Australian Shepherd Mug

handcrafted design from Karen Donleavy (http://bit.ly/rp6WjQ)

Day 306 - Fall Changes

Blackmud Creek- Edmonton Alberta - Oct 30, 2011

Entrance into Bearspaw - Edmonton Alberta - October 30, 2011

Common Foods That Are Harmful to Dogs

Common Foods That Are Harmful Or Even Fatal to Dogs
Many common foods are actually harmful or even fatal to dogs. Some of these (listed below) will surprise you:

• avacados are toxic to dogs Avocados (the pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. They can cause difficulty breathing; fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart; or pancreatitis. However, the (inside) fruit is quite nutritious and healthy. 
• onions can be fatal to dogs. Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia, weakness, and breathing difficulty. Even small amounts can cause cumulative damage over time (this includes onions or chives – raw, powdered, dehydrated, or cooked). 
• garlic (large amounts) is harmful to dogs Large amounts of garlic cause the same problems as onions. However. Up to half a clove for a small dog and 3 cloves for a large dog is fine and actually has many health benefits.
• grapes and raisins can be fatal to dogs Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill him. If the dog doesn't eat enough at one time to be fatal, he can be severely damaged by eating just a few grapes or raisins regularly.
• green tomatoes can be fatal to dogs. Green tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias. Tomato plants and the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also unsafe. (All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are also poisonous to humans.). Ripe tomatoes are ok. 
• nutmeg is can be fatal to dogs Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death.
• caffeine is harmful to dogs Caffeine (from coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or tea bags) stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems, and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death within hours.
• xylitol sweetener can harm dogs Diet products containing the sweetener Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Unless treatment is given quickly, the dog could die.
• macadamia nuts can harm dogs Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. These symptoms are usually temporary.
• chocolate can be fatal to dogs Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death. Baker’s chocolate is the most dangerous. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. But any chocolate, in large enough amounts, can kill a dog. An ounce of chocolate can poison a 30-pound dog, and many dogs will happily consume more than this. The symptoms may not show up for several hours (and so might make you think all is well), with death following within twenty-four hours. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous.
• Apple seeds, cherry pits, and peach pits, pear pips, plums pits, peaches, and apricot pits contain cyanide, which is poisonous. However, although these pits and seeds may contain cyanide, unless you feed them to your dog in large amounts on a regular basis, they are harmless. In other words, if you feed a dog a few slices of apple and they happen to contain a seed, it's not a problem.
• too much salt is harmful to dogs Too much salt can cause kidney problems. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may then drink too much water and develop bloat, which is fatal unless emergency treatment is given very quickly.
• too much fat is harmful to dogs Too much fat or fried foods can cause pancreatitis.
• ham and bacon are bad for dogs Ham and bacon contain too much fat and too much salt, and can cause pancreatitis. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a life-threatening condition called bloat. This is where the stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist, causing death.
• too much liver is harmful to dogs Raw liver or too much cooked liver (three servings a week) can lead to vitamin A toxicity. This can cause deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, weight loss, and anorexia. Check the label of your canned dog food to be sure that it does not contain liver if you are giving your dog liver also.
• wild mushrooms can be fatal to dogs Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.
• raw egg whites alone are bad for dogs Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. The lack of it can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity. Raw egg yolks contain enough biotin to prevent the deficiency, so this is not a problem with raw whole eggs. Raw egg yolks could contain salmonella, so you should get your eggs from a reliable source or cook the eggs.
• large amounts of grains are bad for dogs Grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog’s diet, but rice is generally safe in small amounts.
• cooked bones can kill dogs Cooked bones can splinter and tear a dog’s internal organs.
• dogs need their vegetables cut up Dogs can't digest most vegetables (carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes or yams) whole or in large pieces. Potato peels and green potatoes are dangerous.
• dairy products can be harmful to dogs Dairy products are high in fat, which can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea. A small amount of non-fat, plain yogurt is usually safe.
• pennies can be fatal to dogs Pennies made from the 1980s to today contain zinc, which can cause kidney failure and damage to red blood cells. A dog that consumes even one penny can become quite sick, or even die, if the penny is not removed.

Excerpt from: http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t22394/

Australian Shepherd Club of America - Showcase of the Blacks (http://asca.org)

(Not Puddles pictured above) 


other Club photos please click here

Pooping dog is anticipated to be this year’s hottest Christmas toy

            
          Doggie Doo, a plastic dachshund that emits farting noises and plops out excrement, 
          is said to be this year's hottest Christmas toy by the British Toy Retail Association  
             Excerpt from: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1076943

Excerpt from rawfed on raw

RAW FEED

• Whole Eggs
• Beef (any parts, except dense weight-bearing bones)
• Liver (any species)
• Kidney (any species)
• Green tripe
• Heart (any species)
• Spleen (any species)
• Sweetbreads (any species)
• Lung (any species)
• Whole rabbits (or parts)
• Chicken (whole or parts)
• Turkey (whole or parts)
• Quail
• Pheasant
• Duck
• Goose
• Pork
• Lamb
• Goat
• Deer
• Elk
• Bison
• Pronghorn antelope
• Ostrich
• Kangaroo
• Emu
• Whole fish (avoid fresh salmon)
• Canned fish (use sparingly)
• Rats
• Squirrels
• Mice
• Moose

Abbreviated Notes:

·         Pacific salmon carry a toxic parasite that can make dogs very sick. Freeze fresh/raw salmon, steelhead, trout, and other salmonids for at least 24 hours before feeding to your dog; this thoroughly kills the parasite. Cooked salmon (or canned) is perfectly okay to feed. Fish is the only food that can also be fed cooked, as the bones remain soft and the meat keeps much of its integrity. When feeding whole fresh fish it might be worthwhile to cut open the belly and check for hooks swallowed into the stomach as well as hooks in the throat or mouth. If the fish has any sharp spines (like catfish or the dorsal fin on bass), you should cut them off before feeding the fish to the dog. Avoid feeding too much carp, smelt, herring, and catfish, since these fish contain an enzyme that binds Thiamin, or Vitamin B1. They make an excellent addition to any raw diet as long as they aren't the bulk of the diet (i.e. do not feed it every day!).

·     Wild rodents (squirrels, rats, mice, etc.) and lagomorphs (rabbits) can contain numerous parasites and diseases, including tapeworms and the plague (which affects you, not the dog). If you want to feed your pet wild rodents, freeze the rodents for one month or more before feeding. You can get good quality frozen rats and mice from reptile suppliers and other sources. Frozen rabbits can also be shipped from suppliers. 

·        Avoid feeding the weight-bearing bones of large herbivores—femurs, knuckle bones, etc. These bones can easily break a dog's teeth. These, among chicken necks and wings, are the most complained about bones.

·       Also avoid feeding those small bony pieces as a stand-alone. This means wings, chicken backs, chicken carcasses that have all the meat removed, etc. The idea is to feed BIG raw meaty bones that provide a good workout and force the dog to chew thoroughly. And the other key word is "meaty". Think of lots of meat wrapped around some bone. If you feed a bony meal, make sure to add some supplementary meaty-meat to prevent constipation.

·     Do not overdo the organ meat! Organs are incredibly nutrient rich and are a necessary component of an appropriate raw diet, since these are a vital source of vitamins and minerals for your pets. Too much organ meat can lead to loose stools and a bout with diarrhea (which clears up quickly when the next meal comes through).

HOW/IN WHAT FORM DO I FEED RAW MEATY BONES TO MY PETS?

There are many options, and it depends on the size, age, and personal preference of your dog. You must know your dog and select accordingly. You can feed raw meaty bones and whole carcasses partially frozen, totally frozen, or totally thawed. Some dogs prefer their organ meat frozen as well. 

Frozen RMBs (raw meaty bones) are good for teething puppies, dogs that are learning to chew their food, and dogs that gulp their food. Feed the RMBs in as large of a piece as you can. If you have a big dog and you want to feed beef ribs, feed the whole slab of ribs joined together. If you have a little dog and you want to feed a chicken leg, feed the whole thing as a big piece (like a chicken quarter), rather than cutting it into smaller pieces. Small pieces encourage choking and do not promote thorough chewing. One commonly used standard is to feed something bigger than the dog's head. If the dog does not eat all of the food, simply pick up the leftovers, refrigerate or freeze them, and feed it the next day. Or you can let your dog bury the leftovers so it can eat it when the meat is "ripe." Cats, on the other hand, must have fresh food.

When feeding whole animals, you can feed the ones that are completely feathered and furred, or you could feed skinned ones. It depends on your dog's preference and on its level of expertise (i.e. I would not suggest feeding a dog brand new to raw feeding a whole feathered chicken). When you do feed feathered prey, you might need to pull out the large primary feathers at first so that all is left are the soft feathers that are not going to poke your dog's mouth, etc. If you are feeding a whole animal, you may need to make a little incision to expose the 'goodies' inside the first time you feed it, as pets do not always recognize it as food. Once your pet realizes it is food, you typically do not need to do that anymore.

When feeding your pet, simply take the meal and hand it to your pet. A dish is not needed unless you want one to put whole eggs or organ meat or canned fish in. Some people feed a little bit of organ meat every day; some feed a whole meal of organs, and some feed it every few days. The choice is yours. Just remember that organ meat can make a dog's stools loose and that too much liver can result in too much Vitamin A (one of the reasons Cod Liver Oil is not recommended as an Omega 3 supplement). As long as you feed a variety of organs and not just liver day in and day out, your dog will be quite healthy and happy.

WHERE DO I FEED MY DOG?

This can also vary and depends on your personal preferences and local climate. Here are some suggestions.

·         Feed your dog in its crate without a crate pad. This makes for easy cleanup, as most dogs clean up the crate themselves, and works well if you have multiple dogs that must be separated from each other.

·         Feed outside if the weather allows. You are bound to get some interesting looks from neighbors, but just smile and wave.

·         Feed in a corner of the kitchen, garage, or laundry room.

·         Feed on a towel in the living room. It is fairly simple to teach the dog to stay on its towel. If the dog is trained to eat on a towel, then you can have it eat anywhere in the house—just move its towel. Wash the towel as needed, or use more than one towel and rotate. Or, feed on a plastic dropcloth or a plastic-type table cloth, and wipe it down when your dog is done. The prerequisite to all this, of course, is teaching your dog to stay in one spot. Whenever the dog starts edging off the table cloth or towel, simply pick up the raw meaty bone and place it back on the appropriate spot, repositioning the dog as necessary. You can add a phrase like "Stay on your towel" or "Place" or whatever you wish. After a few times of this, the dog should get the idea that it is supposed to stay on whatever you have it on.

A slick surface can be easily cleaned up by you or your dog. Regular soap and water or white vinegar work well for cleaning and will not contribute to "superbacteria" as much as various antimicrobial or germicidal cleaners will.

WHEN DO I FEED?

This depends on your schedule and your dog. You can feed in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening. Feed whenever you have the time to let your dog spend 10-30 minutes eating its delicious meal of raw meaty bones. Many raw feeders choose the evening as the mealtime for their pets since they are home for work and it is just easiest for them to feed at that time. Choose what works best for you and your dog.

HOW OFTEN DO I FEED?

Some of this depends on your dog, but here are some general "guidelines". Start off with the suggested schedule here, but make adjustments as necessary. Your dog will tell you/show you what it prefers; for example, if you feed twice a day and it starts refusing a meal, feed only once a day.

For puppies under 4-5 months of age, feed 3 times a day. If your pup consistently refuses one of the meals, move to 2 times a day. If your pup needs 4 meals a day, then feed 4 meals a day.

Dogs over 6 months of age can eat 2 times a day. If your dog indicates that it only needs one meal per day, then switch to one meal per day.

A dog can be moved to one meal per day a) when it tells you it is ready, or b) after it has finished its period of rapid growth (usually around one year), or c) never. Some dogs do much better on two meals a day, and some prefer one meal a day. Let your dog dictate how often you feed it. Many raw feeders generally feed one meal a day so that the dog can get as big of a raw meaty bone as possible, but all follow the rule of thumb—KNOW YOUR DOG! Their dogs told/showed them that they preferred or did better on one meal.

A dog that is out of puppyhood and over one year of age can safely be fasted for a day as long as more food is fed on the other days to make up for that day without food. Fasting is implemented by many raw feeders with great results, and mimics a condition seen commonly in wild canids. Fasting is known to have wonderful benefits in cleansing and toning the body while helping the dog lay down muscle, not fat. The fast also allows raw feeders to feed bigger raw meaty bones on the other days and gives the digestive system a "break".

One technique commonly used with fasting is called the "Gorge and Fast" technique. The dog receives a large meal the night before the fast, and then fasts the entire next day. Some people give a light breakfast the morning after the fast, while others just wait until evening to feed the dog its full meal. Some feeders incorporate this technique even further by having several fasts per week, each preceded by a gorge night (where the dog may eat something like a whole chicken or a whole turkey or half a goat in one sitting). This mimics a more natural way of eating and allows the dog to actually eat until it is full, allowing the stomach and intestines to fully function as they were designed to. 


Regardless of what method you choose, once the dog is old enough/ready, at least one day of fasting should be incorporated. Often the dog will dictate this for you, particularly if it has had a large meal the day before. If your dog eats sporadically—heartily one day, then picking at food the next—incorporate a fast day on the day your dog would usually be picking at its food. Also keep in mind that canids are incredible fasters and can go for weeks without food (Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation.).

HOW MUCH DO I FEED?

This will also vary with your dog. A dog that is more active and has a higher metabolism will eat more, while a less active dog or one with a slower metabolism will eat less. Puppies will typically eat more than adults, since they need to fuel their rapidly growing body.

The recommended food amount is 2-3% of your dog's desired body weight per day. So for a 100lb dog, you will be feeding 2-3 pounds of food a day. If you are gorging and fasting, you may be feeding 6 pounds or more on a gorge day. A highly active dog may need closer to 3%, while a dog with slower metabolism may need closer to 2%.

How do you know if your dog is too fat or thin? You should be able to easily feel your dog's ribs and even see the outline of the last few floating ribs at the end of the ribcage that attaches to the vertebrae of the spine closest to the hips. You should not be able to see ALL the ribs, or the hip bones, or the vertebrae of the spine, just the outline of the last few floating ribs. If you stand above your dog, he should have a definite waist between his hips and ribcage. Remember that dogs are built differently from each other, so some may have a naturally stocky body that will not give you a waist no matter what you do. Know your dog!

For a puppy, feed 2-3% of his expected adult body weight per day. Puppies under 4 months of age are very good at self-regulating their food intake, and can be given the opportunity to eat at a carcass or raw meaty bone until they are full at each meal. Pick up the leftovers and feed them later. If the puppy starts gorging himself to the point he has a huge, swollen, distended belly, or if he is getting fat, regulate his portions at 2-3% of his adult body weight per day. 


If the pup is looking very skinny and is not putting on weight, get a fecal sample done to make sure he does not have worms, and then up his food intake if needed. Keep in mind that puppies grow at a slower, more regulated rate on raw food than on commercial foods. This translates to less chance of developing the bone and joint problems seen in puppies fed commercial foods. Do not force feed your pup in an effort to make it grow faster or bigger.

For an overweight dog: determine the desired body weight and then feed 2-3% of that ideal body weight per day. For an underweight dog: determine the desired body weight and feed 2-3% of that desired weight per day. For maintenance: feed 2-3% of the dog's current body weight per day and adjust the food amount as needed.

(Excerpt from: http://rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html)

Pets with World Records

Balancing glass of water: Sweet Pea, an Australian shepherd/border collie, holds a couple of records: most steps walked down by a dog facing forward while balancing a 5-ounce glass of water (10 steps) and fastest 100 meters walked by a dog with a can balanced on its head (2 minutes and 55 seconds).

Oldest dog: Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, lived to be 29 years and 5 months of age. Les Hall of Victoria, Australia, got Bluey as a puppy in 1910, and the dog worked with cattle and sheep for nearly 20 years before being put to sleep on Nov. 14, 1939.

Longest tongue: Puggy's tongue measures 4.5 inches long. The male Pekingese with a lives in Texas with his owner, Becky Stanford, who has to chop the dog's food into small pieces because his tongue is such a mouthful. The longest dog tongue on record belonged to a boxer named Brandy whose tongue was 17 inches long.

Smallest dog: The smallest living dog is Boo Boo, a long-haired female Chihuahua, who is just four inches tall and weighs in at a mere two pounds. She lives in Raceland, Ky., with her owner, Lana Elswick.

Most dogs skipping rope: Uchida Geinousha's 13 jumping dogs hold the world record for most dogs skipping rope.

Tallest dog: Giant George, is 1.09 metres. The Great Dane from Tucson, Ariz., holds two world records: tallest living dog and tallest dog ever.

Highest jump: A greyhound named Cinderella May jumped 1.72 metres, the record for the highest jump cleared by a dog. Cindy, as her owners, Kate Long and Kathleen Conroy, call her — is more than just a world-famous high jumper; she’s also a R.E.A.D.-certified therapy dog.

Balloon popping: Jack Russell terrier Anastasia has popped 100 balloons in 44.49 seconds. Anastasia lives in Los Angeles with her owner and trainer, Doree Sitterly.

Jack's (5th) Birthday - Oct 23, 2011 - An Aussie chilling in Germany

Recanting Summer 2011

August 12, 2011 12:30pm; Bearspaw Edmonton