Our three Poodle booklets (Toy, Miniature and Standard) are ready and waiting for you in their respective breed-specific stores. Don’t let this opportunity to help your dogs go by. These booklets empower by helping you understand proactive ways of addressing Poodle-specific issues.

You already know that you have a smart breed, and you may know some of the health problems they can have. There is absolutely no benefit to waiting for the shoe to drop when preventive medicine and nutrition have so much to offer! You’ll find that these booklets offer important tips for taking action right away.

Mike Cormier, DVM, writes about the breed’s possible problems, which conditions a good vet will check for, what the symptoms and treatment may involve, and questions to ask a breeder. I have written about the best food and supplement choices most likely to benefit a breed (based on Dr. Cormier’s writing), and explain what lies behind my suggestions. This information is adaptable to all methods of feeding (kibble, cooked or raw). Your Poodle booklets are in our breed stores and in the writings section of my site.

Our current selection of breed booklets includes the American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Shepherd, Basset Hound, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, and of course, Poodles. We’ll announce more breed booklets monthly.

Are you part of a Rescue group or breed club that needs to raise funds? Do you want to help educate others? We’re offering a deep discount when you purchase a minimum of 48 booklets. Work with me in trying to help all dogs.

Seminar Reminder: Last Call for Austin Texas!
Have you signed up yet? I want to meet you!
Saturday, May 3rd in Austin, TX

I’m not packing just yet but the countdown has started. Meet me in Austin and let’s focus on your dog’s nutrition. Saturday, May 3rd (from 9 am - 3pm, book signing 3:00 - 3:30 pm), coffee, and lunch - what more can you ask for? Thanks to the Travis County Kennel Club for sponsoring this event. I’m looking forward to meeting you and helping you fine-tune a diet that makes sense for your dog and your lifestyle. For more information, contact JoAnn Wolf hobnob@austin.rr.com or register at www.eventbrite.com/event/68273207

Fact of the Month
You can save money and still feed a fresh food diet.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve about had it with the doom and gloom and scenarios regarding a recession. I’m not an economist so forgive my simple mindedness, but if everyone stops spending, recession becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Still, rather than trivializing concerns, let’s get to work on positive actions when it comes to feeding our dogs. Here are a few things to think about:

1. If feeding fresh foods, buy a freezer so you can store meats purchased on sale. Don’t skimp on the freezer. The older ones use up much more energy and your electric bill will increase dramatically. That doesn’t mean you need a brand new freezer though. Know the energy rating on whatever you buy and make the decision based on that. You may not need a very large freezer, or you may find that it’s an added plus for your human family too. Either way, think about looking at those dented or scratched freezers that stores put on sale now and then. I won’t tell anyone that it doesn’t look so shiny and lovely that it should be featured in a magazine.

2. Don’t throw out your over ripened fruit, the tops of celery stalks, cabbage cores, etc. Use these to make a veggie mush for raw diets, add them to cooked diet, or kibble. Dogs are scavengers. There’s nothing wrong with feeding them these foods. In fact, they can be healthy additions.

3. Look at the “last day” veggies and fruits that your grocery store offers. These items may not look as pretty, but they’re just fine for your dog. Obviously, rotting produce shouldn’t be fed, but over ripened produce is fine and can cost half the price if not less. Cook or pulverize these into veggie mush and freeze it right away.

4. Don’t discard vegetable peelings. There’s a lot of nutrition going into the garbage otherwise. Use well scrubbed peels as part of your vegetable mixture. Whirl these through a food processor or juicer.

5. Dogs that are accustomed to fresh foods may be able to tolerate a meal of beans and rice in lieu of meat. The combination of beans and rice provides a fairly good amino acid profile. I don’t favor vegetarian diets for dogs if there’s an option, but one meal per week is acceptable and can save money.

6. Check your area for food co-ops. They can be a much less expensive place to buy vegetables, grains and some meats.

7. Grind your own meats and vegetables. Pre-made frozen raw diets are convenient but some are very expensive. The cost of a grinder is offset by the savings you’ll see when making your own food, and you take better control over what goes into it too.

8. Check your area for raw food co-ops even if you feed a cooked diet These places are geared toward raw feeders but they also have bulk buying option for meats only, and some offer canned fish and eggs as well.

9. Freeze your dog’s meals in containers that can be washed and reused. There’s no need to spend money on freezer bags, and you’ve just helped the planet a little too.

10. Buy more supplements at one time. You’ll save on shipping or gas to the store. Simply consider how much you’ll need over a 3-6 month period, check the expiry dates on your chosen products, and purchase thoughtfully. Don’t skimp on quality or you’ll see that an inferior product ends up costing your dog and your pocket book in the long run.

11. Chicken is usually less expensive than red meats. It also offers a poorer profile of vitamins and minerals. However, you may find that by doing the math to calculate your dog’s requirements vs. what a diet provides that some chicken (or turkey) is a good fit.

12. Bake your own dog cookies. You take control over ingredients, save money, and your dog will love them.

13. Make your own yogurt. Hazel Olbrich, one of the moderators on our discussion group, K9Kitchen, offered this recipe:
Heat whole milk (I make a gallon at a time) almost to boiling and let cool to 110F (43C) in its pot. It takes well over an hour to cool. Even though the milk I buy is pasteurized and doesn’t need sterilization, I’ve noticed that if I don’t heat it this hot the yogurt comes out thin in texture. I like it to be thick, for no good reason other than my preference. Heat oven briefly to take the chill off - I heat until the dial on my oven thermometer lifts off the post. Then turn off the oven. Stir some milk into 1/4-1/2 cup starter yogurt and stir to a uniform thickness (I buy fresh every month or so to replenish my starter - I use Brown Cow, local here in Antioch, CA, no rBST but not organic). Pour this into the pot and give it a stir. Cover with pot lid and place in oven - I prop the door open with a wooden spoon to keep the light on for a little long-term warmth - my oven is electric. Wait 6-8 hours and voila! Yogurt! I'm still pleased when I take the lid off and there is that gallon of milk turned into yogurt.

Now, with all that money saved, let’s consider how many dogs have been abandoned at shelters lately. If you can afford to help, please do. Shelters rely on dog owners like us to drop off a bag of kibble now and then. If you can’t do that, how about sharing some of your home-made dog cookies with those four-legged souls? I’m going to be baking dog cookies this weekend. Let’s do this as a team effort and make some dogs happier.

Monica

“I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better.’
-- George Bird Evans, "Trouble with Bird Dogs"