Cool Summer Fro-Yo Treats

Have you seen doggie ice cream? Several different companies are making it. They even sell it next to ice cream in the freezer case at my local grocery. Max loves the stuff, but have you seen the ingredient list? Blech! Max has a sensitive stomach so we whip up our own which is incredibly easy and cheaper too!

What you need:
Fruit or flavors your dog loves (Max loves strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon... you get the idea)
A large tub of plain or vanilla yogurt with as few weird ingredients as possible

What you do:
Process your fruit into a puree' in the blender or food processer
Add your yogurt and blend some more
Pour the whole mixture into cupcake liners or ice cube trays and freeze.
Once the yogurt is frozen you can pop the cubes or cupcake liners out of their trays and put into a baggie for storage.

I know it's not rocket science but really, your dog's gut will thank you for not having all the weird ingredients and you'll feel much less guilty about not sharing your fudge bar in the heat of the summer. Stay cool dog friends!

*Quick update: I used muffin liners but after seeing what a pain they are to get off the fro-yo once it's frozen, I wouldn't recommend them unless they're somehow waxed. Next time I'll just pour directly into the muffin tin.

Dog Food Sunday

So now I'm that lady, the one who makes her dog's food. The lady who calls the butcher and orders 80 lbs of roasts and 60 lbs of heart for the dog, who sources ingredients like I'm hunting Carmen San Diego and not only tracks what goes in but also what comes out. It didn't start out this way, I swear but he's so worth every bit of the process.

Max eats like we should. 

It took a good long while to get to this place in dog food-land. Max has eaten everything from grocery store brands (at previous adopter's homes) to high-end kibble and, most recently, commercial raw. We've done fish, chicken, turkey and finally beef, we've done grain and grain free, potato or not, Chinese herbs, probiotics and most anything else we could to get him to be not-itchy.

We thought we had a winning formula. We were feeding a commercial raw beef diet along with probiotics and fish oil. Max's coat was never great but the sores stopped erupting on his belly. The vet considered it a success and we stayed in our secure routine.

Then disaster struck. The pet food store stopped carrying his raw food. At first we got a warning saying they were going to stop in 6 months or so, then Sweetie went in for our monthly buy and we were told they had actually stopped immediately and were just selling off what the store had in inventory. Eek! The store blamed the company, the company claimed ignorance, I really didn't care. We needed something for him to eat. We found one other store in the Kansas City metro that carried his food with regularity and getting there was a hassle.

Sweetie and I had been batting around the idea of making Max's food but wanted to make sure it was done right so we contacted Sabine at Better Dog Care to design a diet that would meet his nutritional needs. There were two lengthy forms to fill out to help formulate his specific diet so this was no generic "cross your fingers" cookbook recipe. We got the new diet last week but had to run it by Dr. Awesome. Once she was on board, Sweetie and I went shopping.

First we went to the butcher for organ meats (who also just so happens to have awesome tacos on Saturdays too). Then we were off to the natural food store for some supplements, then to our grocery for meats and veggies. I've never bought that much beef roast at one time in my life and the meat counter guys thought I was a little strange for asking all my questions. Last week I called around and grabbed a better price from another butcher but that 80 lbs of roasts and 60 lbs of heart? Yeah, that's really happening. Thank doG for a deep freezer!

We bought every roast they had in the cut we needed!

Sunday night we started prepping. Sweetie did the veggies and fruits, dairy and supplements, I did the meats since she can't handle raw meat (literally and figuratively). There was some arguing as we worked out the best way to get this all accomplished but, 3 1/2 hours later, we got it done. I am now fully appreciating the food processor and grinder we got as gifts for Christmas. I don't think I would have wanted to grate all those veggies by hand!  Now we have almost a month's worth of dog food sitting in the deep freeze and I don't ever have to worry about the pet food store running out again. What does Max think of it, you ask? He whined over the good smells last night and ate with gusto today so I think we're on the right track! Do you fix your dog's food or add tasty bits now and again?

We're part of the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by Kols Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever. Don't forget to check out what's happening on the blogs!

Agility Jump Mods-Cradles

Oy! It's been awhile. How ya doin? Three weeks ago we lost Sadie, two weeks ago Max stressed his left leg which put him in a pretty big world of hurt. A trip to the Dr. Awesome was in order and Max got rest and leash restrictions for two weeks along with supplements. Yup, that's right. No walks, no running, no jumping and no stairs. All this made for an easily bored little boy and moms who racked their brains for stuff for him to do. Needless to say, we've gone through a lot of  training treats.

All camped out with toys, raw bone
and pillows for comfort

Treats and tricks are another post for another day but I wanted to get back to the DIY dog jump. Remember those? With Max out of commission for a bit, I'd almost forgotten but never fear! Here are the mods for DIY jump cradles.

You may have noticed, if you've looked at jumps online, that the bars to jump over are not permanently stuck in place. The bars are in pvc cradles so if a dog hits the bar the entire jump doesn't fall over. You can order cradles online but I haven't found a local source and they're a bit more expensive, especially when you factor in shipping.

Take heart, you can make them yourself using the pieces you already have!

DIY Custom Dog Jumps

Boing! Boing! Springs for feet!

Have you taught your dog to jump yet?  If you have and you want something a little more standardized, let me present the jump tutorial!

I really like these because they're cheap, quick and hands free while your dog is jumping. Your dog can also jump through it in a series if you have more than one jump, you can add it into a larger course or use it as an obstacle in training.

First you need to know what height to make your jump. For that, you need to measure your dog and find its jump class. Dogs are measured at the withers, that is, the highest point where the neck meets the back down to the floor. From there you can generally determine a jump height. The charts for different clubs and their jump heights can be found here (you can also order equipment on this site too, if you're so inclined). Max is 15 1/2" at the withers so the highest he will jump is a 16" bar, which is what I made.

Now that you've found your jump height let's get started! You will need 3/4 inch schedule 40 pvc pipe and slip fittings, how much depends on your jump height and a few other variables. Small dogs could probably get away with 1/2 inch pipe. Generally you can find pvc in the plumbing department. If you don't find it, don't hesitate to ask and ignore the "not it's intended use" statements employees sometimes prattle off. You'll also need a hack saw or electric saw, we used a miter saw, tape measure, permanent marker and pvc glue if you want it. *As always, if you're working with tools or glues please take appropriate safety measures.*

Here we go!

Easy Grocery Store Dog Treats

Life has gotten busy! With spring here and plants to go in the ground, lawns to mow and general life I haven't made Max treats in a while. With so many pet food and pet treat recalls lately, it's tempting to go "off the grid" and make everything yourself. There are plenty of people who do. I, however, am kinda lazy sometimes and so I've compiled a list of my go-to treats when I just don't feel like doing a full effort.

You can see a full list of Max's foods here but every dog is different. Find out what makes your dog beg and use it to your advantage. If you're in doubt talk to your vet. This is by no means comprehensive but a few ideas to get you started.

If you decide to make your dogs treats (make is a very loose term here) don't be afraid to try different foods. Be aware though, there are a few foods you should NEVER feed. These include:

• Grapes or Raisins (Can cause kidney failure)
• Onions/Shallots/Leeks/Chives/ Large Amounts of Garlic (Can cause Anemia)
• Chocolate (Theobromine can cause tremors and cardiac arrest)
• Macadamia Nuts (vomiting, ataxia, weakness, hyperthermia, and depression)
• Bread Dough (swelling from the yeast fermentation)

So what can you feed your dog? It's a long list but here are a few ideas to get your creativity going!

Max's New Friend- DIY Hedgie Toy

If your dog is like Max, you have a graveyard of forgotten toys. Max also has a glut of toys thanks to the check-out lines at the pet store filled with last minute, cheap squeakies.  Max's toys tend to rip along the seams because he loves to fling them in the air and shake them so I had a small pile of very worn toys to repair and I can't say I was excited about it. Then I saw this idea for a hedgehog toy from a car wash mitt on pinterest and decided I'd try it for Max. It took about 30 minutes start to finish so not a bad night's work.

First I destuffed the toys we were going to sacrifice and one of them still had a working squeaker so I kept that too. You can buy squeakers at your local big-box pet store if you don't have one to reuse. Next I went in search of the car wash mitt with thumbs. They were rumored to be at the dollar store but I didn't find any there so I headed next door to Old Time Pottery (love that store!) and found one for $1.99. They had several different colors but only the orange mitts had thumbs.

Dog bed project- Before and After

A luxury pet bed for your pampered pet

After

From an old, gutted console TV.

Before

For  detailed instructions see: 

Part1- Deconstructing

Part 2- Painting

Part 3-Mattress and Pillow

Pin It

DIY Luxury Dog Bed-Part 3

In our last two posts we dealt with gutting and painting a console tv for a new dog bed. This post deals with the mattress for the dog bed as well as the custom sheet and dog bone pillow.


Now on to the the mattress. I did some sewing for this as I found it created a clean look for a custom sheet. If you're not a sewer and the foam fits, you could use an old pillow case. I also used 1/4 inch elastic, a bit of batting and a safety pin.

I found an old crib mattress online or you could buy foam. I'd recommend using foam at least 3 inches thick. My mattress was 5 inches thick so that's what I went with. The mattress I had did have a few stains on in but no odors so I cleaned it with a bit with soap and let it dry in the shower.

My base board in the console was 19"x37" so I measured and marked the cuts for my mattress to 18"x36". To cut the mattress I found that an electric carving knife cuts through the foam like butta'. I also used spray adhesive to lay down a bit of batting over the top of the mattress for a little extra softness. 

Next is the sewing.

DIY Luxury Dog Bed-Part 2

In the first post we looked at how to deconstruct a console TV to be transformed into a great dog bed. In this post we'll complete painting part of the project.

First do a quick sand job with a fine grit sandpaper and wipe the console down with a damp or tack cloth. Then prime the piece, including the inside. After the primer has dried, spray or brush on a coat of you're preferred paint color. I've done white for this project. (During the painting, I did not have the hardware on the piece.) You may have to flip over the console  to get a better angle for the interior.

Don't forget to put a coat of paint on the base board that sets in the console. I also marked mine with the Recycled Rover logo.

After the paint has dried, reattach any hardware and measure the circumference of the baseboard before resetting it in the console.

Next time we'll put together the mattress with it's custom sheet and bone pillow.

DIY Luxury Dog Bed- Part 1

So it seems I'm always working on a project of some sort and I saw an absolutely beautiful dog bed online. After staring at the picture for awhile an idea sprung to life and I had to make one for Max. The dog bed I envisioned used an old console TV, so I searched Craigslist. With the help of sweetheart and some good friends the TV was acquired.

Perfectly good console TV

Hello World!

Hello World! This is my first post on this blog so please indulge me in telling you our story.
It all started with Max, a cocker spaniel my sweetheart and I adopted from a local shelter three years ago. He had several issues we were working through, and like all pet owners, I began searching for the best things for him. Along the way I discovered I could make most of the things he needed for much cheaper and better than I could buy it. This blog is dedicated to that with a few other DIY things thrown in. When possible we try to handmake, recycle and reuse because not only is it better to keep things out of landfills, but it was much cheaper and I am a thrifter at heart. I hope you enjoy the project ideas, recipes and tips that go into making Max the happiest dog he can be and are inspired to try your own ideas.

Of course I have to give props to my sweetheart for working on the layout code for me. If you want to check out her personal fitness blog, you can go here.