Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 93- Quality Raw Tex-Mex Feasting

In Texas, because it would get so hot so early in the day, my humans would take my brother and me running very early in the morning.  Or maybe it was night.  I couldn't tell, because it was pitch black outside.  We'd cross the street to the hiking trail that ran alongside the Colorado River, and my humans would turn on their crazy forehead light beams and I would show my dad what a slow poke he really is.  This hour of day was PRIME frog-feasting time, and my super most favorite time to be outside for one of our fast hunts (humans call it "running"). 

One fast-hunting morning, when the sun was just starting to rise, they noticed that I wasn't panting or breathing normally.  They rushed me to the river and dunked me in the water because they were afraid I was overheating.  I seemed fine but I just wouldn't open my mouth.  Since I am an excitable boy and I just wanted to keep on the fast hunt, we continued on our way.  I still wasn't panting or breathing right and they kept stopping to pull up my lips and check on my gums.  I was starting to get a little too red from getting a little too hot.  Still, I would not open my mouth to pant.  I begged and begged to keep going and we were off again.  Then, all of a sudden, we were in the middle of a good hunting stretch when my daddy stopped suddenly and I was jerked hard in my harness.  I opened my mouth in surprise and a suffocated frog body was ejected and flew across the running path.  They made me lose my frog!!  It did feel good to breath again though...
As my humans can tell you - I dabbled in some raw feasting long before we ever started the raw diet.  We lived in Texas, where the weather was always warm and there were always delicious pale-colored lizards running up the outside of our apartment building, and fat juicy frogs hiding in the wet grass at the edge of the walking paths.  Mmmmm.... 

I am one talented lizard-catching boy.  I would see one of these tasty guys and I'd leap / run / climb up the wall to get to them.  Before my humans could stop me I'd have a lizard in my mouth.  I wouldn't eat him right away.  I liked to suck on them for a while like a never-ending gob-stopper and feel them squirm about on my tongue.  Fun!  Then I'd chew a little while my mommy would scream and be totally grossed out.  Double fun!

When it came to catching frogs I'd rarely eat them.  I like to hold them in my mouth for a long, long time though, and shake them around a little.  Once I got one that was so juicy he was too big for my feating jaws!  The frogs in our part of Texas weren't poisonous, but they did give off yucky stuff that made my mouth bubble over with foam for an hour after I caught one.  I looked crazy and rabid and foam literally poured from my face.  It was always so worth it though.  Frogs are some mighty good raw entertainment.

I have a major case of OCD.  And knowing there might be a frog at every turn doesn't help my case.  It's so bad that I can have an absolute potty emergency and when I get outside I become so fixated on grass, puddles, candy wrappers... anything, that I won't even lift my leg.  I also scream and scream whenever I'm outside because I am one excitable, compulsive little boy.  My humans aren't sure how I got this way, but no amount of exposure or exercise seems to help!  But they don't understand that it pays to be prepared.  If I weren't crazy for hunting then I would have missed all those frog- and lizard-tasting opportunities.  And that's just not a way for a dog to go through life.  I am Stanislaw, and I am always ready.  And focused.  And... PIGEON!!!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I'm a Naughty Boy...

...and I beg sometimes...


Monday, April 28, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 91- Meat Meat Everywhere

MY GOAT IS HERE!

Feast your eyes upon my meaty deliciousness!
Ground Whole Pork
Lamb brisket with some ribs already removed. My humans trimmed off thick layers of fat because they said it would upset my tummy to eat so much of it. But they did sneak us little tastes as they worked. It's like meaty lamb butter! Melts on my tongue.
Bacon-like pieces of lamb meat
Ground whole whiting fish - 5 lbs of it still kind of frozen
Frozen chicken feet in a frosty bag. These creep out my mommy big-time.
Beef meat chunks
Santa Claus arrived yesterday afternoon. He came into my apartment with 4 big boxes that smelled like tasty feasts and then he let me jump all over him while I screamed in excitement. I almost leaked a little on the floor from the sheer joy of the occasion. Christmas in April!

It all must find its way into my mouth immediately, so I'm going to howl at mommy while she weighs and packages it up. She'll usually sneak us little hors d'oeuvres and tasters as she works. My meat locker has been empty for so long and now it will be filled to the brim! Now I really must find a way to break into it while my humans aren't looking...

Coo coo for meatiness,
Stanislaw

***
Big Pupi can't stop drooling:
I have never seen such a beautiful site before. Well, not since our last feasting delivery. This one is especially fabulous however, because we've got nearly 70 lbs of raw meat sitting on our kitchen island! I have to stand on my very tippy hind toes just to get a peak at it, but my nose can catch those tummy-rumbling scents from a mile away. Is that freshly ground mutton??? Oh man. I can barely contain myself.

Our meat delivery got delayed because our co-op is in the process of moving to distributors. They have become so popular that the orders just keep pouring in. I have heard so many good things about the quality of their meats that I just can't wait to sink my teeth into them! They even offer whole ground carcass, which means that the digestive portions have been removed but the rest of the bones and organs are still intact. This is pretty darn close to the "prey model" (looking at the animal as rough percentages of meat, bone and organ), and it just about eliminates our humans' need to measure small amounts of organs and make special organ meals for us.
The whole ground carcass can be our morning and evening meals since it includes bone and meat in the correct ratios. Those meals will be alternated with a couple of weekly non-ground, bone-in breakfasts to keep our teeth nice and clean, followed by a meat dinner. And we can't forget the ground veggies and oil supplements and such that we get too.

This morning for breakfast, for the first time ever, we got to feast on whole fish! I'm a HUGE fan of the fishes and I scarfed my bits right down. Stanislaw got fishiness all over his face and front paws, and when mom was wiping him clean he did a big fishy burp right in her face. Awesome! I've heard some talk about going for a run this afternoon and getting a chicken foot as a post-run snack, followed by the rest of our fish for dinner. Today is great! I'm going to prepare for my day of sprinting and snacking.

Staring at the fresh meatyliciousness,
Big Pupi

PS: Mom learned the hard way that if you package meaty servings into little plastic containers, the meat locker fills up really quickly. If you have a ton of food coming in, she recommends using baggies as everything can squish together and it takes up much less room. That being said... it's always good to package up your meat in something that can be washed and reused.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 89- Bad Dreams

Since my raw meat order for this month is now a week late in arriving at my door, I'm really starting to get stressed out.  Last night I was in my crate and I had a bad dream.  I dreamed that the meat man was driving down the street, when all of a sudden, the back of his truck busted open and my goat escaped, running throughout the city.  My goat was so fast, I couldn't catch him.  He ran to the land of the uncatchable rabbits never to be feasted upon again.

Worried about my goat,
Stanislaw

***
Big Pupi likes to play play play
Stanislaw and I have 2 big baskets of toys, one in the living room and one in the office, and we like to spend our days making sure that they have been emptied and our treasures are scattered about the apartment.  I cannot express my joy when I wake in the middle of the night to hear one of my humans step on something loud and squeaky on their way to the bathroom, and I know that I had left that toy there the evening before.  So fun!
Every so often our people will order toys from a wholesale store online called PetEdge, and a few days later a man appears at our door with a box full of goodies just for Stan and me.  Some toys on that site are as little as 80 cents!  (I think that is equal to one-half piece of cheese for all you dogs out there.)  Regardless of dollars or cheese, we get lots of fun stuff this way. 

My super favorite toy, the singing Christmas Tree Mouse Toy, didn't come from the magical computer store.  It came from my grandma human instead.  Boy oh boy.  That toy is just the greatest.  I love it so much I couldn't bring myself to completely detach the right ear like I do with all my other toys.  I left it only partly severed.  He is just so special to me -- I will even sometimes take him out for our potty walks so he can get some fresh air.  He sings to me when I thrash him and his little tree decorations light up.  I make sure to give him at least 5 good thrashings after breakfast each morning, and I know my humans just LOVE to hear him sing his song over and over and over.  The battery never dies!  It's so great!!

But sometimes Stanislaw and I like to be entertained with a different kind of toy... the kind we can tear and shred and destroy and not feel bad about.  On those occasions, our humans will take an empty cardboard paper towel roll, cut it in half and make us our little tear toys.  They cut 2 slits in each end of the piece of towel tube to make flaps, then Stan and I will drool as we watch them put some treats inside and fold down the flaps to close the tastiness into the tube.  Then we each get one and it's shredding time!
It's super fun to get to exercise our tearing instincts and not get in trouble for it.  And my brother and I will do anything for a treat.  I'm a pro at ripping that thing to bits in seconds, eating my treat and then stealing my brother's away from him and eating his treat too.  It's great!  

**If your human does decide to make this toy for you, tell them to keep an eye out while you're playing with it.  Some dogs, (like Stanislaw), will try to consume the cardboard and that's just not good.  

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Dogmata

Big Pupi's response to all these emails from fellow raw-feasters regarding your anger at the fact that we ate cooked eggs and grains:


You have lost sight of what really matters.

There is no such thing as a diet that suits every single individual out there.  Take my mom for example.  She has a gluten intolerance and cannot eat wheat, rye, oats, barley, or anything that contains a derivative of those grains.  Chances are, your human's diet would make her ill.  She also loves peanuts, almonds, cashews, seeds and everything in between, but if your human has a nut or peanut allergy, then that would be deadly.  

But they're all humans, so they should eat the same thing!

That's a preposterous thing to say.  And saying that about dogs is equally as wrong.  There are a million and a half ways for us dogs to be fed, and each of us needs something a little different from the next.  I, Big Pupi, cannot eat any corn, soy, wheat, whey, shellfish or preservatives.  Stanislaw is allergic to sweet potato, possibly rabbit, and has issues with certain grains.  Our humans are always in the process of discovering what foods work well for the both of us, and the list of needs is always changing.

Let's take a look at my friend Henry.  He suffers from epilepsy.  While a raw diet has helped many dogs with the condition, Henry is not faring well and his humans are researching an alternative.  And that's okay.  All that matters is that he's loved and they're doing their very very best to keep him healthy.

We raw feasters can sometimes be too dogmatic.  We have seen and felt the benefits of the diet and can err on the side of rudeness while pushing it onto others.  We must keep in mind that it's not the end-all and be-all of diets out there.  A cooked diet may be the best for this dog, a kibble/raw food mix diet might be the best for that dog.  We just have to keep in mind that we all have the same goal, and that is to be as healthy as possible.  We should support each other in our efforts -- regardless of the route we take to get there. And we need to keep sight of the fact that our humans are doing their best for us because they love us and are so willing to go out of their way to make sure we have the best care possible. So I'm thankful for my healthy food, whether it's raw or cooked or otherwise.  And you should be thankful too.  We are a very fortunate, very loved bunch. 

And that's what matters.

Raw Food Diet, Day 87- Working Out, Getting Buff, Feasting Hard

I was napping on top of the sofa and stretching out my super long body when my human turned the corner with my harness.  We were going running!

I barely made it through last Tuesday's adventures, but in true Stanislaw spirit, I woke up this morning thinking it would be the best day of my life -- and I was right.  Man do I love running.  We buckled up and I sprinted as hard as I could for the entire 2 miles down to the beach.  I screamed at the water and drank some, hunted down some waves and plopped my hairy belly down into the icy lake.  Once I was sufficiently wet and sandy, we started the run back home.

On our way we were surrounded by a classroom-sized litter of 6-year old boys and girls and I screamed with joy as they pet me, called me "perrito" and I rubbed my wet stinky body all over them.  Awesome!  I was on a high and ran super duper hard all the way back to our apartment.  My brother and I ate some yogurt and then crashed on the sofa until...
...
...is mommy cooking something tasty??  Brother and I rushed into the kitchen and found her filling our bowls with deliciousness from her own lunch.  YES.  When she was done eating her food, Big Pupi and I feasted hard on ours and then went back to the sofa.  He's asleep pressed against the sofa arm, and I'm stretched out all long and handsome at the top.  

I'll be dreaming of feasts,
Stanislaw

***
Big Pupi ate something cooked today!
Well, I'm sure you are as shocked as we were that we got some cooked eggs and pasta.  Crazy!  (Crazy tasty.)  Our humans found out that raw egg makes our tummies upset, but cooked egg still has lots of protein in it and we do very well on that.  So, after our hard run today, we got some yogurt for fat, calcium and protein, eggs for protein and a little pasta just because mommy cooked too much for herself.  Oh boy.  It was still warm and oh-so good.
I know grains are a big no-no for most raw feeders, but our theory is 'everything in moderation.'  A little organic brown rice pasta for 2 skinny boys after a workout isn't going to be the end of the world... as long as our tummies can stand up to it.  We haven't eaten grains in so long that a few mouthfuls every now and again should be a-ok.  But right now my tummy is full, my muscles are tired, and this sofa is mighty comfy.  I'm off to meaty dreamland.

PS:  Did you notice in the pictures above that our sofa is blue now?  It used to be brown... until Stanislaw destroyed the slipcover with his clipper oil eating habits.  Naughty boy!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 85- Why the Vet Stinks

My day started out with what I thought was a nice walk around downtown with my mom and my brother.   I was trying to heal like a good boy but couldn't help lunging at a few tasty pigeons along the way.  Little did I know that my mommy was taking me to the parking garage where she keeps the horrible thing she calls a car.  My brother loves to ride in it, but it makes me want to puke.   I don't even need to be in the car - as soon as I see it I start to salivate and foam at the mouth.   I dug my paws into the ground but mommy picked me up and buckled me into the back seat.  I could feel the vomit rise in my throat.  


For some reason we didn't go anywhere before she took us back out of the car and found a nice man in the garage office to put big thick black and red wires and metal bits on her car's insides that gave it life.   I hate that man!   After that she strapped us into the back seat again and we were on our way.   I didn't know where, but I was upset anyway.

We went on a highway and down some bumpy roads as I drooled and slimed all over the back seat.  Then, the car suddenly got really quiet and mommy just barely got it to the side of the road.  We all sat in that terrible vehicle for an HOUR before another man came with wires, only he couldn't being the car back to life.  I was celebrating the defeat of my enemy by screaming from the back seat for the entire 2 hours that the strange man was messing with the car's insides.  But no!   He replaced something in the guts and it roared and moved again!  I had just about had it at that point, so as we were pulling into the vet's parking lot I threw up the entire contents of my stomach all over the back seat.  That's what that yucky car deserves!

My human kept thanking the vet for allowing us to come even though we were hours late.  (That's why vets are so stinky!)  I was an emotional mess at this point and when I got taken in the back to get my blood drawn I "expressed my anal glands" all over the vet tech and then had terrible projectile diarrhea all over the man.  I was also covered in puke and poo so then they BATHED ME!!!  Can you believe it?!   I HATE the vet!

My brother got taken into the back first, and since he was a good boy he got to come out within minutes.  While I was being tortured by the vet techs my brother almost got to play with a super fun little 4-year-old boy who had just gone potty in the human "good boy" spot and came out covered in his own poo.  How fun is that?!  And I missed it!!  But Big Pupi told me that the boy's daddy stopped the games from happening and took the boy away.  Darn.

After all this, and to add insult to injury, my mommy put me back in the car and drove down bumpy, nauseating roads all the way home.  Then she had the nerve to make me heal and walk like a nice boy from the parking garage back to our apartment.  And now... I've arrived home 5 hours late and my meat still hasn't arrived!!

Today is the worst day ever, and now I'm begging for dinner (my tummy is empty!!) and mommy isn't tending to my every beck and call.
Not at all pleased,
Stanislaw

***
good boy Big Pupi comments:
I LOVE the car.  So fun.  It always takes me to super great places... unless it's taking me to the vet.  But we usually go to super great places.

Today we had an appointment with vet techs just to get a blood sample before our annual visit in May.  We're getting our heartworm tests and we also got titers for Distemper.  Our humans have decided to try to avoid over-vaccinating us if they are able, and although titers are controversial with regard to their accuracy, they wanted to take this route anyway.  If we do test positive for having immunity to Distemper, then we can miss the vaccine all together and it'll be well worth it.  After all... we both have some allergies and funny immune-reactions (especially me!), so Stanley and I need a little extra TLC when it comes to vaccinations.

So keep your paws crossed that our tests come out just as they should!  We'll keep you updated on how the titers turned out.  And of course, we'll let you know all about our fresh meat once it gets here!

So pumped I got to ride in the car,
Big Pupi

Feasting!

Just a quick little note:


Feast is officially up and running!  (Human shirts/stuff and all:)
Expect a full post from us soon... we'll have a lot to say because today is a big day.  We have a vet appointment in the afternoon and then our meat is arriving.  Hooray!  (Not for the vet though...)

Monday, April 21, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 84- We're Celebrating!

***

a quick note from Big Pupi:
We have news!  Stanislaw's blog has won Dogmark.net's "Cool Dog Site of the Day" award!  We can't thank you all enough for the nomination.  It's such an honor to be recognized in this way.  We hold up our right paws and promise to each of you that we will continue to work hard and do our very best.  We couldn't be more excited!


We are doubly celebrating today, because we've been hard at work getting our web store up and running.  While the human section of our site is still under construction, the dog feasting gear is ready to go!  Stanislaw's new line is called "feast" and our tails are wagging overtime.  Check out our dog shirts  -- and remember, proceeds will be donated to help animals in need.  

In other news... our co-op order didn't arrive as planned on Saturday and so our big post complete with fresh meaty photos will have to be delayed for a day or two.  The shipment is expected tomorrow afternoon, so brace yourselves for fresh posting deliciousness.  Here's a tidbit of advice my humans learned:  always have a week or two of extra food on hand.  We had just enough to get us to our delivery date, but when that had to be delayed our people had to run out and get emergency supplies.  Oops!  Just goes to show that you should always be prepared.  Stanislaw and I didn't mind though... we didn't miss a meal and the meatiness continued as usual.  

Happy feasting!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 81- Petroleum Distillate Is Not Good For Feasting

Last night while my mommy was grooming my brother, I decided to help myself to her delicious smelling bottle of clipper oil. I snuck away and curled up with it on the sofa. After chewing the cap to bits the bottle overflowed with some tasty greasy stuff and I lapped it up while it poured all over the couch cushions. It's too bad I can't read, because the bottle says this:My humans snatched that bottle out of my oily, slimy jowls and called my doctor. He said to keep an eye on me and watch for vomiting and lethargy. My mom stayed up with me all night which meant that I didn't get much sleep, but I did get lots of attention so that was awesome. However, she was kind of annoying when she kept baby-wipe-ing my rear because the oil was leaking out all over me. I finally drifted off to sleep until 4:37am when I felt what I thought was an earthquake in my bum, but it turned out to be an actual earthquake.
This morning I got out of bed stinking like the oil and my poo escaped like greased lightening. I then feasted on a nice chicken leg quarter and kept hearing something about taking another bath. I just had one yesterday. NO!


I guess I've learned that clipper oil is NOT good raw feasting. I'm not sure I learned my lesson but I think in the future I'll stick to snacking on tubes of Chapstick if I'm craving a greasy feast. But I get in big trouble for doing that too...

***
Big Pupi is a naked boy:
My mom stole my hair! I once resembled a massive and powerful rottweiler, but how am I supposed to look tough and ready to protect my territory now? I am just one skinny raw-meat eating boy.
Actually, I can't lie. I do prefer to be without all that shaggy matty hair, especially in my leg-pits. I used to have this hair cut 10 months of the year when we lived in steamy-hot Texas, and now that it's finally getting toastier in Illinois I can do without all of that fuzzy baggage. Plus, once the weather gets warm I just get too hot on runs, and this haircut keeps me cool and streamline. And as an added bonus, all the ladies can see my tiny (but rippling!) muscles much easier now. Ohh yeah.

Look out chicas,
Big Pupi

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 79- Got Me Some Hot New Threads

Today was the first nice day in Chicago, so I hit the dog park in my new gear. Check me out:
I also designed a tasty new dog shirt and am in the process of making a whole raw feasting line of gear for pups and their humans. Check out my new squirrel shirt which is available here.

There will be more items and designs soon!

***
Big Pupi always likes a good poop joke:
The Sprinkle Brigade has shown me the power of my own creative output! With a tag like "just leave it. we got it." and a blog of their very own, I can't help but get a gut feeling that these guys are sharing my artistic vision. However, my humans are always quick with a poop bag, and while out for my morning and evening constitutionals they thwart my every attempt at leaving my mark on the art world. But these guys have got my back. Their work is really something to behold... (but only if you have a good sense of humor!)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 78- A Problem Solved

My brother and I were interviewed by Louis Reginald, a spaniel reporter from Cup of Dog!  He's a fellow raw feaster and he asked us all about our meaty meals and how we got started on the tasty raw diet.  You can read our interview here.

***
brother needs to clarify:
I understand that there's been some confusion caused regarding Stanislaw, myself, and our names.  And understandably so.  When writing posts I never actually use my name, and Stanley just calls me "brother."   (I write in italics, Stanislaw's sections are in normal type.)  Furthermore, Stanislaw has about a 100 nicknames, and we use each interchangeably, so it may sound like we're chatting about more than one dog at a time.

Stanislaw's nicknames consist of Stanley, Stan, Stanny Tanner, Sauce, Stas (pronounced "Stash") and Stink-bum.  While most of those names haven't and won't be used on the blog, I wanted to put them all out there just in case we're feeling a little creative on that particular day.

As for me, I have previously been referred to as "brother."   I am Stan's brother, but that's not my actual name.   My real, foster-mom given name is Ace "I.P." Frehley, because I look like I painted my face to go to a KISS concert.  However, when online I choose to go by my moniker Big Pupi (said "Puppy").  You see, I'm a huge fan of baseball, a bigger fan of the Red Sox, and I was nicknamed after one of the players who calls himself "Big Papi."
Last year my dad, a HUGE and life-long Red Sox Fan, heard about an election that was being held for the President of Red Sox Nation -- the official MLB team's fan base.  As both he and I are members of Red Sox Nation, that made us eligible to run for the position.  A lack of resources and time made it possible for only one of us to start campaigning, and since I had come up with a better platform my dad stepped down and supported my endeavors.  I officially took on the name Big Pupi and off I went making the world aware of the Forgotten Fans and touting K-9 friendly seating at the ball park.  I got a huge following of dog and cat baseball fans... all of them lifelong sports enthusiasts that had always been left home on game day.  We needed to make a change!

Well, to make a long story short, we submitted an application video, started a website, and I survived each narrowing of the candidates until there were only 9 of us standing -- myself and 8 humans.  Although I didn't make it as President, I did get my own Pro MLB Sports blog where I write all about sports from a dogs' point of view.  Lots of talk about feasting.  Stanislaw loved the thought of a blog about feasting and wanted one of his own, so here we are!

I hope that makes things a little clearer.  He's Stanislaw and I'm his big brother, Big Pupi -- at your blogging service.

P.S.   My Big Pupi videos were made during our pre-raw days.  Just a note, as kibbles make a special appearance in our application video.  A lot of things have changed since then!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 76- Cheese Pirates

I've started a new group of rogue outlaws called the Cheese Pirates.  If any of you dogs out  there are interested in joining my outfit, let me know.  I've created a treasure map of wine and cheese parties in my neighborhood that I'm planning to loot and plunder with my brother, Captain MoreMeat.  This is the most lucrative cheese trading triangle around, and I'm looking to get my face in some treasure cheese, the bonanza crop of the high seas.  Booty will be divided equally amongst all Cheese Pirates.  Call me BlackBeard, the most feared Swiss-buckler on the sea.
Cheese Pirates- Captain MoreMeat and BlackBeard

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 75- Weird Sounds From My Bum

I wasn't feeling that well today so I decided to take it easy and watch some Animal Planet on my couch.  All of a sudden, my bum started making weird noises and it was kind of scaring me.  I've been trying this new thing to let my humans know when I have a potty emergency.  I jump up on the window and cry to be let outside.  Luckily, today it worked and I was able to get out and relieve myself on the pavement.  The reason I was sick was because I ate a Dentabone.  Even though Dentabones are delicious, they aren't raw.  Anything I eat that's not raw makes my tummy hurt now.  That's okay though because my humans have these tasty dried raw lamb lung treats for snacking on between meals.  Anyway, I'm glad I got that Dentabone out of my system.  Now I feel better and can go back to causing trouble and harassing my humans.


Happy hunting,
Stanislaw

***
brother is a chilly dog:
Hey there guys!  Just wanted to let you know that my eye is doing wonderfully.  No sign of that annoying little gland making a reappearance, thank goodness!  We're all hoping that it was just a fluke that I got a cherry eye.  I really love to squish my face around in blankets, on humans, on my favorite armchair, in my toys... and maybe I just pressed too hard in the wrong place.  Maybe.  But so far so good!

Well, as you may know, I am a very lean little boy.  Don't get me wrong -- I feast with the best of them, but my activity level keeps me pretty skinny.  So, when we moved away from the heat of Texas land to this icy northern region where winter never seems to end, I became a very chilly cocker spaniel.  My humans let me grow lots and lots of fur, but I would always get a chill at night.  My crate is loaded down with fleece blankets, but that's just not enough for me.  Because of this, I've been forced to do something that I absolutely despise...  wear clothes.  Blech.  Hate it.  Every night my humans come at me with my green fleece jacket and every night I hide and run circles around the island trying to avoid them.  It doesn't bother me so much once I'm wearing my wardrobe, but I can't stand the act of actually putting the clothing on.  Torture!  It does keep me toasty though.
Wearing my fleece and staring at a piece of cheese.

My humans went so far as to order me an electric heating pad with a faux lambs' wool blanket on top.  It takes up 1/2 of my crate and I avoid the darn think like the devil.  I don't care if I'm cold and it's cozy warm!  I require some major fleece-blankie comfort when I sleep, and I'm not allowed to put blankets on top of the heater because it can be a fire hazard.  So, I make my nests and sleep on the other side of the crate.  It annoys my humans that I won't use it and it annoys me that I have to wear silly clothes.  I don't know why this is so difficult, because I thought of the solution to this problem years ago:  Let me sleep in the human bed!  I swear, I won't kick you THAT hard, shed THAT much, or take up TOO MUCH room.  And I'm only a little stinky.  

Please mom?  Dad?  Please?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 73- Thinking Back to the Day I was Adopted

Last night I was at my spot on the couch resting and watching some Animal Planet.  I had a full belly of raw turkey necks and I started thinking back to summer 2007 when my humans adopted me.  I had just been arrested by the dog catcher for peeing on private property.  At first I was kicking myself for letting "the man" catch me, but once I was taken to the shelter I was happy to get some kibble.  At the time, I'd been staying alive by licking Mexican take-out containers I found in the garbage.  Soon the Cocker Spaniel Rescue Group came and got me from the shelter.  Good thing because I heard that dogs don't get to stay in the shelter too long, if you know what I mean.  So, I went to the rescue and they gave me some more kibble and a shave.  Once all my fur came off, I soon realized that I was one dangerously skinny, starving boy.   


A few days of feasting later, I went to the local pet store with a bunch of the other rescue dogs.  It was adoption day.  I immediately went on the lookout for some humans that might take me home.  I saw these two humans (kind of skinny like me) with a black and white cocker that they already owned.  They were there to meet this other black dog from the rescue and he was really excited and playing with them.  This was my big chance.  I went right over to those humans with all the energy I had (keep in mind I was a weak boy) and had an accident on the floor right in front of them.  After this display, I met the black and white dog and we immediately hit it off.  This really worked to my advantage as I soon learned that this dog was in the market for a brother.

Needless to say, my ridiculously handsome looks won over the boy human, who remarked that I would be "one good-looking boy" once I ate a little more.  He really sold me on the eating thing, so I decided that this was my new dad.  I got a toy and some wet puppy food and then went for a long drive listening to Polka.  That's when I knew I had made the right choice.

Home is where the feasting is,
Stanley

***
brother has a serious chat:
Let me tell you a little story about a puppy named Wile E.  My humans came home with him one day when he was only 7 weeks old, and boy was he annoying!  Always stealing my toys!  Anyway, my puppy brother was the result of backyard breeding, where a woman had 2 boy and 2 girl cocker spaniels and she let them have puppies that she would sell.  As circumstance would have it, this lady could no longer care for her dogs, so all four of them wound up at the same rescue group that I came from.  The 2 females were just about ready to have puppies, and when the second litter came long, so did Wile E.  

Wile E. was a super-smart, super-naughty little guy that my humans called the "rug-gator."  He was also super-cute and he would get us so much attention from other humans whenever we were out and about... I liked that about him.  I'm really into getting attention.  He played rough like a wrecking ball and jumped and dove and gained weight like a monster.  I miss him.

At 14 weeks we were wrestling when he got a cherry eye.   This is a prolapsed gland of the third eyelid, and most of the time this problem must be corrected with surgery.  His cherry eye became very swollen and he figured out how to rub it on chair corners despite his e-collar, and so his surgery was moved up to try and save the gland from being too damaged.  My baby brother went into surgery just a few days before he turned 4 months old, and he never came home.  He would have been 1 in February.

We're not entirely sure what happened to Wile E. while in surgery.  It could have been the anesthesia.  There was some talk about a possible clotting disorder.  His 6 sisters were tested for a laundry list of ailments and all came out clean.  All survived their spaying (and cherry eye surgeries) just fine.  And thank goodness for that. 

It wasn't so much as a week after we adopted Stanislaw that the same happened to him.  He had originally arrived at the rescue group with one cherry eye that was so damaged the gland had to be removed, and now the second came out.  My humans panicked, rushed him to the vet, and made an appointment with an opthamologist.  Stanislaw's eye become very swollen just like Wile E.'s, and as the gland sat outside of his eye it began to get dry and damaged.  The very kind opthamologist decided to perform surgery on Stanley right away, and fortunately all went well and Stan came home that night very tired but healing.  

Generally, if at all possible it is a good idea to save the gland.  Some doctors will try to remove it, but this particular gland is responsible for over 30% of tear production in the eye, and if it is gone the likelihood of a dog developing dry eye increases dramatically.  The wonderful doctor decided that because Stanislaw was young and liked to roughhouse, he would not do a basic tacking procedure (where the gland is tucked back into place and held with a stitch), but he would actually stitch the gland to the orbital rim.  Boy oh boy has Stanislaw thrashed, jumped and played since then, and that gland hasn't budged.  Stan has a happy ending.

This morning, while napping on my favorite chair, my mom noticed that my gland was visible in my left eye.  Her heart stopped.  Unlike my brothers, my gland was very small and almost disappeared when I held my head different ways.  While I was napping she saw it start to recede back into my eyelid, and with a very gentle push on the top of my outer lid, she moved it back into place.  I am lucky.  This does not mean that it will not come out again, but in the mean time, I'm saved from surgery.

There are many morals to these stories.  The first and perhaps more important is -- don't breed your dog unless you really truly know what you're doing and have the means to do so properly.  Everyone thinks that they have the best dog out there, and there should be more of him or her.  My humans would take 10 of me if they could.  But most of these dogs, like us, wind up in shelters or rescues.  Most of these dogs wind up with chronic and congenital health problems (cherry eye is genetic).  There is a ton of work, money and responsibility that must go into breeding an animal, and it is unfair to the babies if you do not ensure their health with the proper genetic testing of the parents, and the necessary expanse of breeding know-how in your human's head.  My brother didn't deserve the cards he was dealt.

The second message: if you do need eye surgery for a cherry eye, try your best to keep the gland.  Tacking surgeries are not 100% fail-proof and there is a risk that the gland might emerge again.  But there is a far greater chance of you developing dry eye down the road if the gland is removed, and this can lead to blindness and necessitates the daily administration of eye drops that can be quite expensive.  Surgery is never cheap, but the extras you put out to get the best procedure done will come back to your human ten-fold in future years.  And you're worth it, right?

Please keep your paws crossed for me that my eye stays as healthy as its ever been.  I'll be taking it easy for a while just to make sure the gland is staying in its place (and my paw still needs to heal!).  So, until next time...

Take care, feast hard.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Raw Meat Diet, Day 72- Concerning Pigeons

As I wait patiently for my raw chicken feet to arrive from the meat co-op, I wanted to let my readers know about my feelings regarding pigeons. I've been hunting birds my whole life, and I have to say that pigeons are some lazy, fat cluckers. If my dad ever let me off my leash, I swear I could kill about 40 of those wobbly trash-eaters in about 2 minutes. Not that eating trash is bad, but pigeons shouldn't mess with getting too close to me if they want to keep their wings. In fact, one morning I was doing my business outside when all of a sudden 10 of those pudgy scavengers swarmed over me. Naturally, I bit at them wildly and got one in the face. His buddies saw what had happened and high-tailed it out of there. My dad wouldn't let me finish the dirty fowl off, but I think the bird got the message. If any pigeons are reading this, I just want to let you know that I will bite your face off.


Stanislaw, the Great Pigeon Hunter

***
brother's tasty bits:
We're down to our last scraps of meats as our humans try to get enough meals together to make it until we get our co-op order. That's supposed to come in about a week and a half from now, and I can't wait! We've got all sorts of delicious new things on the way and Stanislaw and I are never shy about digging into some new grub.

For the first time ever we're going to try some chicken feet. These little guys make great snacks and are natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin, so our humans figured that they'd be great after our runs. Plus they're very inexpensive. My mom thinks they're pretty gross so we'll see how often we're given our feasting feet.

Next up on the new food menu is beef heart. Once again my mom gets a bit squeamish about these meats looking a little too much like a biology lesson, so she ordered the heart ground. Heart is supposed to be a great source of protein (it's fed like a non-bone meat source) and it's packed with tourine which is essential for cats and dogs with seizures, like my raw-feasting friend Henry. I just think it looks tasty, and it'll add some variety to our meat meals.

One food that I'm especially excited for is our order of whiting. I LOVE my fishies, but I've never eaten any raw before. (It's important to note here that some types of salmon and other fish that swim upstream to breed can be infected with an organism that causes Salmon Poisoning Disease in dogs. These fish can be eaten but should only be served once cooked or canned.) Because mercury is a concern, our humans are careful about our fish intake, but whiting are listed by the NRDC as one of the safest fish to eat with regards to mercury content. They can be given whole and I plan to crunch right through those bones and make a big mess of myself. My mom is planning our first fish feasting on a day when we can be bathed right after. The fish I'm looking forward to. The bath... not so much.

Also on our order list is some ground duck which will be a first for us, goat (Stanley's favorite), lamb, mutton, pork and tripe. We've even stocked up on some of our beloved femur bones for some tasty marrow and good recreational bone-chewing. These co-op groups are great, because they really broaden our menu and let us try all sorts of new and drool-inducing meats. Speaking of drool-worthy feasts...

Our friend Henry and his dog brother might be getting some eyes to eat! I'm thinking that they'd be like candy gobstoppers for dogs, and I'm totally into it. My mom, however, is totally not. Chicken feet were a big step for her, and I don't think she has the good taste to find us some eyeballs. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to live my eyeball-feasting vicariously through Mr. Henry. But in the mean time, I'm sure I'll be pretty distracted by all the other deliciousness coming my way.

Happy feasting!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 71- Spreading the Word of Raw Feasting

Sometimes I'm out marking my territory and dogs come up to me and they're all like, "Stanislaw, why does you breath smell like raw chicken liver?" And I'm like, "First of all, this is my territory and second of all I feast on raw chicken livers with yogurt on the top all day, dog." Then they're like, "How do we get our humans to feed us cow stomach and raw goat and such?" And I'm all like, "Check out my blog, dude. It's about educating the human folk on the health benefits of eating raw meat and such. Once you convince your people that eating in the raw makes you healthy and whatnot, it's like seriously raw feasting all day. Your bum smells whack, by the way." And then they tell me, "But I have no thumbs, Stanislaw. I can't access the World Wide Web of information" and I'm like, "Whoa, lucky I still have my dew claws, man".


Stanislaw

brother on the cousins:
I have cousin dogs that make a perfect foursome with my brother and me. They're owned by my mom's parents and are also a duo of rescued black and black & white cocker spaniels. I guess you could say my humans are copycats since my cousins were around first... but I'm not complaining. My girl-cousin is named Paisley, and my boy-cousin is called Jake.

Paisley

Jake

After hearing and reading all about the great results my brother and I have had on the raw diet, Jake and Paisley begged their humans to give it a try. And lucky for them... just a few days ago they took their first bites of raw deliciousness. Their humans decided to go the route of pre-made foods, and picked up some Nature's Variety chicken and beef medallions from their local pet store. Well, to my utter shock and surprise, they were extremely hesitant during their first feast! They weren't sure what to do and weren't too interested. This is about when I started to question their dogginess. Are they part cat? Perhaps chicken? Once they sniffed and pondered their meal, they finally began to eat. Paisley has learned to love the new food, but Jake is still a bit confused but chows down nonetheless.

Because they're on a pre-made diet that already includes veggies, fruit, kelp, oil and other supplements, their humans are only giving them yogurt and enzymes in addition to their food. They had a really easy start with their new diet, and didn't suffer any tummy upsets or "detox" effects like my brother and I did... until their dad decided to stop adding enzymes in their meals. Boy did he learn his lesson! The house was taken over by... shall I say... a "blue cloud" that chased them out of each room of the house. Enzymes went back in and the gas disappeared. I hope they continue to have such an easy transition.

It's just the start of their new diet, but already their humans can see a bit more energy in my cousins. They've decided to stock up on the raw stuff, and pick up a few chicken wings and some ground meat to try some bone-crunching feasts as well. I can't wait to hear how that goes! I remember my first wing like it was yesterday. I'm sure they'll enjoy it as much as I did, and I'll make sure to post all about that big event.

Happy feasting Jake and Paisley!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Lilly Update

all about my Lilly:
It's been a couple of days since the mini-Miss Lilly worries hit home. I couldn't be happier to say that she's doing great! She finished off her antibiotics like a champ, and her mom switched her to a much better food. The crystals are gone as is the concern for a bladder stone. She was on Science Diet before (ew!) and now she's scarfing down Innova dry food for itty bitty dogs. It's too bad that there aren't very many dry food options for little dogs out there, as the kibbles are usually way too big for their mini mouths and teeny teeth. But, Lilly's mom read all of the ingredients and found Innova to be the best for my little lady, and since she has made a big improvement. She even picked out all of her SD nuggets and threw them all over the floor, and would only eat the new food! I always knew my girlfriend had good taste. I know she has good taste in men.


Saturday, April 5, 2008

Raw Food Diet, Day 68- My Teeth Are Clean!

Eating raw bones has really helped clean my teeth. This is great because now my brother and I won't have to go to the vet to get our teeth cleaned. Even though my mom made it a point to brush our teeth with delicious peanut butter toothpaste before we started eating raw, tartar was still building up on our back teeth. My brother's teeth were turning yellow. Check out how they look now after chewing on bones for the last few months.


As for me, I'm so relieved that I'll never have to go to the vet and get put under anesthesia to get my teeth cleaned. Trust me, you want to avoid getting put under anesthesia at all costs. Eating raw bones is like a win/win situation. Awesome feasting and no anesthesia. The last time the vet put me under anesthesia, I woke up and my manhood was missing. Not sure what happened to it but I do admit feeling a little differently towards girl dogs since it has been gone. I mean I love to play with them for a while, but when it really comes down to it, I'm just not that into them.



a message from a limping brother:
I went on a wonderful "fast hunt" with my mom and my crazy brother last Thursday. Because my brother and I run and pull so hard my humans have a special contraption that they use to make their job a little easier. It's called the FreeLeash. It's an elastic waist band with a metal clip in back (if you buy it, make sure it's got the metal buckle, not the plastic one), a pouch on the side for poop bags, keys and other things, and a carabiner-connected bungee cord leash that hooks onto a collar or harness. This keeps their hands free and makes our pulling much easier to deal with. My mom and I have been running together with this thing for years. I get so excited when I see it!

I'm a very good boy on runs. I take my running very seriously and sprint my little heart out the entire way. Because I run in front of my humans instead of alongside them, I have learned to follow directional commands which makes our days out go very smoothly. Strangers always laugh at us because I look like a miniature sled dog after one too many sips of espresso, but I'll use any opportunity to show off my muscles and manliness. I have plenty of both.

Well, I say that I'm a little angel on runs. And I usually am. Until I see a squirrel. I can't help myself around those TREE LOBSTERS!! I begin to pull as hard as my little body will let me, and I scream and squeal and cause a scene. My adrenaline gets pumping and I think of how tasty one of those little varmints would be, and how great it would feel to actually catch one -- after years of being mocked by those little tree huggers. I MUST have one! I tend to get a little overzealous at times like these, as was the case on our last run. I wound up pulling against my leash and treading in place on some gravel. It only lasted a few seconds before my mom moved us along but it was enough to cut one of my pads. My mom didn't notice until later that night after I had a good chew on my foot and started limping. She snatched me onto the sofa and put some slimy stuff on my toe and wrapped me in these annoying bandages.

All I do is try to get them off. This toe needs a good nibble! And to add insult to injury, she won't take me out for another fast hunt until it's healed. I'm stuck inside knowing that those squirrels got their way, and their plan to keep me hostage in my own home worked! I will eat you some day squirrels. I WILL!!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Raw Meat Diet, Day 66- Does Eating Raw Meat Make You Crazy?

People always ask me, 'Stanislaw, does eating raw meat make you act crazy?' Well, I'll give you the short answer: Yes. I'm a wild beast and when I taste goat blood I go into a growling feasting rage to protect my kill from scavengers (like my brother) as I devour it. Post feast I run around barking like the predator that I am, starting fights with my brother and thrashing toys. I guess eating raw meat doesn't make me more aggressive, it's just that I can't contain my excitement. I just love raw cow stomach, dude. I'd never think of biting a human or anything, but I will rip the tail off an ox.Stanley

***
Hello from brother:
Mom's home! I'm a major momma's boy, while my brother worships our dad. I take it especially hard when mom leaves for a time. I even had an accident in the bedroom... and I NEVER have accidents. Any time I get upset my tummy gets funny. I guess I'm just a sensitive little guy. First thing she did when she got home was take us out to mark our territory and then prepare our feast. We ate our last serving of the prepared food last night and this morning we got to chow down on some delicious rabbit. I missed crunching those bones while she was away! We did just fine on the prepared food -- no changes whatsoever. So if we wind up having to stay at camp again, we can just be fed our premade feasts and our humans don't have to worry. That being said, I'm trying to ensure that we will never have to go to camp and that my humans will never leave us again. I packed myself in the suitcase! I really surprise myself sometimes with how smart I can be. Quite the problem-solver. As long as I'm napping in the travel bag, I'll get to go along, and they'll never be the wiser about it. They'll just open their suitcase at the destination and I'll pop out and surprise them! And they'll be so happy. I am such a thoughtful boy.
Today has been a great day. Along with the rabbit feasting, we went for a run and then came home and snacked on some turkey burger patty, a raw egg, and some yogurt. My brother and I get especially excited when mom opens a new container of yogurt because there's always cream at the top... and that is SO TASTY! Stanley gets so excited about the cream that he winds up wearing most of it. I'm exhausted now but dad just got home and I have to go celebrate his arrival with a good toy thrashing and some serious stretching to show off my muscles. I am one happy boy.