Does Your Dog Have…Dog Breath?

in Barks and Blooms / dog breath / dog dental care / Dogs / pet blog / youdidwhatwithyourweiner  by May 16, 2013

Over the past few years I have accumulated quite a list of pet blogs that I subscribe to.  They come in all shapes, sizes, and topics.  Recently, I stumbled on this one called YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner.  The title alone made me giggle; so I had to read more!  Wouldn’t you?  One of her recent articles, entitled I Don’t Brush My Dog’s Teeth was one I completely related to.  Not all dogs are delighted with brushes and paste, even if they do taste like liver.  She mentioned that giving your dog a high-protein, grain-free kibble can cause teeth to worsen.  I had no idea!  I’m going to do some research this week.  Have any of you heard this?  What do you think?

CATS Magazine

in Barks and Blooms / catmagg / cats / CATS magazine / claws / Fantastically Fabulous / furniture / kitty / protect  by May 14, 2013

Can cats read?  Probably not.  Even if they could, they wouldn’t tell us anyway.   Most cats we know like to keep an air of mystery about them.  

We recently discovered (and were a small part of) a new digital magazine called CATS Magazine, or CatMagg. 

In it you can find articles on topics like healthy cat food choices, cheap and easy homemade cat toys, and how to survive bathing your cat.  Yikes!  

We are proud to tell you that one of our own has submitted an article to CatMagg and was published!  

Jessica’s article How to Protect Your Furniture from Kitty’s Claws appears on page 6 of the May Edition.


 


Tell us what you think!

Rawhide Alternative? Yes! Try this!

in Barks and Blooms / chicken jerky / dog treats / homemade / homemade dog treats / Rawhide / sweet potato  by May 2, 2013

Sweet Potato Dog Chews

A steady diet of rawhides may satisfy your doggie’s desire for chewing, but isn’t great for his tummy.  Many chewy dog treats have been recalled or are just darn expensive.  In my quest for chews for my dogs, I found Sweet Potato Rawhide but it cost me $39.99 for a 24 oz bag.  Ouch!   I’d already had success with Homemade Chicken Jerky, I could find a recipe for sweet potato chews, right?  Right!  And here it is:






Ingredients:

1 Large Sweet Potato, washed & dried


Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250° F
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Cut off one side of the sweet potato lengthwise, as close to the edge as possible. Cutting the side of the potato first allows you to then turn the potato onto this flat surface that you have just created. Having a stable area to rest the potato will make it easier to cut the potato into slices. Don’t discard that first piece, it comes out just as yummy as the rest!
  4. Cut the rest of the potato into 1/3″ slices, no smaller than 1/4″.
  5. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 3 hours, turning half way through.
  7. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Degree of Chewiness – Baking for 3 hours results in a soft, but chewy dog treat. If your dog prefers more of a crunch, then bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. When you take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, they may at first appear to be too soft. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before you decide whether or not to bake them longer. This is because they will continue to dry or harden while cooling.

Storing – Although these treats are dried, you will want to keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can freeze them for up to 4 months.

Wednesday Adoptables! Meet Odin

in Barks and Blooms / Fallston Animal Rescue Movement Inc. / Odin / rescue / shepherd mix / Wednesday Adoptables  by May 1, 2013


ODIN

Odin is a very smart, 50 lb, 1 year old shepherd mix. His is crate trained, housebroken, and good with other dogs, cats, and kids. 

Odin is staying with the wonderful folks at Fallston Animal Rescue Movement. (or F.A.R.M.)

The F.A.R.M. was started by Greg and Barbara Bertling to find homes for some of the wonderful, loving pets abandoned, lost, or given up and scheduled for euthanasia at area shelters. Thus, FARM means the difference between life and death for the pets rescued.
They provide food, shelter, medical care, behavioral evaluation and affection. They take great care to find responsible, loving, permanent homes for each pet we save.

The FARM has rescued and placed over 8,000 dogs and cats since its beginning in October, 2000.


If you are interested in Odin or any other rescued pets at F.A.R.M., please click HERE.

Cats N’ Boxes

in Big Cat Rescue / boxes / cats / cats in boxes / Fla. / how to catch a cat / Tampa  by April 30, 2013
We all know that cats love boxes.  Just leave an empty (or not so empty) box anywhere near a cat and watch the fun. 


Wondering where your cat is?  You can either turn on the can opener (another sure way of catching their attention) or leave a box out where they can see it and become intrigued.  
Well, it turns out that big cats like boxes, too.  Tigers, lions, and leopards love boxes–just like domestic cats! Check out the following video from Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fla. that shows how their big cats play with boxes.


To find out more about Big Cat Rescue, their mission or volunteer opportunities, check out their website here.  
“Like” their Facebook page here.

How To Survive the SHEDDING SEASON!

in Uncategorized  by April 18, 2013
I subscribe to a number of pet-related blogs and read those that catch my attention.  Being a dog walker means that I am the daily recipient of multiple (hundreds? thousands?) of dog and cat hairs that cling to my clothing and are occasionally inhaled.  This particular article from Dogster.com was well-written and loaded with great information.  Enjoy!