Dog Beds and your favorite companion
If you are looking for a good dog bed hopefully the following tips will help you in your search for that perfect dog bed for your very special companion. Here are my five top things to look for in a dog bed.
Comfort Humans like a comfortable surface to sleep on or just curl up on with a good book. While we dogs are not big readers we do like a comfortable place to sleep and when we curl up it is usually to be near you and enjoy our favorite chew toy.
Warmth Does your dog climb into bed with you on those cold nights? We dogs are looking for the same thing as most humans, a nice warm bed. Make sure the bed you choose is made of material that will contain the dog’s body heat. If you do, a small or large dog jumping into bed with you during the middle of the night will not disturb your sleep.
Companionship You probably rescued or purchased your dog for companionship and that is exactly what we dogs want. We want to be near our leader and if you have a great dog bed on the floor next to your bed we will be happy and so will you.
Ease of keeping clean The bed should be made of material that will attract our loose fur and should be easily thrown in the washing machine. You humans like to sleep on clean sheets and we dogs love the smell of a clean dog bed.
Environmentally friendly You probably didn’t know that we dogs are very concerned about our environment. Try to find a dog bed that is made of material or stuffed with a material that provides all of the four objectives above and also helps to keep our environment safe for the future.
My suggestion is the next time you stop to pick up some great dog treats at our Medina Ohio store (you may see me there) take a look at our great dog beds from West Paw. Of course these dog beds meet all five of my top objectives. If you can’t find the time take a look at the dog video on the West Paw site by clicking on this link. After clicking on the link click on dog crate bed highlighted in blue below the picture and view the video.
Memorial Day
If you have been reading this blog you now know that we dogs are avid readers and we love our countries as well as our owners. If humans showed as much love toward each other as we dogs show to everyone I am sure we wouldn’t have wars and the USA Memorial Day would never have been necessary.
General John Logan officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868. There is evidence that many women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil war in 1865. As I am sure most of you know the American Civil War resulted in 625,000 deaths and still ranks as our worst war as far as deaths. World War II had 405,399 deaths, and World War I had 116,516 deaths. What is amazing to me is the number of missing members of our armed forces in wars. There are 30,314 missing from World War II, 4,759 missing from the Korean War, 3,350 missing from World War I and 2,489 missing from the Vietnam War.
In 1925 Moina Michael was inspired by the poem “ In Flanders Fields” and she wrote her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. This tradition spread to other countries and the proceeds from selling artificial poppies that people pinned over their hearts went to the children of service people who had died. Sadly the poppy tradition, parades and memorials at cemeteries honoring those who died in the service of their Country are fewer each year.
I have one request for all of my dog friends out there as well as their owners. Please pause on Memorial Day to say a prayer for all of our fallen members of the military and then take a few minutes to place some flowers on the graves of the military at your local cemetery.
Thank you!
Dog Cataracts – Part 2 of 3
My last blog talked about all the issues that can cause cataracts. As I promised this blog will talk about how to prevent them. Adequate nutrition is a must! Feed a preservative free diet or a homemade natural diet with supplements. Dogs and cats require meat as a central item in their diets because a lack of protein amino acids contributes to cataracts and the lack of amino acid taurine causes blindness in cats.
The following are recommendations from experts:
- Per Dr. Richard Pitcairn, cataract reduction will occur simply from placing a drop of eucalyptus honey in the animal’s eye twice daily over a period of several weeks.
- Raw cucumber juice used twice daily as an eye drop or bathing the eyes with a few drops of cold black tea and a drop of raw honey is recommended by Juliette deBairacli.
- Cantor oil is an effective cataract eye drop.
- A poultice of grated raw potato applied twice daily is also effective. Aloe Vera juice with chlorophyll and beet juice is an important internal cleanser. The aloe Vera juice can also be used as an eye drop.
- The bottom line it is very important to move toxins out of the body.
All this technical talk has made me hungry for preservative free and wheat free dog biscuits. I know where there are some cooling on the counter and I’m sure Knight can distract Mom so I can grab a few for us.
Dog Cataracts – Part 1 of 3
Cataracts are considered common in old age for humans and us pets and they are another indication of the pollution we live in. Our environment and internal toxicity are causes of this disease. The good news is the disease can be prevented and even reversed by holistic methods if they are started early enough.
Malnutrition is a factor in cataract formation. The lack of real nutrition in many commercial pet foods can leave us dogs malnourished even though we get a full bowl of food. It is up to every owner to read the labels and make informed decisions on what they are feeding us.
Human sugar substitutes (sorbitol) have been linked to cataract formation in people. If you read the labels on most dog food and dog treats you will see sugars, chemical preservatives, and flavorings. More research needs to be done but my guess is these things are not good for us dogs since you cannot find them in a natural diet. Hopefully you already know that most dogs and cats have intolerance for cow’s milk.
Heavy metals like lead and aluminum have been found in pet foods. Like humans we pets are developing food allergies, high cholesterol, are exposed to chemical drugs, x-rays and radiation, and free radical damage from pollutants. This list of issues is too long and a real shock to many pet owners.
I’ll talk more in the next part what can be done to prevent these issues but for now I know that my eating wheat free dog treats from One Lucky Dog Bakery will ensure that all those chemicals and sugars will not get in my perfect body so that is what I am going to do. Maybe I can sneak an extra treat; someday I’ll train you on how to sneak dog treats. Of course it helps when your nose is as high as the table. I guess being a Scottish Deerhound has a lot of advantages.
Dog won’t eat
I thought I would take a few minutes and give you some tips if your dog has lost his or her appetite.
1.Appetite loss can be due to your dog simply being a picky eater or it can be a sign of illness.
2.Any dog that has a fever caused by a bacterial or viral disease will refuse all food.
3.Any dog with a digestive upset will refuse all food.
4.Loss of appetite may save the dog’s life. Do not force the dog to eat but make sure the dog has plenty of water. Dogs seem to know when eating will simply cause them more problems and they just stop eating. Dogs can go a few days without food, after that it is time to call the Vet.
5.Make sure you watch the dog to be certain that the water is actually being drunk and not simply spilled.
6.Without water your dog will dehydrate rapidly and if the dog isn’t taking in water get the dog to a Vet really fast.
7.Vomiting or diarrhea that goes on for longer than 24 hours will probably lead to dehydration. Call the Vet if you think the water intake is too low.
8.Puppies can become dehydrated from vomiting or diarrhea in hours so get the puppy to the Vet immediately.
9.Loss of appetite and weight loss can be the sign of some bad diseases such as diabetes, intestinal worms, urinary tract infection, and others. Get the dog to a Vet if you are not certain of the cause.
10. Some appetite stimulants are peppermint, fennel. Ginseng, gentian, chamomile or watercress.
11. Items that can improve digestion are ginger, dill, chamomile and papaya leaves.
My appetite is great and it might have something to do with the wheat free dog biscuits I taste test at One Lucky Dog Bakery. Just to make sure I have no problems I think it is time for me to do my taste-testing job. Don’t you wish you were as lucky as me?
Breeders – Part 3 of 3
What does the term Shelter Dog mean to me? A Shelter Dog is at a Dog Shelter because the dog was not wanted or it was rescued by a Rescue Group because the dog was being abused or mistreated or did not receive proper care.
These dogs are mostly likely mixed breeds but in some cases are purebred dogs and puppies that need a good home. Like all dogs they need love and care. The cost for these dogs is very budget friendly. The main objective of the Shelter is to find a good forever home for the dog not to make money. It seems that almost every day we see a story about a dog that has been mistreated and this makes my Mom very sad. I hate to see her sad.
The question is do humans really need Designer Dogs when the population of most Shelters are busting at the seams? Humans are being taken advantage of by the Breeders of Designer Dogs and the facts are this breed just has a fancy name to increase the purchase price of the dog. You will get all the love and enjoyment from the mutt that you fall in love with at the Shelter.
What are your thoughts? We at One Lucky Dog Bakery love all dogs if they are purebred, designer dogs, or a mutt. The other thing that we have found out is if you want your dog to have organic dog treats that will supply your dog with health benefits instead of those mass produced dog treats that are loaded with preservatives and cannot be broken with a hammer then you need to buy only our treats.
Breeders – part 2 of 3
What does the name Designer Dogs mean to me? It appears to me that humans must have a label attached to things they might buy in order to entice them to buy. If the name designer is put in front it seems to make the item more attractive to buy and actually becomes a status symbol to show off to other humans. Since it has worked for clothes, accessories, and cars Breeders have now applied it to dogs.
A Designer Dog is really another name for a mixed breed for which humans will pay a high price. It is simply a dog that a so-called Breeder has created by combining two breeds to produce a dog, which is cuter, easier to sell, and can demand an excessive price. If the Breeder called the new breed a mix would people really want to own it? My thought is probably no, so the name Designer Dog was created as a marketing tool.
It seems to me that this type of Breeder is not motivated by improving the quality, temperament, and health of a specific breed but is simply involved in breeding dogs to make a quick buck.
My Mom adores all dogs and these designer dogs are without a doubt very cute and lovable. She also thinks I am the most handsome dog around. But the real question is do we really need these “new breeds”? There are already too many dogs in shelters that need good homes, so do we really need to be coming up with more mixed breeds? It would seem to me that we could spend more effort on finding homes for these mixed breeds in shelters. What do you think? While I’m thinking more about this subject I think I will go beg some gourmet dog biscuits from Mom. That is really an easy job.
Breeders- Part 1 of 3
The title of Breeder has a special meaning to me. To carry this title I believe that the person using it must really care about the specific breed that he or she is breeding. Special care is taken by the Breeder to educate people about the breed and to strive for the very best quality, temperament, and healthy dogs that can be bred. A good Breeder wants to find the very best home for the dogs, wants these to be forever homes, and will take the dog back if the owner indicates that for whatever reason he or she could not handle or properly care for the chosen dog. A good Breeder is not motivated by the money, but simply the love of the Breed.
I came from exactly this kind of Breeder who truly deserves to carry this title. Everything that Kate Lyons does comes from the love of the Scottish Deerhound breed and ensures that the standards of the breed are maintained. If you came from a Breeder like Kate you are truly a very lucky dog. Speaking of lucky I think all this thinking and writing has me hungry for a few wheat free dog biscuits from One Lucky Dog Bakery.
Adoptathon
We will be at the Medina County Regional Adoptathon on this Saturday May 7, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The Medina store will also be open. Mom, Stacey to you, will be at the Adoptathon and my Grandpa, Charlie to you, will work the store until Mom finishes up at the Adoptathon. For all you dogs visiting the store you will not have to try too hard that day to get an extra treat, Grandpa is a sucker for a sad begging face.
The Medina Adoptathon is a big event every year. It is being held at the National Guard Armory, 920 West Lafayette Road in Medina. If you are looking for a pet to adopt or just want to get some information this is a super event to attend. There will be over 50 Rescue and Pet related Groups in attendence. Admission is free, parking is free, there will be prizes and drawings, a photo contest, and an agility demonstration. A great selection of pets will be there, dogs, cats, horses, and even skunks. You will not get sprayed; the skunks have been de-flowered.
Since the event goes over the lunch hour there will be food concessions and of course you can purchase some special organic dog treats at only $5/bag for that special dog you pick up at the event.
Hope to see you there!
Sad news
I am writing today concerning some sad news for pet Owners in Medina County. The Vet that my Mom has used since she moved to Medina County was Dr. Sternecker of the Medina Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Sternecker recently lost his battle with cancer. We deerhounds are lucky in that we do not have many issues that require us to go to the Vet very often but Jake, Mozey, and Lucy (rescue dogs at our house) did and they liked him very much. Dr. Sternecker was knowledgeable, kind, gentle, caring, and a very patient Vet. All of us at One Lucky Dog Bakery will miss him very much and are very grateful for his many years of dedicated service to all animals.
If you knew Dr. Sternecker and have a story you would love to share with us please post it on this blog or if you are stopping in at our Medina store for some of our great tasting gourmet dig biscuits please tell us your favorite Dr. Sternecker story.