Wellness Dog Food

I heard a lot of good things about Wellness Dog Food so I bought a couple of different cans for Bea to try out by mixing 1/2 tablespoon with her dog food.  She didn't really care for Wellness Core, ugh she is sooo picky!!

Quality Dog Food/Treats/Toys for less

During my first year of graduate school, my fellow lab mate and I calculated our stipend and divided it into the number of hours we worked and found out that we get paid less than the workers at McDonald's...depressing.  Thus, I have always tried my best to find deals on great quality products...translation= I am a huge shop-a-holic that justify my ways by saying the items are sale and I am getting a HUGE deal (and who could turn down a deal???).  Anyhow, as I am trying to get myself more educated about canine nutrition, I found that a lot of the "healthier" foods are quite expensive.  Determined to not compromise quality, I am on a quest to find dog treats/supplies/food at a discounted price.  I am going to chronicle my findings as we go along.  If you find deals for cheaper than this, please let me know!

1.  Raw Dog Food--Bea loves raw and eventually I will move her completely to raw, but for now, she does 3 days on and off.  As I was searching raw dog food sites, I felt that they were really expensive, plus, I would have to ship a lot of the foods.  However, there is one supermarket that is quite cheap in orange county.  It is called 

King Supermarket.

10500 Magnolia Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92804

Tel : (714) 527-5809
Fax : (714) 527-5784

There, I was able to get raw beef bones (the bones had quite a bit of meat on them too) for $0.50/lb.  Plus, I was able to get a organs for $0.45/lb.  Super deal. 

2.  Marshall's--One day, I was shopping at Marshall's and lo and behold, they had a pet section.  I went to the clearance section and there was TONS of dogs treats for $1 or $2.  They weren't your regular cheapie treats either, I made sure either they were grain-free or was No Wheat, No corn, No soy.  Below are the treats I got (all for $1 or $2).  

Bea absolutely LOVED this dog chew.  She gave it 5 stars!

Bea really liked this treat, but not as much as the chew.

Bea did not enjoy this treat ate all....I had to coax her to eat it.  

Made with real, roasted rabbit meat, Bea absolutely loved this treat, nom nom nom...this one was actually a splurge of $3.  

Bea liked this treat too.  I used this treat to teach her to lie down.  Besides sit, this has been the only other command she knows really well.  Sigh, she is really stubborn.  

Zeus is adopted

After several potential adopters, Zeus has found a forever home with a Shiba-savy owner.  He will be the only dog but I am sure his owner will spoil him for the rest of his years.  He is already getting set to go to acupuncture treatment for his arthritis!  I love happy endings!  :)

Pick Up

Today was the last day that Zeus spent with me.  We went hiking in the morning and he got really pooped and tuckered out.  Fostering Zeus has been a really good learning experience for me--from treating ear infections to determining the cause of his food allergies to figuring out why he kept getting worms (the DE really helped).  Zeus is an incredibly sweet boy, he has been the total opposite of Bea.  Whereas Bea likes to bolt and be petted, Zeus loves to play fetch, tug-o-war, let you rub his ears, he is just really aiming to please.  He loves human affection and attention...everytime we walk down the street, he always goes up to people and rub his body against them.  Sometimes it can be really embarrassing but my neighbors are big dog lovers so they don't mind.  I hope that he will he find a forever home and people who will love and dote on him for the rest of his life!

Ok, be forewarned, here comes a rant!  I really feel that Zeus is a really a good boy and he, like many others, get abandoned when they get old.  Sure, there are certain circumstances that warrant giving up one's dog, however, most of the time, it can be prevented.  Zeus is lucky in that he came to our rescue, but there are so many others that are less fortunate than he is and so they get put to sleep.  It is so sad.

Continuing the Orijen...Day 4

I have no complaints regarding the Orijen.  He seems to really enjoy it and does not have a problem with it.  Eyes, ears and poop are all ok.  So I have been feeding Diatomaceous Earth (FOOD GRADE not pool grade, pool grade is toxic to animals) to Zeus to combat the worm problem...I was told that usually the dogs would eat it more readily if it is mixed in with wet food.  As Zeus is undergoing an elimination diet, I have been limiting the wet food...only 1 tablespoon of Addison's a day....so I have had to sprinkle it (the DE) on his kibble and wetting it a little.  Needless to say, it doesn't bother him and he eats everything.  Here is a website about DE if you are interested....

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

Orijen Day Two

Zeus started the Orijen kibble yesterday.  He absolutely loves it, much more than the Nutro.  I am not sure whether he likes this one or the Evo more, but he sure enjoys it.  After over a month of high quality food, I have definitely seen a noticeable change in his fur.  When he first came to me, he had a lot of "dandruff" and his fur was dry.  Now, the dandruff is less, he smells less overall and his fur is getting shiny.  Amazing, how just a diet could make such a big difference.  :)  His poop has been normal, it is the same color as the kibble.  

Friday Update

As of 3pm on Friday, Zeus has eaten Nutro food for 6 days.  It seems to be ok, but I could tell he liked the Evo kibble better.  He is still scratching his underside with his hind leg and I noticed that today, his right ear was starting to collect some brownish gunk again, but it doesn't seem as bad as before.  Today, he also had a thick, clear tear substance coming out of his right eye...I will keep checking on it.  He is still on the ketaconzole (1/4 tablet a day).  I have also added DE to his diet (please see picture below)...it's suppose to help prevent him getting worms.  I give both him and Bea 1 tablespoon a day.  I heard that the dogs won't eat it with their kibble (have to mix with wet food), but Zeus and Bea did.  I usually wet their kibble a bit though.

Midweek update!

So far, the only signs of allergies observed in the scratching of the underside with the hind right leg.  His ears seem to be ok...still some growth but not THAT bad as before.  His poop has been consistent, no abnormal eye goop.  As far as taste though, he definitely prefers the previous brand!

These past few days I have done more observations regarding the loss of sight.  I really think I am just being paranoid because he has been picking up the ball at times.  Mostapha mentioned that maybe he just wants to play soccer and it seems like that is what it is...he trying to get more out of the ball by kicking it around before getting it and returning it to me!  :)  Wheew!