Why choose a grain-free dog food? #DiamondNaturals

Since starting to feed our dogs Grain Free Dog Food, I've noticed a definite change in their health and vitality. We've always been blessed to have all of our dogs and cats live well into their teens, because we've always taken very good care of our pets.  That includes spending a little bit more money on high-quality food, "only the best" veterinary care, and making sure they have plenty of exercise and lovin' besides.  

The choice of grain-free dog food was a relatively new concept to me about three or four years ago when our veterinarian recommended the change due to some minor health issues Hobie was experiencing.  As posted previously, the vet's famous words were "Dogs don't eat rice!" [or corn, or wheat, or rye... in the wild.]  I hadn't really known anything about grain-free dog food, and to be honest I just grabbed the first brand he named off from the list of brands he suggested.  

Diamond Naturals Grain-Free is a new brand to me, and I look forward to trying it out.  They offer three protein-rich dry dog food formulas, enriched with power-packed fruits and vegetables, and natural antioxidants.  It's designed to be fed to dogs of all ages.  Each of the three formulas (Beef & Sweet Potato; Chicken & Sweet Potato; and Whitefish & Sweet Potato) has a quality meat as the primary ingredient.  This provides dogs with important amino acids necessary for an ideal body condition, keeping them lean and healthy.  

(my attempt at taking a photo using the Mac's built-in camera on "mirror" setting lol!)

Grain-free diets are known to provide more concentrated energy because higher levels of protein and fat enable the dog's owner to feed less amounts of food.  This not only saves money, but also gives dogs like Charlie Brown enough fuel for an energy-packed day. According to Diamond Naturals, grains such as corn and wheat are a frequent cause of canine allergies and can also be difficult to digest.  Choosing a grain-free diet can lessen food allergies and optimize digestion.  Bonus: a protein-based, instead of grain-based diet is closer to a dog's natural ancestral beginnings (think "caveman diet" for humans).  Animal fats are easier for hounds to digest.  Sweet potatoes are provided as a complex carb perfect for all-day energy.  Fruits and vegies provide powerful natural antioxidants for a big health boost.

Vitamins in the Diamond Naturals Grain-Free recipe are plentiful, and include vitamins A, C, D and E, as well as the B vitamins of biotin, pantothenic acid, choline chloride, folic acid, thiamine, B12, and riboflavin!  The food also contains mineral supplementation including iron, selenium, copper and more.  Natural "food" ingredients include flaxseed, tomatoes, fish meal, garbanzo beans, lamb meal, peas, potatoes, raspberries, and of course sweet potatoes!  Talk about tasty!  Charlie and Cooper say "YUM!"  (Hobie, 13, has been sick lately, so he's on a low-ingredient diet at the moment.)


This post is sponsored by Diamond Naturals on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network (link to http://network.blogpaws.com/). I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Diamond Naturals Grain Free dog food, but k2k9 only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Diamond Naturals is not responsible for the content of this article.

backwards selfie -- why does Mac built-in camera do that?

Tuesday update

Hobie is keeping down his food & water, and is more energetic.  Small portions, more frequently, is the name of the game for him from now on.  Based on the findings from when he was in the hospital in August, the vet suspected he had chronic canine pancreatitis.  I tend to think that's what's going on.  Pancreatitis is recurring.  Feeding small portions throughout the day and no table scraps is the recommended course of treatment.  We are really good about not feeding table scraps, the occasionally small piece of bread when we eat toast is about the extent of "table scraps" in our household, but we will not be doing that anymore.  We already eliminated manufactured dog biscuits (for all three dogs).  Admittedly, I'll sneak a well-made expensive one from the dog bakery to the two younger pups on occasion.  I keep a stash in a special cupboard in the kitchen!

The landscapers are here, replacing the "trailer trash" rolled fencing that we installed as "temporary" six years ago!  The new material is real, chain-link fence, as tall as me.  Charlie will be unhappy that he won't be able to escape anymore, but really it has been stressful dealing with one constantly-escaping dog while the other is off puking on the new carpeting! Charlie is a good dog, and thankfully never runs farther than the next door neighbor's yard... but a good fence will prevent him from escaping the yard, thus reducing the stress level of the two humans in this household. Thankfully, we have the best (dog-loving) neighbors on the planet!

Here's a picture of the fence that's being replaced!  I mean, really!  What were we thinking?! LOL!

Happy-go-lucky Cooper gets overlooked in all this drama.  He continues to try to bring balance to the otherwise crazy pack (and that includes us bipeds).  He's a good dog, and provides great therapy.  He absolutely adores Hobie, and that's a big plus.

Livin' on a prayer

I'm very sad today, trying to buck up and be strong for my dog who is sick again for the second time in the last 60 days.  In August, he spent three days hospitalized.  This time he isn't as sick as he was then, but we're still very worried.  He can't keep any water down, we haven't even bothered trying food.  He has been going outside throughout the day, and has barfed about 6 times.

A week ago today, I took Hobie on a car ride and stopped at my office for a few minutes.  I heard a horn beep and thought it was just one of my co-workers driving away.  When I came back outside, Hobie had somehow managed to get himself jammed up under the steering wheel on the floor in front of the driver's seat, and couldn't get out.  I was horrified I had left him in the car for two minutes, how could this happen?  He didn't seem hurt or anything, so I walked him around the parking lot and then brought him home.

Yesterday, or was it the day before (?) he fell down the stairs on his tummy while climbing up from the bottom.  It wasn't a whole flight this time (yeah, it happened before), just a few steps.  He actually caught himself.  I was quite amazed.  That same night, or was it a different night (?) Charlie attacked him, big time, like wicked bad.  I pulled Charlie off him within 4 seconds, and as usual no blood drawn.  But Hobie made noises like a human talking.  I never heard a dog do that before.  I hated Charlie for that.  I hate myself even more.  I have made our beautiful dog's last few years on this earth a living hell by bringing Charlie into our lives.  I feel so guilty.  I've never loved a pet more than I love Hobie.  I regret getting the other two dogs -- even though Cooper and Hobie are hopelessly in love with each other. When Hector died, I declared that I wanted to experience life with just one dog again, and wouldn't be adopting another dog any time soon.  That lasted 5 months. I had to be the big freakin' hero dog rescuer, instead of enjoying what little time I had left with Hobie, whom I love so much it hurts.  The only other time Hobie and I were alone was the 5 months between when Timba died and we adopted Hector.  Seems to be a 5-month limit on my ability to be with just one dog.  I think it's because Hobie is so EASY that I wanted to double the fun.  I know we went through "the terrible twos" with Hector (and also with Hobie -- remember the cat killing incident!). They both eventually turned out to be the best dogs in the world. I know this will pass with Charlie and he will one day be a great dog.  Cooper is a gem, and I wish every dog could be as easy as him.

Here's a picture of Hobie and Charlie when they actually enjoyed each other's company.  I know it's my own fault, for spoiling Charlie and letting him get away with things.

While writing this, I've been listening to Bon Jovi, gearing up for the concert that's coming in a couple weeks.  The songs lift my spirits.  Hobie's livin' on a prayer right now, and as I walked him around the yard tonight at an excruciatingly slow pace, I kept marveling at what a perfect dog he has turned out to be.  The years and months of his puppy problems are a distant memory, in fact, they would be completely forgotten if it weren't for the fact that we're going through altogether uncharted problems with his successor, Charlie Brown.  And for that reason, I know that one day, it will come up way too fast, I'll be writing about Charlie Brown and what a wonderful dog he turned out to be.

Please say a prayer for our Hobester, and let's hope we don't have to bring him to the hospital again tomorrow.

Remember Me Thursday

Remember Me Thursday, September 26th is to support all animals in need of loving homes and those who were brought to shelters or euthanized because they had no home. To me, pets are family. 

Helping Colorado's pets, and a puppy named Doe

The badge posted above is to help spread the word (and sorry I'm so late in doing so) to help the pets (and people!) in Colorado as they deal with the horrendous flooding situation out there.  I have never been to Colorado but have family and friends who've spent time there, and my heart goes out to them.  I hear it is a beautiful state.  One of these days I'll have to check it out (have seen it from the air!).  Go to Twitter and search #COFlood to find out what you can do to help.  There are plenty of options.  Check out this article on BlogPaws for starters.

Also, I've struggled with how to write about another pet-related item in the news. I have a general rule against focusing on extremely negative and graphic animal-related items.   I do NOT like to post, write about, draw attention to, or spend energy on unpleasant animal cruelty cases.  In fact, I have been known to block people on social networking who insist on posting photos of abused animals, writing only negative articles about animal abuse, or worse.  We all know this is going on in the world, we are not stupid.  We do not need to see it in our face in "all its gory".   I have a very visual mind and even though I'm not a visual artist like my mother was, I carry those images with me for hours and days on end if I see them.  I can't watch violent TV shows or movies, I can't play violent video games, I can't read violent books.  G-rated only, please!

With that said as a somewhat apologetic lead-in for breaking my own rule, I have been incredibly affected by the story of "Puppy Doe" who was found right here in Massachusetts, just south of Boston in the city of Quincy where she was abandoned on the expressway or something.  Apparently whoever was abusing her got sick of her being such a survivor and decided to dump her in Quincy.  I wouldn't be surprised if they live nowhere around here, and I certainly hope they do not.  We in Massachusetts are mostly liberal, mostly Democrat (not that that matters, I have very little interest in politics), and we pride ourselves on being one of the few states in the U.S. to not have a pet over-population problem.  Massachusetts residents love their pets, we really do.  So, to find out that Puppy Doe, described as the worst case of abuse ever seen by the unfortunate veterinarian who was chosen to try to treat the poor, defenseless creature, may have been treated so despicably inhumanely right here in Massachusetts really bugs me. When I read the story about Puppy Doe yesterday morning (I will not post a link or pictures here, you can find it on Google if you want to), I sat on my bed with my two dogs afterwards and sobbed for almost an hour.  I cannot imagine what evil consumes a person's soul and brain to be able to do such unspeakable acts to one of God's creatures.  Puppy Doe had to be euthanized and literally "put out of her misery" by the wonderful veterinarian whose life has probably been shaken forever having to deal with what she encountered.  But I always believe things happen for a reason, she was chosen for a reason, I read that article for a reason (I normally would not because of afore-mentioned hyper-sensitivity issues).  The reason is, we need to catch this poor excuse for a human.

The person or people who did that to this dog (and who knows if there are other creatures undergoing the same fate) must be found, caught, arrested, tried and sent away for a long time.  We need to get the word out.  Someone, somewhere knows something.  They need to feel guilty and disgusted enough to come forward and put this person behind bars.  I wish animal cruelty laws were tougher still, but they aren't.  I've been following a Facebook page someone created for Puppy Doe (again, I won't post it here, you can find it if you want to just search "Puppy Doe" in the Facebook search bar and it'll come up... I warn you, graphic photos and words, if you're sensitive like me, be forewarned and approach accordingly).

Anyone with any information regarding this case, should immediately contact the authorities:

SEND TIPS TO
Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Department at 617-226-5610 OR 
email them at cruelty@arlboston.org
CALL Quincy Police Det. Thomas Pepdjonovich at 617-745-5774

This is a serious, ongoing, investigation.

Thank you for listening.

Our friends at The Uncommon Dog have done it again.  Cute infographic on how dogs (probably) became our best friends
http://www.theuncommondog.com/Images/infographics/how-dogs-became-our-best-friends.jpg

Black & white Sunday blog hop

This is the best I could do, on short notice!!

Affordable grain free dog food - it's easier than you think

Feed me!  Feed me!  Wooo! Wooo! WOOOOO!

"Dogs don't eat rice!", exclaimed my veterinarian as our very uncomfortable yellow dog, Hobie, stood trembling and panting in the cramped, sterile exam room, his skin flaming red showing through the patches where there once was fur that he had licked away.  I sat across the room, a dumb smile on my face, summarily relieved but simultaneously feeling like an inadequate pet parent of this middle-aged dog.  Thus, my introduction to grain-free dog food.  

When the vet asked what brand of food I fed poor Hobie, I proudly told him about the recently-launched lamb and rice formula I was giving my dogs, thinking it was such a good choice (nothing against that brand, I had fed its standard blend to my Timba for her entire life, with nary a problem).   As the vet told me about dogs in the wild, and how they don't eat rice, wheat, corn or other grains, as a general wild-dog rule; and then proceeded to instruct me to start feeding grain-free, I couldn't help but wonder what has changed since the 1990s when Timba did so well on regular ol' dog food as to live to the ripe, old age of 18 (unheard of for a black lab)!  Why, exactly, ARE we hearing so much these days about dogs (and humans) being gluten-sensitive, and grain-sensitive?  Has something changed in the way these foods are being made, in the type of grain being used, growth hormones, GMOs? What?

The challenge for me, living in a remote area of Massachusetts with the nearest large pet store being 20 miles away, and overnight delivery of products ordered online being all but sketchy, was finding grain-free dog food in a convenient location at all, let alone at an affordable price.  I initially chose one brand mentioned by the vet because they carried it at the local tractor store, even though it was incredibly expensive.  About a year or two into using that brand, that company had a recall. I brought my un-finished bag of dog food back to the store and was given a refund.  I had to buy something to feed the dogs, so I tried another, even more expensive brand of grain free dog food, and have been using that up until recently when I noticed Cooper was having "gas" problems, and we decided to try switching food again.  I now have the two younger dogs on a completely different brand of grain-free food, at a lower price than the previous ones, and Hobie is on a "senior" food (which does include rice).

Grain free dog foods are said to be formulated to provide more concentrated energy, with higher levels of fat and protein, which enables you to feed your dog smaller quantities. This saves money and also provides your canine pal with loads of healthy energy.

So, how DOES one find affordable grain free dog food for their canine family member?  The choices are numerous if you have the ability to spend a lot. But if you're looking to stay on a reasonable budget, Diamond Naturals has developed a grain-free product that claims to be a high-quality product without the high price. 

According to Diamond Naturals, their foods make quality nutrition affordable because they are made from high-quality ingredients which provide everything dogs need for good health and at a price that won't hurt your pocketbook.  It's the same quality product as Diamond Naturals' regular food, minus the grains.  It comes in great flavors including beef, chicken or fish, each mixed with sweet potato. 

You can find Diamond Naturals grain free dog food at the same locations where regular Diamond Naturals foods are sold, or online at many different outlets.  Check out Diamond Naturals own web site for a vendor near you, and don't forget to follow Diamond Naturals on Facebook.

For more money-savings tips for your healthy, happy hound, check out this article  from dogtipper.com about putting your canine pal on a budget!





This post is sponsored by Diamond Naturals. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Diamond Naturals Grain Free dog food, but k2k9/K.S. Mueller/Millennium Dog Productions only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Diamond Naturals is not responsible for the content of this article.

Wordless Wednesday - booster shots

Three-part yowlony was the order of the day this morning as all three cats went on a ride and received their booster shots!

Look left!  Three Dog Night got nothin' on us

Whazzat?  (cars whizzing by on Route 9)

Wazzat? Close-up Tux

Cali (Houdini) escaped from this contraption TWICE before we left home

Newman drew the short straw (small crate) and was not amused

Everyone got a clean bill of health

Dog memorials

Today is the second anniversary of Hector's death.  I never stop thinking about Hector, even though I have three other dogs and many activities to keep me busy.  Hector is always in my heart, and mind. He is everywhere in this house, and at the house at the Cape, and in my car.  He is basically always with me, always watching over me, always by my side.  I never thought this dog we got as "second banana" to pack leader Hobie would wind up being the one who stole my heart, but he did.  I know Gil feels the same way.

(first photo I ever took of Hector, at the farm where he was born)

A month or so after he died, Tori Amos' album "Night of Hunters" was released, and the lyrics to the song "Carry" pretty much say it all:

You will not ever be forgotten by me,

In the procession of the mighty stars,

Your name is sung and tattooed now on my heart,

Here I will carry, carry, carry you,

Forever

This morning, I went over to the spot in the yard that our friend Craig created as a memorial to Hec.  It's kind of a funny coincidence that Hector died on Craig's birthday.

After I said a few words ("Hector!  Who pooped on your memorial?!" and "I miss you, buddy, I think about you every day.") I went back into the house, made an iced coffee, and logged in to the computer wondering if I would post anything about this anniversary.  First thing I saw in my email was this article from Cesarsway Magazine about pet memorials.  There are no coincidences.

Rather than describe the Hector Memorial (which is part of the larger Timba Memorial Park (a.k.a. our back yard!) here are a few pictures, worth a thousand words.

The "headstone" Gil had commissioned for the project

(It sat in the yard for over a year! Oh well.)

Breaking ground on the Hector Memorial

The finished product!  Another beautiful job by Craig and Landscapes, LLC!

Stay tuned for a special reveal on Sept 15th!  An excerpt from my soon-to-be-self-published collection of non-fiction essays about my dogs will appear in Cape Women Online Magazine!

A year ago today

Cooper joined our pack a year ago today!

Here are the highlights of the past year, with our Cooper.

Still recovering from amputation surgery, he proves he's still got it by hopping into a garden chair

Celebrating his first birthday on the beach in Gloucester 

He can jump up on a bed and share it with a cat, too!

Became fast friends with Hobie

Cooper's first snow

Mom, that's BIG snow!

A winter car ride

A stop at Dunkin' Donuts after a great vet check-up

The love affair between Hobie and Cooper continues

Tori turns 50

Taking a moment away from animals for one day to celebrate the 50th (gulp!) birthday of my favorite female musician, the mega-talented Tori Amos.

From my 3rd row seats at Boston's Orpheum Theatre in 2011.

I cried, happy tears!

I always say I am Tori's "eldest" fan, meaning most of her fan base are now just on the far side of their 30s, on the threshold of pushing 40, while I am three years older than the artist herself.  Nowadays, when I go to her concerts, I don't feel nearly as out-of-place as I did about 10 years ago when I went to see her at the Tsongas Arena up in Lowell, and all the UMass students were in the audience.  I believe I was the oldest person there.  I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I knew all the lyrics and they didn't! Hah!  (if you click on that Tsongas Arena link, it's video of her playing "Little Earthquakes" during the show, the hand-clapping-with-rings you hear at the beginning and end is me ... a guy sitting next to us videotaped the whole show.  You can even hear me talking on the tape at various places -- embarrassing!)

I first "met" (no I haven't really met her) Tori in 1998 when I was flipping the channels on the TV in my living room, wondering what to watch one night when Gil was away in Tobago on one of his months-long trips.  I landed on VH1 and would have kept changing channels, but what I saw on that screen absolutely mesmerized me.  It was the show called "Storytellers" (this link is the entire show that someone was kind enough to post on YouTube).  I believe Storytellers may still be aired in some incarnation, even though the network VH1 itself has become unrecognizable.  But anyway, there was this woman, this creature, playing the piano and singing.  I had heard of Tori before, but I didn't really know any of her songs.  I became absolutely riveted to the TV and couldn't take my eyes (and ears) off this incredible musician.  Instantly hooked, I went out and bought all of her CDs the next day and began my obsession, playing them on a portable Sony "Walkman" CD player which was hooked up to the cassette player and cigarette lighter in my car.  Every time I went over a bump, the CD would skip, but I didn't care.  I wore out these CDs, especially the latest one "Boys For Pele" which still remains my favorite Tori Amos album (other fans would disagree, strongly).

I have since had the good fortune to see Tori in concert six times :)  Here's Tori covering Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" at the 2011 Boston show during her classical tour promoting the classical album "Night of Hunters".  During that show, she toured with a stringed quartet and no band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02pIwNh4Lc  (no that is not me yelling "WOOOOO", thank goodness!).  To demonstrate the diversity of this artist, here's Tori at the same theatre in Boston, in 2007, during her "American Doll Posse" tour in which she portrayed different characters each night of the show.  This is the character of Pip.  Also, during that tour she had her regular rock band in tow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxbFcfMQZQY

Anyone who follows me on Facebook knows about my obsession with Tori.  But I am not alone.  Most of her fan base is a so-called "cult following", very obsessive bunch.  Like the Grateful Dead back in the day (yes, I had the good fortune to see them live several times), Tori must be seen live.  It is a requirement.  Don't just listen to a studio album.  You won't "get" it.  Don't even listen to a live recording (there are many, I have over 800 Tori "songs" on my iTunes, most of them live recordings of the same songs that go around in bootlegs).  You still won't "get" it.   See Tori live, either on video or better yet in person.  As with the Dead, no two shows are ever the same, she never plays the same song exactly the same way twice.  She is a brilliant musician, even if the lyrics are sort of controversial and there are swear words.... the show is not-to-be-missed.  But even if you do have the opportunity to see her live, unfortunately, some people still don't "get" it!

Tori happens to also wear the coolest shoes.

Well, that's my happy birthday take on Tori turning 50.  I can hear her making up a ditty about herself right now, it'd go something like "I'm fif-tay, fif-tay; Happy birthday to me, I'm fif-tay"

Hobie's famous!!

How funny that Dog Channel.com/Dog Fancy decided to use this picture of Hobie that I submitted to them earlier in the summer, for their captioning contest on Facebook!!

Post by DogChannel.com.


Should you want to see all the photos, here they all are!
Summer Dog Photo Gallery on DogChannel.com

Oh, looks like I uploaded a BUNCH of photos to the gallery!  Doh!  I don't even remember doing this!

Wordless Wednesday - home sweet home

Three Dog Night!

Cooper and Hobie having a love affair 

Newman, the cat, thrown in for good measure.