When we lived in the beautiful mountains of sunny California, our dogs had almost year round access to lush green grass, weeds and bushes. Our first Spring here in Idaho when the snow began to melt I noticed the dogs desperately looking and digging to find grass. The first sprig of a green bush or grass blade to appear was quickly gobbled up.
Read moreVACCINOSIS - Is it Real?
It only takes a quick search on the internet to find article after article about the ill effects that vaccines can have. Not every dog will develop a long-term disease, but when they do it is devastating.
Read moreGrooming
I’m sure you’ve read about the Boerboel being a ‘wash & wear’ breed. True, but there are a few other things to think about, so I’ll share our grooming habits with our BB’s.
Read moreBenefits of Bone Broth
Bone Broth!
Why it’s a must!
Prior to moving to Northern Idaho, I used bone broth when my dogs were sick or coming out of a surgery. Our first winter here, I noticed that the dogs did not seem to drink enough water on a daily basis. I started serving them warm bone broth every morning to get through the chill of winter. Since my adult dogs only eat one meal a day, in the evening, I now give them each a cup of bone broth along with one egg every morning.
The benefits of bone broth are many. It’s not just for occasional use, but a great addition as a regular part of your dogs diet. It assists in:
Joint health - it is a great source of collagens and glucosamine
Detox for the Liver - no matter how hard we try, our dogs are still exposed to toxins more often than we think. Grass, carpet, vaccines and much more
Gut health - bone broth is full of gelatin which assists the gut in digestion. It is especially good for dogs with leaky gut syndrome.
Dogs that are ill or coming out of anesthesia. Bone broth is just plain ole’ good stuff!
My recipe is loose and varies with each batch, be creative!
Bones - at least one large marrow or joint bone. In addition to that, feet are great along with any other bones you have (they can even been from your cooked meals).
Veggies: Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Herbs (there is a link below that has some herbal suggestions)
Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice - this is important as it draws out the minerals in the bones
Cook at a low temp for a long period of time. I go 24-48 hours.
In the slow cooker above, you see a hog head and a few hog knee joints that I picked up free from the local butcher shop; carrots, kale, parsley, oregano all from my garden, celery, and an apple (because I didn’t finish eating it). ACV was added in the amount of 3/4 cup. When it’s done cooking, I strain it, toss all the ‘stuff’ and chill the liquid. The next morning, skim off the fat on the top and you are good to go!
Heat Stroke
Heat related illness in your dogs. Most often when looking up Heat Stroke in dogs you get articles that talk only about high temperatures and symptoms. This articles talks about one of the biggest factors that we don't take into consideration: HUMIDITY. Also, we tend to want to get out and about as soon as Spring hits with long walks. It takes time for our dogs to adjust to the new temps and longer exercise period. Meandering walks with breaks are best to get back in the grove of things. Be careful of long, fast paced walks especially on pavement. Also remember that Boerboels are stoic creatures and might show very little if any symptoms until collapsing.
Why is Natural so Important?
The most common response I get when I state the importance of RAW for a Boerboel is “I’ve feed my other large breed dogs such and such and they’ve done fine”. While that may be true, the Boerboel breed seems to be highly susceptible to health issue when we feed/treat/prevent with our man-made formula’s. Why is this breed so sensitive to what other breeds seem to have adapted to? I don’t have a real answer for that, but if you look closely at our pets overall, you will see a huge rise in cancer, skin conditions, joint issues. Ect.
What I can tell you is this: Over the past 6 years I have consulted with more Boerboel owners than I can count regarding health issues. Most of the time it’s because their breeders do not have an answer for them. I have walked these owners through Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Joint problems, Severe skin/allergy issues, issues that veterinarians cannot define and even aggression issues. A few times it has been with my own puppy owners and hearing one of my own owners/puppies go through the devastation of something like this is heartbreaking to say the least. I want to do everything in my power to prevent any of my owners and puppies from these types of issues.
In each instance, the root cause has been come back to 3 major environmental factors: Processed food, vaccines and monthly preventatives. In each case I’ve walked the owners through detox, immediate change to RAW and natural remedies to monthly preventatives. In a few cases it was too late to reverse the damage done, but in most of the other cases, major improvements were seen in as little as four weeks with complete healing for many.
Food: While you might not see any negative outward affects of kibble on your puppy, the unseen is happening. Swollen joints cause incomplete closure of growth plates, ingredients that dogs would not naturally consume are building up in the digestive track causing inflammation which, in turn, causes IBS and other severe digestive issues. In time the body starts to reject the ‘foreign bodies’ and builds intolerances that are labelled as allergies.
Vaccines: Vaccines are live viruses being put into your dog’s system. Each time this is done their immune system is attacked. With every attack of the immune system, your dog has less ability to fight off viruses that he/she would naturally fight off and opens them up for health problems. The veterinary world has done a great job of scaring us into vaccinating our pets for unnecessary ‘bugs’. We will vaccinate for parvo/distemper once only. Same with rabies (and only where required by law). After that, titers need to be done so your dog is not over-vaccinated.
Monthly Preventatives: Again, these man-made concoctions destroy your dog’s immune system. If you do some research on the systemic flea/tick meds, you will see that thousands of dogs have developed epilepsy and even died from these products. One of my owners almost lost her BB last year due to one of these products. There are many safer alternatives.
I understand that it is often more cost affective and convenient to go with these man-made products/foods, but the reality is, that over the life of your dog, you will spend far less on veterinary expenses and your dog will live a longer, healthier life.
Below are some links that I hope you will find informational.
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/09/24/pets-gi-inflammation-treatment.aspx
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dog-food-ten-scary-truths/
http://rawlearning.com/wp/welcome/the-problems-of-manufactured-pet-food/
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/pet-vaccination-risks-and-benefits/
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/03/31/high-cost-of-pet-vaccinations.aspx
You can search the following websites for good, solid holistic approaches to just about anything.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/
https://healthypets.mercola.com/
https://peterdobias.com/
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
What is that? The simple term is ‘an enlarged prostate’.
As with so many things on our Boerboel journey, I feel that we are allowed to experience trials and tribulations in order to help others understand things that happen. This year has been quite the challenge for us and I watched my Baby Bu struggle on and off throughout the year. Two weeks ago I thought I would loose him…………..
Read moreWARNING! Flea/Tick Products
The FDA has released a warning on NexGuard, a flea/tick preventative. Serious side affects including death have been being reported for years. BUT it is not only happening with this class of drug, it is happening with many preventative products. You can find sites and pages filled with people who have lost their pets or had serious reactions with just about every products out there. Please don’t use these products. There are many natural products and remedies to use. Just google ‘home made natural flea/tick repellents’ and you’ll get a list of things to try. I personally feel that DE (Diatomaceous Earth) works in just about every environment. Use is in your yards, on pet bedding and directly on your pet. Natural remedies are going to be time consuming, but isn’t your precious family member worth it? Click on the report below to read in full.
Understanding Cardiac Testing
There are a lot of questions surrounding the issue of cardiac testing in the Boerboel world. A lot of phrases are thrown out and more breeders are doing some level of cardiac testing than in the previous years. I am writing this blog in hopes to help the average owner, breeders and prospective owner understand the differences between levels of testing and results…………..
Read moreThe L Word
It’s a word that no dog owner wants to hear. A word that brings immense heart ache and a very sudden conclusion. Lymphoma has been ‘heard’ here in our own little Boerboel world and as with all trials and tribulations in this breed, I’m drawn to share, to shed light, to help others to understand……
Read moreTeeth Cleaning
It seems that every vet office is now offering teeth cleaning for your pets which involves putting them under sedation. There's a better way...…….
Read moreNexGuard Reaction
All systemic treatment have the possibility of causing severe harm or even death to some animals. I am sharing this story from my good friend Tamara and her beloved Boerboel Fuller Faru to help people be aware.
Read moreVariety Is The Spice of Life
We typically stick to the variety over time method and so my dogs don't get all these proteins at once on a regular basis, but my freezer is empty and so I gathered all the little bags of 'stuff' lying around in there. Hen turkey necks, venison, goat or lamb (free from butcher bin, so not sure which), beef, beef liver and a bit of chicken. Each bowl is weighed to the individual dogs need with the exception of the puppy's as she is fed 3x per day. Nzuri = 2.8 lbs. Johari = 2.4 lbs. Bu = 3 lbs. Ki = 2.5 lbs. Ama = 2.5 lbs. Tomi = 2.5 lbs. Puppy Viper - 16 oz.
The Reality of Titer Testing
As we become accustom to NOT vaccinating on the traditional timeline, there is a fear about whether or not our puppies are building proper immunity. Veterinarians are catching on and we now have titer testing to tell us the exact level of immunity our dogs have. Unfortunately, there is a problem with how the tests are interpreted causing dogs to be revaccinated for no reason. Here is a great article on the subject! Make sure you read to the end.