healthy

10 Tips for a Happy Great Pyrenees

I’m always trying to figure out what I can do to keep Mauja and Atka happy. While the fluffies are our whole world, I continually feel there is more I could do for them. After much thought, I came up with 10 tips for a happy Great Pyrenees.

Buy an expensive dog bed

Then watch the dog bed sit in the corner collecting dust while your Great Pyrenees prefers to lay on the cool, hard floor. Or completely take over your couch. One of the two.

Set up play dates

You want to keep your Pyrenees exercised and socialized. After 5 minutes of play, realize Pyrenees has settled into guard dog duty in the shade instead.

Stop Asking If Your Great Pyrenees is Overweight Online

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I know you mean well when asking if your Great Pyrenees is overweight online, but it's really worthless. Click through to see why.

Stop Asking If Your Great Pyrenees Is Overweight Online

If there’s one thing that drives me absolutely bonkers (okay, there are a lot of things that do that, but we’ll just focus on this for now) it’s people asking advice about their dog’s weight online after receiving veterinary guidance.

I see it all. the. time.

“Just had *insert dog’s name* at the vet and the vet says he needs to lose 20 pounds! Can you believe it?! Do you think he looks like he needs to lose weight?”

This is often answered with, “He looks great! He’s just thick.” or “He just has a lot of fluff!”

A Great Pyrenees is not thick. However, a Great Pyrenees does fill out. Just not in a way most people think.

Filling out does not mean that your dog puts extra fat on his body. It means that his ribs widen and chest deepens. This is usually accompanied by muscle growth. A Great Pyrenees will not have muscle substance similar to a dog such as a Rottweiler. They still need to be exceptionally agile for defending their flock.

The Great Pyrenees Breed Standard states:

The Great Pyrenees is a dog of medium substance whose coat deceives those who do not feel the bone and muscle. Commensurate with his size and impression of elegance there is sufficient bone and muscle to provide a balance with the frame.

Balance is key for the Great Pyrenees. A pyr should never be lumbersome. I hate to say it, but if your vet thinks your Great Pyrenees is overweight, he probably is.

I know you mean well when you ask about your dog’s weight online, but let me explain why it is worthless.

Pyrs have a LOT of fur. However, there’s a spectrum when it comes to pyr coats. Some are a bit on the “thin” side (thin for pyr fur that is), making it a tad easier to tell their weight. Others have coats that are OMG SO FLUFFY and you can’t tell where the fur ends and the body begins. Is the dog underweight? Overweight? I have no idea – there’s too much fur!

Yes, there are cases where you can absolutely see that a pyr is over or under weight (shorter fur, emaciated, etc), but the vast majority are going to be a mystery.

That is – until you touch them.

I really like this chart for examining your dog’s weight because if offers the usual side view, but an above view as well.

If your vet says your dog is overweight, he probably is. Regardless of how you feel about traditional veterinarians, they aren’t out to emaciate our dogs or suggest diets and more exercise because it’s fun for them. They are trying to protect the health of your dog and allow him to live a long, healthy life.

If you’re unsure about your dog’s weight or your vet has suggested that your dog needs to lose a few pounds, try using the above chart. Like stated earlier, it’s going to be a little more difficult for a fluffy dog. You can’t just look at him. Here are a two of my preferred methods:

The Fluffy Dog Feel Method

Put your hands on each side of your dog’s ribs. Press very lightly and glide your fingers toward his head and back toward his tail. Can you easily feel the ribs without pressing too hard?

If you have to press to feel the ribs and/or can’t find them, your dog is probably overweight. This is how I keep tabs on Mauja and Atka on a regular basis. Simply feel their ribs to ensure they are still at a healthy weight. However, there is a better method to tell if your Great Pyrenees is overweight (or any fluffy dog).

The Soak Your Fluffy Method

This is the best way to determine if your dog is at an appropriate weight when using the chart above. If you look down on your fluffy dog, you typically can’t tell where fur ends and body starts. That’s where the feel method is appropriate. If you want to look at your dog as a whole, you’re going to need to soak that fluffy.

I use this method when Mauja and Atka are getting baths or when they’ve just gone for a swim. Anything that got them completely wet and flattened the fur for me. Then you can look at them from above (you’ll probably need a chair) and compare to the chart.

Now that you have mellowed the fluff a bit, really compare your dog to this chart. Is there a slight tuck to the stomach? Does he have a nice shape when viewed from above?

If you find your dog on either side of the scale, speak with your vet about the best course of action. Your dog will live a longer, healthier, and happier life if he’s at his ideal weight.

So please, stop asking if your Great Pyrenees is overweight online. No one can tell the actual size of the dog under the mass amount of fluff.

Bigger is not always better – let’s keep our fluffies happy and healthy 🙂

The Truth Behind Switching to a Homemade Diet

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[Did you miss the start of our adventure into homecooked meals with Dr. Harvey’s? Check it out here.]

So many people told me that switching to a homemade diet would be so easy. Well, I think they were lying. Here's the truth behind switching from dry food to fresh, home-cooked meals.

I’m not going to sugar coat it – switching to a homemade diet is not an easy feat.

Maybe it’s because I’m a paranoid dog mom or maybe it’s because I stress about our budget too much, but this past week has been quite the challenge. Has it been worth it?

Absolutely.

Am I still stressed?

You bet.

Let me take a few steps back and walk you through the past week.

Last Sunday, we were stoked to get Mauja and Atka completely transitioned to a homemade diet. We decided we were going to start with chicken as their first protein and added it to our grocery list. I became completely overwhelmed when in the meat department.

“Howy cwap is that really how much meat costs?!”

I’m a vegetarian so I really don’t notice the cost of meat. Nick does eat meat, but he doesn’t seem to purchase much from the store recently. I was shocked at the cost.

Then we had to decide what kind of chicken to get. I knew that Nick always got boneless, skinless chicken breast when he was eating it more frequently. I knew from my nutrition background that it was one of the healthiest meat proteins for humans. Did that hold true for dogs? Thankfully, I have Google in my pocket and could do a bit of research.

We finally decided on the boneless, skinless chicken breast but still had to determine how much to buy. How much should Mauja and Atka be eating?

Back to the phone.

According to the feeding instructions for Dr. Harvey’s, Mauja and Atka should be getting approximately 32-39 ounces of protein per day. That’s at least 2 pounds EACH per day. After a mild freak out, I realized that can’t possibly be right. Pyrs have very slow metabolisms for their size and don’t eat nearly as much as expected.

Okay, but how to I figure out how much protein they really need?

I don’t know why I felt that this was the most logical solution at the time, but I decided to look up the feeding requirements for the dry food they were previously eating.

According to the feeding instructions for their dry food, they should be eating at least 5 cups of food per day. They each only eat 2-3 cups per day and are maintaining their weight. That’s only half of what they are “supposed” to eat. I thought that maybe I should cut these feeding requirements in half.

Mauja and Atka self-regulate their eating with dry food, but I knew they weren’t going to do that with fresh food. They were going to eat it up!

We decided to try and feed the amount suggested for 51-70 pound dogs and just watch their weight and energy levels. Atka’s still growing and more active, so he gets a bit more than Mauja, but still not the suggested amount for his weight.

Even with all our planning, we still made an error. We forgot to consider the difference in protein weight before and after it’s cooked. At a healthy cooking class I recently helped teach, we demonstrated just how different the weight of cooked vs raw protein is. Should I be weighing their meat cooked or raw?

We had been weighing it cooked and ran out of chicken. Twice.

We’re one week in and they’re both doing great, but we’ll continue to closely monitor them as we figure out how much food they really need.

Yesterday, we did our weekly grocery run and I was a bit more confident with purchasing their protein. We left with some extra lean ground beef and plans to cook it all in our crockpot [note to self – get a bigger crockpot. It took two rounds to cook it all!].

I know that week by week the process is going to get easier, but I won’t lie and say it was all sunshine and roses at first. As far as the actual feeding process, it is really easy. Grab a few scoops of Veg-To-Bowl, throw in some protein and oil, and serve. So incredibly simple. If your dog typically strays extremely far from average feeding amounts, there’s a bit of a learning curve.

The greatest part about feeding Veg-To-Bowl is that you can contact Dr. Harvey and get advice directly from him. To me, that really shows how much he cares about the success of every pet.

At this point, I don’t know if we’ve hit the proper amount of food for them. We may need to increase, we may need to decrease. For now, we are just going to closely monitor their weight and energy levels and take it week by week.

Do I have any regrets about making the switch or am I starting to second guess? Absolutely not. While we haven’t seen progress with Atka yet (I know we will need several weeks for him), Mauja’s tummy is already improving. Plus, it makes me happy to actually see them excited about their food 🙂

For those of you that have switched to a homemade diet, did you struggle with determining the appropriate feeding amount? Any advice?

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Our Adventure Into Home-Cooked Meals

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For the past few months, we’ve been having two issues: upset tummy and itchy skin. Mauja has had really inconsistent stools – some loose and some firm. We haven’t been able to find an exact correlation to her diet, but my first instinct tells me that’s the issue. Atka’s tummy has been fine, but boy has he been itchy.

Atka has had itchy skin issues since he was about 10 months old. The first issue occurred around his eye. The area around his right eye became inflamed and the fur actually began to fall out. Thankfully, it never seemed to bother him. After Benadryl, several rounds of antibiotics, and a few types of ointments, it eventually went away. Unfortunately, after a few months it returned.

The second time we didn’t pursue any medication because we couldn’t say that one approach was actually effective. He wasn’t itching or rubbing his eye, so after a discussion with the vet, we decided to simply monitor it for a few weeks. Eventually, it went away again. This seems to happen every few months.

Currently, he’s not showing any symptoms with his eye, but his skin is quite itchy. We constantly see him scratching the back of his front legs and chewing on his back legs. Benadryl seems to help the symptoms, but it doesn’t get to the root cause of the issue.

We’ve been experimenting with different proteins and a variety of high-quality foods, but we haven’t found one that improves either of their issues. After awhile, I began to seriously contemplate feeding them home-cooked meals.

That thought terrified me.

What should they be eating? How much protein? How many fruits and vegetables? How would they get all of their essential vitamins and minerals? How do I determine their macro-nutrient needs?

So many questions and so few answers.

After dancing around the idea for a few weeks, I remembered a product we were able to try at BlogPaws last year. The fluffies had received a sample of Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To-Bowl and absolutely loved it.

Veg-To-Bowl is a grain-free premix of nine different vegetables and herbs. You simply add your choice of protein and oil to create a complete, well-rounded meal. It makes feeding your dog homed-cooked meals extremely simple. At least, that’s the way it sounds.

I was still really nervous about making the switch to home-cooked meals, but thankfully, it was very easy to get my questions answered. After a phone call with Dr. Harvey himself, I felt much more at ease with my ability to adequately feed Mauja and Atka. I was really impressed that Dr. Harvey was so willing to take time out of his day to answer my long list of questions.

Last week, we slowly began to transition Mauja and Atka to the Veg-To-Bowl food so today begins the first day of their journey. I’m really hoping that switching them to a fresh-food diet will solve the issues we’ve been having. After reading so many of the testimonials, I’m pretty confident we will see success.

Each week, I’m going to write an update on their progress. Hopefully, these posts will assist any of you that have been considering making your dog his own meals. We also have a few other products from Dr. Harvey’s that we’ll be trying and telling you all about soon.

Stay tuned for more of Mauja and Atka’s journey to home-cooked meals!

Disclaimer: Dr. Harvey’s provided Veg-To-Bowl in order for It’s Dog or Nothing to try home-cooked meals. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this blog.

Do Good By Pets and Win Open Farm

Celebrating With One Dog Organic Bakery Holiday Tins

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Whether we’re ready or not, the holiday season is here. Personally, I don’t decorate or anything until the day after Thanksgiving, but I know there are a lot of early preparers out there so I wanted you to know about this ADORABLE product!

I wrote about One Dog Organic Bakery and their mission for transparency in the pet industry a bit ago and absolutely love everything they stand for. If you missed that post, go check it out before I continue!

I’ll wait.

Okay, are we ready?

Good.

So let’s talk about the Holiday Keepsake Tins from One Dog Organic Bakery. These tins are absolutely adorable and the perfect way to bring the holidays to your pups. The tins remind me of the popcorn tins that we used to get all of the time – they’re definitely something you will want to reuse. However, the best part is when you open the tin for the first time.

OH. MY. FLUFFY.

It smelled like I was opening a tin of freshly baked cookies and I’m not going to lie, I almost took a bite. The fact that One Dog Organic Bakery has a human-grade facility made it all the more tempting! I figured I’d have some pretty angry fluffies if I ate their treats 😉

Mauja and Atka’s tin had two flavors of treats: Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Men. Both of these flavors are grain, preservative, chemical, and artificial anything free. The treats smelled EXACTLY like Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread so I was eager to see how the pups liked them.

Mauja and Atka are so silly when they try something new for the first time. I held out a treat for each of them and they both gave it a thorough sniff. They probably smelled the treats for 10 seconds before they gingerly (see what I did there?) took the treats from my hand and walked away with them. After a few more seconds of sniffing, they finally decided it was time for the taste test. As soon as they finished, they were both at my side begging for more. This time, there was a lot of excitement for the treat!

One Dog Organic Bakery has several flavors to fit the preferences of every dog. For their Holiday Keepsake Tins, they have:

Gingerbread Men
Apple Cinnamon Crisp
Ginger Snaps
Peanut Butter Honey
Peanut Butter Cranberry
Pumpkin Spice

Best part, all the flavors are grain free! Every Christmas, I say that I’m going to bake treats and put them in cute jars for the pups of my friends and family. Then I get busy and it never happens. Dog mom fail. This year I am definitely going to be sending these tins to the special pups in my life.

Mom, if you’re reading this (HI MOM!), don’t tell Mallie and Kai 😉

So what do you think? Are you going to add the Holiday Keepsake Tins to your Christmas list this year?

Disclaimer: It’s Dog or Nothing was provided the product mentioned above in exchange for our honest opinion. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this site and we only share products we believe in and feel you would enjoy. Thanks for supporting It’s Dog or Nothing!

5 Benefits of Bully Sticks + Raw Paws Giveaway

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Bully sticks are a staple in the fluffy house. We always have a large stash and Mauja and Atka are not pleased if they don’t receive their evening chew. Currently, bully sticks are my favorite treat to give the fluffy butts and I’m sure they will be for quite some time.

Why Bully Sticks?

Bully sticks are natural. Bully sticks are a natural treat free of preservatives, chemicals, and dyes and fully digestible – a must for anything I give the pups.
Bully sticks help maintain oral health. They can prevent the build-up of plaque and tartar and stop cavity formation. They also help prevent periodontal disease and gingivitis. I definitely notice a difference in Mauja and Atka’s teeth when they don’t receive bully sticks frequently. I do brush their teeth, but hey – we’re all human and I do forget sometimes! Bully sticks help fill the gap.
Bully sticks relieve boredom. Bored dogs can get into a lot of mischief since they don’t have a proper outlet for their energy. A bully stick can help alleviate boredom and stress through chewing.
Bully sticks are high in protein. A high-protein, low-fat treat is great for overweight dogs and healthy weight dogs alike. Bully sticks also contain vitamins and minerals such as calcium and magnesium for strong bones.
Bully sticks come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. There definitely isn’t a “one size fits all” approach for bully sticks so it is easy to find one best suited for your individual dog. They can be small, long, braided, or even a ring. I like to mix up shapes and sizes to keep it interesting.

Why Raw Paws?

I was first introduced to Raw Paws Pet Food at BlogPaws back in May. I’m really not interested in feeding the fluffies raw, so I overlooked the company at first. After a wonderful chat with a member of the Raw Paws team (I don’t remember much – the weekend was a whirlwind!), I pulled up the website to see what they had to offer, fully expecting to see a site full of things I wasn’t interested in purchasing.

I was definitely wrong.

Raw Paws has an entire line of high-quality chews and treats. From antlers to bully sticks to freeze-dried treats, they have it all! Mauja and Atka are chomping on the 6 in Jumbo Bully Sticks, but you can also get standard thickness, 12 in, or bully rings. Most importantly, all products from Raw Paws Pet Food are free of anything artificial, USA raised, and USDA inspected. This gives you peace of mind in what you are feeding your beloved furbaby.

If you are interested in raw feeding, I highly recommend stopping by the Raw Paws site for some information and guidance. They make raw feeding easy and affordable for pet parents. You can also schedule a free consultation or have the Raw Paws staff help you create a custom meal plan for your dog.

For those of us not interested in raw feeding, there are several high-quality products we can purchase from Raw Paws Pet Food.

[tweetthis]Bully sticks are a great natural #treat for your #dog. @RawPawsPet has you covered![/tweetthis]

Want to try Raw Paws Pet Food bully sticks for your dog? Enter the giveaway below!

+a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: It’s Dog or Nothing was compensated to help spread the word about Raw Paws Pet Food. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this site and It’s Dog or Nothing only shares products we believe in and feel you would enjoy. Thanks for supporting It’s Dog or Nothing!

About the giveaway: No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway will run from October 6, 2015 through October 14, 2015. A single winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Facebook and Twitter do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participants must read and agree to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.

#TruLoveIs a Great Pyrenees (& Wellness TruFood)

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For me, #TruLoveIs a Great Pyrenees.

For Mauja and Atka, #TruLoveIs Wellness® TruFood®.

This post is sponsored by PetSmart & Wellness Natural Pet Food and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Wellness TruFood, but It’s Dog or Nothing only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Wellness Natural Pet Food is not responsible for the content of this article

As many of you know, Mauja and Atka are fed a rotational diet. I like to give them a variety in taste, texture, and nutrients. I don’t want to eat the same thing every day so why should they?

Wellness has always been a staple in their rotation so I was thrilled when I found out about the new TruFood line! A few months ago, I wrote about TruFood and how it is baked rather than extruded (a very important difference which retains more natural vitamins and minerals) and how much the fluffies loved it.

Wellness TruFood has more of what pets need to be vibrant and happy by using whole foods from farm, field, and sea. With 70% more raw protein than most other pet foods, your dog is getting more of the nutrients he actually needs. The whole-prey protein is complemented with kale, broccoli, green beans, and grain free fibers such as chickpeas, flaxseed, and lentils that are easier to digest.

In order to support a healthy weight and immune system, TruFood includes powerful superfoods such as beets, blueberries, and cranberries. Digestive health is also enhanced with pumpkin, ginger, turmeric, and live yogurt cultures. Mauja and Atka can have sensitive tummies so I always appreciate when digestive health is a priority.

There are several components to the TruFood line. Your dog (or cat!) can enjoy Baked Blends (dry food), Tasty Pairings (wet food), Coco Chia Bakes, and Protein Bites (treats). We haven’t tried the Protein Bites, but I’m thinking I need to add them to my treat list!

So where can you get your paws on Wellness TruFood?

Easy, you can find it at your local PetSmart®!

Convenient, right?

PetSmart carries the full TruFood line. Dry food, wet food, and treats, you can find it all! Have I mentioned the Coco Chia Bakes? I’m always trying to give Mauja and Atka coconut oil and they just aren’t into it. The Coco Chia Bakes include coconut oil and the fluffies LOVE them! I think they look pretty tasty too (no, I haven’t tried them!).

We all want to feed our pets the best nutrition we can and the natural, living nutrition of Wellness TruFood will help them live long, happy lives.

So what are you waiting for?! Grab your pup and head to PetSmart to stock up on some TruFood deliciousness. Can’t make it out? Order it online here! Your pup will thank you.

Has your dog tried Wellness TruFood?

To keep up with PetSmart, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Your Dog Comes First at One Dog Organic

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Do you know what’s in your dog’s food and treats?

Do you know how the food and treats were made?

Do you know how long they have sat on the store shelves?

I never really know much beyond the ingredient label and the information on the packaging. Honestly, I didn’t even consider researching how the product was made.

Until recently, that is.

In the past several months, I have really changed my approach to the fluffies’ nutrition. I understand that not only are the ingredients important, but the creation process is equally significant. Unfortunately, that information isn’t always easy to come by. Companies can be very vague when it comes to the manufacturing process.

Don’t we deserve to know exactly what we’re giving our furbabies?

I think we do. So does One Dog Organic Bakery.

One Dog Organic Bakery is a small, family owned business interested in getting to know you and your family. Your treats will never sit on the store shelves because they don’t carry inventory. This allows them to cater to your pup’s special needs and bake every order fresh. They use only high-quality, sourced in America ingredients that are certified organic and GMO-free. A GMO-free dog treat bakery is pretty difficult to find.

All of the treat recipes have been vetted by a canine nutritionist to ensure your pup’s dietary needs are being met. You won’t find artificial ingredients in any of the treat recipes. However, you will find treats with vitamins and minerals to support a healthy coat, skin, and immune system.

The most exciting thing about One Dog Organic Bakery is that they are certified as a “human-grade” facility. Our pups’ treats are getting the same care and precautions as we would receive. It’s about time!

One Dog Organic Bakery is also a certified green business. From shipping materials to product packaging, they try and reduce their carbon paw print through recycled materials.

Mauja and Atka LOVED these treats. They’re not always the biggest fans of biscuits, but these hit the spot. I love that One Dog Organic Bakery bakes every order fresh and can custom craft an order. The fluffies don’t have any food sensitivities, but many dogs do and miss out on delicious treats. The best part – there’s no extra charge for customization!

So what do you think? Want a chance to win a $25 gift card to One Dog Organic Bakery? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: It’s Dog or Nothing was provided treats from One Dog Organic Bakery in order to conduct a review. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this blog and we only share products we believe in and feel you would enjoy! Thanks for supporting It’s Dog or Nothing.

healthy

Buy an expensive dog bed

Set up play dates

Stop Asking If Your Great Pyrenees Is Overweight Online

The Fluffy Dog Feel Method

The Soak Your Fluffy Method

Pin It!

Why Bully Sticks?

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