Grandma lucy Valor

I never fed grandma lucy before it's like honest kitchen in that it is dehydrated dog food type of thing.

I got a offer for free sample of valor formula from my email I signed up for newsletter long time ago and get stuff from time to time. I chose the fish formula. 

Ingredients look good and smells good too. Only thing is lentils. Main selling point is the Quinoa I guess.

I split it between Bella and Saya Bella gets her's mixed in with her kibble like a kibble topper and Saya gets it alone. She already ate her morning meal and this should be enough. I gave her some gizzards too.

It seems a lot of dog companies are adding lentils, chickpeas, and peas or pea protein to kibble lately.

At least with this it's a new line of food not changing an existing kibble and saying they're improving it..

Saya has a pretty good stomach and does well with pretty much any meal she gets so I don't think it will cause any issues and for Bella it's just a kibble topper for the day. she is also getting a egg with it too.

The stuff comes with a big chunk and few small chunks of fish. Rest of it is ground up pieces of fish. I guess they do it for looks or so owner sees few chunks meat I dunno. It's nice looking though once rehydrated the fish looks like nice piece of fish and it has nice smell to it.

Price wise for the fish is coarse pricey $36.99 for 3lbs and 97.99 for 10lb and the turkey and the chicken formula is $33.99 for 3lbs and 87.99 for 10lb. It's similar to price of honest kitchen though.

Honest kitchen zeal for 4lb is $54.99 and the 10lb is $109.99 zeal is bit more pricey then the grandma lucy valor fish. I'm not sure their prices on other brands haven't really looked.

I've been meaning of trying the grandma lucy food to compare to the honest kitchen. the sample is nice 1.05oz.

I never fed this before so not sure how it is, but the dogs loved it and ate it up. I dunno if the meat is ground up small like with honest kitchen love formula and there is few chunks here and there or what.

I plan to get a small bag soon probably the artisan lamb. If anything it make a nice kibble topper for Bella to rotate with. I usually give her bits of liver, ground meat, gizzards. and a raw meal two to three times week as dinner instead of kibble.

Eventually I plan to hit up on some sources and get Bella on raw for dinner all the time. I can't afford to feed her raw full time feeding 20lb dog I can do, but a 20lb and 58lb no.. Plus she is my parent's dog and feeding kibble in am is easier for them. Which is fine Bella does great having kibble am and kibble toppers and raw as dinner few times week.

Still got stuff in freeze need feed to free up room. Got the deer stuff I got from dad's deer. Saya and Bella love the green tripe of deer! Saya had deer liver for her liver this week. Saya is pig so she isn't too picky.

Her coat is good and she is lean and full of muscles. :) Coarse she is happy too.

She has matured finally no longer acting like a puppy and listening and doing better off leash in the yard which is good. Kinda sad Saya my shiba way better off leash then her a boxer.. Funny how odd of a couple of dogs they are.. Now that Bella is doing better off leash she gets more freedom and hangs in yard with me while we do yard work without needing to be on a long leash.

Boxers mature later I guess takes five years! lol Saya my shiba she acted mature at age of one and half..

Coarse people still think Saya is a husky puppy and freak out then they learn she is five years. She'll be ten and people will still think she is a pup..

Anyways I just learned of Grizzly Pollock oil thanks to blog I follow My rotten dogs.

I've been using Grizzly salmon oil and just recently gotten a bottle. I'm thinking of ordering this pollock oil figure it wouldn't hurt dogs love fish oil. I do think it helps some plus not all of Saya's meat is grass fed.

Still Saya will shed her fur, but I do think the fish oil helps her coat.  A 32oz of pollock oil should last the two good while.

I love showing this picture. haha :) One year I saved all the undercoat she shed from me brushing her! Look how lean she looks without all that!

This year she has a really thick under coat and she is finally shedding a good bit. before it was just tiny bit now I can get a lot of fur off her.

I only saved under coat one time.. I kinda wished I did it for spring shed and fall to compare and see if she sheds more in one season or about the same.. saya is always a pretty fluffy dog. her neck fur makes her neck look a lot bigger then it really is.

This is what Saya looks like after a extremely major coat blow! this pic was taken in Jully 2011.. She hasn't blown her coat like this yet. past ones usual coat blow maybe she is due for major one soon. Today is pretty hot 86F!

Eating a whole quail

Pic from about same time look how lean she looks. :D My vet thought she was a bit overweight, but her thick coat makes her look bit chunky.. She's been about same weight 20 to 22lbs she gains bit in winter, but spring time she loses it so I'm not too concerned.

She is back to 20lbs was 23lb in winter. She tends to want to eat bit more in winter and in warmer times she eats normal amounts. She exercises a ton in winter lots walking and playing in the snow going in the woods and up and down hills..

When she gets bath you can see her body condition better. Can't wait for her to be done shedding and get her spring/summer coat in.

She seems to be handling the hot weather well she seeks shade if needed and drinks. If really hot she'll ask to be let inside the house.

Bella my mom's boxer she handling it well too she takes bit longer to cool off then Saya so Bella gets bit less outdoor time when it's really bad. Being a boxer she doesn't have as long of a nose like Saya does.

We try get in early am and late pm walks and if I do yard work the dogs just hang in the yard till I'm done or they want in.

I love boxers, but I do enjoy shiba inu and other longer nosed breeds more they seem to handle weather change much better. Saya is black coloring still handles hot weather better since she has her longer mouth.

I still love boxers, but spitz breeds are always my favorite. :)

Steadfast Stanley from John Cody Kim / corgi searches for his boy during zompie apocalypse

Not much to blog about today, but found this video it is adorable!

Steadfast Stanley is a wonderful animated short about a corgi searching for his human in the zombie apocalypse. It was made by a third year CalArts student John Cody Kim.



I'm bit of a zombie fan love walking dead, night of living dead etc..

I think walking dead gotta be my favorite comic and tv series.

I'm currently playing the Telltale game:The walking dead and I love it a lot it's a point and click type of game that is what telltale games is known for.. I'm currently playing the second season.. Sadly only episode 1 and 2 is out. Episode 3 comes out soon sometime in May no solid release date..

I downloaded the season pass for season 1 & 2 on the ps3..

The wait for new episode does suck, but luckily I got other things that keep me busy books, other games and chores etc.

I loved season one it was fun and whole choice thing is cool. Though either way ending is same, but characters do act bit differently depending on choices.

Season 2 is turning out to be interesting can't wait to play it all. Playing a kid is interesting..

New kibble for Bella

Tiny flowers on our walk

Yesterday I ordered a new kibble to try. It's a relatively new brand for USA.

Ingredients seem pretty good and the sample I got Saya and Bella liked it. Bella usually has to smell any new kibble or treat given and this she went right to eat it.

Saya is raw fed I don't think I'd ever switch her to kibble unless something dramatic happened, but she's been doing well on raw diet since she was 8months and I can afford it so I plan to keep her on it.

I did a small trail to see how would Saya do the samples they send have two cups in it not bad amount for sample.

A cup is about her serving size so I fed Saya the farmina herring kibble for two days no transition and poop was fine no loose poop. she only did #2 once, but she was out off leash while I did yard work so she could have gone second. She is pretty good with eating variety of things and transitions to new proteins and things pretty well so it wasn't too big surprise.

Piece of hornet hive flew off and landed her during a storm..

Bella walking besides me she sometimes walk in front, off leash or besides.

So far Bella is doing well on her current kibble, but I'm curious about this new one. So far what I read it is good stuff and ingredients seem good. The grain and grain free lines look good.

Bella current food is Totw:High prairie.  The formula i ordered is Farmina:Chicken & ancestral grains

They have a lamb formula, but is currently not out yet. I might try that next.
















Totw:High Prairie Ingredients:
Bison, lamb meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, egg product, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, potato protein, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.










Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein: 32% Minimum, Fat: 18% Minimum
Calcium: 2.1%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.4%, as-fed
Calories: 3,719 kcal/kg (370 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy



Farmina:Chicken & grains Ingredients:
Deboned chicken, dehydrated chicken (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), whole spelt, whole oats, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dehydrated egg product, herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), dehydrated herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), dried beet pulp, herring & salmon oil blend (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried carrots, sun-cured alfalfa meal, chicory root extract, fructooligosaccharide, yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), dehydrated pomegranate, dehydrated apple, dehydrated spinach, psyllium seed husk, dehydrated blackcurrant berry, dehydrated sweet orange, dehydrated blueberry, salt, brewers dried yeast, turmeric, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, beta-carotene, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, DL-methionine, taurine, L-carnitine, aloe vera gel concentrate, green tea extract, rosemary extract.


Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min): 30.00%; Crude Fat (min): 18.00%; Crude Fiber (max): 2.90%; Moisture (max): 10.00%; Ash (max): 6.80%; Calcium (min): 1.20%; Phosphorus (min): 0.95%; Omega-6 Fatty Acids* (min): 3.30%; Omega-3 Fatty Acids* (min): 0.90%; Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA*) (min): 0.50%; Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA*) (min): 0.30%; Glucosamine* (min): 900mg/kg; Chondroitin Sulfate* (min): 600mg/kg. *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

I'd love to put her on full raw diet she loves it, but for now can only do am kibble and pm raw and it seems to work for her right now.

She gets variety of items like chicken quarters, pork ribs, parts from a whole chicken, pork shoulder roast, boneless pork, ground chicken, ground beef, beef heart, beef, chicken, pork, lamb liver, lamb kidney, beef thymus, deer liver, heart, lung, pancreas, tripe, fish, and once in while beef tongue.

She's in good weight and energy. Lean and fast..

Oh yeah the mower stopped part of it broke it's just crappy mower been giving us issues for long time I think it was bad one when we bought it.. riding mower is important as cutting the fields takes even longer with push mower!

I hope repair people can fix it and it isn't too pricey.

Luckily I got the yard and almost all the first field done. so just gotta finish the first field and the second field trails.

Saya pouncing on a mouse or something.

Bella still has a decent bit of Totw so once she is low I'll start transitioning. I'll write back if she does well. I hope she does. The kibble does have good smell the herring one had a fish smell to it Saya went nuts over it.

Happy Birthday to Saya

                                             

                          66666
                        __|||||__   HAPPY
                       {._._._._.}     BIRTHDAY SAYA!
                     __{._._._._.}__
                    `~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 
Today Saya is five years old. :) Crazy how fast they grow.. Her plans of the day 

is relax in morning watch me cook some kibble topper stuff for Bella and if weather

holds go for nice walk full of ticks.. darn ticks are all over the place in 

the field, woods, and by the pond. I was hoping the extra cold winter would have 

helped with numbers.

The stuff I'm cooking Saya gets it too as nice small snack. I'll make a blog post 

on it later when it is done.

Saya gets beef thymus and sardines for her meals today also a dog cup cake I made 

for Bella's birthday. The batch made enough that each dog gets 15 cupcakes and 

that's a lot so I froze them.

It has pumpkin in it and for icing I mixed plain greek yogurt with peanut butter. 
If the two know there is cupcake in their bowl thawing out they get excited. 

I've been giving them every once in while and still got plenty so Bella and Saya 

will get it as a nice desert.

Spring is nice despite the ticks flowers and nice weather makes it worth it.

Feeling better! :D

Bella has been on her med for good while and she is feeling better day after the vet visit she acted more perky. Still loose poop, but not too bad.

Yesterday her #2 had bit more form to it and today it's even better. She's still on antibiotics so she'll probably not be 100% on poop till she is done with it. Still waiting to hear back on if the pus came back as anything bad.

The bump went way down since the vet visit so I'm hoping the issue cleared up now.

She is back to being playful, alert and begging for belly rubs.

Saya is healthy as usual well besides her spinal issue, but that doesn't seem to put damper on her she is still happy, active and stuff. She gets joint supplements and it seems to help.

Saya loves her sardines, herring and quail. April 29th will be her birthday! She'll be five years old.

I plan to give her beef thymus, and sardines for her meal and a dog cup cake I made on Bella's birthday.. I made so many I froze them so I just take out to thaw then give. They like them frozen too nice summer treat.

Crazy week! D:

 Well this week has been crazy Fridge not fitting, but luckily taking base boards out worked. We didn't think about the baseboards adding a bit for length. Ah well lesson learned.

Wednesday Bella started to have loose poop in the pm she hasn't gotten into anything in the house she's been much better behaved and no odd stuff in the field, but who knows. She did eat grass a few times when we were hanging outside Tuesday and some on walk. Spring being here grass is new and exciting..

Thursday morning sometime she vomited foam it had grass in it.

She's been getting same brand of kibble and haven't had any raw treats or raw meals.. I got her some pre and probiotics from ark natural gentle digest stuff on Wednesday. coarse soon as I noticed the loose poop I fed her a bland diet. it helped some, but still not 100%

Thursday She stayed same loose poop once in while watery so we got her a vet appointment the next day.

Friday she was bit more calmer didn't try to get in mom's lap to cuddle or try to lick her still same loose poop.

I noticed after mom left she was limping on her right back foot I checked her foot pad and inbetween no cuts, thorns or anything. I had her lay on the couch to rest for bit. I then headed upstairs to make small lunch and she coarse had to follow me up and she was slow climbing the stairs I went to help her and carried her up it.. 56-58lbs of pure boxer muscle.. hehe

I checked again and saw a bump on the leg she was favoring it was soft. Luckily she had the appointment.

This how she walked no pressure on this foot she kept it up when walking or standing she could site or lay down fine.. Poor girl.

Finger for size reference. I'm sure this was reason for her limp. The vet checked the stool sample and said no signs of parasites or anything too bad like infection..

She took some fluid from the bump to send off to be tested and prescribed some meds for her.

So far she has made a total improvement with walking she is putting pressure on it and not acting tired well after the vet visit she was sleepy too much excitement greeting all the people. Today she is back to her old crazy happy boxer self.

Still not 100% good on her poop. It is better though it's not as frequent and is loose not liquid. Still not as formed as should be, but it's an improvement over before.

She is taking her meds fine hiding it in cheese seems work good. She gets the probiotic on her food and she eats that no issue.

I'm hoping tomorrow she'll show more improvement poop wise. Eventually once good I'll slowly work back her kibble into her meals.

Dad wanted to feed her just kibble this morning luckily mom heard it and stopped him.

I hope the stuff the vet sent in is nothing bad and the antibiotics help. Coarse antibiotics can cause diareah, but hopefully the pro and prebiotics help little.

The bump has gone down which is good.

Crazy month

Well in Feb I broke the camera.. That sucked accidentally dropped it.

We eventually got a new camera this one has video which is nice.

Got Saya 4lbs of beef thymus and 3lbs of beef heart maybe bit more I forgot how much it weighed. Payed about $17 for it all.

The beef sweetbreads(thymus) gone up in price was $1.49lb now is $2.99lb. Heart is still about the same I don't mind the price hike it's not too bad. one person said thymus was 5$lb where they are so I rather $2.99lb..

Been while since I gotten thymus need to be sure I keep it in stock.

I usually rotate it with kidneys. one week she gets thymus and the next kidney.

Beef Thymus fed frozen nice warm weather treat. hehe

Well as usual when it rains it pours.. Fridge has been on the fritz lately it came with the house so I'm sure it is old.. It was leaking water and just down right annoying food would get lost in it.

We got a new one coarse mom forgot to measure the baseboard and in order to fit the fridge in had to take it out. coarse after that it still needed half inch more.. Crazy.. We got the counter out by the fridge so it would fit.

Just gotta trim the counter so it can fit without an issue.. we'll see how that goes.

I like the fridge and it roomy and well lighted. freezer is at bottom decent space. No need for water jug in fridge since the fridge has one in it. so that saves room in the fridge.

Other crazy thing during winter storms our pussy willow had some branches that grew too close to roof and it rubbed on it which damage the roof some. :\ Repairmen from the company that put it up came and fixed it coarse gotta pay that luckily we have replacement roofing shingles in case stuff like this happened so was just charged for fixing it so it was bit less if they had to bring material over.

Back to dog related stuff Saya has had two quail from her quail collection.. so 46 left to go.

Crazy the amount I ordered, but Saya loves whole quail and it should last good bit.

I count it as bone in item it has pretty much everything, bone, organs, meat, blood and even extra feathers.. Saya only eats the feathers surrounding the quail she leaves the ones on the wing.

What remains of the quail..

 Saya has had her sardines before and she loves them she had them canned before, but never raw. The herring she didn't like as much at first Not sure why, but I kept offering it and eventually mixed cut up pieces of herring into her egg, or ground meat. She'd eat it mixed with something and eventually I offered it plain and she ate it.

Glad she decided she liked it as I got a lot. If she didn't then Bella would get all the herring.

Today she slept in the whole fridge event. Bella was put in the basement till we were done.

We went for nice walk afterwards and on way back I saw a great blue heron in the yard we came home different way to not scare it so I could attempt a decent pic.

The heron comes to the pond every so often probably eats some fish maybe a garter snake or who knows. I don't mind there is plenty of fish for us and any animals that want it.

Today Saya got egg for breakfast plus joint supplements and salmon oil for dinner she got sardines. Yummy.

Saya liked the cooler temps today it snowed some this morning! It's melted now. Luckily the flowers seem fine and the fruit trees haven't flowered yet so they're fine.