With Halloween just around the corner, and the supermarket full of pumpkins, here are some ideas to make the most of your pumpkins.
I found these neat dog themed stencils online last year. Although it looked easy, it was really tough cutting, and took a lot longer than I thought. Use the stencils, but instead of cutting, use a Sharpie marker to draw on your pumpkin. That way after Halloween, you can recycle and reuse your whole pumpkin.
In addition to being a super-food loaded with potassium, pumpkin is a wonderful natural remedy for your dog’s constipation or diarrhea. Just put a dollop of cooked pumpkin onto their regular food - or put it into a Kong toy as a treat – when there’s an occasional bout, or every day to keep them regular. Make sure it’s “just” pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with sugar. However, if diarrhea or constipation lasts for more than a day or two, it may be serious and need a trip to your vet.
To process your fresh pumpkin:
cut the top off as though you’re making a jack-o-lantern
scoop out the seeds and “guts”
place it on a cookie sheet, pop it into the oven, and roast it; or pop it in your microwave on a vegetable setting, until it comes out soft so you can easily scoop out the flesh
to freeze it, put the cooked pumpkin into zip lock bags, or for single servings, in greased ice cube trays
You can even roast the seeds and eat them yourself or feed them to Fido.
rinse the seeds and pick out the pulp and strings
spread them out on a baking sheet (greased or lined with a silicone sheet) – if you’re eating them, you may want to add spices or salt. For Fido, that’s not necessary.
bake at 325’ F for about 25 minutes, stirring half way through
Nelson is fully powered by raw. He really loves bison, beef and chicken – all served up pink and bloody. Many “dog people” are really familiar with the raw diet, but for some pet people, this is a totally new concept.
Deciding what to feed your pet is a lot like deciding what to feed yourself - you can live on cheeseburgers and fries, pre-packaged frozen foods, vitamin enriched home-made granola, something in-between or combinations. For all of these options, you are making choices between nutrition, convenience and cost. And - you feel different depending on the diet you choose – so does your dog!
Why people choose raw
Packaged pet food came out in the mid 1900’s to get rid of food processing plant by-products. Since then, pet food manufacturers have done a great job telling you you can’t feed your dog “people food”. Other than a few food items that are toxic to dogs, there’s no difference between healthy people food and healthy dog food, other than some commercial dogs foods are made with sub-standard ingredients and additives of questionable health value put together in non-human grade processing plants.
You may have heard about a BARF diet. That phrase, coined by veterinarian Dr. Ian Billinghurst, stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or Bones And Raw Food. With a raw diet, your dog eats natural, human-grade foods with zero additives, preservatives, and unhealthy fillers. With raw, dogs are typically very enthusiastic about meal-time. You should notice improved overall health and vitality, better stools (less of them, and they’re not stinky), a shiny coat, and healthy white teeth. After switching to raw, many dogs with chronic skin rashes, hot spots and ear infections, see noticeable improvements.
However, not all veterinarians agree that the raw diet is healthy or safe. Some love it, some hate it – so depending on your vet, you’ll get different recommendations. Some people worry about getting sick from handling raw food – the key there is to handle your dog’s food in the same way that you handle raw meat you prepare for yourself.
Choices include ingredients, grain or grain-free, and fresh or processed
Ingredients
A typical raw food diet includes muscle meat or fish (chicken, beef, turkey, bison, etc. - the same stuff you eat), organ meat (liver, kidney, heart, gizzards, and such), bones, eggs, and fruit and vegetables (or green tripe). Their diet may also include supplements such as plain yogurt and/or digestive enzymes, and various oils like fish or canola. The key to a raw diet is that to retain all of its health benefits, meat and bones are not cooked or processed. Vegetables are only slightly cooked.
Grain-free diet
Purist BARFers don’t feed grains – anything made with corn, wheat, rice, etc. Many believe that our cute little biological wolves can’t process grains, believing they're the cause of so many of our dogs' serious modern-day health issues.
Fresh or processed
Regardless of if you choose raw and/or grain-free, you can also either buy pre-mixed foods or make your own. For convenience sake, you can purchase pre-formed raw patties or bulk meat blocks already mixed with fruits and vegetables. Conversely, you can assemble your own ingredients. By buying inexpensive human-grade chicken necks and backs and beef liver from your grocery store, asking for dog bones at your local butcher shop, and serving left-over and over-ripe fruits and vegetables, you can create a raw buffet your dog will love. Remember that your dog is an omnivore, not a carnivore, so it’s important to feed more than meat - fruits and veggies too.
If you want to improve the quality of your dog’s diet and you’re a bit squeamish about the whole raw thing, pop these natural ingredients into a slow cooker (except the bones – never serve cooked bones) and voila – holistic canine stew – freeze it in individual packages and Fido is set for the week.
This yummy doggie supper includes a raw beef patty, an egg including shell, and fruit and vegetable mush of bananas, mixed berries, brussel sprouts and broccoli, with two salmon oil capsules.
Tips to go raw:
The easiest way to start is buy quick-and-easy pre-packaged raw in either patties or bulk. Three very knowledgeable and very reputable local pet food retailers that sell pre-packaged raw pet foods are: Fido and Felix Foods, Metro Pet Market and Pawsitively Purrfect.
Provide a variety of meat sources. Buy chicken necks and backs, and serve them to your dog whole. Check what’s on sale at your supermarket, then buy it in bulk. Know of any friends who hunt? – offer to take their left-over parts.
Serve in-season fruits and vegetables. For example, in the spring provide steamed spinach with over-ripe bananas, and in the fall, zucchini with ripe tomatoes. Make it easy by saving your family’s left-over fruits and veges for Fido.
Serve organ meat such as beef liver or heart at least once per week. (My own dogs hate pork liver. They won't eat it.)
Ask your favourite butcher to cut up a beef knuckle bone into separate servings. Replace a couple of meals each week with bone (it’s not in addition to supper, it’s in place of supper).
Serve Fido your family’s left-overs, just make sure to exclude toxic foods like onions and grapes.
Toss a whole raw egg in every couple of days.
Add a dollop of plain, unsweetened yogurt and splash of canola oil to each meal.
The goal for your dog’s diet is to provide energy and increase their health and vitality. Do what works for your dog, and don’t stick to one approach if it’s obviously not working. If your dog shows any signs of not being well, talk with your vet – some issues can be diet related.
PS Hey Booberdog, hopefully this post helps Nelson not be jealous `,:3
Dog food manufacturers and retailers are very good at making you think you have to buy packaged food and treats for your dog. However, another inexpensive alternative is to make your own – they're healthy, and additive and preservative free.
Instructions:
Slice beef heart into very thin slices
Lay strips across an oven racks
Place a cookie sheet on the oven rack below to catch the drippings – you can line the cookie sheet with tin foil to make clean-up easier
Roast at 170’ until the meat is dried – typically three to five hours
Cooking Alternatives:
You can also do this on the BBQ – turn all burners to high, burn off any old drippings, clean your grill, turn one burner to low and the rest off, then lay strips across.
If you’ve got a dehydrator, just place the strips into the dehydrator until done.
As always, when handling these or any store-bought dog treats, wash your hands after handling.
In my opinion, this is an exceptional how-to book for dog people.
The author Victoria Stilwell is a dog-trainer who stars in the TV series It’s me or the dog. She uses positive techniques to train and build relationships with dogs, and helps dogs think on their own without having to physically manipulate, yell or scold, or otherwise be a brute to them. I love that she has a kind, calm approach that clearly demonstrates that you don’t need to “dominate” to train. As a bonus, the format is easy-to-read and is visually interesting, making this book accessible for even non-readers.
Highlights of the book are that it:
provides a very good overview about how dogs communicate
explains calm assertive, rather than aggressive manipulative approaches
gives very specific step-by-step instructions to train people in basic obedience skills such as sit, stay, come and impulse control
gives instructions that motivate dogs to think and want to do things because of the pleasurable consequences, rather than forcing them
offers solutions to unwanted behaviours like barking, leash pulling, biting, marking (peeing), and separation anxiety
without being preachy, explains basic animal welfare issues like avoiding pet store puppy-mill puppies, spay/neutering, choke chains/collars, shock collars and sheltering
Where this book is light is in its coverage of food and nutrition. I agree with Ms Stilwell’s overall recommendation to improve the nutritional quality of your dog’s diet. However, given that different dogs have different nutritional requirements based on their age, breed, activity level and health issues, and given that scientists, including veterinarians and small animal nutritionists can’t agree, I don’t trust her specific recommendations. (For example, my veterinarian recommends raw and Ms Stilwell says no to raw ... I trust my vet's recommendation.)
In summary, read this book, use her training techniques, ignore her specific advice about food, and talk with your veterinarian about how to improve the quality of your dog’s diet.
Home-made dog biscuits: Grain-free peanut butter chip drop cookies
If you want to start a heated debate among dog people, two controversial topics you can bring up are food and vaccinations. Even among vets, breeders and others who work day-to-day with dogs, there is no consensus. This posting is about food – I’ll do another one about vaccinations later.
The most common types of doggie diets are store-bought processed, raw, grain-free and combination diets. Some believe that only foods created using the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards are considered safe and nutritionally balanced. Others believe that dogs should be fed raw meat and bones with fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet others prefer grain-free diets. Some do a blend.
My views aren’t extreme. I believe that like people, no one diet works for every dog. Your dog’s lifestyle, genetics and overall health make their food requirements unique. An elite-athlete sled dog has different nutritional and caloric needs than a toothless, couch potato, geriatric miniature poodle. Likewise, dogs with food allergies or medical conditions need special diets. I also don’t believe that serving processed food is always best. My problem with processed foods is that you’re often paying for a low-quality ingredients, a high water volume and environmentally unfriendly packaging.
My personal preference is a raw diet supplemented with fresh foods. I put some caveats on that though. It’s essential to know what items are toxic to dogs. Everything should be fed in moderation. You wouldn’t live on one food item, nor should your dog. It's important to balance food types over time, rather than at each meal. And, watch to not include toxic ingredients.
Some people will argue that feeding people food makes dogs mooch or get fat. I disagree. Dogs mooch because of where you feed them, not what you feed them. If you feed your dog in the kitchen or at the dinner table, they’ll mooch. If you feed them in their spaces, they won’t. They mooch if they’re rewarded by doing it. And, unless there is a medical condition, they get fat when feed too much. It's that simple.
If you want to serve people food to your dog, it’s pretty easy to find lists of toxic foods for dogs, but what isn’t readily available is a list of generally healthy and safe foods. Here’s a starting point list of foods that I comfortably will and won’t feed to my own dogs:
Generally healthy and safe foods
Lean meat, fish and poultry, peanuts and unsweetened peanut butter, raw bones, offal (heart, liver, kidney, tongue, tripe), eggs, beans and lentils, apples, bananas, blueberries, saskatoon berries, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, dried fruits including dates, carrots, cabbage, spinach, green or yellow string beans, broccoli, ripe tomatoes, potatoes, yams, zucchini, beets, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, cod liver oil, salmon oil, canola oil, olive oil, flax or hemp seed, glucosomine, acidophilus, digestive enzymes, nutritional yeast, bone meal or egg shells, yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese.
Unhealthy and/or toxic foods
Ham, bacon or excessive poultry skin, macadamia nuts, walnuts, cooked bones, grapes, raisins and some currants including juices and trail mixes, rhubarb fruit and leaves, fruit seeds from apples, pears, plums, peaches and apricots, onions, garlic, avocado, green tomatoes and potatoes, potato peels, lumps of fat off meat, butter, corn, popped corn, yeast dough that’s rising, hops, xylitol, milk, nutmeg, caffeinated coffee and tea, salt, chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate icings, alcoholic beverages, moldy foods and sugar.
I’m not a veterinarian or a small animal nutritionist so please consider this as one source of information. The pet food industry has done a very good job telling people that they’re incapable of feeding dogs. I don’t believe them. Read about the topic, talk with your vet and others in the pet care business, then make choices that are best for your dog. If you feed your dog something that doesn't increase their vitality or agree with them, check with your vet.
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Recipe for home-made dog biscuits: Grain-free peanut butter chip drop cookies
2 cups black beans
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs – include shells
½ cup dried fruit (16 apricots - NEVER use raisins)
Blend 1.5 cups of beans with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.
Once fully blended, fold in ½ cup of black beans so they look like chocolate chips (NEVER use chocolate)
Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheets
Bake at 350’ for 15 minutes
If you want to eat these yourself as protein bars, omit the egg shells.
I prepare black beans in bulk by soaking, boiling, bagging and freezing them in advance.
Some dogs – especially labs and beagles – truly “wolf” their food down. The bowl goes down – gulp, gulp, done. Often that’s followed by choke, puke – repeat as necessary. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear the poor thing is starving.
When it comes to food, dogs are designed different than we are – because they’ve got an incredible sense of smell, they’re more olfactory focused than we are. And because they have fewer taste buds, flavour really isn’t that important to them. They don’t need to chew and savour every morsel. Humans have flat teeth, designed for chewing and mixing food with saliva. Dogs are designed to kill, tear and cut (nasty huh), then swallow – digestion happens later in their very acidic stomach.
There’s a genetic component to this too. In times of food scarcity, your dog’s ancestors had to eat fast to get their share and survive. It’s hard to pause that kind of genetic programming.
Since your dog doesn’t need to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and because they can choke or vomit when eating too fast, here are a couple of things you can do to slow them down. A simple trick is to turn a regular dog bowl upside down. As shown in the above photo, the dog has to surf around the bowl’s edges to reach every morsel. Another option is to add water to their kibble to make it mushy. If either of those options don’t work, try the scatter approach – simply throw the full portion of kibble onto the floor in a scattered pattern – not on a pile – so your dog is forced to find each and every morsel.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also the time of the year where your over-excited dog can get into some extra special trouble. Here are a few quick tips to add a layer of safety over your Christmas fun:
Avoid decorating with tinsel. When ingested, it can wrap around intestines and cause internal damage. If you notice any tinsel near your pet’s anus, take your pet to the vet. Do not pull it out, as the tearing action can do more damage.
Keep seasonal toxic plants like poinsettia, holly and mistletoe out of your dog’s reach so they can avoid getting into it and having digestive troubles.
Never feed your dog cooked turkey bones. They’re brittle, can splinter and cause internal damage.
Chocolate is extremely toxic. We recommend that you eat it up as quickly as possible so your dog has no chance of getting into it :)
If your dog has any after-hours medical emergencies, we’re really lucky because 24/7 veterinary care is now available in Regina at the 24-Hour Animal Hospital. Keep their number handy in case of emergency - it's 306.761.1449.
We wish you and your furry family a very safe and merry Christmas!
Williston runs on bones. This little beagle regularly chows down on bones and is pretty happy about life. Now if you want to start a great debate, ask a room full of dog people, including veterinarians, about feeding bones. Controversy ensues, and no one agrees.
Proponents of feeding bones talk about the benefits:
Healthy teeth – chewing bones scrapes plaque from teeth, keeping gums healthy, which keeps breath fresh and eliminates unhealthy and expensive dental cleanings. (Unhealthy because dogs need to be sedated for most dental procedures.)
Exercise – eating bones is a full body experience for a dog – they get right into it, holding the bone down with their paws and tugging at it through their back and shoulders with their jaws
An outlet for chewing – particularly for young dogs who are teething, most will chose to nosh down on a raw bone instead of your favourite piece of furniture
Nutritious – provides calcium and other nutrients
Entertainment value– chewing bones is an endurance activity where dogs spend hours at it making their days happily pass by
Opponents talk about the risks of feeding bones:
Serious health problems – choking or gastrointestinal obstruction (GI) occur when bone splinters or chunks break off and lodge in the dog’s throat restricting breathing, or somewhere in the dog’s intestines causing life-threatening circulatory problems
Bacteria – ingesting bones brings salmonella and parasites into your home that can infect your dog and family
Cracked or broken teeth – vigorous bone chewing can break pieces of teeth causing pain and expense
Digestive problems – dogs vomit or get diarrhoea from eating bones
Obesity – dogs eat too much, then get fat
Aggression – by eating raw bones, dogs become aggressive
I'd love to find some science-based information on this heavily debated topic.
In my opinion RAW bones – never cooked or smoked - are good for some, but not all dogs for the reasons stated above. Cooked bones are much more likely to splinter and cause harm and should never be served.
Most dog toys and treats are not government regulated, so many of the negatives that can happen with bones, can happen with other pet-store supplied goods. Really, how healthy is that pig’s ear you just fed your dog?
Bones can cause serious health problems, and so can lots of other things. We know of dogs that have eaten rocks, bath towels, Power Rangers and baby soothers that have gotten lodged in their intestines. All of these needed veterinary care and in some cases painful and expensive and surgery – and in one case, death. There are risks, and those risks are present every day when you live with a dog.
If your dog gets digestive problems, cut back on the amount of bone you’re serving – it’s likely the rich marrow that’s causing the problem.
Obese dogs are given too many calories. Those calories can come from food, treats or bones. It’s up to humans to provide suitable serving sizes.
Aggression and food aggression in particular is not caused by bones. All dogs should be trained to give items, including food and bones, to their people.
If you want to serve bones as part of your dog’s diet:
Buy raw bones with meat attached. If you’re unsure, go to a specialty pet store and they can guide you in the right direction. Keep the marrow, and remove large chunks of fat. The serving size should be appropriate to your dog’s size.
To minimize bacteria issues, feed bones, and all meals for that matter, in a place away from people– eg. outside or on a washable mat. In the book Not Fit for a Dog, Veterinarian Michael Fox recommends scalding raw bones to reduce the risk.
When giving bones or other foods or toys, supervise your dog so you know they’re ingesting properly and not choking.
Do your own research and make choices that are right for you and your dog. If you love heated, controversial debates, next time you’re out with dog people, bring the topic up.
Like many dogs, carefree little Kokanee merrily grazes through her home looking for interesting stuff. After sniffing around mom’s purse, she hit the jackpot and snagged a few pieces of tasty xylitol sweetened gum. That was the start of some serious health problems and a lot of trips to the vet. The little gal is fine now, but it was quite a scare.
People typically child and pet-safe their homes by locking up prescription and over-the-counter drugs, alcohol and vitamins, and avoiding poisonous household plants, then accidentally or lovingly treat their furry companions to fatal foods. Here are some non-fido-friendly ingredients to watch for as either whole foods or as ingredients found in processed foods:
Products sweetened with xylitol
Danger, danger. If you live with a diabetic or someone on a diet, watch your sweeteners. Even a few sticks of xylitol-sweetened gum or sweetener packages can cause liver damage. Check the ingredients listings – even when a product is sweetened with aspartame, it can also include traces of xylitol.
Chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate icings
Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound which makes dogs pee a lot and increases or changes their heart-rate. While excessive urination is uncomfortable, the heart rate changes can kill them. While some dogs miraculously eat a box of chocolates and survive, it’s likely that the chocolates were fruit filled with lots of milk and sugar rather than real high-quality chocolate. It’s chocolate purity that counts. One ounce or 28 grams of pure dark chocolate can kill an 11 pound dog.
Coffee, coffee beans and coffee grounds
They all have caffeine, and dogs that eat caffeine can suffer from caffeine toxicity. The symptoms are similar to the symptoms of chocolate toxicity, and just as serious, if not more so.
Hops
If you’re a home brewer, watch out. Hops can cause malignant hyperthermia, and potentially death. Unbeknownst to most vets, at least eight cases of hop toxicity in dogs have been recorded by the NationalAnimalPoisonControlCenter at the University of Illinois.
Macadamia nuts or macadamia nut butter
The toxic compound is unknown, but the affect causes locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.
Raw, cooked or dehydrated onions, onion powders
Onions contain a substance called thiosulphate which dogs and cats can’t digest. According to veterinarian Dr. Wendy Wallner onion toxicity causes a Heinz body anemia. Heinz bodies are small bubble-like projections which protrude from a red blood cell and can be seen when the cells are stained. This "bubble" is a weak spot in the red blood cell and, the cell has a decreased life-span and ruptures prematurely.
Raisins and grapes
Grapes and raisins appear to cause renal failure in dogs. Veterinarians have not determined the toxic component and it’s also not clear if long-term ingestions can lead to the same effects that a large one-time ingestion can.
Raw, cooked or powdered garlic
Garlic is also a member of the Allium species, in causing changes in red blood cells in dogs and cats.
NOTE: There’s a lot of controversy around garlic for dogs. Some sources claim that it’s poisonous, while others recommend serving it in small doses for its natural antibiotic properties. Do your own research. Talk with your vet. Then make your own informed decision.
Green, unripe potatoes and tomatoes
The green parts are toxic. Potatoes, tomatoes and other Solanum species plants are members of the nightshade family. These plants contain solanine and other toxic alkaloids, which can produce drooling, severe gastrointestinal upset, including vomiting and diarrhea, loss of appetite, drowsiness, central nervous system depression, confusion, behavioral changes, weakness, dilated pupils and slowed heart rate.
Other
Significant quantities of avocado fruit and branches.
Fruit pits or seeds, which often contain cyanide, which is poisonous.
Spices such as tumeric, nutmeg and mustard seed.
For cats, avoid cleaning and disinfecting products that contain Phenols
Cats are unable to process phenols and so if they ingest any (for example licking their paws after walking across a damp floor) the phenols will build up in their body as well as potentially cause severe burns to the skin. Phenols are found in pine scented products (pine based cat litter has the phenols removed) and in disinfectants that turn water 'milky' or cloudy.
Individual animals also have food allergies, which make them intolerant to specific items. Although problematic, these are not typically fatal. If you think your dog has food allergies, there is no reliable diagnostic test other than a strict food elimination diet. Your veterinarian would likely recommend an extremely limited diet and reintroduce foods until the cause is found.
Similar to humans, fatty foods can be harmful and even lead to pancreatitis, a serious inflammation, which can be fatal. And, large amounts of salt can produce excessive thirst and urination, or even sodium ion poisoning. It’s best to skip feeding fido salty scraps such as meat fat, chips and dips.
If you think your dog has been poisoned, telephone ahead, then bring your pet immediately to your veterinarian. In Regina for after-hour emergencies, contact the 24-Hour Clinic in Regina located at 1846 Victoria Ave East, 761-1449.
For more information, talk with your vet and read other online resources:
To process your fresh pumpkin: 
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