Meet Wren! (And a Recovery Update)

Guess who got a new puppy?

Not me...

But my parents got a baby cockapoo named Wren.  They all came to visit us in Vermont.  My boyfriend and I were watching Wren and did a photoshoot with her and Delilah.

Delilah literally...

Runs into Wren...

And just keeps going.

Delilah's recovering really well from her surgery- her exercise restriction has now been lifted and we're allowed to go on hikes and longer walks.  When we go on walks she actually trots along on all four legs like a healthy dog rather than hopping along on three legs or having to turn back early like before the surgery.  Between the surgery and the raw diet we started about two months ago, this is the healthiest she's looked in the two years that I've owned her!  Her coat is thick and soft, she's building muscle tone and a layer of fat, and she can actually walk and run!  I'm just so happy she's not in pain anymore, the surgery was completely worth the cost!

She is still worried about using her hind legs.  My boyfriend and I think it's psychological.  She won't jump on the couch anymore, unless she's not thinking about it- like if I throw her toy on the couch she'll leap up after it.  But otherwise she won't jump up on her own.  She is also refusing to sit and lie down on cue, I think she's scared to bend her legs.  I asked the surgeon about it and he said he thought it was fear, and that the legs themselves don't seem sore or stiff.  We have another check up in about a month and after that we're hoping to be able to start private agility lessons!  

Reactive Rover Update and New Diet

Delilah's Reactive Rover class last Friday went pretty well again.  There were three dogs including Delilah- it looks like one of the dogs that missed last class won't be back.  We expanded upon the Look At That game and now we're naming the behavior "look" and clicking and treating after Delilah looks at the trigger and then looks back at me.  I could tell she seemed a little more stressed with the third dog but she was able to work through it well.  At one point I knelt down and she walked up and stared me and I scratched her neck for her.  When she gets stressed she stares at me when she doesn't know what to do and she's trying to hold it together.  She's a very good girl, she tries very hard.

In other news Delilah has about a month left of her Zignature kibble and then I'm going to switch her to a BARF raw diet.  I'm very excited to try this and see how it goes!  I just joined my local pet food store's Raw Club so I'll get 10% off of meat and raw food and if it's on sale they'll double the discount!  I've also been scoping out my local grocery stores looking for different organs and proteins.  I'm primarily going to feed her chicken, beef, and turkey but there's also fish, rabbit, bison, goat, and more around her that I can occasionally throw in!

My main concerns are about feeding the correct amount and proportions for her small size, choking on bones, and if eating meat on a regular basis will lower the value of food used for training.  I bought a couple of books about feeding raw diets called "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats" by Kymythy R. Schultze and "Dr. Becker's Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats" by Beth Taylor and Karen Shaw Becker.  Both books have A LOT of information on nutrition as well as some recipes and diet plans that I could follow, so that's really helpful.

Super Food: Nutritionally Balanced Training

A problem that small dog owners will run into during training is how to balance the amount of treats we're using with our dog's low caloric requirements.  I first realized this in a basic training class I took with Delilah.  Most of the other dogs were larger labs, goldens, and doodles, and a handful of treats to them wasn't a big deal, but for my 6 lbs terrier, that was more calories than she got in a single meal, and less nutritious than her kibble.  The problem was, I couldn't use her kibble in a high stress, distracting environment.  She just wouldn't work for it.  I came across this problem again and again, first in agility and then during behavior modification.  I started looking into alternatives to the typical training treat.

Kibble

Value: Low- Moderate

At home I use Delilah's kibble for training rather than feeding it to her as a meal.  We do a lot of trick training and clicker training in the house with it.  I also use it as a reward (and sometimes a distraction) for basic obedience and impulse control exercises- such as having her wait on her "place" while I fill up her puzzle toys with kibble.  We also use it for mental stimulation games- her puzzle toys as I mentioned, hiding it in easter eggs around the house, tossing it around for her to chase and fine.

For dogs that are highly motivated by kibble, or for training in low distraction environments, it's really easy to just measure out how much food they eat every day and use it for training sessions instead of dumping it in a bowl.

Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls

Value: High

My trainer suggested this food in particular to me.  It's a semi moist roll of dog food that can be cut or crumbled into small pieces.  It's very smelly and palatable, making it a high value treat for Delilah.  But it's dry and safe to handle, unlike the raw food I use, so it's ideal for training in high distraction or stressful situations indoors, or when you just need to keep your hands clean.  It's completely nutritionally balanced and can be fed on its own as a meal, so your dog isn't getting empty calories and it can replace a meal if needed.  We specifically use it for counter conditioning in our house when we have guests over.  Delilah is very fearful of strangers and doesn't like anyone in the house who isn't me or my boyfriend.  We've had a lot of success using this food though.  My boyfriend's friend came over- Delilah hates him- but she was so engaged with training that he even commented about how well she was behaving.

OC Raw Dog Food

Value: High

I bought this on a whim at a local pet food store.  I was looking for raw food nuggets, and these were on sale.  Delilah LOVES them.  These are raw food nuggets, meant to be fed as the primary part of a dog's diet, so again no empty calories.  They've got great, wholesome ingredients- 90% meat, organ, and bone and 10% fruits and veggies.  Simple, healthy, and tasty.  Raw food in general is very high value for Delilah (and for most dogs).  The only issue I've had with these as treats is that they thaw very quickly, and when they do, they turn from nuggets to meat mush.  They get pretty messy.  I still use them for training outdoors- specifically for counter conditioning and obedience on hikes.  I'll even mix kibble in with them so when they melt they coat the kibble and I still have a solid piece of food to use as a treat.  I would never use them indoors though!

Nature's Variety Instinct Raw

Value: Moderate- High

I use two products from this company.  The Raw Boost Mixers are freeze dried nuggets that I feed dry as moderate value treats.  They are clean to handle, and healthy, but are only meant to supplement a diet, so shouldn't regularly replace a meal.

Instinct Raw Bites are another nutritionally balanced frozen raw food I use for a high value reward.  They have the benefit of retaining their nugget form as they thaw, rather than turning into ground mush like the OC Raw.  I still only use them outdoors or in areas where a little bit of a mess isn't going to be a big deal like at our training facility.  They also have a slightly different ratio than OC- 95% meat, organ, and bone and 5% fruits and veggies.

Play

Value: Moderate- High

In addition to treats, I use play in training whenever I can to cut down on calories and also keep Delilah engaged and excited about training.  It becomes a game to her.  I use tugs and tennis balls for agility training, and a game of fetch can become a training session when I ask her to perform behaviors before throwing the toy.


What about you?  How do you balance training with your pup's diet?

May Update and Food Switch Up

So, again, haven't been on much lately.  I've been trying to get a new job (applied back in December and there are still so many forms I need to fill out and steps I need to complete!) so that's been keeping me busy, and stressed.

Also, just signed a lease for a new apartment too!  It's soooo much nicer than this place we live at in the Old North End (the gross part of Burlington).  It's got two stories, two bedrooms plus a loft, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.  It has it's own patio, a yard, a garage, and a pool and tennis courts!  And it's in a much nicer location and rent is less expensive than what we're paying now!  I'm especially excited for the yard- I'm going to set up Delilah's agility equipment and practice with her outside!

Some updates about Delilah:

Agility

We're taking our last agility class tomorrow.  Last week we did weave poles and she was having a difficult listening day.  Every time I let her off leash, she'd run away and dash under the shelving in the training facility and start pouncing on dust bunnies and hair clumps.  Everyone thinks it's super cute but she doesn't listen when she goes into "hunting" mode.  And it's only at this facility- I take her off leash hiking a lot and she does really well.  We practice agility outdoors off leash.  I've even brought her to work (at the dog daycare) with me and set up her equipment (weave poles, tunnel, jump) and she did great!  It's a similar environment to the training facility because it's indoors, there are a lot of other dogs in the building, lots of smells, strange people, clumps of fur... and yet, she still listens.  So I don't know how we can practice focus and impulse control if it's just that one place she has a lot of difficulty at.

But anyways, after paying for this new apartment, it's going to be a month or two before we financially recover, so we're going to take a short break from agility classes :(  Which is too bad but we gotta do what we gotta do.

Food

I've been getting free Zignature kibble from work so that's what we've been switching to these past few months.  I started her out on Zig Turkey because she was used to poultry protein and I figured that would be most similar to the duck and chicken based foods she was on.  She did pretty well on it but I don't think she was digesting as much as the Castor and Pollux Duck formula she had been on because her stools were larger and softer.

Since then we've tried another formula, Trout and Salmon Meal and she's doing really well on that!  Her coat is thick, bright, and soft; her stools are firmer; and she's been gaining weight (it's harder for me to see her pelvic bones).  Trout and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which I think are playing a big role in the condition of her coat.

On Dog Food Advisor, Zignature has a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars with each formula ranging from 4-5 stars.  We're going to stick with this brand for now because it's a great food and I can get it for free!  The next formula I picked up was their Kangaroo formula- which I thought sounded very interesting.

Mia Update: Watching Your Best Friend Age

For those of you who don't know, I have another dog named Mia.  She's not technically my dog, she's my parents' dog.  But I was 11 when we got her so I grew up with her and was the one responsible for much (well, all) of her training and exercise.  She was my best friend growing up; we went on a lot of adventures together.  She's one of those dogs who's just naturally well behaved and people oriented.

She was remarkably healthy and active for the first 9 or so years of her life.  I'd take her hiking and people would be like "Ahhh, how old's your puppy?"  I'd tell them she's 9, and they'd say "9 months?"

This changed a couple years ago when she was diagnosed with kidney disease.  She became incontinent.  She got on medications and a "renal friendly" diet and seemed to be doing better.  At some point a year or so ago I became concerned with the ingredients in her prescription diet (nothing that looked like real food, just chemicals and fillers) and began doing research on diets for dogs with kidney disease.  Some of the key points were they had to have a higher percentage of calcium:phosphorus in a balanced ratio, plenty of antioxidants, and low in protein (more important in the later stages of the disease).  I looked at the brands we sold at work and examined their nutritional values and ingredients lists.  I ultimately decided on Blue Buffalo's senior formula despite the recent controversy about their ingredients.  They had a relatively low protein content, high calcium:phosphorus levels, and were full of antioxidants.  The nutritional values were actually very similar to the prescription diet, the ingredients were the main difference.  Real meats, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Well, Mia's been on the new diet for a while now, and she recently went back to the vet, and her kidney values are perfect!  I'm so glad she's doing well on this diet, because I feel so much better about Blue Buffalo's ingredients than Hill's.

The bad news: she has heart disease now.  :( :( :(

She's on medications that should help.

It's just hard watching your best friend age.

Best Friends Share

I just bought a blender (Nutribullet) this past week and it's the best investment I've ever made!  I'm a horribly picky eater and not a fan of most vegetables, but now I'm getting my super foods every day in the form of creamy, fruity goodness.  This morning I made a tropical smoothie with mangos, pineapples, banana, orange juice, yogurt, broccoli, and kale.  Delilah was eager to help me finish it off.  I found some dog friendly smoothie recipes online that I'm excited for us to try together!

Food Switch Up: Blue Buffalo Chicken vs Castor and Pollux Ultramix Duck

I've decided to rotate Delilah's food and try a different brand and/or formula each time she needs a new bag.  Before I got a dog I had researched raw and homecooked diets, but the fact is, I don't have a lot of money for that and I can get kibble for cheap or even free through my job.  This week was the first switch over for dog food.

*Disclaimer*  I am not a veterinary nutritionist nor do I work for any pet food company.  I will not be going too much into nutrition, rather just noting my observations.  I will include links to analyses from Pet Food Advisor for anyone interested in the nutritional value of these foods.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula: Adult Chicken and Brown Rice

I had originally bought a bag of Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken and Brown Rice formula since that is the food the rescue had her on and with all of the big changes in her life, I figured I should at least keep the food consistent until she had time to adjust.  I bought a 30 lbs bag for about $37 (with an employee discount) and it last her almost 4 months.  She ate about 1/2 - 3/4 c of food a day (we use kibble for training so it varies).  It wasn't a bad food.  She certainly enjoyed it.  It was rated 4/5 on Pet Food Advisor and you can check out their analysis of it here.  I was happy that the first two ingredients were chicken and chicken meal, as opposed to something like "chicken by-products," "corn," "soy," etc.  The third ingredient was brown rice.

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding Blue Buffalo lately over their use of by-products which the company had claimed not to use.  From my understanding, by products themselves aren't necessarily bad ingredients- they may just contain organ meat.  But they also tend to contain meat that isn't suitable for human consumption, meat from animals dead on arrival or sick, and the process of rendering these "inedible" meats can be controversial as well.  Since I don't know much about these ingredients other than what I've heard I don't have a strong opinion one way or another.  If what I hear is true and not just sensationalism, then by products sound like something to be avoided, but I don't know enough about the issue either way.

Delilah was underweight when I got her- literally skin and bones- and weighed about 5.8 lbs.  She gained a little more than 0.5 lbs on this food- weighed about 6.4 lbs at the heaviest- but then she got sick and lost it all.  I also noticed her feces tended to be larger and soft.  Not diarrhea, but they definitely left smears in the grass when I picked them up.

One more thing to note is that she had AWFUL breath.  A big part of this was that she hadn't lost some of her baby teeth and gunk was getting wedged between the puppy and adult teeth.  They finally fell out so with regular brushing her breath seemed to be getting better, but was still kind of gross.  I'm going to see if I notice any difference on different diets.

Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix: Grain Free-Duck, Sweet Potatoes, and Whole Peas Entree

I chose this food because it was on sale at a local all natural food store.  The ingredient list looked good- the first four ingredients were identified meats and meat meals with sweet potatoes being the fifth ingredient- this looked like a high protein food with high quality ingredients.  Even though I know these are buzzwords, I like the idea of "natural" and "grain-free."  I bought a 15 lbs bag for $15.  She's eating about 3/4 c a day more or less.  This food got a 5/5 star rating on Pet Food Advisor, you can read their analysis here.

Delilah REALLY likes this food- you can smell the quality (you really can, compare the smell to something like Beneful or Science Diet- they smell like crap).  It's a high protein food but it didn't upset her stomach when we switched over somewhat gradually.  She's digesting more of this than the Blue Buffalo food- her stools are small and firm- no more smearing in the grass!  (Also, I think the heart-shaped kibbles are really cute.)

Delilah got sick a few weeks ago and lost a lot of weight.  When I brought her to the vet she was literally back where she started- 5.8 lbs.  I'm feeding her a little more food now and she's gaining weight again.  Her spine, hips, and ribs aren't as prominent.

Other than that, she's only been on this food for about a week.  I'll write more about my observations of it during my next food switch up.