A lot of us have gotten behind on washing our dogs because as soon as we wash off all the gunk and the instant they have that nice silky fragrant coat again, they go pouncing in dirty puddles and shovel their way through telltale yellow snow-banks.
REBECCA'S DOGSITTING: PROSPECTWALKS@GMAIL.COM
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
End of Winter Bath
Our dogs' hindlegs have gotten smattered with winter rock-salt and sand, their paws are perhaps a bit salty even after a good paw-washing, and their coats are all-around smellier than we want to admit. It's almost time for that end-of-winter bath!
A lot of us have gotten behind on washing our dogs because as soon as we wash off all the gunk and the instant they have that nice silky fragrant coat again, they go pouncing in dirty puddles and shovel their way through telltale yellow snow-banks.
A lot of us have gotten behind on washing our dogs because as soon as we wash off all the gunk and the instant they have that nice silky fragrant coat again, they go pouncing in dirty puddles and shovel their way through telltale yellow snow-banks.
Labels: Practical Tips, Animal Behavior, Musings
Practical tips
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Stress, Boarding & Bloat
When we first got Jet -- my childhood black lab -- from the pound, his eyes were not so much pleading, as full of fear. He had a clear history of abuse and neglect, and was such a nervous creature that a year after taking him home we were hardly able to touch his nose without a snap! Since I was a kid, I was able to spend hours every day with him, investing the time he needed to trust humans again. After a few years, he finally let me stroke his paws and his ear-tips. Like even the most adventurous human, he needed a calming, consistent environment, a sure sense of home.
When I was twenty, my parents moved to Chicago and took Jet with them. When they went out of town they boarded Jet at a kennel in the city. This made me incredibly nervous, since Jet was a biter and did not like other dogs, and I knew the kennel kept him caged pretty much at all times. I just could imagine him barking for days on end (he would bark so much his voice would get hoarse) - and my parents were away for two weeks.
And yes, he died of Bloat in there. I don't mean to be alarmist, but I have a strong feeling that it was the stress of being boarded in a kennel that triggered the attack.
When I was twenty, my parents moved to Chicago and took Jet with them. When they went out of town they boarded Jet at a kennel in the city. This made me incredibly nervous, since Jet was a biter and did not like other dogs, and I knew the kennel kept him caged pretty much at all times. I just could imagine him barking for days on end (he would bark so much his voice would get hoarse) - and my parents were away for two weeks.
And yes, he died of Bloat in there. I don't mean to be alarmist, but I have a strong feeling that it was the stress of being boarded in a kennel that triggered the attack.
Labels: Practical Tips, Animal Behavior, Musings
Health
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Raw Food for Dogs
Think about it: How long have dogs been eating dog food? About as long as we've been eating processed foods like Lucky Charms and Cheezits.
1. Raw food can greatly reduce the risk of your dog developing health conditions of all kinds, ranging from simple diarrhea to the greatest risk to dogs after cancer - bloat (see the next entry for more info).
2. Raw food is often less expensive than kibble. You need to feed your dog more kibble to satisfy her/his dietary needs. Over the course of a week, a healthy adult dog needs to consume about 15% to 20% of their body weight. If your dog weighs 20 pounds, you can expect to feed her/him 3-4 lbs of food each week.
3. Raw bones act as a natural tooth-brush, and fortify teeth with calcium. Adults love a good RMB - Raw Meaty Bone.
1978
After World War Two, the same consumption patterns which took hold of our culture, took hold of our dog's foodbowls.1963
We have been feeding our dogs a lot of the same kind of junk we've been eating ourselves.1982
Just like we ate raw, unprocessed foods for thousands of years, so did our dogs. There are countless reasons to feed your dog raw meat:1. Raw food can greatly reduce the risk of your dog developing health conditions of all kinds, ranging from simple diarrhea to the greatest risk to dogs after cancer - bloat (see the next entry for more info).
2. Raw food is often less expensive than kibble. You need to feed your dog more kibble to satisfy her/his dietary needs. Over the course of a week, a healthy adult dog needs to consume about 15% to 20% of their body weight. If your dog weighs 20 pounds, you can expect to feed her/him 3-4 lbs of food each week.
3. Raw bones act as a natural tooth-brush, and fortify teeth with calcium. Adults love a good RMB - Raw Meaty Bone.
Labels: Practical Tips, Animal Behavior, Musings
Health,
Practical tips
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Blizzards and gizzards
With a blizzard coming our way tomorrow, our dogs are probably going to be trudging through lots of driveways smattered with what looks like green-blue snow. This winter, antifreeze is everywhere undertoe, and we as owners should remember once more, that dogs lick their paws. Antifreeze tastes sweet! Because it's tasty, animals go looking for it. More than a few dogs are accidentally poisoned with automotive antifreeze each year.
Labels: Practical Tips, Animal Behavior, Musings
Health,
Practical tips
"Green" Dogtoys and Accessories
I've lived in places where -- not only do dogs eat butcher scraps and chew on regular-old sticks, but -- people actually use what they own until it is completely beyond salvaging. Places where kids don't have stuffed animals, much less dogs. And here in New York, we give our dogs stuffed animals knowing full well that they'll rip them to shreds in twenty minutes, in search of the squeaky center!
With the heyday of the stuffed animal for doggies, even our dogs are generating lots of non-biodegradable waste. There's no need to involve our dogs in the mess we're creating of the planet.
With the heyday of the stuffed animal for doggies, even our dogs are generating lots of non-biodegradable waste. There's no need to involve our dogs in the mess we're creating of the planet.
Labels: Practical Tips, Animal Behavior, Musings
Green tips,
Practical tips
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