About meLiz~ Shih tzu lover, mom to kids, wife to a great guy Archives
March 2012
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Feeding them up.10/15/2011 With winter coming, pups coming, and nursing mamas nearly everyone is on "feeding up" protocol. This involves a whole counter full of individual bowls as I hand mix each bowl to fit the unique nutritional needs of each dog.
All of our dogs have standard dry dog food available 24 hours a day. This meets their nutritional needs most of the time. However, our nursing moms and pregnant moms need more nutrition than they can take in with just dog food. So they get a mix of raw eggs, cottage cheese, ground meat, infant formula, and vitamins. Nursing moms also get additional calcium supplements. (We never give calcium to pregnant moms as it is a sure fire way to induce eclampsia) Summers involve lots of extra running around, walks, camping, and general play. Which results in trim dogs come fall. Because of the long cold winters we experience, I always try to get a bit of extra weight on my dogs to help guard against the cold of winter months. All of our animals have access to a dog door and despite cold and snow they love to be outdoors. So even our studs and "resting" females are getting special food these days. It is so fun to take each dog his/her special food dish. Their whole bodies wag and wiggle with anticipation. Their little eyes are just filled with happiness and they bounce around waiting their turn. Fun, but busy times at Orchid Stars.
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