Bently's Beasties Blog

Rottweilers that need homes

This information was passed on to me by Dr. Nancy Kay, DVM; her contact information can be found at the bottom of this post.

Victims Come in All Sizes

As I was hanging out in the midst of our busy hospital treatment room during emergency hours a few of nights ago I was impressed at how much was going on all at once. On one treatment table was a pregnant Chihuahua experiencing difficulty passing her pups. On another table was a thirteen-year-old dog in a state of shock after trauma inflicted by other dogs in the neighborhood. An anesthetized kitty with a urinary tract blockage was being tended to on a third table. Things got even busier when a receptionist entered the treatment room with two stray Rottweilers in tow. The woman who dropped them off said she found them in a local shopping center parking lot. Both Rotties were gorgeous with wonderfully sweet dispositions.- their little stub-tailed hind ends wiggled frantically in response to our attention. Additionally, it was apparent that both dogs were profoundly pregnant.

We hoped these two girls just happened to have busted out of their yard- perhaps a gate had been left open. We envisioned an anxious family frantic to find their pregnant dogs. Our optimism quickly dissipated as we discovered no collars, no identification microchips, and no one searching to reclaim their lost dogs in spite of our efforts to let every local shelter, pound, and veterinary hospital know about our new charges. Looking back, it seemed a bit suspicious that the woman who dropped them off happened to have a crate in the back of her truck large enough to hold two large dogs.

We turned one of our visiting rooms into a whelping pen and over the course of three hours our two strays morphed into twelve as one of the dogs delivered 10 beautiful, healthy pups. Some of them looked like “mom”, others revealed that “dad” was something other than a Rottweiler. Mama was a natural- licking and cleaning- doing everything just right, including letting complete strangers cut umbilical cords, inspect puppies, change bedding, and take her out for potty breaks while telling her what a perfect princess she was. Thusfar, mama number two has not yet whelped.

I find myself longing to know the names of these two dogs (thinking they would enjoy hearing them) and wondering if they are missing their favorite humans. Clearly, both had been well socialized and cared for with sleek shiny haircoats and substantial body weights. And why were they given up? Were all of these dogs simply victims of tough economic times? Perhaps the prospects of finding homes for so many nonpurebred pups was daunting. The good news is that these mothers found their way to a “birthing center” where they and their pups would be well cared for.

While we are awaiting the arrival of litter number two, plans are in the works to place moms and pups with one or two Rottweiler rescue organizations. The big-hearted people who run such rescue organizations (some are breed-specific, others are not) are intent on making sure that needy dogs get second chances. If interested in an adult Rottweiler (who will need to be spayed) or mixed breed pup, feel free to contact me via my website- www.speakingforspot.com.

Skye's Latest Vet Visit

01.30.2009

Happy New Year Everybody,

I have another Skye update for everyone who has been following her progress.

We went back to the vet on January 23rd, 2009 for her regular 6 month blood tests. As it has been so cold here, we haven't gotten to go outside to play. So I was dreading the moment she had to get on the scale. Poor Skye went from eating (3) cups of food a day to (2) cups of food a day, and finally landed at 1-1/2 cups of food per day back in July of 2008 because she kept gaining weight. She wasn't getting any extra treats or table food or anything else and her weight had ballooned up to over 63 pounds. No one was sneaking her any food, and she still gained weight. I didn't know what to do, and I wasn't going to lower her food any more than I already had. Along with that we tried to step up her exercise and were trying to get her out every day for at least 15-20 minutes of playing. Even that didn't seem to do anything.

I was at my wit's end trying to figure out why she was gaining weight. So I called Russell Louie at Optimum Choices on October 2nd, 2008 to brainstorm. We had put Skye on BioPreparation and she was on the F3+ formula for her seizures, of which she had had none since going on the BioPreparation. Even after getting into chocolate, which is not only toxic; but a seizure trigger as well. So where did I go from here?

I called Russell and we discussed Skye's thyroid and her endocrine system. Russell explained that human women who had gone through menopause and were having issues, were finding success being on a combination of both the BioSuperfood (human version) F3+ and F2+ formulas. So we decided to do the same thing for Skye, except with the BioPreparation.

We formulated a plan for Skye. As she had seizure issues during the day, I gave her the BioPreparation F3+ in the morning and gave her the BioPreparation F2+ in the evening. In November the autumn weather turned into winter, though winter would not be here on the calendar until December 21st. Now we were stuck inside and our house isn't big enough for Skye to go racing around inside to play. She would have been the "bull in the china shop".

I did have some wonderful success of a different nature. After our vet visit in July, we began a campaign to remove Skye completely from the Phenobarbital. I am happy to say that we got her COMPLETELY OFF the Phenobarbital on January 2nd, without side effects, seizures or anything else happening to her. So the ONLY medication Skye is currently on is Sodium Bromide.

Flash forward to January 23rd and her weigh in at the vet's office. I couldn't look at the scale, I was afraid of what I might see. I needn't have worried. Skye lost 1-1/2 pounds in about 3-1/2 months, after being on both the BioPreparation formulas. All her body functions were normal and the vet was very happy with what he saw. We haven't seen the blood test results yet, but I have high hopes. Her liver and organ functions were normal on the last blood tests (even after the two chocolate incidents), so I have high hopes.

The next step is to get more weight off Skye and see if we can back her off the Sodium Bromide a bit. Removing the weight will be the easy part. I am hoping to convince the vet to let me try to lower the Sodium Bromide levels in her system, as she is on the top end of what is needed.

Wish me luck everybody and stay tuned for further updates.

Love to you all.

Bless you and yours, be they two or four-legged.

Ruthie

More of the Same, Pet Food Recalls

Hello again everyone. I TOLD YOU SO!!!. The pet food recalls are still continuing. One of the Pet Industry trade magazines that I get mentioned that the pet food recalls have topped 6,000. The most recent is from Mars Pet Care's Pennsylvania plant and involve Pedigree, Member's Mark, Ol' Roy, Special Kitty and some others as well. So before you pick up that bag of food at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club or the local grocery store, check to make sure it isn't on the list. I am getting seriously tired of this. This one is a "voluntary" recall, as an ingredient used in the manufacture of these foods tested positive for salmonella, and humans can become infected by handling their pet's food. So be careful, wash your hands and check the Mars site for the batch numbers to make sure your food isn't involved. Love to you all, Ruthie

News Flash: Recall

05.14.2008 NEWS FLASH Well, it's happened yet again.

This time it isn't dog or cat food; it's horse feed. Purina is involved in a voluntary recall, because some food they processed may contain toxic amounts of aflatoxin. I got this email in my inbox Wednesday May 7th, 2008 at 2:19 PM Central Time.

Land O' Lakes Purina Feed LLC has implemented a voluntary product retrieval of certain feeds manufactured during the following periods of time.
1. Between November 3, 2007 and February 8, 2008 at their Statesville, North Carolina feed plant;
2. Between January 1, 2008 and March 10, 2008 at their Harrisburg, Pennsylvania feed plant &
3. Between January 1, 2008 and March 10, 2008 at their Guilderland, New York plant.

To date they have not received any confirmed aflatoxin-related animal health complaints involving any of the retrieved products. All dealers who purchased any of the retrieved products directly from Land O' Lakes Purina Feed LLC have been notified.

The dealers are located in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

For more information on specific products included in the retrieval, contact the Statesville, North Carolina, Feed Plant at 704.924.5100 or the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Feed Plant at 717.737.4581.
You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/index.php?topic=687.0

Until next time: Bless you and yours, be they two or four-legged. Love to all. Ruthie Bently

It's Been A While

It's been a while since I last wrote, so I wanted to bring everybody up to speed. Other than the fact that most of the people residing in Minnesota are ready for winter to be over, things are going well. Unfortunately, all the Muscovy ducks living with us are gone now. The majority of them were picked off, we believe raccoons got them. On June 20th of this year, I will have been in Minnesota for 10 years. I live 6/10 of a mile from my future mother-in-law, and couldn't be happier. All my family members are well, and my sister Jeannie just celebrated her 50th birthday. My sister Joan's 50th is next year and my brother John's is the year after that. Mom will be 75 this year, and she is doing well. Dad is as busy as ever and still involved in the pool and spa industry.

I am still working with Wendy Nan Rees, and it can be hectic at times; but we get along and I get to work at home. That can be a real plus when the weather closes in here in Minnesota. I am now not only her executive assistant and the head of operations for the WNR Company, but she has also made me the Executive Producer and Head of Marketing & Sales for Wendy's Animal Talk. For those of you who are fans, Ms. Rees is now working on a new book to be released just in time for the Christmas season 2008.

Not only that, but I am now looking into college scholarships. Whether or not I go back to school, I haven't decided yet. It depends on whether or not I can find an online school that features the courses that I am interested in. I am still writing and the focus of what I want to write has not necessarily changed, but may have been shelved for the time being. I have recently come in contact with a like-minded woman who is writing a vegetarian cookbook and may be interested in one or two of my recipes. How cool is that? She also suggested a new direction for my own books to take, which I will be investigating in the near future.

Ruthie's Bio

Ruthie Bently’s paying career in the pet industry began in 1976, in Evanston, Illinois where she worked for Elsinger’s Pet Shop, and she brings over 22 years of experience to the WNR Company. But her real pet-related career started when she was just three years old and brought home a nest of baby rabbits, crammed into her jacket pockets. Needless to say, she was hooked, and the rest is history. She has managed three different pet shops in the Chicago area, and was working for a custom aquarium manufacturer, when she got an offer from her brother in Minnesota.

Ruthie has always been very interested in canine and feline nutrition, especially when she found out that most veterinarians, unless they are specializing in nutrition, don’t get much training for it in vet school. (In fact, they usually have no more than ten hours of nutrition classes.) This bothered her, so she started learning about canine and feline nutrition on her own with help from the Chicagoland veterinary community. She became so well-versed that the local veterinarians were sending their clients to Ruthie for her assistance with pet nutrition. Ruthie currently holds a Hills Pet Nutrition Consultant Certificate, and is the Owner /Consultant of Bently’s Beasties. She is also a second degree Reiki practitioner.

She lives on a farm in Minnesota with her boyfriend Steve; an American Staffordshire Terrier named Skye, and numerous cats, geese, ducks, and chickens.

Wendy's Cookbook

December 4th, 2007

Hello again everyone. It has been too long since my last post. Though it isn't an excuse, I have been extremely busy. I helped Wendy Nan Rees write her new cookbook, and now work with her. We have become fast friends, and believe in many of the same things. That is why I am SO pleased to be talking about her new book. Through Wendy, I have met many new friends (if they will allow me to call them that). I now assist her with her radio show on healthylife.net, Wendy's Animal Talk. We've also launched a newsletter, and we have a blog on the Internet.

What I really want to talk about is Wendy's new book. Wendy was nice enough to send me a copy as a gift. As she purchased it on amazon.com, I went there to write a review. Problem is that if you don't buy something yourself, Amazon does not allow you to write a review. I personally think that this sucks, and sent them two emails trying to find out how I could write a review for a book that was purchased from their website. What a bunch of corporate BS. Anyway, I am happy to say, this is something I can fix on my own.

So for those of you who want to read a fabulous book, that will help your dog or cat, here is my review. Though my name is not listed as one of the authors, I couldn't be prouder of Wendy. This is a book that I am very proud to have been a part of, and I can recommend it to anyone who is serious about good food for their dog or cat.

Wendy's latest foray into the written word is a fascinating look at a new way of cooking for your pet. This is a subject whose time has come. With all the recent pet food recalls, many people are turning to the art of cooking for their pets. Wendy takes you from the basics: tools to use, pantry items, and new uses for ingredients you may have never used in cooking for your pet before.

This is no ordinary book of treats. This cookbook has recipes for making your own kibbles, casseroles, soups, loaves and bulk recipes. There are even sauce recipes for those of you who have finicky eaters at home. All of these recipes can be made ahead and stored in the freezer, then taken out and warmed up for serving later. Not only that, they store well and can be kept in the freezer for up to three months depending on the recipe.

This book is a must for any dog or cat lover that might be on your holiday gift list, and will be a welcome addition to their pet library. If you have a dog or cat of your own, it is a must for your cookbook collection as well. This is a gift that will keep giving year after year.

Synopsis: The unprecedented pet food recall that began in March 2007 has pet owners very concerned. Many have become mistrustful of commercial food manufacturers and instead are turning to home-cooked meals as a way to ensure that their pets remain safe. although most people find that commercial pet foods will have to do the majority of the time, we recognize that processed foods are no better for our animal companions than they are for us, and that eating natural, wholdsome foods is far preferable. This cookbook will provide a viriety of healthful meal recipes for dogs and cats, the two most commonly kept pets in the United States. Recipes will not include processed foods, but instead rely on natural ingredients like whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and humanely raised meats. The book contains 50 recipes along with sidebars providing supplemental information about nutrition, cooking techniques, and holistic pet care. Copyright 2007 Howell Books

"The Natural Pet Food Cookbook is currently on sale on amazon.com for $10.19, which is a savings of 32%. Check it out and write a review. Barnes & Noble is offering it for 20% off to the general public at $11.99, and for B&N members it is only $10.79.

Pet Food Recall

8.29.2007

Hello everyone. Welcome to my Bently's Beasties Blog.

I wanted to talk about the recent pet food recall. I have over 22 years of experience in the pet industry, and though we have had recalls before, this one takes the cake. I don't think it is quite over yet. I wish I could be less negative about this, but I think I am right.

If you had come into any of the stores I managed before the recall, I would have been able to sell you what I thought at the time was the best food for your pet. I have since changed my mind. I will be adopting a dog in the near future and will NOT be feeding a commercial dog food to her.

I have no faith in the industry to regulate themselves and make this situation better. I think the industry has gotten a wake up call, but don't believe they are doing enough as of yet. I get several of the industry magazines and they are still mentioning the recall and what it has done for the natural food market.

They do not however, speak of anything to change the situation; and as the major players are now owned by very large conglomerates, I don't believe that they will make too many changes. In my opinion, they are only concerned about the bottom line, and I think that they just want this to be a bad dream and go away.

They may talk about it, but in the long run, I don't think any major changes or upheavels will be coming any time soon. I haven't seen anything in the trades about it.

I however have been very lucky and in doing my research about cooking for my dog, found a wonderful website www.wendynanrees.com. Ms. Rees is a radio show host, writes two pet tip columns for lovetoknow.com and is an author of no less than 5 books, two of which are cookbooks for pets. The cat cookbook is called "No Catnapping at the Table" and the dog cookbook is called "No Barking At the Table." She also wrote a pet name book.

I'm very happy to say that Ms. Rees has another cookbook coming out in November. I believe it is slated to hit stores November 1st. Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders. The difference of this book is that it lists recipes for complete meals.

Not only that, it also features several kibble recipes that you can make at home. So you don't have to worry where your pet food is coming from, because you make it yourself. There are no exotic ingredients and everything you can find at your local market or health food store.

There is good news for those of you who don't want to wait that long. Wendy also has a cooking class, that comes with a cook booklet of 15 original recipes. You can even contact her after you've taken the class if you have any further questions for her.

All in all, now we have an alternative to the regularly available commercial dog and cat foods. I have already taken her class, and only have praise for her grasp of the larger situation that so many of us pet owners find ourselves in.

I welcome any comments and would like to know what you think of the recall, and whether or not it is truly done.

Thanks for letting me vent. Bless you and yours, be they two or four-legged.

Have a great day.

Ruthie Bently, Owner/Consultant, Bently's Beasties

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