Progress in the Cookie Field

Good Morning all,

M and Zee's continues to thrive and I have been blessed with many new as well as repeat clients and I continue to put their best interests and those of their dogs in the forefront.

I have recently purchased a freezer for long term storage....both for baked treats and for pre-made dough as well as the prepped fruits and veggies that I can now stock up on when they are on sale or in season . This will guarantee the absolute freshest treats I can possibly provide for your beloved pets.

Last week I filed paperwork with the Missouri Department of Agriculture for approval of two new flavors: Apple/Zucchini and Zucchini/Carrot and once approval is secured for these new flavors, Donna will add them to the web site and to the Shopping Cart. I thoroughly tested these treats with my own dogs as well as with outside testers and I believe that these new flavors will also meet with your dogs' approval. They will be available in Regular as well as Wheat Free varieties.

At the request of two potential clients, I am also working to develop a Grain Free Treat for those dogs which are on severely restricted diets due to the canine version of Celiac ( IBD type ) Disease and those with severe skin and other allergies.

The Grain Free treats will use plain dehydrated white potato flakes, Tapioca and Potato flours as the binders instead of the oatmeal, wheat and rye flours the other treats contain.

The Grain Free Treats are still in the testing phase and will not be available for a while....they have to be tested for palatability and storage by the clients who requested this variety ( they have already met the approval of mine....need you ask ) plus research into the marketing costs of these treats. They would also, as with all treats, have to have documents filed and approved by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Unfortunately, the price for these will have to be markedly higher than the other treats simply because I do not have a local bulk source for the Tapioca and Potato Flours and to buy them in the 1 lb packages is just not cost-efficient....one of the goals of M and Zee's is to provide an affordable treat for your dogs....not just the best tasting ones. Due to storage issues, the Grain Free will only be available in one or perhaps at most two flavors....to be determined at a later time.

So, we shall see what transpires on this front......

As many of you know, my darling Mollie ( almost 11 years old ) is not doing very well. Her arthritis is progressing rapidly, which necessitated the addition of an opiate type pain reliever. There will have to be some careful balancing so that we may obtain the optimal response to the Tramadol and have her experience as few of the side effects ( nausea, constipation and lethargy ) as possible.

I will be relying on the expertise of all my friends, especially Suzi Bidwell, Julie Thomas, Donna Hudson, Chuck Holtzen as well as Mollie's vet, Dr James Howard of Jefferson City, MO, but also ask for your prayers and good wishes as well. Mollie, as you all know, is my first Newf and she is very special to me so I assure you that I will not give up without a darn good fight.

Have a Great Day all of you and please take a moment to remember Who gave it to you.