By Lily
Browsing through the pet department of your favorite store, the selection of food and treats are huge. Most times it is hard to know what is really good for your pet and what is really in the best interest of promoting a healthy pet.
I have always fed my dogs the lamb meal and rice food that has no other by-products. I have three dogs of various ages and it’s good for all them. It’s also a good choice for dogs that are sensitive to corn, poultry or wheat. Another perk, is the subsequent clean-up of the yard is made easier by feeding them food with no by-products.
Has anyone tried the treats that contain glucosamine chondroitin for joint health?. My sister feeds them to her elderly poodle. She couldn’t get him to take the pills but he’s happy to gobble up his dose now.
Mine have always been Milkbone dogs, but I have been thinking about making home-made dog biscuits. With three dogs, the cost of the quality treats can really add up and I’d like to give them something healthy. I haven’t yet found a recipe I like, but I would like to share two lists of common foods that are dangerous to cats and dogs. I recommend taking the time to read them. I have just learned that onion can be toxic to both. I had no idea.
Are there any special treats you give your pets to maintain their health? We’d love to hear your tips and any products that you recommend.
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51 Responses to Healthy Pet Tips
What a beautiful dog in that picture!
That’s our pup! She’s very spoiled with her treats. She loves Bully Sticks, her cow hoof, green tripe pressed bones (we call them stinky bones,) and dehydrated buffalo tails for chews. She trains with Peck’s buffalo and cranberry cookies, roast chicken breast pieces. Her favorite “treat” though is to chase her ball. She’s not a chow hound. She prefers exercise to food. She doesn’t get that from me!
We tried a few different types of food for her basic diet. She is so unlike my first dog, who would eat anything. She wouldn’t always finish her meals as a puppy. I had to put her kibble in an empty water bottle with holes cut into the sides. She would push it around and the kibble would fall out. She would be more inclined to eat if there was a game involved!
Right now, the kibble she likes is called Fromm Puppy Gold. I have had to switch occasionally because she gets bored wth her food after 6 weeks or so. Her favorite was a prescription “bland diet” soft dog food that the vet gave us when she had a digestive problem. At $7/can, I had to explain that it’s just for sick pups, not for everyday. : (
Lily, do yours eat the soft food or is it a kibble?
Ann,
Did she accept your explanation or did she whine a little?
Does anyone have a recipe they like for pup treats? Ours also had a small box of these tiny pup cookies that smelled good enough to eat. The ingredients looked like they were for human consumption. Oatmeal, peanutbutter, and honey!
This is a subject that I feel so strongly about that I think maybe I shouldn’t comment.
My 9 y/o suffered chronic ear infections and horrible skin condition, as soon as the medicine was gone it would come back.
When he was young he was a deep red color, his coat turned a ugly orange through the years. It looked like the end was near for him. His back legs wobbled when he walked and he only got up when he needed to.
I googled and found raw food diet for dogs. I didn’t have anything to lose. I changed his food to raw chicken, flax seed oil and a few other things. By the next day I saw a difference. I watched him get younger by the day. In two weeks time his coat was back to the shinny deep red he was as a pup. He will be 14 in Sept and he looks and acts like a 7 y/o. It saved his life.
Dogs were not met to eat grains, in the wild they eat their food raw.
I will get off my soapbox now but if anyone reading this can relate please google raw food diet food dogs /cats.
Thanks Deborah,
I will look into that and read up on it.
Oh, Deborah, I know ALL about it! My husband’s sister is a dog person in the purest form of the word. Part of the reason I hesitated getting a dog for many years is because I saw the work and expense she put into her “boys.” I didn’t really want to do any less for my own.
I watched her ‘boys” for ten days once and they ate three raw chicken legs each, twice a day (that’s 12 legs a day!) with a cup of “slop” on the side. Slop is a combination of spinach and other greens, veggies, and even garlic (I could smell it) all ground up in a food processor. She made the ten days worth and we kept it in the fridge. Normally she freezes some. It looked disgusting to me at first, though it all smelled pleasant. The dogs loved it. They are big collies- the kind that Lassie was. By the end of the ten days, we were thinking those dogs were eating better than we were!
We considered the raw diet for our pup. The vet suggested that we wait until she is older because of the potential for disease in raw food. He wanted us to give her a high quality kibble for the first year. I wanted to be sure my youngest daughter would follow safe food handling as she is only 12 years old, and has never been in charge of raw food. We ended up researching this through Whole Dog Journal. They seem to be raw food proponents, BUT they did a good review of dry foods, so we have chosen from their list, or have looked for the ingredients they suggest.
Deborah what breed of dog do you have? Do you think he had a food allergy? Do you supplement with veggies at all? I have always believed dogs were omnivores, not strictly carnivores, and they need some vegetable matter?
What treats/chews do you use? My sister-in-law’s dogs get bully sticks, which is why we started with those.
Walnuts are dangerous to dogs! I didn’t know that.
Deborah- more questions: Were you feeding your dog one of the newer wheat and corn-free dog foods? Kibble or soft food? Do you give your dog any dairy? My pup liked licking the empty 32 oz. plain yogurt container as a treat once a week. She’s never had a problem with it (there is not much to lick up) but we stopped when she had tummy trouble a few weeks ago. She acts cheated when she sees us recycle it without her chance to clean it. I feel bad about that.
I have always had pit bulls. And yes he did have food allergy’s but he didn’t always have them and the vet never told me that. The grains and processed /by-products wore his system down, that and the medicine it seemed he was always on. Vets have to know this, it makes me think they know we would pay anything/give anything to help our fur babies.
I did veggies at first but latter felt no need for them. Bully sticks are good but I use raw beef marrow bones mostly.
I haven’t been back to the vet in almost five years. I don’t think they are evil anymore but did for a long time. After I saw the truth for myself I never looked back.
Dogs have strong digestive juices, there is no potential for disease in raw food for dogs or cats. Its a myth. Vets and dog food company’s are in on it together.
Here I go sounding crazy. I do feel strongly about this
Ann, your pup is so beautiful. She is a lucky dog to have such an owner. Yours too Deborah. What a turn-around. I have never heard of the raw food diet. Do they get the bones or just the meat? I remember a vet telling me that cats were meant to get their grains and veggies from the stomachs of their kill. I figured it was the same w/dogs. I do know that when my mother’s poodle had some digestive problems, the vet had her prepare rice w/turkey broth to feed to her for a couple of weeks.
Ann, I have always fed them the hard crunchy kibble. I have never measured out food or had a feeding time despite what the vets told me. (The pup did have his own food for the first 5 mos and they just didn’t understand). They never over-eat although the pup brings me the bowl when it’s empty. My retriever who is a long time gone did get 10 lbs overweight in his last two years, but he had vertebrae that hurt him and couldn’t get as much as exercise as he was used to. I’m also looking for a recipe for the treats. I had found some online, but I don’t know which is the best.
Yes I do give plain yogurt about four ounces a few times a week.
I fed pedigree both cans and crunchy. The thing is that as soon as the meat is cooked it is worthless for any nutrients.
Also no more bad breath, rumbling stomach noises, no more farts. I could go on and on.
I feed chicken thighs. It took me a month or so to feed the thigh bone and skin. I just couldn’t trust completely at first. Also gizzards 3 or 4 times a week.
Turkey, fish and some beef. He didn’t do well with pork.
Lily, my little shih tzu has a similar diet when he gets sick, but we mix in cottage cheese per the vet’s directions. He gets the occasional hair ball, that I now suspect is not from dog hair but is rather long and red because I woke up the other day to him sitting next to me happily munching my hair. My dogs, unfortunately, will eat just about anything even if it is very very bad for them. I’ve been lucky and the hair balls were the unscheduled vet trips for us. The very bad things they have eaten are ergo beads (they pooped plastic beads for days), a 35-pack of spearmint orbit gum courtesy of my little brother who left it in a jacket pocket on the floor (this time it was green poop for a couple of days). They are cunning little things, this morning I was getting ready for work and heard a thud in the kitchen–Willy got up on his hind legs and pulled a placemat off the table to get at a box of crackers I had left there.
On to the good stuff, I’m pretty simple when it comes to treats. Both my dogs love fruits–they often get an apple piece as a treat, or a bit of banana. We make banana chips for them and they LOVE those. Other treats are sweet potatoes, a little scoop of peanut butter, and fish oil daily for healthy skin and hair. Last fall they got ahold of quinces in the yard, those get taken away because they are too astringent for them and they get sick.
Erin Kate, our pup gets her peanut butter treat twice a month, when we play “spa” and file her nails down. She sits nicely if there is a spoonful of peanutbutter in front of her!
Lily, my sister-in-law’s dogs eat the whole chicken leg, bone, skin, and all. The bones are safe if they are uncooked, apparently. They do not splinter when raw?
Right, they do not splinter when raw.
I also give organic peanut butter for a very, very special treat. Truth is I don’t know if its good for him or not, he just loves it so much. I put it in his mouth just fight so it sticks to the roof of his mouth and it lasts for along time.
Yes, it is amazing how long a spoonful of peanut butter lasts! It is funny to watch, too. My sister-in-law suggested we fill a Kong toy with treats and seal it with peanut butter for a treat. If she OKs the food, we are pretty sure it’s a safe option. She used to make raw natural pet food for dogs and cats as a side job. (She is a gourmet chef.) Clients would freeze the food. She lives too far away to cook for our dog, though.
It is funny when I give the dogs peanut butter. They love it but they don’t get it often.
Deborah, thanks for all the info. I did some reading on it. I can’t afford to solely feed my dogs the raw food diet, but I am thinking about supplementing it w/their regular food. Especially, when those chicken thighs go on sale. I never buy them since I don’t like dark meat, but I will put them in the freezer for the dogs. I would love to help my oldest who has been feeling his age. I talked to some friends about it, they were so surprised that it was only the cooked chicken bones that splinter.
That was a experience. I got my dogs some chicken legs for the week. The natural chicken legs aren’t too expensive. They loved it. My cat was right on top of them nosing around. She must have smelled it and I gave her some too. They were in heaven but I couldn’t watch too long. blech. My big fuzzy dog was just nosing me asking for some more. They absolutely loved it. The pup is rolling in ecstasy.
Deborah, I bet your dogs love you so much.
Lily,
You just don’t know how good that makes my heart feel.
What you will notice if you keep it up is they will get enough and and feel content. Oh I bet your dogs are lookin’ at you with goo goo eyes right now. If you can get some flax seed oil or salmon oil is the best but more expensive, or just a good fish oil. It would do them a world of good especially the older one. Stiffness will disappear.
If you can just stay away from the grains. I read somewhere that if you feel a need to feed grains that twice cooked brown rice is the most digestible. ( Double the water and cooking time)
Please keep me posted and let me know how it goes.
I’m so glad for your dogs. Did you feed the bone and all ?
Oh Lily,
What I met in regard to the brown rice is if you need a filler. The only reason dog food company’s use grain is because its a cheep filler. I wish you the best of luck in finding a way to feed your fur kids a raw diet. You are in my prayers to find a way.
Deborah, they are resting comfortably now, very satisfied. They would give you licks for the advice. I forgot about the oil, so thanks for the reminder. I can pick them up some fish oil. I was too fixated on the raw chicken and yes, they got it bone and all. You know, I was surprised the vet didn’t recommend the brown rice for my mother’s dog the time she was sick. I’ve always heard that is the best. Thanks again. I am down to two dogs now so it’s more affordable. I have had my son’s dog for quite awhile. His fiance was in school, then they were moving. They just came to take her back last night. I will tell them about it too. They pamper her and she will love it.
Lily, Just thought about freezing the chicken. Do not use the microwave to defrost the chicken because it can somewhat cook the bones which could then splinter. Otherwise chicken is different for dogs/cats than it is for us. It can be old and stinky and will still be good for them.
Thanks Deborah, that’s good to know and I will pass the info on. I never defrost in the microwave myself, it never comes out even.
Great information here. I am not currently a dog owner, but plan to be one of these days when I will have more time to commit to the responsibility.
It’s wonderful to be among a group of women who are such responsible pet caretakers. You are good people!
I agree with Anya, this is all very interesting and enlightening. It’s great to see such responsible pet owners!
When they had that cat food scare a few years ago I did some research on making your own cat food. I never went through with it (it seemed like you needed to gather a lot of hard to find ingredients to give your cat a balanced diet), but I’m still kind of curious about it.
Ann, your doggie is so beautiful.
Jennie, I have never had cats but I don’t believe it needs to be hard. Look at another site. Read the ingredients in the food you feed your cat. How much of it is real food ? How much of it is by-products ?
Then just feed it raw. Chicken, fish, turkey. A small food processor.
What do cats in the wild eat ?
Also you can ask the manager in your store if he will sell you these things that are out dated for a reduced price. Older meats are fine for cats and dogs.
I wish you luck.
More questions about raw foods:
My sister-in-law includes this vegetable “slop” once a day (the dogs eat twice/day.) It looks awful, smells delicious. It’s a mix of leafy greens and root vegetables processed in a food processor. Deborah, do you do that at all? Any vegetable supplements?
The kibble helps with teeth and gum hygiene. Does the raw meat do as well at cleaning their teeth and gums? If not, do you give treats or chews for this?
My sister-in-law always processed the raw food for cats. Why do cats need it broken up if it isn’t broken up in the wild?
I swear by fish oil or flax seed oil for joint health. I have RA and take no medications anymore after increasing my fish and flax intake and changing the balance of omega 3/6/9′s in my diet. I believe it works for dogs, too!
Our pup is almost 8 months old. i am seriously thinking about making the switch sooner now because of this discussion.
I believe the veggie slop is a good thing. I did do it at first but I fed it all together with the raw meat. He was already 9 y/o and I had to give him raw beef marrow bones first to get his digestive juices going to get him to eat it. One of the veggies I used was broccoli and I found that wasn’t good for him because he had a thyroid condition, anyway I just quit the veggies for him he did better without them because of his age. I think for a younger dog the slop is a good thing. Also after reading about you sister-in-laws recipe I might give it another try.
I feed plain yogurt about 4 oz’s a couple times a week that I put through the food processor with a little papaya, or 1/2 bannana, or a couple slices of apple. Another thing I feed two or three times a week is chicken livers/gizzards/organ meats. Also a raw egg once or twice a week, shell and all.
I use the raw beef marrow bones for teeth cleaning.
Since I have never fed cat’s raw foods this is my take on the reason for the need to use the food processor for their meat is that they are finicky eaters, and might be to domesticated. I still cut the meat off the bone for my guy and put the bone at the bottom of his bowl like to top off his meal. There is no real need to do this I just do it. I just do that with the thighs, the legs I give whole.
Ann, you are so right about the fish/flax seed oil, and they love it.
I also feed fish, turkey, and sometimes beef. Not at the same time, but for variety.
He loves me. I am his pack leader and I think he believes I’m the greatest hunter in the whole world. Before I was his mom and he loved me of course but its different now.
Funny huh, LOL
Also reading on another blog a lady said she asked her vet why they don’t tell us about raw food and just keep giving us medicine and he told her in vet school they teach little about nutrition and that the course given on nutrition is sponsored by dog food company’s. That explained a lot to me.
Its the same way most our doctors seem to only know about drugs. Unless they have a desire to look into what the body needs for health they just look to drug company’s and I trust that’s how the drug company’s want it. Same with dog food company’s.
Also I read awhile back that it is the dog food company’s that provide student loans for vet school so there is a loyalty there.
For us to not know any different keeps them all rich.
OK off my soapbox.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Sometimes we need the help of doctors, vets, and strong medicine and I’m grateful for them. There was a time in my life I looked to them as if they were Gods. In most cases they are not and I found it was up to me. I thank God for books on natural health and the internet.
He loves me. I am his pack leader and I think he believes I’m the greatest hunter in the whole world.
Oh my goodness, this is sweet to read. You are the best hunter! Too cute.
I wish I could say everything in one post instead of making more but I just want to say these are the things that worked for me and my boy. There is a wealth of info out there and I know everyone has to find there own way to what serves them the best. I know I can turn people off with my passion when I feel strongly about something.
Thanks so much Deborah. When I had our pup to the doctor last month, they he her for a day (she was too dehydrated.) She had bloodwork and meds, and when I picked her up, all the vet could say was that her bloodwork was good (thank goodness.) ‘So what was it?’ I asked. He just shrugged and said, “I don’t know.” I don’t think he is a god at all. He’s a nice man, and he helped our girl, but he was as clueless as I that day.
There are many reasons for dehydration. The main cause is vomiting and diarrhea. The next thing to look at is improper nutrition mixed with the heat in summer months. Or it could be she ate something that was not good for her and just stopped eating and drinking or could have had a flew like bug. Its good you saw a problem and were able to get her help.
Since changing to the raw food diet there was only one off day for my boy. I gave him avocado, he loves them but he had a bad reaction to them. At first I thought we needed the vet for hydration but by afternoon he was better and drinking water, at dinner time he was extra hungry.
Before changing his diet I was like his mom, he loved me enough and all that but after going to raw foods he got a new respect for me. He listens to my every word (no more rolling his eyes at me) being the pack leader is a higher position than mom in the fur kingdom.
I don’t know if anyone is still reading this thread but something just occurred to me. I read somewhere that its not good to supplement raw feeding with commercial feeding. Please look into this before mixing the two.
When I made the change my boy was so uncomfortable, the look he had in his eyes that he just didn’t want to live anymore. I spent the night reading about the raw diet and first thing in the morning I went to the store. After the first day he lost that look in his eyes and was again happy to be alive so I never looked back.
But I do remember something about not mixing the two.
This is a good site to read at. She will answer questions viva email.
http://www.rawlearning.com/
Deborah, again thanks for that information. Supplementing their dog food w/raw meat was exactly what I was planning to do. I will have to do some more reading. I have the fish oil too.
Lilly, here is a facebook link about raw feeding, in the discussions it seems lots of people buy ripe meat (old) very cheep in price, with good results. Worth the read.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=261761471359&v=wall
OK, I want to be pack leader. I want the new-found respect, too.
Thanks for the link, Deborah.
Lily, That’s great you got the fish oil. Your older one will really benefit. It is a very good thing for all ages but give the older one double that you give the younger one. I really hope you can find a way to feed all raw.
Anya it looks like you have a Border Collie. Am I right? She is just beautiful. I have three Border Collies and love every single one of them. Two were rescues and our first we got as a puppy. I’ve always had small dogs but I have to tell you Border Collies are so smart it almost scares you sometimes. I swear they understand everything you say to them. I wish I could have more but there just isn’t room for more. I see all these dogs needing homes due to foreclosures and it breaks my heart I can’t take another one in. I’m a softie if you haven’t guessed that yet. I may be the pack leader but all three of them have stolen my heart.
Thanks Livinthelife,
That’s our family pup, an 8 month old border collie. We looked for a rescue dog, that of course was our preference. This one came to us as a pup from a breeder. We decided back in the summer to “just look.” Our daughter had seen therapy dogs and it re-ignited her desire to have a canine friend. She had the opportunity to help care for her friends’ dogs, and was sad we told her we wouldn’t have one. She researched and knew she wanted an active breed she could play with. We releneted.
We were a qualified family at several rescue places. My daughter applied for a lovely border collie named Allie, but she had already found a home. I tried to talk her into pups at a shelter several hours away (one was on Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl) but she wanted a female. There were no rescue farms just for border collies nearby. We looked for a few months and still nothing turned up. Then we heard about two litters born nearby. We took one home and a friend took home a brother. They still get together, sometimes several times a week. They are so cute together.
Do yours participate in agility, fly ball, or any other activities like that? We are thinking of getting ours into it soon. First she needs to get through therapy dog training.
Hi Ann, Well when we adopted our last two from a rescue organization they were considered tough adoptions because one dog has Valley Fever and has to be on very expensive medicine for the rest of his life to control seizures because the illness wasn’t caught quick enough before there was brain damage but my heart broke for this boy and I knew I had to have him and he is the sweetest thing every. He may be a little “slower” than the other dogs but he has a heart of gold. The second one we adopted several family members tried to discourage me from adopting her but once I saw her photo and read her horrible abuse story at a rescue site I immediately contacted the adoption lady and said I had to have her right now. I told my family members I had a “feeling” about her and I just had to add her to our family. She had come to the rescue from another state and she was within 30 minutes of being put to sleep because they considered her unadoptable because she was terrified of people and she had several injuries from her former owners severe abuse so they were going to put her down. A lady at the shelter just fell in love with her and couldn’t stand to see her put down so she started calling no kill shelters all over the country and Border collie rescue organizatoins. She found only one that had room to take her and luckily it was in my state. We had been looking for a female for company for a male dog so when I saw her story online that was it, I had to have her. She had been beaten, burned, stabbed and finally run over on purpose by her owners car. Luckily she only suffered a broken leg from that but a neighbor called the police when they saw him purposely tie her up and on purpose drive his car right over her. I guess the guy ended up in jail for awhile with a huge fine according to the laws in that state.
So when I read her story I called the rescue and they said fine but did I understand her broken leg had not been fixed yet and she would need medical attention for that and a few other injuries. I said it didn’t matter I wanted her. So we drove down to another part of the state to pick her up from her foster mom. Thankfully we took one of our grandkids with us as the dog seemed to like kids and while she wouldn’t go near any of us, she would just bark and run out of the room and then come back and bark and run off in terror when either my husband or I tried to go near her. We were warned she was extremely frightened of people so it didn’t sway my feelings. But she was drawn to our grandchild so with her foster moms help and our grandchild we got her in the car and drove back home. We got all of her medical issues taken care of but it took abut 8 months before she would come near either my husband or I. Now she got along beautifully with our male Border Collie. See she was our second dog and the third with the Valley fever was our third adopted one.
I’m thrilled to say with love and patience our little girl got over her fear of us although she is still afraid of new people so it takes time for her to go near anyone new but honestly she is the best dog ever and my husband and I keep wondering why her original owner abused her because she is so well behaved and been a fantastic dog.
Our first Border Collie is kind of a funny story. Our son and his wife have two Border collies themselves and they just happen to buy a new home right next door to another lady that also had two Border collies. Well when the female next door went into heat apparently our son’s dog actually jumpted the fence and let’s just say the next door lady’s female and our son’s dog had fun. In talking to the vet apparently a female dog can have a litter of dogs and more than one dog can be the daddy. Since her dogs were the red Border collies and our son’s was the black when the puppies were born it was easy to see which puppy was from which daddy. Well I said I had to have one of the pups from our son’s dog. Oh he was and is beautiful. In fact the Westminster Kennel club contacted me when I put some photos of him on our family site of pictures and there were photos of him on the site. The Westminster people felt we should show him because they said they had never seen a Border Collie with such fantastic markings. Our first one is a tri-color and yes he is stunning. We just so happen to be having him trained by a professional dog show trainer for regular training. In that process we got to watch her train show dogs and their handlers and I told my husband that it was for me too grueling for a dog because the amount of training those dogs go through is unreal. I contacted the Westminster and told them that we weren’t going to show him as we just wanted him as a family pet. So that’s my dog story.
We are a little too old to of done the agility thing with our dogs because both my husband and I have health issues when the dogs were younger although we would have loved to of done it. Now our son’s two Border collies have competed for a number of years in the Frisbee contest in our state and every year our son’s two Border collies have taken first and second place in the state. I just love watching them.
Oh to be younger I would love to have them do all that agility stuff. I watch it on tv when it comes on and whats funny is that our oldest Border collie will not move when I put that on. They say dogs can’t watch tv but I beg to differ because if I put an dog agility show or frankly any dog show like the Westminster and all those shows he will lay on the couch and his eyes won’t leave the tv and he actually watched those shows. It’s hysterical to see him because he is so intent on watching every second of the show.
How old is your baby girl? I have to tell you she is just beautiful and she has gorgeous markings too. I love how her ears stand up. Some Border Collies ears stand up and some don’t. All three of ours have ears that lay down unless they are excited and then they go straight up but both of our son’s two Border collies ears stand up straight just like your dogs do. Oh if you can it would be so great to do that agility stuff with her. I keep saying I so wish I was younger because I would most definitely be doing that with my babies. Well maybe not babies any more. One is 9, the second is 7 year old and our last one is 4 years old.
Thanks for sharing your story. My goodness, what an amazing dog your shy girl is. She never gave up. I can’t believe there are people who do such awful things in the world. How wonderful you were able to take her in and care for her. I love the happy ending! Three border collies sound just wonderful. How nice that they have each other. I would bet her brothers helped her to adjust to your home. She saw your other pups trusted you and that she could trust you too.
Ours is 8 months old. Thanks for the compliment. She’s as sweet as she looks. She did not want her picture taken. She wanted to play with that ball at her feet. She did not understand why I told her to lie down when there was ball chasing work to be done! Look how well she obeyed. She’s thinking, “What is wrong with her today?” But she listened anyway.
Getting this dog was a great decision for our family. She’s won everyone’s heart.
I meant to add that her ears are unusual. My daughter has described them as two left ears. They are not symmetrical at all. One is floppier than the other. The one with the white tip can turn in many different directions. The all-black ear has either “up” or “down.” Her ears give us clues to what she is thinking. My daughter really loves the white tip. She calls it her “earring.” The dog’s brother has all-floppy-all-the-time ears. He also has curly hair and is 25% bigger. Still, they love each other. I wish we were able to keep him more often. He has come for sleepovers just to keep his sister company.
I would love to see a picture of your border collies. If you like, you can email me one. We should really post a thread of pictures of our pets! Anyone interested?
What a wonderful story Livinthelife. I’m so glad there are people like you and your family.
Ann I had to laugh when you mentioned the ball. Border Collies are totally obsessed with them. Here’s an idea you might want to try. My oldest gets real nervous when I take him to the vet and will get a little testy. You know age can do that to you sometimes. So I had an idea one day before I was taking him to the vet and brought a ball with me. That was the trick to get him to relax and enjoy his appointment. Even the vet sat down and started playing ball with him. So that’s an idea if your little girl gets nervous taking her to the vet.
One unusual thing he taught himself is I get really frustrated with dogs constantly barking especially since we lived next door to a neighbor that had three dogs that I swear didn’t stop barking 24/7. It was so bad we had to move our bedroom to the other side of the house. Thankfully we had bedrooms on both sides. Somehow he sensed his new mommy didn’t like barking and when the dogs next door would get him excited or if anyone rings the doorbell he quick runs and grabs a ball so he doesn’t bark! At first I thought it was just coincidence but soon learned he did it on purpose so he would bark at everything that might get him going. When we got our other ones he also taught them the same trick except our little girl that was abused for whatever reason will only play with a tennis ball if it’s red. They say dogs can’t see color but I have to debate that because even in a basket full of tennis balls she will only take out the red ones even if they are at the bottom of the basket. The third one takes a long rag type of toy and picks that up when he feels the instinct to not bark. It’s such a relief because Border Collies do have a tendency to bark alot when they get excited but thankfully even though I’m still bothered by the neighbors dogs I don’t have the added irritant of my own barking like crazy. Oh I’ve talked to the neighbor but he just said he can’t stand keeping them in the house because their barking drives them crazy so that’s why they keep them outside. I guess it’s ok if you bother everyone else. He did say though and this is true, when our oldest gets all excited at his dogs barking next door our Border Collie will run along the fence line from beginning to end with the ball in his mouth. He has worn a nice path in the ground from running back and forth. The neighbor said he can actually hear when he is outside our dog running back and forth along the fence line and he gets a kick out if it and he did compliment me that mine don’t bark.
How would you upload a photo? Of course as any dog lover would, I have lots and lots of pictures of them. Actually your dog’s ears are quite normal for a Border Collie who’s ears stand up. Our son’s two collies ears move depending on their mood and it’s hysterical to watch the motion of the ears depending on whether they are happy, aggravated or just in a happy mood. Sometimes one will even flop down once in awhile and then a few minutes later back up standing tall it will be. Oh trust me you are going to love your girl more and more every day. I would trade mine for anything in the world.
One of my Border Collies hair is the curly hair and the other two are the smooth coat ones. They all have really thick coats which I have to spend literally hours brushing them. I don’t mind because when I’m done they go prancing around because they know they look pretty again.
I am going to do some research into this natural food thing that’s for sure. For some reason all three have developed severe allergies and even taking them to another state and environment didn’t help so we’ve tried all different kinds of foods but I never thought about the grains being the problem so I might give what some of you suggested to see if they get better. The darn allergy shots and medicines are so expensive but we have to do it because if we don’t they will scratch themselves raw. Only two started a couple of years ago all of a sudden and now our oldest just started a couple of weeks ago itching like crazy. The vet has checked for everything possible but she did say this was a real bad year because of all the rain we had last year and now the rains are upon us again. So I want to look into this natural foods thing and maybe give it a try because it sure will be cheaper and healthier in the long run than the darn meds from the vet. Their mommy is on enough medicines so the added cost of my babies gets to be a little difficult at times so if just changing their diet does the trick I will be forever in debt to all of you.
Livinthelife, Please look into raw food for your fur babies. Chicken thighs and legs are the best to start with. Please remember vets will always say not to do it. They make a lot of money off our sick fur babies. Raw Chicken, and the bones that come with the cuts that you feed it. Make sure you don’t buy flavor enhanced. It has added salt.
Their allergies and itching will disappear so fast. Its the grains.
Rain has nothing to do with it.
Please let us know !!!
Here are a few links for raw feeding.
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http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://rawfed.com/
http://rawmeatybones.com/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfe…
Livinthelife,
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You can email a photo to ann@imperfectwomen.com or writeforus@imperfectwomen.com. I will look for it!
Our pup is a ball hound. It’s her favorite activity right now. Sometimes she falls asleep with a tennis ball in her mouth during the day.
We are trying to teach her the names of her toys. “Go get your sheep.” “Go get your hedgehog.” “Get the little ball.” “Get the soccer ball.” She’s getting pretty good at it. She so cute when she drops at my feet and looks up at me to play with it. I love your tip about bringing a ball to the vet. So far she’s been good, but she was recently spayed and may have some issues when I take her back. I’ll bring a ball.
Let us know how the raw foods goes with your dogs. I have my fingers crossed that it is the cure. I have a good feeling…