Veggie Feastings and Happy Hearts

WHAZZUP??!! Two post in a week?? I'm on a roll!

I did something naughty, and I'd like to tell you all about it.

I broke into the human meat locker, that they like to call the "fridge." Mom doesn't know how, but I did it, and I am most pleased with my bad self. Mom keeps all my meatables on the bottom shelf of that wonderful machine... right at eye level for me and my brother. But I didn't take the meat. Didn't even touch it.

As it turns out, meat is not my most favorite feasting material.

Instead, I stretched my long and stretchy body all the way up to the tip top shelf, where I dug through a pile of vegetables, each snugged up in their own little bag. I picked my way through the pile, past the diakon radish, bypassing the carrots, ignoring the onions. Then I found it. The feasting of my desire.

The same thing that I am being all GoodBoySitStay for in this photo.
THE CELERY.
I am mildly obsessed with celery. It is my most favorite feasting ever. I drip droolies and beg the best begs whenever my mom takes it from the food box. It makes for the absolute BEST cold crunching feasting in the entire world.
What? Are you surprised?!? A meat-feasting beast like me totally digging on some green non-meat aisle material? Dude. Try it. It is AMAZING. And I'm pretty sure that something this good has to be made of meat even though it's green.

In fact, I've even got my brother eating it. He used to chew it to bits and spit it out, but even that stinkbutt has grown to love the crunch of fresh organic celery deliciousness.
Mom doesn't mind the daily feast snack either. She says that it helps to "speed things along" in the mornings when she needs to go to work. I think she's referring to how quickly I gobble down my veg. (By the way, I would like you to take note of the wonderful paper shreds that Big Pupi and I surprised mom with when she came home from the grocery store. She LOVES it when we greet her with thoughtful presents and decorations!)
In other news, mom got a call from the doggy doctor yesterday. My brother had some tests done on his ticker, and she got the results. Let me give you a little back story.
About 18 months ago, my brother was diagnosed with a heart murmur. It was a grade 1 (on a scale of 1–6, with 6 being valve failure). This is a very common ailment for beasts like us. As we age, the valve tissue can thicken, causing a murmur. It can be a progressive problem. But at stage 1, you don't do anything but keep an eye on it.

During our annual exam a few months ago, our new vet said it sounded like the disease had progressed to a stage 2. Not good. That's way too quick for mom's comfort. And given our hard-running lifestyle, heart health is a big concern. Big Pupi LIVES for our morning runs, and so mom thought it best to have a few more tests done.

Which brings me to his robo-dog naked pink chest panel.
Big Pupi spent the day at the doctor, (while I got to play at camp... SWEET), where they shaved his chest and took a gander at his ticker. Turns out that BP's blood mover does indeed have a leaky valve, but it is no where near a stage 2. Although there is some blood going back in to the heart, it is not enough to slow him down or even worry about at this point. My folks and doctor will keep an eye on it, but we don't need to taper down our runs or watch our exercise. She said that his resting heart rate is so low, and his resting breathing rate is slow, which all indicate a healthy heart and healthy body. Good news.

I was smiling (mostly because I get to continue on my morning fast hunts).
To make good news ever gooder, doctor said that BP's heart shows no signs of disfigurement or severe scarring from the heartworm that he had back when my mom first took him home. So overall, he gets an A+ on the old man health chart.
Ever since his first murmur diagnosis, mom changed up his supplements a bit. Now he gets a therapeutic dose of fish oil, at 2,000 mg per day instead of 1,000 (total of 240 mg DHA and 360 mg EPA). He's continued at 200iu Vitamin E every day to help metabolize the oil. Because antioxidants are really good for the cardiovascular and immune systems, he is given 500 mg Vitamin C, and about 300 mg of Coenzyme Q-10. CoQ10 has been shown in clinical trials to be beneficial to heart (and gum) tissue, and is also an antioxidant. Furthermore, CoQ10 is being studied for its cancer prevention benefits, which is something all senior dogs need to keep an eye out for.

BP has also shown some very slight signs of stiffness in his knees, so about 5 months ago mom started him on about 1,000 mg of Glucosamine daily. He gets the shellfish-free kind, because those kinds of fishes make him vomit for hours. After about 6 weeks on this supplement, he no longer shows any symptoms of arthritis. Once we're done with this bottle of Glucosamine, mom will move him to another shellfish-free kind that also has hyaluronic acid in it, as that is supposed to make the supplement work even better. We're both still on a pre-made greens mix with seaweed and alfalfa, and a Multi-B vitamin given a few times per week.

So... it sure sounds like a lot. But a couple of vitamins in each meal really isn't a big deal and we're HUGE believers that good nutrition is the BEST form of preventive medicine. Plus, vitamins cost WAY LESS cheese-money than vet bills.

Just a little food for thought from your beastly friends.

And I can promise you that we'll be thinking of our foods when we're out on our run tomorrow!

From your feasting friend,
Stanislaw

Why I Love My Feasts

I swear that this photo wasn't inspired by some serious snoozely brotherly snugging. That being said, shortly after this picture was taken I insisted that I be taken to the Place of Tile and Steel for a cootie vaccine and general dork prevention. I think mom understood my dire state, and Big Pupi and I were whisked away to the Place of Tile and Steel for a check-up.

She called it our "annual" and if I had known that a cootie test involved needles, ear checks and vet techs taking my blood without my permission - I would have never made the request. What a mistake! Big Pupi suffers from some serious White Coat Syndrome and is immediately turned into a pile of shivering mush the second our doctor walks into the exam room... and for no good reason, because our doctor is especially nice and generous with the skritches and sweet talk. I think she is totally awesome and I do my best grunty bummy hops when she scratches between my hip bones. The Place of Tile and Steel isn't all bad!

Doctor lady had lots of nice things to say about us. Our weight is ideal (I'm pretty sure this means that I am a beast of massive proportions), our ears are clean and our teeth are perfectly pearly white. We were also deemed Extreme Athletes because we have a heart rate of 60 beats per minute, when a normal heart for a dog our size beats 100-140 times per minute. This is really big news for Big Pupi. When he was adopted he had to be treated for full-fledged heartworm, which can often leave scars on the heart tissue and surrounding arteries. This damage can make the heart less efficient. It's nice to know that Big Pupi's ticker is at its absolute best. I think we owe this to all of the fast hunts that I drag my humans on. They can thank me later.

Because of Big Pupi's age and his history of iffy kidney values, he had to have extra blood stolen for a senior blood panel. It came back perfect! Every single organ value was right on target, and his creatinine levels have kept a steady, low, healthy number. This is huge news, because when my folks first took BP home his post-shelter blood work showed that he was at risk for kidney failure. His doctor recommended that he be checked every 6 months for his kidney values (creatinine and BUN), and the result of each test got worse and worse as time went on. Eight weeks after introducing the raw diet, mom had his values checked again and to her surprise they had dropped well within the healthy range and haven't budged since. This latest blood test confirmed that his kidneys remain in perfect working order and are no longer cause for any concern whatsoever. What a relief!

And to top it all off, our titer tests came back positive for immunity AGAIN, which means that we get to skip our DHPP vaccine for the third year in a row!! Makes you wonder why we are injected every single year with these vaccines, right?! That would be like your humans needing their tetanus, polio, diptheria, rotovirus, and meningitis vaccines every single year for their entire lives. It's a little much, especially when you know that over-vaccination in pets has been linked to malignant cancers. And I'll take any excuse to avoid a needle.

We've been elated after this vet visit. They haven't always been this good in the past. And it was our start on the raw diet that marked this sudden change in veterinary events. Thanks delicious feasts! All the more reason for me to eat more raw meatables. Right? RIGHT? I'll let you know how dinner works our for me tonight.

Happy feasting my friends. Your healthy manly bud,
Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 596- A Black and Tan

Heya feaster dudes!

After leaving a comment on my new buddy Euri's blog (he's a fellow Super Spaniel), I was inspired to write this little post~

When I was first taken into foster care, I was thought to have some black and tan spaniel in me. Why? Because I had rust-colored splotches on my face! I KNOW!! I didn't believe it either! Mom had to dig up some pics to prove it to me.

Here's a skinny photo of my first day as a rusty adopted beast:

(click to enlarge)

And here's a good one that shows my rustiness:

And now for the present-day comparison photo:
Crazy, RIGHT?! That scrawny dog doesn't even look like me!! The color change happened slowly, and started after I began feasting on real meat and gaining weight. I guess my body was getting enough nutrients in my manly muscles that it could spare some for my beastly coat. I'm not that into fashion or anything, but I like the attention my new duds get me. Apparently humans are like birds - they like shiny things.

But even more than those handsome pics of yours truly, I like the ones of me annoying the HECK out of my brother when I first moved in:
HA! That's me :!BOOFING!: at his bum and driving him totally bonkers! You can almost hear him telepathically asking mom if he can return me to cocker rescue. Can you imagine his face when he learned that this beast-o is here for good?! AWESOME!

Long, dark and handsome,
Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 416- Makin' Momma Proud

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Big Pupi talks about poking and prodding:

Aloha beasts and beastettes. Stan and I have survived our visits to the Place of Tile and Steel!

I went on Tuesday and spent much of my time in the waiting room tempting strangers to rub my belly by putting on little shows and dancing for them. These displays always left my belly strategically close and exposed by their feet. I was a pro. My tum was so happy! Then I flirted with the nice vet tech that brought us into a room. Happy! But all this changed at the turn of a door knob, when my vet walked into the room. My good ol' wiggle tail ran hiding under my bum and I skittered off to shove my body under a chair. And that was all before she even acknowledged me! NOT happy. The first and last time I saw this vet was 6 months ago for that evil weeble infection, and I remembered her well. She's mean to my man parts!

I crammed my body behind mom's legs and refused to eat any treats from the nice lady doctor's hand. I licked my lips over and over and when she came close I tried to lick her face to appease her and keep her away from my manliness. It didn't work! But it wasn't so bad this time... she pet me all over and gave me tasty niblets. She peeked into my ears without that scopey thing and rubbed my belly. I have to admit... if we weren't in that Room of Scary Things I probably would have dug it. Then I was taken into the back room and some other humans stole my blood for tests and I went home. It was a really nice day and we rode with the windows open (I wear a seat belt to prevent window escapes and other accidents) and the smells of the springtime outdoors were delicious!

Yesterday, it was Stanislaw's turn for his visit.
He drooled with nausea the whole way there, but forgot about the puke-mobile when he got to play with an awesome dog dude called Jack Russell (popular name!) in the waiting room. When it was his turn to meet the doctor he was super pumped for the attention and kissed her face and grunted like a wild man. She scooped him up in her arms and plopped him on the examination table. Stan cocked his head back and forth while she prepared her tools and it made her laugh. It's really not his smartest look. Nice Doctor Lady gave him a quick once-over, and then she and mom talked about something that had been scaring my folks for a few weeks now.

Stan has always had a tongue spot. One single round black spot on the back of his feasting tool. It was one spot in February. Then it was two spots in March. Normally this is not a good sign. Black skin marks aren't supposed to grow or spread or multiply rapidly. In fact, tongue spots are not supposed to be doing anything at all aside for hanging out and tasting feasts. And Stan's spot had grown bigger and sprouted itself a little friend. Uh oh. My folks were freaked. Thinking the worst mom held her breath while Nice Doctor opened Stanley's schnozzle as wide as it would go. Stan fought, and Doctor looked. But... all that worry was for nothing. Doctor said that all of Stan's gums were dappled and freckled, and pigmentation change like this in a young dog probably just means he's getting more freckles. In fact, Nice Doctor bet that if we were to shave Stan's fur off we'd find entire sections of his body spotted black and grey. Stan was intrigued at this mention of absolute nudity. He thought of cool spring breezes blowing past his leg pits. Fresh air dancing on his bare jowels and exposed toe webbing. He looked at mom with begging eyes, hoping for nakeyness unlike any nakeyness he's known before. It would all be in the name of science, after all. Mom took one look at Stan and said, "No way, Mr. Bean Butt." Stan still has his fur.

And as for me,
I got some pretty tasty news from Nice Doctor. Yesterday my blood panel results came in. It's been a year since I was last checked for kidney function and I am so very pleased to say that all came back with perfect numbers! My BUN was 25 mg/dl on a scale of 7-27, and more importantly my creatinine came back with a 0.9 mg/dl on a scale of 0.4-1.8. There has been no change in the past year and my creatinine has stayed super low! That's really big news because that used to be the reading that caused all the worry and forced me to return to the Place of Tile and Steel for frequent blood tests for years. Woohoo! Hoorah for the raw diet!

And to top it all off, the vet declared Stanislaw's weight to be IDEAL for the first time ever. Sure, he looks like a skinny noodle boy, but his shoulders and hinders keep good muscle and he actually has a tiny layer of fat and muscle over his ribs. Go Stan! All that feasting has done him some good! Nice Doctor also said that she's impressed at how long we've gone without ear infections and despite the fact that mom never cleans our floppies they're sweet smelling. Our teethers are pearly, eyes are bright and our breath stinks of meaty feasts. Ah yes. All is as it should be.

Now all we need to wait for is our titer test results which come in a few weeks. And dinner. We wait for dinner all day.

Happy Friday folks! Wish me luck at the Pet Expo tomorrow!
Big Pupi

Raw Food Diet, Day 182- The Magic of Raw Feasting

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Health Update by Big Pupi:

Stanislaw and I have been on an exclusively raw diet (no processed, kibble or canned food) for over 6 months now, so I felt that it was time for a health update. We've also been getting lots of emails from other pups interested in our feasting habits, wondering how, or if, we've really benefited from eating raw. For starters, I'll give a quick recap about why we started this diet in the first place~

I suffered from severe food and seasonal allergies which made me itch until I bled. My food allergies caused me at one point to lose 50% of my body weight and made it difficult for me to gain healthy fat and muscle. I also was having blood tests every 4-6 months to keep track of my kidney function, which was only heading downhill with every check. My breath was stinky and my teeth all browned and yellowed, and I was headed for anesthesia and a teeth cleaning.

Stanislaw came to us a little over a year ago at about 15 pounds. He spine was visible and even his jaw bone could easily be seen as he ate and played (the body will usually try to keep fat stores around the head for as long as it can, using the rest of the body first). He had no muscle to speak of and zero stamina. He also suffered from 5-7 bouts of diarrhea per day, and could barely keep food inside long enough to get any sort of nourishment from it. Constant ear infections were another issue that required more medication, on top of all of the antibiotics, de-worming and anti-parasitic meds that he was constantly prescribed. The vets finally decided that he suffered from a "malnutrative disorder," which basically means that his body just wasn't able to properly use his food.

We were put on Canidae, which is a super good kibble and canned food, but it didn't help Stanislaw's case any and my allergies were still out of control. Desperate, my mom talked to a Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder from my agility class, who had gorgeous, muscular dogs and found out that she fed raw. Well, the quest to learn about raw began, and a few months later (there's LOTS to learn and my humans were quite overwhelmed and nervous about it!) we were feasting on our first raw chicken wing. We've never looked back.

It took a few months for the diet to completely work its magic on us, but right away my humans began to notice some differences. Stanislaw's doggie-smelling, oily stinkhead was gone and his diarrhea stopped. He began to make normal bowel movements and only twice per day. That was a first! Our teeth became sparkling white and clean after only 4 weeks of working our way through bones, and I no longer need to have my dental appointment. My seasonal allergies disappeared and my kidney function numbers swung in the opposite direction and now I fall WAY within the healthy range and have remained stable. I no longer need blood tests multiple times per year, and can get away with seeing that yucky needle at annual appointments only. Stanislaw's once brittle, dull and brown-tinged coat grew in to a thick, shiny, blue-black. There has only been one ear infection between the two of us since, and that was only in one of Stanislaw's two ears. Does it count as 1/2 an infection?

It took a few months, but eventually we both began to put on some good muscle and healthy weight. Stanislaw went from a shelter weight of 15 pounds to today's 23 pounds of beast! Mom kept photos of his progress, and after his first 6 months with us with very little change, he suddenly began to pack it on after the switch to the raw diet. His middle used to be so tiny that mom could wrap her small hand around it and her fingers would touch! You can also see his funny rib in the early photos (from an old break that healed crooked). Look for the lower rib on his right side - it catches the light just a tad. You can't see it anymore!

As for me, I've finally put on that 2 pounds the vet wanted... well, it's more like 1.75 pounds, but I'm close! That puts me at a total of 21.5 pounds. I'm a small cocker boy, but I'm one lean, mean, playing machine.
So, all is well in feast-ville. This whole diet thing couldn't have worked out any better for us, but keep in mind that it's not for everyone, including my buddy Henry who is now giving a cooked diet a try (Henry suffers from epilepsy). Every dog is different and your humans need to find what works best for you. And no matter what you're feasting on, I think it's pretty safe to say that all of us bloggy doggies are very loved and very spoiled. We are certainly a lucky bunch.

Nibbles,

Big Pupi

***

Stanislaw here, and I want to send love to my dearest Paris Rain for this lovely treat. I feel the same about you, baby... and your blog. How lucky am I? Who would have thought that a beast like me would get such a nice award? Things like this you just don't take for granted.

Blushing,

Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 178- First Flight

Hello bloggerinis.  Don't Big Pupi and I look handsome?

Just kidding.  That's our aunt and uncle (cousins?) Jake and Paisley.  I know... the four of us would make quite a troop marching our way through downtown!  But I've actually never met them since they live a few days of riding in the puke-mobile away.  I've only heard stories.  One of these stories, as fate may have it, is about raw feasting.

My grandhumans put Jake and Paisley on the raw diet shortly after Pupi and I started to notice all of the health benefits from fresh feasting.  They eat mostly a pre-made ground raw diet, but this past weekend they got to chow down on their first bone-crunching chicken wing!  Jake, who is normally the speed-feaster, oh-so carefully chewed his wing into tiny portions and broke it to bits before sending them down to his tummy.  Paisley, on the other hand, stood there frozen with her eyes moving wildly, with a nice juicy wing waving goodbye from her jaws.  She wouldn't eat it!  She also didn't want anyone to take it.  She watched Jake make his way slowly through his meaty deliciousness, but she remained statuesque with only the occasional glance in her brother's direction.  Thinking that she would eventually feel the beast inside and go to town on the wing, her humans let her be.  They thought wrong.  She remained unmoved and drooling, with an in-tact wing still dangling from her lips.  It wasn't until her mom came and grabbed hold of the protruding wing that Paisley began to fight for it.  She began to tug at the meat and chew on the bone and before she knew it she was feasting!  There was no turning back once those tasty juices hit her tongue!  Paisley pulverized the bone within the wing, and then swallowed the gelatin-like bit of bird whole.  It was gone in a belch!  

Jake and Paisley were totally fine after the their first bone-in meal.  They wrestled with joy for the remainder of the morning and then ended the day with some tasty ground beef.  Yum!  This bone crunching will help to clean years of kibble yuckiness that has built up on their teeth.  It sure worked for Pupi who was about 4 months away from scheduling a teeth cleaning at the Place of Tile and Steel.  Now he has sparkling white choppers!  In other news, Jake's stinkhead has magically disappeared, just like mine did!  He even had it way worse than me, and after being fed raw he no longer has that "doggy smell" that would get on the humans' hands and clothes.  It's been a few months since Jake and Paisley made the switch from kibble to raw, and they've both kept a healthy, lean weight, have not had one single ear infection, suffer from no allergies, and are full of energy and a love of the feast.  Now that's tasty news!

Talking about tasty news, I have discovered a new talent.  I can catch birds!  I got myself a juicy little house sparrow while out for a walk with dad last week.  I am a master hunter!

Mom is not too thrilled, however, and I just can't imagine why.  I can provide for our family!  In the true spirit of all things Stanislaw, this new-found ability has become an overwhelming obsession (add it to the list!) and now I only want to hunt birds whenever I'm outside.  And they're everywhere!  It's so great.  I'm so focused on bird hunting that I forget to do my Good Boy in the Good Boy Spot, and since I've been getting pretty good at avoiding Good Boy in the apartment, I wind up not going at all.  In fact, I held it for over 12 hours yesterday because I couldn't get myself to focus and was forced to mom before dawn with one serious potty emergency.  She was so happy to see my smiling face!  But man, I barely made it outside before I exploded with weebles.  It was some excellent territory marking.  Sometimes not even I can believe my own beastliness.  

Catch birds & mark territory,

Stanislaw

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Big Pupi has a request:

If you've been reading our blog for a while now, you probably know that Stanislaw has some.... um.... mental issues.  He is indeed a special boy.  He's prone to developing obsessive behaviors that control him to the point that he can't even focus long enough to lift a leg.  While he's improved dramatically and has lost most of the compulsions and ticks that he had when first adopted, he will still develop new obsessions and still suffers from generalized anxiety when away from his home and familiar territory.  We've been working with his "therapist" to help him get over his anxiety problems, but it's been slow going - especially when it comes to his screaming about town!  Well, mom has emailed his therapist about his new bird hunting obsession, but I was hoping to get some advice from my fellow dog bloggers!  Anyone have any ideas how to get Stanislaw out of these habits?  My humans try to treat and distract but absolutely nothing breaks though.  And if feasts don't get through to Stanley, you know that you've got one major obsession issue on your paws.  He loves the thrill of the hunt!

Thanks guys!

The obedient son,

Big Pupi

Raw Food Diet, Day 130- Inroads and Outfields

Hi folks! I've been walking around with my head held high the past 24 hours because the world has discovered my ridiculous good-lookingness.  You see, Pupi and I went to the bark park yesterday for a good romp with our buddy Hunter.  The combination of the freshly muddied dog run and our au de toilette that we got at camp inspired mom to give us a good scrub down and then attack us all over with the buzzy thing.  She was surprised at what she found under piles of my thick cocker 'do -- a day-glo shiny boy.  I have such a sheen to me I'm almost iridescent, and this gets me lots and lots of attention from strange humans that want to pet the sparkle pup.  Awesome!  It's only been a day since I've been groomed, but people are already asking who my breeder was, what I'm fed, and if I'm a show dog.  A show dog?!  I've decided that I'll make the push for rescue and shelter pups out there, and inquiring humans always drop their jaw when they hear that someone threw me away once and that I, too, was a shelter boy.  My humans always make a point to let them know that I was not this pretty when they first took me home, but some quality nutrition and a little TLC can turn a sickly dog around.  And when they ask what I'm fed... well... I eat raw meat, of course!

(I think my buddy Fenway [an actual show dog] will agree with me when I say that our delicious fish oil has a lot to do with our fancy coats.  If you're interested in adding some to your diet, which I recommend for so many reasons on top of improving coat and skin, please check out my supplements post for dosages and recommendations for EPA/DHA quantities.  Plan on 6 months or so before you see any dramatic improvements, but it's well worth the wait!)

***

Big Pupi had THE best day yesterday:

Yesterday marked the annual White Sox Dog Day at the stadium.  Dogs could apply for tickets months in advance, and the lucky pups that got one could actually go into the baseball stadium and feast on hot dogs and watch a game of baseball!  Unfortunately Stanislaw did not get a ticket, but I did and I was practically bursting waiting for the day to come.  It was extra special to me because I got to spend the evening with both of my humans all to myself.  Stanislaw can be very needy and so it was wonderful to be lavished with attention for a few hours.  We waited in line with lots and lots of other pups and paraded around the field to show off our handsomeness and scare the Royals with our beastly qualities.  I'm sure you know by now that I'm one serious Red Sox fan, and this may seem a little strange that I attended a White Sox game.  Well, I have been lobbying for a section K-9 at Fenway Park, or at the very least a dog day, and I felt it was necessary to conduct some research.  It was so awesome I can't even tell you, and now I'm practically rabid over the idea of a dog day for Fenway!

I was debating whether or not I should take off my harness and collar and streak across the field.

Watching the White Sox warm up and attempting to sniff some long-distance bums.

Frightening the Royals with my beastliness.  They hid in their dugout!

Dad shared his ballpark hot dog!  (Minus the spicy stuff.)  This particular feast was IncredibleAmazingDeliciousScrumptious, but I bet you Fenway Franks are even better!

Watching the game from the doggy bleachers.

I was one very well-behaved boy and I restrained myself from marking any territory and I even managed to avoid doing one of my excitable poobles that always seem to sneak out when I'm having too much fun.  That was just Big Pupi representing Red Sox Nation for all you Forgotten Fans out there.  To baseball dog fans and to dogs that are ball fans alike...

...Play Ball!!

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!!

Raw Food Diet, Day 52- Holiday Meat Feasting

Although I'm a good Polish Catholic boy, I have to admit that I've already feasted on some delicious raw meat today (turkey necks, to be exact). The Bible does tell us we shouldn't eat meat on Good Friday, but it says nothing specifically about raw meat. Raw meat is an entirely different animal. Trust me, if baby Jesus ever feasted on some raw cow stomach like I have, He never would have banned it, not even for a few days a year! Hey, all dogs go to heaven anyway.

Stanislaw

***
more raw diet effects on brother:
Something new and strange has been happening to me since I've been on this diet. My tear stains are gone! I have snowy white fur around one eye and all along my lips on both sides. That fur had always been stained with a deep red/brown color. My humans don't believe in using bleaches or any harsh cleaners on me, and since I'm not a fancy show dog (I prefer to be a stinky and dirty lake-swimming boy), they didn't bother much with removing my stains.

Every single morning before we are allowed to eat our breakfast, my brother and I must sit nicely and patiently while our mom wipes our morning "boogies" from our eyes. If she sees any more "boogies" during the day she'll wipe those away as well. It's not so much that she wants to prevent stains but because she doesn't want our eyes all blocked up and for those boogies to wind up on her clothes and furniture. Yuck! Well, all of a sudden mom realized, that despite the presence of morning boogies just the same, that my stains were gone! (Stanley had stains too, I'm sure, but because he's black you can't see them.)

You can even see how my eye has changed if you look at the photos from the start of this blog until now. Some good before pictures can be seen in these posts: 1 and 2.

And now for the after picture!
I have that one freckle that can pose as a little tear stain, but it's just another one of my cute spots. Isn't that amazing? It was 3-weeks since by last bath that this picture was taken, and my face wasn't cleaned and I haven't been groomed since then. So mysterious! My mom wanted to find out why this might happen, and while she couldn't point to one particular cause, she found many potential reasons.

1. Water: Iron and other minerals in the water we drink are excreted by the body in the fluids (tears and saliva), and once they reach the air they are oxidized and turn a red/brown color. Our humans keep a water filter on their tap for their own drinking water, and they fill our bowl up with this as well. But they've always done this, so my mom has ruled this one out for me.

2. Yeast: The constant wetness under the eye area from tearing is a perfect moist, warm breeding ground for Ptyrosporin, or "Red Yeast." This can be coupled with a very low-grade bacteria infection which exacerbates tearing, and the yeast makes the red/brown color. Yeast usually has a smell.

3. Allergies/Infection: There can be direct medical conditions that cause our eyes to water, including allergies or bacterial infection of the tear ducts or ears. On their own, these reasons explain excessive tearing, but not staining .

4. Proteins: Proteins in the saliva and tears, when exposed to oxygen, dry to a brown color. I doubt the basic chemical make-up of my saliva has changed, so I'm not so sure about this one.

5. Food: Of course processed foods (especially those with food coloring) can cause bad staining around the mouth. Some believe that food allergies can change the pH of the body, which leads us to our next reason...

6. Body chemistry: The acidity of our body can vary greatly, and it may be related to the foods we consume. Some believe that a alkaline body can cause stains, and that apple cider vinegar can reduce this acidity and normalize our pH. When added to water, it can neutralize pH in the water we drink. A change in pH can make our bodies poor breeding grounds for yeast and bacteria. However, as mentioned in a previous post, apple cider vinegar has many tales of its many uses, but very few of them (if any) have been proven absolutely true through medical testing.

That said, the addition of apple cider vinegar has been one of the few changes (aside for the obvious - no more kibble) that my mom can think of. We were on raw for a while before the addition of unpasturized, organic ACV (the kind with bits floating in it), and there was no change. Then, after a few weeks with the ACV/honey mix added to our veggies my face was clean. Perhaps it took that long for the raw diet to do its thing, and it's a coincidence. We get so little ACV in our veggie mix it's hard to believe that it would do the trick...

It's an eye stain mystery. But all I care about is that I'm one good-looking boy. Whether I'm all stinky from a lake swim or fresh from a bath, all you'll find are freckles on this pretty face.

Raw Food Diet, Day 11- My Stinkhead is Gone

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I used to have this weird problem where my head stunk like a skunk and when humans pet me their hands smelled like it. Stinkhead really was a game-killer for me since my favorite thing after biting pigeons in the face is making new friends with humans. First I locate a human in the hallway, elevator, or outside. I then stare at the potential new friend and cry until they make eye-contact and pet me. I was always afraid that these new human friends of mine would notice my stinkhead residue on their hands and not want to pet me when they saw me again. But after a week and a half on the raw meat diet, I am proud to say that my stinkhead is gone! Thanks, BARF diet! Now I can make more friends and get more pets than ever! So here's some advice to my dogs out there that are self-conscious about their stinkhead:

BARF diet, apply directly to the mouth,

BARF diet, apply directly to the mouth,

BARF diet, apply directly to the mouth.

Pet me,

Stanislaw

party animal brother comments:

The raw diet has helped many dogs with all sort of issues, ranging from seizures to food allergies and even to things like "stinkhead" and anal gland problems. I know that I was considered allergic to all poultry, beef, corn, wheat, preservatives, and shellfish. While I do not eat many of things anymore, I can tell you that now I'm enjoying my raw chicken wings and turkey necks without a hitch.

As general health improves, health issues will begin to subside. This can be attributed to many factors, with the top 4 as follows:

1. Raw foods contain live enzymes that are killed when food is cooked and heavily processed, as they are in kibble. These enzymes are essential to our health, maintenance, and well-being. They even work within our bodies to prevent cancer, arthritis, and other degernative illnesses.

2. Raw foods are lacking any additives, preservatives, dyes, thickeners... and the list goes on and on. I believe that any time you take out the "fake" stuff and stick to what nature intended you'll wind up seeing an improvement in your health. That goes for both us dogs and our humans!

3. A diet full of raw meats and veggies is chock full of vitamins, minerals and oils, all in their natural state. Many humans believe that the body is more capable of using these nutrients when they haven't been processed. I know these nutrients are tasty when they're hidden within some raw beef meat. That's all I care about.

4. Chewing raw meaty bones keeps our teeth clean. Clean teeth is an extremely important part of our overall health, as the plaque and bacteria that would flourish on a wet or kibble diet eventually builds up and causes gum disease. This is terribly painful, causes tooth loss, and has even been linked to kidney, liver and heart disease! My brother is lucky and since he's so young, his teeth were sparkling white even before the raw diet. But me, on the other hand... I was about 6 months out from having to be anesthetized and given a professional cleaning. But guess what! After only a short time on the raw diet, those delicious meaty bones have made a huge difference in my teeth and little by little they are looking more like my brothers. My humans are also talking about a sudden lack of "doggy breath." Not sure what that's about.

Man, do I love feasting on my enzymes.