Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Raw Food Diet, Day 536- Where It Comes From

Hey Dudemeisters. My spoiled baby big brother FINALLY let me have my blog back. I'll tell ya that Big Pupi is doing almost shockingly well. He's healing so quickly now that he should be able to wear a harness for a good long walk this weekend. I bet he's excited to get out of the apartment to check his pee-mail!

I had to be Have today on a Good Boy Walk and, well, I was mostly Good Boy... I struggle when there are puddles all over with lots of reflections. We took a break at the bark park and I had a BLAST getting 2 dogs to chase and wrastle with me at the same time. I was SO AWESOME! The sprinkler was on as well and I spent a lot of time exposing the ol' groin to the icy coolness. Once I'm soaked from head to toe I make sure to help cool the humans off and rub against their shins. I'm such thoughtful little man!

Then on my Good Boy Walk home I met Mr. Great Dane who was 7 months old and looked like Big Pupi - but about a bagillion times his size. This dude was AWESOME! I jumped a few times trying to sniff his bum and attempted to start a game of chase, but our humans wouldn't drop our leashes. NO FUN! I wasn't the slightest bit put off by his size. I like the big party animals! I aspire to be a huge party animal myself some day.

Anyway, mom was telling me about the crazy critters that lived here before me, and the times she first learned about the benefits of special, homemade diets. She told me that it not only applies to beasts such as myself, but to all critters big and not-so-beastly. To start, I would like to introduce you to a tasty little niblet named Nutmeg:Mom got Nutmeg (and Pie, but we're missing photos of that lady bird) when mom was 11 years old, and that wacky bird stuck around through grammar school, middle school, high school, college and through mom's first job. Nutmeg was fed seeds for her first few years, but then the vet insisted she be put on a pellet diet. Well, it wasn't long after that switch and Nutmeg and Pie got LEAD POISONING! Can you believe it? They almost died! So it was back to seeds and veggies for them.

At about 5 years old, little Pie passed away from what they thought was a heart attack. It happened right in front of young mommy and she was a tad bit scarred from that whole event. Pie was an obese little bird because seeds are kind of like eating chocolate chip cookies every day and boy did Pie like her feasts! This left little Nutmeg all alone, but she was so bonded to mom that she didn't really mind it. She just followed mom from room to room running about on the ground like a puppy. (That sounds totally bizarre to me. I think mom is making that up.)

When Nutmeg was about 8 years old mom got her a buddy named Bean. He was a strapping young lad:
Bean LOVED Nutmeg and he would sing her Low Rider and other tunes and flash his wings and strut about for her. It was love... but she only loved mommy. Bean was a feisty sort and he never gave up on the quest for Nutmeg's affection.

It was around this time that their vet said that mom should try pellets again. He said that they've improved a whole lot and he gave her a very fancy brand to take home. The birdles ate a mix of this with a little seed, some veggies and fortified treats. Nutmeg actually liked her pellets and would chow down every day. However, at about 10 years old she was diagnosed with renal failure, brought on from Hypovitaminosis A - a severe lack of vitamin A in the diet. WHAT? Where was this "balanced" and "nutritious" fancy food now?? This was the BEST of the cockatiel pellets and here was Nutmeg with a terminal illness. WHAT THE BIRD?!?

They fought the kidney disease for 2 1/2 years until the kindest thing was to send little Nutmeg over the bridge. Bean called for his love for days on end, until he too became too ill to sing. Mom rushed him to the vet who diagnosed him with a rare fungal infection of the crop, and said that birds can become so attached to another being that they can actually die from a broken heart. Bean's love was gone, and so his body was calling it quits.

Until this little bugger came to town:
Meet Little Reggie the Cockatiel (AKA "Reggie"). Mom rushed out and adopted Reggie from a parrot rescue, and there was an instant connection between him and Bean. Within days Bean had made a full recovery and began to sing songs of love for his new brother. Reggie, (whose rescue was a little... em... questionable), almost doubled his weight from a emaciated 80 grams to a healthy 120. (The Regg-meister would like everyone to know that he was a large cockatiel, not a fat one!) That big boy would climb to the highest perch and puff his chest, singing the most horrible renditions of Low Rider you've ever heard. Bean would watch him adoringly from below.

At this point mom and dad had moved to Texas and Bean and Reggie were chillin' in the sunshine. Mom brought them to new vet who was a super duper parrot specialist, and he suggested once again she change their diet. Mom told him the story of Nutmeg, the lead poisoning, the vomiting... To this the vet said that he doesn't believe in these pre-made pellet diet thingies and he gave her a recipe especially for cockatiels that included a mix of grains and veggies and fruits. Mom could make it super duper cheap from the bulk organic grains at Whole Foods! It was crazy easy to make, and it cost 1/2 the cheese money of those silly seed mixes!

And well, the story ends with Reggie and Bean feasting on this new food and thriving. They went into a molt a few months after the diet change, and their new feathers could practically glow they were so brilliant. Their activity level went up, their molts became super easy and they stayed bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

"Hmmm..." she thought, "there might be something to this." And that idea stayed in the back of her mind until my bro and I came around with our health issues. And well, the rest is happy and meaty history.

I think I like those birdles! I would have liked to eat.... er... MEET them!
Stanislaw

19 comments:

Mack said...

I keep telling my mom I'm a large Boston and not a fat one, but she is having none of it.

And your girlfriend laughs and points and calls me a pot-bellied pig (Thanks dad for putting that in her head)

Dad has a big old cockatoo named Juanita and she is the reason I am "large". She will toss her food on the floor as she is looking for her favorite nut. I can't help it if I like birdy food (especially the red pellets).
Mom has figured a way to tie pieces of acrylic to Juana's cage so most of the food just falls back inside the cage. It was good while it lasted!

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Tank woo fur sharing your pawesome day...the pawesome news about your brofur...and fur the bird history!

Furry khool!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: I wonder if they taste like khat?

Hero said...

I didn't know that your mom was as much a bird lover as we are! Before my hoomans got me they had a lot of Budgies. My mom was really close to one in particular named Beau. She tells me that he was free to fly around the house and that he often liked to walk after people on the floor too just like Nutmeg. He ate seeds, veggies, fruits, and a lot of other things and lived to be 11 years old. Mom thinks he might have lived longer if she had not gone away for college. My hoomans also had a hamster that lived for six years, though they think he was just a special case, because all their other hamsters lived a normal lifespan of 3 or more years and ate the same things as he did.

My hoomans wanted to get a bird or a hamster when they first came to the Azores, but hamsters are too expensive here (~$25 for ONE hamster!) and they didn't want a bird that they'd have to give away once we moved. They had to give away a budgie when they had to suddenly move from Iceland and it was difficult for my mom to say goodbye.

Molly the Airedale said...

Mom's neice is into Cockatiels and we're going send her on over so she can read all of this very valuable information! Thanks, guys!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

the many Bs said...

hi Stanislaw, that's a very interesting story of all of the birds and their diets. our mom has had birds since way before us too, and she feeds them the bestest foods in the world - cooked stuff, pasta, grains, beans, cornbread, veggies, fruits, nuts - it's a wonder they aren't fat like piggies, but they are sleek and shiny! they also get special pellets and a little chunk of millet spray every now and then. birds are great, but they won't play with us. silly birds.

woofs.

Anonymous said...

So glad Big Pupi is doing better, he has really had a bad time of it lately hasn't he?
Thanks for sharing the birdie story, so glad your mom found the natural food for them.
xx Scott xx

Fenway said...

Those birds look like more fun than stuffies! But I'd definitely have respect for anything that can warble Low Rider.

Feast fine, eat natural!
Fenway

Amber-Mae said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amber-Mae said...

Wow, the birdies sure eat healthy too huh? I'm sure they were very healthy! Hey, Mommy made a snood for Faith because of her ear infection. She remembered you wearing one before so she decided to follow. Hee! You can see in our latest post.

Smoochies,
Solid Gold Momma

Petra said...

Thanks for sharing this interesting story. Your mom sure learned a lot about the right kind of food to feed the birds, and now she is taking good care of you!

Scout and Freyja said...

Our momma's ♥ melted when she found your bloggy. Alla' her life she's had spaniels to love but there aren't any in the house right now cuz our sister Savannah Leigh went to the Bridge a couple of years ago. She was almost 15 but momma says that there is never enough time to spend with someone you love.

Anyway, happy to meet you!

Eric said...

Eeeek birdies...I chase em away cos of Mom's phobia!! She's in a little faint on the floor at the moment. I'll have to save her in amo. But first want to yap how relieved to see Big Puppi is all recovered and hope the Evil Neo and the snood have left your country (as long as they aren't heading for mine) Then gotta to do BIG barks of congratulations to your leggeds and wish them love and happiness together fur ever.

Any help with the stag night - call me Stan ...I'm your dog!! Are you both page boys at the wedding?

Wiry loves and kissies, Eric xxx

Joe Stains said...

Your good boy walking sounds like a fun time, I like big dogs too. I never met a dog that scared me yet. Sounds like you owe a lot to those handsome birdies!!

Stanley said...

Stanislaw!

Thank DOG your mama had Nutmeg, Bean, et al and that she met that fine parrot specialist. He may have just saved your lives too!

Glad to hear that Big Pupi is healing right up and that the neo could possibly be evil to us pups who tend toward allergies.

I'm thinking that you need to have an extended playdate with that Big Pupi-lookalike Great Dane sometime soon. Any chance?

Goober love & smooches,
Stanley

Indy said...

Wow, what a great story. I laughed, and I cried! Would you mind posting the recipe for cockatiels? My people rescued a cockatiel that has a wonderful home now, but she started plucking herself. My humans wonder if that recipe might help her.

I am on a completely raw diet, mom put me on it after she found out I had food allergies. I was very sick for a year before that. Once mom and dad figured out what to feed me, and put me on a raw diet, I got much better and have been very healthy ever since! Great blog!

Agatha and Archie said...

Isn't real food the best!!! Actually any food is good!!! See even birds know what is right for them! Lov eA+A

Samantha ~ Holly and Zac ~ said...

Beautiful cockatiels.

We have one called Bill here, he is getting old now but seems to be doing really well still. He was about 15yrs or so when our human got him and that was years ago, we are not sure how old he actually is.

He has always had a broken wing or had it since he was very young so he can't fly but it doesn't stop him wandering around and enjoying himself.

Holly & Zac...XX

FleasGang said...

What a great bed-time story! We just love happy endings. So it sounds like you two owe a lot to these feathered friends of yours. They are like the original beasts of the family, chowing down all vegetarian like!

Pupi, we're so happy you are healing nicely now after that bout with evil neo. You showed an abundance of patients with all those "clothing accessories" you had to endure on your body. You totally deserved a night in the human crate!!

luv
Shelly & Tommy

Biggie-Z said...

Wow, reading about all that raw food is making me hungrry. I'm gonna post about it on my bloggy, but I had to eat kibbles for two weeks at camp (actually more than that, because I had to switch onto the kibbles before I went to camp) and they have beenc ausing some problems with my tummy AND my teeth are looking all awful and my fur isn't as nice and I'm a little stinky.

RAW ROOLZ!

(Momma says she needs to lose 10 pounds after her vacation, I think maybe she better start the raw diet too. She might be less stinky too)