Natural Help for Cuts and Bites

We live on 83 acres and my dogs are always getting into things getting scrapes and cuts so I thought I'd pass on a natural help for small wounds If your dog gets a big cut needing stitches a vet visit is best. But for easy scrapes and cuts tea tree oil is a good healer.

Tea Tree oil is an anteseptic it fights infection , helps healing, helps with pain

Use cold pressed olive oil, sweet almond, or corn oil to mix your tea tree oil in

1--tsp. oil to 18 drops of tree oil and mix Using a cotton ball apply the mixed oil to the cut 2--3 times a day

If you plan on using frquent treatments you can mix 1--Tbsp. oil with 54 drops tea tree oil and mix well before applying each time

I mix mine and put it in a small brown glass bottle and label it That way its always available.

Helps keep those sores from infection.

Browning the Earth

I read a really awesome article the other day and I wanted to share it.
Some cities and bussinesses are going brown. Their using animal feces for energy.
The city of San Francisco is working towards using dog feces to produce an alternative power source.
There is an estimated 10 million tons of pet waste annually with 6,500 tons alone in San Francisco
Currently feces is being scooped into non-biodegradable bags and dumbed in landfills where it sits for years and years. Feces that aren't scooped up stay on the ground possibly contaminating our water supply over time.
A waste pick up service called Norcal waste will soon be picking up park dog waste in biodegradable bags. This waste will then be processed in a methane digester where fece-eating bacteria produce methane. Then the methane can be used by anything that runs on natural gas or it can be used to generate electricity.
This technology has been used and proven on European farms for over 20 years.
Dog poop is actually ideal waste in this energy producing process because of the protein we feed our dogs.
The droppings should produce as much energy as food scraps which is used for alternative energy.
80 tons of dog feces and food scraps could produce enough energy to power thousands of homes.
I just think this is a wonderful alternative and if we have to pick-up after our dogs and we know its going for this maybe it won't be so hard to pick-up after all.

Carbon Monoxide in Dogs

Did you know dogs can die from carbon monoxide poisoning too?

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas. When it is present the gas is absorbed into the bloodstream and forms a compound that causes a reduced oxygen supply to the heart and brain.

The most common cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is from non-vented and poorly ventilated furnace, gas water heaters, gas/kerosene space heaters in your home or it can be a faulty exhaust system. I started thinking to about our heated dog kennels or spaces we put our dogs to keep warm are we paying attention to the ventilation also.

Also a running car in an enclosed area, smoke inhalation in a burning building, and get this a cargo area in an airplane are all places for carbon monoxide poisoning

Common signs of poisoning are drowsiness, lethargy, weakness, bright red color to the skin and gums, difficulty breathing, coma and sudden death. Now sometimes we can be exposed at lower levels on a consistent basis and we need to watch our dogs for excercise intolerance changes in their gate being wobbly when walking and disturbances in their normal reflexes. If you see any of these signs start checking the heating system and your ventilation.

Just like humans we need to protect our dogs. We need to minimize exposure by using carbon monoxide detectors They can be bought at any home improvement store and they have dual purpose detectors to that are useful. I think investing in a detector is a lot less expensive than having to take our dog to the vet or having the possibility of losing a beloved friend

POISONED PET FOODS ?????

Many of us are unaware of the risk factors of feeding our beloved dogs over the counter processed dog food. If we were aware most of us would be sick and look to alternatives.
Heres something I dug up while doing some research and it scared the fire out of me. So I wanted to pass this on.
Mycotoxins are metabolic by products of fungi which are toxic to both humans and animals.
Mycotoxins contamination is most often in wheat,wheat products, corn, corn products, soybean meal and hulls,barley and oats. The toxins can develop prior to harvest, between harvesting and drying or during storage. Once produced the toxins cannot readily be extracted.
Health problems resulting from these toxins can be cancer, liver desease, desease to the immune system, reproductive problems, and they can adversely effect fetal development.
Even if the processed food we buy is not contaminated when we buy it. It can be contaminated after we open it. Every time we open our dog food we allow oxygen to get in. Oxidation of fats has been shown to cause cancer and other health problems. Warm moist air causes mold to grow on food and Mycotoxins are a by product of mold.

Now we know what the toxin is and where it comes from and hopefully we won't buy a bag thats contaminated but what can we do to keep from contaminating what we open. I did the research and this is what I found.

When you look for your bag of dog food make sure of the date and thats its not opened. All cans and bags of dog food should be labeled with an appropriate shelf life. All expired food should not be used. Once can and bags are opened they should be used within a reasonable time to prevent spoilage by mold, oxygen, bugs, moisture and uv light. Poorly stored pet food will become contaminated with mycotoxins and infestation of bugs, and mites. These contaminates use up the nutrients in the infested food. To limit the exposure to our dogs of mycotoxins we should purchase dog food in sufficient amounts for one week of feeding and the shelf life and manufacturing dates should always be checked.

Dog food should be kept in a cool dry environment and larger bags stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Opened cans of food should always be refrigerated.

Always look at the quality of the food before feeding. Never use off colour food rancid, moldy. or off flavored food

If your pet suddenly doesn't want to eat what you have given him or her trust them and discard the food your pet has a good nose.

They know when something isn't right. We have many other alternatives to this bagged over the counter dog food and I'll be writing other blogs with recipes and ideas among other subjects . In the mean time I don't know about you but I think its " move over bacon " time in my refrigerator the dog foods coming in!

I would like to thank Laura Murphy from www.petsbynature.com for giving me her permission to use some information from her articles on poisoned pet food. I appreciate her kindness Laura has many good articles that she writes and she also makes her own fresh dog food for herself and others. I'm sure she will continue her good work.

Other places to find information and great dogs

www.ambassedorrottweilers.com

www.vonsederhausrotts.com

www.petsbynature.com