To Crate or Not to Crate

We started out with a nylon crate with both Valentina and Katya.  The first crate that my husband ordered  for Katya was too small, eventually. I found and ordered a jumbo-sized crate from Amazon when it was obvious the smaller one would no longer work for Katya.  We moved the smaller one downstairs, and used it for keeping Katya safe and out of mischief when we both left the house. Katya determined when she would no longer be crated downstairs by ripping out the main "screen door" in the crate.  A few weeks ago, we decided to stop crating Katya at night. We left the crate in the bedroom, with the screen up. The first night that Katya was allowed to be free, she quietly stayed on one of the dog beds in the bedroom, almost as if she thought she was getting away with something. We did have a couple of accidents. A couple of nights she got up, forgot to come over to the bed to let us know that she had to go out, wandered downstairs, got flustered when no one answered the bell, and peepeed or poopeed on the tile floor close to the door. But, that's all in the learning curve -- she is doing very well during the day, and we feel we just have to give her a little leeway while growing and learning her body system. We have a strip of jingle bells on the door with a small bell attached at the bottom of the strip. We thought that perhaps she got downstairs, did ring the bell, but we didn't hear her while we were sleeping upstairs. Enter, the brainchild of my husband.  He ordered a baby monitor from Amazon, set it up at the back door downstairs and by the side of our bed. It was pure genius -- not only can you hear the bells ring, you can hear every lap of water from the water bowl, AND you can even hear Katya scratching at the outside of the door to get in.  Problem solved.  I've read all the positive information about crating dogs, but I still don't buy it. I'm sure it really depends on the personality of the dog. Great Danes are extremely intelligent, and if left in boring environments, they can go looney. One person told us that his son and daughter-in-law had a Great Dane that destroyed the entire set of backyard furniture. I asked if the dog was left alone most of the day and night, and the answer was "yes." I've seen description of constructions of Great Dane-sized crates, (essentially chain-link fence inside of a laundry room) and I find it a little ridiculous. I do understand that many people work jobs that keep them away from home for 8 to 10 hours a day. When I had my first 2 Danes, I worked (taught school) only 5 blocks away, so I could rush home to check on the Dane and Dalmation during lunch. I did give them the run of the back yard during good weather conditions.  They had a dog house and lots of trees for shade. This was in Arizona, but even in Arizona, it can be cold a few weeks in the winter and very hot in the summer, so they were inside the house in extremes of weather. I have retired from school teaching in secondary education and higher education, and I work on my writing from home, so the dogs stay inside with me most of the time. Great Danes are very sensitive to temperature extremes. I know they are big guys, but they are not built for the cold, or for hot extremes. I'm not sure if I would have gotten a Dane if I had worked away from home, and were unable to go home at lunch. I know what is said about a dog crate being a protective cave for the dog.  We leave the jumbo crate in the bedroom, but Katya never sleeps in it now that we don't zip her in. (We plan to continue using the jumbo crate in the hotel for a while when we travel. Last trip we had the crate set up in the van for the actual drive as well as in the hotel, but next time we will not set up the crate in the car, and will use it only in the hotel.)  We have dog beds (lots!) in the bedroom, but the pupsters' favorites are two large dog beds placed in a line against the wall, separated with a  king-sized pillow  and rimmed with pillows on 3 sides, against the wall, used as bolster pillows. Valentina still grumbles at Katya if she tries to sit on her or jump on her while she is sleeping, but she never grumbles about Katya's company in the adjacent dog bed. They have become regular buddies.

Valentina's New Sister Puppy, Katya

This was one of the first pictures I saw of Katya. I found her on a puppy website. The ad must have been placed the morning I found her, and we called immediately to hold her.  We waited until she was 8 weeks old before we (Tom, Valentina and I) picked her up from a breeder outside of Houston. She was born on May 1, 2016 in Baton Rouge. Louisiana. We forgot a lot of what we had experienced with the puppyhood of Valentina. The nylon crate we had used for Valentina had a ruined zipper and was long gone. The first two nights were nearly sleepless as Katya ran back and forth to the various dog beds in the room, jumping on poor sleeping Valentina while we tried to sleep. The nylon dog crate arrived the third day, and we quickly set it up and placed a comfortable dog bed inside. The third night was very restful. All four of our pack got a good night's sleep. Katya Frederika pranced into our hearts and has completed our pack. The name Katya means "pure", and the name Frederika means "rich peace". She is a loving, affectionate and peaceful puppy.  She always brings a toy in her mouth to offer you when she approaches. She's a little over 5 months now. And is growing like a weed! When she was three months we went to Mexico, and she traveled so very well. We put the crate in the van with a bed and a small-sized potty grass inside. Over these last few months, she has figured out housetraining, and just recently has mastered the Dog Park. Just like Valentina, she was entranced with her yard and home in Mexico. As soon as she had all her vaccinations, we started to socialize her. Austin is a dog-friendly city, and Lake Chapala is amazingly dog-friendly with a large number of restaurants that are open air. Katya is a very friendly puppy, so she makes friends easily. Valentina and Katya get along well.  The only thing that turns Valentina into Ms. Grumpy is when she's sleeping and Katya pounces on her. Valentina is quite patient with her new sister most of the time.  I think they're going to be great pals.

 

Almost Birthday Time!

 

 

We survived the heat! (I'm talking about Valentina's heat, not the Austin weather!) It went longer than websites predicted -- around three weeks. With the adjusted timeline, we now have no idea how long she is impregnable, so we have been postponing the dog park a little while, just to be safe.)

Since my husband Tom and our puppy dog have the same birthday (August 7th), Tom said I needed to have a birthday cake that both he and Valentina could eat.  His suggestion was a peanut butter cake, since she loves her peanut butter, given every evening in her Kong, just before bedtime.

Valentina is beginning to mellow.  I've heard that Great Danes take longer to mature physically (18 months, instead of 12) and emotionally (3 years instead of 2), but we already see many grownup changes in her.  Her receptive vocabulary is immense.  She understands phrases such as "Do you want to go water the tomatoes with me?" (She runs over to the gate at the tomato enclosure.) My last Great Dane (also very bright) was only interested in watching the occasional black and white TV program (The Donna Reed show, at 5 AM was her favorite.) Valentina loves color television.  She recognizes all the dog images, and surprised us when she recognized a very primitively drawn cartoon image of a dog in a commercial and started barking at it, and followed it as it ran across the screen. She has a large number of toys that she will bring to us when they are named. She watches African animals on the AT&T U-verse channel, knows many of the names of the animals,  and when she saw a large, painted metal sculpture of an elephant outside of a consignment store, as we waited for the traffic light to turn green, she raised her ears, focused her eyes intently, and began to bark at it. She now has a big stuffed elephant toy that she loves.

I've already bought Tom's birthday present, but we haven't yet bought Valentina's.
I now sprinkle and mix in  Barley Grass Powder and Wheat Grass Powder in addition to Alfalfa Powder on her soft food. (This is a good healthy way to keep their breath fresh, and enzymes flowing, and is much better than the grass they occasionally eat in the yard.)
Stay tuned for a few additions/ modifications to the Kibble Recipe.

 

What I have learned from Valentina's First Heat (So far)

I've decided to start counting Valentina's heat from Tuesday.  She started about Monday, but her discharge was slow and mucusy and brown.  Around Tuesday she started with the red-blood discharge. So, we are in the what must be about the 9th day of the heat.  Poor baby!  She is very swollen and now is still bleeding a slightly less red, more watery discharge. Most of the time, she has been very good about wearing her hot pants (diaper).

Here is what I have learned from this experience, so far:
Valentina started her heat in her 10th month.  (It is predicted for the 9th to the 12th month for large dogs. The say the bleeding will last 8 to 10 days.)
The pet store does not have diapers big enough for a Great Dane. If your Great Dane is approaching the predicted time for her Heat, run, don't walk, to your computer, and order online the XXXL size (Yes, three X's!) of the SnuggEase Washable Dog Diaper (2-pack, minimum!). I ordered from Amazon (Sold by Famous Shamus Pet Supplies) The triple X size is for 90 pounds and over. These diapers are nylon on the outside, with a thick, diaper-like material on the inside, covered by a net material.  I ordered the pads (Simple Solution Disposable Liners), but did not use them.  They were simply too narrow. I had gone to the pet stores and had bought the largest size (Large) of doggy diapers. I opened the package, tried one on her, and they were too small. When I discovered that the pads I had ordered were too narrow, I cut away all the surrounding materials from the disposable doggy diapers and had a very absorbent pad that was about 5 or 6 inches wide and also was the perfect length to fit the length of the XXXL Dog diaper. (You want to have a 2-sided, 3/4 inch wide tape ready to fasten the "pad" to the netting.) I had also bought the largest pants at the Pet Store, but they were  too small. (Because they were made of a knit fabric, and stretched, they sufficed while I waited for the 1-day delivery of the XXXL dog diaper.) With the purchase of a 2-pack, I have to wash the diaper every day, so Valentina can have a fresh diaper every morning, so you may want to order more than 2. When she was flowing less, I could use one "pad" per day and one "pad" per night, but as she began to flow more freely, I just make the decision to change it  based on how saturated the "pad" looks when I remove the diaper for her to go outside to go peepee. Be Prepared:  When she is not diapered while outside, she drips like a leaky faucet, and she is VERY swollen. (Poor baby!) So far, she has accepted wearing the diaper.  Sometimes she will move around and make it a little difficult to put it on her, but she has not tried to remove it once it has been put in place.

We are looking forward to the next phase (I think!). She will stop bleeding pop p and the swelling will go down. BUT, she will be pregnable and will easily accept male advances (I've heard they will do anything to get out of the yard, and the interested males will do anything to get into the yard!) -- so we must be careful to keep her inside except for potty trips. By the time this 21-day experience is over, I will have (and Valentina will also have) a serious case of cabin fever. I have left the house a couple of times, with my husband doing the puppy-sitting, and we have both left the house another two times, leaving Valentina inside for a short period of time.

When we finally return to taking Valentina to the dog park, she will be ecstatic.  The only exercise she has gotten has been running the depth of the back yard, back and forth, with two little yippie-dog Yorkeys on the other side of the fence, and circling the perimeter of the back yard.  We have taken her for a drive (avec diaper) a couple of times (her favorite activity) just to avoid too much cabin fever.

So, that's about it for now. So far, we've survived it!

Check out the Improved Recipe for Kibble

Check out the newest version of Valentina's Krunchy Kibble posted on the Krunchy Kibble Recipe Page.

Happy 9-Month Birthday Valentina!

Today our precious puppy is 9 months old!  (and 91 pounds!) She has remained the sweetest, most affectionate, most alert, and smartest puppy ever -- truly a special spirit and such a joy to have in our family! It is amazing how much she understands from what we say. I am continuing to make all her food -- both kibble and soft food.  (We do keep a few cans of Evanger's canned Vegetarian Dog Food in the pantry just in case.) She just loves vegetables.  One thing I've learned, though, is that dogs don't have the dental structure to chew their food the way humans do, so if you want your dog to absorb the nutrients effectively and to enjoy the flavor of all the foods, it is important to make sure the food is in small pieces.  I use the food processor, and my spiralizer to break up the foods and create as much exposure to the surface of the foods (and nutrients) as possible.  Valentina loves carrots -- thinly sliced, grated, or spiralized. There's hardly a veggie she doesn't like. One of her all-time favorites is the glorious sweet potato.  She  devours the sweet potato leather I make, her kibble contains sweet potatoes, and I always cook extra because it is easily added to her soft food.  I'm being careful to keep onions out of her foods (rumored to be toxic for dogs), but I put in a little garlic (cooked) in her soft food for extra flavor.She loves seeds, like sunflower and pepitas (pumpkin seed), but I've learned to make it into meal in my Vitamix Dry container. (When I fed her the whole pumpkin seed, it was whole and green going in, and it was whole and white coming out.)  She is well muscled, slim, calm, yet high-energy. I've tested her urine and it's in the middle of the healthy range.  Her eyes are bright and the surrounding tissue is pink and red ( a sign of excellent health for dogs!) She is the picture of excellent health.

Doggy Puberty

They say that Great Danes usually go into heat around 9 to 12 months old.  In four more days, Valentina will be 8 months old.  So, now we wait.  We have a couple pairs of Doggy Hot Pants with pads, and we have a package of adult diapers -- there are several comments online that suggest using disposable adult diapers and cutting a hole in them for the tail to fit through. The vet recommends spaying  dogs after the first heat, but before the second for the maximum protection against mammary cancer. The question I still have is, being that meat is drenched in hormones, and some human females are going through puberty at 8,9, and 10 because of all these hormones in meat, would a vegan Great Dane go through puberty later than a meat-eating Great Dane because it receives none of these hormones from meat? Anybody have an answer to that?

Almost Eight Months Old!

Valentina will turn 8 months old in about a week.  We are so grateful that she is such a smart, sweet puppy dog. I make all her food (vegan), both kibble and soft food, and both veterinarians who have examined her have pronounced her VERY healthy. It's interesting that we have been told that a dog MUST have meat, and yet Valentina remains extremely healthy, full of energy, and exhibiting all the the signs of an extremely healthy dog. She loves every kind of vegetable, raw and cooked, and her favorite chews are the "Broccoli bone" and the Sweet Potato "Leather" The Broccoli Bone (a long stem from broccoli)  is raw, but after experimenting with baked and dehydrated sweet potato slices, I came to the conclusion that baking the the sweet potato slices (about 3/8 in. thick) at around 250 or 300 F, for about 3 hours, (or 325 or 350 degrees F for less time) then dehydrating them for several hours (6, maybe 8 or 10 hours at 105 degrees in the dehydrator, depending on the dryness and chewiness desired) gives the best result.  (I have an Excelsior dehydrator.) When I just baked them, they were too soft and  not "leathery" enough, and when I only dehydrated them, they lacked the caramelizing of the natural sugars. (If you don't have a dehydrator, you can put your oven on the lowest temperature setting, and if you want to lower the temperature a bit more, you can leave the oven door slightly ajar to let a little heat escape and lower the temperature a bit. It's best to purchase a little in-oven thermometer to know exactly what the resulting temperature is.)  Valentina will eat sweet potatoes any way I make them, but it seems that the "bake and dehydrate method" makes the slices she likes the best. I "paint" a coating of warmed coconut oil on all surfaces of the slices, so they don't dry out too much or stick to the cookie sheet. I bought a bag of commercial sweet potato slices for $8.98 at a local pet shop the other day.  The bag did not even have 9 slices.  That means they cost more than a dollar a slice! Valentina actually prefers mine anyway. The first time I gave her a sweet potato slice, she did an intricate dance around and near the slice before she ate it.  Now, even when she is given a broccoli bone or other treat, she will do what we now call "The Sweet Potato Dance.". Stay tuned for  more pictures.

Happy Six Month Birthday, Valentina!

As I write this post, Valentina is lying on a rug next to my desk, playing with her stuffed toy, Christmas doggie. She was six months old as of February 7, 2013, and I must admit she is a well-behaved dog.  When you read up on Great Danes, you will always find a mention somewhere that Great Danes are people dogs.  They are not the kind of dog that you can throw in the back yard and forget about.  They thrive on human attention, and they can actually go crazy and become agressive without human contact.  Personally, it is hard to understand why anyone would get a dog without giving them attention.  Valentina goes everywhere with us.  Our yard in Mexico has not been fenced in yet, so we really do take her everywhere.  We eat in restaurants that are dog friendly, and if we run into the store for groceries or other items, one of us stays with her in the car and walks her out in a patch of grass. When we arrived at our home in Mexico, Valentina was a very timid little puppy, unsure of strangers who came up to admire her, and she would bark at little children, thinking them odd little aliens.  Now she LOVES to meet new people, relishes little children petting her, and is very outgoing. In addition, she behaves herself at restaurants.  We carry a rug, toys, travel water and food dishes with us, and she lies down , plays with her toys, or waits, respectfully, for a bite of spaghetti al pesto, or the occasional corn chip (sans salsa). (She likes my homemade vegan pasta with pesto best, but loves the vegan spaghetti al pesto that they make at the Peacock Garden Restaurant, too. And, at the Peacock Garden, she loves to watch all the multicolored exotic chickens and the peacocks in all their regalia!  The friendly servers  know Valentina by name and always greet her.) 

We have to remind ourselves that she is still a puppy.... Nevertheless, this 80-pound puppy behaves herself at restaurants and everywhere around town.  All  of this has happened because we do take her everywhere with us. She's part of the family. Both Cesar Millan (How to Raise the Perfect Dog) and Sophia Yin (Perfect Puppy in 7 Days) emphasize that you need to take the puppy with you to as many places as possible, and even tie the puppy's leash to your waist as you go about the tasks of your day.  The dog becomes socialized that way, and learns how to act in all the many situations he/she might encounter in life with you.  That advice has paid off -- we have a very well-behaved puppy!

P.S. Have you seen Cesar Millan's new show on National Geographic Wild?  It's called "Leader of the Pack." Just like with Dog Whisperer, I always learn a lot from his show. He's now based in Spain. Lucky Europeans!

A PETA Recipe for Vegan Dog Food

PETA has a great recipe for vegan dog food.
The only thing I change in this recipe is I use one, 14 oz. jar of natural peanut butter instead of the full 24 ounces in the recipe, because I don't want to overdo the protein with a growing Great Dane puppy, I add minced dried cranberries (no sugar) in place of cranberry extract (because I haven't found any cranberry extract here at Lake Chapala, and didn't bring any down with us from the US), and I add BacPac probiotic from  www.nzymes.com in place of PB8. I put it in a rice cooker, and it turns out beautifully.  Lately her soft food consists of a steamed veggie, like green beans, ., a  mixture of cooked grains (millet, brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats,  etc. -- usually 3 or more) , some raw food cut up in a blender,  and a cup of this mixture.  I now try to put it out at least mid-morning (warmed up to at least room temperature or a little warmer) so she can eat what she wants of it all day.  She always leaves some by the end of the day, so I know that she is probably getting what she wants and needs. And  I always keep out a bowl of some of my homemade kibble recipe.  Here's the recipe, which can also be found at:
http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/say-no-to-kibble-vegan-dog-food-recipe.aspx

Homemade Sweet-Potato Peanut-Butter Vegan-Dog Delight
6 cups (filtered) water
1 cup mixed rice and quinoa (I mix black, brown, and long grain rice with black and/or
white quinoa.)
1 cup mixed lentils (I mix green, red, and French lentils.)
3 medium sweet potatoes sliced into 1-inch cubes
3 cups or 24 oz. natural peanut butter
1½ cups or 8 to 12-oz. apple cider vinegar, optional (My dog is a flat-nosed breed, which means she tends to get gassy. The vinegar gets rid of virtually all of her gas, but if your dog does not have a problem with this, you can omit the vinegar.)
8 g hemp protein
1 Tbsp. flaxseed oil with DHA (Store in the fridge or freezer.)
200-250 mg cranberry extract (Since a vegan diet is alkalizing, your dog may need this acidifier to maintain a healthy urinary pH.)
VegeDog multivitamin powder
Prozyme Plus (This helps with digestion so that your dog can absorb as many nutrients as possible.)
125 mg PB8 brand probiotic (1/4 pill)

• Boil the water.
• Add the rice, lentils, and sweet potatoes.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until all ingredients are soft. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. Too much water is better than not enough water. (Remember, you want the ingredients to be extra moist because they will be easier to digest.)
• Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork and mix thoroughly. Let cool.
• Add the peanut butter and vinegar. Stir well.
• Place 3 to 5 servings in your refrigerator and store the rest in the freezer.
• Measure 2/3 cup of food per meal.*
• At mealtime: Add hemp protein, flaxseed oil, cranberry extract, Vegedog, Prozyme Plus, and PB8 into the 2/3 cup of food. Mix well and serve twice daily.

* Serving size is based on the diet of a 20-lb. dog. Please adjust the portion size to suit your dog's weight.

Note:Please remember, as with the introduction of any new food, to introduce this new diet gradually. This means replacing a small portion of your dog's current food with the new food and gradually increasing the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old food over a period of approximately 10 days.

 

 

 

Valentina's Recipe for Kibble and Treats

We did it!  Valentina was eating 6 cups of homemade kibble to 1 cup of commercial vegan kibble.  Now she eats only homemade kibble, cooked grains and other soft food, and raw food.  I noticed when I went to get the one cup of commercial vegan kibble from a tub on the floor and had the 6 cups homemade kibble in the dish to the side, Valentina would always walk up to me and try to  eat only on the homemade kibble side.  We did a taste test, putting 4 kibbles of commercial on the right and 4 homemade kibbles on the left, and she ate the homemade kibble, and walked away, not interested at all in the commercial kibble.

I put down a bowl of cooked food midday or late afternoon, and I put out kibble a cup at a time throughout the day.  Valentina is not a binger, so I don't think I have to worry about that, but I think  it's just safer to put out her food in 5 or 6 smaller portions.
Here's Valentina's recipe for Kibble and Treats:
  

Valentina’s Tantalizing Treats

or

Valentina's Krunchy Kibble

2 cups sweet potatoes, baked at 350 degrees until soft (30-45 min.?)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 TBSP flaxseed meal + 6 TBSP boiling water (soak 3 minutes) or 3 TBSP flaxseed meal + 9 TBSP boiling water

1-3/4 cups water

3 TBSP coconut oil (or olive oil)

1 cup dried cranberries, minced (or dried blueberries or dried cherries) (preferably no sugar or sweetened with apple juice)

2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour OR whole wheat pastry flour

1 TBSP VEGEDOG (Vitamin Supplement for Vegan Dogs)

1 cup rye flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

½ tsp. salt

1/2 cup oat flour

2 TBSP VEGEYEAST or nutritional yeast

1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/4 to 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup hulled hemp seed (hemp hearts)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

2. In food processor, mix sweet potatoes, bananas, hydrated flaxseed meal, water, oil, cranberries, and hemp seed.

3. In mixing bowl, add liquids (above) then dry ingredients; mix first with mixing blade, then switch to dough blade until well mixed.

4. Flour hands and counter to keep dough from sticking. Knead dough by folding it on itself until elastic, as if making a pie crust.

5. Roll dough to about 3/8 inch.

6. After placing dough on cookie sheets, poke with a fork to prevent voids, unless using cookie cutters,(before baking)

7. Bake for 20 minutes.

8. To make crunchy, (good for healthy teeth!) place in warm oven (at lowest temperature) for 2 to 4 hours, or leave out in the air for 2-3 days to dry.

Makes ….A LOT!!!

Be prepared to flour hands, board and rolling pin, because this dough is sticky!

This recipe can be cut into cookies for treats, or cut into kibble size pieces and fed as kibble.

The recipe is very versatile, so you can substitute one kind of flour for another if you don't have it.

For a K-9 Little Treats Maker go to:

http://www.fantes.com/cookie-cutters.htm

If you don't have a kibble cutter, you can cut with a pizza cutter to speed up the process. Trust me, you want to get this kibble cutter!

_______________________________________________________________________________

I add the following to about 6 to 7 cups of kibble, and then serve in 1 to 1-1/2 cup portions:

1 TBSP to 1-1/2 TBSP Flaxseed oil (the kind without added Vit. C)

2 Gamma - E capsules (I use NOW brand) pierce gel capsule and squeeze out vit. E oil. (This E vitamin supplement has all 4 vit E's, not just alpha tocopherol.)

Mix the two oils into the kibble, then add:

VEGEDOG (vitamin supplement)

VEGEYEAST (OR IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, ADD NUTRITIONAL YEAST)

Amino Acids removed from capsules: L-Carnitine, L-Taurine, L-Methionine, L-Lysine

Prozyme, or NZyme -- enzyme supplement

BakPak -- probiotic supplement (or PB8 Probiotic)

Mix.

   

In Search of Dog Food Recipes

Today I made "Homemade Sweet-Potato Peanut-Butter Vegan Dog Delight" for Valentina. (PETA recipe --See Dog Food Links) I knew it was going to be good, because it smelled scrumptious. Valentina gobbled it up.
Later today, I was continuing my search for Homemade Dog Food Recipes, and I happened upon a Great Blog -- Vegan Heartland. (See Dog Food Links)  I found a post (June 7, 2012) entitled "Making Your Own Vegan Dog Food" This one is a real keeper.  Matthew has broken down all the possible foods into categories, as well as described the various nutrients in each food.  He even has a formula for determining how much to feed your dog, as well as correct proportions for protein, starches, fats, etc.  Even though the percentage of protein  for a full grown dog should be 50%, a Great Dane puppy's protein should be limited to 18-23%  (instead of the normal puppy protein level of about 35%) in order to slow down the rapid bone growth of Great Danes.  Matthew has done a great job on this Vegan Blog.  It's well worth  reading. Every time I find a vegan blog like Vegan Heartland, it reminds me that the world IS changing for the better.

It Had to Happen Sooner or Later!

This evening I prepared two grain burger sandwiches with Tomato Olive Sprouted Bread (from Kenn and Sandra Quinn at the Organic Farmer's Market in Ajijic), homemade eggless mayonnaise, and greens. I set the plates with the sandwiches on the counter, turned my back, and before I knew it, Valentina had jumped up, paws on the edge of the counter, and snatched the top piece of bread on my sandwich.  I grabbed it out of her mouth, didn't give her the satisfaction of getting to eat what she had pilfered! She's tall enough to reach the kitchen counters, so we're going to have to watch what we put on the edge of the counters.  (She's sorry, gave us lots of repentant kisses.)

Las Cabañuelas

Valentina has experienced her first rains.  Yesterday and today, January 1^st and 2^nd,  soft rains have bathed dusty foliage and moistened the earth at Lake Chapala.  In Mexico, “ las  cabañuelas” refers to the special rains that come in January.  Usually short-lived and gentler, they are different from the rains that come in summer in Jalisco.  In the prehispanic world, as well as in ancient Spain, parts of Africa, and a few other parts of the world, the weather that occurred during the days of January was believed to predict the weather for the whole year. (See, Wikipedia, “cabañuelas”).  In modern Mexico, for those who have no grandparents closely tied to the land and agriculture, the term has lost its significance and now means only the rains that come in January.  Today, we ran a few errands, ate lunch at Pranzo, a local café with outdoor seating, feeling lucky that we had dodged the rain and were able to sit outside at a table, accompanied by Valentina. We had on long-sleeve shirts, so we were only a little chilled.  Valentina, however, appeared to be trembling a bit from the cold.  (Great Danes do not do well in extreme temperatures.  The weather here was definitely not extreme, but when I went to WalMart and  bought  an inexpensive insulated vest for myself, I couldn’t  resist a 60 peso vest for Valentina.  That’s about five dollars.)   At Pranzo Café,  Valentina had a bowl of kibble and a dish of water, but we also shared our French fries with her. She is quite the proper puppy, never begs, but waits on her little rug, with a sweet pathetic look in her eyes, hoping we will share with her. As I write this from home, the evening rain continues its soothing, gentle pitter-patter on our roof and the tile of our terrace, and Valentina is safe and warm in her bed, asleep, floating on two giant, fake-fur-covered pillows and one smaller one that she likes to rest her head on. (She’s not spoiled at all!) 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Wow! So much has happened lately -- Valentina-wise! Tom and I (and all the people who see her weekly) are watching her grow so quickly.  Valentina is so full of energy (She's a fabulous soccer player!), yet so mellow and so very sweet, loving and affectionate.  She is constantly curious, very alert, and learning all the time.  Her receptive vocabulary is amazing. She is quite well-behaved in public, and if she gets a little too playfully "bitey," all we have to say is "Where's the water bottle?." (It's a spray bottle.) and she turns into an affectionate, all-kisses doggie. Lake Chapala is a wonderful place to socialize a dog.  Everyone takes their dogs almost everywhere. Most restaurants with outdoor seating permit dogs. When we arrived, Valentina was a bit timid about meeting new people, and she would bark at small children.  Now, she is eager to meet new people of all ages.  We take her to the organic farmer's market on Tuesdays and Fridays, and she has a multitude of admirers who greet her by name and always comment on how fast she is growing. We still get the question from newcomers, "Is she a Dalmation?" but as she grows much bigger than a Dalmation, I'm sure that question will come up less. Regardless, she is a great conversation starter and is a great way to meet new people.   Today, she is 20 weeks old, and on January 7th, she will celebrate her 5- month birthday! We haven't weighed her for a couple of weeks, but she was 44 pounds the last time we weighed her.  She has to weigh close to or over 50 pounds now! She is  big, and we have to keep reminding ourselves that she is still a baby. Her diet has been my constant subject of study and research. I've incorporated fresh, raw vegetables into her diet, as well as a cooked brown rice- barley - lentil mixture.  She loves green beans and asparagus. Every day she gets a couple of tablespoons of canned pumpkin which is full of fiber and helps move things along the intestinal tract.  We have a little more than one extra large bag (28 lbs.) of vegan dog food left, and I always mix Vegedog vitamin supplement, probiotics, enzymes, vitamin E complex, l-Taurine, l-carnitine, VegeYeast, flaxmeal, into the vegan kibble, with a tablespoon of Barlean's flaxseed oil.  Why this brand?  I had to find a brand that did not have vitamin C, and Barlean's has only flaxseed oil as its ingredient.  William Cusick, in his book, Canine Nutrition and Breed Specific Diets: The Best Diet for a Great Dane, explains that although a great deal of brands of dog food have vitamin C, (chiefly because it serves as a cheap preservative,) that Vitamin C should not be supplemented in dog diets.  He explains that dogs manufacture their own vitamin C (with a unique molecular structure), using the trace mineral Cobalt, in the liver, and supplementation of vitamin C can cause the liver to stop working as it should.  It can damage the kidneys by creating a pH imbalance because the dog cannot use the kind of vitamin C used and sheds it into the urine.  There's so much to learn! Cusick warns to never give dogs commercial treats, so quite a while ago I modified a recipe for Vegan kibble from the Vegepet recipe and she eats only homemade vegan treats. (The treats contain sweet potatoes, bananas, flaxseed meal, coconut or olive oil, cranberries, whole wheat flour, Vegedog vitamin supplement, rye flour, oat flour, Vegeyeast, garbanzo bean flour, and hulled hemp seed.) The homemade treats have become popular with the dogs of friends, too. They have no preservatives and contain all healthy ingredients. Our local grocery stores (in Mexico as well as in the US) usually carry an ample supply of sweet potatoes, so Valentina always has a supply of baked sweet potato slices. So far, according to all her vet exams as well as her physical state, Valentina is very healthy.  Her coat is shiny and soft.  She is full of energy.  She has all indicators for excellent health: eye color, membrane under lower lid, gums and mouth tissue, skin condition, coat condition, energy level and muscle tone. I've tested the pH of her urine, which most vets say should be between 5.5 and 7.0,  and it falls about in the middle at 6.3or 6.4. As we celebrated the  New Year with friends, eating a vegan feast of  Tofurky, Seitan Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Relish, Roasted Basil Corn-on-the-Cob, Mushroom Gravy, Steamed Fresh Brussel Sprouts, and apple-cranberry stuffing, Valentina joined us with her bowl of two tablespoons of cooked pumpkin puree, brown rice- barley - lentil mixture, and a small slice of seitan roast cut into tiny pieces. We all had a great time!

First Crossing: Mission Accomplished

We did it!.  We drove two days, and including the US state and Mexican states, Valentina was in 5 states. The first day she was in four -- Texas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, and the second day we were in Jalisco.  She was an absolute angel. There weren't even any puppy antics.  I'm trying to figure out why, and I can only guess what made the difference.  I built up the space between the two front seats with a bag of vegan dog food, a box of soy beans, two folded moving blankets and a kingsize bed pillow wrapped in a large blanket and topped off with a little flannel throw.  It put her on a visual level with us. She looked out the window, slept on and off, and alternated giving us hugs on our shoulders and putting her head on our legs. She ate some of her food, drank water from her portable bowl, and had a few bites of our vegan oatmeal cookies. There were no puppy antics! No chewing, no running around, just peaceful coexistence! She is a great traveler. Our trip was sweetened even further by a goodie bag of sweet and salty snacks that my neice Maria and her husband Mark had given us.  Having called ahead and reserved a hotel room for pets at Las Palmas Midway Inn, we found  a very nice room awaiting us.  A late start from Austin and a very thick fog between Monterrey and Saltillo delayed us a bit the first day.  The highway police stopped each car and told us to go no more than 40kph (about 24mph), with headlights and hazard lights. We got to Matehuala after it had turned dark. We set up Valentina's extra large tent crate, which we had set up at home as her regular bed for several weeks before the trip, so it was very familiar to her.  We ordered dinner in our room from the hotel restaurant. ( The menu is limited for a vegan, but you can still find something on their menu. We bring a cooler of food with us, anyway.)  We left early the next morning, two cups of coffee in hand from Las palmas Midway Inn Restaurant that is always open for breakfast, and, later,  as we passed through the last toll road gate, our friends Georgina and Peter called and said they wanted to feed us. We stopped at Secret Garden Vegetarian Restaurant in Ajijic for a wonderful dinner, and then left for home. We arrived exhausted.  Valentina collapsed in her bed as soon as it was set up,  and Tom and I collapsed in ours as soon as we unpacked the car.   Mission accomplished. The next morning we woke up to the sound of windchimes moving in the breeze accompanying a beautiful sunrise,  and a puppy stirring and beginning to make noises to go out to go peepee.

What’s All This Fuss About Enzymes?

I’ve been reading a lot of entries in forums about dog nutrition.  When the subject of vegan dog nutrition comes up, I frequently read the criticism that dogs do not produce amylase, and therefore they cannot break down carbohydrates (starches and sugars). Therefore, dogs should be fed an all raw, all meat diet and I am doing a disservice to my Great Dane puppy by feeding her a vegan diet. After having read the range of internet information and advice (much of it conflicting), I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people are misinformed or underinformed: humans produce amylase in the salivary glands and in the pancreas.  Dogs get their amylase from their pancreas.  And we all get amylase from the many fruits and vegetables that are available to us. (In the wild, dogs would also get amylase from eating some of the entrails of their prey.) All mammals need amylase, and  produce it in the pancreas, but only humans, primates, rodents, and lagomorphs produce it in the salivary glands.

Whether you are talking about dogs or people, it really doesn’t matter: we all need enzymes in order to live.  I must admit that, having been a vegan for almost 36 years, for most of those years, I have chosen my nourishment a bit by happenstance.  It was only about four years ago that I began looking into the basic elements of food and digestion. This is made possible by myriad nutrition websites. I’m not saying that my nourishment was poor.  Even before I became a vegan/vegetarian I adored vegetables, and always lived by the principle that if you eat a rainbow variety of colors of vegetables you are getting a wide variety of nutrients.  I always made sure that I ate protein, carbohydrates and some “good fats” every day. Having a thoracic surgeon father and a nurse mother, my exposure to the world of nutrition, science, biology, and medicine was ongoing as I grew up.   My mother always had a variety of fresh and cooked vegetables, carbs and protein as choices on the dinner table.  I guess you could say that as long as I’ve been a vegan, I’ve always been a partially cooked/partially raw vegan because I love raw foods. When I began researching the raw vegan diet – as a result of viewing the DVD Raw for Thirty: Reducing Diabetes in Thirty Days, and the DVD Raw For Life: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of the Raw Food Lifestyle – I began to really internalize the ultimate power of raw food, and why it must be an integral part of everyone’s diet. I became a green smoothie enthusiast (It reduces chewing, breaks down the cell walls and facilitates absorption of nutrients, and is just plain delicious!). I ordered my Excelsior dehydrator (actually two: one for the US and one for Mexico). I purchased one and then another Vitamix blender.  You get the picture.  I have no official degree in nutrition, but when I become interested in a subject, I dive into it. My bookshelf on the raw vegan diet is overstuffed – and growing! Many enlightened nutritionists frequently quote the ancient paradigm, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food.”  As I began to understand the number and kinds of nutrients that are destroyed in the cooking process over the temperature of 110 degrees F, I came to realize how important raw food is in the diet of all mammals, and how its lack in the diet can cause a plethora of problems.

I am not a nutritionist, and can only offer my humble opinions on the subject, so I offer the caveat that you should definitely verify all this information yourself before changing your dog's diet.  I am only offering what I have gleaned from many sources I have researched.

 

Batteries Included

Simply stated, enzymes are like batteries for your body’s processes – without batteries your iPod, portable boom box, toys, cell phone, etc. will not work.  Enzymes produce the “spark” responsible for starting the necessary interactions in the body that keep it running.  Without enzymes, there is no miracle of life.  There are thousands of them in the body, and they each have their own functions. Some are responsible for interactions in the processes of cellular function and energy; some work in repairing the body; some help in concentrating various elements in the blood; some work in ridding the lungs of carbon dioxide; some aid in detoxifying the body of various wastes.  

 

Some enzymes are catalysts in the process of assimilation and digestion.  When a “shipment” of food arrives in the body, digestive enzymes  go to work, break it down into small, “decoded” parcels and send it to the necessary “departments” for utilization in the many other processes necessary for life. Metabolic enzymes at the cell level, like “biological translators”, take the “raw energy parcels” and translate them into usable energy for use in the body.  Nature has provided many of these enzymes that are necessary for digestion of the food within the food itself (batteries included!). In many cases, raw food not only provides the enzymes necessary for digestion, it provides extra enzymes that can refill the body’s stores of enzymes.  All these miracles happen automatically in your body.  You don’t have to do a thing other than supply the “batteries”.  If you don’t supply the batteries, your body will have to pull them from a precious store of enzymes stored within the body that it may need for other processes. And, it takes a great deal of energy for the body to do this.

I don’t know about you, but when I buy various electronic items, allowing for similar quality, I always look for the item that has batteries included.  And now, I do the same with food.

Viva Enzymes!

If you eat a food that has been cooked at a temperature above  110 degrees Fahrenheit, fry the food, cook it in oil , refine its carbohydrates (such as in breads and pastries), or denature, freeze, or pasteurize the food in any way, it has been degraded and made deficient in enzymes and other nutrients.  I understand that although a few vitamins and nutrients might remain, enzymes are very delicate and will be annihilated if the temperature goes above 110 degrees.  There are a few exceptions, such as careful steaming of vegetables such that the interior of the vegetable is barely cooked, so that some nutrients may remain. Enzymes are available in living food -- food that is raw, uncooked, or cooked in a dehydrator at 110 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

Different Kinds of Enzymes

Digestive enzymes break down different kinds of nutrients.  Amylase breaks down sugars and carbohydrates (Maltase breaks down malt sugar from grains and carbohydrates; sucrase breaks down cane sugar; lactase breaks down milk sugar.) Lipase breaks down unrefined fats, such as those in raw nuts and seeds and quality oils. Protease breaks down proteins. Cellulases break down cellulose. Metabolic enzymes, such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)  are found in all green plants (including young cereal grasses such as wheatgrass and barleygrass), sprouts and broccoli.

Valentina’s Diet

Sooo, what does all of this mean for Valentina, my Great Dane puppy, and for anyone’s dog?

I don’t know anyone who actually calculates the totals on every aspect of nutritional analysis of the food they, or their dogs eat.  Some may total calories, or carbs, proteins and fats, but those who write down the totals on every milligram of every nutrient are few. It takes a lot of time, and we all have busy schedules! And, in addition, our bodies are so forgiving.  (What about that piece of nutritionally worthless birthday cake you ate at work in place of a nourishing lunch?)  What I’m trying to do with Valentina’s nutrition is go for the nutrient-packed foods, and provide supplements where they may help in the digestive process. This means I go for sprouts (nutrient-, and enzyme-rich), pineapple and papaya slice treats, nuts and seeds (not macadamia nuts – they are poisonous to dogs.) As I collect recipes for vegan dog food,  vegan kibble and vegan dog treats, I’m going to test them baking them in my Excelsior Dehydrator oven at no higher than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, so I preserve those delicate enzymes. (I’ll be sharing recipes that I test and ones that I modify on the blog.) So far, I have been adding the VegeDog supplement (Harbingers of a New Age, www.vegepet.com) for vitamins, etc., Nzyme supplement (Nzyme Sprouted Granules, www.Nzymes.com) or Prozyme Plus Supplement (www.vegepet.com) for enzymes, (BacPak by www.Nzymes.com) or PB8 (available in most health food stores) for probiotics, and yeast (nutritional) or VegeYeast (www.vegepet.com) to her food.  I have some Natural Balance Vegan dry dog food that I will be taking with us when we travel to Mexico, to use as an occasional back-up emergency food alternative.  I’m not counting on finding an ample supply of vegan dog food in Mexico, and, besides, homemade dog food is a lot healthier anyway.

Very Healthy, Happy and Energetic

We just took Valentina to the vet today for her rabies shot.  He gave her a full evaluation and pronounced her very healthy, happy and energetic.  She turns 12 weeks tomorrow and has more than doubled her weight since we got her at almost 7 weeks old.  She weighed 8.8 lbs. when we got her. She now weighs 22.8 lbs!

Broccoli Bones!

I continue to search the internet for research and info on diet for the Great Dane.  One of the first books I ordered several months ago, long before Valentina whelped/was born,  was, Canine Nutrition and Breed Specific Diets: The Best Diet for a Great Dane, by William D. Cusick. (www.wdcusick.com)  In his books, which are each breed specific, he discusses the background and history of the breed as well as the necessary nutrients a dog needs at various stages of life, and offers recipes for making the dog food at all of these stages. (Although his recipes are developed for a carnivorous Great Dane, I wanted to make sure I was supplying all the necessary nutrients to my future dog's diet.) He warns against feeding dogs commercial dog food and states that commercial dog treats are extremely toxic for dogs. The book costs $30, but I think it's well worth it. I learned of Cusick's book on the Great Dane diet when I found the internet article "Dead Dog Food" by Carrie L. Clayton. http://www.users.qwest.net/~carrielc/dogfoods.html Carrie Clayton's article should be required reading for any dog owner, present or future.  It explains exactly what those ingredient terms mean. I have learned a lot from just these two sources, and add in all the internet resources for vegan dogs/Great Danes, and I must admit, although I've learned a lot, I still have sooo much to learn.

One of the ingredients in Cusick's recipes is fresh broccoli.A few days ago, I was cutting up a few stalks of broccoli to oven roast the florets for Tom and me.  (A little olive oil spray, a little salt and pepper, 20 min. or so at 400 degrees, just until the florets start to turn crispy brown on the edges. If you haven't tried it, you'll be surprised by its nutty flavor!) I pulled off a raw floret for Valentina, and to my surprise, it was the hit of the evening. Valentina loved it. I decided to keep the raw stalks I had cut off, washed one, made a fresh cut off the dried end and gave it to Valentina. It lasted about 2 days; not a single piece was left on the floor.  She loved her broccoli bone.  It was soft and crunchy enough to be soothing to her puppy teeth. She's working on her second broccoli bone now. Whodathunkit! Broccoli bones!

First Canine Encounter

Yesterday, Valentina had her first "socialization experience".  She visited with her cousin, my sister and brother-in-law's dog Spencer.  Spencer is a rescue dog, who, if he had any trauma in his past,  appears to have been wonderfully rehabilitated.  He's a medium-sized terrier mix, as far as I can tell, and has a sweet temperment.  Spencer is very happy in his new home.  But, you never know what can happen.  I watched carefully as Spencer came near Valentina.  The first indication of how the two dogs were taking this encounter was a pair of wagging tails.  Spencer was very gentle with Valentina, and Valentina was very enthusiastic and ready to play.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  As the encounter came to an end, Spencer was lying on the floor next to my brother-in-law and Valentina was casually draped over Spencer in the same way she had done with her Dad when we went to get her. Her first canine encounter was a very positive one! Valentina loves her new cousin!