In my opinion, and others like me who like the natural way and consult about feeding dogs, raw food with very little or no grain is best for dogs. It’s what Nature intends for them to eat. Next comes home cooked food. Next comes freeze dried raw, then quality canned, and lastly, high quality kibble which is dry food. I’d urge you to feed good, fresh raw or freeze dried raw food to your dogs, or cook your own fresh food at home, or the best quality canned and kibbles that you can find. Go to SitStay.com and click on the menu item Dog Food to see what we have tested and tried for you.

I choose the foods for SitStay.com. With tests and referrals and dogs who have become well again eating these foods after having eaten poor quality foods for most of their lives, I feel very happy with my choices so far.

For this article, let’s look at kibble only because that’s what the majority of people like feeding to their dogs. It’s a convenient way to feed.

As you learn to read labels, you’ll be quicker and quicker to sort out the bad foods. Why corn or wheat? What is animal digest anyway? What kind of “meat” is it? What is a by-product? Added sugar and salt? And a very important question to ask the maker, where does that company’s food come from, is it really fresh food like it’s pictured on the package, without dying, medicated and sick animals in it, are there any colors which have no sensible place in food, were the animals healthy before they were slaughtered for food, is there road kill or companion pets in it, or a sick milk cow, feathers, dirt, rat droppings, waste, chemicals, was the food kept cold or did it start to rot before it became a dog food? Was the grain clean and fresh or from a spill, was it swept up from the bottom of a weathered silo, cereal plant floor or out of the bottom of a truck that sat in the rain, is there any mold in that bag of food that you just brought home?

All grains and seed are not created equal in my opinion. Oats, barley and some other grains when mixed with meat, veggies, fruit and bone are good in moderation for many dogs. Not all dogs can or should eat grain but there’s a good deal of nutrition in these.

I do not like corn for dogs. I do not like wheat for dogs.

Corn and wheat are out for my dogs except for the occasional treat that might have some whole wheat flour in it to hold it together. It’s not my favorite choice of flour, I’d rather see the better grain flours like rice, oatmeal, and better yet quinoa (keen wa) known as ‘the mother grain’. The SitStay Dogs never get wheat in their regular daily meals and never, never corn…never. Corn is what we feed to cattle to fatten them up so we can enjoy a nice marbled steak. “Marbling” is fat, it’s what makes your steak tender. You’ll find corn, corn syrups, and corn of some kind in almost every processed food for humans, even in some cans of green beans and it’s all over in the dog food world. Why do they put that in there? Because it’s cheap and it makes things taste good…read that “addictive”. Reach for the bag or box of your favorite food, something you think you might be addicted to…something you really like to eat or snack on….see “corn” anything anywhere on the label? I’ll bet that you do. Soft drinks have tons of sugar in the form of something….read your soft drink label, does it say “high fructose corn syrup”? Have you seen the drink fat video yet? If you eat or drink processed things that turn to sugar in your body and you do not go out and run several miles a day to burn that off, your body will turn it into fat which makes your body not feel well, slows and hampers your heart and all of your other internal organs, put the body at risk for diabetes, and makes you feel sad. Yes, sugar turning to fat causes no end of problems…well, the problems end when the body is dead….human and dog. It happens to our dogs, too. The dog who eats corn as a regular diet and does not run miles and miles a day will eventually get fat and won’t feel well because he’s not well.

Dogs and humans both can develop a sweet tooth and the manufacturers who want to make money and know you’ll buy over and over again are the ones who know what makes us tick. What we like. What we’ll buy, again and again. If there’s corn or corn syrup in it, most people and dogs will like the taste and they’ll buy again, consuming more and more. Corn is a huge culprit in our obese society, dog and human. I believe corn is one of the biggest killers of dogs and humans and it causes digestive upsets. If it were eaten in moderation, like an ear at a summer picnic or a few tablespoons once a week with dinner, not so bad maybe, but it’s not moderation when it’s being consumed every day, and in everything you drink, and every meal as those dog food companys would have you believe is good for your dog. They have spent millions of dollars on advertising to make you believe these are good foods and if you love your dog…I throw up a little every time I see one of those commercials with the really healthy looking dog running and jumping, loving their person, it’s all so wrong.

All you have to do is look at a fat dog and read the ingredient label of his food to know why he’s fat! If people fed their dogs from their own table and threw out the bad quality dog food, the dog would be much better off! There’s nothing wrong with your leftovers for your dog. “Don’t give your dog human food” is a scare tactic made up probably by the dog food companies and who did they tell? Your vet! Why, because they want to sell you dog food! (Please, share your food with your dog but no cooked bones and watch the fried stuff.)

Dogs who eat corn often have chronic yeast infections in ears and other places, their bodies smell “doggy”, their breath stinks, and their poop stinks and usually it’s big and mushy.

Dogs and people have developed allergy symptoms to wheat and processed products made with wheat. One of my good friends can’t eat anything with wheat or wheat gluten in it, it makes her fat and puffy almost immediately and she’s really sick for days every time she eats a donut or a piece of cake. She’s determinedly cut that stuff out of her life forever, it’s not worth feeling lousy. Can you imagine what that same stuff is doing to a dog who has a whole lot less body to work with? Wheat gluten is one of the most found problems for dogs according to the customers and friends who share their dog’s problems with me. The dogs have become so much better simply by giving up the wheat. Some people and some dogs just can’t eat it.

Just last night I was talking to a man who has a fat lab. My first question is always, “What do you feed him?” His answer? “Beneful dog food.” I got online and found the ingredient list. He said he’s going to change his food immediately, his dog “got fat on Beneful.” Let’s take a look at a few foods and I’ll show you why some foods are better than others. The lists of ingredients are accurate as of today.

Purina brands, who I believe is still owned by Neslte’s, include Alpo, Beneful, Purina Dog Chow, Mighty Dog, ProPlan, Moist & Meaty, Purina One, Chef Michaels, Busy Brand, Beggin Strips, Cheweez Strips, Carvers, T Bonz, Friskies, Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, KitnKaboodle, Tender Vittle, Purina Veterinary Diets. You see multi million dollar commercials on TV for these.

Purina’s Beneful Original:

Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, salt, water, animal digest, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried peas, calcium propionate (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

I believe that Colgate-Palmolive still owns the Hills Pet Foods brands, they will almost always show the Science Diet or Hill’s name or logo on their products.

Science Diet Nature’s Best:

Ingredients: Chicken, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Cracked Pearled Barley, Soybean Meal, Chicken Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Whole Grain Oats, Apples, Cranberries, Soybean Oil, Peas, Carrots, Dried Beet Pulp, Iodized Salt, Flaxseed, Broccoli, Vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Science Diet Adult Lamb Meal & Rice Recipe:

Ingredients: Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Gluten Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Science Diet Veterinarian Recommended Sensitive Stomach Adult Dog Food: (remember that corn can cause a sensitive stomach)

Ingredients: Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Dried Egg Product, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Soybean Oil, Oat Fiber, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Iodized Salt, L-Lysine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Tryptophan, preserved with mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract

I believe that Proctor and Gamble still owns Iams and Eukanuba. I had a hard time trying to find a full list of ingredients for this company’s products. P&G states on their website that corn is like “corn bread not corn on the cob” in their foods. I see that they are trying hard to convince you that corn is okay for your dogs on a regular and daily menu, they are trying to spin the way you look at corn on the label. They are struggling not to lose your business when you want to do better things for your dog. My question to them? Why not use all that money they’re throwing into advertising on TV to actually make a good dog food?

Iams !Chunks Pro Active Health (ingredient list found at PetCo.com):

Ingredients: Chicken, corn meal, ground whole grain sorghum, chicken by-product meal, ground whole grain barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and citric acid), fish meal (source of fish oil), chicken meal, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, potassium chloride, dried egg product, brewers dried yeast, salt, flax meal, sodium hexametaphosphate, vitamins [vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, vitamin A acetate, calcium pantothenate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), inositol, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid], choline chloride, minerals [ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, cobalt carbonate], calcium carbonate, dl-methionine, rosemary extract.

I believe Mars Food Group still owns the Pedigree brand.

Pedigree Chicken Rice & Vegetables:

Ingredients: Ground Whole Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-product Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Wheat Flour, Chicken, Rice, Dried Whole Peas, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Mill Run, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carrot Powder, Caramel Color, Vegetable Oil (source of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [/source], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source 1="Vitamin" 2="C*" language="of"], Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Salt, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5).

Now, after reading all of that, think about this. The ingredients are supposed to be listed in the order of quantity of foods. If the first item is meat and the next three are grain, there is more grain than meat. If it starts with corn and you don’t see meat, meat, meat, it’s mostly corn. Colors in dog food? Why? To appeal to you. Dogs don’t care what color their food is so why add something that can make them very ill? Added sugar, added salt? Read the lists again, how many times did you count corn and wheat? Watch the TV commercials, they are changing these days. The companies are watching us talk, they want to keep your business so they are going to spin their food to fit your conscience. I even saw one that says your dog’s poop will look and smell better! I wonder what they added to make that happen? They didn’t take anything out! It’s like they’re reading my blog and trying to convince you that they have changed so you’ll keep buying from them. Read Dog poop should smell like….

Don’t believe it. They haven’t changed yet. Read their labels. (Just a quick note: did you see the commercials on TV where they’re trying to convince you that corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup won’t hurt you if you eat it in moderation? They do not want to lose your business! Read your labels to see how much corn in any form that you consume in a day. Interesting if you’re overweight, isn’t it.)

Okay, let’s move on to a sampling of some really good kibbles. These companies also make excellent canned foods, also available at SitStay.com. There are more and more good and better foods on the market all the time as people start reading labels and want to leave the old tried and not so true of the bad dog food makers behind.

The foods below are a sample of the kibbles I carry in the SitStay store. Each of these foods came highly recommended and then tested to prove to me that they are indeed what they seem to be…good foods that dogs do well with. I don’t recommend any food I carry over any other food I carry. I choose only the foods and companies I can trust, only what I like and what dogs have liked and only those on which dogs have become healthy again. You choose which you want to start with. All ingredient lists below come from SitStay.com.

Orijen Adult Dog Food: (I love Orijen food, it’s really hard to keep in stock but we try!)

Ingredients: Fresh deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, fresh deboned pacific salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), herring meal, sweet potato, peas, fresh deboned lake whitefish, fresh deboned northern walleye, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E and citric acid), chicken liver, salmon meal, fresh deboned turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, chicory root, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Addiction Venison & Cranberry Dog Food:

Ingredients: Venison, Whole Oats, Potatoes, Papayas, Canola Oil, Cranberries, Carrots, Minerals (Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulphate, Manganese Sulphate, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodate), Diatomaceous Earth, Spinach, Garlic, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Thiamine, Vitamin D, Pyridoxine, Folic Acid), Natural Antioxidant (Vegetable Oil, Natural Tocopherols, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract), Amino Acid (Tryptophan)

Nature’s Prairie Variety Chicken Meal and Rice Dog Food:

Ingredients: Chicken, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid),Montmorillonite Clay, Flaxseed Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Alfalfa Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid), Sea Salt, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Chicken Liver, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Apples, Carrots, Peas, Cottage Cheese, Chicken Eggs, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Hearts, Pumpkinseeds, Ground Chicken Bone, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Rosemary Extract, Sage, Clove.

Nature’s Variety Instinct Chicken Dog Food:

Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Pumpkinseeds, Menhaden Fish Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Chicken Flavor, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid), Kelp, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Chicken Liver, Sea Salt, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Apples, Carrots, Peas, Cottage Cheese, Chicken Eggs, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Hearts, Ground Chicken Bone, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Rosemary Extract, Sage, Clove.

Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms Adult Dry Dog Food:

Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Oat Meal, Pearled Barley, Ground Rice, Ground Millet, Ground Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Duck, Buffalo, White Fish, Natural Chicken Liver Flavor, Salmon Oil (a natural source of Omega-3, Docosahexaenoic Acid-DHA), Organic Alfalfa Sun-cured Ground, Yeast Culture, Tomato Pomace Dried, Dried Egg, Organic Sunflower Seed Ground, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Lysine, Blueberry Dried, Cranberry Dried, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Inulin (from Chicory Root), Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Cinnamon, Marigold Dried, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Casei, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantotheante, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydoiodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite

I believe that dogs should get a variety of foods, just as a human should. People should have a variety of foods every day, a dog can get a variety over a longer period of time and still get what they need. So how do you do that? Leave the bad foods behind, start feeding a good quality food. Then after a few weeks of that first choice of food, buy a different good quality food with a different set of ingredients, then vary the diet from then on from bag to bag and can to can. After your dog makes the change to a good food, moving to another good quality food shouldn’t make much difference to their system. Changing from a bad food to a good quality food might show some diarrhea or tummy upset for a bit. It’s because the dog’s system was so compromised by the bad stuff that they couldn’t handle good, wholesome foods. The get over that quickly and not all dogs show signs of the changing to a different food.

Kennedy, if you’re not ready to go with a raw, fresh food diet or freeze dried raw, maybe you will make your change like this. Start with any of the foods from SitStay.com, say you start with Orijen or Addiction dry (and canned by the same names) with some tripe for a few weeks, then next time Nature’s Variety to the end of the bag, the next bag being another good quality food.

Tripe is excellent food. We have it in freeze dried, canned and treats. If you do nothing else differently right now, add tripe to your dog’s diet.

Kent has been testing a rotation of the SitStay.com dog foods with the SitStay Dogs for several months now, they used to eat only raw food and they did great on that. Oliver, Frankie, and yes, old Tilli, too, have been eating a rotation of raw, canned and kibble foods, including tripe of course, all from SitStay.com. They are all doing great and feeling really, really good! And they smell so good. A dog who eats right smells good like they’ve just had a bath…all the time…unless they roll in something icky.

Kennedy, I am so glad that you’re making great decisions for your dogs. Good food and in the right moderation and choices will see your dogs healthy and well. Dogs who feel good train more easily and they are better mannered and milder tempered dogs. Dogs and people who eat right will keep their health, be able to fight genetic influences more easily, and they will be able to cope with the stresses of life. Thanks for the question. – Darc

Dear Kent, Yes, I believe that rawhides that are not prepared correctly are dangerous for dogs, especially the white bleached ones and of course any that are not handled properly from slaughter to the store shelf. Some makers don’t use a safe process to remove hair from the hide, they use chemicals that will follow the chew all the way through the process to your dog. SitStay.com does not sell bleached or white rawhide.

Rawhide like that naturally continues to take on moisture as your dog chews on it, it swells and gets bigger. If your dog swallows a piece it may get bigger in your dog’s throat causing choking. If it gets to the stomach and intestines, it will continue to get larger as it takes on more moisture and could cause an impaction. It’s still amazing to me how many stores still carry the white and bleached rawhides like these and that vet clinics sell the white bleached rawhides. They all know that this product is one of the reasons there are so many surgeries every year. All of the surgeries are not successful in anything but emptying your pocketbook. There’s a ton of money in selling these types of rawhides because they only cost the seller pennies to buy and they sell for dollars, I’d guess that’s the biggest reason they still do it. Until every person who has a dog gets educated about what this rawhide is, they’ll continue to buy and give it to their dogs. Because pet supplies have these available, people think they are safe. You should be able to trust your dog supplies store. It’s too bad that you can’t trust them all. It’s often all about the money. Who prospers? That store owner and the vets in your area.

Anything we put into a mouth can cause choking. Hot dogs, carrots, chews, anything a dog or a person puts into their mouth can potentially be choked on. Consumer Reports says that the top choking hazards for people are candy and gum. They add fruits and vegetables, popcorn, pretzels, spaghetti, meat, bagels, even thick soup, and a ton of other foods. President Bush choked on a peanut a few years ago. I saved a man from choking on a piece of shrimp in a restaurant. He told me at the time, “It was only a matter of time”. He’d eaten tons of it in his lifetime and expected some day it was going to happen. He loved shrimp.

We don’t stop putting things into our mouth because there is a possibility that we might choke. We have to do what’s right for the dogs, too.

Dogs have a natural instinct for chewing, we all know that. They’ll choose shoes or belts or even underpants if we don’t give them something better for them and of course, we don’t want them chewing up our stuff. Chewing keeps them physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Dogs who don’t get to chew often become bored and destructive. Or bark or get aggressive or simply don’t feel their best. Chewing is a natural energy release for the dog. Anyone who has ever watched the pleasure a dog gets from chewing knows this. Anybody who has a dog should know this. They have to chew. They’re dogs.

How do you choose a chew treat right for your dog? It all depends on the dog and how the individual dog chews. Our Oliver safely chews on any size treat. He rolls it around inside his mouth, spits it back out and chews on it some more. Will he ever choke? Well of course he could. Will we keep him from chewing because the potential to choke exists? No, we won’t. We love him and we want him to get to do the doggie things that he naturally needs to do for his wellness.

SitStay.com has a note on every dog chew that says, “We suggest that you supervise while your dog chews any chew treat.” We’ve done that forever. It’s good advice.

What to do if your dog does choke. The same you would do for a person. Get the choking item out if you can. First make sure that the dog is really choking. Generally an animal’s gums will be pink if they are not choking, blue if they are. Trouble breathing, for any reason, can be confused with choking. If your dog is chewing on something and starts pawing at his face, trying to cough, being frantic, and having difficulty breathing, it’s a good chance that he is choking. You can consider using the Heimlich maneuver. If you dog is not really choking, you will not want to use the Heimlich because you can hurt your dog.

If your dog is choking, take the item out. Examine inside the mouth and remove anything that’s not supposed to be in there. Don’t push your hand or fingers down your dog’s throat or pull at just anything inside the dogs mouth unless you are certain it’s not supposed to be there, dogs have little bones at the back of the throat, if you pull or push on those you could hurt your dog. Many people have learned the Heimlich maneuver, it’s a good thing to know. It’s not always the right thing to do. If your dog is choking and you can’t easily help, call or get to your vet as quickly as you can. Almost every locality with a good vet has an on call emergency number. Know that number in case of any emergency.

Some people choose not to let their dogs chew because “something could happen” or something already has. Those are maybe the same people who won’t go out for a walk because something might happen to them. Fear. It’s a terrible straight jacket. It’s not right for them and it’s not good for the dog. Give your dog a chew. Go for a walk and take your dog with you. Stop living in fear and do what’s right for life.

Our dogs do not hold us responsible for their life or their death. They want us to be as joy filled as they are. Look at your dog when you’re sad and then when you’re happy and bubbly. Which does your dog choose? We should choose happy and joy filled, too! Understanding dogs and what they need to be healthy is essential to their well being. Dogs do what comes naturally. They eat, they chew, and they chew and they chew. It’s our responsibility to choose the right chew treats for our dogs so the possibilities of choking are something we hope never to have to experience. An important thing to know is to feed fresh chew treats and store them properly. Old or dried and stale chews are more likely to cause choking. I like to suggest that you buy what you can use up in no more than two months time. Some chews will last longer than that if stored properly but rule of thumb, order and use fresh.

SitStay suggests and always has that our customers supervise  dogs while they chew. If you’re like me, I supervise until I understand how my dog chews. I choose what I think he’ll like, watch how he chews it and then leave him to it. Our old Golden, Kari, was quite a gal. She used to chew and try to swallow the Macho Sticks. She’d chew, throw her head back and try to swallow, then gag it up and try again. It was a game with her. She lived to be nearly 18 years old and died a natural quiet death at home which was old age, not choking. If anybody should have choked on something, it should have been her!

SitStay.com chooses the best quality chews we can find. We test and try them before we put them into the Store. We show you photos and give you descriptions and list all ingredients so you can make your best choice for your dogs, we have hundreds of different chews for your dog’s chewing pleasure.

Give your dog what he needs for his best health. Chewing is necessity for dogs. Give them the best.

A woman who came into the store yesterday probably put it best:

“My dogs love to chew! Please give us Macho Sticks and Tendons today. Lots of them! I just got a new pair of shoes. Thank God my dogs love SitStay!”

Have a joy filled day, Everybody! – Darcy

Darcy, I saw your notes on The Dish, thank you for your support.  I want to assure you that we have always used pathogenic testing protocols, this product did not present any positives before shipment.  We have used testing that is consistent with human food safety standards.  Now we are going to apply additional hold times, and additional testing that is outside the normal food safety procedures. The package that tested positive was a single bag of medallions on display in a retail store in Texas.  This product had been out of our control for  over two months when that test was made. Thank you again Darcy.  If you have any other questions or you just want to chat, call or come see me. Sheri at Nature’s Variety

Nature’s Variety has always in my experience been an upstanding company. They acted quickly when they had a problem. If my Readers have any questions for Nature’s Variety, I will personally take them to the maker for you. – Darcy

Dear Kathy,

According to the medical profession, Salmonella is the genus name for over 2500 types of bacteria, each identifiable by its specific protein coating. These bacteria can cause everything from mild upset tummy to death in humans. If my research is accurate, Salmonella was first found in pigs by Theobald Smith in 1885. It’s been around a long, long time. Salmonella is known to cause disease in humans, animals, and birds (especially poultry). Symptoms in humans and dogs include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. One member of my human family fought and won a fight last summer with the Salmonella bacteria that causes Typhoid. Even as bad as that got, almost to death, he recovered. He had gone swimming in Mexico and ingested the bacteria, he’s quite the adventurer. Will he quit traveling? Of course not, he lives his life. According to the medical profession, there are about 14 cases a year per each 100,000 people. In 2005, about 36,000 cases were reported from public health labs. You’ll remember in 2009 the big peanut butter recalls, that was Salmonella, too. It didn’t scare me away from peanut butter, that’s good stuff.

According to the medical profession, Salmonella is the most reported and most common cause of bacterial foodborne illness, symptoms are intestinal upset. If you’ve ever felt ill after eating out and especially at a salad bar, chances are, that’s what happened to you. For me it was a Mushroom Burger at Runza years and years ago. It didn’t kill me, I threw up a lot and was in the bathroom a lot but it all moved through and I was fine. People are affected daily. Those who eat fast food and salad bars often don’t understand that could be what’s happening to them, they think it’s a normal thing for them.

Disease: ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense [lack of ease; inconvenience] ): from Old French desaise ‘lack of ease,’ from des- (expressing reversal) + aise ‘ease.’

I’m like you. I’ve never been the perfectly neat and bleaching of raw food preparation site type either. I’ve never even had a tummy ache after making my dog’s food. Or eating over easy eggs. Or cooking fried or baked chicken for my family, and we did a lot of that when I was growing up and when my kids were growing up.

And I’ve never had a problem with handling Nature’s Variety raw food either. I designed this food over 8 years ago and although the recipes have changed somewhat, I wouldn’t have worked with the company if I hadn’t had complete trust in them. My only regret is that I did it for free out of my love for dogs and my customers. If you remember, SitStay used to ship this raw frozen food. It’s such a headache in summertime.

It’s already been medically proven that dogs naturally have salmonella in their much shorter intestinal tracts and it doesn’t affect them like it would affect a person. My dogs over the years have eaten some pretty horrific stuff that they’ve found outside which they promptly threw back up or pooped out without any harm. If a dog is seriously ill or has been eating a poor quality dog food, it’s possible that salmonella in enough quantity could hurt them. I don’t worry at all about my dogs, they have cast iron stomachs because they eat raw food. When we feed the way Mother Nature intends for dogs to eat, we’ve done all we can to protect them and their immune system.

I do so much traveling most years and that means I eat out a lot or at least eat what someone else has prepared. If I let myself get worried about everything I put into my mouth or my dog’s mouth, I will cease to enjoy life. I refuse to let food or germs and bacteria change the adventure path of my life.

Did you know that our hands have millions and millions of bacteria that could easily kill us? That the left hand and right hand have different bacteria, both good and bad, growing there? And that we have what is often referred to as “bad” guy bacteria that could kill us living in our bodies right now? So why don’t we die? Because we also have millions and millions of “good” guy bacteria on our hands and in our bodies that keep us in balance with the “bad” guys. Why do we have good and bad? Because we’re made that way. Life is a balance. If we wash our hands too much and use antibiotic soaps, germ and bacteria killing gels, and use antibiotics when we feel ill, we have a much higher risk of being hurt, feeling diseased “lack of ease”, or dying. I wash my hands with regular soap for the length of a birthday song when I cut up chicken. Well, I don’t always get through the whole song….but regular soap doesn’t kill our good bacteria, it just washes away the extra bacteria on our hands.

I grew up outside on ranches with animals all around me. I was a rough and tumble kid and I was dirty all the time. It was a beautiful way to grow up. My brothers and sisters and I were rarely sick. As an adult, my immune system was thrown off one time and it was awful, it happened when I took antibiotics prescribed by my doctor for what he said was maybe a sinus infection. That antibiotic killed the good bacteria in my body and I was major sick for a long time. I won’t be doing that again. I see parents who insist that their children stay clean and wash their hands constantly with antibacterial soap and give them antibiotics with every sniffle, sneeze and ear problem, those are the kids that wind up in emergency rooms. It’s the same with dogs. If our dogs never get to experience life as dogs, their systems can be compromised, too. Kids and dogs eat, lick, touch…it’s Mother Nature tending to their immune system.

I had to chuckle once when a woman told me that her children couldn’t go visit a farm because of the “nasty, disgusting germs and bacteria” they could pick up. She was taking them to the mall for shopping and then a movie instead. Did you know that escalators are one of the biggest culprits of bacteria? Lots of people hands are touching. Where were they last? Give me the country and Mother Nature any time.

So, why am I not worried so much about germs and bacteria like Salmonella? Because these are normally occurring in nature. Because our bodies have the innate ability to protect themselves. If we care for our bodies and don’t kill our good guy bacteria which protects us from the “bad” guy bacteria, we’re more likely to stay well. It’s the same for our dogs. If Tilli and I ingest Salmonella today, we might both vomit and have some diarrhea, maybe she won’t even be affected. Her digestive system is much shorter than mine, mine has more time to be affected. She’ll think it’s a normal activity because dogs just live in the moment and they don’t worry. I’ll be put out for a few days, but we’ll both get over it.

Should we wash our hands and our cutting boards after handling raw foods? Sure. Should we buy the foods that we know are being watched, tested and cared for as best humans can? Sure. Should we be worried about everything we put into our mouth or stop frequenting our favorite restaurants, butchers, grocery stores, and trusted dog food companies. I say no. Let’s don’t live scared. I refuse to lose sleep over what I eat and what I feed my dogs. I make the best choices that I can and that’s all I can do. Life is too short, let’s keep living in the happy place. It’s how it’s supposed to be.

I’ve just had an email from my good friend and rep at Nature’s Variety. Here it is:

“Darcy, I saw your notes on The Dish, thank you for your support.  I want to assure you that we have always used pathogenic testing protocols, this product did not present any positives before shipment.  We have used testing that is consistent with human food safety standards.  Now we are going to apply additional hold times, and additional testing that is outside the normal food safety procedures. The package that tested positive was a single bag of medallions on display in a retail store in Texas.  This product had been out of our control for  over two months when that test was made. Thank you again Darcy.  If you have any other questions or you just want to chat, call or come see me. Sheri at Nature’s Variety”

Dear Readers, if you have any questions, I will take them directly to Nature’s Variety for you. My mind is at ease. I like how they handled this.

Maybe I have a different outlook on life than some do. I am not afraid of death for me, my human family and friends, or my dogs. I’m not ready to die yet, I really like this earthly life, and I don’t like it when my humans and dogs pass on before me, but life and death are part of of our world. I believe in the spirit and that continues living even when our physical bodies quit. When my darling Dancer died a natural death last year, I was so hurt but it wasn’t because she died, it was because I couldn’t touch her any more. When my beloved young son died thirty years ago, the pain was from not being able to touch him and hold him and kiss his little fingers any more, I wouldn’t hear him call me “Mama” any more, not because I worried that he was somewhere lost from me. We are all going to die from something. Old age, illness, accident, something. Something is going to eventually take us from people who love us. When it’s our time, we’ll go. I believe it. So let’s live worry free while we can and when that time comes, I’ll try to get back to ghost write one more Dish. I’m sure it will go something like this:

“Wow, you will not believe how beautiful it is on the is side of life! No pain, no worries, no Salmonella. Oh, I see my little boy and all of our dogs coming for me! Gotta go now. Can’t wait until you get here! This is amazing.” – Darcy with a new body of light and energy

Have a happy day. – Darcy

Hi Everybody, In my opinion, it’s not a good thing to put into a dog’s body.

Clever and heart warmingly emotional advertising works, we all know that. But will people who love their dogs bet their dog’s life on it?

I’m glad to see that most online pet food makers and supply stores have recently started adding ingredient lists, even the biggest stores are doing it now. You know that they are hoping the majority of pet owners stay in the dark and uneducated about what’s in that stuff and what it will do to a dog or that they won’t care and they’ll keep buying it.

Not all food and treat makers are made of the same cloth. Some really do care about the health and quality of your dog’s life and use only the best ingredients that they can, those are the ones you’ll see at SitStay.com. Ingredient lists will tell you so much about character, ethics and morality.

If you feed your dogs junk, you will be giving your money to the vet to try to make them well again, even to trying to save their lives from infections, kidney disease, heart failure, aggressive behavior, obesity, tooth decay.

Google.com the words “Pup-Peroni ingredients” to see first, who sells it and promotes it, and second, what is being reported about it. I was shocked to find which websites are promoting Pup-Peroni, I didn’t think it of them. Some of the stores who are selling it have always sold this kind of stuff so no surprises there but really, some of those sites who I thought were really here for the dogs seem to have caved to the almighty dollar. It’s simply hard for some to turn down a lot of money no matter the outcome. I find it very sad.

Del Monte’s Pup-Peroni Ingredients: Beef, Meat by-Products, Soy Grits, Sugar, Liver, Salt, Propylene Glycol, Garlic Powder, Caramel Color, Natural Smoke Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (used as a preservative), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), Red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), Onion Extract. Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 24%, Crude Fat 12%, Crude Fiber 2%, Moisture 24%

Del Monte spent $8 million dollars to get you to buy Pup-Peroni. Added sugar, Onion, Sodium Nitrite, flavors, colors, BHA. Ack. Don’t we all know by now that these things are not good for dogs? After Del Monte had to recall food in the 2007 recalls, I’d think they’d research and go the good direction, it was a perfect time to reinvent themselves as the good guys. You’ll have to write to Del Monte to ask if they use the 4D meats: dead, down, dying and diseased in their foods. I can’t find anything that will prove for or against that. Susan Thixton, in an article speaking of Pup-Peroni, wrote: “Meat by-Products. This is a rendered meat ingredient commonly used in ´grocery store´ type pet foods and treats. The FDA determined this ingredient to be a probable source of pentobarbital, a lethal drug used to euthanize animals. Thus, this pet food/pet treat ingredient more than likely contains rendered euthanized animals and the lethal drug used to kill them.”

According to the FDA, the drug pentobarbital used to euthanize animals follows the animal all the way through the process of making dog food out of them and into your home and into your dog. Drugs.com states: “Pentobarbital is in a group of drugs called barbiturates (bar-BIT-chur-ates). Pentobarbital slows the activity of your brain and nervous system. Pentobarbital is used short-term to treat insomnia. Pentobarbital is also used as an emergency treatment for seizures, and to cause you to fall asleep for surgery. Pentobarbital may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.” (Like euthanizing animals, including dogs.)

Here’s a survey and aside from all the disclaimers keeping the FDA out of trouble with manufacturing, it’s a lot of worrisome info: FDA Survey The FDA concluded at some point that your dog ingesting foods and treats that have pentobarbital in them are unlikely to cause adverse health effects. Hmm. I find that so interesting. Just how much would they have to eat and over how much time until there were adverse health effects? There is some research on the amounts but what about my individual dog? How much is okay for him? There’s no conclusive proof that I can find that tells me it’s safe and will help keep my dog well. Far from it.

Check out the makers making it and the stores selling it and see if you still want to do your business with them. Character of a company means so much.  – Darcy

P.S. Del Monte also make Kibbles ‘n Bits and Milk bone. Here’s the OMG!

Kibbles ‘n Bits Ingredient list: corn, soybean meal, beef and bone meal, ground wheat flour, animal fat (bha used as preservative), corn syrup, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), propylene glycol, salt, hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, caramel color, sorbic acid (used as a preservative), sodium carbonate, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), calcium sulfate, titanium dioxide, yellow 5, yellow 6, red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), dl methionine.

Milk Bone: Ingredients: Wheat flour, wheat bran, beef meal and beef bone meal, wheat germ, beef fat (preserved with tocopherols), poultry-by-product meal, lamb meal, salt, chicken meal, dried beet pulp, dicalcium phosphate, bacon fat (preserved with BHT, propyl-gallate, and citric acid), brewers dried yeast, whey, artificial color (includes red 40, yellow 5, blue 1), vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate [vitamin e], vitamin a acetate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin b12 supplement, d-activated animal sterol

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), malted barley flour, iron oxide, casein, natural flavor (source of peanut butter flavor), sodium metabisulfite (dough conditioner), minerals (zinc sulfate, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, ethylenediamine dihydriodide

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), soy lecithin.

As an added bit for people who will read the bad news, Google the words “FDA pentobarbital”. Apparently to this day, and it doesn’t surprise me or others in the know, some dog food companies are still adding animals who have been euthanized with pentobarbital to their foods. Pentobarbital follows from the live animal into death and into food, intact. Generally before an animal is enthanized, it was ill or diseased and full of drugs and antibiotics to try for a cure. Then the pentobarbital shot to end the suffering.

They were all rescues. Darcy, thanks for sharing your expertise. Linda

Dear Linda, I’m not a nutritionist or a vet. I do have a lot of good experiences with my own dogs and have helped thousands of people move to better diets and make their dogs well dogs. We are so lucky to have logical, practical, Mother Nature provided guidelines on our side, it helps us understand what dogs need. If your dog caught a rabbit, what would he be eating? Brain, bones, meat, and whatever was the veggie matter inside that rabbit’s stomach. That’s what we try to simulate when we assemble food for our dogs. Of course, a whole rabbit is easy if you have it available, most people don’t and they assemble dinner from several different groups of foods.

This may help you more than anything. Each dog is different, just like humans are different. Amounts of food mean different things to each body. For instance, if you feed all dogs the same every day, one may gain weight, one may lose weight and one may stay the same weight. As your dogs grow older, they may need less of one thing and more of another. Some people can eat huge amounts of food in a day and never gain weight, that’s not me, if I eat too much, my fat and body mass increases. The individual body determines how the dogs use the food, and how fast, depending on their metabolism and activity.

The guidelines are just guidelines to get you started. Rule of thumb for a raw diet daily is 2% adult, 10% puppy. Here’s the test of how to determine if your dogs are getting the right amount of food. Feel their ribs, every morning. I feel my dogs ribs every time I pet them, it’s a good habit to get into.

How to feel the ribs: Run your fingers across the ribs from head to tail and back again. A dog’s ribs in good weight means that you can feel the ribs easily but they are under a lightly padded layer. The belly should not be fat, but firm and svelte. I don’t generally share other websites but this one is pretty good for showing drawings of what a dog body shape should look like. Click here to go to the site.

If your dogs are fat or overweight from the amount you’re feeding now, cut it down. Add a raw bone with a little meat, like a knuckle or something small enough for them to chew on without getting to eat it. This is for chewing pleasure. It not only helps them feel like they are getting more to eat so calms hunger that they might feel but also increases calmness and mental health. Watching a dog get down and chew on a bone is a lot like watching a person doing what they love to do, it’s total happiness and complete concentration. It does wonders to calm the mind and emotions.

If your dog’s ribs are just right and they are getting plenty of bone chewing and activity, you’re right on with what you’re feeding. Watch each individual dog. You might keep a journal but really, feeling the ribs every day before breakfast will tell you how much food they should get. If you have a fatter dog, give a little less for breakfast. A skinny dog, a little more. You might have to alter food day to day for some until you start to understand how their body uses the food. It’s a lot easier than it sounds and with practice, you’ll know just what each needs. If you can feed yourself, you can feed your dogs.

I remember our Golden Retriever Kari, she was a rescue, too. She was an easy keeper, just like me. She didn’t eat much, chewed a lot!, and had to have tons of exercise to keep her body beautiful.

And then there is Oliver, also a rescue. I don’t know how that guy got so big, he’s over 92 pounds now. He didn’t eat very much until he was about 11 months, like many rescues who go through trying times, he was afraid of food. Before he was rescued, he was alone with his sister dealing with mange and a whole lot of other life threatening issues. My best guess is that she ruled the roost. In the garage alone with his sister and a bowl of food every day, my guess is that she was the stronger dog and personality and she got most of it on her schedule. He was too sick to fight her and probably submitted to her and eventually submitted to food as well. That seems weird but I hear more and more that rescue dogs are refusing to eat. It has to do with trauma in some instances. I believe that was what happened to him. The sister was adopted first leaving him alone but the damage had already been done. He was afraid to eat for a long time and had to be coaxed out of his skinny, skinny state. After a while of living with Kent and eating raw food, his fear of food went away and his appetite kicked in, now he really loves to eat. He eats a lot! He’s still growing and filling out and he’s a highly active boy. He loves to chew! He’s quite the sweetheart.

So, determine again by weight 2% raw food of adult body weight for each day. Then adjust to the dog’s needs. Maybe a little more meat, a little more veggies, a little more chewing. Each might need something else. Lots of chewing, lots of exercise.

Don’t lose sleep over feeding the dogs right. They definitely will not go hungry. Keeping them lean is the hardest thing.

If you need hands on guidance, go to the SitStay Dog Run Forum for raw diet. They are wonderful and helpful. And SitStay.com has some great books on the subject, too. – Darcy

Dear Deb,

Congratulations on your weight loss! It’s amazing what a diet change can do for a body and so quickly, isn’t it! I’m glad that you want to be a happier person, you’ll find that the fat drops off even more quickly when that happens.

The drink soda and be fat videos and commercials are pretty yucky but true, they should have included fruit juice with sugar added, too. I’ve preached it before, anything with added sugar, corn or corn syrup is going to turn to fat and lie to your brain, for us and our dogs. Our brain gets confused when we add sugar and processed foods to our body, it doesn’t know any more when we’re full so we continue to eat. Our body can’t process all that sugar so it stores it as fat. Nobody but the most active can run off all that sugar every single day. Sedentary people get bigger and bigger. Drink soda, eat processed food, add fat to the belly and internal organs. It’s not all your fault. The guys who market that stuff know what makes people tick and they use you against yourself to fill their bank accounts. The only way to naturally lose the fat is to stop putting sugar and processed foods into the body, eat a simple natural diet, and start moving again. When I was growing up and when my kids were growing up, soda and eating out once in a while were treats. Today people eat out all the time and drink soda instead of water with meals and for snacks. I know lots of people who are hooked on soda pop and juice. I see them growing bigger and bigger around the middle every year, some of them suffer depression and diabetes. It’s not hard to link all that processed food and sugar to fat. The doctors and undertakers have been very busy since the onset of fast food and soft drinks. I’m glad that you’re thumbing your nose at all of it. You go, Girl!

Oh, boy. On to the anger issues and criticism.

The first thing I do is look at the criticism. Was it constructive? Was it well meaning and helpful? I try to find something in it that I can learn from. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I don’t see anything helpful at all. Those are those criticisms who come from people who don’t like themselves or other people very much. Remember high school cliques? It’s like that, I think. People who criticize without love and good intention behind it usually belong to a set of persons who support that kind of attitude. It’s meanness and unhappiness. Those people don’t feel substantial until someone else is unhappy. It’s been like that forever and will continue to be like that until everyone works their heart and tongue only with love and not with hate or anger.

I’m not better than anyone else and it hasn’t always been this way for me. Although I’ve always been a pretty happy person and tried to answer with kindness, there have been times that I felt like I needed to defend myself against my critics and did. There was never one time that it made me feel good so realized I had to find a better way for my own self preservation and peace. I’ve learned how to better handle criticism in whatever form it comes.

There are still times that my feelings get jolted and when that happens, I go to my happy place for a while. What is my happy place? It’s the quiet place inside of me where only peace exists. There are no arguments, hurt feelings, self worth issues, anger, sharp tongues, hate, criticisms… only joy and peace. When I come back from there, it all seems so trivial and that’s where I answer from. Here at The Dish I answer with the dogs in mind, if the criticism might hurt a dog, I do try to give the best answer that I can. And sometimes I don’t answer. I don’t have to defend myself from those who would like to hurt me.

What is my quiet place? I meditate daily and because I do that, I have an immediate and constant link to that quiet place even while I am walking and working. Scientific research has been done recently on the effects of meditation on the human brain. They have found that people who meditate on a regular basis are happier than those who don’t meditate. When we meditate, a certain spot in our brain is activated, it’s in the left frontal cortex, it’s like the joy activity center of our brain. When this part of the brain is activated on a regular basis, we produce less of the stress hormone cortisol, we develop a buffer against fear and panic signals, and we recover faster from negative events. They’ve even found that people who mediate don’t have depression. It’s the best equalizer.

I’ve had my share of failings in this life and most of it was due to my bad choices and my tongue, I’ve learned that joy is the only real opposite to everything that could go wrong or make me feel bad. I choose joy.

Going to my quiet place when someone has made an effort to hurt my feelings gives me a way to step back and look at what happened before reacting. Sort of a consider the source kind of thing. Usually the source is not who I want to pattern my life after so my reaction is calm and forgiving, even to trying to give them a way to back out and make it right again. That doesn’t mean that I can’t answer the criticism or attack, it does mean that I can answer calmly and with intelligence. I don’t have to stand up for myself. Just because someone else thinks I’m wrong doesn’t make them right. Sometimes I am wrong, those are the times I learn something new, accept it, and thank that person for giving me that gift.

I don’t have revengeful thoughts racing through my head about how to get even with someone who hurt me. I don’t have worries or doom poking at me on a minute by minute schedule. I don’t have depression. I don’t worry about the future although I do plan for it. I don’t worry about the past. I live like the dogs do, in the moment. My thoughts are clear and bright and happy. Sometimes I think I’ll just burst with joy, no matter what else is going on in life…. and life does keep happening. We just don’t have to be so affected by it that it steals our joy. I often burst into song. That’s not very pretty to listen to but I sing like no one is listening. GBG

Give yourself permission to be beautiful, inside and out. Pray for those who criticism you. Try to never let a cross word or an untruth cross your lips, then you don’t have to feel defensive about what you’ve said. Accept criticism that is given to you with a kind heart. Learn to meditate. Find your happy, quiet place. Accept your peace and spread it around. It really is a nice way to live. Worry free and joy filled.

Pray for me. I put myself out there every day and that often invites criticism. Some days the critics can be pretty harsh. So far, I’m only human and thank God that most of my Readers are wonderful, loving people. LOL! – Thanks, Darcy

Dearest, dearest, Darcy, I’ve known you forever and I read your blog. The advice you give for dogs has always been right on for my dogs, I changed them to raw food years ago and they have perfect health and weight. Soooo….I thought I would take your advice for myself. You have never mentioned my weight to me, taking me just as I am. You’re the best.

I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this because if I failed, I didn’t want anybody to think I was weak. Guess what? It wasn’t easy but I gave up fast food at Micky D’s. The hardest part of giving it up was that’s where I had lunch with my co workers every day, it’s just down the block. I did keep thinking about the food for about five days, I think that might be the addictive factor in my case. I started taking my lunch to work with me and I get to eat more food at this meal than I was eating of junk but that’s not the good part. I’ve lost 10 pounds in two weeks! All I did was give up the junk food! That’s all! I mean I was still only walking only a few blocks a day to get to my car and the office.

I am one of those pretty obese people who you see when you look around at Micky D’s. You’d mentioned in your blog that we should look at the other people who are frequenting our favorite eating places to see what we might eventually look like if we keep eating there. I started looking around and I saw people just like me, please God, do I really look like that? I’d stopped looking the mirror years ago.

I am a well educated woman with a good job. I can’t believe that I didn’t know fast food was going to make me look like this or even that it was the culprit, the reason that I am fat. What was I thinking!

I gave up a breakfast and a lunch, Monday through Friday, at the fast food place and traded it for a breakfast at home of anything I want (no cold cereal, you’d said that it wouldn’t satisfy me and you are right about that) and a large lunch that I make myself (no processed food). If I get hungry between meals and sometimes I find that I do, I don’t think about going for fast food, I reach for an apple or I sit down and eat some real, non processed food. Dinner is the same as always. A crazy thing these past few days is that I don’t snack after dinner any more, either. I don’t want it. I drink a glass of water and go to bed. I’m sleeping better, too.

Two of my co workers have started eating with me at work. They have started losing weight, too. It happens so fast! We’re all happier, we laugh easier, I find that my mind is more clear, and today we’re going to start walking together.

Finally after all of these years of killing myself and getting bigger and bigger, I have energy again. I feel like going out and doing something that doesn’t include eating! I have to say that the first five days of giving up the junk was really, really hard. My fast food lunch was never huge, it was only a sandwich, fries, and a diet soft drink but I did it every day. Breakfast was usually a muffin sandwich and an apple pie, they are so little, how could they make such a huge impact on a body? I often felt like I needed more food, I was hungry again shortly after eating, but I didn’t want to look like a pig. I don’t know what they put into that stuff, I do know that I was addicted.

I woke up this morning for the first time as an adult without bad breath. I pulled my pants on and for the first time in twenty years, I went to the second hole on my belt. When I stepped on the scales, I had to call you and let you know and tell you what’s happened with me. Please use my story on your blog. Maybe it will give someone else hope and the will to give up fast food.

I am so happy to be on the right track to getting fit again. I’ve ordered my Callanetics DVDs to start toning this poor old body. You are the best! Love you! Shirley

Dear Shirley,

I am so happy for you! It’s amazing, isn’t it, the way the food industry has tricked us into getting sick. It’s like a conspiracy, the food makes us fat, then we need to go to a doctor to get well and they give us drugs to fight the effects of bad food, but after more of the same food, the doctors can’t fix us. Heart disease, diabetes, kidneys that don’t function properly, liver ailments, acne and bad skin, allergy symptoms, fatigue, weight issues, out of shape bodies, minds that don’t work right any more…it’s so awful. I am so proud of you for taking a stand against them, they’ve been sneakily cheating you out of your life for years.

I’d suggest that you start slow on the walking and do  what you feel comfortable with while doing the Callanetics. We talked about this, if you try too much to start, you might feel that you’re getting too tired and quit. Start with a couple of blocks of walking, then build that distance as you feel you want to. With the Callanetics, at first you might feel like your muscles aren’t doing what they should but they are, they’re just so deep inside under fat and they’ve been weak for a long time. I do dance and tone with Callanetics five times a week. Even for me, after years of being lazy, it took about two weeks for me to feel my muscles working and then, hey!, there they are! It’s such a great feeling to know that my muscles are still under there and they want to be fit and shapely again. Like I said, the first thing to happen was that my butt lifted and so quickly. I laughed with you about this, my behind almost looks like a teenager’s butt again. It tickles me to no end!

Remember that every person has their own fit body. Getting into shape and finding our comfortable weight doesn’t mean that we have to look like Madonna or a cover girl, although you’ll find you can do that over time with good eating habits and Callanetics. It’s pretty amazing. The goal should be to be the best that you can be, a healthy and fit you. To have energy and want to get up and go do something besides eat.

I gave up my scales a long time ago because I don’t think weight is a good indication of fitness. Losing the fat is fabulous and right. What difference does it make what we weigh if we’re fit and lean? Weight is one of those lying things that magazines have tricked you into worrying about. It’s what sells magazines and weight loss products that don’t work. People spend billions of dollars hoping that finally something is going to work to lose fat and get fit. The only thing that works to get people into shape naturally is eating a nutritious diet and moving. You’re proof perfect of the diet and as you move, you’ll find that you win. Nobody can lie to you ever again, at least not about your health. LOL!

If you gain weight with the Callanetics while you build and tone muscle, and you probably will at first, you might find that discouraging. Muscle weighs more than fat so stay off the scale for the next few months. Use a fabric tape measure instead. Do it today, write down these measurements and date it. Measure around your neck, upper arms, bust, right under the bust, belly at the button, belly 3 or 4 inches below the button, hips at the widest spot, upper thighs at the largest spot, and 4″ above your knee. Don’t cheat, don’t pull it tight, you want an accurate reading. You can do this every day but once a week will give you the best high and the most noticeable changes. You might see that the measurements go up for the first few weeks especially in your belly and hips. Delight in that because it means that your abdominal muscles and your butt are doing what they should. Soon enough the measurements are going to decrease and that’s when it gets very, very exciting.

If you have a day that you don’t want to exercise and eat right, do it anyway. As soon as you’re doing it, you’ll find that feeling of pleasure knowing that you are capable, strong, and beautiful while you care for yourself and your body. Having friends to share this with is excellent. Support and love make it even easier. You didn’t get this way in a few weeks, it’s going to take a while to get rid of it. Keep your mind in the good place and know that you are changing and love yourself every day. Start looking in the mirror again now, it will start loving you back very quickly.

I love you, too. GBG – Darcy

Dear Jill, Yes, I did and I’m sorry I left that out, I’d talked about it not too long ago.

Tripe is great food and adds real nutrition to a dog’s diet. The SitStay Dogs get it several times a week. It stinks and they love, love, love it! I like Tripett canned food, it’s easy to use, just open, feed, and toss the cans out into the trash (recycling bin, of course!)

Tripett at SitStay.com and we have Tripe treats, too. – Darcy

Dear C, I’m so glad that you have a supportive vet, that’s often not the case for so many.

Dogs should smell good, like they’ve just had a bath even when they haven’t had a bath in a year. Unless they’ve been rolling in something stinky, you should be able to hug and snuggle and still breathe in the lovely smell of their bodies.

From what I know about your breed, they tend to be a healthy bunch aside from the usual size issues of hips and elbows. There could be many reasons for the sour odor and maybe easy to fix. I’ll give you some ideas to try.

SynoviG4 contains MethylSufonylMethane (MSM) which is a natural source of sulfur and sulfur can add odor to the body.

My best guess for the sour smell of her body if it’s not the supplement for pain, is diet, it might need some adjustment. In large dogs who grow sooooo fast from puppyhood, some tend to have body odor unless their diet is just right so it can be a life long thing. Have you ever smelled a young human child’s hair after they’ve been out playing? Some of them smell fine but some have that kind of sour odor that you can’t quite call stink, it can be something lacking in their diet or over supplementing with vitamins, minerals, an even herbs. Adding more fish to the diet could be the cure. Grains in the diet can often cause a dog to smell “off”, too, and grain often supports yeast. If you do feed grain, try pulling that out for about 10 days to see what happens. I know it’s odd that smelly old fish can give a dog a nice smelling body but it’s often the cure for body odor and it’s such a good food. Give her some acidophilus Pearls with breakfast and dinner, yeast can be a lingery thing without causing a lot of noticeable symptoms, bad breath, body odor, and icky ears are often the first signs.

SitStay.com has some great canned fish. Be cautious of the grocery store canned fish, there can be way more in the can than you want to give to your dog. Fresh is good if your dog will eat it. Some don’t like fresh fish but they almost always go for canned.

Stress from pain can upset a tummy making bad breath and body odor. If you’ve ever closely visited with a person who is in pain from an injury or emotional stress or with an older person who may be going through pain because of what we call old age symptoms, they have a distinctive odor to their breath. That odor can seep through the body as well to cause a sour or “off” body odor, it can be especially noticeable in hair. Drugs and supplements are prime culprits of body and breath odor.

If she was mine, I’d get her to a vet chiropractor for some adjustments and acupuncture, they can do amazing things to get your girl relief and sweet smelling again. See Tilli’s Adjustment Video

Nobody, not even we humans, have to wake up with bad breath or body odor or suffer it during stressful times. If our diet is right, our breath is sweet, we’re easy to be close to, even first thing in the morning. People who eat fast food and too many sweets often have bad breath and waking up with them is turn your head away and hold your breath love. Diet can save you so much money! No more mouthwash or antacids.

Supplements only when they are needed are great and can do a lot of good. It’s matching the right supplement to the right body while still feeding a good diet, that’s the trick. Our Tilli is testing a natural supplement for pain and inflammation right now, I’ll know in one month if SitStay will carry it. It’s been well tested by the maker so it’s safe for her to try. But will it work like it supposed to? She’s been doing great with her chiropractic visits. She does have a history of elbow and hip problems so she gets a lot of fish in her diet. So far so good, she seems to be “happier”, if that’s possible. She loves her vet Chiropractor and has done so well seeing her. I think that chiropractic should be a first when we get our dogs and a life long practice, certainly a first treatment for any sign of illness, disease, or pain. If our bodies are aligned, they have a better chance of working properly, to see us into our last days with minimum pain and suffering. Tilli is 13 1/2.

Give some or all of these things a try for a few weeks and let me know if you see any differences. Hugs to your beautiful girl. – Darcy