Raw diet or grain free? What do you feed your fur baby?

Our Journey to the “Perfect” Dog Food

There was a time when my fur babies were not enthused about their meals. They didn’t sit behind me waiting for dinner. I had to coax them to their food bowls and many times they choose not to eat. I tried the vet recommended brands and other too expensive brands. I tried reasonably priced brands mixed with expensive brands. I tried dry, wet, a mix of dry and wet and what I was left with were fed pups but not happy ones. With three mouths to feed, I wanted happy pups at a price I could afford. 

I am always looking to see what’s going on in the world of dogs and recently, I did some online research and asked some dog owners what they were feeding their dogs. Raw and grain free diets were the recurring themes. Today’s trending topics of ways to feed your dog healthy, nutritious meals. There was also a never ending barrage of dry, canned, packaged, refrigerated and frozen foods to choose from all professing its unique nutrient value. There are celebrity endorsed brands, celebrity chef brands, make your own recipes online, highly specialized diets for dogs with special needs and much more. It can be a daunting task to find a healthy diet that your dog loves in the cut-throat, billion-dollar pet industry.

Our journey did not take us in today’s trending directions but for the sake of learning more, I did a little research on the two diets I mention above:

The raw food diet may consist of raw meat, bones, fruits and vegetables. It is a controversial idea still in debate today, proposed in 1993 by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst. He suggested that adult dogs would benefit from a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF), foods similar to a diet pre-domestication. Billinghurst believed grain-based foods were harmful to a dog’s health. Many mainstream veterinarians (including my dogs’ vet) and the FDA disagree. Some potential benefits touted by supporters of the raw food diet are a shiny coat, healthy skin, cleaner teeth, higher energy levels and smaller stools. The risks include threats to dog and human from bacteria in raw meat, unbalanced diet that may damage the health of a dog if fed for a prolonged period of time, and the potential for choking, broken teeth and internal punctures from bones or bone pieces. Other types of raw diets have emerged with commercially sold raw frozen and freeze dried foods. Combo diets that include grains, vegetables and vitamins mixed with raw meat are also being sold. There are recipes online and in books and its popularity grows due in part to company and FDA recalls and reports of failing health and deaths of dogs who have consumed foods made in China.

The popular grain free diet is a product of consumer demand and not one of nutritional need. One thing to remember is that grain free does not mean carb free. Many grain free diets are replaced with potato. Allergies are a big factor for choosing a grain free diet for your dog. Unfortunately, the most common allergens in dogs are beef and dairy not grains. Corn, a grain most commonly used in many dry dog foods, scores the lowest as an allergen to dogs. Important to know is that your dog needs complete and balanced nutrition and to look at nutrient profile over individual ingredients.

Though I did not choose either method above to feed my dogs, like any parent feeding their family, I chose a course that has made my family very happy. I finally found a dry dog food with sweet potato and fish that everyone enjoys. I also make my own mixtures using a variety of different ground meats and organs, vegetables (broccoli, carrots, kale, spinach, peas, green beans) and grains or potato that I prepare each week as a side at dinner.

Now I can’t tell you if my kids are receiving complete and balanced nutrition but, hell I don’t even get complete and balanced nutrition most days. What I do have are happy dogs. They hover around when I am preparing the week’s meal hoping for a little preview. At dinner time, they lay behind me patiently waiting for me to serve them. As I take each bowl to its designated spot, each of my dog’s has a different ritual. My little one walks really fast with her wiggly butt, my female pittie walks in circles until I put the bowl down, and my male pittie stands there all eyes on the bowl watching it descend to the ground.

I am a satisfied but ever evolving pup parent of three that spoils her kids. I buy all kinds of cool toys and treats to keep them happy and entertained. Each pup has their own matching harness, leash and collar with a cute name tag. My grocery list is filled with more food for them than me. Yes, I love my awesome trio and I think we have completed our journey to the “perfect” dog food. For now...

August 2016

                                              It’s Always Been About the Pets

I recently read an article from Petbusiness.com December 2015 regarding three pet industry predictions of 2016. When I came to the 3^rd prediction “the supply of pets will continue to be a concern”, I was miffed. Yes, I realize this article is about the business side of the pet industry, but if pet owners and the pet industry choose to ignore pet overpopulation over profit nothing will change. And there will continue to be millions of unwanted companion pets. Why does a dog need to be a purebred? Or why can’t a breeder request of their clients that they think about adopting a shelter companion for their purebred? Why do we expect pet stores to supply companion animals? I’m glad that some pet stores stopped selling dogs. I wish they would stop selling animals altogether and only hold adoption days like many do now. A pet store should be a place we can seek advice and the place to purchase pet supplies. Not pets.

The article explains that young people of today will want to purchase their pets but with new laws like mandatory spraying or neutering of pets in some states or cities and the banning of puppy sales in pet stores, it will “make it harder for consumers to become pet owners… Take dogs as an example, a seemingly inexhaustible supply chain that could slow to a trickle if current trends continue… exacerbating the situation long term.” Seriously!?

To put overpopulation into perspective, I live on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. According to Suburbanstats.org, the population of Maui County in 2016 which also includes the rural islands of Moloka’i, Lāna’i and the unpopulated Kaho’olawe is roughly 154,834. In Maui Mayor’s FY 2015 budget, it states under the heading Animal Management Program that over 30,000 people receive some sort of direct services from the Maui Humane Society (MHS). According to the MHS 2013-2014 Annual Report, they received a total of 8,637 animals and of that 2,308 were dogs or puppies. That’s an intake of about 23 animals daily. Also, the Humane Enforcement officers responded to over 9,000 animal related calls during this fiscal period. For such a small population this is a HUGE problem. So tell me how could any companion animal population “slow to a trickle”. Without a lot of these humanitarian laws the U.S. would be overrun by unwanted, stray, and abused animals. I don’t doubt some places are.

Maui definitely has dedicated, hard-working shelter and rescue employees and volunteers, unwanted companion pets saving grace. Without a concentrated effort from all animal advocates to work together to quell the overpopulation of domesticated pets through continued education, new laws and stiffer penalties this problem continues. Animal rescues, shelters, volunteers, employees, advocates, and rescuers will continue to be taxed with an overabundance of pets. These same people and organizations will continue to fight for the voiceless. But are WE really listening?

According to aspca.org, in the United States there are roughly 13,600 community animal shelters. 7.6 million companion animals enter shelters each year nationwide. There are 3.9 million dogs that enter shelters each year. Of that 1.2 million “healthy dogs” are euthanized and 1.4 million are adopted. Until we force change at the onset of animal adoption/ownership, until humane care is the standard and neglect and abuse are treated and prosecuted as criminal acts, I do not believe we need worry about any companion animal population slowing to a trickle.

I am a doggie mom as you may know if you’ve read my other blogs. I have 3 fur babies that I share my life with, but I wish I could do more for those animals that do not live with me. I have a friend that has become a foster mom to senior or injured dogs from MHS. She is also a pet sitter. She has spent her life in the company of family pets. She gives a loving home to animals most people would not bat an eye at. Kindness is a basic right all creatures deserve and the less they can do for themselves the more kindness should be given. Before taking on the responsibility of a companion pet no matter how big or small, be sure you it’s for life. A pet is not a yard ornament, as with any member of your family spend time with them, teach them. Or do the right thing, find a no kill shelter and surrender the unfortunate creature, they deserve better.

My pack and I are not ready to be a foster family. Neither are the humans I live with, but if the chance presented itself, I’ll take it. I want to someday volunteer at a shelter or rescue and help by fostering pets. I will need to build up my courage to become a volunteer at a shelter. I have yet to be able to separate myself from the emotional aspect of being haunted by the many faces of unwanted animals. The money I can donate to my favorite rescues is pittance compared to what they need to operate but operate they do. The problem is HUGE and the solutions seem within reach but as of yet unattainable. I certainly don’t have the answers. But many innovative ideas that were born in recent years, have some aspect of animal advocacy involved. More is needed. For now, I do my part. Hope that my part will grow and wait until it really is all about the pets.

Why, why, why…

Ever had one of those “perfect” days where the sky is blue and it’s just you and your furry friends enjoying the outdoors. Playing ball and roaming off leash. Wiggling around in the tall grass. Sniffing all those lovely doggie smells. Then one of the four-legged kids comes back covered in shit!

My two pitties and the little terror (terrier) each have their own way when playing off leash in the overgrown patch we frequent a few minutes’ drive from our home. Hila wants to play ball, Miki wants to roam and chew his ball and Honey Girl (HG) usually stays close. This is the daily routine and the way we begin our walk. It gives me a chance to exercise Hila, my most energetic of the bunch, or the walk will be challenging. Remember, I did say I was a new dog parent. We don’t quite speak the same language yet, but I believe the dogs speak more human than I speak dog.

On one of these very memorable not so routine days, Hila was off sniffing around before returning with her ball. Suddenly, I saw her on her back wiggling on the ground and the red flag goes up. Please, please just be rolling in the grass. She stood up and was very brown in places she wasn’t before. “Hila, come here” I yell. I think I smelt her before I saw her. This was some fresh shit. This time I was in shock. I could see steam coming off the wet chunks stuck to her fur. It was smeared everywhere. I mean literally. From the top of her head, behind her ear, on the side of her jaw, her collar and harness to the side of her body. Why, why, why I ask expecting no answer as she returns the ball oblivious to her odiousness. I was mortified. How could my sweet baby do this to me, again? Now we must cut the outing short because Hila needs a bath. Oh joy!

On that memorable day, my mother and her dog, Kope, were with me, so I put my other two in the car and asked my mom to drive them home. Luckily, we were not far from home and so I walked stinky home. I live in Hawaii, we don’t have skunks so I can’t really compare but I have been around a dog who has rolled around in funky animal carcass and damn, we could not get the stink out for a long time. Well this was like that. This fresh shit just stunk around. I washed her several times. I also generously sprayed her with a long lasting scent cologne used to deodorize. I don’t know what was worse.

Hila is not the only one to do this. They will all choose to roll in some sweet-to-dog smelling shit but it’s normally Hila. So I guess Miki was due. He returns after his 15-minute romp covered in some green cow-pie looking shit on Friday’s daily walk. I know there are no cows in the area, deer maybe. Thankfully, it was not fresh and did not stink much but it was enough to warrant a shortened outing and a bath. Yes, happy joyjoy time. My pitties do not like water, except for splashing in puddles and walking in the rain. Bathes are a workout and I end up a back aching, waterlogged mess. Miki is my big, 89-pounder. Sweet boy but he doesn’t like bath time. I keep it as pleasant as I can but it needs to be done. 

When I tell him it’s “all pau” (all done) he does as a wet dog does (or at least my pitties do), he goes berserk and runs around rubbing himself on every surface he can. I continually call him back to dry him off and brush his coat but after my second much quicker workout, I’m done. Now he’s mad at me for washing away his stink. Oh the woes of being a dog mommy. His face will stay clean for a day or so before he rubs it back into the dirt as is his way. That’s my boy, Miki. I still don't know why.

Who Rescued Who?

I am a new dog parent. What I mean is I was not raised by dog “lovers”. My parents come from a culture of working dogs and the transition from working dog to pet was not made. Both my parents did not grow up farming or ranching but grew up in its wake. We did have dogs growing up but not one spent more than a few years with us and though this is hard to admit, I do not know what happened to any of them. I did not know any better and neither did my parents. This is no excuse, just a fact.
Life is very different now. I have three four-legged kids that keep me busy. My three are not rescues in the traditional sense but I want to believe that they are better off with me than where they came from.  I have a male and female pittie soon to be six and a little terrier mix who will be seven in August. Honey Girl (HG) the terrier came to me at about five months old when my brother decided I was ready for a dog. My mom had recently adopted her little one and I had been talking about adopting too. HG had a great life with her canine friends and human interaction was minimum. She was dirty, full of fleas and was distrusting of humans when she came to me. She is still distrusting of humans today. I am the only human in her life. Lucky me, yeah!
My two pitties are litter mates and their mother was an awesome dog and friend to HG too. Both pitties had previous owners but luckily Hila’s previous owner changed his mind after only days and I’ve had Hila since she was six weeks old. My male, Mik, visited often until about three years ago when he became a permanent resident in my tiny house.
Earlier I said rescues. How are my dogs’ rescues? We somehow found each other.  I was not settled on becoming a dog parent yet when HG came into my life and Hila and Mik certainly weren’t planned. But we needed each other and here we are. Now, I’m not saying that their lives would not have been good without me but their previous humans have the same thinking about dogs that my parents had when I was young.
My pitties’ mother was also known to us. She was barely one year when she was bred. She had 10 pups, which amazingly all found homes. She got to spend a few months living with Mik and visiting with Hila and HG but she was gone before she was 2 years old. Her owner did not believe in keeping his dogs contained in the yard. They could wander and momma loved to wander. She would return with awful sores on her feet from the terrain around her home but this did not give her owner cause to change his ways. One day she did not return. Mik had this same habit. Luckily, he came to live with me permanently.
Now don’t get me wrong I fail them often but I keep trying; I keep learning. I guess the difference between the young me and older me, besides the obvious, is that I want to do right by them. We live in an age where I now know there are better, more humane ways to treat dogs and why wouldn’t I. I can also learn about dogs in any number of different ways from TV, the Internet, classes at my local Humane Society or the obedience class and Petco. Times have changed and I want to change with it. I have spent years learning how to be a good dog parent and unfortunately I still have a long way to go. But along the way there have been and will continue to be many life lessons that lead me to be believe that I was rescued by three of the most energetic, drooling, loving, wiggling, frustrating, amazing four-legged kids in the world.