[Tiffany K]

Hi Jenny!

Four of the dogs were “mine” and the other four were dumped over the past year. I may have found a home for one, but my idea of what constitutes good dog stewardship is vastly different from my neighbors. I really have to vet the backgrounds because these dogs have been through enough.
I have a huge fenced in back yard and then I let all but one come inside. It is not as bad as it sounds as I live alone and have a larger home. A chow mix I call Carleen is terrified to come inside,(when I was cutting the mats out of her back legs she was trembling so violently, it was terrible) so I bought her an insulated dog house with a heating pad, and then put the dog house in my attached garage. I then put a rotating ceramic heater about 3 feet away from her. This is where she goes when night falls. She is warm as toast on the few nights it was cold, snug as a bug and when I peek at her, she is snoozing soundly. She is cat aggressive, which is unfortunate because she is a love bug and is so obedient. But, until I can find a five star, no child, no cat home, they are better off with me.

But I can’t take on anymore. It is too much. It is a losing battle here. I took one dog to an no kill animal shelter because I was not sure about him with my small dogs and I gave them a $300 donation to insure he was taken care of. The Sampson County animal “shelter” does not even have photos of dogs for adoption on petfinder. It is disgusting. It is something I can’t dwell on because I cannot change these people’s minds about dogs. They throw them a dirty bowl of Old Roy (not Pure Balance!) at the end of their chain and call it day. If you knew how many times I have risked arrest to make sure these dogs on chains have water in the boiling summers. I have cut it close. It is scary but in my DNA…I will never stop.

[Tiffany K]

I love your cats!
Thank you much, that is such good info. It is hard to love animals in Eastern North Carolina. Just driving home today I had to get puppies out the road. Who are these people? Aliens?

They just don’t care. They chain up their dogs and leave them in the boiling sun and blistering cold. It makes my heart hard….it is good to remember there are people like you here on the forum.

I went to Tractor Supply and got the 4Health and the Wholesomes. It is 3 stars but I can spruce it up with sardines and apples.

I was able to get 40 lbs of sweet potatoes for $18.00 This will last a long time and is so healthy.

Thank you for responding.

[Tiffany K]

Yes, I have tricked them into thinking a carrot is a big deal. Thank you for the response!

Do you think it is safe to give the eggs raw as a food topper?

[Tiffany K]

What do you think about stuffing a Kong with organic peanut butter (maybe lower sugar than regular) some chopped apples , carrots , baked sweet potato with butter and small bits of very hard cheese? (not too much cheese in case of dietary issues.) Or, if you will be there, stuffing it with boiled chicken so he has to work to get the chicken out. (making sure what he doesn’t get out is washed out later.)

I have found this will keep my dogs entertained as they work to get the treats out and they like the challenge. The Kong also helps work some plaque off their teeth that brushing cannot remove or between cleanings.

Also, this may gain me a “web beat down”, but all of my dogs (four) love Blueberry Frosted Mini Wheats. The sugar is 14 grams, so I don’t give it to them everyday, but the fiber greatly helps my 13 year old St. Bernard mix’s daily bathroom trips. They go crazy for them.

These things do not cost as much as treats, especially if you go to a farmer’s market or buy on sale, and you can buy a Kong which will last a very long time. I run the Kongs through the dishwasher to make sure they are clean.

[Tiffany K]

For your Mini Schnauzer….The Honest Kitchen is so healthy as is mainly fish and veggies. This is the dehydrated formula; I believe it is called Zeal You add warm water and let it sit a bit. It looks like green gruel or oatmeal. But, I specifically purchased it for my Pit Bull/Great Dane mix who was hospitalized with pancreatitis (my mother was keeping her and I have never got to the bottom of what she was fed) but it has completely smoothed out her digestion problems , as well as helping her chronic skin allergies. It is just getting her to eat it. It smells exactly like fish food. If you mixed her 3 ounces of chicken in with the Zeal, I am sure she would gobble it down. Another “trick” is I use the chicken broth from boiled chicken as the mixing agent for the Zeal. I hope this helps and your little girl feels better each day.

[Tiffany K]

A treat that does not cause constipation or bowel problems is critical. I have found that many chews or bones, even ones that claim to be easily digestible and premium, can cause my four dogs’ stools to be too dry and triggers straining when going to relieve themselves.

I stopped feeding them commercial treats entirely due to this issue. Instead, I feed them boiled eggs, apple, peanut butter biscuits made at home and carrots. However, when traveling, a commercial, non messy treat that would enhance their health and life experience would “hit the spot.”

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