Change my name to ...

Ryker's furever friend Kosmo loves to hunt in the garden. Lately at night he will come jump up on the bed and as I pet him I kept feeling something wet in his fur. Huh?

Ewe! Think I'll change his name to Sluggo! I picked five of them out of his damp belly hair last night. Sure enough he had more tonight! I must admit that we do have a lot of baby slugs in the yard now but get real!
The man of the house is totally grossed out. I'm a gardener so not that big a deal for me, I just don't want them in my bed!
Ryker thinks it is all very funny!

Vintage Friday

Wordless Wednesday

What not to feed your dog/good info.

Here is some good info. gleaned from other websites...

What NOT To Feed Your Dog

• Fat scraps-- make dog fat, cause pancreatic disease, diarrhea
• Dairy products-- cause diarrhea, develop lactose intolerance in adults
• Liver-- too much causes diarrhea, vitamin A and D toxicity
• Chocolate, all kind-- it’s like poison to your dog’s system. Dogs can’t process it.
• Coffee, tea, caffeine-- Deadly, affects heart and nervous systems.
• Raw eggs-- skin and coat problems, may contain salmonella
• Anti-freeze-- Poison,Deadly, like poison Cause death.
• Windshield fluid-- Poison,Deadly, like poison Cause death.
• Brake fluid--Poison, Deadly, like poison Cause death.
• Raw fish only diet-- cause Vitamin B deficiency, loss appetite, death.
• Baby food-- in large amounts, nutritional deficiency
• Cat food-- usually too high in protein and fats for dogs
• Alcoholic beverages-- causes intoxication and death
• 
  
• Citrus oil extracts-- can cause vomiting
• Grapes, raisins-- cause toxin, damage kidneys
• Marijuana-- depress nervous system, cause vomiting, change heart rate
• Salt-- large amounts lead to electrolyte imbalance
• Corn cobs-- pieces gets stuck in stomach and block off the intestine.
• Spoiled food-- contain toxins causing diarrhea, vomiting, damage organs
• Mushrooms-- contain toxins, cause shock, result in death
• Onions & garlic-- damage blood cells, cause anemia
• Peach, plum pits-- cause obstruction in digestive tract
• Cooked bones-- they splinter, stick or puncture in digestive tract
• Rat poison Poison,will cause a long, lingering death.
• Any rodent or insect poison--Poison, cause long, lingering death.

__________________________________

ALSO
Don't feed your dog in combined food/water combo bowls. Dog food is likely to contaminate the water side of the combo. Use separate dishes and do NOT feed your dog in a plastic bowl. Plastic can cause your dog to have allergies, can contain bacteria as well as hold odors we cannot smell, but a finicky dog will, and he may refuse to eat. Use the shinny metal stainless steel or ceramic bowls… your dog will appreciate it.
Another bit of advice—do not teach your dog to “beg” at the table. All this does is encourage him/her to beg for more scraps from the table. Pretty soon your dog will need a diet. Dogs should never eat from the human table so don’t get it started with “begging.”
When your dog is finished eating, do as we do… wait an hour before exercising him. Yes, wait an hour or so before going for that long walk. If you plan to RUN your dog, you might wait longer than an hour. This advice has turned up in more than one place. Dogs need a chance to digest just as we do.

There are a number of websites offering quality dog food with no preservatives, holistic ingredients or ingredients that have never been exposed to harmful chemicals. They may cost more, but the extra cost is nothing compared to what you will be paying a vet when your dog shows up with cancer, pancreatic disorder, hypothyroidism or any number of other problems!

ALPHABETICAL ORDER: High score is best
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic / Score 119 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy / Score 94 A
Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult / Score 83 C
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Flint River Ranch / Score 92 B (non-specific fat source)
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Iams Large Breed / Score 83 C
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable / Score 108 A+
Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 114 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal / Score 85 C (non-specific fat source)
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice / Score 85 C
Ol Roy / Score 9 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition / Score 42 F
Pedigree Adult Complete / Score 14 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Pro Plan All Breed / Score 68 F
Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet chicken adult maintenance / Score 45 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Solid Gold Bison / Score 123 A+
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison / Score 136 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (Bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

This list has been out for a while and there are new products that are very good and not listed such as Pure Vita by Nutri Source, Fromm, Natures Variety, and others. Best to avoid By Products and rendered fats...for really good info go to The Dog Food Project website.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main

This site also has an excellent food and product recall list!

Rainy Day Inactivity

Lounging with my mom is soooo relaxing. She is reading a "who done it"!

Rainy days have their place in life!

Farmer's Market

We go to the Farmers Market every weekend for fresh eggs, cheese, breads, jams, jellies, vegi's, etc. There are many dogs that visit, my favorite part!

I met the cutest little Golden Boy!

And check out this little healer girl, mama wanted to take her home with us!

Played real hard with this guy!

I've met this handsome guy "Brewster" at the dog park before.

With all that going on mama even managed to buy some goodies! Fresh bread, snow apples, green onions, beets and spinach. Think I'll choose the bread!

Out of State Visitor

Mama's Cousin Bev came to visit us!  I met her when I was just a baby, in fact she got to hold me before mama did!

Cousin Bev became my Frisbee Buddy!

We had a great time while she was up here, look at Grandma smile! Cousin Bev  has decided she wants to get a puppy just like me but a little girl.  Mama is going to help her find one after  she gets moved into her new house!

Bye Cousin Bev, we are going to miss you!  See you next year!