As those cold and snowy days keep rolling in, we are not motivated to be as active.  It is much easier to cuddle with your puppy and a hot cup of cocoa than it is to bundle up and take a lap around the neighborhood.

Let’s be honest, this probably won’t change and that is just fine!  This means the same for your pet also.  If you are moving less, so is your pet. 

With that in mind, it might be time to re-look at the quantity of food you are giving your pet each day.  Just like humans, more calories means added pounds.  For pets who have a hard time putting on weight, this is a great opportunity to allow them to gain a thin layer of insulating fat.  For pets that tend to be a little heavier, it might be time to cut back the food a little bit.  Below are some pointers on how to help keep your pet at a healthy weight this winter:

1. Feed them a little bit less.  For Daisy (a 50lb lab mix), I cut her food back from 6 cups of stew a day to 4 ½ cups.  This really helps her keep her weight at bay but also allows her to keep a small layer of insulation while playing in the snow!
2. Watch the treats.  I love to give Daisy treats!  It is a great way to ‘celebrate’ my return from a long day at work.  It is also a great tool to show her that I notice her good behavior.  In the winter, we switch to smaller treats.  The frequency of treat giving doesn’t change, but the amount does!
3. Make time for indoor play time.  Just because the weather doesn’t permit you to play outside, doesn’t mean the play has to stop all together!  Make time to have one-on-one play time with your pet each day.  This is not only fun for you and your pet, it is an important bonding time that should not be compromised by weather.  Take time, be silly and enjoy being a pet owner!
4. Fare the weather once a week.  Daisy and I take one day, usually Sunday afternoons and head to a frozen lake for a couple hours.  I put ‘Musher’s Secret’ salve on her feet, put a pair of snow pants on and un-hook the leash.  It is a great time for us both to ‘roam free’ and really enjoy the beauty that winter brings!  Just be careful of temperatures below 0 degrees F.  If your pet is primarily an indoor pet, they may not be able to handle the cold weather for more than a couple hours.

Ok, all you pet owners living in those colder climates… Enjoy the holidays and take care of that PUP of yours!

-Shannon and Daisy

Do you board your dog?  Do you also cook for your pet?  I cook all of Daisy’s food.  I cook for my dog not only by choice and common sense, but also because of her chronic illnesses.  I used to send her off to her boarding facility with dry kibble.  When I’d get her back, even if it was only for a couple nights, she would be ridden with inflammation and her chronic UTI’s would return.  Only 3 days of dry kibble!  That told me just how important it is, especially when your pet is in distress, to provide holistic, nourishing foods. 

I usually cook stew for Daisy, but when I board her I find that stew doesn’t ‘travel well.’  So I created a meatloaf off of my friend B.A.’s recipe.  It has the same nutritious ingredients that her stew has, just with a few twists and not as much liquid.  I cut the meat loaf into servings, put each serving in a separate zip lock bag and then add a couple calming herbs to help ease her anxiety while I am away.

Here is the recipe:

2lbs of ground beef, venison or buffalo

1 bunch of celery

6 med-large carrots

3 med apples

4 eggs

2c dry rolled oats

2c peanut butter

2c whole milk cottage cheese (optional)

1/4c olive oil

In a food processor, finely process the carrots, celery and apples.  You may need to do this in 2 or 3 batches.  Place in a large mixing bowl.  With hands, mix in rest of the ingredients until evenly mixed.  Put even amounts in two large baking pans.  Spread evenly and put in a 400degree oven for 30-40min.  Look for slight browning on the edges of the pan.  Pull out and allow to cool till only warm to the touch. 

For a 50lb dog each pan will have 4 servings: 2breakfasts/2dinners.  You can change the serving size according to your own pet’s weight.  Put each serving in a separate zip lock bag or container and in each serving put: ¼ dropper chamomile calm and ½ tablet of chewable acidophilus.   See my post on Anxiety for more information on chamomile calm.

When you bring the food to the boarding facility, tell them to keep it refrigerated and to give your dog one bag/container of food in the morning and one in the evening.

Wouldn’t you believe it!  There is a natural tooth brush!  What exactly did dog’s do without us, when they lived in the wild?  How did they keep their teeth bright and healthy then?

After learning just how much it would cost me to get that brown plaque off of Daisy’s teeth, I started doing some research.  I found that there are natural ‘tooth scrubbers’ in nature.  I was a little hesitant when I started giving her some of these natural tooth cleaning items, but once I saw the results… we were both hooked!

1.  Raw beef marrow bones and neck bones:  The natural connective tissues and strength of the raw meat in these two items was key in removing plaque from Daisy’s teeth.  Within 1 week I started to notice a reduction in plaque and within 1 month her teeth were completely clean!  I give her raw bones 3-5 times a week and she continues to have clean teeth and a healthy heart!  Raw bones have natural oils and fats that are very healthy for your dog and can actually help their coat, nails, bones and total health!  After all, dogs were chewing on bones long before we came into their lives!  You can get raw beef marrow and/or neck bones at most grocery stores or butcher shops.

2.  Raw foods:  Does your dog like fruits and vegies?  You might not even know that they like them!  Daisy LOVES frozen broccoli, raw carrots, raw apples with peanut butter, watermelon rhinds and many other fun fresh foods!  Try a few with your pet and see how they like them.  Note that dogs should not have excessive amounts of fat, should not have onions and are extremely illergic to chocolate. 

3.  Ropes:  Does your dog like to play tug of war?  Daisy does!  One of her favorite toys are huge, thick, natural fiber ropes with knots in them.  We go and buy rope by the yard, tie it up in knots and play…play…play!  The fibers in the rope naturally ‘brush’ her teeth.  It is a win-win!  Note that you should use cloth fibers/threads and try not to use plastic ropes.  If you do use plastic ropes, make sure that you do not leave it laying around while you are not around.  Your dog could chew off chunks of this rope and could severely injure itself.  Also, you should throw away cloth ropes that seem too dirty, moldy or smell funny.  This could be a sign of mold, bugs or other fungus that could harm your animal.  Just use common sense and you will be fine!

Ingredients and Cooking Instructions:

2lb organic/free range ground beef, bison or venison

½ bunch of fresh celery coarsely chopped, including leaves

4 med-large carrots coarsely chopped

1c Barley or other low-glycemic grain (stay away from white starches while animal is in acute inflammatory state)

½ bag fresh/frozen cranberries (1/2 canned will do if you have nothing else)

3 med-large apples coarsely chopped

1c smooth peanut butter to taste

Combine ingredients in a large pot and add water till 1-2 in from the top of the pot.  Turn burner on med-high and boil for at least 20 min or until you feel that the meat is cooked through.  Let cool with cover on until warm to the touch.  Put in refrigerator to keep preserved until ready to serve.  1 pot will serve a 50lb large breed dog for 3 days, serving 3c in the am and 3c in the pm.  You can alter the recipe to your dog’s liking and size.

Alternative Supplements During Acute Infection (optional):

1 dropper of chamomile extract for children

1 tsp of colloidal silver

1 capsule of Golden Seal Extract

NOTE:  The use of cranberries in this recipe helps to change the acidity of the urine and thus helps to clear and strengthen the urinary tract.  The use of apples in this recipe is due to apples containing D-Mannose, a component that naturally binds to bacteria such as e-coli and flushes it out of the urinary tract.

The Research and Story Behind the Recipe:

Daisy, our rescued black lab mix dog, had acute UTI’s from age 5months to 11months.  She was on constant antibiotics and was in a state of inflammation and infection all the time.  When our vet finally told us that there was really nothing more to do but to perform an ‘investigatory surgery’ on her, I put my foot down. 

For a long time, I have been against prolonged use of antibiotics.  After my own research and the gathering of advice from various experts, I have found that prolonged use of antibiotics can severely deteriorate the immune system.  Without proper rehabilitation, the body is left defenseless against even the simplest of pathogens.

I took Daisy off of antibiotics and pre-processed food completely.  I didn’t even ‘wean’ her off, just cut her off ‘cold-turkey.’  I then developed this stew to specifically combat inflammation and UTI’s.  Within 2 weeks. Daisy’s symptoms were reduced.  Within 1 month she had no symptoms while in a low stress environment (ex: home).  And within 4 months, she had little to no symptoms after a highly stressful situation (ex: being boarded for an extended time). 

I spent over $1000 on Daisy’s UTI’s in the first 4months that I owned her.  Since I started cooking for Daisy, I only have to take her in for regular shots and heartworm meds!

*See http://www.mavourninrose.com/animals/ for links and resources regarding this post.

Daisy came to us as a 7month old, 37lb Black Lab/Coonhound/Border Collie mix rescue dog.  Malnourished, skittish and infection ridden, we brought her to health. 

As many of you know, dogs who come from an abusive/neglectful home bring along with them a slew of physical and emotional problems.  Daisy’s issues were as follows:

1. She was malnourished and her ribs were showing severely.
2. She had dry/itchy skin.
3. She had a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection since age 5months).
4. She had severe separation anxiety and other various emotionally disturbed behaviors.

My heart was broken as these issues started to surface.  One after the other would arise and it seemed overwhelming, as though we may never bring her to a state where she could enjoy life again.  What had her previous home done to her?!

We started asking our veterinarian, experts and other pet owners for advice on how to handle these issues.  The most common thread running through all of their advice was, ‘consistency and love.’  Keeping this in mind, these were some of the tribulations that we dealt with while overcoming Daisy’s issues:

1. She cried herself to sleep for 3 months, every night.
2. She would urinate or defecate in her kennel at night for the first month.
3. She would lick and/or chew on her hind quarters, skin and legs when we would leave her alone.
4. She would bark until her vocal chords were ‘horse’ when we would not pay attention to her or when we would leave her alone.
5. Due to her UTI’s she would need to be let out to urinate every ½ hour to every 2 hours or else she would urinate on her bedding or our rugs.
6. She was unable to settle down and relax without being completely exhausted to a point of ‘crashing.’
7. She would exude symptoms of separation anxiety such as when we would return from leaving her alone, she would whine excessively, rub herself against us in an uncontrolled manner, urinate multiple times, chew/destroy small items in our home, lick us excessively and seem extremely excited to a point of her exhausting herself.

Stay tuned to hear how we overcame Daisy’s trials and tribulations…