October 7, 2016 — Mars Petcare has announced it has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor wet dog food due to a potential choking risk from small pieces of plastic which entered the food during the production process.
What’s Recalled?
Cesar Classics Filet Mignon can be purchased individually as well as in flavor variety multipacks.
The affected dog food can be identified by checking the Best Before and Lot Code on the product lid.
Each product will have a lot code printed on the side of the tray that begins with 631FKKC or 631GKKC and best before date that falls between 08/04/18 and 08/05/18.
The Cesar Classics Filet Mignon Flavor can also be found in variety packs with the following lot codes:
632D14JC
633B24JC
634A14JC
634A24JC
634B14JC
634B24JC
634E14JC
635A24JC
635B14JC
636D24JC
636E14JC
Lot Code is indicated by the red box below:
The Lot Codes listed above are the only affected products. All other Cesar products can be safely consumed.
Why the Recall?
Select packages of this product may contain small pieces of plastic, which entered the food during the production process.
What to Do?
Mars Petcare encourages consumers who have purchased affected product to discard the food or return it to the retailer for a full refund or exchange.
While a small number of consumers have reported finding the plastic pieces, we have not received any reports of injury or illness associated with the affected product.
At Mars Petcare, we take our responsibility to pets and their owners seriously and are working with all of our distributors and retail customers to ensure the recalled products are no longer sold and are removed from inventory.
Consumers can reach the company at 800-421-6456.
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
These four kittens were rescued and reunited with their mother. (Photo: Celia Hammond/Facebook)
The owner of a dry-cleaning shop got a surprise recently when he heard crying and mewing from the back of one of his machines. Fortunately, this on-the-ball dry-cleaner called an animal rescue squad who rescued the four small kittens and reunited them with their mother.
According to the BBC , the dry cleaning shop where the kittens were found is located in Forest Gate, a residential suburb of London. The shop owner called animal rescuers from the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, a local animal rescue center, to help identify the source of the sounds.
Rescuers dismantled the tumble dryer where the noises were coming from and found four small ginger kittens inside. They also located the kittens’ mother when they noticed a distressed cat pacing outside the shop.
The shop owner told rescuers that a nearby resident had moved and left the pregnant cat behind. That poor distressed mama clearly needed a warm, dry place to give birth and she found it inside the dry-cleaning tumble machine.
One of the animal rescuers noted on their Facebook page that the kittens were in bad shape when they were found, “[w]hen we picked them up they were filthy, covered in grease and dirt and had been breathing carbon tetrachloride fumes since they were born in the back of the machine.”
Thankfully, the kittens and their mother are now being well cared for in a foster home.
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One might ponder about the kittens having a clean start to their young lives! (Sorry!)
Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
Those words above are attributed to Mother Teresa and I have no reason to doubt that.
George Monbiot
I selected them because they seemed to capture the mood that flowed out at me from a recent essay by George Monbiot.
Many will know George for he is a British writer very well-known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books.
Way back in the early days of this blog I was moved to republish some of GM’s essays and sought his permission to do just that. He responded promptly giving me blanket permission to republish any of his essays.
Now it’s a long time since I have availed myself of that permission for the simple reason that so very often George writes about matters that are tough to read and I choose not to share with you because there’s no shortage of tough commentaries about today’s world. That’s no criticism, actual or implied, into George Monbiot’s integrity as a reporter and writer.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 3rd October 2016
Two years ago, I wrote a column for the Guardian in which I argued that what distinguishes our age from those preceding it is an epidemic of loneliness. Throughout human history, we have been hyper-social animals, dependent on each other for both physical and psychic survival. Thomas Hobbes’s claim – that our natural state is a war of “every man against every man” – is a myth proposed by someone whose understanding of human evolution was confined to the book of Genesis. But the myth is now being realised through the religion of our time: a celebration of extreme individualism and universal competition. The resulting loneliness, I argued, is a deadly condition, which kills as many people as smoking or obesity.
To my astonishment, the article exploded, and the ripples can still be felt today. A documentary it inspired, called the Age of Loneliness, aired recently on BBC1. Several publishers asked me to write books on the topic, but I could think of nothing more depressing than spending three years sitting on my backside, documenting social isolation. There was plenty I wanted to say on the topic. But how?
A few weeks later, I dashed out to buy some screws from a hardware shop. Ahead of me in the queue was an elderly woman. She lent on the counter, dithering about what she wanted and trying to engage the sales assistants in a riveting conversation about her state of health. Stuck behind her, I quietly fumed: it seemed as if she would never leave.
But as I cycled home, and my frustration ebbed away, I saw what should have been obvious: here was a person who seemed desperately lonely. “Where’s your empathy?”, I asked myself. “Isn’t that what you were writing about?”. What if that conversation was the only one she would have all day? I felt guilty about my feelings in the shop.
When I returned to my desk, I began dashing out a rough poem about a woman living with little to keep her company but memories, who goes to the shops in the hope that she might talk to someone, but discovers that the tills have been replaced with automatic checkouts. As I wrote, it seemed to me that it was trying to become something else: a ballad. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with the topic: I wanted to write an album.
There were just a couple of minor hitches. I can’t read music, I don’t play an instrument and my singing is banned under international law. But I knew who to ask.
I first heard Ewan McLennan while listening to Late Junction on Radio 3, in 2011. I was transfixed by his voice, his playing and what seemed to be an almost supernatural ability to find the heart of a song. He was just 25. I bought his first album, Rags and Robes, and listened to it over and again. Three years later, I heard him interviewed by Mary Ann Kennedy, whose programmes I’ve followed since she began broadcasting on Radio Scotland. He spoke with the same ease of expression I had heard in his music. He was relaxed and funny, politically engaged and plainly fascinated by the roots and text of songs and poems. He came across as a cracking bloke.
I did something I have seldom done: I sent him a fan letter. I invited him to a talk I was giving in his home city, Bristol. He came, and over dinner afterwards we clicked. So, a few months later, with some trepidation, it was to him that I sent my idea of collaborating on a themed album.
To my delight, he agreed. I would start by thinking up a story and writing a rough sketch, which might incorporate some potential hooks, rhymes and choruses. I would send it to him on the understanding that he could do whatever he liked with it. I did not try to write to his style, as I knew he would take from each sketch what he wanted and make the song his own.
I wasn’t wrong. A couple of weeks after I emailed the first sketch to him, I found an audio file in my inbox, and opened it with the excitement of a child at Christmas. It was wonderful – he had turned my base metal into gold. The songs he sent back to me were riveting and heart-wrenching, capturing sensations I have long struggled to express.
The album is a mixture of dark shades and light: sad ballads and stirring anthems. We want to use it as a means of not only talking about loneliness, but, in a small way, addressing it. With advice from charities working on the issue, we are designing our gigs to try to bring people together. I will talk about the themes and Ewan will perform the songs. We will encourage people in the audience to talk to each other; then it will end up with a party in the nearest willing pub. Music naturally makes connections; we want to take it a step further.
In one respect, the album is already succeeding, as the collaboration has relieved the usual solitude in which we both work, making our lives less lonely. I hope it has the same effect on other people.
Breaking the Spell of Loneliness, by Ewan McLennan and George Monbiot, is released on October 14 by Fellside Records.
Here’s a short video about the project, featuring some of the music:
This remarkable collaboration between author George Monbiot and musician Ewan McLennan seeks to address the curse of our age: a crowded planet stricken by loneliness. Using music and the written word, it seeks to make connections in a splintered world.
Now, dear reader, you would be disappointed if I didn’t close today’s post without reference to the value of a dog or two in one’s life, and I have no intention of delivering such disappointment!
From the dozens of pictures that have been presented here over the years I chose this one.
Because I have this notion that one can never be truly alone if there is a dog in one’s life.
The power of forgiveness displayed by our animals.
Last Sunday’s Picture Parade was mainly photographs of Jean out with our ex-rescue horses Ben and Ranger. Let me share the one of Ben as it is relevant to what follows.
A regular reader, Susan Leighton, the author of the blog Woman on the Ledge, commented (in part):
Ben and Ranger are handsome! They are known as roans, correct? I have always loved horses.
I didn’t know but said that I would ask Jeannie (and they are Chestnuts, not Roans!). It then struck me that republishing the post that was first presented back in March, 2014 might be of interest to others beyond Susan.
First, understand, for it is not specifically spelled out in this post, that Ben was removed by the Sheriff because he was being starved, being beaten and having air-gun bullets fired into his chest (the scars are still visible)!
Here’s that post from 2014:
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Welcome Ranger – and Ben!
Our new boys- the story of two horses!
Regular readers of Learning from Dogs will remember a post just over a month ago The lone Ranger. Essentially, that explained that we had visited Strawberry Mountain Mustangs in Roseburg, Oregon and, subject to their approval, had decided to adopt Ranger, a 15-year-old gelding.
Ranger, when first seen in February.
Thus it proceeded to the point where two-days ago Darla, of Strawberry Mountain, ably assisted by Cody, brought Ranger and Ben to us here in Merlin. It’s been a wonderful twenty-four hours (at the time of writing this). Why Ben? Please read on.
Destination!
Darla and Cody making a safe and timely arrival a little before 10am last Tuesday.
Ben, our new foster, being coaxed out by Darla on the lead-line and Cody behind him.
Why did we take the two? Last October, Ben had been found starved and showing the signs of a great lack of confidence. He was ‘rescued’ on orders of Darla’s local sheriff because of Ben’s condition despite being in private ownership. Darla was certain that Ben had been physically beaten in recent times, hence him being very wary of strangers. Thus his relationship with Ranger was part of his journey of returning to a healthy, confident horse. Darla offered us the opportunity of fostering Ben because Ranger had become a good companion for him. Darla explained that Ben was a very wary horse, especially of sudden movements from men.
Jean leading Ranger; Darla leading Ben.
Another 100 yards and the start of a new life for these two gorgeous animals.
Hey Ranger, is this for real!!
In the those first few minutes after Jean and Darla led the horses to the grass paddock, Ben seemed to have an expression on his face that suggested it was all too difficult to believe! Ranger just got stuck into munching! But not to the extent of not enjoying a back-rub!
“I think I’m going to like this, Ben!”
In the afternoon, it was time to bring Ben and Ranger for an overnight in the top area where the stables, food and water were. Ben was very nervous at coming through the open gate and for a while there seemed to be a complication in that Ranger kept thrusting at Ben as if to keep him away from the fence line separating the horses from Allegra and Dancer, our miniature horses.
But in the morning, yesterday, things seemed much more relaxed. To the point that when Ben and Ranger went back out to the grass, Ben was much more relaxed towards Jean and me, as the following pictures reveal.
Jean offering Ben some treats.
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Yours truly doing likewise.
OK, want to turn back to Darla.
To give an insight into the awe-inspiring work of Darla and her team (and many others across the Nation) and to recognise the need of the authorities to have such outlets as Strawberry Mountain, here are two photographs of Ben shortly after he was removed from the people who had stopped loving and caring for him.
Ben as seen last October.
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Ben close to starving.
Strikes me as only one way to end this post is with the following as seen on Darla’s Facebook page.
Author unknown.
Thus this post is offered in dedication to the good people all over the world who know the value of the unconditional love we receive from animals and do not hesitate to return the same.
Darla, Cleo and Cody setting a wonderful example of unconditional love.
How about giving the nearest animal, or human, a big hug telling them at the same time how much you love them!
Another fascinating insight into the behaviours of dogs.
Every dog owner knows how dogs appear to have their mouths directly linked to their emotions. From licking to growling, from dribbling to holding stuff, we humans don’t really have a clue as to the role of the canine mouth over and above eating food.
Some dogs seem to love to entertain. When guests come to the door, these dogs become delighted hosts, racing to greet their visitors with something — anything — they find to put in their mouths.
What’s behind this amusing behavior?
Vetstreet checked in with Dr. Wailani Sung, a veterinary animal behaviorist, to find out.
There are several different reasons your dog might be doing this, she says. Among them: They’re offering a gift, they’re looking for attention or they want to show us they’re happy.
“I think some dogs are so excited to see a visitor because it may represent a new person who will play with him/her, so the dog grabs a toy to try to entice the person to play, whether it is tug or throwing the object,” Dr. Sung explains.
A Welcome Distraction?
For other dogs, it may be a behavior that the owners taught them or encouraged to give them something more appropriate to do in place of jumping on people or barking.
“Other owners have recognized that their dogs may appear anxious or worried, but if they get the dog engaged with their toys, they appear less concerned about new visitors in the house,” she says. “Some dogs may naturally grab a toy on their own, whether to solicit play or to have something to do.”
The dog may also be reacting to your own excitement and responding in kind.
Dr. Sung has seen the behavior mainly in Retrievers but said it’s something any breed might exhibit.
Avoiding an Embarrassing Moment
In some cases, owners report some rather embarrassing situations — like when the first thing their pooch spotted to grab was dirty laundry or other “unmentionables.”
Dr. Sung says it’s best to be sure those things are out of the dog’s reach. But if the arrival is a surprise and the dog does get something he shouldn’t have, the owner should try to keep calm and get the dog to exchange the contraband for another toy or treat.
“They should distract the dog, redirect to a more appropriate behavior, such as come and sit, and then ask the dog to drop it,” Dr. Sung said. “Sometimes people forget and raise their voices or go chasing after their dog and it becomes a game to the dog. Then the next time visitors arrive, the dog remembers how much fun he had last time people arrived and grabbed an item.”
It can be flattering to be the source of a canine host’s excitement — unless he’s so thrilled, he’s jumping or running into people. In those cases, Dr. Sung recommends putting him in another room or in his kennel or bed while guests arrive to try to avoid the excitement.
By Amy Sinatra Ayres | Vetstreet.com
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Anyone got any wonderful stories about what their dog has put in their mouth? (That you would like to share!!)
NB: Regular readers will find that today’s post is rather different to my usual run of things. But I do hope that you end up sharing my feelings of mystery; sharing what seems to me utterly incomprehensible. I am speaking of The Infinite.
Let me start with this quotation:
The infinite has always stirred the emotions of mankind more deeply than any other question.
The infinite has stimulated and fertilised reason as few other ideas have. But also the infinite, more than another other notion, is in need of clarification.
Let me now take you back many years, back to the Autumn of 1969 when I left Gibraltar bound for The Azores on my yacht Songbird of Kent. I was sailing solo.
My home for five years – Songbird of Kent; a Tradewind 33.
Despite me being very familiar with my boat, and with sailing in general, there was nonetheless a deep sense of trepidation as I headed out into a vast unfamiliar ocean.
On the third or fourth night, I forget which, when some four hundred miles into the Atlantic and therefore far from the light pollution from the land, I came on deck and was emotionally moved in a way that has never ever been surpassed.
For way up in the heavens above me was the Andromeda galaxy, clearly visible with the naked eye.
Josh Blash captured this image of the Andromeda galaxy.
Although a couple of dozen minor galaxies lie closer to our Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy is the closest major galaxy to ours. Excluding the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which can’t be seen from northerly latitudes, the Andromeda galaxy – also known as M31 – is the brightest galaxy in all the heavens. It’s the most distant thing you can see with your unaided eye, at 2.3 million light-years. To the eye, it appears as a smudge of light larger than a full moon.
Not only could I not take my mind off seeing the Andromeda galaxy, I couldn’t easily comprehend seeing the stars come all the way down to the horizon; all 360 degrees about me. Right down to the edge of my ocean horizon; a swirling blackness out to where it kissed that glorious night sky.
That image of that dome of stars would be forever burnt into my memory. An image that both made no sense, yet made every sense
Fast forward forty-seven years to now!
Recently we have had some beautiful clear nights here in Southern Oregon. Just the other night, before the moon had risen, there up in the night sky just a short distance from the constellation Cassiopeia was Andromeda. Immediately, my memory of that dark night sky out in the Atlantic came rushing back at me
The Andromeda galaxy is 2.3 million light-years away. But how can one possibly comprehend the distance? The fact that light travels at 186,000 miles per second or 671 million miles per hour (the exact value is 299,792,458 metres per second (approximately 3.00×108 m/s) has no meaning whatsoever. Think about it! Light is traveling at the equivalent speed of going around our planet 7.46 times every second!
But if you can’t fathom the distance to the Andromeda galaxy try this!
Back in March, 2016 a new galaxy that has been named GN-z11 was spotted by the Hubble space telescope 13.4 billion light years away. That’s approximately 5,830 times more distant than the Andromeda galaxy!
Now it is starting to become very difficult to comprehend.
But it was episode eight that made me lose my mind. Just like that night so many years ago on Songbird of Kent.
For that episode was called The Cosmos. You can listen to it here. Please, please do so! This is how that episode is presented:
Does space go on for ever? Are there infinitely many stars? These are some of the questions Adrian Moore explores in the eighth episode in his series about philosophical thought concerning the infinite.
With the help of the theories of the Ancient Greeks through to those of modern cosmologists, Adrian examines the central question of whether our universe is finite or infinite.
For most of us, looking up at the stars gives us a sense of infinity but, as Adrian discovers, there is a strong body of opinion which suggests that space is finite, albeit unbounded. This is a difficult idea to grasp, but by inviting us to think of ourselves as ants, astrophysics professor Jo Dunkley attempts to explain it.
Adrian also tackles the idea of the expanding universe and the logic that leads cosmologists to argue that it all started with a big bang, and may all end with a big crunch.
Finally, we discover from cosmologist John Barrow how the appearance of an infinity in scientists’ calculations sends them straight back to the drawing board. The infinite, which the Ancient Greeks found so troubling, has lost none of its power to disturb.
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
If you find that episode compelling beyond belief then all the episodes are available on the BBC iPlayer and may be found here.
I started with a quotation that is the opening of the final episode. It is a quotation from the German mathematician David Hilbert. As Wikipedia explains, in part:
David Hilbert (German: [ˈdaːvɪt ˈhɪlbɐt]; 23 January 1862 – 14 February 1943) was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
I will return to that first sentence in Hilbert’s quotation:
The infinite has always stirred the emotions of mankind more deeply than any other question.
For me that sight of the Andromeda galaxy and the stars back in 1969 was in every meaning of the word a sight of the infinite and it has forever stirred my emotions very deeply indeed!
Jean was asked to send some photos of our horses to her friend Suzann down in Mexico. Here are a few. Their names are Ben and Ranger. Ben has the longer white dash down his nose and the photos were taken out on the horse paddock.
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Also going to indulge myself and share with you some recent photos of the approaching dusk looking Eastwards from our property.
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Welcome to October!
(And over the weekend we had rain – the first since July 10th!)
Here Are Some Heavy Duty Dog Toys You Can Make Yourself
#1: “Indestructible Dog Toy (Made with Dried Sweet Potato)
I love this toy because it’s both healthy for my dog and has no unnecessary additives. It’s a great chew toy and treat all in one.
Shesparticular on instructibles.com came up with this idea for a DIY chew toy for her mom’s dog. Her mom’s dog, Molly, loves to play. She says when Molly plays it “usually involves rounding up all her toys and ripping them to shreds.”
In Shesparticular’s pictures of Molly, you can tell she’s a little dog. It may seem surprising, but little dogs can do just as much damage as big ones. So this recipe she’s come up with is pure genius if you want to make strong dog toys that are healthy for your dog.
Here’s what you’ll need and instructions on how to make this toy at home:
Hemp or jute rope. Nine 2 1/2 foot ropes braided together to make a larger rope works for medium sized dogs. You’ll need to adjust the length of the rope based on your dog’s size.
Sweet potatoes or yams. One potato for a smaller toy, two for a medium toy and three to four for a larger toy
Sheet pan and parchment or foil
A sharp knife
Round cookie cutter a bit larger than the diameter of your rope
Vegetable peeler (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
Wash your sweet potatoes well. Peeling them isn’t necessary unless you prefer it.
Slice the sweet potato into rounds approximately 1/2″ thick
Using the cookie cutter, remove the center of each round
Place rounds on cookie sheet and bake for 2 1/2 hours then flip them over and bake for another 2 1/2 hours.
They’re done when they’re dried out and hard. If there are any soft parts, bake them longer and check them every 30 minutes.
Once they’re done, allow them to cool.
These sweet potato rings look like hollowed out dog bones, without the risk of splintering
Once your sweet potato rings have cooled, you can start making your toy.
Start by tying a knot at the end of your hemp rope. If you’re using many thinner pieces, braid them together. This will make it easier to string the sweet potato pieces on.
String two potato rings onto your rope then tie a knot in the rope. Continue adding two rings at a time and tying a knot after each pair until you reach the end of the rope.
When you’ve finished, hand this toy over to your dog and watch them chew for hours.
# 2: Knotted Hand Towel Toy
I have so many old hand towels that I didn’t know what to do with until I saw this clever idea.
This toy’s so easy to make, even a dog could do it. Taylor Martin from cnet.com came up with this simple way to repurpose old linens and make a great dog toy.
All you have to do is take an old, tattered hand towel and tie a knot in the middle. You can even use a full sized towel and make several knots.
My dog is a Pitbull mix, so though this is a tough toy, he would likely still rip it to shreds. The good news is, it doesn’t cost a cent. So even if it only lasts a few days, you didn’t lose any money on it.
#3: Ring Dog Toy
Just looking at this toy, you can tell it’s tough. No way my Pitt mix will be able to destroy this.
A user called J3443RY at instructables.com designed this indestructible dog toy. This is just a basic rope knot toy.
If you know how to tie a crown knot, all you need to do is create two lengths of rope by tying 4 lengths of rope in crown knots. All you need to make this toy is some nylon repelling rope.
Here are some step by step instructions for creating this toy
Cut 4 equal lengths of rope. You can adjust the size of the toy based on the size of your dog. 4 Inches of rope is equal to 1 inch of the finished toy. For example; for a 6 inch finished knot you would need 24 inches of rope to start.
Use 2 of the 4 ropes to create a 7″ long finished crown knot.
For step three, the user has included an instructional video. This will help you to combine the two finished knots into one ring.
When you’re finished with this toy, you will have a nearly chew proof dog toy that your dog can enjoy for hours.
For more advice on caring for your dog and other great recipes, visit metroeastrba.com.
Now Check Out Some Cool Doggy Dental Treats
#4: Darla Cook’s Homemade Greenies
I can’t get over how adorable these little tooth brush shapes are.
Darla Cook is a blogger and a lover of culinary arts. She is a student at The Culinary Institute of America, so you know her recipes must be the best.
Darla’s blog focuses on general cooking and there aren’t many dog recipes on her blog. But I found a pretty great recipe there for homemade Greenies for dogs. She calls these adorable toothbrush shaped treats Franks Breath Brushes.
If you’re a pet owner, you know that Greenies are a great dental treat for your dog, but they’re expensive to buy.
If you want to save money and have more control over what goes into your dog’s treats, make them yourself at home.
Here is Darla’s recipe.
Franks Breath Brushes
Ingredients:
3 1/2 brown rice flour plus 2 cups more (rice flour for crunch)
1 tablespoon of activated charcoal (I opened 12 capsules for 1 tablespoon.)
Preheat over to 400F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the charcoal with 3 1/2 cups brown rice flour and set it aside.
Put parsley, mint oil and 1/4 cup of broth or water into food processor. Process until chopped, like pesto. Add 3-4 droppers full of chlorophyll. Pulse a few times to mix. Add this green paste to flour mixture and mix well. Beat egg and mix in. Knead adding the rest of water/broth. By this time you should have a sticky dough ball. Flour the work surface and knead dough until an even green color. Divide dough into workable portions and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Add flour to the work surface and dough surface as needed to take away stickiness as you work. Cut out with your favorite shapes, and dock with a fork to keep puffiness down. Bake for 25 or 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I will be trying these treats on my dog, for sure. I feel much more confident in the treats I feed my dog when I can make them myself and I know what’s in them.
#5 DIY Doggy Breath Mints
These treats look good enough for even humans to eat.
I’ve found yet another great dog breath freshening recipe. This recipe, by Clifford Genece at skinnyms.com, has something in common with Darla’s recipe. It doesn’t contain any wheat flour.
It is so important to avoid giving your dog anything that contains wheat flour. Many dogs are allergic to wheat products. It can cause some pretty intense itching and skin irritation.
Rather than using flower at all, this recipe calls for oatmeal. This recipe also calls for eggs. So Clifford even provides advice for people whose dogs are allergic to poultry products.
Here’s Clifford’s simple recipe for these yummy treats.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup of water, plus 1 teaspoon
3 tablespoons coconut oil (unrefined extra-virgin is best)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325° F
Add oats to a blender and pulse to a flour like consistency. In a large bowl whisk together diced parsley and mint, egg, water, and oil. Add oat flour and stir to combine. Knead dough a few times then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough to about 1/8″ thick. Using a cookie cutter or knife cut out approximately 40 (1-inch mints) mints. Place mints about 1/4-inch apart on a parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Allow mints to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Tip: For dogs with allergies to chicken products, substitute one large egg with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce.
These are some of my favorite DIY dental treats and dog toys for powerful chewers. These treats and toys are a great way to keep your dog’s jaws strong and breath fresh. Don’t forget to take a look in your dog’s mouth every now and then and make sure their teeth are in good condition.
Description: Dental treats and dog toys for powerful chewers can be expensive, so why not make your own at home? Give these helpful recipes and DIY dog toys a try.
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Don’t know about you but we think this has been a very valuable and useful article from Sarah!
I was contacted by Sarah a few weeks ago with regard to her writing a guest post for you good people. For reasons that have escaped me I kept overlooking to publish it. That is now being corrected; indeed it has so much great information that I am splitting it over today and tomorrow.
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Top 5 Homemade Treats and Dog Toys for Powerful Chewers
I’ve never met a dog that didn’t love to chew, but it’s not just a fun canine pastime. It’s necessary for their dental health and for training Fido to stay away from your shoes. Are you too busy to brush your dog’s teeth every day? There’s no need to feel guilty, I am too.
Not everyone has time to do a full dental routine for their dog every day. However, there are other ways to ensure your dog’s dental health. I’ve done some research and found that there are many ways to do this without lifting a finger. Including some dog toys for powerful chewers and even some yummy dental treats.
Why Your Dog’s Dental Health is Important
Dogs aren’t in the habit of brushing and flossing. Most dog owners don’t even realize how important a dog’s dental health is. In fact, I didn’t even know that it was necessary to brush my dog’s teeth until I did some research on the subject.
There are other things you can do to keep your dog’s teeth sparkling if you don’t have time to brush them every day. You need to give them fun things to chew on and snack on in place of regular brushing. Such as some sturdy dog toys or rawhide chews.
According to PetMD “Actively encouraging the dog to utilize chew treats that require some “exercising” of the teeth, such as is provided by compressed rawhide chewies, hard rubber or nylon chew toys, can assist in keeping the mouth structures vital.”
If you do have time to brush your dog’s teeth, it’s important that you do it correctly. Here is how you should do it, according to Banfield.com.
Use a toothbrush that is just for dogs.
Never use your toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth. There is toothpaste that you can buy just for your dog that is not toxic if swallowed.
Give Fido a small sample of the toothpaste so that they become familiar with the flavor.
Lift your dog’s lips to expose the gums and teeth. Brush the teeth like you would your own, but be gentle.
Most dogs won’t allow you to brush the inside surface of the teeth. Focus on the outside surfaces.
The molars and canines tend to build up tartar, so make sure you give them a good brushing. And of course, reward your dog for letting you put them through that. They are likely confused to why you were all in their mouth, so pats, play, and healthy treats are in order.
Now that you know how to brush your dog’s teeth, let’s learn other ways to improve their dental health.
Rawhide Treat Benefits
Dog tired of waiting to eat a treats
Rawhide treats and chews are a tasty way for your dog to keep their teeth clean and jaws strong. It’s good for cleaning their teeth and keeping their breath fresh but it also gives their jaws a good workout.
All dogs need to chew. Providing treats like rawhide keeps them from chewing on your nice leather shoes.
There’s not a whole lot of risk to letting your dog chew on rawhide. But there are some risks you should know about. For example, rawhide can sometimes contain small amounts of chemicals, according to Pets. WebMD. Your dog can even come in contact with E. Coli or Salmonella when chewing on rawhide.
Some dogs can be allergic to rawhide anything that’s used to make rawhide treats. This can cause unpleasant discomfort associated with diarrhea.
Sometimes rawhide can be a choking hazard. If a piece breaks off it can become lodged in the esophagus. If this happens, in some cases, a vet can remove any lodged pieces through the throat.
You should always talk to your vet before you decide to introduce any new treats into your dog’s diet. Here Are Some Heavy Duty Dog Toys You Can Make Yourself
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Come back tomorrow to learn how to make these great toys.
What’s Recalled?
The Lot Codes listed above are the only affected products. All other Cesar products can be safely consumed.
By Vetstreet.com 
Learning from Dogs 