Posts tagged ‘Little-Bit’
NEW DOG FOOD RECIPE
I like to make my own dog food. I think it is healthier (for them) and more economical (for me).
PROTEIN-40%
Chicken thighs
Lean roast beef-little bit of leftovers
P-Nut Butter
VEGETABLES-30%
Carrots
Green beans
Fresh Spinach
Parsley-(helps Little-Bits tummy)
Mint-”
STARCH-30%
Yams-(no sugar or salt)
White rice-(had to add because it was so gooey)
TO MAKE-
Cook chicken in olive oil.
Cut into small pieces.
Cook vegetables in chicken stock. Drain.
Mix chicken and vegetables with yams and p-nut butter.
Cook rice with stock and saved vegetable water from fridge.
Mix everything together and cool in the fridge.
Put in snack sized Zip-Locks and freeze.
Made about a week’s worth. And the boneless, skinless chicken thighs were only $1.00 a pound. Yea!
GOALS-
My goal for next batch is to try the brown or wild rice again and see if it still affects Little-Bits tummy.
I also want to try tomato to see if we have any allergies. Since I cook with tomatoes so much, it would be easier and I think they are very healthy. There is a bit of debate about this for dogs, though, so I am not so sure.
I also want to see if I can find a better freezer process, although the snack sized bag is perfect for one dog for one day with a little fresh food mixed in. Also, and this is no small matter, the bags stack perfectly in the freezer drawer of my fridge.
CHAIR SALE
Hmmmmm…
This was the pair I went to see.
Don’t laugh! This was the most comfortable. Swiveled and rocked!
Better in the photo than in person. Did not look antique but good colors.
Guy chair. And a little Goth. ‘Nuff said.
This hide was very subtle and the piping gave it a crisp look. I think a pair of these would look great in a modern setting though I might paint the legs a glossy black.
The velvet pillow with Milagros was $190.00! Yikes!
Liked the look but uncomfortable and shop worn. (The dogs would have fun with the fringe.)
Himself was having none of it. He looked around in abject horror (That took about 30 seconds.), told me what he thought about their half-price sale and parked himself on a comfy couch. He was done. Frankly, I didn’t think he’d last that long!
Bebe and Little-Bit’s favorite chair and mine too! (Note the protective quilt covering.) I just had to get the puppies into this post. They have chair opinions, too! Little-Bit is actually a renown expert in this area.
DOG GONE BAD VET
I chose our veterinary clinic because it was AAHA certified. I wasn’t impressed with the facilities but the owner/vet seemed competent enough and he was supposed to be available at all times for emergencies. Not only was he not available when we needed him this weekend (See UPDATE), he NEVER RETURNED OUR CALL!
I don’t think that there is anything left to say. He promised a standard of care that was not there. I will not take that risk again. He’s history.
ADDENDUM- I think Little-Bit is O.K., but I will be following up with our new vet.
ADDENDUM AGAIN- The vet and his staff called me numerous times on Monday and Tuesday. Awkward. The excuse given was that the answering service had taken down my number incorrectly. Don’t most answering services have caller ID? I am not changing my mind. Choosing a new vet is never easy, though…
HAPPY ENDING-Well, the answering service sent a transcript of their recording and they had written my number incorrectly as well as my name. I also received an written apology from the operator who had made the error. So I have rescheduled Black Cat’s check-up for this week and we will continue with this practice. Let you know how that goes.
WELL, NOT SO MUCH- Black Cat got carsick in every possible way on the short drive over and then almost escaped. They made me sign something agreeing to pay $25.00 if I cancel an appointment. Then we spent over $300 for a yearly checkup for a healthy cat. We were there almost two hours but part of that was B.C.’s fault as they had to clean her up. I’m sure, if I look closely at my itemized bill, that I was charged for that.
Himself met the vet and didn’t like him either. We really can’t put our finger on why that is. Something about his demeanor.
I don’t see this relationship working out long term, do you?
BRAVE BEBE
I always say that Cotons de Tulears are not great guard dogs but they make wonderful watchdogs. Bebe has proved me wrong.
This is especially amazing when you consider her history. Before she came to us she was not treated well and, unlike most Cotons, is not social. She is afraid of men. She is a one-woman dog.
I was going to my garage (unlocked and not attached to the house) through my back garden (locked gates). It was the middle of the day. The dogs were behind me but are not allowed in the garage as Little-Bit always feels compelled to baptize the floor. Usually they just sit outside the door and wait for me.
Not this day! Bebe climbed over Little-Bit and scratched my sandaled feet in her haste to attack a closed door that leads to a small room in the corner of the garage. She was jumping as high as the doorknob and literally throwing herself at the door. She went what I call “Coton Crazy” and not in a good way. She sounded like a garage full of junk yard dogs.
I thought there might be a rat in the little room and beat a hasty retreat. Bebe would not come away from the door and I had to drag her out of the garage. Even then, she stayed between me and the garage- walking backwards, barking and growling until we were safely back in the house.
I made a mental note to call the exterminator and paid scant attention to the little dog who stationed herself by the back door. She was pacing and hyper-vigilant.
An hour or so later, the animals and I went out to do our “business” (my business was deadheading my roses) and I noticed that things were awry on the deck. Someone had been in the back yard. I think that someone was also in my garage.
The policeman told me that I should have listened to my dog. I agree.
I thought about putting a sign in my back window that says, “BEWARE OF BOA CONSTRICTOR”. That would stop me if I were a burglar. But perhaps my sign should say, “BEWARE OF BEBE”.
My 15 pound, white, not-so-young fluffball is all heart. She is also my hero.
ADDENDUM- I will be locking all my doors all the time from now on. And I will listen to my dog.
THE GREAT ESCAPE
THEY BROKE OUT OF THEIR AREA AND INTO MINE!
LITTLE-BIT MADE HERSELF AT HOME
on my velvet bedspread!
AND THEN I HAD TO CATCH HER
My Cotons live in a large, tiled area that is the size of my first apartment. They are allowed to come with us to the rest of the house -except for my bedroom. I just wanted one area that was an island of serenity and cleanliness. Fur-free, so to speak.
The problem started when I decided to take a nap. God forbid.
They whined and cried at the doggy gate and then decided to body slam the double doors into the dining room. Since they had done that before, there were rubber bands wrapped around the handles. “No hill for a stepper.” as Himself says. BAM! The doors slammed into the walls. Patter, patter, patter of happy little feet headed my way.
I sat up drowsily to see to fuzzy, white, bouncing balls trying to leap up onto my high bed. I jumped up yelling, “Sit! Stay!” but not before grabbing my cell to take pictures because they are just so darn cute. B.B., for the first time in her life, sat and stayed. She tilted her head and looked at me as if to say, “This is gonna be good.”
Little-Bit scratched my bedspread, circled and made a little nest for herself. It seemed as if she was laughing at me as I chased her around the room and she kept going back to her nest like it was home base.
Finally, I was able to catch her with her head stuck under the bed and her butt stuck up in the air. Her tail was wagging away like a plume of white feathers. She thought that if she couldn’t see me then I couldn’t see her.
The funny thing is that she used to be able to wiggle under that bed. Not any more…
PORCH SWING BLUES
Little-Bit, Bebe
I was sitting on the porch swing with the dogs, swinging gently to and fro, enjoying the garden and the beautiful day.
Little-Bit, who has been doing so well, got “car” sick as soon as I put her down.
That led to one of their other favorite activities- grazing the winter grass like two little fat, white sheep.
Which, of course, resulted in dirty faces.
A NEW DAY FOR THE DOGS
LOOKS LIKE A DOG’S DINNER
This is not like A NEW DAY FOR ME. Really, what do my dogs have to worry about? (Except getting caught.)
This is about making the dog’s food, something I have referred to before.
Coton de Tulears are a rare breed and not a lot is known about their diet.
First, I followed what their breeders recommended. I wasn’t happy. Their coats were dry. Bebe couldn’t seem to keep weight on and Little-Bit was always scratching, chewing on her paw, burping and spitting up.
The research began. I added an egg once a week and salmon and olive oils. They seemed to do better with dry foods that had fish, chicken, venison or lamb. Also commercial foods with rice, sweet potatoes or avocados. Soy, wheat and corn do not agree with them.
I tried what the vet recommended. Very little improvement. It occurred to me that veterinarians sell dog food. Maybe they have a vested interest.
I kept researching. I went to various sites and read the ingredients of many, many dry foods. I was very surprised at some of the ingredients in the so-called “natural” or “organic” foods. I realized that there is no FDA for animals. There doesn’t seem to be much regulation at all.
More research. There was so much on-line to sift through. No one was regulating them either. 
There are several books written about the horrors of commercial dog food that, if ANY of it is true, will turn your stomach. I started tracking down those claims and had to stop myself. The goal was, after all, to simply feed my dogs.
My Grandmother made her own dog food and so did we when we lived out of the country. (They thought Americans were crazy for actually buying dog food and they turned out to be right.)
I made a lot of my childrens’ baby food. Making dog food is far easier.
I do not give the dogs raw or vegetarian food. I settled on 40% protein, 30% vegetables/ fruits/ berries and 30% starch. My goal is for 80% of their food to be homemade-for now.
At the beginning, I fed them nothing but the homemade food. The results were amazing! They quit picking and developed healthy appetites. Bebe finally stabilized her weight. Little-Bit stopped throwing up altogether (when I stopped using brown rice and switched to white), only burps when she eats too fast and has stopped clawing at herself and chewing her paw.They have more energy and Bebe is even sleeping more deeply (abiet with one eye open).
They had check-ups about six weeks into this regime and the vet is very pleased. She said their condition was perfect. I have never, ever heard that before!
The vet had answered lots of telephone questions about various foods and convinced me to avoid avocados. She was a great help, as was our trainer (who has his pulse on “dog doings” everywhere) and other owners.
I chose a fish dry food because I like to leave dry food out when I am gone for awhile and I am not cooking fish for them-yet. I settled on Halo after an obscene number of hours of research.
I am still tweaking and will gradually add new foods- just like we did with the babies. Slowly, to avoid allergic reactions. The vet and I are still discussing tomatoes, for instance.
It is very satisfying to make the food which I do all at once and then portion out in snack sized Zip-Locks and freeze. Just like I did for the children, I try to pack as much nutrition into every bite as possible. The results are very gratifying.
And in this economy, I do not feel good about spending $30.00 for ten pounds of dog food- especially when homemade is better!
I ALWAYS WONDER WHAT HAPPENS IN MY HOUSE WHEN I’M GONE
I know that sometimes shredding, shedding and puddles are involved.
But I never wondered about vacuuming. I thought once the vacuum appeared, all feathered and furry creatures disappeared. Or, in the case of Feathers, brought the house down with his shrieking.
I was wrong.
There was no little greeting party at the back door when I came home yesterday. “Ah ha!” I thought , following the sounds of vacuuming to Himself’s study. My mouth fell open when I peeked around the corner.
My tiny housekeeper, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, was pushing the vacuum with one hand and Himself’s big desk chair with the other. It was like a funny little dance, the chair as big as she is.
She turned off the vacuum, wound up the cord and parked the desk chair moving in a practiced, matter of fact way. As she spun the desk chair around, there was Little-Bit sitting very tall, eyes only for SWMBO.
SWMBO picked up Little-Bit, gave her a bit of a cuddle, kissed her on the top of her head, set her down and commenced with the dusting.
As Little-Bit trotted off to her basket, I trotted of in the other direction, smiling to myself.
SWMBO has a soft spot.
Who knew?
Little-Bit
