Dropping brands from the Trials

Due to the recent recalls (Salmonella) issued by Diamond, I will be dropping Canidae and Solid Gold from the trail. Why? Oregon isn't mentioned in the list of states that South Carolina plant distributes food to. BUT, it is. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond, and due to the plant closure, it's very hard to find here. So they do distribute some of the South Carolina plant's foods to this state, but probably through another state's warehouse. Taste of the Wild is not on the recall list (yet) and neither is Canidae or Solid Gold (yet), but I'd rather not chance giving my dog Salmonella right now.

Until the recall is situated, I will probably find a different food for Juneau and Sasha to eat.

But but but, you feed Conker raw chicken! Yes, I do. But there isn't a recall on Salmonella infected raw chicken now, is there?


To see more information on the Diamond pet food recalls, you can check it out on a site setup specifically for the recalls, or you can go to dog food advisor and read about it there.

Investigation

Conker investigates a previously safe footbridge. Weather and horses damaged it and pink paint was sprayed on the gaps so they were more visible. This was alarming to Conker who had to sniff every patch of pink before he deemed the bridge safe again.

(September, 2011)

Fail Bread

Look at that badass keyboard in the background

I suck at making bread. I have tried several times in the past couple weeks and the result is always the same. Bread don't rise. I've tested the yeast, it works, follow the recipes to the dot, still no rise. So I have (for the time being) given up on rising bread and decided to just go with flat bread. A.k.a. Fail bread.

I prefer to call my fail bread "Puck" bread. Puck since I usually shape it into a round circle that resembles a hockey puck. It's also quite dense, another reason for calling it a puck, but still good enough to eat. I am going to explore what I can do with puck breads and hopefully I'll come up with one that is good enough to share.


So... Why make bread?
1. I like to make and experiment with things, and food is a big interest of mine. Has been for a while.
2. I generally disagree with how food is handled in this country (industrialization of food = stupid idea) and the more processed a food item is, the more likely I'm not going to eat it. But bread is pretty processed, even if homemade, right? Wrong! Homemade bread is way less processed, and it doesn't include ingredients I am trying to avoid since I can control what goes into it. (Another reason why I prefer to make my dog's food, too.)
3. I am trying to avoid wheat. And I love bread, but when you take wheat away, bread goes too. Why avoid wheat? I'm not allergic to it (that I know of) and I'm certainly not gluten intolerant, but I have noticed that whenever I eat wheat (or something that's highly processed) it has, difficulties, coming out. 
4. I love rye and oats, and 100% rye or oat bread doesn't seem to exist anymore.

Footbridge

Conker contemplated crossing the footbridge for about five minutes before he decided it was safe. There are many little wooden bridges in Cathedral Hills and he did this at every one the first time we came upon them. And he still does it with each new bridge we encounter.

(September, 2011)

Bare Feet Bare Paws

Conker and I both hike barefoot. When the temperature allows, that is. Well, Conker is always barefoot (got no "booties" for him, as there is no need) and when I'm not, I wear my toe shoes instead. In order to stay warm when it's cold, I wear toe socks in the toe shoes. If they get wet... my feet freeze. That is why I don't like to go out when it's raining.

(September, 2011)

Shiba In The Pool

He went in on his own, and got stuck in that corner. I had to help him out.

(September, 2011)

The Kibble Trials: Contestant #2 Wellness CORE: Ocean

The second kibble being tested in The Kibble Trials is Wellness CORE: Ocean. It is a fish-based food (which seem to be the majority of contestants) that has rather attractive packaging.

The Rundown.

Wellness has a pretty good selection of foods to choose from. Only one of them, the CORE line, fell within the criteria I had laid out for the kibbles that are included in the Trials. There are three choices; Original, which is a poultry-based food, Ocean, which is a fish-based food, and Reduced Fat, which I think is bougus.
I went with Ocean because it did not include chicken.

Ingredients:
Whitefish, Herring Meal, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Tomato Pomace, Natural Fish Flavor, Ground Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.


Guaranteed Analysis:

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein     Not less than     34%
Crude Fat     Not less than     16%
Crude Fiber     Not more than     7%
Moisture     Not more than     10%
Calcium     Not more than     2.1%
Phosphorus     Not more than     1.45%
Vitamin E     Not less than     400 IU/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*     Not less than     2.00%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*     Not less than     0.80%
Glucosamine*     Not less than     250 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate*     Not less than     200 mg/kg
Beta-Carotene*     Not less than     5 mg/kg
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms*     Not less than     80,000,000 CFU/lb

The 4lb bag normally costs about $16 but I got it for $14. I also bought a can of the CORE, a can each of the 95% meat varieties: beef, lamb, and salmon as well as one can of lamb and beef stew.

This food (kibble) has about 32% protein, 37% fat, and 31% carbs (calorie weighted basis from Original formula on dog food advisor) which is a noticeable deviation from Conker's "normal" diet of something like 30-33% protein, 50-55% fat, and 15-18% carbs. The protein is good but the fat and carbs are off, so hopefully this won't affect him too much. (It has with certain foods in the past.)

The Kibble Trials: Natire's Variety: Results

The Nature's Variety trail went quite well. Conker never refused to eat the food (I think he might have, given enough time eating the same thing over and over again. He's not into that.) and had no transition period. He went straight from raw food to NV with no problems whatsoever.

The Kibble

The 4.5 pound bag and three cans lasted about 25 days. Longer than I thought, but I did add in cans so that lengthened the trail a bit.

Conker did pretty good on this food, better than I thought he would. Not as good as his normal diet, but good enough for me to really like the results.
He developed a slight "doggy" odor. He doesn't usually have one, and I have noticed that this happens only when he eats commercial foods. It wasn't enough to notice unless you stuck your face into his fur.
His poop was nice and small, but bigger than usual. It was not nasty smelly though, which is a plus.
Conker did develop some gross on his teeth but I was easily able to get it off with a tooth scraper and by giving him some chews.

The Cans

The kibbles are very small and quite dense. The canned food was dense as well, nice and compact instead of icky like most dog food is. It didn't have a terrible odor either.
I did add in a can of Prairie Pork & Sweet Potato which is labeled as a stew, and did look like stew. Conker liked that one a lot.

The kibble and canned

Overall I really liked this food. My only problems with it are some of the nutrient levels. Unlike most dog food companies, Nature's Variety lists the complete nutrient analysis for several of their foods instead of just a guaranteed analysis. I really like this, but at the same time, I was able to fully compare this food to Conker's normal food and I did not like some of the things I saw. (More on this later.)

Cell Tower

On the top of Dollar Hill (mountain) is a rather unspectacular, noisy cell phone tower.

(August, 2011)

Update on the Here and Now

Not much has been going on. I haven't gone for a "proper" walk in weeks, the temperatures spiked to almost 90 degrees over the weekend (something like a 30 degree instant shift there) which I thought was delightful. I spent a good chunk of time reading outside in the heat.

Conker taking a break on the trail

Speaking of weekends, Conker and I went on a hike at Cathedral Hills. We ran into a man with a horse (I caught Conker before he had a chance to try to commit suicide) and the horseman and I had a nice chat about the Shiba Inu breed. He was actually quite interested in their history and how they were used for hunting. My guess is that he hunts, possibly with dogs. He surely looked like the hunter type.
Anywho, we got a lot of rain somewhat recently and a buckton of wildflowers were popping up all over the place. I tried to get some pictures of them but the sun wasn't quite right for flower pictures. The flowers were DEEP red with a hint of purple, ivory white, bright lavender, yellow, and an amazing shade of purple-tinted dark blue. I will try to get a better picture if they are still there the next time I go.

One of Conker's "hobbies" is sniffing every flower he can. Seriously, he always does it

I got a computer up and running but it's full of quirks I am not used to. I do not have my own working computer mouse so I have to use the office comp's mouse (which means I basically, like before, can't use the comp unless nobody else is or wants to, since the mouse is not mine), and while I have installed photochop onto the comp, it's difficult to use because it's FINICKY.

Like usual, I have, again, reverted back to my "normal" nocturnal schedule. At least it's still light out until like, 8PM. And since nobody is around I can cook all the liver I want. Oh, didn't I tell you? I EAT LIVER AND LOVE IT! Liver is delish, especially when it comes from pastured, naturally raised, cruelty-free pigs.

I have gone to the farmer's market a couple times. Did you know that radishes are AWESOME? I haven't had a radish in YEARS. What the heck has stopped me from getting them before? I have no idea, but the radishes that I bought this past Saturday are heavenly. Perfectly crisp and juicy (I don't think it's real juice?) with just the right hint of hotness. Even the leaves are good! But I often give them to the rabbit instead.
Oh yeah, I got my kickass liver at the farmer's market. It was a tad more expensive than the stuff I buy for Conker but is hella better tasting so he probably won't be getting any.  Unfortunately the meat-dude was out of heart, and didn't have any kidney. But I got the last liver so that was nice.
I got some chevre as well, which is awesomely good goat cheese. Goes well with just about anything, but is fine on the business end of a spoon as well.

Tall-jar of whey

I have  made a couple small batches of store-milk cheese. It's rather plain (Conker loves it) but fun to make, and I use the whey (leftover milkish water stuff) for crepes or dump some into the Girl's bowls. I plan on getting some cheese cultures to make actual cheese sometime soon, and getting some milk from the farmer's market if I can find any. I want to try it with fresh milk, not, whatever the store milk is.
This is kinda funny, but I have never really liked milk and for years I haven't drank it regularly. I still don't like it. Er, well, I don't like 2%, which is all we ever have here. For my cheese I bought a small carton of whole milk. I got curious and tried some. It's a hellova lot better than 2%, and even better if you dump a bit of cream in there too. I love me some high-fat dairy, milk included, much to my surprise.


So, Conker finished all the Nature's Variety (writeup coming soon) and is now starting on Wellness CORE. A problem I have noticed with Conker is that he doesn't drink very much, but got plenty of moisture from his raw meats and oats. He still doesn't drink much, less maybe now that I think about it, on kibble. I find this a bit alarming since the temps shot up and he was rather hot in his thick winter coat but insisted on spending most of the day outside in the sun beside the fence. 
Before it got hot, I had included a couple cans into Conker's commercial food trial, and now that I've noticed his drinking deficiency, will keep them in and possibly add more to compensate for any moisture he may not be getting. It won't cover all of it, but should help a little. I just have to keep an eye on him when it's hot and make sure he drinks enough. If not, I'll give him some of that whey I mentioned earlier diluted in water since he loves it and will attack the Girls if I give them some but him none. (None of the dogs have had bad digestive reactions to it)

The storm's butt-end

We had a bit of an event today (yesterday) that involved clouds, wind, rain, and LIGHTNING! Supposedly, I learned the other day from some neighbors, that violent late summer storms are common in these mountains. Not in my experience, but then again, they have been here their entire lives and me for only like, a year and some months.
Juneau was freaked out, Sasha a bit freaked but not as bad as Juneau, and Conker didn't even notice. It might have made him a bit more spazzy than normal, actually. He was out in the front yard during the storm running around and being goofy. The biggest thunderclaps didn't even make him flinch and some of them were pretty dang loud. This might be a good thing, if I can somehow train Conker to retrieve or at least find game animals.


Oh, there is a strong probability that I (and Conker) will be moving to Vancouver Washington sometime soon. I've lived there before so it's not new to me. Nothing is set in stone, but I do think it's gonna happen. I'd be living with my grandmother but would be staying in our trailer as not to intrude upon her much, but still be there if she needed me for something. Since I'd be just a river's hop away from Portland, and the rest of Oregon, I can still easily go hunting (yay!) and due to Vancouver's larger size, a job would be much much easier to get. GP is greatly lacking in that department. The huge downside is that, Vancouver is bigger than GP, and right next to Portland, so that means many more people and urbania. Which, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I kindasortareally don't like.

Anyways, that's the update on the here and now.