Happiness is Digging in Sand

One of Bella's favorite occupations in Baja was digging. Sand is so easy and she would dig for long, long stretches of time! The nice thing was how easy it was to refill the hole. My husband was worried she would try the same antics at home. No. Not even interested. Too much work!

Food Again

Anyone who has followed this blog knows that over the past year I've been poking my nose into improving Bella"s diet. I've researched raw and home-cooked until I'm more confused than ever. My final straw was a friend who remarked to my lamenting, "What's wrong? Is Bella sick? Is she not eating? Does she have allergies?" To which I could happily and honestly say, "No, she's fine; I'm just curious." This, of course, is why we have good friends because they cut to the quick. Her departing comment to the conversation was, "Why are you so worked up about it if buying good commercial kibble works?"  How can you fight that argument?

But still, I was unsettled. Since we returned from Baja, Bella has had what I call a "bothersome butt." She licks it frequently. She's been on Trifexis since before we left. I've seen no evidence of worms in her stool, yet something is bothering her. She has always farted when she sat (a somewhat oddly charming personal trait of hers), but is doing more so now. If the bottom licking continues into next week, I'll take a stool sample into the vet, but until then, I've been focusing once again on her food.

When we hit the border coming back into the US, she was nearly out of food (Acana), so it was necessary to get more. I stopped at Costco to pick up some things for us and noticed they had a grain-free kibble and got that. But is it as good for her as Acana? I doubt it (though it is given 4 out of 5 stars by DogFoodAdvisor). To help with her "issues," I picked up a couple of cans of organic pureed pumpkin, thinking some extra fiber may help. And then came across some videos on choosing good food for your pup by Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic vet. I approached the videos a bit skeptically as she is affiliated with a site which sells products, but I was quite pleased that she doesn't promote any brand in these videos. The argument she made for raw that I found most compelling was that kibble is dry and dogs need around 70% moisture in their diet and they receive that from eating raw. My vet has said several times, despite Bella's huge water slurping consumption, that my favorite girl-dog is a bit dehydrated. Dr. Becker's comments along with my vet's persuaded me to get more serious about introducing raw food into Bella's menu. At this point I am not going 100% raw, but am certainly willing to incorporate it into her daily food regime—along with going back to Acana when her present kibble is gone.

Take a look at Dr. Becker's two videos and tell me what you think. Are you already feeding raw? What results have you seen in that food move? If you aren't presently feeding raw, are you toying with moving that way—and why?

Video 1: Choosing the Right Dog Food/Part 1

Video 2: Choosing the Right Dog Food/Part 2

Poisons, Breeds and Names

Oh my! I found a series of stories regarding common household poisons your dog might ingest, along with the most common name of said dog and most common breed called in for suspected poisoning. Bella is the most common name and a Lab is the second most common breed. Can't say I'm surprised on the latter. I remember chatting with a cashier after I purchased a sealable container to store Bellie's food. (This, of course, was after she ate nearly half a bag and had a stomach that did not return to its normal shape for days.) The cashier's Lab ate a Costco package of light bulbs leaving only the metal twist bottom behind. Unbelievably, her dog was fine. But having witnessed Bella's mouthy penchant, I know she will eat nearly anything if it entices her. (Think brillo pad.)

Here is a list of the most common household poisons (for 2011) your pup may ingest and what to do if you suspect poisoning. (It is from this article which carries more detail and is a good, if short, read):

1. People Food (think chocolate, raisins, etc.)
2. Insecticides
3. Rodenticides
4. NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Advil, etc.)
5. Household Cleaners
6. Human Drugs (anti-depressants)
7. Garden Fertilizers
8. Heavy Metals
9. Acetaminophen
10. Veterinary Pain Relievers

The most common breeds and names of dogs to be called in to the Pet Poison helpline last year can be found in this article. It seems Labs rank right up at the top (second to mutts). My girl is a LAB/Aussie cross, but personality-wise, she's all Lab, but it gives her a double whammy of being a mutt mixed with a Labrador Retriever. Oh my! The most popular name? Bella! Of course, name has nothing to do with anything, and because you have a particular breed, doesn't mean it is more likely to be poisoned. However, if your pup is a chow hound like my Bella, beware and keep those poisons well out of your dog's way.

Does Your Dog Really Understand You?

I ran across this article on canine communication skills which I found very interesting. I particularly like this sentence:

"...evidence that humans and dogs may be undergoing cognitive convergent evolution with each other based on our close social relationships over the millennia."

This article targets another which goes into more detail about the convergence of canine/human understanding.

"However, although wolves are generally equal to or better than domestic dogs at memory tests and tasks involving general problem-solving abilities, wolves (even those raised by humans) are simply unable to match the performance of dogs at spontaneously using human social cues to solve problems."

We often take it for granted that our pup "gets it" which is expecting an awful lot from a different species. Yet it's a two way street in that you know when your dog wants something, isn't feeling well, that something is going on. Without an awful lot of sleuthing, you can usually figure it out—not much different than your pup trying to perceive your desires.

I find it exciting to think that we (humans and dogs) are able to communicate and that it will only get better (my extrapolation). When I talk to Bella, she cocks her head. I know not all dogs do this (Bella is my first pup that does), and that doing this doesn't mean that she truly understands what I'm saying. But the action makes it look like she is concentrating and trying to intuit my conversation. I know I've asked her numerous times, "What is it that you're trying to tell me?"

Right now she's telling me it's time for our morning walk.

Home!

We returned from warm and sunny Baja to a cold and snowy northwest. It doesn't seem fair although the comforts of home outweigh the frigid temps! It took a little over a week to get home.

We camped at three new places coming up the peninsula—each beautiful in their own right. Our first stop was in San Ignacio; Bella was in heaven. We stayed at a tiny little campground right on the river. I'm sure in warmer, calmer weather the bugs would be incredible, but we were blessed by a stiff wind that kept them at bay. Bella was able to run around (no one else was there) and swim. Lots of chuck-it in the water.

Rediscovering the "white stuff."

Our second stop was in Scammons Lagoon on the Pacific. Again, it was deserted except for the whales. We spent hours watching them spout, spy hop and surface. It was beyond thrilling. Our last night in Baja was also on the Pacific. A couple nights in San Diego with family and friends and then on to the eastern California route north.

Ha! We got to Lone Pine and learned that a huge storm was coming in, so our desired route was 86'd by weather. The reports threatened up to five feet of snow in the Sierras with gusts nearing 100mph! Talk about taking the excitement out of the drive! We camped south of Lake Tahoe and Bella got to run in the snow, but the winds started during the night and rocked the van so severely, that we got up before 4AM and started driving. We made it over the Sierras before the brunt of the storm hit us, so although it was a boring drive up the interstate, we made it back without incident.

Our first morning home, we woke to snow on the ground and this morning, Bella refused to go on a walk. So much for a warm sun! We have a fire going in the stove; Bella is tucked up close and I think I'll bake some bread despite the desire to start gardening.