doggie home ec. part 2

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hello dog friends-

Just popping in to let you know we're still here and doing fine. We are keeping busy with our fixer upper house, our pets, and growing our pet care business.

Meena and Heidi are missed everyday, but we feel them around in spirit. They taught us so much about unconditional love, and provided us with so much inspiration.

Now it is time for this blog to officially go into retirement. We will still keep doggie home ec. and doggie home ec. part 2 viewable online.

Good news- we welcomed another dog to our clan this past fall. Her name is Alice. She helped take care of Heidi before she passed. Now she provides our cat (Ivan) with much amusement.

We will keep you posted on the pets here.

Farewell for now our human and furry friends. xoxo

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Friday, October 9, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Getting ready to move to our new place...

We're getting ready to move. The dogs have moved plenty of times, but for the last 5 years, we have been in our current apartment. The dogs will finally have their very own backyard! Meena will be fine, but we are a bit nervous/ cautious for Heidi. I know she'll slowly figure out the layout of our new place, but since going blind, the transition may be a little harder for her. She is such a trooper and survivor... I think everything will be fine.

We'll most likely be moving during the 4th of July holiday, I wanted to repost this link for natural remedies/ sedatives to help dogs during stressfull times...click HERE.

We need to purchase new id tags, and register with the city.

We will be offline while we get settled into the new place. Be sure to check out 'Our Profile' for other helpful dog blog links.

Hope everyone is well.
Enjoy your summer! :)
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Monday, June 22, 2009

most popular pet names of 2008

Dogs:
1. Max
2. Bailey
3. Bella (Isabella)
4. Molly
5. Lucy
6. Buddy
7. Maggie
8. Daisy
9. Sophie
10. Chloe
* other names we'd like to add to the list include: Coco, Wrigley, Mia, Jack, Lulu, Zoe, Murphy, Emma, Cody, Riley, Casey, Harley, Lily, "Disney/Pixar" characters (Gizmo, Nala, etc). all very popular names with our clients!

Cats:
1. Max
2. Chloe
3. Tigger
4. Tiger
5. Lucy
6. Smokey
7. Oliver
8. Bella
9. Shadow
10. Charlie

You can read all about it at Petside.com. Also, check out some of the craziest celebrity pet names here.
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Monday, June 15, 2009

links...

* transforming an old tv into a dog bed at Erin Rages...
(after)

(before)

* cute dog collar accessories and doggie travel bags, here at Bookie and Belle...

* have you seen the new dogwashing machine, the Dog'O'Matic?

* hey, we found Oprah's dog groomer's blog, Happy Dog Land. tons of great info!

* petfood recalls as of 6/15/09 here.
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Monday, May 11, 2009

links...

Our little dog blog has been neglected lately.
Heidi is doing great, Meena too. Thanks for all the nice messages for Dee!

Here are some pet friendly links to check out...
* Five pet products for a people friendly home.

* First class air travel with Pet Airways.

* The most pet friendly vehicle ever.

* DIY grooming tips.

* Check out the new season of Groomer Has It. You can watch full episodes here.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

canine glaucoma

Our little Heidi has gone completely blind.
In the fall of 2004, she was diagnosed with glaucoma in one of her eyes, and had surgery to treat the pain. She did well for many years, and just recently the glaucoma spread to her other eye. She has several presription eye drops and some meds for pain, but now she needs a second surgery. Right now, we're just making sure she isn't in any pain.

Here she is resting comfortably...

We found lots of links that have been helpful living with a blind pet...
* Blind Dog Emergency Pack- lots of helpful tips to make life easier for a blind pet.
* Hints for living with a blind dog, click HERE.
* Living with a blind dog- For Dummies, click HERE.
* more tips HERE and HERE.

We also found that with glaucoma, it is important to use a harness rather than a collar. It would also be nice to have some sort of eye protection. Maybe something like these mesh Doggles.

If anyone has any helpful tips, please send them our way. We'll keep you posted on Heidi's progress.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Do you feed your pet Nutro dog food?

We have many canine dog friends that eat Nutro dog food. When we heard that pets were getting sick and dying, allegedly from eating Nutro, we had to share these links...

1. Nutro Dog Food Kills Again! -click here to read all about it.

2. You can check out the consumer complaints about Nutro dog food on the Consumer Affairs website.

We certainly are not trying to cause hysteria. Just wanted to share this info with our friends, especially with all of the pet food recalls, etc.
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Monday, February 23, 2009

more home remedies to add to the archives...

Great thread on home remedies for canine bladder infections, click here to read. Many sing the praises of apple cider vinegar and yogurt, as a home remedy, and we have to agree. The dogs have been enjoying acv & yogurt for years. We have also used pureed cranberries/juice, cranberry capsules or tinctures.

Apparently another home remedy for canine bladder infections is cream of tartar. We have heard that this really helps, but haven't tried it yet. Apparently, you mix a teaspoon of cream of tartar in the water bowl every day for about a week .

If the home remedies don't start working right away, please see your Vet asap.

10 ways to use baking soda to care for your pets- click here to view the entire list.

1. Use baking soda as a dry wash for your dogs. Sprinkle on, rub in and brush out. This is an easy way to control odor between bathing.

2. Maintain healthy teeth by dipping a damp, soft toothbrush in baking soda and brush gently. To help with bad breath try using the following solution mixed in a spray bottle. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 cup of water. Spray your pet’s mouth regularly.

* I've seen baking soda mentioned in several books, and online sites, that it works great for brushing canine teeth. But I've also read that baking soda is bad for dogs. Of course I didn't see any info to back up that claim.
If anyone knows more info, please let us know. :)

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The Home Spa Book for Dogs

The newest book for our collection...The Home Spa Book for Dogs.

We really love this book! It's full of great recipes for gourmet meals, treats, grooming~spa products. It also goes into doggy yoga, canine massage, nutrition, and how to groom your pet from head to toe. We're totally psyched to try out the recipes and DIY projects.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

adventures in vegetable dehydrating, part 1

We have been wanting to try dehydrating vegetables, and fruit, for a while now. Since we do not have an electric food dehydrator, and it was a cold day in Chicago, we decided to give dehydrating a try via the oven.

First, start by chopping up the vegetables. We used carrots...

Place them on a baking sheet... *we added a dash of garlic powder for flavor*

Bake in the oven. You want to keep the door cracked open a bit.
With this batch, the carrots were in the oven for 6 hours on 200 degrees. The carrot sticks turned out better than the round ones, which really shrived up!
Here is an excellent link on how to dehydrate all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

It was fun to experiment with a new treat, but dehydrating isn't really energy efficient.

Typically we serve carrots raw... sticks or pureed.
We like to mix them with other vegetables, meat, poultry, acv, and/ or whatever else we have around.
It's easy to make small batches that last a few days in the refrigerator.
You can also make up larger batches and freeze in smaller batches. Of course that would be more economical.
We really want to give canning a try. Would love to hear if anyone has had adventures in canning?

* pureed carrots with acv...

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

February is Pet Dental Month

How do you clean your dog's teeth?
We have been giving our dogs raw meaty bones and bully sticks for the last 8 years. The girls enjoy it so much more than getting their teeth brushed, plus their teeth are pearly white, and they have healthy teeth and gums.

If you're not a fan of raw meaty bones, daily teeth brushing is an option. There are a number of pet toothbrushes and toothpastes on the market. We have also found a number of videos online that show how to properly brush your pet's teeth.

There are also lot's of toys and treats available that help keep your pet's teeth clean. We AVOID Greenies, Nylabones, and bleached rawhide chews. We highly recommend you research these products before giving them to your pet.

Click here to learn about about alternative treatments.

What if you don't clean your dog's teeth? Your pet could develop a number of health problems including peridontal disease, gingivitis, inflammation of the gums, and even more seriously, heart, lung and kidney disease.

AquaDent Pet Oral Health Product Contains Deadly Xylitol

This is so upsetting! Click the link below for more info...
AquaDent Pet Oral Health Product Contains Deadly Xylitol

Thursday, January 29, 2009

another peanut butter treat recipe...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

cute Valentine gifts for the dogs...

1 Funny Ernie
2 3 Dogs and a Chick
3 Funny Ernie
4 Classic Hound
5 CamillesStudio
6 The Collar Connection
7 Lucky Fiona
8 hatz4brats
9 8Paws Collars

Friday, December 19, 2008

cute stocking stuffers!

Check out these doggie waste bag holders we just received from "For Dogs Only Boutique". They come in a variety of fabrics and are a really great value.

Yes, they are more a gift for the humans than the dogs, but still a nice gift.

Check out the shop here.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Dog Treat Gift Bags

Yesterday we spent the day baking cookies, and today we are making little gift bags for some doggie friends.

We purchased little pre-made muslin bags on which we attempted handstamping the contents. For fun, we added a little felt gift tag and a jingle bell. We found the pattern for the felt gift tags here on this tutorial.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

baking dog treats...

* peanut butter and oatmeal dog treats *

* cranberry biscotti dog treats*

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Last minute Christmas shopping...Help Support Artists & Crafters this Holiday season.

* from left to right and top to bottom...

1.siestadog 2.BeanTownHandmade 3.TheModernPet 4.SpoiledNotRotten

5. jakeybb 6. pecanpiepuppies 7. CustomThreads 8. JenniferNicole

9. luckyfiona 10. MimisHouse 11. RescueMeTugz 12. sparklejess

13. mrsofttop 14. siestadog 15. miascloset 16. 8PawsCollars

dog food news

FDA Ignores the Pet Food Safety Deadline by Susan Thixton, citizen journalist of Natural News.
Click Here to read the entire article

Melamine may be Just the Tip of the Iceberg by Susan Thixton of Natural News.

"Chinese Veterinarian reporting melamine is just the tip of the iceberg of chemicals routinely added to animal feed ingredients exported to a world of pet food and animal feed manufacturers".

Click Here to read the entire article.

So what do we feed our pets? Here are some helpful links...
- Dog Food Ingredients to Avoid, Click Here.

- Click Here to learn how to feed your dog a "Raw" diet.

- Read about the Myths of Raw Feeding HERE.

- The 2008 Whole Dog Journal's approved dog food list
is Here.

Campaign for more effective regulation/enforcement of pet food labels. Click HERE for tons of information on ways to help crusade.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

We got the 'Pedi Paw'!

We've been dying to try it, so we finally broke down and bought one.
It's basically a dremel, but has a plastic guard cap to hold the nail in place. Love it!!! Well Meena & Heidi don't REALLY love it, but they are going to learn to get used to it.
Wish it came with different emery heads. Perhaps a coarser one as well the current one. Maybe speed settings would be nice.
Here is the link to the Pedi Paw site.

Vicktory dogs wine collection supporting Best Friends Animal Santuary...

The Dog Lovers Wine Club has teamed with Best Friends
to create the signature wine series – a special two-case collection celebrating
the 22 dogs who were rescued from Michael Vick’s dog-fighting operation and who
now live at Best Friends.
* more info click HERE

If you haven't already heard, Obama is looking for a shelter dog to bring to the White House. Yay! But it needs to be hypoallergenic.
Click here for a list of 'possibly' hypoallergenic dog breeds.

Bye bye Barney (you too Miss Beazley and Willie). We are going to miss Barney Cam and the cute little holiday videos.
Check out naughty Barney...

Click here to read an interesting article on Pet Food Recipe Changes and Challenges with the rising costs of food.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

doggie linky- poos

Make your own All-Natural Dog Shampoo. Lots of great recipes HERE.

Make & Build Dog Stuff- great site to learn how to make almost anything for your pet.
We found tons of cool patterns.
Here are some we want to try...

- make your own dog booties

- agility equipment patterns & DIY instructions

- dog harness DIY patterns here and here

- leash & lead DIY patterns

Here is an adorable free dog sweater pattern to knit.

We found some great dog treat and food recipes at Recipe Zaar. These pumpkin biscotti dog treats sound delicious.

Don't have time to commit to a pet full time? No worries. You can now rent pets at FLEXPETZ.

This K9Grass looks interesting.

Check out these home 'mudrooms' and 'showers' for dogs, found via Apartment Therapy. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Enjoy the links & have a great week!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

a little online window shopping...

We found some great dog beds at Jax and Bones, via Apartment Therapy.
Love this one.

These little heart toys are so sweet.

Also love these bagel beds available at The Haute Hound.

These little chammys/spaw towels are wonderful to have around...

Love these toys by sparklejess ...

These Mutt Hutz are fabulous.

That's enough window shopping for us. It's been a nice distraction, but there are so many projects we must get back to work on.
Have a great weekend! xoxo

Friday, October 31, 2008

chicken and rice stew for the dogs...

It's time for us to do a little grocery shopping, but we were able to throw together a little chicken and rice dish for Meena and Heidi, with some items on hand.

Here is what we did...
- started with one large pot
- added 2 pounds of chopped raw chicken *NO BONES*
- 1 cup of uncooked rice
- topped with about 6 cups water
- threw in a dash of olive oil & salt
- covered. boiled, then simmered for approximately 20 minutes
- added a chopped apple
- 16 oz chopped green beans
- tossed in a dash of oregano, parsley and garlic
- added a couple more cups of water, and simmered for about another 20 minutes.
- let it cool off. served. stored leftovers in the refrigerator. super easy!

Friday, October 24, 2008

cranberries for dogs

Meena has had chronic UTIs since she was a puppy. She used to take meds from the Vet a few times a year, but they always came back. It seems like less grains and cranberries seem to help. I must say I'm not a Vet, but if your pet has chronic UTIs, then perhaps you may want to take a look at their diet.

fresh cranberries...

pureed...

cranberry cubes... * serve defrosted with regular diet

We just add defrosted cubes, as well as yogurt, to their regular raw food diet when necessary. Plus, we add some to their regular veggie mix. It's great to buy them in season and freeze. I really want to learn how to can fruits and vegetables.
Also, you can mix them with yogurt and make frozen treats. We did that here.

Friday, October 17, 2008

feeding your dogs kale...

In the summer and fall, we feed the dogs kale as a green in their veggie mix. (we mostly rotate between kale and collard greens this time of year)

Kale is high in fiber, super nutritious, has lots of vitamins and minerals. Plus, kale has a little 'kick' to it, so it adds some flavor to the mix.

We usually just puree and serve it fresh, along with other componants of their RAW food diet.
You could also try steaming kale, or using it in a stew. I found a great recipe using Kale in a stew, the 'A*starz Dog Stew', via this site.

3 lb. meat (chicken or turkey, cooked)
1 lb. raw organ meats (livers, kidneys, hearts)
2 c. peas
2 c. brown rice
1 c. lentils
4 garlic cloves
3 c. raw veggies (kale, carrots, parsley, tomatoes, sweet potatoes)

Bake the non-raw meats along with any dry vegetables such as split peas.
Debone the meat and shred pieces by hand.
In a food processor, mulch up raw meats.
Cook the brown rice and lentils together.
In a food processor, mulch up vegetables and garlic.
Mix it all together and serve!
Freeze the leftovers.
* Originally from Donna Stekli

Be sure to check out DragonBear Dog Treat & food Recipes. They have a really wonderful compilation of dog food and treat recipes.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

butternut squash for dogs

Butternut squash is one of the healthiest vegetables you can serve. Nutritionally, butternut squash has more vitamin C and beta-carotene than any other winter squash. We've found that it also seems to help with constipation, and releasing anals naturally. Of course, talk to your Vet to see if squash is right for your pet.
We baked this squash, removed the seeds, and pureed it...

We made Isaboo's Butternut Squash Mac and Cheddar by Rachel Ray.
Click HERE for the recipe. It's delicious!
* we did have to substitute some of the ingredients and we did not use onions.

we added some of the baked squash to our current veggie mix...
* kale, cranberries and squash

- more squash dogfood recipes Here.

- this spring chicken loaf with squash recipe looks good.

We really want to try these Autumn Harvest dog snacks from Charlies Market ...