When is it time?

This is Daisy Mae, the Grande Dame of the Wilson Household besides me of course. She is an old lady of 16 years, arthritic, deaf and almost blind, she still is alpha to the other two dogs. Not that they haven't tried to get control.

When is the right time to be merciful and have her humanely euthanized? That is what my dear husband and I asked our vet yesterday. Some days she stands in a corner and stares at the wall. She has lost bowel function quite often during the night while she sleeps. Which is really no big deal...just pick it up with a tissue and flush it.

 

Now I don't know if you have had any luck photographing dogs but I think it is like trying to tie a ribbon around jello. And Daisy doesn't respond to commands anymore. Well to be honest, she never has. I am not a good dog trainer.

She is down to 23 pounds and I  have been feeding her ground turkey, rice, pinto beans and broccoli and carrots. It takes her forever to eat and we have to guard her bowl lest the other two horn it and finish it for her. And her bowl is elevated for easy reaching.

Surprisingly, sometimes she will take off and run like the wind when she is in the backyard. I guess it is a little like us. I am slowing down as I get older. We are all starting to wear out from the minute we are born. It is just life.

The vet gave us this advice: she said that we will know when the right time is. Until then, we will make our sweet girl as comfortable as she can be.

Thanks for your visit. Hope that spring will come soon for you.

Peace and love of Jesus be with you today and always!

xoxoxo

Charlotte

Homemade Dog Food

My Dog's Food

Hi Darling One! I hope that your weekend was all that you wished for and that your week will be even better!

I know that this sounds crazy but I started to make my dogs' food about 3 weeks ago. We were spending $50 for a 40 pound bag of premium dog food from a doggie boutique. So I thought we were doing the right thing. No grain or fillers, just good sounding combos like venison & elk, salmon & trout, rabbit & (something).


So why did it always smell like ***** (hint: first and last letters are "p") ? And they didn't like it much either.

First let me say that i am NOT a nutritionist so I am not claiming any great knowledge of what should be in a dog's diet. So proceed with caution. I figured I couldn't do any worse than what I had been feeding mine.

Enough of that stuff. I went online to get some ideas and then came up with this:

Here are some ingredients:

This is only half of the ground sirloin 90-10, I used.

Start by browning half of the beef at  a time.

Meanwhile cook rice according to the package. I made about 4 cups, cooked.

When the meat is all browned, place in a large container. Add the pinto beans, corn and rice and mix.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for approximately 3 days.

Of course, you will come up with your own combinations and amounts, according to the size and number of dogs you have.

I am going to try chicken livers next week. And guess what, they love broccoli!

Did I tell you that they are loving this food??!! They scarf it right up!

My husband thought it looked so good that he was about to put some in the microwave for his dinner. LOL Not that it would have hurt him...not one bit.

And yes, they do eat out of these bowls, from the Dollar Tree. They seem to like it better than aluminum. Wouldn't you?

Peace and love of Jesus be with you today and always!

Happy Halloween!

Hi Sweet One! Just stopping by to wish you  a safe and Happy Halloween today! Better late than never, I always say.

We have been running errands all day. It seems like forever that I have had time for blogging and checking on other blogs. Jim is getting better day by day so I will probably have more time soon.

These pumpkin photos were taken when we were in Destin. This house had a nice selection on their doorstep.

Do you get a lot of trick or treaters? Our driveway is up a hill and most kids are not willing to make the trek. We buy lots of candy every year but no one showed up last year. So Jim eats it all. Well, I do take a few pieces....

This dog, also in Destin, caught my attention. He was not the least bit worried about me taking his picture. My dogs would have been through the window if someone was seen outside.

Courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Peace, happiness and love of Jesus be with you today and always, my friend!

Hello Friend!

Hi and how are you today? I can't believe it is already Friday and I have so much to do before we go out of town for our little vacation at Destin, Florida.

Since the dog sitter friend is coming in a few days, it was bath time yesterday for Lola and Daisy Mae.

Do you know what it is like to get in the shower with an 85 pound dog who is trying to get away....especially when she is all soapy? LOL

No pictures of me in the shower with them....just the after pictures.

Poor Daisy lost her head over the whole ordeal.

Lola makes me believe that people really can have metabolism problems. She was starving when I found her and even though she hardly eats anything, she is like a small horse.
But really sweet!

I am currently reading a book about dogs and their beginnings. There is popular theory that they came from wolves. Doesn't Daisy kind of resemble a wolf here?

But others say they come from coyotes or foxes. We will never know for sure but it is interesting to speculate.

All i know is that they are man's best friend.

Taking a break

Here is what I made Jim for supper last night. He is trying Weight Watchers again so I got a cookbook that shows calories and points.

It was very tasty and colorful. Chicken coconut curry.

Have a wonderful weekend! God bless and keep you and yours!

Senior Citizen?

Hi Sweet Peas! Hope you are having a good week so far! I have been lazy ....reading a bunch. Did I tell you that I love Catherine Cookson's novels? She writes such good stories. She is a British writer and has written a bunch of books.

Above you see my constant companion. I didn't mean to cut off his backside, but you know how hard it is to get a dog to pose, right?

At his grooming/exam a week or so ago, I got the shocking news that Elmo is a senior citizen! "What?", I said, "he is just a baby". Apparently when dog reaches the ripe old age of seven years, they are considered very old. That was very depressing because one of my larger dogs is almost 15 years. What does that make her?

Friend, we must enjoy the time we have with our loved ones, two legged as well as four legged.

On another note, here are some photos from my deck:

Thanks for visiting me today at Butterbean Row! Have a fabulous week!

Back to School, courtesy of The Graphics Fairy