I ordered kelp powder and calcium lactate from VitaSprings.com this morning. The prices were great and all of the supplements were familiar names from Henry's and Whole Foods.
I'll keep you posted as to delivery and service!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Slight Hiccup ...
Lil has SOOO much good nutrition packed into her chicken stew that I don't know what to bribe her with for training!!
I can use some diced chicken. She loves carrots ... but boy do I ever miss the days of the neat little pieces of kibble!
Luckily Lily's tummy likes the new stuff much more than my fingers like the old stuff - she wins!
I can use some diced chicken. She loves carrots ... but boy do I ever miss the days of the neat little pieces of kibble!
Luckily Lily's tummy likes the new stuff much more than my fingers like the old stuff - she wins!
Sparkle! Sparkle!
We started the Essential Fatty Acid formula on Wednesday. By Saturday night Talen, Jordan, Lisa, and I were all enthralled by the glimmering sparkle of Lily's coat!
It has a sheen to it that reminds me of show horses with that "Show Sheen" formula. You know, the greasy stuff you rub on the horse, then cover them with a blanket till showtime because any dust, hay, etc. will stick to it??
Except that Lily is shining from within and there's no greasiness to her! I know this picture doesn't do it justice, but just pretend that you can see little glimmers of spun gold in that fur!
It has a sheen to it that reminds me of show horses with that "Show Sheen" formula. You know, the greasy stuff you rub on the horse, then cover them with a blanket till showtime because any dust, hay, etc. will stick to it??
Except that Lily is shining from within and there's no greasiness to her! I know this picture doesn't do it justice, but just pretend that you can see little glimmers of spun gold in that fur!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Granola Girl Gone Wild
It is Week One of the Whole Pet Diet Experience. This week is all about Essential Fatty Acids. The chapter includes a recipe for an oil blend to balance Omega 3's and 6's in forms that are readily available to dogs and cats. We are essentially lubricating Lily's body: not only skin, coat, and nails but also heart, eyes, and other tissues. We are providing her immune system with an extra boost to fight off any bad guys. We are on a mission!!!
Last night was an experience. Armed with "Whole Pet Diet" I bee-lined for the nutritional corner of my local Henry's Market. I asked for wheat germ oil (out of stock) and barley juice powder. (What?? They make juice powder?? Stop and think about THAT for a moment!)
In short, I found things like kelp powder, spirulina, and chlorella. Nutritional yeast, lecithin granules. I found Things I Have Only Read About In Books. Mystical things, one and all. My wonderful little service dog in training has led me to the Temple of Nutrition.
Apparently I am the World's Worst Granola Girl. I survived 9 years in the wilds of Northern Idaho, following my dad's whims that ranged from "mildly back to nature" to "raving survivalist."
I could identify keifer long before I knew about cake mixes; we canned fruits and veggies for the long, cold winter ... I have read whole food nutritional articles for as long as I can remember. But I had never before experienced the thrill of The Nutritional Yeast Aisle.
Last night was an experience. Armed with "Whole Pet Diet" I bee-lined for the nutritional corner of my local Henry's Market. I asked for wheat germ oil (out of stock) and barley juice powder. (What?? They make juice powder?? Stop and think about THAT for a moment!)
In short, I found things like kelp powder, spirulina, and chlorella. Nutritional yeast, lecithin granules. I found Things I Have Only Read About In Books. Mystical things, one and all. My wonderful little service dog in training has led me to the Temple of Nutrition.
Apparently I am the World's Worst Granola Girl. I survived 9 years in the wilds of Northern Idaho, following my dad's whims that ranged from "mildly back to nature" to "raving survivalist."
I could identify keifer long before I knew about cake mixes; we canned fruits and veggies for the long, cold winter ... I have read whole food nutritional articles for as long as I can remember. But I had never before experienced the thrill of The Nutritional Yeast Aisle.
Folks, when 'they' say that pets are good for you, just believe them.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lily's Diet
For those of you who have read the Service Dog Blog, you may remember the trouble I had trying to decide what to feed my Virtual Dog. Let me tell you, the real dog isn't any easier!
I read multiple books and was frustrated. Can it BE THAT hard??? Can't we come up with a number of calories for the day by weight + activity level, proportionate amounts of fats, proteins, carbs, and then just mix it up? This is NOT rocket science - the fact that there are dogs in 3rd world countries and that wolves survive lets us know that this is a rather hardy creature!
I was tinkering a bit with Lil's food, trying to decide if I really did want to cook home cooked after all of the warnings about possible imbalances, etc. when we had a bit of a hiccup. I fed her some Natural Balance Turkey roll as a training treat. This was an all natural, premium, commercial food, on par with the Canidae kibble I was feeding her while studying more about home cooked food. It gave her diarrhea that had me running down 3 flights of stairs multiple times in the middle of the night (in my pajamas, hair sticking up all wild ... what a sight!)
I switched quickly to steamed rice and chicken. Her tummy settled right down and, not surprisingly, I noticed within a few days that she was scratching less and her coat seemed to have gotten just a wee bit softer.
I did the Classic Move: "Well," I thought to myself, "that's going well. Why not mix some kibble back in?"
Does that sound smart to you? It wasn't. More tummy trouble, more itching, no benefit. I was worried that rice plus chicken wasn't giving her all of the vitamins she would need. Obviously, over the long run, this is true, but kibble is not the answer - at least not for Lily!
So I was back at the bookstore. I read through Pitcairn, Strombeck, and Brown. I decided upon Andi Brown's book for it's simplicity, attention to detail, ease of asembling ingredients, AND the foreward by Dr. Pitcairn. There are so many reviews on the internet - I found one this morning from a professed "dogaholic" who quoted some DVM sources but apparently has no credentials of her own. She endorsed Pitcairns book but specifically opposed "The Whole Pet Diet" by Brown for lack of complete nutrition. This seems self-contradicting given that Pitcairn himself endorses the book in his forward.
So I am following the "Whole Pet Diet" for the next 8 weeks. Who am I kidding? I'll do week one and two this week because I am impatient - but I will take the time to do the journaling and will keep you posted on the results!
My specific goals for this dietary plan?
- "Properly formed" stool
- An end to itchy skin
- No more eye boogers (yes, the vet checked them - they're fine but seem to be sensitive to some "allergen.")
- A healthy animal that lives a long, happy life!
There she is - doing a somersault on Couch with Blankie!
Things People Say ...
It amuses me to no end the things people say ...
I walk the streets of San Diego for about 2 hours a day. Lily and I are usually focused on each other and ignore most of the passers by but every once in a while we have a brief conversation. To their credit, lots of people ask intelligent questions:
How old is she?
How long have you been training?
What is being trained to do? (She wears her red Service Dog vest while training.)
But then there are the 'interesting' ones:
"Are you a professional trainer or is that your dog?" one man asked.
"No, this is my dog." I answer, thinking I must look pretty darned sharp with my obedient little dog. I have my bait bag around my waist, clicker in hand, dog in a perfect heel, then an automatic sit at the street corner ...
"Oh. Do you have to give lots of treats? I'm training my dog but I just can't bring myself to wear the bag."
Oh yeah. Because looking good is really maximized when you have a dork of a dog bouncing at the end of a leash and jumping up on people, barking his head off. A bait bag would be WAY worse!
My friends, I have dozens ... I'll keep you posted as folks make me laugh!
Another quickie: "Yeah, I had a dog but it was a small dog so I never needed to train it."
That was a good one, huh??
I walk the streets of San Diego for about 2 hours a day. Lily and I are usually focused on each other and ignore most of the passers by but every once in a while we have a brief conversation. To their credit, lots of people ask intelligent questions:
How old is she?
How long have you been training?
What is being trained to do? (She wears her red Service Dog vest while training.)
But then there are the 'interesting' ones:
"Are you a professional trainer or is that your dog?" one man asked.
"No, this is my dog." I answer, thinking I must look pretty darned sharp with my obedient little dog. I have my bait bag around my waist, clicker in hand, dog in a perfect heel, then an automatic sit at the street corner ...
"Oh. Do you have to give lots of treats? I'm training my dog but I just can't bring myself to wear the bag."
Oh yeah. Because looking good is really maximized when you have a dork of a dog bouncing at the end of a leash and jumping up on people, barking his head off. A bait bag would be WAY worse!
My friends, I have dozens ... I'll keep you posted as folks make me laugh!
Another quickie: "Yeah, I had a dog but it was a small dog so I never needed to train it."
That was a good one, huh??
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Finding Our Vet
Why is it that we always seem to bond to our vets when we're having a pet crisis? I first met Dr. Simpson of Spring Valley Veterinary Clinic way back in the mid- 90's when our Bichon Skippy had a torn ACL and needed surgery. Our "other" vet quoted $3-5k and told me it was so expensive because he didn't do the surgery himself and "subbed it out" to another vet.
Our family friend, Barbee, suggested that I call Dr. Simpson. He took a look at Skippy's knee and told me matter of factly that he could manage it and the cost would be under $1,000. He said, "It just happens to be one of the things I know how to do."
Fast forward to The Lily Days ... I was in a panic. That should sum up the story, but let me continue ...
(This next part all goes in high speed and a very high-pitched voice.)
The breeder had skipped the "middle" round of vaccinations and I thought she might need another round. And if she did, could we do it at the appointment we had scheduled for Tuesday, or did it need to wait to the three week mark? What should we do in the meantime? What if she picks up something while we're out walking? Should I keep her in and make her potty on puddle pads? What do I do? Could we fit in a rabies shot before then because I need that for her Service Dog registration? does she have to be 16 weeks or 4 calendar months?
And I have to get this done ASAP because I need her rabies done so she can get her Service License so she can live in our apartment ... Do you see how rough this is?
Yes, I used every bit of my brain power to make this as complicated as possible!
I called Dr. S's office. I faxed over her records to date. The tech called back and told me we needed to reschedule. I called back again ... I got a new person ... I asked for the original person because I couldn't possibly explain it all again ... the original person got on the phone and really heard my question ... then she put me on hold.
Finally, I heard a male voice, "Anniessa, this is Dr. Simpson. Lily is fine. She had all of her shots after 15 weeks so she is covered. She has to be 4 calendar months old for her rabies so I'll see you on Tuesday the 10th."
The calm was palpable. So I took Lily out for a guilt-free walk! And when I get the paperwork to our apartment manager next week, all will be settled.
Whew.
Our family friend, Barbee, suggested that I call Dr. Simpson. He took a look at Skippy's knee and told me matter of factly that he could manage it and the cost would be under $1,000. He said, "It just happens to be one of the things I know how to do."
Fast forward to The Lily Days ... I was in a panic. That should sum up the story, but let me continue ...
(This next part all goes in high speed and a very high-pitched voice.)
The breeder had skipped the "middle" round of vaccinations and I thought she might need another round. And if she did, could we do it at the appointment we had scheduled for Tuesday, or did it need to wait to the three week mark? What should we do in the meantime? What if she picks up something while we're out walking? Should I keep her in and make her potty on puddle pads? What do I do? Could we fit in a rabies shot before then because I need that for her Service Dog registration? does she have to be 16 weeks or 4 calendar months?
And I have to get this done ASAP because I need her rabies done so she can get her Service License so she can live in our apartment ... Do you see how rough this is?
Yes, I used every bit of my brain power to make this as complicated as possible!
I called Dr. S's office. I faxed over her records to date. The tech called back and told me we needed to reschedule. I called back again ... I got a new person ... I asked for the original person because I couldn't possibly explain it all again ... the original person got on the phone and really heard my question ... then she put me on hold.
Finally, I heard a male voice, "Anniessa, this is Dr. Simpson. Lily is fine. She had all of her shots after 15 weeks so she is covered. She has to be 4 calendar months old for her rabies so I'll see you on Tuesday the 10th."
The calm was palpable. So I took Lily out for a guilt-free walk! And when I get the paperwork to our apartment manager next week, all will be settled.
Whew.
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