Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
bones
Lottie loves raw frozen marrow bones. And I love how healthy they are for her! These bones clean your dog’s teeth in addition to providing them with a nice oral workout – not to mention a healthy dose of natural calcium.
It takes Lottie about 3 or 4 hours to scrape all the marrow out of one of these frozen bones – she’s working on a Nature’s Variety raw beef bone in these photos. Lottie stays quietly in one place, completely entertained, allowing Mark and I to enjoy a few uninterrupted hours when we have dinner guests or just want to watch some TV.
Plaque and tartar can build up on a dog’s teeth offsetting the balance of good bacteria in the mouth which leaves way for infection and disease to spread. Whether you brush your dog’s teeth or let them chew on raw bones, what’s important is removing that plaque and tartar regularly. Proper tooth and gum health also prevents bad breath! When given raw bones, dogs will scrape food and tartar from their teeth as their ancestors did in the wild. The small amounts of meat tissue typically left on raw bones allows for a separate type of chewing, which is natural and necessary for your dog. This nibbling and pulling action really cleans a dog’s front teeth.
Raw bones can definitely be a little messy. You will want to keep your dog on a doggy blanket or towel that can be easily washed (see Lottie above on her doggy towel). They’re obviously great treats outside and also work well in a crate that can be easily washed out. Once the bone has been chewed down, it is actually quite clean. As with most chews, supervising your dogs while they enjoy a bone is the way to go.
When you’re ready to give your dog a raw frozen bone, give it to them frozen, right out of the freezer. Dogs love an ice cold bone on a summer day! Never heat or cook a raw frozen bone prior to serving. At my house, once the bone is completely clean (about 3 or 4 hours after giving it to Lottie) I throw the bone away. Especially when I’m giving it to her indoors. Lottie really has no interest in them once they are hollowed out and clean. Bravo! brand recommends discarding the cleaned bone after 1 or 2 days stating that these bones are not to be completely consumed.
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Bones are made in the USA, and are an excellent source of minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and enzymes. They are also a natural, balanced source of calcium and phosphorus. Feed a raw bone as a natural source of chondroitin for joint health or a natural source of fiber. If you’re feeding a raw bone for the first time, Nature’s Variety recommends starting with a Raw Beef Bone.
Bravo! offers both a buffalo and a beef marrow and knuckle bones. Bravo! Bones are uncooked, fresh cut, individually wrapped and flash frozen to preserve their natural goodness. Bravo! Bones are made from human grade beef bones and premium grade, ranch raised, grass-fed, buffalo from Montana. The same bones sold fresh in the grocery store for human consumption.
Raw bones versus cooked or sterilized bones: I like Raw. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and both cooked bones and white sterilized bones are deprived of beneficial nutrients which raw bones are full of.
It takes Lottie about 3 or 4 hours to scrape all the marrow out of one of these frozen bones – she’s working on a Nature’s Variety raw beef bone in these photos. Lottie stays quietly in one place, completely entertained, allowing Mark and I to enjoy a few uninterrupted hours when we have dinner guests or just want to watch some TV.
Plaque and tartar can build up on a dog’s teeth offsetting the balance of good bacteria in the mouth which leaves way for infection and disease to spread. Whether you brush your dog’s teeth or let them chew on raw bones, what’s important is removing that plaque and tartar regularly. Proper tooth and gum health also prevents bad breath! When given raw bones, dogs will scrape food and tartar from their teeth as their ancestors did in the wild. The small amounts of meat tissue typically left on raw bones allows for a separate type of chewing, which is natural and necessary for your dog. This nibbling and pulling action really cleans a dog’s front teeth.
Raw bones can definitely be a little messy. You will want to keep your dog on a doggy blanket or towel that can be easily washed (see Lottie above on her doggy towel). They’re obviously great treats outside and also work well in a crate that can be easily washed out. Once the bone has been chewed down, it is actually quite clean. As with most chews, supervising your dogs while they enjoy a bone is the way to go.
When you’re ready to give your dog a raw frozen bone, give it to them frozen, right out of the freezer. Dogs love an ice cold bone on a summer day! Never heat or cook a raw frozen bone prior to serving. At my house, once the bone is completely clean (about 3 or 4 hours after giving it to Lottie) I throw the bone away. Especially when I’m giving it to her indoors. Lottie really has no interest in them once they are hollowed out and clean. Bravo! brand recommends discarding the cleaned bone after 1 or 2 days stating that these bones are not to be completely consumed.
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Bones are made in the USA, and are an excellent source of minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and enzymes. They are also a natural, balanced source of calcium and phosphorus. Feed a raw bone as a natural source of chondroitin for joint health or a natural source of fiber. If you’re feeding a raw bone for the first time, Nature’s Variety recommends starting with a Raw Beef Bone.
Bravo! offers both a buffalo and a beef marrow and knuckle bones. Bravo! Bones are uncooked, fresh cut, individually wrapped and flash frozen to preserve their natural goodness. Bravo! Bones are made from human grade beef bones and premium grade, ranch raised, grass-fed, buffalo from Montana. The same bones sold fresh in the grocery store for human consumption.
Raw bones versus cooked or sterilized bones: I like Raw. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and both cooked bones and white sterilized bones are deprived of beneficial nutrients which raw bones are full of.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
I've gone to the dogs
Change. Scared, excited, heartbroken, energized. I think I've felt every emotion possible after my decision to make a major career move last year. And now I work in the wonderful world of dogs. Spending my days at a shop for all things dog, I have learned so much about canine nutrition and holistically caring for our favorite four legged friends. Can you imagine how many cute puppies I get to see every day?! A lot. Lottie naturally loves my new job as she is often my test subject for treats, toys, and the finest foods available.
I still love to make floral arrangements and luckily my friends let me do flowers for their weddings. I've got one coming up soon and have been busy making samples and gathering inspiration. Pinterest has been helpful in finding inspiring ideas although I have such a love-hate relationship with ol' Pinterest. Like my spam followers I cannot delete. Or the spammy hacker takeovers of my pins. SO ANNOYING! Ok, breathing, ahhhhhhh.
Not much to report on projects around the house either. Hence the lameness of HousePet lately. If we ever put a real floor in the basement it will be a miracle ... and I'll be sure to blog about it!
Let's not even talk about my sad Bird of the Day tumbler blog. It's looking more like Bird of the Season at best. I just don't have the time that I once did. But I'm happy. Busy but very happy. I have become a part of my community and now am helping folks to make better choices about feeding and caring for their dogs and that is AWESOME!
I have been enjoying bits of this super warm Spring we're having here in the Midwest. Everything is blooming so early this year! I'll try and be a better blooger here at HousePet but please forgive me when I take little uplanned breaks. Yes, I'm talking to all nine of you. Cheers!
I still love to make floral arrangements and luckily my friends let me do flowers for their weddings. I've got one coming up soon and have been busy making samples and gathering inspiration. Pinterest has been helpful in finding inspiring ideas although I have such a love-hate relationship with ol' Pinterest. Like my spam followers I cannot delete. Or the spammy hacker takeovers of my pins. SO ANNOYING! Ok, breathing, ahhhhhhh.
Not much to report on projects around the house either. Hence the lameness of HousePet lately. If we ever put a real floor in the basement it will be a miracle ... and I'll be sure to blog about it!
Let's not even talk about my sad Bird of the Day tumbler blog. It's looking more like Bird of the Season at best. I just don't have the time that I once did. But I'm happy. Busy but very happy. I have become a part of my community and now am helping folks to make better choices about feeding and caring for their dogs and that is AWESOME!
I have been enjoying bits of this super warm Spring we're having here in the Midwest. Everything is blooming so early this year! I'll try and be a better blooger here at HousePet but please forgive me when I take little uplanned breaks. Yes, I'm talking to all nine of you. Cheers!
Friday, March 30, 2012
the Tradig
Last year I posted about using my Tradig bowl from IKEA as a planter.
I loved the way it looked and functioned so I submitted my creation to IKEA Hackers. Since then, I have received a steady stream of traffic from the IKEA Hackers site and wanted to do a little follow up on the ol' Tradig. It was outside all summer long... and even into the fall. It saw blazing sun and plenty of rain. My succulents thrived and the Tradig did NOT rust. I know it will find its way back outdoors soon with a new batch of plants but until then, it will continue to hold magazines in the living room. I better find a new magazine rack soon!
I loved the way it looked and functioned so I submitted my creation to IKEA Hackers. Since then, I have received a steady stream of traffic from the IKEA Hackers site and wanted to do a little follow up on the ol' Tradig. It was outside all summer long... and even into the fall. It saw blazing sun and plenty of rain. My succulents thrived and the Tradig did NOT rust. I know it will find its way back outdoors soon with a new batch of plants but until then, it will continue to hold magazines in the living room. I better find a new magazine rack soon!
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