Turtles, turtles, everywhere

It's that time of year - the snappers and painted turtles come out of the swamp and onto my driveway and make a big mess laying eggs. So the dogs have not been allowed out without a leash for the past few days. The girls were very interested in this turtle today. She would bite their little noses off!

Why Do Dogs Roll in Yucky Stuff?

This is the procedure my dogs follow:
1. Find smelly dead worm
2. Sniff smelly dead worm
3. With a look of ecstacy, roll neck in smelly dead worm
4. Pee on dead worm

I "heart" my meat grinder

Check out this beast! We picked it up today. I can't wait to start grinding stuff up!

no Farmer's Market tomorrow

We will not be at the market tomorrow (Saturday May 31) due to weather conditions and our leaky shelter. Sorry for any inconvenience. If you need muffin or tripe treats or supplements, they are also available at Hot Diggity Dog.

Calling all PICKY Eaters!

As you can see, my dogs are not fussy at all. Shawdy-pottamus will eat anything and we often play games with non-edible objects to see just how far she will go. As long as you put something to your mouth and say "what's this?" she will put her mouth on it before she knows what it is. So, having said all that, I am looking for the fussiest dogs to be my taste-testers. As I experiment with new recipes, I need a true measure of the taste. My dogs are poor candidates for this role.

So! Bring your fussy dog to the market to taste test some of my new goodies! I hope we can find something for the fussiest of the fussy...

Sophie the Giraffe

This is Sophie. She is the world's best chew toy for babies of the human variety. She is made of natural non-toxic rubber and every baby that I know LOVES their Sophie, including my human baby.

Problem is Sophie makes a "happy noise" when squeezed. This happy noise is a squeaker and it drives my puppies crazy, especially Joannie. Ever since we took Sophie out of the box, they have been mad about her - stealing her out of the diaper bag and any time she is dropped on the floor. Then they run downstairs and out the dog door and Sophie ends up muddy. Sophie cleans up well in the dishwasher, I should add. So now when I hear that familiar sound, I say to the baby "They've got Sophie, we must save her!" and outside we run to rescue Sophie. However, the puppies are very gentle with Sophie and don't want to kill her like they do other toys that they have stolen from baby - there was two bunnies that Grandma bought for her for Easter and they have since been stolen and had their eyes and stuffing ripped out. So I'm thinking that they would like their own Sophie. I might have to order another one. I'll keep you posted on how well Sophie does as a dog chew toy.

Zipper

This is Zipper, the puppies' brother who lives with my sister Laura. He is a spoiled boy and with no competition for food, he has become a picky picky eater. When he came by a few weeks ago for a visit we tried out some treats with him. He LOVED the Lickers (cow tongue), and the turkey jerky, but wasn't too fond of the sweet potato chips. He had a good time with his siblings and slept for a long time afterwards.

Do you know the muffin woman?

So many muffins! And no where to put them!







My fridge is so packed right now!








And this is all my dishes from my bake day. Note the new silicone muffin trays which I so love...

Raw Stew

Yesterday was my bake day - no baby, no dogs, just me and my Kitchen Aid mixer!

This is a custom stew I made for Madeline, the blind JRT. She's a fussy girl and we did a chicken and tripe mix which she loves.


Here is the finished product. I can make any stew you want, and I can vary the veggies/meat and ratios - just email me for a quote! And don't forget that I deliver!

My Bad Dogs Part II

Tonight at 11:00 our nice neighbour who feeds Shawdy bread knocked on our door to tell us that Shawdy had escaped again and she was in the middle of the road, probably barking at cars. It was very nice of him to come and tell us, he was worried about her getting hurt.

We searched the "compound" to see where she had been "testing the fence for weaknesses" (like the raptors in Jurassic Park) and sure enough there was a few bent areas and one big hole where she had pushed up the chain link from the fence post and escaped. Her collar was lying there at the scene. I don't know why she would try to escape tonight - her Auntie Laura took her for a huge walk in the forest today.


I suspect that she got a whiff of a campfire at the park - brought back memories to our old house on the lake when our neighbour Larry would have fires weekly and burn his garbage, including Shawdy's favorite - chicken bones. She would always come back from her adventures smelling like campfire, so we knew where she had been. Tonight she had a big soot mark on her head, and the other dogs were very interested in smelling her feet. She is so naughty, I don't know what to do with her. Is an electric fence the next step? She is so sneaky, always has been.

PAWdicures

Starting next Saturday I will be offering $5 PAWdicures (nail trims) for GOOD dogs at the Peterborough Market. I would prefer if you could bring your dog between 12 and 1, when there is less traffic. If your dog needs special "assistance" - ie. restraint, muzzle - or if they are particularly vocal when having their nails done - then you can use my at-home nail trimming service for $25 (those crazy gas prices!). Or if you just can't make it to the market. Just email me and we can arrange a time and date.

Flea Free Cookies

Well I finally made some "flea free" cookies for the doggies (kitties are out of luck as garlic is toxic to felines). They have brewer's yeast and garlic as the active ingredients. A cookie a day will help to ward off fleas, but there is alot more you will need to do to keep those pesky parasites away.

Here's some tips on natural flea control that I have used and have only once had a flea problem - during a particularly bad year - but managed to control the fleas and was FLEA FREE again within 2 weeks.

1. Wash your pet's bedding often - at least once a week - this will drown and kill any flea larvae, eggs and adult fleas
2. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in corners and under pets beds, crates etc. On hardwood floors I sprinkle the DE on the floor and use a broom to make sure it gets in the cracks. Whenever I vacuum the area I re-apply.
3. Add apple cider vinegar to your dog's diet - you can put it in their water - make sure it's the natural stuff that says it contains "mother"
4. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum - and put some DE in the vacuum bag to kill any larvae that may hatch.
5. Check for fleas regularly - especially behind ears, under collar, near tail. If you see black specks that look like dirt, put some on a wet paper towel - if it turns red, you have fleas - this is flea poo and what do fleas eat? BLOOD!
6. Use an all natural topical repellent such as Flea Drops from Nature's Power - I wouldn't go near those chemical ones - made that mistake once and the Shawds broke out in pimples all over.

If you have any flea questions, just ask!

My BAD dogs

Shawdy has her issues. She always has. We got her when she was 2. We knew she was an escape artist, a piggy (we call her Shawdy-pottamus), a licker (Shawdy Licks-a-lot), and has a bad habit of killing and eating small animals. So lately she has been digging holes under the fence, and stretching the chain link fence big enough to escape. She waits until I am busy with the baby or baking, and then poof! She's gone. Gone for hours. I don't even bother looking for her anymore. So I always wondered what she was up to. I figured she was just hunting and gathering. A few days ago we took the baby up the street to look at a yard sale and thought we'd bring Shawds since she never gets "alone time" with us. We were stopped by a neighbour who proceeded to tell us how he knows Shawdy - that she visits him often and he feeds her bread. Great. Then another neighbour said that he'd seen her too. So naughty. Then on the weekend we went to the cottage with just Shawds and Thomas. Shawdy was sooo good. Thomas went missing and turned up an hour or two later in someone's van. He had started following a couple of joggers and went on a 4km run with them. They took him home and drove him back to where they first saw him, with the door open, hoping he would jump out when he saw his house. So naughty. It's time for boot camp for these dogs. And I call myself a dog trainer!

Hired Help?

Note the drool.

Shawds is always trying to help me make dog food. She loves green beans! Her duty is usually clean up. She also tries to help me load the dishwasher.

Flea Drops

It's that time of year again - time to think about flea control.
Looking for something more natural this year?

Nature's Power Flea Drops $12.95
These flea drops help to repel those pesky fleas and ticks. Most topical flea drops are harsh chemicals that can be very harmful for your pet. Just apply down center of pets back and between shoulder blades to help protect your pet from fleas naturally. Nature's Power Flea Drops are made with sweet almond oil along with lavender, lemongrass, and cedarwood essential oils.

I will have containers of diatomaceous earth next Saturday and some FLEA FREE treats that contain brewer's yeast and garlic which are known to deter fleas.

Click here for a great article on natural flea control

CAT stuff

Yes, yes, all you cat lovers - I will make some cat treats for next week!
I'm thinking something tender and fishy...
I also make a grain free cooked cat food - I will have samples.

What's that smell? FAQs on TRIPE

TRIPE - the smelliest stuff you'll ever feed your dog! Don't let the cow poo-poo smell turn you off - it's like crack for dogs! They go beserk for it!

Here is the low-down on tripe and why I promote it so much:

Green Tripe - What is tripe?
Tripe is the edible lining and accompanying content of a
ruminant's stomach. Green tripe means that the tripe has not
been cleaned, bleached or scalded. The actual color can be green
or almost black in color. This product has been used in
Europe for years by many of the old time breeders.

Are all types of tripe the same? No!
There are 3 types of tripe: Bleached, Cleaned and Green. Green tripe is also referred to as "unbleached" tripe since it has not been altered. Bleached tripe is white in color and has been thoroughly cleansed. Washed tripe is grey in color, had the contents removed, and has only been lightly rinsed and has not been cleaned to the same degree as bleached tripe. Tripe is washed and bleached for the same reasons humans wash and peel potatoes- for appearance and bacterial safety reasons. Green tripe has the contents removed and is not washed at all. It is the most natural form of tripe because it is not altered at all once removed from the carcass.

What are the benefits of green tripe?
Green tripe retains an attractive odour dogs love. This odour is literally "washed away" unless the tripe is green. Benefits for the dog include noticeably better coats, more luster and shine no more flaky skin, richer color, etc. Breeders rave about how white the dog's teeth are and the lack or need for dental attention. Most breeders will comment about their better stools and are impressed with their increased vitality and energy levels, and agree that green tripe is the perfect food for a canine.

What makes green tripe the perfect ingredient?
There are many nutritional benefits from eating green tripe. It contains a very diverse profile of nutrients including enzymes, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, probiotics, and phytonutrients. Green tripe assists your canine in utilizing their food as well, aiding in the digestion process. It can also be used as an appetite stimulator. In cases where dogs refuse to eat their meal it can aid in stimulating the appetite. Diets that do not contain live enzymes put a greater stress on the pancreas and other organs to help to breakdown food.

Why is green tripe so healthy?
Since tripe is taken from cows' stomachs, they receive nutrients from grasses and grains that have been already processed naturally by the cow's stomach system. Also present within the tripe are naturally occurring gastric juices, amino acids and live enzymes not found in processed or cooked foods. These gastric juices are excellent cleaners for teeth. Amino acids are necessary for proper muscular development. It is also an excellent source of protein, fiber, fat and delivers equal calcium to phosphorus ratios. Green tripe also contains Lactic Acid bacteria, also known as Lactobacillus Acidophilus which is a good intestinal bacteria and a main ingredient in probiotics.

Products

Here's what I'll have at the Peterborough Farmer's Market this Saturday:

Frozen Raw Food:
"Stinky Stuff" - green tripe mixed with offal and muscle meat
"Chicken Stew" - ground chicken backs with veggies

These raw foods do not contain supplements - I do not think they should be included as all dogs are different and require more/less or have higher/lower metabolisms. I recommend adding your own - Nature's Power Body Booster is great as a regular supplement, and the Joint Care for older & arthritic dogs or for large boned dogs as a preventative.

I will be adding more flavours as I find more sources for locally produced meats!
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Muffins:
These muffins are a complete dog food with no preservatives so they must remain frozen or keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Mini muffins sold in singles, and as a sample pack of 12 (3 flavours)
Large Muffins sold in singles, frozen 6 packs or 12 packs
Flavours: chicken, turkey, beef, tuna, or salmon
*other meats available custom for a premium price - elk, emu, buffalo

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Treats:
Pieces (bagged):
Beef Heart, Liver, Tongue, Tripe Patties
Chicken Hearts, Liver

Whole:
Tripe Chips
Lickers (tongue)
Moo Tubes (trachea)

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How it began...

For me, it began 8 years ago when I adopted a Lurcher, Shawdy, from a raw-feeding breeder. She wasn't too sure about me, and I wasn't too sure about this "crazy" BARF/raw diet that she insisted I keep feeding Shawdy. She showed me how to make it myself - the learning curve when doing a raw diet is overwhelming at times - I suggest that anyone who embarks on this journey with their pets find a mentor to help guide them through.

Once I got the hang of it, it wasn't as difficult as I had thought. And the benefits to Shawdy were amazing. She has only been to the vets for stitches and is rarely ever sick. When she does get sick (she's had kennel cough & pink eye) I treat her homeopathically and she's better in a few days. Her fur is so soft - 75% velvet I always say, and all her teeth are sparkling white. She never smells like a dog, except when she rolls in delicious dead fish. Her poops (my favorite topic of discussion) are small and firm and if I "forget" to clean them up, they turn to dust within a few days.

A few years after I adopted Shawdy I started adding more dogs to our pack - four whippets later I am full-time dog chef. Yes, it is alot of work to make food for four dogs, but it is worth it to know exactly what is going into my dog's food!