Guerillera Alexandria here.
We had quite the storm yesterday. I, myself, rather enjoy the
occasional stroll through a downpour with gale-force winds,
accompanied by the steady cursing of my humom and the sounds of our roof shingles tearing off. That goofy redhead Rowan lies down for a pleasant snooze in the rain, snuggled up next to his dogloo, which he only frequents in 100 degree weather. However, when it comes to that young sprout, Ghost, or as he styles himself, The Magnificent Ghost, one is almost ashamed to be of the same breed. Yes, he is large and sturdy, full of masculine bravado, struts around with his chest thrust out and paws the dust like a bull. But let there be a few drops of rain, or, heaven forfend, a clap of thunder, and our macho male dashes whimpering into the house, into the nethermost reaches of his crate, where he curls himself up into the tiniest possible ball (no mean feat, considering his girth), and cries piteously until the last drop has fallen and the sun is out again. >sigh<. I really don't know where I have gone wrong.
Guerillera Alexandria, mentor of The Magnificent Melting Ghost, signing off
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Strange tastes
As befits Texans, the cats adore guacamole, it's one of the things they'll open the fridge for if I've made a fresh batch. All the dogs drink coffee (like they need it!) and Sascha the Ridgeback mix esp likes eggnog (as do the cats, yeehaw). The Mals also love asparagus, with predictably stinky results, broccoli, cauliflower. Allie will eat a whole package of Stella D'Oro breakfast treats (for humans). I haven't caught any one in the act but one of the dogs opened the fridge in the mud room and eggapaloosa ensued.
Rowan the Red Mal, however, gladly passes up anything with an iota of nutritional content in favor of anything made of plastic or latex. I have to hide shopping bags and dispose of packaging material and such out of reach, none of the garden tools have handles, pails are pathetic scraps hanging from forlorn handles -- it's amazing how much plastic there is! Do not get me started on packing peanuts. He is one weird dude.
Almost as bad as the cat who licks the emulsion off photographs ...
Rowan the Red Mal, however, gladly passes up anything with an iota of nutritional content in favor of anything made of plastic or latex. I have to hide shopping bags and dispose of packaging material and such out of reach, none of the garden tools have handles, pails are pathetic scraps hanging from forlorn handles -- it's amazing how much plastic there is! Do not get me started on packing peanuts. He is one weird dude.
Almost as bad as the cat who licks the emulsion off photographs ...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Rowan the Red is blooded
Rowan the Red is a goofy little boy, all floppy paws and grins. He spent several years living in a crate in someone's garage, so he doesn't know much about being a dog, playing with toys or the like. His favorite pastime has been eating plastic and playing frisbee with the food dishes. Until now.
About 5 in the morning, we were torn out of bed by the sounds of World War Three in the back yard. Huge crashes, screeches, growls, scramblings ... I ran to the door, and there stood Sascha, looking at me with totally submissive and angelic big brown eyes. Immediately I realized that something catastrophic had happened. I grabbed a flashlight and ran outside, and there was Rowan, proudly tossing around his first half-dead cat.
I know, Malamutes are predators. Rowan is my third and I've fostered several. In the abstract, hunting is fabulous and primal, and will be useful when the apocalypse comes ;-). But I just can't stand seeing cats killed. My soulmate Allie is a prodigious huntress, but was trained not to eat the indoor cats. But I know that my cats would be toast if they ever stepped paw outside.
Is there any way to train Mallies not to eat outdoor cats??? Even ones that are suicidal enough to jump a 7-foot fence?
About 5 in the morning, we were torn out of bed by the sounds of World War Three in the back yard. Huge crashes, screeches, growls, scramblings ... I ran to the door, and there stood Sascha, looking at me with totally submissive and angelic big brown eyes. Immediately I realized that something catastrophic had happened. I grabbed a flashlight and ran outside, and there was Rowan, proudly tossing around his first half-dead cat.
I know, Malamutes are predators. Rowan is my third and I've fostered several. In the abstract, hunting is fabulous and primal, and will be useful when the apocalypse comes ;-). But I just can't stand seeing cats killed. My soulmate Allie is a prodigious huntress, but was trained not to eat the indoor cats. But I know that my cats would be toast if they ever stepped paw outside.
Is there any way to train Mallies not to eat outdoor cats??? Even ones that are suicidal enough to jump a 7-foot fence?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Everything Bagel
Humom says I have delicious breath, onion-garlicky. Those yummy round things are a little rubbery for my taste, but oh the sweet chewy innards, the slightly salty skin and the overpowering richness of the toppings -- and let's be honest, it's all about the cream cheese ... Humom was doing the Distraught Human dance (it's NOT very graceful, she should look in the mirror sometime) yelling "Oh Allie, your kidneys and pancreas!!! You DIDN'T" But oh yes, you see, I did.
Now she's threatening to start eating all meals OUTDOORS .... but fear not, as long as you try to fast me, I shall find a way ... Guerillera Alexandria over and out
Now she's threatening to start eating all meals OUTDOORS .... but fear not, as long as you try to fast me, I shall find a way ... Guerillera Alexandria over and out
Warning re: Sarah's Tribute
Dear doggie friends, please take a moment to watch Sarah's beautiful video tribute to her wonderful Malinois (previous post), but have that stack of handkerchiefs ready to hand! Forget the paper tissues. And you'll need a big glass of something and a strong shoulder to cry on afterwards. It's one of the most beautiful. happy little slide shows I've ever seen and it cuts like a knife. Music: Tracy Chapman.
Now go kiss a dog.
Now go kiss a dog.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Sarah's tribute to Smeech
[Reposted here by kind permission]
from Sarah to k9kidkeydiet@yahoogroups
A thank you and more...
Date: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:33 pm (PDT)
First, I can't say enough how sincerely grateful I am to all the members of the list for everything you've ever done for us. I can't imagine what our journey would have been like without you. I hope to continue to learn and support the group as you've supported me. This is long but I thought I'd say what I wanted to say and be done with it.
Everyone knows my sweet little Smeech was diagnosed with Renal Failure when she was just 5months old but here's everything you didn't know. Afterall, kidney failure was such a small part of who she was and what we experienced together.
Smeech was from a breeding of two superb Malinois. Her mother is also the mother of my other Malinois, Thalia. Her father was an amazing worker with a heart of gold. He was abandoned (he will say he was paying a pet sitter) by an unscrupulous man after hurricanes hit Florida. A wonderful woman rescued him but ultimately just a few weeks later he passed away. Her siblings continue to be successful at different dog sports as well as working police dogs.
I got Smeech when she was just four days old. Her breeder was totally irresponsible with the litter and they all struggled. I bottle fed 8 pups for 3 days and on the fourth exchanged them for my sweet little girl. Tube and bottle feedings around the clock for weeks and weeks. She had to go everywhere I went. When she was about two weeks old she developed abscesses on her front joints. Daily cleanings and antibiotics cleared that up but that would just be the first of many health issues for her. Even then she had her own little place in bed. It was wonderful to watch her open her eyes, learn how to walk, wade in puppy mush, grow a personality
Just a few weeks later she was drooling a bit before she went to bed. I was worried and didn't understand why although she seemed fine otherwise. She woke up the next morning and ate like horse. I was smooching her like always and noticed that she seemed a little `lethargic'. It was then that I noticed her tongue was yellow as a banana! I rushed her into the hospital and she had a fever too. We quickly packed her with ice packs and pumped her with antibiotics. Everyone was baffled ˆ why was her tongue yellow but nothing else? They ran through text books, posted all over VIN — nothing. In true Smeechie fashion no fever or yellow tongue would stop her from being her baby alligator self. I was then I was wiping her mouth again cause she was leaving this stink all over me and I noticed the edges were a little pink now. Hmmmm, what is going on with this little jerk of a puppy? We tried looking at her tongue again— I say tried because Smeech was a naughty little bugger as a puppy. She'd bite you for any reason ˆ in her way BITE, move too fast BITE, do treatments on her BITE. And not in a fearful defensive way, in a playful I'm a Malinois and I'm possessed kind of way. Typical little Malinois puppy. So we tag teamed her and it was then that we realized her tongue was sloughing!!! It was on of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. So now the yellow sloughed and what was left was an ulcerated little tongue. "She probably won't eat cause it hurts" they said. Do you think an ulcerated tongue would stop her, I don't think so!!!!
The next few weeks were filled with lots of mischief, lots of trouble and a whole lotta mess. She had chronic UTI's that we were constantly battling. We went to bed one night just as we had always done but when we woke things were anything but normal. The obnoxious little Malinois puppy was still lying down. I was alarmed. I called her firmly and she struggled to stand walked a few feet laid down and peed on herself. I was so shocked and given her previous history of trouble wasted NO time in rushing her to the vet. This time she had a joint infection and of course a fever. She was in a lot of pain and she was PISSED about it! But in true Smeechie fashion after a day of antibiotics and she was back to her normal self. It was then I thought I should do bloodwork again to see if it might reveal anything.
And it did. At 5 months old she had a Creat 4.2, BUN 112, Ca 13.4, Phos 10.1, Bicarb 15—.. and other than those pesky UTI's no other symptoms. She was a happy, chunky, active, mean little Malinois puppy. That's when everything changed for us. Well, maybe not us... she wouldn't hear of it... but for me at least...
This is still just such a small part of who she was. The truth is Mimi was a tyrant. An obnoxious tyrant. She was going to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, to whom she wanted and she'd be damned if anyone would stop her. She constantly got into everything she shouldn't. She even got an electrical shock once! She'd eat ANYTHING she could get her little paws on. It was so bad I had to hide my dental floss! She'd eat her food as fast as possible and then try to steal everyone elses. She would go bizerk if a motorcycle or train passed her spinning in circles barking her yappy head off. Working Malinois folks always got a chuckle out of her. She was stupidly driven. She was blinded by her drive. She's bite anything you waved in front of her. She always wanted to work and couldn't be stressed or backed down. She even would hang on a springpole longer than the bulldogs. Despite that she couldn't catch to save her life. She was totally reckless and I often wondered how she didn't just kill herself. She could, at times, be her own worst enemy. We tried a number of times to put her on IV fluids, we even sedated her, and she just would have no part of it. You couldn't convince her she was sick. She found joy in simple things and often found herself in a battle with the slicker brush that bit back, lol! Only once in her entire life did anyone other than my parents or I take her out for a pee. They ended up using pool sticks and couch cushions to get her back into her crate after she held them hostage in the basement for an hour. She thought it was hilarious and loved every minute of it. They didn't understand her and she knew it. She was having a blast being a little brat and they took her seriously. The most successful prank she ever played! She always greeted Anwar, my APBT, with a shot to the face as he came in from his walks. She'd lay right next to him wherever he was and then would chew him out if he moved. Her siblings loved her and would groom her meticulously if she so much as had a blood draw that day. She loved it. She was ridiculously spoiled and I could never bring myself to reprimand her and it showed ;)
She was the most affectionate dog I've ever known. She always wanted to have her muzzle against my face and it always smelled like maple syrup. It was so soft, like heaven. I can't even imagine the hours we spent face to face. It was comforting for the both of us. She slept right next to me every night. We always spooned and often woke up face to face. She would eat off a spoon like a baby. She was crazy smart and could figure out a way to anything. She spent a part of everyday `nursing' on her stuffies. It was so cute, just like a kitten she'd knead with her paws. She had more names than people could remember. Everday I called her Smeech, Mimi, Me, Middle Stweech, Queechie Queech, Lil Stweech— and I almost always spoke to her in a sweet baby voice. She was gorgeous, simply gorgeous. She never ever grew up and was the same carefree girl at 2years that she was at 7weeks. She wanted to play from the moment she woke 'til the moment she fell asleep. She was larger than life. She was always happy, ridiculously happy. She never ever let anything get her down. She was brilliant, simply brilliant. She is the embodiment of heart.
My love for her is endless.
Sarah missing Angel Smeech
3/11/04-7/17/06
"To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it -- who can say this is not greatness?"
See for yourself:
Smeech Swims
Runnie Smeech
Hello Smeechie!
Gorgeous Girl
Mimi Tribute
from Sarah to k9kidkeydiet@yahoogroups
A thank you and more...
Date: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:33 pm (PDT)
First, I can't say enough how sincerely grateful I am to all the members of the list for everything you've ever done for us. I can't imagine what our journey would have been like without you. I hope to continue to learn and support the group as you've supported me. This is long but I thought I'd say what I wanted to say and be done with it.
Everyone knows my sweet little Smeech was diagnosed with Renal Failure when she was just 5months old but here's everything you didn't know. Afterall, kidney failure was such a small part of who she was and what we experienced together.
Smeech was from a breeding of two superb Malinois. Her mother is also the mother of my other Malinois, Thalia. Her father was an amazing worker with a heart of gold. He was abandoned (he will say he was paying a pet sitter) by an unscrupulous man after hurricanes hit Florida. A wonderful woman rescued him but ultimately just a few weeks later he passed away. Her siblings continue to be successful at different dog sports as well as working police dogs.
I got Smeech when she was just four days old. Her breeder was totally irresponsible with the litter and they all struggled. I bottle fed 8 pups for 3 days and on the fourth exchanged them for my sweet little girl. Tube and bottle feedings around the clock for weeks and weeks. She had to go everywhere I went. When she was about two weeks old she developed abscesses on her front joints. Daily cleanings and antibiotics cleared that up but that would just be the first of many health issues for her. Even then she had her own little place in bed. It was wonderful to watch her open her eyes, learn how to walk, wade in puppy mush, grow a personality
Just a few weeks later she was drooling a bit before she went to bed. I was worried and didn't understand why although she seemed fine otherwise. She woke up the next morning and ate like horse. I was smooching her like always and noticed that she seemed a little `lethargic'. It was then that I noticed her tongue was yellow as a banana! I rushed her into the hospital and she had a fever too. We quickly packed her with ice packs and pumped her with antibiotics. Everyone was baffled ˆ why was her tongue yellow but nothing else? They ran through text books, posted all over VIN — nothing. In true Smeechie fashion no fever or yellow tongue would stop her from being her baby alligator self. I was then I was wiping her mouth again cause she was leaving this stink all over me and I noticed the edges were a little pink now. Hmmmm, what is going on with this little jerk of a puppy? We tried looking at her tongue again— I say tried because Smeech was a naughty little bugger as a puppy. She'd bite you for any reason ˆ in her way BITE, move too fast BITE, do treatments on her BITE. And not in a fearful defensive way, in a playful I'm a Malinois and I'm possessed kind of way. Typical little Malinois puppy. So we tag teamed her and it was then that we realized her tongue was sloughing!!! It was on of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. So now the yellow sloughed and what was left was an ulcerated little tongue. "She probably won't eat cause it hurts" they said. Do you think an ulcerated tongue would stop her, I don't think so!!!!
The next few weeks were filled with lots of mischief, lots of trouble and a whole lotta mess. She had chronic UTI's that we were constantly battling. We went to bed one night just as we had always done but when we woke things were anything but normal. The obnoxious little Malinois puppy was still lying down. I was alarmed. I called her firmly and she struggled to stand walked a few feet laid down and peed on herself. I was so shocked and given her previous history of trouble wasted NO time in rushing her to the vet. This time she had a joint infection and of course a fever. She was in a lot of pain and she was PISSED about it! But in true Smeechie fashion after a day of antibiotics and she was back to her normal self. It was then I thought I should do bloodwork again to see if it might reveal anything.
And it did. At 5 months old she had a Creat 4.2, BUN 112, Ca 13.4, Phos 10.1, Bicarb 15—.. and other than those pesky UTI's no other symptoms. She was a happy, chunky, active, mean little Malinois puppy. That's when everything changed for us. Well, maybe not us... she wouldn't hear of it... but for me at least...
This is still just such a small part of who she was. The truth is Mimi was a tyrant. An obnoxious tyrant. She was going to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, to whom she wanted and she'd be damned if anyone would stop her. She constantly got into everything she shouldn't. She even got an electrical shock once! She'd eat ANYTHING she could get her little paws on. It was so bad I had to hide my dental floss! She'd eat her food as fast as possible and then try to steal everyone elses. She would go bizerk if a motorcycle or train passed her spinning in circles barking her yappy head off. Working Malinois folks always got a chuckle out of her. She was stupidly driven. She was blinded by her drive. She's bite anything you waved in front of her. She always wanted to work and couldn't be stressed or backed down. She even would hang on a springpole longer than the bulldogs. Despite that she couldn't catch to save her life. She was totally reckless and I often wondered how she didn't just kill herself. She could, at times, be her own worst enemy. We tried a number of times to put her on IV fluids, we even sedated her, and she just would have no part of it. You couldn't convince her she was sick. She found joy in simple things and often found herself in a battle with the slicker brush that bit back, lol! Only once in her entire life did anyone other than my parents or I take her out for a pee. They ended up using pool sticks and couch cushions to get her back into her crate after she held them hostage in the basement for an hour. She thought it was hilarious and loved every minute of it. They didn't understand her and she knew it. She was having a blast being a little brat and they took her seriously. The most successful prank she ever played! She always greeted Anwar, my APBT, with a shot to the face as he came in from his walks. She'd lay right next to him wherever he was and then would chew him out if he moved. Her siblings loved her and would groom her meticulously if she so much as had a blood draw that day. She loved it. She was ridiculously spoiled and I could never bring myself to reprimand her and it showed ;)
She was the most affectionate dog I've ever known. She always wanted to have her muzzle against my face and it always smelled like maple syrup. It was so soft, like heaven. I can't even imagine the hours we spent face to face. It was comforting for the both of us. She slept right next to me every night. We always spooned and often woke up face to face. She would eat off a spoon like a baby. She was crazy smart and could figure out a way to anything. She spent a part of everyday `nursing' on her stuffies. It was so cute, just like a kitten she'd knead with her paws. She had more names than people could remember. Everday I called her Smeech, Mimi, Me, Middle Stweech, Queechie Queech, Lil Stweech— and I almost always spoke to her in a sweet baby voice. She was gorgeous, simply gorgeous. She never ever grew up and was the same carefree girl at 2years that she was at 7weeks. She wanted to play from the moment she woke 'til the moment she fell asleep. She was larger than life. She was always happy, ridiculously happy. She never ever let anything get her down. She was brilliant, simply brilliant. She is the embodiment of heart.
My love for her is endless.
Sarah missing Angel Smeech
3/11/04-7/17/06
"To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it -- who can say this is not greatness?"
See for yourself:
Smeech Swims
Runnie Smeech
Hello Smeechie!
Gorgeous Girl
Mimi Tribute
Sunday, July 23, 2006
What a bitch! (highest compliment)
To K9KidneyDiet:
My Allie is a real Malamute. Her MRM (Malamute Resistance Movement ) name is Guerillera Alexandria. She is an alpha bitch in every meaning of the word. She never backs down from a fight, has insouciantly crushed the muzzle of a dog twice her size who challenged her, and rules her pack with a simple lift of the lip or a look, pure force of personality, without ever having to resort to force. She has only ever been defeated by the cats, who are totally unimpressed ... I have had to get used to having dead opossums, squirrels, crows, chickens, rats, and miscellaneous fauna deposited at the foot of the stairs where I am sure to step on them. NOTHING can be left on the counter; my house is insanely child-proof. Allie loves to hide meaty bones under my pillow or in the bed. I can always tell when something's up when she has on her best sweet-angel expression with freshly-polished halo. She is patiently obedience and agility trained. Her idea of agility sequencing was creative -- the kiddie-pool always was worked in somewhere. She always loved the tunnel and chute as a pleasant shady spot for a snooze. We were on a drill team until about a year ago. She was always letter-perfect in practice. In performance, however .... she liked to live up to the reputation of Malamutes as untrainable. Unfortunately, she had an acute renal episode in practice one night, collapsed screaming and freaked everyone out, and we were asked to leave. We called them wuss-asses and mentioned that it might just as well happen to them, demonstrating that living with a Malamute has a profound influence on one's personality. I am no longer the wuss I used to be, don't back down from a fight, and realize that I'm too old to give a shit what people think of me. As a result, I've become much more successful in my job, am a lot happier, and feel that my life really began when I had the privilege of "rescuing" Allie at 5 years old -- of course, it is she who rescued me, and has given my life meaning every day since.
I have to smile whenever I read about people's little sweet angel dogs. Of course I call Allie my "sweetheart angel pumpkin darling" and tell her every 5 minutes how much I love her. But the reason is that she's a real Malamute bitch, and doG bless her for that. Her handling of the CRF is bracing and inspiring, and she makes me be a better person; she doesn't let me get away with any crap. She's more intelligent and more challenging than anyone I know.
My Allie is a real Malamute. Her MRM (Malamute Resistance Movement ) name is Guerillera Alexandria. She is an alpha bitch in every meaning of the word. She never backs down from a fight, has insouciantly crushed the muzzle of a dog twice her size who challenged her, and rules her pack with a simple lift of the lip or a look, pure force of personality, without ever having to resort to force. She has only ever been defeated by the cats, who are totally unimpressed ... I have had to get used to having dead opossums, squirrels, crows, chickens, rats, and miscellaneous fauna deposited at the foot of the stairs where I am sure to step on them. NOTHING can be left on the counter; my house is insanely child-proof. Allie loves to hide meaty bones under my pillow or in the bed. I can always tell when something's up when she has on her best sweet-angel expression with freshly-polished halo. She is patiently obedience and agility trained. Her idea of agility sequencing was creative -- the kiddie-pool always was worked in somewhere. She always loved the tunnel and chute as a pleasant shady spot for a snooze. We were on a drill team until about a year ago. She was always letter-perfect in practice. In performance, however .... she liked to live up to the reputation of Malamutes as untrainable. Unfortunately, she had an acute renal episode in practice one night, collapsed screaming and freaked everyone out, and we were asked to leave. We called them wuss-asses and mentioned that it might just as well happen to them, demonstrating that living with a Malamute has a profound influence on one's personality. I am no longer the wuss I used to be, don't back down from a fight, and realize that I'm too old to give a shit what people think of me. As a result, I've become much more successful in my job, am a lot happier, and feel that my life really began when I had the privilege of "rescuing" Allie at 5 years old -- of course, it is she who rescued me, and has given my life meaning every day since.
I have to smile whenever I read about people's little sweet angel dogs. Of course I call Allie my "sweetheart angel pumpkin darling" and tell her every 5 minutes how much I love her. But the reason is that she's a real Malamute bitch, and doG bless her for that. Her handling of the CRF is bracing and inspiring, and she makes me be a better person; she doesn't let me get away with any crap. She's more intelligent and more challenging than anyone I know.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Honda rules! Mal-friendly concept car!
Check out this *awesome* concept car from Honda!!
http://world.honda.com/Tokyo2005/wow/
I know, it only shows silly little lapdogs in the built-in crates, but it has some excellent Mal-friendly details -- low floor for loading, FINALLY a 70/30 vertical split rear door, good ventilation, etc., and it seems roomy enough for the Golden in the video.
Maybe I'll be able to afford it if/when it ever comes out, here's hoping ;-)!
BTW, Honda won PETA's Progress Proggy award of 2005 for "Thinking Outside the Box" for this car, crates and all ... ;-) Maybe Honda will put it into production if enough people lobby for it ...
Oh, well, back to the rustbucket with no working air in 100 degree Texas heat ...
http://world.honda.com/Tokyo2005/wow/
I know, it only shows silly little lapdogs in the built-in crates, but it has some excellent Mal-friendly details -- low floor for loading, FINALLY a 70/30 vertical split rear door, good ventilation, etc., and it seems roomy enough for the Golden in the video.
Maybe I'll be able to afford it if/when it ever comes out, here's hoping ;-)!
BTW, Honda won PETA's Progress Proggy award of 2005 for "Thinking Outside the Box" for this car, crates and all ... ;-) Maybe Honda will put it into production if enough people lobby for it ...
Oh, well, back to the rustbucket with no working air in 100 degree Texas heat ...
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Cheese: NOT so good
Just spent my birthday at the emergency vet. Note to self: Cheese is NOT the ideal training or any other treat for the dog! Allie is not doing well, to say the least. Oh, she's happy as a clam and very proud of herself, but oh the diarrhea, the barfing ... and we have to keep an eagle eye on the blood values. Carnivores, yes, but scavengers too ...
Why do trainers tell us to bring hot dogs and cheese to class??? Every school should get a bulletin from the kidney people re: CRF and pancreatitis. It is just not worth it, really.
Why do trainers tell us to bring hot dogs and cheese to class??? Every school should get a bulletin from the kidney people re: CRF and pancreatitis. It is just not worth it, really.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Cheese emergency!
Help!
Ms Allie the Malamute, champion countersurfer, just stole and ate up almost a whole pound of swiss cheese! According to NATS, a pound would give her 2428.97 mg of phosphorus! Obviously I immediately gave her an extra hit of calcium carbonate, but what do I feed her tonight? And tomorrow? Should I give her some pumpkin just in case? Normally a Malamute would digest a pound of cheese without noticing it, and she seems happy and very proud of herself, but I'm worried about longer-term effects. I'll give her an extra 250 ml NaCl tonight, but what else can I do?
Ms Allie the Malamute, champion countersurfer, just stole and ate up almost a whole pound of swiss cheese! According to NATS, a pound would give her 2428.97 mg of phosphorus! Obviously I immediately gave her an extra hit of calcium carbonate, but what do I feed her tonight? And tomorrow? Should I give her some pumpkin just in case? Normally a Malamute would digest a pound of cheese without noticing it, and she seems happy and very proud of herself, but I'm worried about longer-term effects. I'll give her an extra 250 ml NaCl tonight, but what else can I do?
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Rowan's head and Allie's diet
>Rowan's photo: beautiful head
Dear Lynne
Thank you. Unfortunately, what's inside that head is pure concrete -- or else I'm just a useless trainer. In any case, I'm having no luck at all teaching him the basics: stay. no, stay. really, stay. stay where you are. no, don't jump up in my face. don't run around the yard in circles. stay. >sigh<
At least he can now run around without falling down. This is great progress. I attribute it to his freestyle obedience class, where we are not succeeding in doing anything we are told to, but we are trying and having fun.
You can always feed Stocker home-cooked on alternating days or something. I just cooked up a big stock-pot for 12 days -- HEB was having a sale on chicken breast tenders, with the veg the whole thing cost $15. I will steam up the rice separately.
Isn't it funny how the older ones get to us? You are probably the only person who understands. Allie's eyes are getting so big, and she's like a puppy in many ways. I'm so happy when she gets a wild hair and decides to race down the block for a bit, pulling me along like a kite. She has a kooky sense of humor and loves stealing things and hiding them in my bed. She esp. loves sleeping on my pillow where she isn't allowed. I'm not an affectionate person and had no idea I would ever feel this way about anyone. I feel like the Grinch with my heart growing bigger whenever I'm around her. How did I ever get so lucky?
Best to Stocker,
C
Dear Lynne
Thank you. Unfortunately, what's inside that head is pure concrete -- or else I'm just a useless trainer. In any case, I'm having no luck at all teaching him the basics: stay. no, stay. really, stay. stay where you are. no, don't jump up in my face. don't run around the yard in circles. stay. >sigh<
At least he can now run around without falling down. This is great progress. I attribute it to his freestyle obedience class, where we are not succeeding in doing anything we are told to, but we are trying and having fun.
You can always feed Stocker home-cooked on alternating days or something. I just cooked up a big stock-pot for 12 days -- HEB was having a sale on chicken breast tenders, with the veg the whole thing cost $15. I will steam up the rice separately.
Isn't it funny how the older ones get to us? You are probably the only person who understands. Allie's eyes are getting so big, and she's like a puppy in many ways. I'm so happy when she gets a wild hair and decides to race down the block for a bit, pulling me along like a kite. She has a kooky sense of humor and loves stealing things and hiding them in my bed. She esp. loves sleeping on my pillow where she isn't allowed. I'm not an affectionate person and had no idea I would ever feel this way about anyone. I feel like the Grinch with my heart growing bigger whenever I'm around her. How did I ever get so lucky?
Best to Stocker,
C
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Kidney diet stuff
Hi, Lynne
We talked in SA about kidney stuff. Here is some info from the kidney diet list. It is really easy to figure out the diet for your dog once you get started. The key values that you need to have checked all the time are for PHOSPHORUS and CALCIUM. Your goal in life is to get the phosphorus level down.
I am lucky in that Allie's phosphorus level is in the normal range and I can keep it there by adding 1/4 tsp of calcium carbonate powder to every meal. I keep an eagle eye to check for hypercalcemia. She does not need a phosphorus binder. However, if I were feeding plain Evo, she probably would. I haven't investigated exactly how much phosphorus is in Evo -- the percentages re: calcium look good, http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=nutrition-facts&pxsl=//product%5B@id='1246'%5D , but I would have to write to them to get the exact amounts.
Her current diet is:
1 lean, skinless chicken breast and the broth it was cooked in, 1 cup broccoli and carrots cooked in the same broth, 2/3 cup egg white, 1/2 cup sticky rice, about 2/3 cup Evo. I vary the veg -- she loves sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans ... She is slightly overweight on this. She also gets: 1/4 tsp Calcium Carb, 2 Omega 3, B-50, B-12, Co-Q 10, glucosamine and MSM. The Omega-3 is esp. important, as is staying away from Omega-6. Her only treats are Evo and Natural Balance roll cut up, in small quantities, for drill team.
I cook up her food a week in advance in a big pot, except the rice which I steam in the steamer, yummy.
Allie works out to
80 lbs = 36.4 kg
needs 1400 kcal (except lower for low-activity Arctic dog)
163.8 grams protein using 4.5 g/kg
880 mg phosphorus allowed
chicken breast = 8 oz (1 cup) 374.22 cal 70.31 g protein 517.10 mg p
egg white one large 16.7 cal 3.51 g protein 4.34 mg p (about 8/cup)
broccoli 1 cup 44 cal 92 mg p
carrots 70 cal 47 mg p
sticky rice 1 cup 233 cal 4.8 g protein 19.2 mg p
treats:
Evo 1 cup 537 cal plus protein & p (I'm not sure how to figure this)
So she gets around 93.71 g protein, 644.64 mg phosphorus plus whatever is in the Evo.
I don't weigh it out precisely, obviously, since if I went by the real guidelines, she'd be hideously fat, and we also don't have to watch phosphorus as closely. I am enclosing The Box for doing the actual calculations. Also a few sample recipes for small dogs that I have multiplied. The Box is according to Dr Stromberg and very conservative; I use slightly higher protein, the recommended levels for senior dogs. Am tending that way anyway since the U Georgia study. Enclosed is a short excerpt from Stromberg. Again, the main thing is phosphorus and HIGH QUALITY protein. Bioavailability is everything.
Cheers
C
We talked in SA about kidney stuff. Here is some info from the kidney diet list. It is really easy to figure out the diet for your dog once you get started. The key values that you need to have checked all the time are for PHOSPHORUS and CALCIUM. Your goal in life is to get the phosphorus level down.
I am lucky in that Allie's phosphorus level is in the normal range and I can keep it there by adding 1/4 tsp of calcium carbonate powder to every meal. I keep an eagle eye to check for hypercalcemia. She does not need a phosphorus binder. However, if I were feeding plain Evo, she probably would. I haven't investigated exactly how much phosphorus is in Evo -- the percentages re: calcium look good, http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=nutrition-facts&pxsl=//product%5B@id='1246'%5D , but I would have to write to them to get the exact amounts.
Her current diet is:
1 lean, skinless chicken breast and the broth it was cooked in, 1 cup broccoli and carrots cooked in the same broth, 2/3 cup egg white, 1/2 cup sticky rice, about 2/3 cup Evo. I vary the veg -- she loves sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans ... She is slightly overweight on this. She also gets: 1/4 tsp Calcium Carb, 2 Omega 3, B-50, B-12, Co-Q 10, glucosamine and MSM. The Omega-3 is esp. important, as is staying away from Omega-6. Her only treats are Evo and Natural Balance roll cut up, in small quantities, for drill team.
I cook up her food a week in advance in a big pot, except the rice which I steam in the steamer, yummy.
Allie works out to
80 lbs = 36.4 kg
needs 1400 kcal (except lower for low-activity Arctic dog)
163.8 grams protein using 4.5 g/kg
880 mg phosphorus allowed
chicken breast = 8 oz (1 cup) 374.22 cal 70.31 g protein 517.10 mg p
egg white one large 16.7 cal 3.51 g protein 4.34 mg p (about 8/cup)
broccoli 1 cup 44 cal 92 mg p
carrots 70 cal 47 mg p
sticky rice 1 cup 233 cal 4.8 g protein 19.2 mg p
treats:
Evo 1 cup 537 cal plus protein & p (I'm not sure how to figure this)
So she gets around 93.71 g protein, 644.64 mg phosphorus plus whatever is in the Evo.
I don't weigh it out precisely, obviously, since if I went by the real guidelines, she'd be hideously fat, and we also don't have to watch phosphorus as closely. I am enclosing The Box for doing the actual calculations. Also a few sample recipes for small dogs that I have multiplied. The Box is according to Dr Stromberg and very conservative; I use slightly higher protein, the recommended levels for senior dogs. Am tending that way anyway since the U Georgia study. Enclosed is a short excerpt from Stromberg. Again, the main thing is phosphorus and HIGH QUALITY protein. Bioavailability is everything.
Cheers
C
Sunday, February 19, 2006
MRM: stealth report from the Southwest
Dear General Jem
As one lady to another, you and I both know that we perform our deeds
by stealth and don't usually toot our horns about them. Our ability
to dematerialize and magically appear in total silence out of nowhere
is the secret to the demure Mal huntress's success, after all.
However, you have bemoaned silence on the list, so I'll just whisper
in your ear of a recent exploit that you might find edifying.
Humom gave me a nice raw turkey neck last night while she was cooking
up my special dinner and feeding the other dogs. They are outdoors
and get shuffled around to various runs because they have to be fed
separately. She spent some time working with that clown Rowan on his
sits and stays (nanoseconds!), and did a down stay with that young
sprout Ghost, and recalls with Sascha, so it took a while before she
came back in the house with her mind on other dogs. I got my meds
and then we settled down on the bed to give me my subcutaneous
fluids. Mom sure was surprised to touch the turkey neck with her
bare feet when she put them under the blanket! ... everything was
especially moist since it had been there for a while and I had really
chewed it up. I had on my very best innocent angel expression as I
watched in wonderment as she jumped around squealing and yelping. An
old classic but well worth repeating. I smiled gently as I enjoyed
the freshly-laundered linens and blanket ...
Greetings from very cold Texas
Guerillera Alexandria
As one lady to another, you and I both know that we perform our deeds
by stealth and don't usually toot our horns about them. Our ability
to dematerialize and magically appear in total silence out of nowhere
is the secret to the demure Mal huntress's success, after all.
However, you have bemoaned silence on the list, so I'll just whisper
in your ear of a recent exploit that you might find edifying.
Humom gave me a nice raw turkey neck last night while she was cooking
up my special dinner and feeding the other dogs. They are outdoors
and get shuffled around to various runs because they have to be fed
separately. She spent some time working with that clown Rowan on his
sits and stays (nanoseconds!), and did a down stay with that young
sprout Ghost, and recalls with Sascha, so it took a while before she
came back in the house with her mind on other dogs. I got my meds
and then we settled down on the bed to give me my subcutaneous
fluids. Mom sure was surprised to touch the turkey neck with her
bare feet when she put them under the blanket! ... everything was
especially moist since it had been there for a while and I had really
chewed it up. I had on my very best innocent angel expression as I
watched in wonderment as she jumped around squealing and yelping. An
old classic but well worth repeating. I smiled gently as I enjoyed
the freshly-laundered linens and blanket ...
Greetings from very cold Texas
Guerillera Alexandria
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Go Costello!
Costello wins Best in Show at the AKC Eukanuba National championship dog show in Tampa!
This never happens! Alaskan Malamutes are seldom put up in the working group, never mind BIS. He also went Best Bred by Exhibitor, BBE Group, BBE Breed. Congratulations, Costello (Ch. Nanuke's Snoklassic No Boundaries) and Sandra D'Andrea, and the Peels.
Here are some pictures: http://www.akc.org/nationalchampionship/summary.cfm
And of course the infamous Fark photoshop contest
This never happens! Alaskan Malamutes are seldom put up in the working group, never mind BIS. He also went Best Bred by Exhibitor, BBE Group, BBE Breed. Congratulations, Costello (Ch. Nanuke's Snoklassic No Boundaries) and Sandra D'Andrea, and the Peels.
Here are some pictures: http://www.akc.org/nationalchampionship/summary.cfm
And of course the infamous Fark photoshop contest
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