After a bit of wandering around, getting off track, missing the boat – and all that good stuff, we FINALLY have a handle on the photo contest!  From now on it will be on time and current – I promise!  Go to our Enter To Win page on the

Any action shot will do - playing in the water is always a good bet for summertime fun!

website for all the directions for entering.  Hey, the prizes ROCK!!!

Each month we will have a different theme – for the month of August we want you to catch your pet in action – playing, running, hunting, swimming etc.  Any sort of action shot will do.  Being that its the end of the summer, its time we all got out and enjoyed ourselves before Old Man Winter rears his ugly head (then again, action shots in the snow will be a great theme……).  If your pup has a favorite toy – snap a shot of him playing with it.  Loves to run in the fields looking for bunnies?  Get a pic and send it in.  Make sure to tell us who your pets are in the photos so we can list their names in our gallery and know to whom we are awarding the prize!  First, second and third prizes will be awarded to three lucky players. Send in as many pics as you wish – any photo could be a winner!  Photos for the August contest must be submitted on or before August 30th with prizes to be awarded by the 6th of September.  September first will start our next contest – this time I mean it!

So take a chance – show us the photos!  You never know when you might win!

There’s just something about the noise that a plastic water bottle makes that drives dog’s CRAZY!  Wrap that same bottle up in a fuzzy furry wrapper and you have a match made in heaven that will give your puppy or adult dog plenty of playtime pleasure!

Bottle Buddies are a soft furry pocket shaped like a dog, pig or cow, that cover up a used water bottle inside.  Far more interesting than “just” a bottle, dogs both young and old tend to love them.  The noise of the bottle keeps them interested and the lack of stuffing makes them last longer than your basic stuffed toy.  The bottle inside, when crushed sufficiently, can be replaced by any used water bottle making these toys environmentally friendly.  You can recycle in the comfort of your own home.  A velcro closure at the bottom of the pocket makes replacing bottles easy and quick plus is strong enough to prevent most dogs from releasing the bottle from its furry companion.

My personal experience is one Bottle Buddy that has made it successfully through 4 large breed dogs and one large breed puppy for the past 8 months.  Its a little ragged, has lost an ear, but still closes, still covers up the bottle and still performs as well as the day it made its debut.  The cover is fully washable if it becomes necessary but honestly – haven’t washed this one even once yet.  I think my dogs prefer it slightly soiled truth be told.

In the neverending quest that we, as dog owners, seem to be on in search of durable lasting toys, this is probably one of the best values I have found – the dogs love it and anything that can last for 8 plus months in THIS house is a winner in my book!

Reagan

Its never a good thing to hear that your dog is in kidney failure, Chronic Renal Failure, has high kidney values or what have you.  Its devastating because far too often these dogs go downhill and go down fast.  Usually, if you have a traditional vet, they will put your dog immediately on a prescription diet – most commonly Science Diet K/D.

The ingredients in K/D, leave much to be desired.  The first few are as follows:

“Brewers Rice, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Corn Gluten

Many pets with kidney problems won't eat prescription diets causing their systems to weaken and rendering them unable to fight the disease

Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Beet Pulp, L-Lysine, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt…”

Note the decided lack of meat.  Erroneously, the first decision that many jump to when faced with a pet that has kidney problems is that they no longer should have protein.  The fact is that they need to be fed less PHOSPHORUS and the RIGHT proteins.

Proteins make up the bulk of a carnivore’s diet and make no mistake, our dogs and cats ARE carnivores.  The best proteins for our little house carnivores are animal based as they contain all the essential amino acids that our pets need.  To deprive our dog, or cat, of protein, is to take away the most vital part of their diet.  Contrary to the belief of some, protein does not cause kidney problems as a pet ages nor is it necessary to erase them from the diet of an animal showing signs of distressed kidneys.

According to www.dogaware.com, one of the leading sites on dealing with kidney problems in our pets, lowering the phosphorus in our pet’s diet has been shown to “slow the progression of kidney disease.”  Further, feeding fattier meats will supply calories while reducing phosphorus levels so long as care is taken with dogs prone to pancreatitis.  Raw fats are processed far more easily by dogs and cats and always should receive preference over cooked fats.

It is also important to avoid feeding bones which are quite high in phosphorus.  Using a calcium supplement to replace bones is a must for kidney patients.  Calcium from a whole food source – such as Eggshellent Calcium – is a far better choice than using synthetic calcium supplements and are easy to add to your pet’s food.  Removing the bones reduces phosphorus level of which bones have a high amount.  Calcium acts as a phosphorus binder and in this manner helps the kidneys deal with any phosphorus that is present.  Avoiding other foods high in phosphorus is also key.  Foods like fish, cheese and organ meats should be generally avoided with the exception of organ meats which should be fed in small amounts and only very moderately due to the nutritional benefits that they provide.   Your basic dietary goals should therefore include, moderate to high amounts of fat, high quality protein, low phosphorus and plenty of water. (Whole Dog Journal, May 2005).

When pets are placed on a prescription diet, it is often noted that they begin to suffer from inappetence.  This is hardly conducive to fighting the kidney problems – in fact it often compromises the animal as he gets weaker and weaker from

Raw Green Tripe can be a lifesaver for a pet suffering from chronic renal failure

lack of nutrition.  One of the most perfect foods for kidney patients is Raw Green Tripe.  Naturally low in phosphorus with a perfect amount of calcium through non-bone sources to bind what phosphorus there is, it tends to be a favorite of most all dogs (cats, not as much as they aren’t drawn nearly so much to smelly foods).  Many dogs who will not or have stopped eating their prescription kibble will begin to eat once more when faced with a pungent bowl of raw tripe.  Tripe, which is the stomach of a ruminant animal, is quite nearly a complete food and if it is all that your kidney dog will eat than you are actually in good shape.  Variety is always nice and preferable, but tripe can fulfill their nutritional needs and is rarely ignored.

At A Place For Paws we offer a kidney package containing both Raw Green Tripe and our specially formulated Pork and Veggies mix that includes Eggshellent Calcium rather than actual pork bone.  A combination of the two can make the difference in your kidney dog’s eating habits.  Also great for pets with kidney problems is Grizzly Salmon Oil.  Fish body oils provide high amounts of Omega 3 essential fatty acids which have been shown to help dogs with chronic renal failure or high kidney values (WDJ, 2005).   Remember, your pet needs good food in order to have a healthy body.  A healthy body is more than necessary for fighting off their illness – poor nutrition will simply weaken your pet making the end come far more quickly than it has to.