Burdock: cooking for dogs

Autumn is the perfect time to include Burdock root in your dog's food, and if you can get it fresh, all the better (check at your local health food store or asian grocery).

Good for the dog = good for me.

Vida and I don't eat the same diet, but we do eat many of the same natural food supplements. I mix these up myself and fill two sets of jars, one for me, one for Vida (I'd share the jar with her but I prepare her food in a different room of the house).

It started out with just Vida gettin' the good stuff, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I would obviously benefit from many of the same superfoods.

If you don't feel comfortable at least sampling your dogs supplements, you should have serious reservations about feeding them to your dog.

Want to make your own greenfood supplement? Get good quality supplies at Starwest Botanicals.

Bath Day for the Change of Season

When the season changes Vida's coat starts to feel scuzzy and smell dirty, and she rolls around and scratches more.... that means bath time!

We're changing from Late Summer to Autumn, so for a couple of weeks I expect to see her energetic balance wobble a little bit since she's older.

She hasn't had a typical bath in years. I rinse her with herbal tea, the ingredients vary for the season or just by what I have on hand.

This batch has a little lavender, neem, and comfrey leaf, several soap nuts, and a generous heap of rose petals (the roses have been sitting around my apothecary for far too long). 

A warm rinse on the patio this morning has her smelling wonderful and feeling more settled, with last season's energy gently rinsed off to make room for Autumn.

Batch O'Veg: easy prep for your dog's fresh meals

I'm just like you - I moan about finding time to make food for my dog. 

I feel like it took me all week to wake up, pay attention, and make time to grind up veggies, even though it doesn't take long to make a big batch that I can use for some time. I blame the design of food processors, haha! You have to take it apart to scoop out and refill several times, and then there's the clean up. Ok, ok, first world problems, right. It's really not that bad. 

Today I made 6 cups of densely nutritious veggies, and it was easy! It smelled so good while I was making it, so fresh and green, and I know my dog will have naturally occurring vitamins and minerals that will help support her body, improve her ability to naturally detoxify, fill her with yummy antioxidants, provide her with digestive support, and help keep her in balance with the season. 

How I loved my dog this week

I loved my dog this week:by taking her in for a wellness check and blood test with her new holistic vet, Dr. Bausone. I was very impressed with his assessment skills and his perspective on her current condition made a lot of sense as he recommended a TCM herbal formula to build Kidney Qi and hopefully improve the stability of her skeleton (she hasn't been holding her chiropractic adjustments well this year). Her blood test results came back a few days later and she was picture perfect in that regard (she hasn't had a blood test for a few years, since her cancer treatment), including heartworm free (yes! I love to see the good results of my natural and safe prevention methods on that).

I loved my dog this week:
by changing plans to allow for the extreme heat we're experiencing here in San Diego. I left her home on outings she'd typically accompany me on, and I've not asked her to exercise much because it would raise her temperature. This heat means let your dog be a layabout!

I loved my dog this week:

as I watched her calmly continue to educate our new teen dog office-mate on the fact that Vida poses no threat to her person or possessions. No drama! Thank you Vida, for teaching me too.

Flea Fight!

Arrgghh! Fleas! Sooo irritating, and they're on the dog, not me, but I'm almost as involved as she is in getting them off. But I'm not gonna use some magic pill, nor neurotoxic gel, oh no. I may hate fleas, but I hate chemical toxins much more!

Spring is coming - what's in the mix?

Simple Advice for the New Year