It's an Artistic Science

After a barrage of tests, it turns out that Abby is ok. . .thank doG! I re-ran a tick panel on her - turns out everything was negative. . .again! But that was always a concern in the back of my mind. After looking at everything - objectively - and being talked down from people who know WAY more then I do - it seems that Abby just needs a diet change. Her body doesn't seem to function as well on a high protein diet (at least that is the theory, more tests later will confirm). My job is to tweak Abby's diet to make things a bit easier on her body.

Feeding is a science. There is a whole government organization (read:corporation) dedicated to animal feed - AAFCO. One of their jobs is to make sure that food on the market meets the daily nutritional value for animals. The only way to ensure that your animals receive all of the required nutrients each day is to eat one of these tested foods. They have teams of veterinarians and researchers who determine these requirements and do these tests.

I am neither a veterinarian, nor am I a researcher. I am just a single person trying to to make sure her dogs get the nutrients their little bodies require. Unlike AAFCO, I believe that it is equally healthy for pets to get their required nutrients over a period of time - there is no need to have it all in one day (just like humans!) Since my approach differs from them, none of the foods I buy/use/feed will be scientifically formulated.

And while feeding is technically a science, it is also an art. Each animal will require slightly different formulations based on their individual needs. My 9 pound 11 year old dog (being forced to slow down), has very different requirements then my 6 year old 15 pound agility star-in-the-making. I think that making your own food is the best way to ensure that each dog get's their specific needs met. And after years of feeding my dogs a high protein, low carb diet, it turns out that my newest pack member doesn't do so well with all that protein. But this is where knowing how to make your own food comes in handy!

Behold the new diet:


Ok, this isn't really the new diet. . .it's a modified version because I forgot to defrost the meat! I made two small changes 1) I added more veggies 2) I added some basic carbs - barley. The choice to use barley was a bit complicated. I can't use oats because pocket is allergic to oats. I can't use rice because Abby is allergic to rice. I thought about using quinoa, but it has a high protein content. I'm still a bit iffy on the barley - we'll see if everyone tolerates it. Also, it is a pain in the ass to cook - boiling for a whole hour! Although I hear if you soak it over-night it only takes 15 minutes. Regardless of what happens later on, Abby sure seemed to enjoy eating it.



(notice the new collar and the cold weather digs)

Ignorance is Bliss. . .

. . .and knowledge will keep you up at night. Earlier this afternoon a coworker and I agreed that it would be so nice to be one of those ignorant pet owners who went about their lives not worrying about the health of their pets. But we aren't. I like to think of myself as only slightly neurotic, but very on top of my pet's health needs. I make sure that they have regular dentals (9 months for pocket, 1 1/2 years for mole), yearly blood work, acupuncture, x-rays when needed, etc. I know the benefit that early detection can bring - and that early treatment can add months, or years, to your pet's life.

I did Abby's yearly blood work today. Abby freaked out half-way through her blood draw and I only got enough for a chem panel. I tried for more blood, but she wasn't having any of it. I didn't press the issue because this was just routine blood work - I wasn't seeing anything in her behavior that caused concern. I really wish that I pressed the issue because her kidney panel came back high. And while I am trying not to panic, I know too much about what could be wrong that I can't help but panic.

I talked to a friend about this - before the panic set in - and I said "this dog can not die". As soon as I said that, it struck me that this is my dog. Some how in the craziness that has been the past year, I fell in love with this girl and she has become an instrumental part of our family. She is one of my kids. I love her completely and totally. I have to make sure that this is just a simple infection and not something more. And until I have concrete proof that she is 100% fine, I am going to worry. Abby, on the other hand, just wants me to crawl into bed and cuddle her. And because I love her so much, I am going to pretend that everything is fine, so that she can remain blissfully unaware that something, somewhere is wrong. She has had enough crap in her life, she shouldn't have to worry that her mom is crazy too.

Dogs: Companions or Property?

Let me start out by saying that I love my dogs. I have scheduled my life around their needs including taking jobs that allow me to bring my dogs to work. I spend the majority of my income on their medical, food, and fun bills. I call them my kids because they truly are a part of me.

All that being said, I am thankful that they are my property. I am glad that I own my dogs and that someone cannot come and take them away from me just because they have different ideas of how I should care for them.

While many people who know me would think that it is ridiculous that someone would even try to take my dogs away from me. After all, they spend the majority of their day with me. They are well trained and social members of society. They eat a healthier diet then I do, and they get regular vet care. However, there are a few things that I do differently then most people that could cause someone, somewhere concern. First, I do not vaccinate my dogs - at all. While vaccination requirements are under debate, what I do is still considered *rogue* by some vets. And on top of not vaccinating, I bring my dogs to work every day where they come in contact with potentially sick animals. That could be construed as endangerment. The second thing I do that can cause controversy is that I keep my dogs thin. Studies have shown that animals that are kept just slightly under weight live years longer then animals that are over weight. And while one of my dogs is supposed to be thin based on breed standard, she is often viewed as too thin by the general public. From time to time, she is too thin based on my standards too, but she is very active, has a high metabolism, and she eats food based on eye-balled amounts. I try, but I am not perfect, and maybe to some, I neglect the caloric needs of my dogs.

I understand why certain groups are promoting animals as companions and not property. I would love to see the abuse and neglect of animals put to an end. But I think that most of that can be done with stricter enforcement of already existing animal cruelty laws. My dogs are MINE, your dogs are YOURS. If there is concern about the welfare of someone's dog, a call to a trained animal control officer will sort things out. Once that has been done and proper care has been established, you do not have the right to steal another person's pet just because you disagree with how it is being housed/cared for.

This is Why

Some days, this job can be too hard. Years of working in animal rescue has "hardened" me some, but not completely. There are still a few days I go home and think "I can't go back tomorrow and do this all over again." But I know that I have to. It's my job, and for the most part, I love it. I just need to remember my reasons for staying.

And here is one



All better and ready to go into his forever home.

Totally worth it.

Procrastination

Procrastination is never a good thing. I always do it, and I am always sorry I do. And when I finally get around to doing what I've been procrastinating, I always think"gee, that was easy. I should have done that earlier."

I have been procrastinating my 100K mile car tune up for about 20K miles. Its not really a good thing when you consider how much I travel for dog stuff. I really should have taken care of this a year ago, but car stuff is always a pain to deal with and it is always so expen$ive!

My car started smoking today. Real smoke. Luckily I was literally one block from my mom's house. I pulled over, grabbed the dogs and ran. (I'm a little paranoid about car smoke because my friend's car caught on fire a few years ago.) I called my dad and he came over to check things out - turns out it wasn't as bad as I had thought (well, at least not according to the estimate!) It seems that there is just a crack in one of the hoses. And while my dad can easily fix that, I figured that we might as well take it to a professional and have them do everything that's needed. Another lucky break - our mechanic is only 5 blocks from our house. My dad braved the steam and drove it over there. I should have it back tomorrow afternoon.

And while I was very lucky that this didn't happen on my way to sacramento, if I had taken care of the tune up, this never would have happened at all. And it probably would have cost the same amount. And I still would have been out of a car for a day. But I wouldn't have been worrying about it randomly at night when I couldn't do anything about it. Let this be a lesson: don't procrastinate car stuff!