Monday, July 26, 2010
New green, healthy and safer dog products for July and August!
Check out all the new, fun, healthy, safe, and green products we sniffed out for your pup!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
How you can help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf!
How can you help with clean up in the Gulf?
Here's one way...get your local groomer to pawticipate by sending fur to Matter of Trust!
They are making booms to soak up the oil. Get more info from the Matter of Trust via Twitter and Facebook too.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Touring River Ridge Farms!
After our big move to Tennessee, one of the first priorities for Mum was finding us all a source for healthy and safer food, including meats, fruits and veggies.Before our move Mum switched us to our high quality kibble, because she new that it may be a little time before we could find a good organic source for our raw food.
In the process of finding sources, Mum asked new friends we have made here, and did a search on Eat Well Guide and Local Harvest, and found a great source for much of the raw meats we will be eating in the near future.
But before deciding, my ever vigilant Mum called up River Ridge Farms and asked if she could stop by, take a quick tour, and get up some raw meats to tie us over until we could move all our meats to raw (with veggies (steamed) and fruits, of course, for a balanced diet:). And of course, check out the facility to make sure it as up to our green and healthy standards :)
No we're not going to eat Two, the kittie, (above). He was there to greet Mum when she got out of the car :) He has a job at the farm, keeping the vermin at bay.
So off she went, without me and Gracie, because she thought we might disturb all the farm animals. She was right, I would have gone right after those chickens, fur sure!
She arrived and right away asked to help with some of the work as she toured much of the farm. First up was feeding the chickens. They had two kinds, broilers (which I will be eating) and Red Comets, who are the laying hens, our source for eggs. Mum had fun getting a little video of the Red Comets at feeding time. They sure can sing for their supper!
After the chickens, Mum was off to meet the pigs and 7 weeks old piglets on the farm. They had a great place to live. Many times when you see farm pigs they are all rolling in the mud. But not here. These pigs had a great shaded forest area that they called home, with only one mud hole. You can see in the vid that the piglets just loved chewing on Mum shoes, which we got to investigate at great length when she got home.
On the Farm, they also raise organic vegetables and fruits that are seasonal and location appropriate. They have dairy cows on the property, as well as beef cattle on another part of the land they own.
If you've ever seen Food Inc., well you know that production farms are much, much different than these types of local organic farms. The animals are not treated like production facility animals, they don't stand knee deep in their own waste (creating a perfect breeding ground for salmonella/e. coli that could potentially be passed on to us dogs and humans through their meat and move through the land to contaminate the veggies. The pigs are very friendly, happy animals, that live a good life until it comes their time to feed us.
All the animals are as free roaming as they can be while also being protected from area coyotes and big cats near the farm. They are fed an organic feed (when needed) and grass graze fed.
Mum talked with the owner about potentially coarse grinding meats for me and Gracie, and they were very interested. So after a few phone calls, some Internet searches, and asking some new friends in the area, we now have a great source of our primary meats, and even some veggies and fruits in season to dive right into our raw diet.
The best part is Mum brought back some raw chicken necks and chicken feet for us which we quickly dove right into. And she roasted a nice whole chicken for herself, which she says tasted better than any chicken she had ever had, so fresh, and not filled with any chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or seasonings. Just wonderful chicken, that she also shared with us.
One of the great things we like is that we now know where our meat is coming from, we know what the animals are being fed, we are free to visit anytime we like and we are buying local which cuts down on the environmental impact as well.
Can't wait to tell you more about our upcoming trips to River Ridge Farms. And a big thank you to Dave and Verlinda for providing such a welcome, friendly and wholesome experience!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
But what do you do when you have massive amounts of ticks? Here's what we did.
Sometimes in life you are presented with a situation that has no perfect answer. This is exactly what happened with us the past few weeks.If you are a frequent reader of Raise A Green Dog, you know how much we live the holistic, organic, natural, safer way of life. It's been our way of life, our entire life. That's what we practice, that's what we believe, and that's what we share with you.
We want to be completely honest with whatever major experiences we encounter and share here on our blog. Because of our recent encounters, and because we have been getting tons of email questions about what you do if you have tons of ticks and the holistic way just isn't enough to combat the little buggars, we are going to share something that will be surprising to our readers, especially in light of the recent report from the EPA about over the counter spot on topical flea and tick medications. It sure did to us.
There have only been a few times in our life that we were presented with a challenge that just couldn't be solved by following our holistic methods to the letter.
There was the time when I was attacked by a dog and had to undergo surgery. I had to take antibiotics to prevent infection. There was also the time that I got a nasty bout of gastroenteritis and had to take meds to prevent me from getting very ill and to prevent death. And just a couple of weeks ago, Gracie came down with what we believe is Giardia, which can be dangerous if the little parasites aren't killed, so Gracie had to take some antibiotics. Thankfully, we can count on one paw the number of times each of us - Mum, Gracie, Wolfie, Wiggy and me - have had to take antibiotics, and had to resort to means other than holistic methods to get us well.
When these potentially life altering, threatening and dilemmic situations happen, they aren't pleasant and they aren't easy. What we've always lived by is; the best thing you can do is get informed, do your research, talk with your holistic practitioners and DVM's, weigh the risks and make the best possible decision for you and your entire 'fur' family.
When we lived in Indiana, there were ticks, but not nearly to the extent of the massive tick population that we've encountered after our recent move to the mountains and deep woods of East Tennessee.
The tick population here took us by surprise. We had done research and looked into more 'powerful' holistic and alternative solutions for ticks before we moved here, knowing that we were going to encounter the little buggers more than we had in Indiana. But what we didn't know is how massive the population is, and how seemingly resistant they are to natural methods.
One week to nearly the day we arrived Mum found a tick on Gracie, my sis. She removed it utilizing safe methods. Then that afternoon she found another one on me. Later that night in the middle of the night she woke from a deep sleep and found one crawling on her. And this is only while walking on the paved path areas around where we live. This was just the beginning of tick season, even a few weeks early, which is a sure sign that, just like we heard happened last year, ticks here are going to be overwhelming this year.
Over the next few days, she continually found a number of ticks on us. At this time we were using many of the safer methods that we've blogged and talked about over the past couple of years, the ones we had planned for. We had to be careful utilizing some of these natural methods, because we live with two cats, and many of the recommended and safer natural methods for dogs contain essential oils that are very toxic to cats. Since we are close to our kittie bros, licking and interacting with each other throughout the day, Mum was very cautious in getting as much of the essential oils off of me and Gracie as possible after having it on during our hikes and before we spent time with the kitties. She also sprayed it on a bandanna and removed it when we got home, she tried many other methods to try and protect both me and Gracie, as well as our kittie bros.
As we said the massive tick population here didn't respond to any of our natural methods and we tried every type that was safer for us and safest for the kitties, except the electromagnetic type collars and amber stones which we didn't have on hand.
After doing a lot of research and talking with many holistic and local vets, we learned that many dogs in this area who had ticks were becoming sick from several diseases that ticks can transmit in this area - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and Canine Ehrlichiosis. In some cases the dogs had become very ill, even to the point of near death.
That's when Mum went into action. Faced with this dilemma of the holistic and natural methods not working on us and the potential dangers to our kitty bros, learning of the potential effects of tick diseases, and after talking with several holistic vets that specialize in integrative medicine and holistic practices, we decided drastic measures were needed.
The holistic vets in this area that have experienced these natural method resistant and prolific ticks are recommending something that we have over and over again indicated we would never use - Frontline (not Frontline Plus, but Top Spot or the spray).
Dr. Shawn, the natural vet, one of the respected vets that we follow says, "the occasional use of the products can be safely recommended for pets with potential exposure to large numbers of fleas and ticks." In addition, our good friends at GreenPaws.org indicates "there are significant health concerns associated with fipronil (the active ingredient in Top Spot and the spray) but in areas with severe tick problems, limited and careful use may be warranted."
The reasons that the holistic vets that we spoke with directly have recommended this product is because in cases where we live it is the safest alternative they have found for special cases like we have encountered. They have shared with us that they have not seen or heard of definitive cases of Frontline Top Spot creating a problem for dogs (although we have heard reports to the contrary from other sources, as well as reports of some of the 'natural' method products creating severe reactions in dogs, including Sentry's spot on product). All of them indicate they have had no patients with any type of reaction to the medication under their supervision and direction. This medication, they indicate, also has fewer amounts of chemicals than many of the topical tick meds, using only the minimum for the need.
After trying everything holistic in her arsenal, researching hours on end, talking with these holistic vets for hours on the phone, reading up on the risks of Frontline spray, and taking into consideration our senior kittie bros and the effect that frequent and extensive use of essential oils on us may have on them (and even us), Mum decided it was best for our entire 'fur' family to give us (only me and Gracie) the Frontline Spray and use it with the guidance of our holistic vet, as sparingly as possible, with recommended usage depending on the season and weight/health of me (JoJo) and Gracie. So Mum got the stuff...and a local house call vet here in town came over and put it on us a couple of weeks ago.
Mum and the local vet watched us very closely for any signs of a reaction. The DVM was standing by just in case we did. We got our holistic DVM's cell phone number to call too, just in case. We are very relieved and happy to say that it's been a couple of weeks, and we've had no effects and no ticks, even with several deep woods hikes over these past weeks. We even went on Wednesday following 'spray day' for our annual checkup and all four of us are in great health.
We don't like the fact that we've encountered a situation that has made us go to such extreme. The whole ordeal has been difficult for all of us. But we do want to be dogs. We want to live. We want to go hiking everyday in the woods. We want to be able to do agility in the pastures that border the woods. We want to be able to be free to go where ever (on a leash, of course) we want and know that we're not taking a risk of contracting some horrible, potentially life threatening disease from a tick. And Mum wants that for us too.
Thankfully all of our other new encounters - large amounts of ants, scorpions (yes, I said scorpions), and other nasties, have all been taken care of by our holistic methods of Diatomaceous Earth and an occasional squirt of eco-friendly bug spray. And the kitties (indoor lovers) are being treated with D-Earth as are our beds and theirs.
While our holistic approach to fleas and ticks worked perfectly when we lived in Indiana, we now know that there are parts of the country, like here in East Tennessee, where you may also be faced with the same situation we were, massive amounts that call for special case decisions.
We don't recommend what we did for everyone, we didn't need this in Indiana where we lived before because the natural methods we practiced worked perfectly. And we want all of you who read our blog to understand that this is a very extreme circumstance and very extreme decision.
We are not veterinarians, we are here only to share how we live the closest we can to a pure organic, natural, holistic, healthy, and environmentally friendly life. So, when you are presented with a dilemmic situation like ours, we hope you will do what we did - try holistic and natural first, do your research, talk with your holistic vet, learn and expand your knowledge of not only holistic and natural methods but conventional methods as well, to keep your pup safe, healthy and happy for your specific situation. Then you will have everything you need to weigh the risks and help you make the most informed decision possible for your 'fur' family, just like we did.
UPDATE: We've since moved from Tennessee mostly because of the tick problem. We just felt like it was a situation we couldn't afford for our health. So now we have a nice cabin in the Mountains of NE Georgia, and have found that there are many, many fewer ticks here. We've found only three in one year!
Here's what we've done to keep the ticks at bay here in our home in Georgia:
- We fenced in an area around the cabin and raked all the leaf matter out of that area.
- Then we sprinkle Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth around the outside of the fence line to keep the little critters out.
- When out and about hiking, we utilize Earth Heart's Buzz Guard on a bandana to keep and ticks and fleas off when we're away from home.
And all of that has been working very well. Yeah for being able to live your dream in the forest and live without ticks and fleas!
If you haven't seen Food, Inc., here's your chance!
Food Inc., is a movie for our time, and a must see for everyone to know more about how our food gets to our table, whether we be two- or four-leggers.
PBS has graciously added the movie to their website for free viewing for a limited time. Don't miss it, tonight is the last night to see it free via POV.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Little things you can do to help the environment and your dog on Earth Day!
Tomorrow, April 22nd is Earth Day, a great day to take action to help our Earth and your pup!
We like to celebrate Earth Day everyday, but the nice thing about having a designated day is it can bring attention and awareness to things that each and everyone of us can do to help the environment.
What is Earth Day? According to Wikipedia: "Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues."
In preparation for Earth Day, we thought it would be fun to share just 10 things you can do to help the environment, and have a healthier, happier pup. There are so many things you can do we couldn't begin to list them all, so here are our 10 ideas for this years Earth Day!
- Take your pup to one of the local Earth Day celebrations being held all over the country and learn from and meet wonderful, like-minded people that share your passion for keeping our Earth more friendly, and get in some fun socialization for your dog at the same time!
- Plant a tree in honor of your dog in your yard, or at your local dog park, or a place that's near and dear to you and your pup.
- Take a day to volunteer at your local animal shelter, and help them however you can. Maybe it's just walking and playing with the dogs and kitties, or helping with or planning a special adoption event. And before you go, gather up some items that your shelter would be very happy to have...old towels, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, dog toys your not using, pet food, grooming supplies you no longer use and more.
- Start an organic garden for you and your dog. I think this one sounds really fun. Did you know that dogs love fresh vegetables and fruits just as much as we do? Here are some great fruits and veggies you can grow in most parts of the country for you and your dog, and the great part is you know they will be organic, healthy and safer: carrots, green beans, zucchini, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, swiss chard, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon (no seeds, K?) and more. Just remember there are some fruits and veggies not suitable for dogs, and we like to steam them slightly before serving.
- Take the time to appreciate the Earth. We love this one...with our lives so busy, there just doesn't seem to be enough time to enjoy the great outdoors. Plan a day to take your dog hiking, or to the beach, or a local park and spend time enjoying each other and the Earth. Check out our Squidoo lens, "Fun Things to Do With Your Dog," for some great ideas!
- One of the most important things you can do for your dog and the environment is turn your lawn organic. Your dog spends most of their outdoor time in your yard, so why not make it a safe haven? "Dogscaping" is a great book to get you started from our friend, Tom Barthel.
- Take the afternoon and make your pup a toy from reused items around your home. You can make a great tug toy from old towels, interactive toys from used BPA free water bottles and much more!
- Reduce the pawprint of your pup on the environment by purchasing items in bulk and Made in the USA, whether it be food, toys, or other supplies. Look for items packaged utilizing recycled materials, too. Then when you're done, recycle that packaging! Not only will you reduce trash contributed to landfills, but you'll save on the costs of shipping those products too.
- Purchase one of pawsome Green Dog shirts from Zazzle - we have
everything from "Reduce your carbon pawprint" to "Lift a leg, fertilize a tree" and more. And the best part is 10% of the profits go to no-kills animal shelters and rescues! - Subscribe to Raise A Green Dog and get updates to help the environment and your pup live a healthier, happier life! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!
And remember, if you can participate on April 22nd, make your Earth Day one day this weekend. From then on...try to make Earth Day, every day!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
It's time for Spring lawn care!
It's that time of year - time to start getting out there and enjoying your lawn! If you're like us, your lawn and yard are where your pup spends a lot of their outside time - they play there, fetch there, poo there and some even want to eat grass there. That's why it's so important to make sure that your lawn and your yard are free from chemicals, pesticides, insecticides and herbicides; because those things have been proven to be very dangerous for dogs and other pets.
Here are a few articles to bone up on the importance of going green with your lawn and yard:
Even though you may see lots of advertising that those commercial lawn care chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that millions of people put on their lawn throughout the year are perfectly safe for dogs and other pets; the fact is, these chemicals have been linked to grave illnesses in dogs. Just think, if they kill bugs and weeds, what are they doing to children and pets? And secondly, they are not good for the environment.
A respected report and DVD "The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals," funded by Newman’s Own Foundation, has a lot of information for you to learn about the dangers and effects of lawn chemicals on your pets. In addition, BeyondPesticides.org has facts and figures that relate to the use and affects of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and insecticides on humans, pets and children. Their studies find that dogs exposed to herbicide-treated lawns and gardens can double their chance of developing canine lymphoma. And these dangerous chemicals may also increase the risk of bladder cancer in certain breeds by four to seven times. (xvii)
But there is hope for a beautiful, safe lawn for you and your dog. And having an organic lawn is really a lot easier and inexpensive than you may think. Here are our top tips to keep a healthy, organic lawn?
- Adjust the your soil pH through amendments (like acidifiers, lime, or kelp, that are organic, natural and safe for your dog
- Utilize an organic fertilizer
- Overseed and mow high to choke out weeds
There's also a great book on safe landscaping with your dog in mind. We know Tom Barthel (the author). Tom is a Master Gardner and has lots of great tips on keeping your lawn and yard safe. He was even kind enough to include us in his new book, "Dogscaping, Creating the Perfect Backyard & Garden for You and Your Dog."
So, how do you get started this Spring? Here are our top tips for getting your lawn in tip top, safe shape to enjoy throughout the year:
- Clean up all the poo after the spring thaw.
- Rake up any leaves and debris.
- Mow if needed.
- Wait for a good rain, and then pull any unnecessary weeds.
- Overseed with a good non-coated grass seed (like K9 Yard Patch) appropriate for your area.
- Wait a few days and then spread a good organic fertilizer, like spray Fish Emulsion, or Worm Poo (these fertilizers won't hamper the growth of new grass seed). We like sprays because they are not as attractive to dogs once they have been on the lawn for a few hours. You can also look into a good organic fertilizer that's pellet based, like Lawn Restore, or Espoma Brand organic foods. We don't use these because Gracie likes to sniff them so much, she gets a runny nose. Even if they are perfectly safe for her, we don't want her to have a runny nose :) There is also a product called 'corn gluten' that is safe around pets that helps to prevent weeds in your lawn. If you use it, however, we would recommend that you water in the pellets completely before letting your pet in that area. Dogs are very attracted to eating corn gluten and although not poisonous, in large quantities can upset tummys.
- Continue to pull unwanted weeds after each good rain (they are much easier to pull, and you can be sure to get the entire root if the soil is moist.)
- If your lawn is in very poor shape, continue to reseed until the hot parts of summer and fertilize with a safe organic fertilizer every 6-8 weeks.
- To keep crawling insects at bay in and outside your home, like ants, fleas, rolly poly bugs, spiders and more, sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth in the area (inside or out). We use it a lot. Just be sure to have your pets out of the area and wear a mask when spreading. But once settled it's a very safe form of pest control for humans and pets.
- If you have insects (like aphids) that like to eat your plants try some safe eco-friendly dish washing soap, mixed with water and spray on the bugs and plants.
Friday, March 26, 2010
We are ready for Earth Hour!
Tomorrow is the day...the day for Earth Hour and we are ready! Earth Hour occurs on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 PM your local time!
This will be the second year that we've pawticipated in Earth Hour. We love this event and the entire idea and camaraderie behind it. It just makes us feel like we are a big part of a big, big wonderful world - and we like that! And the best part is that we get to easily do something for our Planet Earth.
What is Earth Hour? It's a time when people from all over the World come together to bring a call to action on climate change by doing something quite simple - turning off their lights for one hour.
Here's a little video:
This year we taught Gracie to flip the light switch, so that she could ceremoniously turn off our lights for the event this year!
Here's a little video of Gracie learning to turn off the lights:
The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight to protect our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, and what's been accomplished. We're also going to be turning off the lights on our Facebook page. If you'd like to learn more about how you can pawticipate, check out these great resources:
The Earth Hour Twitter app and the Facebook app. You can also add a widget to your website and keep up with all the Earth Hour action via your Blackberry.
We encourage all of our readers to participate in this great event. Leave a comment and let us know what you did during Earth Hour!
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