Lordy, lordy, but I am tired tonight. Sore, too. Must have overdone it yesterday shoveling, but I don't think I shoveled any "harder" yesterday than the day before! I do know, though, that my brain would just NOT shut off last night, and it was around 2:00 AM before I finally fell asleep. Ugh.
Tom started kettle bell training on Monday night, and, while he could hardly move after the class that night, he says that today is worse: two-day-effect and all that. We'll see how he feels after his 2nd beating tonight.
I came in from evening chores about 20 minutes ago, and it was a nice treat to have it still be a bit light at 5:00 PM! And there's only more daylight to come! :)
I keep forgetting to write about this, but I'm just now FINALLY getting the big box of Christmas wrapping paper (used) out of the foyer, and the empty bag of dog food was sitting on the top, so without even further ado . . . .
We bought some cheap dog food back in December, and the dogs seem to be ALLERGIC to it! Now, I know that Purina is a decent brand (although something called 'animal digest' was included in the list of ingredients), but I don't think we'll be buying Purina Healthy Morsels Soft & Crunchy Bites with Real Lamb & Rice again! Maybe it was just that bag or maybe it just hit our dogs for some odd reason, but thank goodness we figured it out!
To Tom's credit, he was the one who finally stumbled upon the idea of the problem being caused by their food. We'd gone thru every other common denominator we could think of, including anxiously watching them for other signs of blasto(mycosis). Of which there were none, fortunately. But, we remained stumped, watching them both sneeze and hack and itch and snuffle and snort like nobody's business. Then, one day, Tom just cast a knowing look at the food barrel and said, "I wonder if it's not that cheap dog food?"
So, the upshot? No more Purina Healthy Morsels Soft & Crunchy Bites with Real Lamb & Rice = no more problems!
It's not the first time I have heard that about Purina. Used to be their Pro Plan line was one of the best but they have been having issues with dogs getting itchy skin and other probs with it. I worked at veterinary hospitals for several years and ended up knowing more than I wanted to about dog food, can you tell? LOL, so glad you all figured it out and the doggies are back to feelin' groovy again! No kidding on that shoveling, wow, I'm not used to it and 3 times in 2 days did me in, one night I felt like I had the flu I was so sore. It's kind of like skiing the first time each year, you use muscles that never seemed to exist before! Feel better, you two!
ReplyDeleteI've used Max (now Adult Max) dog food for the last 20 or so years and all my dogs have been healthy and long living with beatiful coats. I took Buddy into the vet on Monday (first time in 11 years other than shots) and was told he had broncitus!) Didn't think dogs got that, but the vet said he was really in good shape for his age and size, so I guess the Max has done him well. After 2 days of antibiotics, he's as good as new. The vet said he was in amazingly good shape for a 11 year old Mastiff/Dane mix. He still acts like a puppy, so I give the credit to the Max dog food.
ReplyDeleteWhat is kettle bell training???
ReplyDeleteOur border collie had several seizures a few years ago about this time of year. The vet offered that we could get anti-seizure pills to give him every day and night and that might do the trick. A local breeder said 'change the food'. I did and no problems since.
ReplyDeleteErin & Karen (hey, that rhymes!) -
ReplyDeleteI am BLOWN AWAY that there can be that many "known" problems with certain dog foods and yet the companies not be shut down! I'm floored.
And, so what is it (in the food) that gives them itchy skin, sneezes, etc.??? What, Erin, do you feed your two now? And, Karen, what food did you STOP using (feel free to e-mail me if you don't feel comfortable mentioning it here)?
Uncle Marty, I'll see if we can get Max. Don't know that I've noticed that before in the stores. Oh, and kettlebell training. From Wiki: "The kettlebell or girya (Russian: гиря) is a cast iron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. Many companies produce their own brands of kettlebells and kettlebell exercise programs. Some modern kettlebells feature adjustable weights."
I feed mine Acana Grasslands. It's Canadian, and they tend to have better animal feed quality controls in place. It's free ranged lamb, walleye, duck & eggs, grain free. It is amazing the lack of any way to properly compare foods here in the U.S. since our AAFCO standards don't really seem to measure much of anything at all. It is up to the consumer to weed out the riff raff. Interesting: I buy my food from a local woman who owns a small shop and does obedience & agility training and I really rely on her to be up to date on the foods, since I no longer work in the business. I came in a few months ago to buy my regular food (Taste of the WIld). She informed me that she no longer sold it and was sending it all back to the company! She said that a number of customers had complained about itchy skin and gas and wondered if I had any issues? I told her no, we were happy with it but is it safe? She replied that it was still considered a premium food but was returning it based on the feedback she got (uncooperative) from the company when she called to inquire or ask them to investigate the problem. Now I think that is one great example of a small business owner serving her clients! She said she won't carry it again until they figure out what's causing it. (That being said, we were TOTALLY happy with that food and didn't have any problems!) Sorry to ramble :)
ReplyDeleteoh yeah, and look for a grain-free... it can cause itchy skin and intestinal issues. Not always, but it can be one of the biggest culprits. And unfortunately it can take 6-8 weeks to notice a difference and for their system to adjust, Happy Hunting LOL
ReplyDelete