Raw Feeding

We adopted the cats in August of 2008, and in January 2009 I started learning about pet food. For that story see the Cats Get Better Food post.

That started me on the path of ending up where I am now with feeding a raw diet to my dogs, as well as the cats recently.

I learned many shocking and disgusting things about commercial pet foods along the way and I kept seeing that a raw diet was ideal for your pet's health. I researched for months and months and months before deciding that raw really was the way to go. When we adopted Denali in mid-April of 2010 we fed her a good quality kibble, Taste of The Wild. By this time I had done a little research on raw but did not feel comfortable or ready to switch.  Why? I'd heard stories of dogs being "raw fed" the wrong way and having serious health consequences. That wasn't what I wanted for my dog. Raw is very simple, but at the same time you must know what you are doing. I was content to feed kibble while I did my own research and reading. I wasn't about to believe that raw was best until I had seen enough proof.

I found story after story of old dogs acting young again, chronically sick dogs making impressive improvements, less frequent or no seizures in dogs who had been seizing their entire lives, better teeth, better breath, more balanced energy instead of spikes and crashes, allergies disappeared, skin was no longer dry and flaky, fur was soft and silky, no discharge from eyes or nose, anal glands no longer get impacted, no more ear infections, on and on it goes. The stories were there, more than I could count. I like to see scientific proof to back things up but unfortunately there are no studies (that I'm aware of) that have done comparisons or any type of research about the effects of raw feeding. Based on the stories and what little science I could find, I was pretty convinced and started looking into how to feed a balanced and healthy raw diet.

One of the first confusing things I discovered is that there are different types of raw feeding.

One of the most well-known seems to be the B.A.R.F. model. They sell products in the form of patties, nuggets, and even have treats. They use supplements like "B.A.R.F. Plus" which is a powder consisting of kelp, alfalfa, grasses, veggies, etc. Also, B.A.R.F. assumes dogs are omnivores so their products contain produce. Their products contain about 50% bone. My first thought was that it doesn't leave much room for the meat.

http://www.barfworld.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?af=1212&category=29#cat_43

There are other commercial products like "Fresh Pet" (I'm choosing this one because I've been seeing it advertised on TV) which includes rice and also assumes dogs are omnivores and need produce. There are many other "raw" foods you can get at pet supply stores, grocery stores, and online. They are painfully overpriced, contain fruits and vegetables, and some contain grains and/or starches. Usually the meat content is not over 50-60% because it is full of veggies, fruits, and/or grains.

B.A.R.F. and other commercial foods didn't seem right to me. If I'm going to feed raw, then why would I be paying so much money for things wild canids don't eat like produce and grains*? Why would I need to add supplements, shouldn't the food itself provide everything my dog needs? Ok, so why am I looking at pre-made raw instead of doing it myself? That's where we get to the next way of feeding raw..

Prey model raw (PMR). In this form of raw feeding the aim is to give 80% meat, 10% edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organ. This is based on the body composition of a wild canid's natural prey such as a deer. By offering variety and different parts of different animals (affectionately called "Frankenprey"), the dog will get the nutrition it needs. PMR does not promote the feeding of fruits, vegetables, rice, grain, potato, nothing except meat, edible bones, and organs. Every necessary nutrient is present in a raw diet. I use that sheet in conjunction with the USDA Food Composition Database. By doing this I can compare different protein sources and organs to see which ones have the most of a certain nutrient. For example, Vitamin C is present in liver. Beef liver contains 1.3g per 100g. Chicken liver contains 17.9g per 100g. Chicken liver would be a much better source than beef liver.

So what do I feed? Mostly it's whatever I can get for cheap! I try to stay under $1/lb but will go up to $1.50/lb or a little more for meaty meat. I buy chicken quarters, whole chickens including sometimes whole birds including feet and heads if I can get them, turkey necks, pork roasts, ribs, beef heart, beef tongue, cornish game hens, oily fish like sardines and mackerel, and once I even bought 1/2 of a llama. For organs I mainly feed chicken liver, beef liver, and beef kidney. When I got the llama I also got 1/2 of every organ including lung, spleen, pancreas, etc.  Feed whatever you have access to. Hunters may give you "leftovers" from their kills. You may be able to get kangaroo, bison, ostrich, sheep, goat, all kinds of things. It's all good!

Kaytu eating a pork shoulder roast.

As for how much to feed, the guideline is to give 2-3% of your dog's ideal adult body weight per day. My dogs' ideal weight is 40 lbs so they get about 1 lb of food each day to maintain it. That 1 lb includes the meat, bone, and organ. Each meal does not need to be balanced, I aim for balance over the course of a week. Smaller dogs and highly active dogs may need more than 3% and giant breeds may need less than 2%. 2-3% is the guideline to start with. If the dog is getting too thin or too chubby, adjust accordingly.

Here are the main websites I used to get started on PMR:

1. Feeding Outside the Bag http://www.kaossiberians.com/rawfeeding.html

2. How to Get Started http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started
3. Jane Anderson's Raw Learning site, very helpful, especially the FAQ page and Myths page http://www.rawlearning.com

Dogs can handle bacteria like salmonella. As carnivores (they are carnivores, not omnivores; they are not obligate carnivores like cats) they have a short intestinal tract which does not allow bacteria the time it needs to multiply and harm them. People, not so much. Always practice safe meat-handling. And if you are worried about salmonella being worse in raw meat than in kibble, stoppit. Do a check of dog food recalls on kibble. It's almost always due to salmonella. Even with a kibble fed dog, you should wash your hands after feeding and after picking up the poo in the yard. In accordance with safe meat-handling, when raw feeding your pet will likely get some blood or goo on its face or body. Keep a rag handy to wipe them down. Feed them in a location that is easy to clean, I feed on a tarp and clean using a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Never use bleach where their food goes.

These teeth are not designed for grinding plants.

Feed edible bones. This means the soft, flexible bones in poultry and fish. Hard bones such as cow legs are never ok to feed. These bones are meant to carry a huge animal so they are dense and hard. They will cause damage to your dog's teeth. Even if you are lucky and your dog does not crack or break a tooth, the bones are still going to cause microfractures. One vet noted that some of his raw-fed clients had the brightest, whitest, shiniest teeth, but they were full of microfractures and were very worn down. DO NOT EVER let your dog gnaw on dense bones. The hardest bones I will let my dogs eat are beef/pork ribs. They are allowed to strip the little bit of meat and tendons and skin from leg bones, but gnawing is not allowed. 

In the United States, meat from a grocery store that is intended for human consumption does not need to undergo any prep work. Feed it straight away. Wild game should be frozen for at least a week to kill parasites and parasitic cysts. The Mayo Clinic says meat should be frozen for 12 hours to kill tapeworms, or 24 hours for fish. The clock doesn't start until the meat is frozen solid which is why I like to give it at least a week. 

PMR is the way I went and I am really happy, as are my dogs. Vets are consistently impressed with their health, teeth, and overall body condition.

If you choose to feed a raw diet of any kind, do your research!! If done improperly you can easily do more harm than good to your pet. Typically vets do not recommend raw feeding, especially PMR. I don't blame them. Many vets do not learn much about nutrition, and what they do learn is often taught by the big name companies and horribly biased. Even if they do learn about raw feeding I think it is wise of vets to not promote raw feeding because, as I mentioned, if you do it improperly it can be very harmful for your pet. Would you trust people to do it right, knowing that if they do it wrong they can blame it on you and say you told them it was ok? I think that leaves vets too open to people suing them or other lawsuits. Some vets will be fine with you feeding raw, others won't. You can search for raw-friendly vets, or simply not bring it up with your vet. I do believe that good vets want what is best for our pets which is why I do understand the hesitancy to support raw feeding.

Feel free to ask me if you have any questions about raw feeding. I'd never go back to kibble!

*A study of Ethiopian wolves' eating habits: Food Habits Of Wolves

Shock Collar Update

I got the collar and Kaytu wore it throughout the day for 3 days. It's important for her to become desensitized to wearing it before it's used so that she doesn't relate the collar itself with the shock. Tonight I took her for a 5 mile bike ride then about 30 minutes later decided it was time to turn the collar on and do some training with it since she was nice and exhausted. I want to make it as fair as possible for her. I'm not tricking her. I'm not trying to encourage her to walk away so I can give her the stim. Setting the dog up to succeed is crucial with any training. Tiring her out first was a major step for her to be able to succeed. Eventually I will try it before she's had a good workout, and eventually I will expect her to be able to perform at greater distance and with greater distractions. Not yet.

I was ready. Apparently, so was Kaytu. She was basically glued to my side for the entire 10 minutes we were outside. She wouldn't even get to the end of the line before she'd spin around and come back to me. I was using a flexi-lead so she would have the option to go ~15 ft away from me, and also because it's very lightweight and I wanted to encourage the feeling of not being attached to me. Since she kept coming back on her own before she got to the end of the line I didn't even have a chance to use a command 90% of the time, and when I gave the command she instantly turned and came to me- no stim used. Good dog!! I know that the positive methods I've been using are working with her. I am still going to work with the collar to teach her what the stim means as I do believe it could one day help save her life.

The Great Escape Artist (gets a shock collar)

I think it was the day after bringing Kaytu home that she escaped for the first time. She slipped out between Husband's legs when the door was opened for the UPS man. I went after her, sweet talking and kissing and calling her by her old name even. She didn't even notice me. She ran across the street, went a couple houses down, then ran inside someone's home. The people were very nice and very understanding, and we took her home. She was in heat when found in LA so I think with her hormones still raging that her urge to get out was especially strong, and had absolutely no impulse control which was making our job even tougher. I did the "umbilical cord" method of attaching her leash to my belt for a couple days after that escape.

A few days after that, my husband and I were upstairs organizing. We realized we weren't paying attention to Kaytu's whereabouts. We called for her. Nothing. I ran downstairs and didn't see her. As I turned around, I saw her through the front window. She was across the street, happily smelling the grass. I yelled for Husband and went out to get her. She immediately ran the other way. I followed her as she went into a cul-de-sac. Husband had not shown up yet so I called him. He hadn't heard me yell as I ran out the door. He came running out to help. Kaytu slipped by both of us. We followed/chased her for about 10 minutes until she cornered herself in someone's yard.

At this point we briefly discussed getting a shock collar for her safety. I am strongly against using them, but the safety of the pet must come first. A painful zap that stops her from being smashed by a car is well worth it. But we decided to hold off. I wanted to do more training. A shock collar has its place as a valuable tool, but I feel it is a last resort in most cases. I'd much rather train with positive reinforcement (giving something the dog likes) than positive punishment (adding something the dog does not like), and we hadn't had her long enough or worked with her hard enough and consistently enough for the training to set in.

A couple weeks later and after only a few training sessions (described below) she was doing much better. Then relatives came to visit and the door was left wide open. She bolted out. We managed to catch her in the cul-de-sac and she was then leashed almost the entire time we had the relatives here. Three escape attempts in just over a month!

"Hi! I like to be outside!!!"

Every time I leave the house, I have Kaytu (and Denali, though she won't run out without being invited to do so) sit at the corner where the couch and recliner meet. I did several training sessions in which I gradually trained Kaytu to "wait" while I left her there, walked to the door, opened it and closed it, and even with a knock on the door. If she ever stands up or scoots forward, I say "ah ah" and walk back to her place and reset her. When she does it right I release her with "ok!" and toss her (and Denali) a treat. She's been doing great. I have a chance to practice just about every day. When I leave for work I have her sit and wait while I walk to the door and open it. I step outside, start to close the door, say "ok!" and toss treats.

It's been going great. She will usually hold the sit-stay though sometimes will break it once if she is very excited. She hasn't ran out in two months.

Today when I was leaving for agility with Denali, she slipped out. My hands were full, carrying the crate and bag and water and I couldn't drop it in time. She ran around the cul-de-sac as usual. We thought we'd get her there. She slipped by us. Instead of running back down the street she went the other way toward the main road which has 2 lanes of traffic on each side and a large median. After running down it a ways, she crossed it. I was so panicked seeing her cross that I started crying. I was waiting for the sound of yelping and screeching tires which seemed inevitable. She was now running in the direction of traffic, running in the shoulder along the curb. I was running down the shoulder next to the median and waving my arms to get people to slow down. I'm so glad they did, I am very thankful for those people who slowed to nearly a stop.

By now my energy was draining a little. I am a fast sprinter but I have little endurance. Running isn't my thing and my lungs were burning trying to keep up. Fortunately Husband is fast enough and has enough endurance to keep up with her. Kaytu ran back across the main road and down the next street back into the neighborhood. I was jogging down the main road still. A man coming from across the intersection was also jogging and I asked him if a dog had run by him. He said no, which is when I learned that she must have turned back into the neighborhood. I breathed a small sigh of relief. She wasn't headed toward the major road, which is 3 lanes on each side with a speed limit of 50 mph- so the people drive nearly 60 mph. I turned down the street and saw two boys. Again I asked if a dog had run by. They said yes, and that my husband had caught her. YES!!!!

I heard him call to me. Apparently she stopped to smell a tree. He ran full speed up to her and tackled her. I used my belt as a leash and we lead her home. The entire ordeal lasted 15 minutes.

Siberian huskies are bred to be able to run all day. Every day.

I put Kaytu in the crate and told Husband to leave her there for a few minutes after I left so she could calm down and then to let her out to get a drink. I also told him to leave her on leash the entire time I was gone, or if he was going to be in his studio then crate her. I then left for agility- to which I was late but they were understanding and it was no big deal.

The first thing I am adding to Kaytu's life (and therefore mine) is more exercise. She is doing great on bike rides and I know she loves them. Longer and more frequent rides will spend her energy in a good way, get her outside, and it also further enhances our communication. Not to mention it's great for me too!

The second thing is something I had hoped I'd never have to buy. Once home from agility I told Husband we needed a shock collar. A good one. It would be well worth the money. A couple hundred bucks vs dead dog. Or disabled dog. Or thousands of dollars in vet care. He agreed that it's worth it and necessary.

I am against shock collars in general but I do believe they have their place when the safety of the dog is in jeopardy. I know how to use one and you should NEVER use one unless you know what you are doing. You can create serious issues by creating negative associations, increasing aggression, the dog redirecting aggression, the dog only listens when the collar is worn, all kinds of things can go wrong. For what I'm using it for, if done improperly she may think that going outside at all is painful and she may become fearful or aggressive any time we take her outside. She may think approaching the door is painful. She may lash out at Denali or the cats, thinking they bit her hard. She may lash out at me or Husband. You must also raise the level of correction (shock) only to the point where the dog responds. The point is get a response, not to cause damage.

Once the collar arrives, she will wear it for at least 2 days without us even turning it on. She needs to get used to it and not create an association with it.

I will still be using mainly positive reinforcement as that is going very well. The shock collar is only a backup. I will train her with it, first to discover at what level she responds. I will also teach her that the "buzz" sounds means a shock is next if she doesn't respond. I then intend to do recall work with her, as outlined by Lou Castle. Once she understands what the stim means, I will work with her at the front door and in the neighborhood streets.

I bought the Tri-Tronics brand Sport Basic G3 EXP. The important things for me were the varying levels of stimulation, long range, the long contact points to get through her fluffy fur, it works when wet and is overall sturdy and built to last, the "buzz" feature, and the safety features such as the 8 second shutoff and No Stimulation setting to avoid accidental stim.

Product Features

• 10 levels of momentary and 10 levels of continuous stimulation
• Transmitter button remotely activates buzz sound on Receiver
• Consistent 1/2 mile range
• Waterproof Transmitter & Receiver
• Allows easy one-hand operation without taking your eyes off your dog
• Stimulation dial allows quick and easy stim level changes
• 8 second safety cutoff on all stim levels
• A no-stim setting to avoid accidental stimulation
• 1 ½" fixed Transmitter antenna with enhanced performance eliminating lost or broken antennas
• Multi-Dog selection switch colors match collar strap colors to identify dogs being stimulated
• Compact, tough, and dependable Receiver

• Easy to access Receiver on/off switch.
• Insulated contact points for reliable performance in wet conditions.
• Interchangeable long & short contact points for different coat thicknesses.
• Stainless steel contact points minimize neck irritation on the dog.
• Proprietary charging system allows indefinite charging without damage and a full charge in two hours.
• Charging Adapter eliminates need for jack or plug on Receiver.
• Lanyard for Transmitter
• Battery life indicator on Transmitter and Receiver so you know when to charge the system or replace the battery.
• Long lasting rechargeable, user replaceable, NiMH batteries for Receiver and non-rechargeable, user replaceable 9 volt battery for Transmitter.
• 2-year comprehensive warranty.

Cats on Raw

In a later post I will discuss why I feed "prey model raw" but for this one I want to talk about transitioning cats onto a raw diet. With dogs, they typically take to it very well or if they don't it isn't difficult to find something they will eat or some way of preparing it to make it more palatable. When push comes to shove a dog will not starve itself so by offering raw and only raw the dog will eventually eat it because they are hungry. Tough love!

Cats on the other hand should never be starved into eating raw and I cannot state that strongly enough. They can get hepatic lipidosis which is a form of liver disease in which fat builds up on the liver. Hepatic lipidosis can be fatal. Therefore it's not advised that a cat goes without food for more than a day. Do not use tough love with cats, especially with cats that are overweight.

Zebulon is overweight. Raw will help him get down to a healthy weight.

Some cats will take to raw no problem but most will need some help to get there.  If you put out a chicken wing and your cat starts chomping on it, you're very lucky. If not, you might be in for a long transition period. The first step is to stop free feeding- that is, don't leave the food out 24/7. When you feed raw you can't leave a piece of meat out all day. Your cat needs to learn to eat when the food is available. This in itself can be a big transition for a cat. What I do is to get the food out first thing in the morning. After 15-20 minutes, I take it away. After 4-5 hours I put the food down, again for 15-20 minutes.  Repeat throughout the day. If you ever put the food down and your cat doesn't eat any, try again in an hour. Offer food right before bed. Don't leave it out all night, pick it up after 15-20 minutes.

If you feed kibble then the next step is to feed canned food. The idea is to get your cat to eat soft food. First, offer pure canned food. If your cat will gladly eat it then you don't need to worry about transitioning to it. If your cat won't eat the canned, fear not. Mix in canned food with their kibble. Start with adding just a spoonful or so of canned. Mix it very well so there are no chunks of canned food. Increase the amount of canned food each day as you decrease the amount of kibble. When you're feeding at least 50% canned, it may help to mix it up then place it in the refrigerator overnight. The kibble will absorb the moisture and soften. A good transition step. You may need to try different kinds of canned food. Be patient. I personally skipped this whole step of canned food and went right to feeding ground raw meat with canned mixed in.

The next step is to start adding raw! Ground chicken or turkey is a good place to start, personally I had ground beef so I started with that. I mixed in one can of water-based tuna (do NOT use tuna in oil) including the tuna 'juice' with the ground beef. Tuna is not ideal but it's what I had. If your cat eats canned food, use that to start. My cats go nuts for tuna so I knew that for them it would be a good starting place. Know your cat! Zebulon and Everest gobbled up the ground meat and tuna mix happily.

From this point, slowly decrease the amount of canned food you are mixing in and start to very slowly increase the chunk size of the raw meat. I find that a food processor is a great method. You can control how chopped up the meat gets. You puree meat into mush if needed to start with.

I only had one package of ground beef so the next time we went to the grocery store I planned to get ground chicken or turkey. It was ridiculously expensive. Instead, I got 3 packages of chicken hearts & gizzards. Each package is nearly 1 pound, and the cost is $1/lb. Cheap! Once home, I chopped it all up in the food processor. A little messy, really gross, but a good method. I mixed one can of tuna in with those 3 packages. The cats are so in love with it that they start to meow whenever I walk toward the fridge now.

Chicken hearts & gizzards mixed with tuna.

As you can see, I place a good amount of the mix down on a tarp. At first I used a plate but with offering it 3-5 times per day I was running out of plates. The tarp works fine. Once they walk away, I scoop the remainder back into the tupperware.

I now feed raw during the day and will put a small amount of kibble down at night. Feeding pureed hearts & gizzards with tuna is far from being a balanced diet so until they are eating a variety of meats and organs I will need to continue to offer the kibble. You may want to continue to feed canned instead of kibble if that was a rough transition. Mine do fine going between the kibble and the raw, so again it's trial and error as well as knowing your cat.

I need to slowly phase out the tuna. The next time I go grocery shopping, I'll get 5 packages of the hearts & gizzards to mix with 1 can of tuna and I will leave it in slightly bigger chunks. After that I will get 7 packages, and it will be in bigger chunks as well. After that I will hopefully be able to stop adding the tuna. Once they will eat a whole chicken heart or a whole gizzard I'll be really happy! At the same time I made the mush of the hearts & gizzards I also made mush of turkey. I'll mix tuna with that as well to see how it goes.

I package the mix up in tupperware containers and keep it in the freezer, except for the one I currently feed from which is in the fridge. When I'm running low I grab a tupperware from the freezer and put it in the fridge to slowly defrost.

On a final note, you MUST go at your cat's pace. As previously mentioned you cannot use tough love to force your cat to eat the raw food. Cats can be extremely picky so this process may take you several months or even longer. Go as slow and gradual as you need to and make sure your cat is getting proper nutrition as you transition.

Tags

Tonight I finally did something I've been meaning to do for months. Both dogs have a tags on their collars of course. One side of the main tag has their name, the other has my phone number and address. Kaytu has an additional tag from the rescue she came from, CGSR. Denali has an additional one with my parents' address on it as I lived there for about 8 months while my husband was deployed and we are back there once or twice a year to visit family so I just leave it on.

There is one tag that is just as important as one that has contact information. I made a tag for each dog that says on one side:

$ REWARD $

  IF FOUND

and on the other side:

NEEDS MEDICATION!!!

I feel this tag increases the chances of the dog being returned if she is found. Yes, they are microchipped. But there is nothing actually preventing a person from simply keeping the dog. The enticement of a reward and the knowledge that the dog needs medication will hopefully be enough of a reason to contact me or at least take the dog to a shelter or a vet where they can scan the microchip. I want to do everything I can to get my dog returned should she ever become lost. Neither dog actually needs medication.

Kaytu's Adoption

We adopted Kaytu on October 10th, 2011. We had met her the day before at the home of her foster. There were two young female Siberian huskies we were interested in. The foster is actually part of the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue (CGSR) though she fosters huskies.

I had been searching for a young female husky on Petfinder for months. There was one I was seriously interested in over the summer but we were coming up on a month-long vacation and I decided it wouldn't be best for the dog if we adopted her right before vacation and moving into our new home. Way too much change. She was adopted while we were on vacation. After we were back and had moved in, we knew we were really ready for another dog. I saw a husky named Savvy on Petfinder and filled out an application for her and began corresponding with the foster. I lost contact with the foster over a weekend and Savvy was adopted. The foster told me she had two other young female huskies we might be interested in, Hazel and Paisley. She didn't give me many details as she had just recently gotten them but they both sounded promising. We found a day to meet and I tried my best to keep my hopes low as not much was known about either dog and I was also willing to wait for the right dog. I didn't want to jump on the first available dog just because she was available.

We brought Denali with us too to make sure they would get along. As we arrived, we walked past the covered crate containing Hazel and Hazel exploded with snarling and growling and lunging. The foster said it was typical of Hazel, she was very defense in the crate but once out was very sweet. I was already on edge and feeling like it wasn't going to work out with that dog. Then I saw Hazel through the gaps in the plastic crate and gasped. Could she be? I asked if she was red and white. The foster said yes. Oh my! The red and white is one of my favorite coat colors. By now the other crated dogs were getting agitated with our presence so the foster lead us to the backyard while she leashed Hazel. The dog she brought outside was stunningly beautiful.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

As the yard was not fenced and we weren't sure how Hazel would react to Denali, both dogs were kept leashed. We held each dog still so they could sniff butts then let them interact. There was mild snapping from Hazel but it seemed born of frustration at being leashed and pent up energy from being crated. It was not aggression. After several tense minutes while they were figuring each other out, they were playing great together. I lead Denali away a few steps so my husband could say hello to Hazel. He knelt down and Hazel wiggled into his lap, curling up and kissing his chin. At that moment I knew she had also wiggled into his heart. He then took Denali and let me have my chance to properly say hello, and I received the same treatment he did- lots of wiggles and kisses! I ran my hands over her, carefully giving her a basic test to see what she would allow. I could grab her ears, gently pull her tail, touch and hold her paws, touch her mouth, she was very tolerant. Things looked great and I was pretty sure we were all in love with her. As the dogs played, the foster told us Hazel's story.

Hazel was found as a stray by a shelter in LA. She was in heat. They discovered she was microchipped so contacted her owners. Her owners never bothered to go pick her up. They abandon her. Full shelters can only keep an abandon dog for so long before they have to make the decision to euthanize the dog. Fortunately CGSR heard about her, picked her up, got her spayed, and then handed her over to the foster.


I wanted to meet the other dog as well to make sure I wasn't being blinded by my desire to have another husky, and a red one at that with unique eyes. The foster put Hazel away and brought out Paisley. Paisley took my breath away with her striking face and markings, and piercing blue eyes.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

She was very loud and vocal and growling, but we soon discovered it was all just Siberian husky talk and she was getting along great with Denali. Paisley was a fantastic dog but she didn't have the naturally trusting, snuggly, friendly personality that Hazel did. She was still friendly and approachable but had a touch of shyness. With Denali already being shy, I was hesitant about getting another dog with shyness. Paisley had come from a neglectful and abusive home and ultimately was removed by animal control in LA. She could have some serious issues. I knew that I would absolutely be willing to work through anything with her. I love training and I love being challenged, and Paisley was a great dog.

We were loving both dogs though Hazel was our preferred choice. The next step was for the foster to do a home check and introduce the cats. I asked that both dogs be brought down in case Hazel was reactive or aggressive with the cats.

The next evening the foster arrived and was prepared to leave a dog with us if everything looked good. We locked up the cats and brought Hazel in on leash. We held the leash loose and let her explore the house, as the foster made sure the house itself was suitable. Once Hazel had explored a lot and was more relaxed, I brought out Zebulon. Zeb loves dogs and does very well with them. He is rightfully guarded at first with a new dog but will not strike, bite, or try to run away as most cats will. My husband held the leash while I knelt down with Zeb. I had his butt facing Hazel so she could get to the part she wanted to check out first anyway.

It's important to kneel down so that the dog will not try to jump up to investigate the cat. I present the cat butt-first so that the dog can smell, the cat's head and chest is protected just in case the dog reacts aggressively, and so that the cat is not overwhelmed by a dog's face in his own face.

Hazel was VERY interested but was not aggressive at all. I let Zeb crawl out of my lap and we carefully let Kaytu follow him. The real test is when a cat runs. A slowly moving cat is interesting, but a running cat is nearly impossible to resist. We then brought down Everest and repeated the same routine. Hazel was doing great! No initial aggression, and no signs that she would be aggressive. She was certainly curious about them though. Everything looked great! The foster got the paperwork and that night we officially added a new member to our family, changing Hazel's name to Kaytu.

Paisley found a loving home not long after we adopted Kaytu.

Cats Get Better Food

My New Year's resolution is to finally get my cats eating a raw diet. It's because of them that the dogs eat raw, but I haven't taken the time to switch them yet.

It all started when we adopted the cats in the summer of 2008. Zebulon had horrible, persistent diarrhea and often didn't make it to the litter box. They had come home with a bag of a commonly recommended brand of kibble (*cough* Science Diet *coughcough*) from the shelter. Not knowing any better, I fed it.

It didn't take long before I was at the vet, Zebulon was getting fecal tests done, and they said nothing was wrong. He just had loose poop. They got me to pay for "prescription" canned food. I put up with this for 5 months. He still had diarrhea, though not as often, during that entire time.

My husband deployed and I went to live with my best friend while he was gone. She noticed the diarrhea and told me to stop feeding the commonly recommended brand. She showed me the ingredients. These are the first 10 ingredients in the kibble I was giving:

Chicken By-Product Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Corn Gluten Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Liver Flavor, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, L-Lysine, Flaxseed

There is ZERO meat, or if any in the by-product, it's negligible. Cats are carnivores! I can't believe I'd never checked the ingredients. The ingredients on the canned food were no better. At the time I didn't know it, but unnamed meat sources like "Animal Fat" can legally be from euthanized pets*. This food was terrible and I needed to switch asap.

She took me to the local pet supply shop and we spent about an hour looking at ingredients of brands I had never even heard of and comparing prices.

I think the formula has changed since I started buying it but here are the current top 10 ingredients in the Rocky Mountain Feline formula by Taste of the Wild:

Chicken meal, peas, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea protein, potato protein, roasted venison, smoked salmon, natural flavor, ocean fish meal

No grain, no by-product, no corn, no soy, no unnamed sources. I stopped feeding the canned food and put them straight onto the new food. Within a week there was no diarrhea and there hasn't been ANY since, with exception of that caused by stress such as on car rides.

I kept them on the new food for about a year and a half and due to the store here in San Diego being so far away for this specific food I have been buying different brands and varieties, but all of them are free of corn, grain, soy, by-product, etc and have named meat sources first on the list.

It was because of researching about pet food for the cats that I came to believe a raw diet would be best and it's the reason the dogs are fed raw. Switching cats is sometimes easy, sometimes not. Some cats take to it right away, other don't. Mine don't. I've tried here and there and they will eat itty bitty pieces of beef liver or chicken but they lose interest. With dogs you can play the "eat it or starve" game but cats will get very sick if they aren't fed. They can get hepatic lipidosis which is when fat builds up on their liver. Liver disease. So, in the new year of 2012, it is my goal to take the time and patience necessary to get the cats on a fully raw diet. Wish me luck!

*"Meat rendering plants process animal by-product materials for the production of tallow, grease, and high-protein meat and bone meal.  Plants that operate in conjunction with animal slaughterhouses or poultry processing plants are called integrated rendering plants.  Plants that collect their raw materials from a variety of offsite sources are called independent rendering plants.  Independent plants obtain animal by-product materials, including grease, blood, feathers, offal, and entire animal carcasses, from the following sources:  butcher shops, supermarkets, restaurants, fast-food chains, poultry processors, slaughterhouses, farms, ranches, feedlots, and animal shelters."  
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/ch09/final/c9s05-3.pdf

Snow Cave

Christmas morning, my husband decided it was a good idea to scrape up all the snow in my parent's backyard and build a snow cave. There had been about a foot of snow on the ground before we got there but much had melted. He insisted there was enough. We got my younger brother and his wife to help us out. Hub and I had snow shovels and were working on the area surrounding the cave site. They had a wheelbarrow and were working in the far corner of the yard. I'm not exactly sure how long we shoveled but my best guess is about 2 hours. We shoveled the snow off of over half the yard, and it's not a small yard. When the pile was about 5 feet high, Hub was satisfied that we had enough snow. We went inside to let it settle for an hour.

My brother stayed inside with his son while we headed back out. Hub had a garden trowel and began digging into the side of the mound of snow. My sister-in-law and I formed the snow he dug out into a wall. We spent at least another hour doing this, Hub scooping out the middle like a giant Jack-o-lantern and my sister-in-law and I forming a wall.

The dogs were running around the entire time, leaping over the wall and going inside the cave to check on Hub.

Denali helped dig it out.

My nephew was curious but not brave enough to go in.

I was on the inside so pulled him in, which resulted in much shrieking and sadness.

View from the inside

The dogs then got their turn to hang out and they loved it!

That night Hub and I went back out with the girls and a bottle of rum. I carved our initials in the roof, snuggled with Kaytu, Denali almost caused a cave-in by jumping on the top of the cave, and we only spilled one drink.

We went to visit friends and were gone for four days. The cave survived. It was a little shorter and the wall had been breached by prancing puppies, but it was there.

The logical thing was to see if Zebulon and Everest would like it. I figured Zeb would either be in love or would freak out. He loves to be outside (though is never out without direct supervision) and amazingly enough he even loves snow so I was betting more on the side that he would love it. Hub put him down outside the entrance and he walked right in! Love.

He then stood outside the entrance looking as majestic and proud as a fat ball of fluff can.

I held him while Hub got Everest. We were both expecting Ev to be scared but he surprised us by loving it as much as Zeb did. He was awestruck.

I'm not sure how much longer the cave will last but it ended up being well worth the hours of labor it took to form it. The roof may collapse before too long but it's in the shade most of the time and there is enough snow that parts of it will likely last until Spring.