When I adopted Gretel she had really bad separation anxiety. We tried a bunch of things to help appease her but the thing that worked the best and the quickest was leaving her a stuffed Kong as we walked out the door. She is so focused on the goodies inside that she wouldn't even notice we were leaving. I filled the Kong with Kong Stuffing I bought at the pet store. It was easy and the squirt … [Read more...]
I think it was when I was working as a Wildland Firefighter when I first learned the saying that overconfidence can lead to complacency....and trouble. Being immersed in the pet world, I am VERY aware of the danger Chocolate can pose for dogs. I hear messages all of the time about it. I know that chocolate can kill your dog. Bakers chocolate and dark chocolate are the worst. I have heard the … [Read more...]
* WARNING...this post contains photos that some people might find graphic or gross. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or do not want to see dogs eating a chicken (store bought) DO NOT SCROLL DOWN TO THE PHOTOS AT THE END OF THIS POST. * The trend these days seems to be to feed your dog raw food instead of commercially processed kibble. As I looked into canine nutrition certificate programs I … [Read more...]
Gretel has always inhaled her food. She only gets between 1/4 and 1/3 cup at a time but it is gone in a couple of seconds. It's always worried me a little. At first I was afraid she might get bloat. I tried all the usual tricks to slow her down - big rocks in her bowl, a specially made bowl with obstacles in it, spreading her food out on the floor - and not of them made a perceptible … [Read more...]
I like science. I like to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research and come to my own conclusions. I already know a lot about human nutrition. It all started with a book called Body Fueling about 15 years ago. Then I learned a lot about sports nutrition in my marathon running, weight lifting days. Then I learned a lot about healing foods when I started having medical issues (mostly from … [Read more...]
Obviously, I love Chester and Gretel like they were my children. I grew up on a small farm. It was the 70's and attitudes about dogs were different. My Mom supplemented our dogs food with yummy, natural stuff but she spent the night outside in the dog house. Generally, if animals got sick or a stray showed up on our porch we treated it ourselves. We didn't rush our animals to the vet … [Read more...]
When we announced that we were switching to grain-free kibble the support was overwhelming. I didn’t have one person say it didn’t work for them. Everyone had rave reviews and said it made a big difference. A lot of those people offered some good advice. Jenn ay Health Mutt and Kol’s Notes gave me the low down on the issue of going grain free and potential weight gain. Jenn said the basic … [Read more...]
Once I decided to change Chester and Gretel’s diet to grain-free, I dove into researching the different options out there. When I started I didn't know much beyond" it's a good thing to do." I started out with some basic research. After that, the extensive research began. As you have seen in some of my past posts, I tend to geek out on researching stuff – the best gear, the best outdoor … [Read more...]
I decided to change Chester and Gretel's traditional kibble to grain-free because of the many health benefits of this diet. Some of my other friends are feeding raw but grain-free kibble is the best choice for me because it is more convenient and the best choice for those on a tight schedule (like me). I stopped by Health Mutt for a visit the other day and got talking with the owner about … [Read more...]
My head is spinning. I decided that I am going to try switching Chester and Gretel to grain-free food. I have become more conscious about what they eat over the last year since watching a lot of my Dachshund friends switch to feeding raw and having to go wheatless myself. The biggest reason I was intrigued with raw is that it is supposed to naturally get rid of the plaque on their teeth. I … [Read more...]
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