your cats’ –or your neighbors’ –best interest, but that is an article for another day!
One of the scariest things as our dogs start to reach middle age and beyond, is finding some kind of bump on their skin. First reactions are usually, “What the heck is that?? Hmmm. And what do I do about it?”
When you bathe and groom your dog, check all over for anything you haven’t seen or felt before. Sometimes just sitting on the couch and petting your dog, you can feel around toes and ears easier while he is relaxed. If you find a bump on or under the skin, try not to panic. Easier said than done, I know. But most bumps are not dangerous or malignant. In most cases, they look worse than they are. But if they are growing, discolored, or oozing or bleeding, then urgency is suggested. Anything the size of a pea or larger, and that has been there a month or more, needs to be checked by your vet. Early detection is pretty important so tell your vet about anything you find. So what could these lumps and bumps be?
There are sebaceous cysts, warts, abcesses, hematomas, lipomas, mast cell tumors, and others. I’ve seen fatty cysts on my older dogs in the past, that looked scary but are perfectly normal. Currently, one of my dogs had a lump removed. It started out about 1/2 centimeter and stayed that way for over a year. It didn’t bleed or ooze or appear to cause discomfort or pain. We’ve been keeping an eye on it, but it grew to 1.5 cm, so it has now been removed, and we are awaiting results of histologic evaluation. She is an active 7-year-old, so we are hoping for a negative test result.
** UPDATE: Coco’s tumor was benign, diagnosed as trichoblastoma, a skin condition characterized by benign neoplasms of follicular germinative cells… meaning abnormal growth possibly starting from a follicle(s). While researching this, I’ve come across grooming information that the feet should not be trimmed with electric clippers, only manually. So $700 later, lesson learned!**
If you’d like to know more, or have concerns about a current bump you found, here are a few informative articles.
You could call it catching up. Or you could call it trying not to lose your mind. The last 6 months have been like an on-going bad dream. Home lockdown, major on-going family health problems, loss of work, lack of seeing friends and family, no celebrations. Let’s also add no place to escape the madness.
Between walks and playing ball, it’s naps, naps, and more naps…
Everyone has had to adjust to a completely new way of life, with no end in sight. Not just the work thing and lack of vacation thing, but seeing ANY doctor or just going to the store to buy necessities takes detailed planning, and often results in frustration! (So why are we STILL short on paper products and disinfecting wipes???) And we won’t even talk about how unbelievably more rude and inconsiderate people have become… Like they are the only ones being inconvenienced…
Looking on the other side of this coin, it has been a great opportunity to revive a long-lost hobby or try one or two new ones. Drawing and reading were the only things (other than my furbabies) that have kept me semi-sane and led me to decide not to run away from home. (And back to paragraph one, no place to escape to.)
Drawing: I came across a few vendors at a rescue event in late February that had really lovely pet portraits. I was so amazed at how photorealistic they were! This led me to research drawing classes and lessons. But as the obnoxious pandemic crashed down on our heads, classes were out of the question. Next I tried the library, and found a great book that has been frequently used in drawing classes. The title is Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain. Some parts delved into how one perceives their environment and where our drawing abilities lie. The rest are lessons to follow in the book that teach each of five aspects of drawing. Well even though I used to draw extensively in my younger days, the lessons in this book amazed me!
The book did take several months to finish due to having a dementia patient live with us for two months…. not something I would suggest to anyone. Luckily all library loans were extended for 4 months while they were all closed. After the book, I found an amazingly talented young artist online who does live video tutorials. She specializes in animal portraits, so of course I was mesmerized. At just 24 years of age and self-taught, her drawings look like photographs! There are various levels of complexity and a very small monthly membership, where I have learned, practiced, and achieved surprizing results.
The mutts of course have enjoyed the family pack constantly together. Except for the months of having a dementia house guest, which was stressful for them as well. After several months the vet finally opened back up, and two of my kids were late on checkups and I was almost out of heartworm preventative. That’s something impossible to skip in the deep south. Humans are not allowed in the vet’s office, only pets, so a vet visit involved sitting in the parking lot with the car and A/C running for an hour in 90+ degree weather.
The shortage of supplies had affected pet food as well, and I had to switch one of the foods due to it not being available. Production slowed to a crawl in the pet food industry. About a month ago I heard from a supplement manufacturer who said they would be reducing production and what was out on the shelves was it. To get all my pet supplies, I have had to shop at 3 or 4 pet stores as well as online. Luckily I make my own bone broth for my dogs, as long as I can get a good supply of bones. (Yes, another challenge. I believe I have shared this link before.)
Reading brought me to something that may be of interest to dog parents. Here is a list of Healthy Doggie Veggies to share with your pups.
Cantaloupe – Good for eyes
Green Beans – supplies Omega 3
Spinach – anti-inflammatory, good for cardio, cancer
Apples – antioxidants
Pumpkin – fiber, vitamin A, anti-oxidant
Sweet Potato – Vitamins E, A, B6, C
Blueberries – supplies resveratrol
Watermelon – lycopene
Asparagus – Vitamins K,A, B1, B2, C, E
Something New: With the recent all-too-necessary use of masks, I started making pet-themed facemasks, so that wearing them wouldn’t be quite as boring and annoying as they really are. After watching many DIY videos online, I came up with a mask that would be close fitting and filter well for my family, and the ladies at my old job to feel safe about being forced to work in such unpleasant circumstances. Once I started looking at all the adorable pet fabrics, I just couldn’t help myself, and have come up with pet themed tote bags for the holidays. After all, having to carry so much more junk nowadays… masks… antibac wipes and antibac gel (if you can get them), and in my case glasses and sunglasses, as well as my favorite water bottle,,, you may as well have a cute pet tote to carry them in!! Both have had positive feedback, and it’s always good to learn new things as well as to keep busy at home.
Just a few of my pet and holiday totes.
Hopefully between all my new found projects, I can try to keep up with this blog a little better. Until next time, stay safe, stay sane!
For The Love of Dogs 