Changing Of The Food Again

Junie avoiding the snow by standing on mom's feet.

If you follow my mom's blog, you might have seen her post a dog food question yesterday.

She is trying to help me with battling the yeast in my ears.  The ear drops the doctor gives me doesn't cure the problem.  The yeast seems to go away but when the ear drops are gone it comes right back.

She's been giving me probiotics to help battle it but she is trying to figure out WHY it is occuring.  The probiotics have had another positive affect.  When she got me every few days I would throw up stomach acid in the mornings.  She talked to the vet about it and the vet said that sometimes dogs, like humans just have upset stomachs.  If it continued or got worse in frequency/amount to bring me in for another examination.  Since she started me on the probiotics, I haven't thrown up at all.  She also has been using Vet's Best Ear Relief Wash & Dry in my ears, but if she goes a few days without it, I start showing symptoms of an ear infection again.

She says that there has to be an underlying cause.

She started researching my food more.  From her blog:

I was reading this review here.

Black malted barley, however, is an unneccessary source of sugar and likely to contribute to yeast problems.

Now in any other dog this might not be a problem.  Junie though has reoccurring ear infections that are caused by yeast. 

Off to research more dog foods because obviously with my problems with yeast in my ears, Blue Buffalo is not the food for me.  She started going through all the dog foods that were rated 6 stars over there.  She ended up picking out a food by Orijen.  When she went to Iowa Pet Foods Plus, she talked to them about what is going on with me.  The lady just nodded her head in agreement over everything mom was saying regarding my food.  She told mom they don't even stock Blue Buffalo, not because it's a bad food, but because it has been recalled so many times.  She told mom that while the Orijen she had chosen was an excellent food, she would actually choose another recipe.  She said they only recommend the red meat recipes for working dogs.  Little dogs tend to get chubby on red meat dog foods.  She steered mom to this:

Orijen 6 Fresh Fish with Sea Vegetables

She also bought some Wellness Stews. She's going to start switching me over to these foods slowly so as not to upset my tummy.  The lady said that both choices were much better for a dog like me with the "specialty" things I deal with.

Mom said she doesn't think that they could ever own a large dog.  1 can of dog stew lasts me about 5 days mixed with my dry food.  One 5 lb bag of dry dog food lasts me about a month.  She can only imagine the cost of food for a St Bernard or Great Dane when you are giving them the high quality food.  :)

She was surprised that with it mixed I dug right into it today.  Usually I sniff around a new food for a couple of hours before I will even attempt to try it.  She said, maybe this will be easy for me to do.

The lady at Iowa Pet Foods Plus told her that it will take 6 weeks from the last date that I ate the old food to notice a difference.  She also told her that when I am done with my other glucosamine supplement that they have a high quality liquid one that is about the best you can get for a dog.

Mom loved the store.  They also are home to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa West.   They stopped back and looked at the cats and bunnies that were waiting for a new family.  She said they were expecting to have new dogs brought over within 20 minutes.

They got to meet Tigger, Killian, and Stormie who mom said were absolutely gorgeous cats that needed someone to love them.

Killian

Tigger

Stormie

Mom said that she would absolutely love it if they could find new homes.  She would adopt one of them in a heartbeat, but mom is allergic to cats.  Put her in the hospital for a breathing treatment allergic to cats.  ARL is not a no-kill shelter.  If you are in Iowa and you are interested in Tigger or Killian, you can contact the ARL-Iowa about them.  Like I said they are all at ARL west.  There are a whole bunch of animals awaiting new families at the ARL (all locations).  Besides dogs and cats, there are rabbits, rats, and even horses needing to be adopted.  Check out the pets here.  Everyone needs a home.  Remember, adopt don't shop.  They all need saved.

Junie says to check out: Rescue Matters: How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals: A Guide for Volunteers and Organizers

Mama Learned A New Trick

Junie in her new sweater. She is so cute in purple.

Mom has been mixing in Blue Buffalo Stews with my dry dog food.  When she picked up new food, she grabbed some new varieties including Blue Buffalo Wilderness Canned Dog Food, Salmon Recipe.  When she opened the can, she was mighty surprised to see it wasn't stew, it was, well, kind of mush.  Like what you would expect canned dog food to be.

She dished it out for me in my bowl and sat it down.  I sniffed at it.  Then I started licking at it but I couldn't get my teeth around it.  If you haven't followed my story from the beginning, it is here, but the short story is, my jaw was broke at the puppy mill.  No one got it fixed.  My teeth don't line up at all.  In order for me to get food in my mouth, I have to be able to pick it up with my tongue and move towards the back.  I couldn't get this food up.  I was trying so hard.

Mom looked at me struggling and her heart broke.  She thought about it.  She was wondering what she could do to make it easier for me.  Light bulb moment She got out a small plate and put my food all on that.  She's brilliant.  Without the sides of the bowl in my way, I could maneuver around to get the food in my mouth.  She said she is going to get me one of those plates for babies, the ones with the suction cups on the bottom, because even on the rug, the plate moved around on me as I was trying to get the food into my mouth.

She loves me.

She is also gradually switching me from the Blue Buffalo Longevity Dry Food for Adult Dogs to the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Food for Small Breed Dogs.  She is hoping since the pieces are a little bit smaller that I won't have as much trouble chewing them.  She knows that when switching dog food brands that you have to go slowly, but she wasn't sure if the same holds true if your just switching formulas within the same brand. She said she would rather be safe than sorry with my tummy.

She's not even sure if I actually NEED the dry dog food.  She thought I did, to help clean my teeth, but is it absolutely necessary?  If she brushes my teeth twice a day (which I HATE by the way and I guarantee you she is not getting them very clean when she does it because I do not open my mouth for her), would it be ok to just give me the stew and the soft food?  I mean, there are dogs out there that only eat food their humans prepare for them.  Isn't that kind of the same thing?

Any dog experts out there want to weigh in because I don't know.

She also talked to another vet yesterday about getting my teeth cleaned really good.  This vet has a health plan for dogs.  It covers all of my shots, my check ups, blood work (I don't like the sound of that - that has to do with that band aid thing they put on me at the vet last time doesn't it?).  It also gives her 15% off of my medicines, like my heart worm and flea pills.  This vet is at a pet store, but this pet store doesn't sell dogs and cats.  They work with a rescue to adopt the rescued animals out.  It bothers her though that they sell other animals, like hamster, guinea pigs, and birds.  The vet at this pet store though, tried so hard to save her gerbil when she had a stroke.  No one else that my mom called would see a gerbil.  She called the vet at this pet store and they said, yes we see rodents.  Bring her right in and we'll get her checked.  People laughed when they heard my mom took her sick gerbil to the vet, but that's just how my mom is.  The vet there wasn't sure if the gerbil had a respiratory infection or if she had had a stroke, but she did everything she could within reason to save the little gerbil.  My mom tried giving the gerbil her antibiotics, she tried giving her fluids with an eye dropper.  All she could do was keep her warm.  It turned out she had had a stroke and she died later that evening, wrapped in a blanket with my mom and the kids with her.

This was before my time here, but I heard mom talking to the kids about it yesterday, reminding them of who this vet was.  This family sure does love their pets, even the small ones that most people wouldn't take the time to take them to the vet if they are sick.

The oldest boy asked mom if he could get a mouse yet.  Mom said no.  She gets so attached to these little critters and they are gone too soon.  They had a dwarf hamster that lived almost 4 years.  Mom (and everyone else) was amazed he lived that long. Their life expectancy is 2-3 years. He died of old age.  He died in front of the Oldest Boy and the Oldest Girl a few years ago.  He was climbing up the bars of his cage, stopped, and just fell to the bottom.  Just like that he was gone.

I am going to live to a ripe old dog age.  That's what my mama says.  She says she's always right. :)

Junie Says To Check Out:  The Healthy Dog Cookbook: 50 Nutritious & Delicious Recipes Your Dog Will Love

Changing Of The Food

No dog is loved more than Junie

My mom thought since we talked about how she fed me that it was important to make a post regarding the fact that she changed the stew that was mixed in with my food. 

You see, she is a member of a group called Crested Friends.  It's a group of people who love Chinese Crested dogs just like my mom loves me.  They have helped her out with transitioning me to my new home and she says they are all just wonderful.  Always there when she has a question and they have the best advice for her regarding me.  She says that she is able to take care of me better because of their help.

When she posted that she had been mixing my food with the Beneful stew, they gently suggested switching me to a better brand of  dog stew.  You see, if you read this review at Dog Food Advisor, the stuff in Beneful is not pretty.  Standards haven't changed and the use of rendered meat in animal food is not illegal.  My mom certainly doesn't want to feed me something made from euthanized cats and dogs. :(  Whether it's in there or not, the other things that are in it are not things that my mom wants me to eat.  Many DOT's take roadkill to the rendering plants and some shelters are required to take the animals there after euthanization.  That's what is in most cheap store pet foods and some of the foods labeled premium.

So, mom switched me to Blue Buffalo stews (to match the dry dog food I already eat).  I think my favorite is the Blue Buffalo Irish Lamb Stew. I love that!  The difference in the appearance and smell alone is amazing.  When mom put the Beneful in my food, I would go over and investigate and eat very slowly.  Eating here and there (after the first bowl, which I'll admit, I ate all of).  With the Lamb Stew, I eat my whole bowl in about 3 minutes, which is VERY fast for me.  Before, I rarely finished all of my food.  I've finished every bowl since she changed me over to the Blue Buffalo (yesterday).  It's so yummy!  Mom said that not having to throw dog food down the garbage disposal because I didn't eat it is awesome too.

(Mom said to tell you there is an awesome blog post/video on making your dog's food at Yeepet.  She's going to try that also.  She already cooks for the birds, why not for me too?)

Mom also got me GNC Ultra Mega Hip & Joint in dreamy peanut butter flavor, which I don't dig at all.  She snuck it in my lamb stew last night and I ate it.  Today she tried to sneak it in and I ate around it.  She's got to be more sneaky than that, come on.  I'm a smart dog.  Who wants peanut butter with their lamb?

I know she says that it will keep me from having pain in my jaw down the road, but I don't like it.  I'm not eating it.  Until she sneaks it into something else.

Speaking of things I don't dig.  She just gave me my ear drops again.  How many more days of that torture do I have to endure.  It does feel good when she massages it in, but having her stick a little tube in my ear freaks me out.  3 days down, 4 more to go.

Mom says we have to go help her brother move today.  I love car rides.  That will make up for the cruddy ear medicine and the washing of my head earlier.  She said I was greasy from the medicine.  I say it didn't bother me at all.  This whole "I'm only doing what is best for you thing" is for the birds sometimes.

I still love her lots though.

Junie says to check out:  Blue Buffalo Longevity Dry Food and  Blue Buffalo Irish Lamb Stew

What's For Dinner?

Found a new favorite spot in the sun on the green chair.

My mommy is one of those people that worries and worries about what she is feeding her animals.  She even cooks the birds' food.  You can find one of her recipes for bird bread here.

When I first came to live with her she bought me Iams.  Then she started doing her research (which she is obsessive about, she had always thought Iams was good, but she wants to be sure, she wants to give me the best nutrition she could).  I didn't like the Iams at all.  She called my foster mommy and asked what I had been eating and she told her that I ate Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food.
Mom went right to the pet store and bought Blue Buffalo Longevity Dry Food.  She watched every move I made and would I eat it?  No, not really.  She didn't know if I wasn't eating because I was nervous, or because I didn't like it, or if it was because I was watching for anything the littlest boy would drop on the floor.  I'll never tell her which it was, I got spoiled a little more because of it!
Remember, I am missing a few teeth from my jaw being broke as a puppy at the puppy mill.  She worried that it bothered me to it the dry dog food even though my foster mommy told her that I ate it just fine for her.  Told you, my new mommy worries a lot.
She went out and bought me a bunch of Beneful Dog Stews.  (NOTE:  My mom does NOT feed me Beneful stews anymore. She feeds me Blue Buffalo Stews.  Beneful is NOT a good food.) She started mixing 2 small spoonfuls of that into my dry dog food.  I'll tell you what, she doesn't have to worry about me eating anymore.  As soon as she puts that down, I immediately eat my food.  I don't wolf it down, I think my missing teeth cause me to take a little more time chewing my food.  My mommy says that I need to eat some dry dog food to help keep my teeth clean. I'd rather eat that chicken stuff all the time.  It's so good!
I don't know why she worries so much, she says it seems like I hardly it, but according to this site's calculator, I eat just enough for my 6 lb little Chinese Crested self.  (Have your dog food ready if you go use that.) See -

Why does she worry?  I'm good!

She has tried many different treats with me too.  I don't care for any of them.  Not even the bacon ones. So far she has tried Canine Carry Outs Bac'n Bites, Natural Ultramix Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, and Hartz Crunch n Clean Dog Biscuits.  Nothing has made me jump up and down with excitement, wag my tail in glee, or gotten anything but a little sniff from me.
Someday she'll find the perfect treat for me that I love.  Until then, I'll have to be happy with the Good girl, Junie!!! You're such a good girl!!! when I go outside and do what she calls go potty.  You know what?  That adoration for her is better than the perfect treat any day.  She keeps trying and trying to find things I'll like that will make me happy and I'm already happy.  I just want to be loved.  And I am now.  So much.

Remember if you have a rescued animal story you'd like to share on my blog, contact my mom!  She would love to have you write a post about how you helped an animal in need!

Junie says to check out: Blue Buffalo Longevity Dry Food for Adult Dogs, 24-Pound Bag