Turmeric Treats

My latest treat formulation practically doubles as a supplement so I wanted to give it its own post to explain the benefits.

A batch of my homemade chicken bone broth

The main ingredient is bone broth.  I actually make this myself, using chicken feet so it's fresh and void of any preservatives, unnecessary flavors etc.  It is full of glucosamine, chondroitin, gelatin, collagen, protein and trace minerals.  When put in the fridge, chicken feet bone broth thickens to a jello consistency - proof that it is chock full of healthy goodness!  All of these bone broth attributes contribute to healthier joints in our dogs, cats, and us! (I do feed my cats the same bone broth, they love it!) It's basically a delicious joint supplement!

Gelatin in bone broth can also aid in digestion and promote a healthy gut.

The color of the treats come from turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory.  Years ago when I was first  struggling with sacroilliac (SI) joint issues, I was put on some meds for the pain and inflammation. Not wanting to use pharmaceuticals for long term pain management, I started taking turmeric.  It provided me relief if I took it consistently and I no longer needed prescribed anti-inflammatories.

Turmeric works best when coupled with an oil and black pepper. The pepper provides piperine, which slows the digestion of curcumin (the active ingredient of turmeric), allowing the body to better absorb it. Curcumin is fat soluable, so providing a healthy lipid like coconut oil, allows the body to better absorb it into the bloodstream, rather than just eliminate it as waste.



Learn more about the benefits of bone broth and turmeric in the video and links below.

Bone Broth for Dogs

Healing Golden Turmeric

Comparative Absorption of Curcumin Formulations

Dr Doug English's Turmeric User Group on Facebook

Myoglobin: Not Waste!

The majority of the time, our dogs are fed a homemade raw diet, but one day a week (or when I don't have time to prep the next raw batch) they eat kibble.

On kibble days, I try to give it a nutritional boost with things like bone broth or myoglobin.

Myoglobin is the dark red liquid that seeps out of red meat. Many assume it is blood, but no, it's myoglobin protein mixed with water. We don't waste this!

Pictured is a chunk of beef liver from our local county grass fed cattle. After thawing, myoglobin has osmosed through the bag, ready to be used. I freeze in silicone molds, then the dogs eat them with their meals!

Myoglobin's dark pigment is why some meats are called 'red meat'. Because there is much more myoglobin present in beef than in chicken.

What does myoglobin do in the body?  It's job is to transport oxygen from red blood cells to mitochondria in muscle tissue, so it's a part of providing energy to muscles.

Nutritionally, myoglobin is an excellent source of dietary iron. For anemic pets, or pets that may not get enough iron in white meat based diets, myoglobin would be a good addition.

If giving to cats, I'd recommend giving it room temperature as many cats cannot handle cold or frozen foods.

Cheap Corn Based Cat Litter

I've been wanting to upgrade our cat litter for quite some time but have not wanted to pay the higher prices that come with 'fancier' litter.

We've been using clay litter this whole time and the dust and smell (fragrance) drives me nuts. Plus the fact that clay litters can be unsafe because of the dust that gets on your cat, then your cat grooms themselves, ingesting clay dust.

I have always liked corn based litters and even Walnut shell litters but these are as pricey as you can get. 'Worlds Most Expensive Cat Litter (what I call a certain brand) is an outrageous $1/lb but it is my favorite. I decided to experiment when the opportunity arose....

The other week I did a fog bug bomb in my garage. I thought I removed everything I needed to except for an open 40lb bag of chick crumbles. I wasn't about to use the crumbles as feed and I didn't want to throw out a brand new bag. So I decided to try it in one of the litter bins... And tada!

Chick crumbles soak and clump up urine just like the fancy litters! The smell and dust are so much more tolerable than the clay based too and in my opinion, sifts through a litter scoop easier than Walnut litters.

A 40lb bag of chick crumbles averages $15, a HUGE savings over cat litter corn. For those who don't own chickens, you can buy chick crumbles at any feed store or even some Walmarts. They come in all sizes in case you want to try a small bag, and come in Medicated or Unmedicated (an antibiotic).

I still have a clay litter box next to the corn box, to allow the cats to choose and get accustomed. They use both equally and once we use up the clay litter, I plan to fully switch over to chick feed!

Wireless Doorbell (for doorbell reactive dogs)

Like most dogs, our 2 boys Pepe and Sarge quickly became reactive to the door bell's *DING DONG* which usually meant intruders wearing UPS uniforms, or service technicians coming to murder us. Obviously the boys always felt the need to react with their most ferocious barking to scare them away. And it works everytime! Everytime they bark their heads off, they've saved us from imminent death. Right!? In their doggy minds. Doorbell tone=murderous intruders. So rather than the painstaking process of training them out of it (which isn't easy if you're not home when the doorbell rings), I decided to cheat our way out of it and eliminate the common denominator. Goodbye doorbell.

I removed the wired doorbell button and installed the wireless battery operated button that controls two wireless plug-in doorbell receivers. I chose these ones because of the vast range of chimes to chose from but also, there is a silent option which also flashes a light on the receivers.

I really wanted a strobe light so I could use no audible tone, just flashing lights, but I only found one of those on the market and not what I was willing to pay. This kit I bought only has a light that flashes on the receiver. It really has to be in your line of sight for you to notice it FYI. But with two receivers, it could be easy to plug one in where you would spend most of your time. For me, I have one in the kitchen by the counter where I do all my food prep, and one in the family room where it is seen from both ends of the house.

This doorbell kit also has volume options! So if you're hard of hearing or want something actually very quiet, you get to choose! For us, I wanted something quiet that maybe the dogs wouldn't notice with the TV or radio on.

For the first 8 months or so, I had our doorbell play a nice chime that included birds chirping. The dogs were totally unaware that someone had just dropped off a package and rang the doorbell as they left. But finally Sarge started to get a little wise to it. I just switched chimes on the doorbell and once again, they are clueless that anyone is swinging by to drop off packages. Success! 

An additional benefit to all this is since they no longer hear the triggering "ding dong" on a weekly basis, they have also become much less reactive to the sounds on TV! Previously, any doorbell played on TV would often send them barking to our front door. Now that reaction has been drastically reduced!

See our wireless doorbell kit here.

With 3 dozen chimes to choose from, I see this being a worthwhile investment for the sanity of our home.

June 2020 Update:
After using this doorbell for a year, it continues to work great for our doorbell reactive dogs! No more charging to the door when the bell rings for delivered packages, contractors coming to the house etc.

Natural Sources for Better Joints

 Those who know me know that I try to give my animals the best I can, focusing on fresh food and supplements. So I wanted to share some info on the things that I offer our dogs and cats.

Expensive joint supplements are everywhere and becoming more and more popular as consumers are spending more money on their furry family members.  It's hard to pick a good supplement that will contain what's on the label as supplements are not very well regulated.

During my years as a vet tech, I've had a lot of experience with joint supplements and anti-inflammatories which has given me a little extra knowledge on the matter. But experience or not, one thing we can almost all agree on is that fresh products are better than processed products. In one of those Hippocrates moments of "Let Food be Thy Medicine.." you can get joint support in natural, whole foods.

Glucosamine

Chicken feet are a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin that deliver up to a whooping 450mg of glucosamine per foot! They aren't the prettiest things in the world but are a lot more cost efficient and the least processed source. They aren't very easy to find though. For raw chicken feet, your best bet is to check out any ethnic grocery spots though I've occasionally found them at our local chain grocery stores. You can find dried chicken feet in some pet supply stores, mainly feed stores, but there's no guarantee how old they are or where they originated from (China?)

 If you're interested in offering your dog some dried chicken feet, I offer a 10pack bag for $6 (if you're local).

Omega 3's

Many people are familiar with Omega 3 fatty acid supplements and why they're good for joints, but there are other ways to offer fresher and cheaper options than pills or powders.

I offer our dogs sardines as well as New Zealand green lipped mussels. First the sardines. I buy 5lb boxes from a large ethnic market for only $9! The sardines are completely whole so again, not the prettiest thing to deal with but worth it. Sardines are a great option for Omega 3's since they, of course, have a high amount of Omega 3's but also a low mercury level. I feed Sardines to my dogs a few times a week. Sarge eat them whole, while Pepe and Zoey get them cut in half.

The dogs also get New Zealand green lipped mussels - they are aptly named for the bright metallic green that lines the shell. No, they do not eat the shell but just the muscle meat. I also purchase these from the same ethnic market. I can buy them on the half shell for $5/lb or just the mussel meat for just $5.50/lb.

If you take a look at almost any veterinary OTC joint supplement, many (most) will have these mussels listed as an ingredient, but in an 'extract' dried and processed form. They have long been part of joint supplements without many even knowing they can buy them whole and fresh! For us, the additional benefit is that we also eat the same mussels, so we share with the dogs :) Our dogs also eat a few of these every week.

Our dogs routinely eat sardines and mussels a few times a week, the past few years. At ages 9, 11, and 13 they have no known joint or mobility concerns. Raw bones are also part of their daily diet but I still monitor them with items like chicken feet, and they are never left alone or unattended with any kind of chew. If you chose to incorporate new items like chicken feet or trachea, be responsible and always monitor your pets.

Sources:

Dogs Naturally Magazine

WebMD

Lyprinol—Is It a Useful Anti-Inflammatory Agent?

Clinical efficacy and safety of Lyprinol, a patented extract from New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna Canaliculus) in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee: a multicenter 2-month clinical trial
Chicken Feet, Beef Tracheas, and Other Natural Glucosamine Sources for Dogs
Glucosamine by Mayo Clinic
Glucosamine for Dogs: What are the best sources?