About Me

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Hello, my name is Beowulf. My human named me for the epic warrior because she loves the tale, as well as mead. My sister(Ursula) and I love the delectable treats she bakes, as well as our homemade meals! We are likely two of the most spoiled and well-fed dogs around, so if you need any tips, tricks, or recipes for dog fabulousness you are in the right place! You ask, I answer. And just so we are perfectly clear, I will not "candy-coat" anything!

December 13, 2013

The "heartworm" debate(And how I stay out of it!)

So I was reading a really good article(http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/protecting-your-dog-from-heartworm) in one of my dog mags, and thought I would share my thoughts and tips with you all. First thing to note is that I am a strong and very healthy guy, with very few "issues", and my human hasn't given me any heartworm "preventative" chemicals in over 9 years. I test "negative" every time we see the vet(maybe once a year), yet she STILL insists that we take the drugs!?! Whatever. Just read that article and it's made pretty clear.(See #4. below)  Anyway, you may be wondering, "How do you stay heartworm-free in the Tropics?". So I will tell you how:
        1.   Stay healthy, keeping your immune system strong, by eating a predominantly RAW diet.
             (We still have treats of varying types, no need to be an extremist!)
        2.   Keep fur/skin coated with topical, herbal oils(See my article about "bug-free" camping for
             the basic blend my human uses). This will keep the mosquitos off in the first place!
        3.   Add "repellent" herbs to your foods/beverages. (Herbs like peppermint and catnip make great teas
              which can be ingested by both dog and human, also garlic, rosemary, and clove powder in foods.)
        4.   Avoid over-vaccinating/drugging as this will definitely keep the natural immune functions weak.
              We all need to do a little more research and rely a bit less on the medical BUSINESS. Vets and human
              doctors alike are making the majority of their income from the sales of chemicals.

                                                                       Happy tails, buddies!

November 24, 2013

DO NOT FEED WILD ANIMALS!

   So I was wondering why my human suddenly started adding crunchies to our usual raw food?  Then I remembered that we will soon be heading out into the wilderness! YAY! But I digress...so back to subject of food. There are a couple of reasons that it would not be wise to have a bunch of delectable raw meat hanging around the campsite, mainly because it would certainly attract intruders! No way am I sharing my vittles with some nasty ol bear or a mangy raccoon! (It's bad enough I have to share EVERYTHING with my new sister.) Of course wild animals will always be lurking around, waiting to scavenge any kind of edibles, but fresh meat could cause a riot!  So it seems that we have to transition out of raw/into kibble before we head out. No biggie as I also love that stuff!
   Now, a few tips to the raw foodies: First, PLEASE plan ahead and take at least 2 weeks to slowly switch foods. If you just hastily start feeding crunchy from raw(or vice-versa) you will very likely be dealing with doggie runs(I don't mean a fenced-in playground, either!). A runny pup will be miserable, and the humans who have to clean it up won't be too happy.  Next, keep any/all foodstuff tightly sealed and secured at all times! My human usually puts foods in baggies first, then airtight containers, then most of it goes in the cooler. No need to tempt those thieving animals!  Lastly, if you humans are used to leaving the food bowls out all day, FORGET ABOUT IT!  It isn't a good idea anyway, but especially not when camping! You are just going to have to take an extra few minutes to put out the food, supervise the meal, then put away the food.  (Do you leave your meals out on the table all day long?)
                                             Once again, I bid you HAPPY TAILS!!! And please send us some pix of your awesome dogged adventures!