|
A lot of people are interested in how we get our dogs' coats,
especially our blacks, so incredibly glossy – they assume that we
use
some fancy coat dressing product. Nothing could be further from the
truth! That unbelievable sheen and plush, silky coat comes from within!
Susan is constantly on the look-out for ways of keeping the Calypso
crew healthy and happy in light of all the germs/viruses/bacteria they
are exposed to because of our attendance at, and travel to, dog shows.
The following are products we use, and links to the sites from which we
purchase them. This is an 'fyi' only. What works for us may not work
for you.
FOOD: Red Barn (an
organ meat product,
vacuum-packed in rolls). All our geriatrics eat RB exclusively. Can't
say enough good about this. GREAT effects on dental health, a real
plus! Many of the mature dogs here are fed only RB, while the young
dogs who still need the starchy calories from kibble are fed 3/4 to 1
cup RB, plus 1/2 cup or more of Solid
Gold Holistic, depending on their caloric needs. Holistic is
formulated as a supplement for folks feeding an alternate protein
source, and not meant as a 'stand alone' kibble. As of 2003, Calypso is
recommending the
feeding of RB, exclusively, to its puppy buyers, as well as to our
long-time owners. We’ve been feeding it for over 5 years now, and
only
become more satisfied with the results as time passes. Link: www.fedies.com
- tell Elliott & Michele Federman that Susan & Kevin sent you!
Purina Pro Plan kibble. All the other of our dogs who
get kibble
with their RedBarn are now on Purina's 'Sensitive Skin and Stomach',
the new salmon/tuna kibble. We switched to the 'fish' upon the
suggestion of Myrl & Glenda Galdeen of Glemyr Basenjis. There is
more fecal waste than I would like, but there is NO CORN in the
ingredients. The dogs made the switch immediately with absolutely no
adverse intestinal reaction. I would be supremely happy if Purina (and
every other dog food manufacturer in the U.S.) would quit messing with
their formulas and eliminate the cheap ingredients the dogs cannot
digest or do not need. Oh well. Kibble here is used strictly for the
dogs needing some starchy calories, generally the youngsters who are
active all day long and do a lot of running or trotting. Intake is
adjusted on a daily basis, if need be, based on the individual's dog's
activity level and needs.
SUPPLEMENTS: We don't truly believe that any one food
is entirely complete to the point that some extra vitamins and
minerals, in moderation, are not of benefit. Subsequently, here are the
goodies that the Calypso crew receives with their meals:
Missing Link (1 tsp) by Designing Health, Inc.
It
comes in 3 forms for dogs: regular, vegetarian, & 'Plus'
(w/glucosamine) for joint support. We have found the best price so far
at: www.revivalanimal.com
or call for catalog at: 800-786-4751. They have lots of other stuff
too, of course.Also, K V Vet Supply in Nebraska has a great price - the
link is further below *. As of May 2004, KV has the best price on
the 5 lb. ML package, about $40. Eagle Crest suppliers also have a very
low competitive pricing: www.eaglecrest2000.com
From the Solid Gold line: Flaxseed oil (1 tsp) (not
processed using chemicals toxic to dogs as are many of the human-grade
products); Scorbate (1/4-1/2
tsp) (vitamin C powder – folks find that
grinding up human-grade Vit. C powder tastes awful to the dogs); Yucca
(w/peppermint & anise) (1/4 tsp); (1/4 tsp) [& raspberry
leaf powder (1/4 tsp) for the
pregnant girls,only]. It truly DOES have a positive influence on
whelping!]. www.solidgoldhealth.com
The web site explains the health benefits of all products. Get a
hardcopy catalog at home with same information for reference.
We used to get our bee
pollen from Solid Gold but they have discontinued this. We are
firm believers in the immune system benefits of bee products, and for
the dogs we now obtain our pollen powder from Stakich,Inc. in Michigan,
and are very pleased at their wholesale pricing and excellent product
line: www.stakich.com
NOTE: www.jbpet.com
which is J&B Pet Supplies. We use their catalog for our favorite
nylon choke collars that
we are always giving away to our puppy people who end up finding out
that harnesses do NOT work for basenjis if you want them to learn NOT
to pull you while out on walks as if you were some sled!!!! The same
goes for the lovely & artsy safety collars. Use a nylon choke: it
saves the neck hairs while still helping you communicate to your
basenji that pulling = discomfort!!! Sigh. We will go to our graves
saying 'I told you so' ..
If J&B had stock, we'd own a ton of it! We spend a fortune with
this company every year. Overall, for so many products, they have some
of the
best prices! We look forward to the arrival of the giant containers of
Brewer's yeast w/garlic which helps the dogs present themselves as
unattractive as meal items to the local insect population. Since we
have agricultural land to one side of us, wetlands on another, and
woods all around, you can bet that we live cheek-to-jowl with bugs!
aaack! They COULD make the dogs' lives a living hell. The brewer's
yeast & garlic makes the dogs' skin repellant to the biters - to
the point that the southern fire ants pretty much leave the dogs alone,
even while they are sacked out on the ground, taking naps in the sun!
We also make great us of J&B's 'whelping pad' product is
a fabulous litterbox
liner for the moms and newborns, as well as serving as a
super-absorbant crate liner for babies going to their new homes. I also
use it in crates for international dog showing trips. We buy the 36" x
36" size and cut them to fit for whatever we’re using them.
Another favorite shopping spot for us is KV Vet Supply in
NE.
800-423-8211 or www.kvvet.com.
Here is where our dental supplies come from (the dogs would
probably be
glad if we lost KV's phone #!) .. the tolerable 'minty fresh': Nolvadent
oral cleansing solution or Petrodex Dental Solution, &
the
evil 'blue goop': Maxiguard oral cleansing gel. Have tried the
new Dentacetic natural from Dermapet, but it’s too messy for me
..
spreading this gel on the teeth of 16 dogs every day with my fingers ..
Aaaugh! 'Minty fresh' squirts out of it's bottle, and 'the blue
goop' is a gel that
spreads nicely as applied straight from the container without having to
use one's fingers. On bath days here,
everyone gets teeth scrubbings with fingerbrushes coated with the
always tru-favorite: Petrodex toothpaste. We have one dog that
stole one of the large tubes, punctured it, and stood on the tube,
forcing out all the product. She ate it all! Our dogs love this stuff
(we get the poultry flavor, have not tried the other). KV has great
prices, and is where we get our kennel and house disinfectant, the
lethal Parvo-lan 128. This product
is tops. It even kills
HIV-1. The only pest it hasn’t killed is Susan, and that's cause
'meanness' isn't on it's label yet! Basically, whenever we've needed
vaccines or other medical-related products, we reach for the KV catalog
..
KV is also where we get the pure MSM powder for all
the over-age-7 dogs. It started as something for Tux who was
experiencing joint calcification and nerve compression. More exercize,
and the addition of MSM with his yucca in his food has helped
tremendously. He also gets Arthramine daily, also from KV. We so
appreciate the suggestions of a friend who is a holistic vet in helping
Tux return to a higher and comfortable level of functioning!
We also USED to give the dogs Vitamin E, 400 IU's daily, in
their food, squeezed out of liquid gel caps.. However, Susan developed
Vitamin E toxicity with rather nasty results, and so just in case any
of the dogs might suffer the same consequences, it is now given to the
older dogs but only 2-3x/week. Vitamin E is also fantastic for healing
scars and cuts at amazing speeds (applied directly to the wound area,
of course).
Last but not least is that which RULES the top shelf of our
refrigerator: Dannon vanilla yogurt!
The elderly and the show dogs get 5 tsp (heaping) of Dannon vanilla
mixed with one jar of fruit baby food as an additive. The elderly get
theirs daily, while the show dogs receive their treat 3x week. What
this does for coats is fantastic, besides providing a natural source of
acidophillus for the digestive tract. The baby food, with all the added
vitamins and minerals the companies include in their products is a nice
flavor addition, as well. (Warning, not all fruit baby foods are
created equal: many are blends that are incredibly 'runny' and this is
a blending disaster, turning the yogurt into a watery mess.Anymore, we
exclusively feed GERBER baby
food.) Calypso dogs' favorite flavors:vanilla custard, fruit dessert,
Hawaiian delight, tutti frutti, banana yogurt (but not plain banana).
We truly believe that it is the YOGURT which makes
the
difference in our dogs' coats. The difference is most
noticeable in the blacks and tri's whose coats are plush
and glossy with minimal flaking. Everyone with black-coated
dogs knows what a battle it is to keep skin from flaking.
Since making the yogurt/babyfood addition to the dogs'
diets, that is no longer a concern of ours. The dogs really love their
yogurt, and when I was in
Moscow, Russia with Tux and Xi in 2002, the Danon store had
just opened its doors on Red Square. I joined the line of customers and
loaded up
a basketfull to take back to the hotel for me and the dogs
(they had flavors there we don't have here in the States!).
Can you believe? Each little container only cost the
equivalent of 20 cents US !!! The three of us were total
piggies about our yogurt - a treat just like back home, and
we loved every delicious mouthful!
Also, yogurt is the 'main course' whenever we've had a dog
come down with diarrhea from a viral infection and need to come off
more complex foods in order to give the affected digestive tract a
rest. In addition, some antibiotics wipe out the natural flora in the
digestive tract, so Fastrack by Conklin (you can find various
distributors on the web - we get ours at dog shows. is an absolute
addition to any recovering
dog's diet, but don't add it to the yogurt - it will quickly turn your
yogurt into pure liquid. Bad magic! Some dogs will eat the yogurt right
out of a bowl, but there are always a couple to whom I have to
spoon-feed this delicious treat. I just think they like the attention.
Anyway, we start puppies on the yogurt-babyfood mix as a treat before
they leave here for their new homes just so they learn to like it, and
then later, either as part of the show dog diet, or in an emergency,
they are no strangers to this food being presented to them.
We’d like to thank Jennifer Dusky of Unona's basenjis
in
South Carolina for introducing us to Red Barn, which she brought along
for our grandpup 'Sadie', during an extended visit. Susan read the
label on the Red Barn tube .. and the rest is history here at Calypso
:-)
|
