Whirlwinds of Change

Hi friends and welcome to this installment of the M and Zee's Blog.

It's been an odd end to summer and beginning of Fall here in South Central Missouri. While we are having cool mornings and evenings, for the most part the afternoons are sunny and fairly warm. One never know just what to wear to work any more...I can pretty well bet most days if I dress warmly in the morning by afternoon I will be wishing I hadn't. I am sure that will change. We've yet to fire up our wood stove but it's all ready to go...just have to finish cracking and stacking some wood and gather up the kindling for the bucket.

The World Series is over and CONGRATULATIONS to my favorite baseball team...the BOSTON RED SOX ...on winning their second World Series in 4 years. People have asked me why I love the Red Sox so much and it's very simple. All to often you hear news stories of athletes running afoul of the law...violence and drug abuse and all that. It may not be all that common percentage wise considering the vast number of professional athletes in this country but because of their public visibility any time one gets in trouble it's all over the news. From what I have seen, the personnel involved in the Red Sox organization have very strict behavior policies and you just don't hear anything bad about them on or off the field. They all appear to conduct themselves in a professional manner ...good family men and very much involved in their respective communities.

Congratulations are also in order for the players and support staff of the National League Champion COLORADO ROCKIES. They have an awesome stadium and talented players and I know they will continue to be a driving force in major league baseball.

The Newf-L Baseball for Rescue is also over and I will mail the last of my donation checks ( matching what Donna Palen - who supported the New York Yankees ) donated. For those who missed it, those of us who participated ( Bronn Dennery, Mary Belford, Marlis Batscher, Donna and myself ) decided to pool our donations and select ONE Rescue...and this was the Independent Rescue run by Chris Pulver of Ridge, NY. I believe the total donations was around $ 300.00 for Chris' work...most of which come out of her own pocket.

The Newf-L Fall Challenge is also over. I still do not know what caused the glitch that did not enable me to post the Challenge to the List and that, I am sure, accounted for the decrease in participants. The Winner was Monica Mathews who won a Variety Pack of treats for Hera...and selected Health Challenge as the recipient of the $ 50.00 prize donation.

The next Newf-L Challenge will be closer to Thanksgiving and I hope the H.A.L 9000 of the University of Colorado will allow me to post the Challenge in it's entirety to the List...and if not....then it's back to posting it on the Blog.

Now...on to the Home Front....and yes, kiddies, there HAVE been quite a few changes here !!

For those of you who might have missed it...the first week of October I came across an online ad from a person looking for a home for a (then ) 9 month old Newfoundland ...and she was firm in that BREEDERS NEED NOT APPLY. While we often shrug our shoulders and seethe at the numbers of people who get Newfs and either do not care for them properly or keep them for a while and then, because they had no knowledge of the breed and it's needs , decide to "get rid of them"....this one was ...different.

So, I contacted the advertiser and forwarded the dog's information to Donna Palen and made arrangements to pick up the dog and foster her. She'd had the name " ONY"...and I'm not sure what that meant...except that perhaps it was short for "ORNERY"....and as I sat at work and pondered over a new name....I decided on "PEGGY SUE"...not sure why except that it was cute and bouncy and a happy sounding name. ..and when I laid eyes on this pretty little girl the name FIT.

It's pretty obvious that Peggy Sue comes from a BYB or a Puppy Mill...in many respects she does indeed look purebred except that her coat is very short...whether this is due to bad breeding or perhaps an all-too-exuberant clipping down by her former owners..I'm not sure...I figure if it is meant to grow in lush and full as we would expect of a Newf then it will and if not...oh well....she would just be a short coated Newf.

Peggy Sue fits right in with the pack....so well that within a week she had charmed the Bejesus out of my husband ( aka Mr No-More-God****-Dogs ) and it was decided that Peggy Sue had found here Forever Home. Made sense all the way around because we knew, because of severe separation issues, Zander would always require a companion and with Mollie being up there in years keeping Peggy Sue around for Zander was just a good idea.


Peggy Sue is around 10 months old now and somehow I suspect she is yet another litter mate to the two boy Newf Rescues I'd had earlier in the summer. She's the right age and even somewhat resembles Fortune ( aka Phoenix )..so it is a possibility and really kinda neat. Peggy Sue, as you can see, is solid black, hut she does have a while diamond on her chest. She's yet to come in season so since the people I'd asked...those whose expert opinions I truly respect....said I should wait until Peggy Sue has at least ONE and if possible TWO seasons prior to spaying...we shall see how she is developmentally after the first before making the spay appointment.

Peggy Sue came pretty much house trained and now is fully crate trained. She has trained US to put our shoes and stuff away and I still believe that issue was one of adjustment into new surroundings. She IS a digger...though...and has had several attempts to " dig all the way to China" in the pen....so I have filled the holes nearer the fence with heavy bricks and gravel/dirt and with dirt and rocks in the ones away from the fence. I also used an old trick of burying some dog poop in some of those holes...and I am considering renting out Peggy Sue as a garden tiller as she does a very GOOD job of loosening up soil.

She is very affectionate and yet quiet...and she will let me know when she has to go out to potty and quickly decided that getting her share of M and Zee's treats is very GOOD.

Mollie continues to do well...she'd had some rough days not too long ago and I was ( still am ) considering Adequan and/or acupuncture as a pain relief therapy. Although Mollie's primary vet is still Dr Jim in Jefferson City, because of Mollie's age I wanted her established with a local "back-up" or "emergency" vet because Jim is a 90 minute drive from my house and in a emergency this would not work. Too, because I am so very emotional when "that time" comes for one of my animals and I always stay with them as they are sent to the Bridge...I just did not want to subject Jim to a horribly shaking and bawling woman...most assuredly NOT a pretty sight. Anyway, the local vet Dr Deanna Tolliver is very nice...very active in breed rescue....and well understands Mollie's issues. She did not, however, think that Adequan would be beneficial to Mollie given her age ( 11 years and 4 months ) but that is just her opinion....whereas Jim would support the use of this injectable drug.

So....on to research.....most of you are well aware that short of heroics I will do and get for my dogs whatever they need and with Mollie...I laughingly state that you could probably sell me "snake oil" and tell me it would help my dog and I would buy it from you. One of patients where I work was telling me of a holistic website that he buys a lot of his vitamins from and there was also a section for pet remedies. So, I took a few minutes and checked it out...and took what I had read back to the KV Vet web site where I order just about all of my dog supplies.

The first site talked about the use of SUPER OXIDE DISMUTASE or SOD ...a natural substance that has purportedly been a "life-saver" for many pets with severe arthritis pain and other health issues. Apparently there have been lots of studies and personal testimonials on several other sites using various brand name forms of this free-radical eliminating supplement...so I found a bottle of this on KV Vet and figured " What the HELL"...it certainly wasn't going to hurt Mollie any and just maybe...just maybe...it would help her pain. It was reasonable priced and given the dosage recommended...the bottle would last 100 days ...time to see if it would help.

Well...this SOD 4000 may indeed be that " snake oil"....but I am here to tell you that even after only 6 days on this...not only am I seeing a definite positive response in Mollie but I have also been able to significantly DECREASE her pain medications ! When I would take Mollie anywhere it was always a chore to hoist her into the van.; she does not like to use the ramp...however, when I took her to Dr Tolliver's Friday afternoon ( November 2nd )...Mollie not only WANTED to get into the van....she darn near leaped up and into the crate on her own...something she has not done for AGES. At the clinic, where Mollie had in past years had some difficulty in walking on shiny tile floors...no problems at all and honestly she even looks happier !

Now...your mileage may vary and it may not be that panacea that those of with old dogs pray for...and the response may not increase as time goes on....but methinks that Mollie is going to stay on this supplement. As I mentioned earlier....I have been able to decrease Mollie's pain medications ( the Tramadol by 25 % and the aspirin by 33 % ) and soon will try to decrease her meloxicam and see if she continues to have that greater mobility and lessening of her arthritis pain.

On the COOKIE front...again there have been come changes that you will begin to see very soon. I had been using Sorbic Acid as my natural preservative and it always worked very well except that I noted as did several clients, that it would leave behind an "off " odor...almost fishy smelling and for sure made some clients wonder if the treats were indeed safe for their pets and I would, of course, assure them that the treats were indeed OK.

My supplier for the Sorbic Acid went out of business so several months ago I went back to research to find an alternative solution...a substance that would extend the shelf life of the treats but still it HAD to be all-natural. Although I do not refrigerate the treats I retain for my own dogs....I still and always will STRONGLY RECOMMEND to my clients that they keep their dogs' treats refrigerated or frozen !

I came across a supplier for commercial bakeries, Althytec Specialty Ingredients , based in Ohio and they market a substance labeled " Longer Shelf Life " which is a blend of natural flavors in a "tea" like liquid. I contacted them asking for more information and have exchanged several phone calls and e-mails with their customer service rep...who not only spent loads of time with me but also helped me calculate how much of the Longer Shelf Life I would need to add to each batch of cookies. I have just started this week using the Longer Shelf Life in my cookie recipes and so far I am pleased with the results and now will have to get into my label program and change my labels to reflect the change in my cookie preservative.

The worst problem I had was getting the damned bucket open...and thanks to my son who did so for me last weekend. The Longer Shelf Life is, as I stated, a liquid...almost vinegary in appearance and aroma...but this not only bakes away but leaves the cookies much more natural smelling....now your and your dogs will now more fully appreciate the aroma of the fruits and vegetables that go onto the M and Zee's Treats. While it was, I thought at first, somewhat pricey...using the calculations given to me the 10 gallon bucket will last quite a long time and does not need to be refrigerated after opening so I can dip out a gallon jug at a time to keep with the rest of my cookie baking supplies and keep the larger bucket sealed and safe. And, of course...whatever the price...the IMPORTANT thing is still being able to provide my own dogs and those of my clients with a safe and healthy ( as well as affordable ) treat alternative to the ones found on grocery store shelves.

Later I will be changing the Veggie Parmesan treat formula and instead of using the dehydrated potato flakes as one of the ingredients, I will be changing that to fresh REAL potatoes...again making this a healthier and I hope ( for your dogs ) a tastier treat.

In January 2008, I will also be adding a NEW flavor....due to client requests I had been asked to come up with a Peanut Butter based cookie and I have formulated a Peanut Butter/Apple cookie. As I must first secure approval of this formula from the Missouri Dept of Agriculture before offering this new flavor on my web site and renewal time is in December, I have decided to simply delay the new flavor until January. The formula, which will be made from fresh Apples, dry roasted unsalted peanuts and organic peanut oil, has already had several taste tests here and with several clients and all have given a FOUR PAWS UP rating so I am sure that once the Peanut Butter/Apple becomes available for sale...it will quickly become a favorite with your dogs as well as mine. As with all the others, it will be available in Regular as well as as Wheat Free.

We still have the Puppy Play Packs and Gift Certificates and from what I have been told the Gift Certificates that I have sent on to some of the Regional Clubs as donations to their activities have been quite welcomed and I hope have helped raise well needed funds for their Rescues and other Club activities. I welcome any requests from Regional Clubs for a Gift Certificate. They are easily e-mailed out to the Fund Raising Chair and easy for the winners to redeem via e-mail back to me.

Well....back to the kitchen....I have a nice new batch of Sweet Potato/Carrot dough to get ready to finish mixing and ready to bake tomorrow...

All of you have a GREAT weekend and remember WHO to thank for it !