I fail to see how anyone could dislike this time of year.
Also, I can not decide what is cuter- Lily barking in her sleep or the way she uses her nose to pick up the comforter to get under the covers.
BTW- her breath is getting worse and I have no idea what to do. Her teeth are not in bad shape and the vet said there was no need to clean them yet, I brush her teeth every other day, and I give her breath mints, but her breath could simply knock a buzzard off a junk pile it is so bad.
JenJen
Go Buckeyes! Ugh, I have a feeling it will not be pretty.
Heh… I’ve got MSNBC on in the background, and David Shuster just said Dick Cheney must have severe medical or psychological problems.
South of I-10
Geaux Tigers! I am sporting my purple already and waiting on kick off.
SixStringFanatic
Forget the bowl games, I’m waiting for the 2010 Winter Classic! Boston Bruins vs Philadelphia Flyers on an outdoor rink in the middle of Fenway Park. This is the coolest thing the NHL done in decades.
geg6
Meh. I only watch college football when I have a dog on the hunt. Since Pitt already won its bowl game, I am abstaining from football today. I plan to watch the Next Iron Chef marathon on the Food Network, cuddled on the recliner in my Snuggie (waves at demkat), and eat the ham and bean soup I have bubbling away on the stove. I am hung over, but have a sufficient supply of The Best Hangover Cure Evah to get me through the day. I am happy and content this gloomy New Year’s Day. Hope all BJers feel the same.
Max
@JenJen: I heard that too. I love David! He’s my favorite MSNBC’er and I wish they would quit moving him around.
College football? meh. I went to a basketball school. March Madness is more my speed.
Instead of watching bowl games, I’m going out to take advantage of the white sales and am going to buy new bedding to try and change my luck in that department in 2010.
Happy New Year to all!
SiubhanDuinne
My alma mater, the University of South Florida — which has only even *had* a football program for about five years — is in a bowl game today playing Northern Illinois, at a venue in Toronto . . . um, Rogers Centre or something like that. I won’t be watching and can’t even remember the name of the bowl game, but if anyone happens to see it and feels like cheering for USF, that’d be nice.
dr. bloor
@SixStringFanatic:
Let’s hope Lugo isn’t minding the nets for the B’s.
Keith G
@JenJen: The Buckeyes on national TV (with me watching), what could possibly go wrong?
RedKitten
@geg6: I’ve never really gotten into football. However, there is talk of a CFL team possibly being established in Moncton, New Brunswick, which is only 1 1/2 hours’ drive from me. So if it happens, we’ll definitely have to check out some games, and maybe I’ll finally understand what the big deal is.
I’m a smidge hung over too — too much champagne. It was great fun, though. It’s the first party that I’ve hosted since that unfortunate incident at my mom’s cottage back in 1992, and I was worried that it would be a bust. But, we all had a great time. And my husband did all the cleanup while I was still sleeping it off, bless his heart.
Brick Oven Bill
Hey, its 2010.
And we’re still here.
MTiffany
Then the smell might be from her tongue and not her teeth. A gentle scraping from an upside-down spoon (that you don’t need for food anymore) might do the trick.
Tim in Wisconsin
When the NHL announced that they were going to start this annual tradition of playing hockey outdoors on New Year’s, I thought it was another example of Stupid Things The NHL Has Done. But in retrospect, there’s actually so little football on New Year’s Day anymore that it actually wound up being a great idea. I don’t say this often, but kudos to you Gary Bettman.
bleh
You brush her teeth every other day? Have you asked the vet about that? It seems excessive to me, and you might be upsetting some balance of mouth biochemistry, which might contribute to the bad breath. Ditto breath mints. Dogs have a natural antibiotic in their saliva — that’s why it’s good they lick wounds, for example — and maybe you’re interfering with that.
Jim
Have you tried charcoal biscuits? I don’t know how they’d go over with a dog with a delicate appetite. But I’ve always had labs who would eat the junk pile they scared the buzzard off.
smiley
MSN has a pretty good item on avoiding/treating hangovers. There are a lot of myths about hangovers but that article is pretty accurate.
Violet
Breath problems can be more of a diet problem than a mouth problem. Maybe something in her diet doesn’t agree with her all that well. Can also be from medication. Have you asked her vet?
I’m watching the Rose Parade, but don’t have a lot of interest in football at the moment. It’s a nice day here. Might go for a walk later.
Crusty Dem
John, I’ve never been able to figure out the dog breath thing – my dog eats everything awful and has the most inoffensive smelling breath (other emissions are less pleasant). Perhaps her occasional forays into the cat litter help? My last dog (sigh) responded quite well to the breath-improving treats.. Though I haven’t seen them around, lately.
And I’d go with the nose under the comforter, since it’s volutional, adorable, and uncommon.
FWIW, I’ll second bleh, regular brushing may not help, dogs do t eat a lot of the sugars that degrade teeth.
bemused
This is a fantastic time of year. Nothing to do with sports for me. I’m just so damn happy the Christmas hullabaloo is over & that every day the sun rises earlier & sets later.
JimPortlandOR
Doggy breath: increase her water consumption and look into a new dog food. The odor is due, prolly, to liver/kidneys not filtering out the bad stuff quickly enough. Humans have the same problem. You might try spiking the water bowl with something she likes or smells good.
PanAmerican
@SiubhanDuinne:
The International Bowl is tomorrow @ 12pm EST on ESPN2.
NobodySpecial
@SiubhanDuinne:
Not today. Jan. 2. And sorry, but go Huskies!
LTC
Some dogs have a bacteria in their stomach that has to be treated every few months with an antibiotic…had a poodle whose breath would kill if we did not treat him….liquid drops for two weeks, and the breath was nice for about a month.
Capri
Boiler Up!
That is all.
Demo Woman
@SiubhanDuinne: The game is listed for tomorrow at noon. You might be able to watch it at http://atdhe.net/index.html
The site often has the sports games live.
I’m a little late with the comment.. oh well.
ricky
As soon as they institute the Wool Cap Bowl to compliment the Muffler Bowl the season will be complete.
My favorite so far was the announcers saying Miami couldn’t handle the cold of that 50 degree weather in Orlando. That and Texas Tech firing Captain Mike as Coach for abusing players. If only they had trotted out Bobby Knight and Alberto Gonzalez to make the announcement . And Craig James could have complained his son wasn’t getting enough paying time like he did for SMU’s Pony Bank.
Corner Stone
Human females, Cole. You might want to consider the concept next time you feel like kissing something.
arguingwithsignposts
@Demo Woman:
I’d also add ESPN360.com, which is available for free on a lot of cable providers. They’ve been streaming just about every bowl game so far.
ETA: and the streams don’t cut out every so often when justin.tv gets a complaint (grrr, NFL!)
The Grand Panjandrum
My Huskers already broke President McCain’s heart so it is time to strap on the snow shoes and go get some exercise. Cheers!
Kryptik
Again, it’s a big day for WVU sports. Not just the Gator Bowl (which I both hope will be a good sendoff for Bowden, but an easy victory for the Mountaineers), but the Hoops team heading to Purdue.
That…I’m a bit worried about.
MikeJ
@The Grand Panjandrum: I realise some people didn’t like them as much after they signed to a major and left SST, but Hüsker Dü were still one of the most important post punk bands.
South of I-10
I’m watching the Tournament of Roses parade with Little South. She just asked me why they aren’t throwing stuff from the floats. This cracks me up for some reason.
Bruuuuce
Cole:
Aside from the frigid air, ice on the ground, lack of greenery, and no baseball, it’s perfect! :-)
On the other hand, it’s my daughter’s birthday on Sunday, so there’s a good reason for the season.
arguingwithsignposts
@MikeJ: Word. New Day Rising! And Bob Mould recently played a concert where he dusted off all those old Husker songs. Someone (burnpesq?) put up a link a while back.
ricky
@The Grand Panjandrum:
Hey, President McCain was kissing his South American Firecracker in the stands when Navy kicked butt in the I Carried Texas and Missouri Bowl. He cares as much about the Mildcats as you do.
However, congratulations to Nebraska for going two and zip against the Stoopsid Brothers and to Ndominant for not letting either touch paydirt.
arguingwithsignposts
@ricky:
What do you expect, McCain would have been rooting for Austin County Junior College if he hadn’t been an admiral’s son.
Demo Woman
@arguingwithsignposts: Thanks that is a much better picture.
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@Jim: After rolling in it.
celticdragon
I have known some dogs with seriously ass-kicking dog breath. Heh!
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
Dog breath problems could also be because of a food allergy – one of our dogs was senstive to wheat and we think beef. Certainly she didn’t handle supermarket dog food well. We switched to Taste of the Wild and it seemed to help with her ear allergies. Also made puppy poop less stinky.
Barbara O'Brien
John — The bad breath could be an indication of kidney disease or some other internal problem, not something in her mouth. If your vet didn’t at least check her kidney functions, take her to another vet asap.
Cathie from Canada
Take her to your vet. If the breath problem is increasing, then it could be that there is something wrong — perhaps an infection of some kind or some type of digestive problem.
Dogs are amazingly stoic, and will not show it when they are uncomfortable or in pain, even if they have an abscessed tooth that would knock us over.
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
My only foray into football at my alma mater (UGA, for my sins) was taking mind altering chemicals and camping out on the railroad tracks the night before the games. Crazy parties but by the time the games started I was long gone. All which contributed to the fact that I now spend New Years eve stark raving sober and wake up feeling fine!
Happy new year to all! A fresh new year – reminds me of the first day of school when I had a brand new notebook and pencil and nothing had been marked. A world of potential just waiting to unfold.
@SiubhanDuinne: Don’t know if you saw my response on last thread, but many thanks, and I can be reached at screaminginatlantaATgmaildotcom. Happy new year to you and thank you!
SiubhanDuinne
Thanks @anAmerican, Nobody Special, Demo Woman, and anybody else who set me straight on the date/time of the USF-NIU game. I knew all along it was a Saturday game. Thing is, today *feels* like a Saturday.
I don’t mind the “Go Huskies!” sentiment. I’m from Illinois myself, and while I got a very decent education at USF I have no feelings about the [does a fast Google] about the Bulls one way or t’other.
Rook
No doubt Lily’s breath is because of the dog food. I don’t know if you buy the grocery store brands or not, but if you do, look into getting non-brand name food from a farm store. Or, even better, get non-petrol preservative dog food from an organic co-op store.
elmo
Agree with all of those who mentioned food issues as a cause of bad breath. Dogs do not have the same enzyme balances that we do, and often they simply cannot digest certain food ingredients. Also, many dog foods have horrifying ingredients that NO dog can digest properly. John, what are you feeding right now?
Macha Maguire
Raw fed dogs tend to have better breath, whatever their age. But raw feeding can be a hassle – so it’s a trade off. I think my dogs are healthier and can wear the extra effort.
Failing that – we can assume your vet has checked renal and hepatic function – have they also checked anal glands? If they’re full, it sometimes leads to horrible halitosis (don’t ask me why, it just seems to be the case)
good luck
media browski
Besides the many mentions of food and perhaps over-brushing, my family has fixed a dogs’ breath that was caused by eating foul things with a few rounds of good yogurt. Drove out whatever weird bacteria was giving her the bad breath.
Also worked on a cat with terrifyingly smelly poo.
Michael D.
My dog has never had bad breath. The only thing I can think of is that I give her “Breath Busters” treats.
I would suggest brushing her teeth MAX twice a week. Once is enough. As someone said earlier, when you brush too often, you kill the natural stuff in her mouth that is keeping her breath naturally non-smelly.
Also, what type of food do you feed her?
ajr22
Happy new years to all! I’ll be rooting for the Big Ten all day. Being an Iowa fan, its refreshing to see some other Big ten teams get some bowl wins after last years 1-6 record.
jurassicpork
Maybe I’m just an ignorant layman when it comes to the law, but there are some things in Judge Urbina’s Blackwater ruling that just doesn’t sit right with me. In some spots, it seems downright contradictory. How do you reconcile Miranda Rights that shouldn’t exist in Iraq (“anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law”) with the 5th Amendment?
Leisureguy
Check her food. Kibble is a bad idea (prone to mold, etc.) and unrelated to the natural diet. Best bet is Innova’s Evo canned food. I feed my cat the 95% beef Evo canned food and it’s helped her breath. (They also have 95% venison, 95% duck (expensive), 95% chicken and turkey.)
If you get her off kibble and onto an excellent canned food like Evo, that should help a lot.
Osceola
Ah, yes, SIA. Watching the game, or not, from the tracks in Athens. Or from the Bridge. Those were the good ol’ days, before the lunatic fringe took over and Sanford Stadium went from 59,000 to 92,000 capacity. I especially remember 1976 when the ‘Dogs beat the Tide 21-0…But, you are right. Those days made my later years as sober as a Baptist preacher. Well, some Baptist preachers…
Jerry Critter
I agree with the dog food comments, at least as a first try. Get a good, high quality, natural dog food (unfortunately expensive), not one of the national big corporation dog food makers.
I have suggestions if you are interested.
Butch
Milk Bones seem to help somewhat with my pack o’ mutts in the breath department.
Punchy
You’re kidding, right? You need to “brush” them like once every 3 months. Yikes.
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@Osceola: Ha! Memory lane! I was there from 1977 (geographical cure from MO) to 81 when I graduated. Sobriety happened in 1980. Don’t remember a damn thing about those games.
Cat Lady
@JenJen:
Definitely one, and hopefully both. :-D
SIA
Oops. Today I start using the short version – SIA. Easier to rant from my blackberry :)
SIAakaScreamingInAtlanta
Today was the day to switch to my shortened handle, but now I’m in moderation. Hmmm. Why is that?
bey
Tina had atrocious breath when I adopted her. Bad tartar and a retained baby tooth were contributors, but my vet told me small dogs are prone to dental problems.
One thing she recommended, which has really helped, is a natural pig ear once a week. It takes Tina about 30-45 minutes to work her way through one and the gnawing really gives her gumline a workout. She wolfs down most “dental” treats too quickly for them to be very effective, but the pig ears are working out well.
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
Tried to start using SIA instead of full handle but put me in moderation. Why is that?
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@bey: My dogs love those but I don’t give them often – always kind of concerned they might be too hard to digest?
Kristine
@SiubhanDuinne:
Hey, I graduated from USF, too!
I knew they had a decent football team, but I wasn’t following closely and didn’t realize they earned a bowl slot. I’ll hunt through the cable stations and see if anyone is carrying it. I live in northern Illinois so maybe it will be shown locally.
bey
@SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta: Well they’re really high in fat, which is why she only gets one a week. Her ordinary diet is Eukanuba Naturally Wild – 1/2 cup per day, so she doesn’t get a lot of fat in her daily diet.
4jkb4ia
I heard a rumor that Bobby Bowden is playing in a bowl game today against Somebody.
Svensker`
Go Ducks!
Violet
@SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta:
I think the first time you use a new handle you’ll get put in moderation, even if it’s just a shortened version of your regular one. I think I remember someone talking about that happening.
Martin
Turn her into something that isn’t a dog.
But try changing food as suggested above. We use California Natural (which, unsurprising may be difficult to find way out there) and it’s good stuff – no corn, wheat, BHA, BHT. Dogs don’t roam corn fields, yo.
The advise from our breeder:
1. No corn, wheat, soy
2. Nothing with a non-meat source as a primary ingredient.
3. A single meat source is best
4. The fewer ingredients the better
5. Look for the AAFCO statement. If there is none, skip it.
Good “Formulated to meet AAFCO standards”
Best “Tested and proven to meet AAFCO standards”
6. Do not feed anything preserved with BHT BHA, Ethoxyquin.
Good brands: Lotus, Innova, Solid Gold, Cal Natural, Nature’s Variety, Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance.
A good resource is http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html
Michael D.
My dog gets JaxMax. It’s a food made by her breeder and is formulated specifically for Labs, but more generally for larger dogs.
No fillers whatsoever. First ingredient is chicken meal – not chicken.
The word “corn” appears nowhere in the list.
bemused
After years of being owned by many dogs & cats, our dogs usually haven’t had bad breath. When they did, it was because they ate something disgustingly rancid. Cat breath, otoh, can be wicked.
Karen
I didn’t read all the comments, so if this is a repeat, sorry.
Keep an eye on the cat box as “kitty bon-bons” are a particular favorite. Also, when she’s out on the trail, remember she’s a dog & can get quite disgusting in what she’ll eat.
Either of the 2 things above can cause foul breath, that would indeed knock a buzzard of a pile of junk.
SiubhanDuinne
@SIA
I think any change of handle gets you moderated.
BTW an email is winging its way to you.
@RedKitten #9: I just can’t believe that 50+ posts later *no one* has asked you about the “unfortunate incident” at your mum’s cottage in 1992! Or was it so infamous that it’s become part of BJ lore and I’m the only one who doesn’t get the reference? Anyhow it sounds much too juicy/disgusting not to share, and I implore you to do so.
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@jurassicpork: Blackwater is a very powerful and very wealthy corporation.
SiubhanDuinne
@Kristine #63: Another USF-er! Hi there!
When were you there? I was early, Class of ’73 (Fine Arts), on campus beginning in 1969 (I believe the first graduating class was 1965) and because I worked for WUSF (campus radio station/NPR affiliate) I stayed on through 1975 when I left Tampa forever. From all I see and hear the campus has grown so it would be completely unrecognizable now.
Corner Stone
Those LSU cheerleaders look really uncomfortable.
Mayken
@SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta: Their systems are designed to digest bone. A little pig’s ear won’t hurt ’em. But as Bey said they are pretty high in fat so depending on the rest of their diet you probably don’t want to give them everyday.
gbear
@bey:
I want video of Lily with a pig ear please.
Fallsroad
I agree about seeing the vet about it, to be sure there isn’t something else at play. Food can be part of the equation, but if you haven’t had a problem until recently, it seems unlikely to be the root cause.
That said, my vet has me brushing my pup’s teeth at least twice weekly, but without any of those doggie toothpastes, just a wet brush – the brushing action is enough to help remove the plaque that causes doggie death breath.
I also give him, about every other day, one of these tough dental chews. You can buy online or from your vet or some pet stores.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cet+hextra&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4031671361&ref=pd_sl_7vxmde10o4_e
I use the largest size for my 85 pound Golden, and he gets quite a workout chewing them up. They go a very long way to keeping his breath relatively inoffensive.
Violet
@Martin:
They would win the best float in the Rose Parade, if I were voting. Dogs going down a hill on doggie snowboards! Excellent!
Dinah
I would start out with a good dog food that does not have any corn it. Corn products make my dog sick at his stomach. I can’t imagine that they would be good for your dog.
bemused
Our local supermarket always has a bin of smoked cow bones. We have big dogs so they get the huge (about 15″ long) leg bones. They adore those bones. It takes them awhile to gnaw off the yummy smoked stuff. Then they work on the bare bones for weeks. Great for their teeth.
Corner Stone
Damn, #21 for FSU just caught that #7 from WVU from behind, no angle or anything.
I would not have put money on that.
Martin
@bemused:
You can also just go to the butcher and get some soup bones, ask him to cut them large enough for your dog. Dog gets bones, you get soup.
You Don't Say
@Violet: Yes, I agree, but didn’t the dogs seem a bit tired of it all? And the guys at the top of the run seemed to be manhandling them a bit too much for me.
Love bulldogs.
4jkb4ia
The sun came out today. We’re born again, there’s new ice on the field. I groaned, too.
dr. luba
Well, if you don’t like football, and hate drunken drivers, best of lists and maudlin sentimentality…………….
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@Mayken: @bey: Thanks for the info. Though why I should be concerned, I don’t know – our dachshund/rottweiler (!) eats dirt. And sticks.
She’s the one in the middle.
https://balloon-juice.com/?p=14814
SIA aka ScreaminginAtlanta
@SiubhanDuinne: Rec’d message and replied! Many thanks.
SIA
Ok, trying shortened handle again.
SIA
@SIA: Hooray!
New Yorker
As horrible as the last decade was (9/11, 8 years of Bush, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Katrina, the economic imploison and, on a personal level, losing my mother and graduating from college and business school into recessions with no job each time), this one is off to a great start in its first 14 hours. One of my best friends from college is moving back to the east coast from LA, and Soundgarden is getting back together.
ellie
@SixStringFanatic: Last year, the Detroit Red Wings played the Chicago Blackhawks on a rink at Wrigley Field. It was very cool.
Little Macayla's Friend
One summer in the early ’70’s I worked for a contractor installing grain handling equipment at a dog food factory in Tennessee. Over in a corner of the blacktop a hundred yards from everything else were dozens of 55 gal. barrels of liquid fish remains cooking in the sun. This was the flavoring for some of their generic brands of dry food.
Just saying I hope it’s Lily’s diet and not disease.
Papa Tony
I enthusiastically endorse beef bones as doggy dentifrice.
My two big Lab mixes get new beef rib bones on a regular basis. The local restaurant has an all-you-can-eat ribs night every Saturday, and I bribe the waiter to set some bones aside for me.
I stick ’em in the freezer and hand out one to each dog every few days. Their teeth are SPARKLING white, and their breath is sweet. I have never, ever brushed their teeth.
New Yorker
The first thing like this ever was the Cold War at Spartan Stadium between Michigan and Michigan State. I guess the NHL decided it would be a good idea too. I’m watching it right now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War_%28ice_hockey%29
morzer
Check for a dental abscess. This would be a prime suspect in increasingly bad breath for an animal.
SIA
@New Yorker: The death of a loved one can really color the whole decade, can’t it. I lost my father + 2 family members and a good friend in the 90’s. Many good things happened during that period but in my memory it’s always shaded by the sadness I felt during much of that time.
Yutsano
Watching WVU-FSU. Going back and forth although the Noles have the small lead. Pretty decent game although dumbass mistakes are gonna cost WVU if they don’t improve that sitch.
Jebediah
@Martin:
Our dogs have always been pretty thrivey on the Natural Balance. I want to emphatically second what others are saying about good food versus grocery store brands. Many of the ingredients in mass-market brands are horrifyingly disgusting and/or not really part of dogs’ natural diet. Even if the food turns out to be no factor in her bad breath, the extra expense of good food is well worth it.
Otto and I will have our fingers and paws crossed that she is fine and will soon have sweet, puppy-fresh breath…
Kristine
@SiubhanDuinne:
I was there from ’76 to ’81. Graduated with a BS in Chemistry.
Yup, the place looks like it’s grown. I get the alumni mag, and I doubt I would recognize any of the spots where I used to hang out.
slag
Re the breath issue:
I’ve used Vetbasis dental treat paste on my cat who had bad breath. It worked brilliantly. I know that there are similar enzyme-based teeth treat products for dogs. If you have a natural pet supply store near you, I would chat with them to see what they recommend.
Chuck Butcher
There’s no dog reason for a dog’s breath to be bad on a consistent basis, that ought only happen due to the odd “ate the nasty” occassion. The cause is something other than dogness.
They have large mouths and breath through them at a fair velocity so you’re gonna get hit. I have never brushed my dog’s teeth and never had tooth problems or breath problems. I also strictly feed dogs only dry food and only very little and rarely human food. I’ve always given them dog biscuits after they’ve eaten as a treat and a hand feeding thing. (note – dry food cleans their teeth)
If I were to guess at a culprit I’d go 1)food 2)teeth 3)internal in likelihood. In all 3 I’d look to food as the base problem. I should note that Gus will not eat the high dollar “good for them” food.
burnspbesq
@jurassicpork:
I’m not a criminal lawyer, but based on what I remember from law school, if the facts are recited accurately in the opinion the court’s legal conclusions were essentially inescapable. All the grand jury testimony appears to have been tainted, and the prosecution didn’t try nearly hard enough to keep that from happening.
Now, if I were a moonbat conspiracy theorist, I would wonder about the leaks of the DSS interview reports that caused all of the taint. But that’s a completely different question.
But the bottom line for me is this: bad guys get away when the prosection doesn’t follow the rules — but in our system, that’s a feature, not a bug.
Yutsano
QUACK!!
(Go Ducks!)
New Yorker
Not a big college football fan (attending an Ivy will do that), but it’s really set up beautifully how on the day where I’m usually completely hung over (not so bad this year), I have the option of lying on the couch and watching football all day.
Morbo
Curse the ‘eers! Couldn’t beat a senile old man. Neither could LSU, but I picked Penn State anyway, so no curse for them.
RedKitten
@SiubhanDuinne:
Heh — it was just a “small get-together” that turned into “the biggest party of the year”. I think a few hundred people showed up — pretty much my entire graduating class. People were dancing on the roof of the cottage, and I think at one point there was a threesome going on in the bathroom. The crazy thing is that there was really no damage, except for the large tire marks in our neighbour’s lawn when someone peeled out after I told him not to park there. If it hadn’t been for that, my folks would have never found out.
Libertini
Late as usual, but some comments on dog breath. I too am a first time dog owner. It’s sometimes hard to sort out all the information and well-intended misinformation out there.
My dog has very neutral breath and always has. For most of the time I have had him, I have fed him Bil-Jac dry food. I would feed him the frozen Bil-Jac, but the cost and the lack of convenience are prohibitive. I am comfortable with the ingredients and can live with the price of their dry food. I have never met a dog who didn’t LOVE this food.
My brother’s dogs and my neighbor’s dogs, all of whom eat cheaper kibble, have breath problems, ranging from slightly unpleasant to knock you down bad.
At Jake’s last visit, the vet said tartar was starting to build up and that I need to brush his teeth. Can’t manage it on my own (he hates it!!), so I have it done at the groomers, but only about once a month which isn’t often enough. Even as he gets tartar buildup and dental problems that occur with aging, his breath is still very neutral – no stink whatsoever. I know we are going to have to further address his dental needs, but his continued “fresh” breath tells me that dental issues don’t always correlate with breath issues.
This leads me to think that bad breath in dogs is more a factor of diet than of dental health, although either or both could be at play here. All of the suggestions regarding food choices, yogurt, etc. seem to me to be good ones, and heading in the right direction.
Macha Maguire
fwiw, if you’re going to feed bones, there are two rules
1. THEY MUST BE RAW – that’s an absolute. Dogs evolved to eat raw things. Cooked bones will splinter and you’ll have a very large vets’ bill and/or a dead dog pretty fast
2. Keep the ratio of raw meat to bones around 80%:20%, and of the meat, at least 10% should be offal, 50% of that (5% of total) as liver.
beware ‘recreational bones’, aka ‘rec’ bones, aka ‘wreck’ bones. What’s OK-ish for large dogs can destroy the teeth of smaller dogs as surely as if they’d taken to eating stones (some dogs do eat stones. They tend to run out of teeth in middle life and end up sucking yoghourt for dinner)
whoever suggested sticking to a single meat source is asking for allergy issues. Dogs evolved as scavengers. Actually, if you listen to Prof Ray Coppinger, they evolved as the most efficient means of clearing up the human midden heap (scraps and human waste) and then turning it into meat – aka puppies. There are parts of the world where pup is still a delicacy. Assuming we’re not going there, what a dog needs is a varied diet and not the same thing day after day after day. Unless that’s all it’s had all its life, in which case, the change needs to be really, really gradual.
I still think raw feeding is best, but failing that, a raw rib bone (mine get raw pork ribs) with lots of meat on, is a good substitute
good luck
let us know what you do and what works for you. As you’ll have noticed, there are a lot of ‘experts’ in this field who truly believe their way is the only way. It can generate a lot of heat.
JR in WV
Hi John,
About your dog’s dog breath…
try changing your dog food brand. We’ve noticed here in our neighborhood that dogs eating Uncle Roy’s or Old Yella have terrible body odor AND bad breath.
We’ve gone to Iams – which is more expensive, but does come on sale. Our dogs don’t stink. Which is good, because they are affectionate, and so are we.
I think any hi-end DF would do, and they really like the better quality. Most DF is corn based, it’s better if that ingredient is lower down the list.
Best for 2010!
JR