2007-05-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

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May edition 1
Blog Newsletter for Your New Puppy
It's not just puppies.
Puppy Care and Training, Yes,
But so Much More!Live Animal Radio, Cute Photos, Hilarious Videoes, Online Games, Jigsaw Puzzles, Slide Puzzles, Dog Biscuit Recipes, Dog Folkart, Ecards, Dog I.Q. Test, Dog Quotes and Poetry, Tricks, Paper Doll Dogs, Celeb Dogs, Articles, News, and Great Links!

Spring, fleas, and ticks. Yuck!
Hello friends,
Spring has showed herself here in Missouri but it wasn't that long ago I saw images on the news of the northern states buried in snow. And with spring comes the ticks and fleas... and the battle's on! Those pesty little things. I use to waste my money buying cheap tick and flea killers (sprays, shampoos, powder) and was constantly shampooing and spraying until I realized in the long run it was cheaper to just go ahead and pay the price for Frontline and use it once a month. It's the only thing that has actually worked for me... well, for my dog, Simone. She has extremely long hair. I try to have her shaved when the weather starts turning warm and that helps a lot. Well back to flea and tick products. I'm not going to bore you with stories about Simone, like home movies - they're only amusing to me. Right? Recently I've had an interest in natural products and wondered if anyone knew of a natural and effectual solution for this flea and tick problem? Email me I've always believed garlic in the diet warded off ticks and fleas but I just read from a trusted source that garlic is actually harmful to dogs. Which reminds me... Petplace.com has a list of dangerous and toxic houseplants that are harmful to dogs "20 Common House Plants: Are They Dangerous to Your Dog?". Here's the link.

Well the Pet Food scare is NOT over Just when I thought it was getting safe more dog foods have been recalled. May 3 this article came out:

NEW YORK, May 3, 2007—With Menu Foods yesterday greatly expanding its recall of pet food products due to new evidence of cross-contamination, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today warned pet parents that this crisis is far from over, and urged them to watch their pets closely for any symptoms that may be related to the recall.
“Given the fact that there is new evidence of cross-contamination in ingredients that may have been considered safe prior to this news, we need to be much more aware of where the ingredients in our pets’ food are coming from,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill. You can read the complete article here. The ASPCA continues to warn pet parents to stay extremely alert to the situation. “Please stay abreast of recall news, which you can do via our Pet Food Recall Resource Center on our website, and remain extremely vigilant to your pets’ wellbeing. If they have eaten any of the recalled foods or show any of the signs generally attributed to kidney failure—or illness in general—please take them to your veterinarian immediately,” urged Dr. Murray.
The ASPCA continues to monitor the situation, and is providing regular updates and advice for pet parents at its Pet Food Recall Center.
Recent addition
Drs. Foster & Smith (dry food) Updated: May 7, 2007

Home Made
In lieu of the above I made some home made dog bones for Simone. She loves them. Neighbor dog, too. The recipe is simple. I love it. I'll give it to you. I have to say this - get your vet's approval before feeding it to your dog and be aware of any allergies your dog might have.
Submitted By: Three Dog Bakery
Recipe:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used organic)
1/2 cup powdered low fat dry milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder *I know I said garlic wasn't good for dogs but I also read in small
seasoning quantities its okay. But again ASK YOUR VET!
1 tsp. brown sugar
6 tbs. unsalted butter or Crisco
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup ice water
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter or shortening. Mix water and egg, add to dry ingredients. Grease cookie sheet. Pat dough out to about 1/2 inch thick and cut with cookie cutter. Pat out scraps and proceed as before. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (you can add more garlic and brown sugar if you prefer). I had to leave mine in the oven an additional 15 minutes to get them hard so they snap when you break them and aren't soft inside. You shouldn't be able to make a dent in it with your finger or nail. It's key to turn the oven off and leave them in their to cool. There's more recipes at Hungry Mutt.

I also found some recipes for making your own dog food. I feed my dog Beneful. You haven't heard anything bad about that product have you! Hopefully not.

Here's a fun site I came across today. http://www.funstufffordogs.com/dogtalesnewsletter.htm

This edition's freebie Pet Aromatics http://www.petaromatics.com/contact.html Send them your dog's names and birthdays and they'll send them a special gift on their special day! (I don't know what the gift is - hope it isn't something to eat. Don't take any chances if its something to eat or a greenie, etc.)

This edition's trick Crawl
Start by having your dog lie down. Hold a treat just in front of his nose and say, "Crawl." If he starts to stand up, say, "No, down...crawl." Pull the treat away, keeping it low, near the ground and say, "Craaawl." When your dog moves even an inch or two without standing up, praise him and say, "Good dog! Craaawl." TIP:Your dog must know 'Down' ' before he can learn this trick. (See Basic Training) This is from How to Love Your Dog listed in My Favorite Links on my blog Your New Puppy http://www.puppycare.blogspot.com/ Check out my other favorites. More Tricks...

This edition's Game Dingleball Dog (when you get there scroll down and hit Play)From Puppy Dog Games on my blog. http://www.puppycare.blogspot.com/
More Games...

Quote
A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself. - Josh Billings

Paws to hug your dog today.
Teresa and Simone

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Puppy Gram!