Those Dogs Eat Better than Me!

Chia: That’s what we hear people say when they hear about or see what we eat.

Our supper time is 5:00 sharp! We all know that, but we never ever mind if Mom feeds us early. Late is a different story. Every evening, Mom makes up our supper and our breakfast for the next day. Our breakfast bowls get covered and put in the refrigerator until 6:00 the next morning. We get her or Dad up if they sleep late. We’re helpful like that.

In the left column is our supper bowls. In the right column, Lucy will get 2 eggs added in the morning, and I will get one. I don’t think that’s fair, but Mom reminds me that means I get more meat, so that’s OK. Xena and Riley are both allergic to eggs, so they don’t get any. Then we get all our special additives on top, like fish oil and krill oil and bone broth capsules and pre- and probiotics and some other stuff, too.

Can you guess whose bowl is whose? Bet you can’t, so I’m gonna tell you. I get up on the stool on the far side of the counter and watch as Mom makes it all up, so I’ve got the scoop on this. The bowls at the top are Riley’s. He eats a lot!

Riley’s picky, so Mom puts his veggies and fruit in the food processor, then mixes it in with his meat. I don’t know if he knows she fools him like that, but it works. The day Mom took these pictures, he didn’t eat his fruit, so Mom saved it and processed it for his next meal. You might remember he had been having lots of diarrhea, and some throwing up. No more! His furs are shiny again, too! He never was excited about meals, and often didn’t eat much, but now he’s right there waiting with us for every meal and licks his bowl clean (when Mom “food processes” his veggies and fruit).

Next are Lucy’s bowls. She gobble, gobbles and barely tastes what is in her bowl.

No need for the food processor for her. Can you see her tongue licking even the outside of the bowl and the floor?

Next are the best bowls…mine!

I’ve got little teeth and I have to chew a lot. I don’t like swallowing my food whole like Lucy does. Sometimes Mom puts mine in the food processor too, probably to make Riley think his food is supposed to look like that, since we eat right next to each other.

Riley and I eat slower, and are always the last ones done. Sometimes Mom puts yuckie stuff like strawberries or apples in our bowls, and we both leave those as presents for our sisters. But when she uses the food processor, we lick our bowls clean!

Closest to the edge of the counter are Xena’s bowls. Mom has to remember or look at the list on the fridge for what to NOT feed her, because of her allergies. She does the same thing now for Riley, too.

Xena loves to eat, and licks her bowl clean then checks out Lucy’s while Lucy checks out hers, BOL! There’s never ever anything left in those bowls. I don’t know why Mom even bothers to wash them after every meal.

We get different things…sometimes grass-fed ground beef, sometimes beef roast, sometimes turkey or tuna fish or sardines. We get deer meat too, when Mom can get it. No one gave us a deer (for the cost of processing) last fall, but we all have our paws crossed that we’ll be eating venison again real soon. We get all kind of fresh veggies: cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens, carrots, squash, bell peppers, and also cooked mushrooms that we love. Lucy and Xena really love all the fresh summer fruits, too: watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. We all like avocados, too, and they help with Xena’s leg cramps.

Anyhoo, you can see why we are happy pups, on Happy Tuesday and every day! And oh yeah, thanks, Comedy Plus, for hosting Happy Tuesday. Y’all are the best!

Thankful Thursday: These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Xena: Today we are thankful for some of our favorite things. I’ll go first. I’m thankful every time Mommy fills my food bowl. I have the self discipline to wait and not dive into it until she says, “Free!” Otherwise, I lose my supper for at least 87 seconds, and that’s a terrible thing to do to a starving schnauzer!

Do you want to know what all I got this time? Green tripe, chickie paw, spinach, saurkraut, orange bell pepper and blueberries! Those are all some of my favorite things!

Lucy: I have a lot to be thankful for too.

I love my friends and am so thankful for them.

From the left, that is my boyfriend Achilles, my BFF Ella and my house buddy Riley.

Riley: I love my reindeer.

I am thankful Miss Amy gave him to me for Christmas.

These are all just a few of our favorite things!

XOX from Xena, Lucy and Riley

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings, When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Xena the Allergic-holic on Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to Comedy Plus 
for hosting the
Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Lucy: I know you’ve got a lot to say today, but try to keep it short. It’s supposed to be Wordless.

Xena: It’s my turn for Wordless Wednesday and I’ll do what I want, Lucy. Stop bossing me around. When have you ever seen me respond to anyone telling me to be quiet? I’m a schnauzer for goodness sake. What do folks expect? Besides, I have a confession to make…

Hi, I’m Xena and I’m an allergic-holic.

In the past, I’ve taken benadryl until I became Zombie Dog. Mommy thought I’d become a boring old lady at three years old, not realizing she’d been sedating me for several months!
I’ve been tested at an allergist for dogs (you can read about that here and see the picture below).

Mommy gave me my special sea rum allergy shots from the allergist every week for two years. I didn’t mind. I always got a good treat before and after the shot. Here I want to give a shout-out to my breeder, Granny, for paying for it all!

Then, when Mommy questioned why the sea rum shots weren’t working, the allergist fired us (you can read about that here).

I’ve taken Zyrtec, and that doesn’t help much. Lavender EO doesn’t help. Sea Beady oil doesn’t help.

You might wonder why Mommy doesn’t get me “allergy” shots, which are steroids. Her first schnauzer, Freda, had allergies and the vet gave her lots of those shots. Mommy didn’t know steroid shots can cause Cushing’s Disease until Freda got it. The vet knew that could happen but didn’t say anything before giving them. Mommy says she believes in something called “informed consent.” If that’s true, I don’t know why she doesn’t ask for my consent when she informs me that I’m going to get a bath.

Then there’s the new “miracle drug” for allergies. It’s called Apoquel. My ex-allergy dogtor said to never, ever use it. Everyone loves it because it hides the allergies so well that the pup doesn’t seem to be suffering from them anymore. But like in *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the allergies come back with a vengeance, many times worse than before the sly Apoquel.

I’ve been on a raw diet to help keep my gut healthy ever since I adopted Mommy and Daddy. A healthy gut means I shouldn’t be an allergic-holic. More changes had to be made. Now I’m only getting organic, grass-fed meat and organic veggies and no chicken or pork, but I’m still getting organic, free-range, grain-free eggs and egg shells. Maybe I shouldn’t be…we don’t know. And now, while it’s still only February, I’ve scratched another sore place under my ear. I guess I’m just addicted to allergies…

Mommy hasn’t given up being my AA (Allergies Anonymous) group leader. We’re trying something new: tumeric paste. It’s yummy and it stains Mommy’s fingers and counter tops and sink yellow. She doesn’t care about that if it helps. I get 1/4 teaspoon spread out several times a day because it doesn’t stay in my system long. She just found out she can also put it on my ouchie under my ear. It’s safe for me, and I like it, so we’re going to give it some time to help. (I hope Lucy doesn’t lick it off my ouchie.)

While “researching” tumeric, we also found out it’s supposed to help with lots of other conditions, too.

  • Can help with weight management
  • Kills parasites such as fleas and ticks
  • Can elevate mood and treat depression
  • Relieves allergies
  • Alleviate joint pain
  • Remedy for diarrhea due to it being a binding agent
  • Prevents cataracts
  • Can help treat epilepsy
  • High in fiber, vitamins, and minerals
  • Clinical trial shows that curcumin helps aid in Alzheimer Disease

So we want to share this information with you. The article also tells us how to make a paste (it’s easy) and how to use it and lots more.

Live long and prosper,*
Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess, the recovering Allergic-holic

* We’ve been watching a lot of Star Trek lately.

Lucy’s Birthday and Gotcha Day

Hi, it’s me, Lucy, the birthday girl. I came to live with my Mom and Dad exactly four years ago today! Being a lady, I wouldn’t tell my age, but the vet thought I was one year old at the time. And in heat. (Oh wait, I didn’t mean to say that.) Anyhoo, this day was assigned as my birthday, too. So that means I am five years old now.

For my birthday, I asked that Ella my BFF be OK and not have the big C. We were friends at first sight, and love each other a lot.

It will probably be another week or more before we get the biopsy results.

In the meantime, Mom surprised me with some treats. This morning, I got some of my very favorite Healthfuls Chicken and Fruit Wraps.

They have real dried apple, kiwi and banana wrapped in a chicken filet, and it’s all natural and sized for a big girl like me. Xena didn’t get any. She might have gotten one of her treats from Christmas, though.

I got extra portions for supper, too. My bowl floweth over, BOL!

After supper me, Xena and Riley celebrated my birthday with Peanut Butter flavored Frosty Paws! (Sorry, no pictures available.)

So anyhoo, as great as my birthday was, I’ll let you know when my real wish comes true in a week or so.

Love and kisses, Lucy

Xena’s Birthday Weekend

Xena: Since it’s almost my birthday, can I lay in your Porch Bed, Lucy?

Lucy: You mean the Bed Formerly Known as Riley’s? Sure. I’m good right where I am.

Xena: Did you hear what Mommy was saying earlier about my birthday? She was talking about getting me a special treat and yummy food. She didn’t know I was cooling off behind her chair and could hear every word she said.

Me cooling off behind Mommy’s chair

Lucy: I heard some of it, but I was under the table dozing. I don’t think she saw me, either.

Xena: I also got to see what she had up on her ‘puter screen. Look at this!

(Click on picture for link to site.)

Xena: Then I heard her on the phone with someone saying she wanted the Tripe-stuffed cow hoof and two packs of the plain cow hooves and a case of the XKaliber mix like I used to eat growing up and would you be able to eat it too and I don’t know what the person answered her. Aaaand, she said she wanted to take me with her almost to Atlanta to pick it all up.

She asked if I could eat it, too?!?

Lucy: You know, Xena, you could always ask Mom about it. Even if that ruins her surprise for you, I know you won’t let it go until you find out. Here she comes now.

Xena: Mommy, are we going to Atlanta to get my birthday surprise?

The Mom: No. (We’re actually going to Marietta, north of Atlanta, but I’m not telling her that.)

This is Xena the almost birthday girl, wondering if I should get my ears checked. I was sure I heard her say… *sigh*

Check, Check, Check: A Good Day

Hi friends, Lucy here. After yesterday, I was hoping for a good day today. I mean, yesterday wasn’t all bad. Xena and I went to the vet and I made all kinds of new friends. Everyone pet me and a policeman and a lady both wanted to take me home with them. The bad part was when a lady who works there stuck a needle in my front leg and stole my blood. It hurt, but I was very good. Mom explained that they will send my blood to Canada to get a DNA heart worm test done. That kind of test lets them know if there is even the beginning of a tiny heart worm growing inside me, and if there is, one shot will kill it. Xena had the same thing done, and she was mostly good about it, too. Anyhow, that’s why we don’t have to take heart worm prevention pills. We did get pretty bandages on our legs.

Wait…we gave them our blood, and you have to pay them?

Anyhow, today was a much better day. We got up and had real good brekkies. Good brekkies – check!

Mom made time to take us for a walk before she went to work. Morning walk – check!

Just before Mom left, she gave us each a treat puzzle. Mmmmm. Xena got a new one for her birthday last month, so she gave me her old one. I don’t even care that she chewed it up a little. I still love having it. Treat puzzle – check!

Later, after Mom got home, she took us for a second walk, and we had lots of mischievous fun. Afternoon walk – check!

Do you see my NPR leash? Did you know that stands for National Public Radio?
Read neighborhood pee mail. check!
Read more pee mail – check!
Sniff Xena’s bee-hind when she can’t do anything about it. – check!

This is Lucy, with a check mark by all the good things on my list.

Foodie Friday

Mom bought pork ribs and froze them for two weeks to make them safe for me to eat. They are ready now, and what do we eat with pork? Sauerkraut! I tried it for the first time this week and all I can woof is YUM! (I had an apple core, too, but I ate that from Mom’s hand as my appie tizer.

                                      Before…feed me, feed me, feed me!

                                    During…nom, nom, nom

I gobble up my coconut oil first. It’s my favorite. I even like the pre- and pro-biotic pills Mom drops in it. I know they are good for me, too.

                                   After…can I please have more?

Riley surprised us all by eating sauerkraut from Mom’s hand. (He’s a very picky eater.) He didn’t eat the sauerkraut she put in his bowl, though, so when I got back in the house I ran over and helped him out with that.

I love my raw diet.

Love and wiggles. ~ Lucy

Friday Foodies and Piper Update

Mom finally realized that the food she bought from Chewy.com was not raw. She had searched their site for raw food, and it popped up and she didn’t read any further. She found this out when she couldn’t find the word “raw” on the package. Upon reading the package more closely she also found that the protein/fat ratio for raw food was way off. It should be 2 parts protein to 1 part fat, and it was half and half. (Maybe ’cause it wasn’t raw, Mom.)  When she called them, they were very nice, said they would fix that search engine, and gave her all her money back. The bag is now sitting in the freezer waiting to be fed on an “emergency” basis. I wonder what kind of an emergency I could have to get some more Tylees…

Then Mom got another revelation.

Yep, she finally looked closer at this danged fish and realized why I wasn’t eating it. She put on some gloves and took a knife to it, trying to just slice off the fin. Ha, ha, that didn’t work so well. It turned into one of Phenny’s DIY projects. I listened for some HBO words, but the worst I heard was, “Ow, that does hurt,” and “I need a sharper knife,” and “I wonder who I can get to do this for me.” She finally got it done with about the same results as in Phenny’s crib. I did get to eat the head and some meat off of it, though.

Anyhow, Mom thought it was time for me to share pictures (’cause I’m not sharing my food) of what else I’ve had for supper recently. In case you didn’t know, I am on the Raw Diet. Mom says it took some time to get her head around feeding raw meat. It took me, however, no time getting my mouth around it. Mmmmmm.

beef, kale and sweet potato

 

chicken, collards, egg and coconut oil

Mom puts down my bowl and I dive in. She has to be fast to get a picture while there is still food in the bowl.

num num num

I want to end with a quick update from Mom on Piper.

Piper is holding steady, even showing some spunk. Yesterday he moved with his Mom (his Dad was already there) to Nashville. Now Piper and his family are only 2 hours away from us instead of almost 6. We are always glad to be closer, and especially at this time in Piper’s life.

Let me snooze, Momma, while you take us to our new home.

Love and wags, Lucy

Much Dancing, New Diet and more

Hi, I finally got Mom (yes, I have shortened My Amy Mom to just Mom – Mom said it is OK) to sit still and help me blog again. She has been so busy, I almost get whiplash watching her run here and there. Mom and Dad (yes, I have shortened My Jeff Dad to just Dad – Dad said it is OK) were busy teaching two different couples who are getting married to dance. So they were gone two different nights every week doing that. Mom said my new diet needed some extra funding; more on that in a bit. Mom and Dad used to teach one of the brides, Savannah, and her Mom and a bunch of other teenagers how to dance a long time ago. I heard that Angel Lexi used to go and help at the dance lessons – for three years! That’s longer than I have been alive! So Mom went to Savannah’s bridal shower- I wonder if everyone got wet – and saw her dog Truffles. I wish I could have gone and played with Truffles. She was a rescue too. Her Mom says that it was really Truffles who rescued her.

Truffles

Truffles knows a lot of tricks, too.

Things had just settled down from all the wedding and dance stuff when Dad got asked to bring Mom to a big company party and teach everyone how to do a dance called the Charleston. They practiced at home first, and it looked like so much fun that I jumped around, dancing with them. The music made me want to dance and laugh, too.

charleston lessons 2017

That’s my Mom and Dad in the front with the Charleston dance contestants. They had a contest to see who could best dance all the moves they had taught, and the lady on the right side won. I bet I could have won if they had just taken me!

When all the dance mania calmed down, Mom and Dad got real busy packing up 22 boxes of studio cameras and other professional sound and video equipment in the garage. I heard Mom tell Dad that she was tired of parking in the driveway and that one way or another she was getting the car in the garage that weekend. I got to help! Mom will add them to all the other stuff she sells on a place called ebay. Anyone want some big cameras?

Lucy helping pack cameras
Are we done yet?

Mom has been researching something called a raw diet for me for some time now. She finally found enough information that she was comfortable starting me on it. Well, at least half on it. She said until she can find the right suppliers to get all the different kinds of raw foods I need to have a balanced diet, she is going to keep feeding me kibble in the morning. But boy oh boy I can hardly wait for my dinner any more. First, she cleaned out the freezer. There were all kinds of goodies in there. My first raw meal was elk and some fresh steamed carrots. OMD! It was so good! Then I got salmon and fresh, lightly steamed beet greens. After that came the shrimp.

I cleaned my plate every night except for that one thing that shouldn’t have been in my bowl. (Note from Mom: that is her HW pill.) After the freezer supply stopped Mom found some hamburger on sale, and gave me that with green beans. Can anyone say Amen!?  I’ve also had eggs, but I am not allowed to have the crushed shell until Mom walks across the street and buys some organic eggs from the neighbor who keeps chickens. Come on, Mom, it’s just across the street! 

Yesterday she came home with a whole chicken, except for the feet and head and some other stuff that was missing. She cut that up and tonight I had my first drumstick. Mom put coconut oil  and strawberries in my dish too. I loved them so much that I ate them first. Mom said that proves I am not, nor ever will be, a schnauzer. She said further proof was me losing my pig foot. Here’s what happened: Mom got the store’s meat manager to sell her two frozen pig feet and I was happily munching on one in the front yard while Mom butchered the big bush in front of the house. I decided to carry my best treat ever around our property for a while when Mom looked up from her butchering and I was gone. When she started to call me, I dropped my special treat and came running. Mom asked me where my pig foot was, and I couldn’t remember! I went over to where I had been lying and it wasn’t there. I sniffed and tried to follow my own scent and went all over the yard in the back and side and I couldn’t find it!  Mom couldn’t find it either. Well, at least we have established that I am definitely not a schnauzer.

Finally, tonight, Mom saw she had gotten a coupon in the mail for $15 off her first order at chewy.com. She has seen some great reviews, especially on Angel Dory’s blog, so decided to check out their raw food offerings. She not Tyleesonly found what she wanted for me, but used her coupon and activated a coupon on their site to get a second one free and free shipping. She said she saved about $50 and only paid $19. I am not sure what that means, other than 1. she will be able to buy me more yummy food and 2. maybe I will get great boxes in the mail from chewies.com.

I have more to tell you about the dog Mom groomed today and where I am going next weekend, but Mom said I have barked enough for one night and it will have to wait until next time.

Love and wags, Lucy.