BYC Café

[Mtn Margie]

Good morning and thanks for the coffee! We had 8 or 9 inches of snow and some breezes so who really knows what is out there. Enough for sure.
I hope you have a great Birthday dinner, Cap! It must be the storm heading your way that gave out headaches. I had one yesterday and felt like I was getting some sort of plague, but today after a good sleep and soup, I am good to go.
We are supposed to get slammed with another storm this weekend.
Enjoy the day, Cafe! Enjoy the warmth, Sean!

 

[Sally PB]

DH got his flu shot and Covid booster yesterday. Last night and today, he is not feeling very well. He had a bad chill last night, and no energy today. He says he'll never get two vaccines at once ever again.

I got the same shots a few weeks ago, and had no side effects, other than the sore areas in my arms that went a way in a day or two.

 

[DobieLover]

It could be with raw that you need to add a bit more fat or caloric content for a puppy.

I thought that very thing and will be increasing the fat content on the next batch. In the meantime, I'll boost her to 12.5% to hold her until the next batch.

50/50 of kibble

This is bad as the kibble requires a different gut pH to digest and it goes through the system slower than raw. It's an obvious fact that raw will have bacteria not found in kibble but when fed exclusively raw, the gut pH changes and the food goes through faster and digests better and can handle the bacteria in the raw. When you slow the raw down and pack it in with the starches in kibble, it can be a dangerous combination.

He says he'll never get two vaccines at once ever again.

Tell that to all the vets pumping dogs full of 5 and 7 way vaccines!!

 

[Offshoreorca]

I thought that very thing and will be increasing the fat content on the next batch. In the meantime, I'll boost her to 12.5% to hold her until the next batch.

This is bad as the kibble requires a different gut pH to digest and it goes through the system slower than raw. It's an obvious fact that raw will have bacteria not found in kibble but when fed exclusively raw, the gut pH changes and the food goes through faster and digests better and can handle the bacteria in the raw. When you slow the raw down and pack it in with the starches in kibble, it can be a dangerous combination.

Tell that to all the vets pumping dogs full of 5 and 7 way vaccines!!

Not all "kibble"- I use this term loosely - is made equally (aka there are options that are not all full of starch and fillers, but rather consist of freeze dried raw food), but the reason people do this is because they do not have the time to tinker with the diet and do their research - that's the reason for kibble in the first place, convenience. I'm certainly a fan of feeding dogs whole foods over anything heavily processed, believe me. A bit more energy in the form of fat might help Piper keep the weight she is at now or add a touch

And yes, vets do over-vaccinate. Both my father and sister are vets and my father always told me not to get the fourth puppy shot as it was unnecessary. Especially if you are careful with the pups and they are not around all sorts of other dogs (e.g., dog parks) at a young age. I also always make sure to get rabies separate for my dogs as they can't handle that plus the DHPP at the same time. They're hunters and we have quite a few critters up here that can carry rabies unfortunately. I also wait the longest recommended interval for both (e.g., three years for both DHPP and rabies as adults). There is a balance that is based on health and risk level, it's not a one-size-fits-all as they would have you believe. Our family has always approached it this way and had our dogs live regularly to 17+ years with little to no medical conditions until the very end.

 

[Mtn Margie]

I think that my shoulders are getting used to shoveling again. It is a different set of muscles used in chainsawing, that is for sure! More coffee being brewed.

 

[DobieLover]

Just to put this in perspective volume wise this is one of Piper's meals and she eats three meals a day. I'm estimating there's 1/3+ cup of food in this bowl. And she scarfs it all down without an issue.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Just to put this in perspective volume wise this is one of Piper's meals and she eats three meals a day. I'm estimating there's 1/3+ cup of food in this bowl. And she scarfs it all down without an issue.View attachment 3361440

I would just up the caloric value (e.g., fat) a little bit and see if Piper seems to maintain a slightly better weight on that. It probably won’t take much of an adjustment.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Made some homemade pasta (fettuccine) this evening for dinner - I don’t eat it often, this was a treat.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I found a big tick on Mini the Shepherd today. Hard to believe with the subnormal temperatures we have had recently.

 

[Sally PB]

We're talking about getting a second dog. The one we're looking at is a year old, shelter pup, house broken (advertised as such). I've never gotten a new (to me) dog in the winter, just because getting "out to do business in time" is harder. We've also never had two dogs at once. I never have; DH grew up with multiple dogs.

My biggest reservation? Our current dog, Freya, does not do well on a leash -- no manners. DH is strong enough to control her, and puts up with it. She knows I'm not, and takes advantage of it. I would have to enforce leash training on any other dog we got, and I'm wondering how it would go.

Does anyone have experience with the anti-pull leashes/harnesses? Do they work?