Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil

During the weekend, I got a jar of Extra virgin organic coconut oil for Rossi gal, on the recommendation of my fellow rawster fren.

Raw 100% Organic

There are several benefits to giving our furkids coconut oil both internally and externally. Just to name a few; Internally, it helps to improve skin & coat health, prevent /alleviate symptoms of arthritis and improve digestion. Externally, it is a good skin moisturizer and helps to improve skin & coat condition. When applied topically, it can disinfect cuts and promote wound healing. (*Note: Please choose to give unrefined or 'virgin' coconut oil, as it is made from fresh coconuts and retains most of the nutrients found in them.)

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/coconut-oil-benefits.html#1
http://www.cocotherapy.com/wdj_coconut_oil_article.pdf

I love the bottom line that says, 'Raw life-energy'.

The coconut oil has a refreshingly nice scent (at least, to me). I like it. It reminds me of the coconut candy that I used to eat when I was younger. Like Mummy, Rossi gal likes the coconut scent too. Last night, I splashed some oil into her meal. She kept smelling and licking her bowl after she finished her 'coconut-flavoured' raw lamb dinner. :>

The oil liquifies at room temperature.

A while later, I applied the oil topically on various parts of her body. She smelled like coconut candy for the rest of the night, while My hands smelled like coconut after applying the oil on her. Nicee...*dances round the coffee table to a catchy tune*

However, there are those who might find the smell a tad too strong for their senses. Daddy didnt take to the smell too well and found it kinda over-powering for him. Oh well...he gota get used to it. The coconut oil would be a new addition to her routine.  

The Turmeric Remedy

Recently, I noticed a protruding bump on the side of Rossi gal's vulva. For a few days, it was there. I tried cleaning it and applying some cream on it, but it didnt go away. I thought it looked like a cyst of some sort. It also seemed strange that it grew on such an awkward place; her vulva. @_@

The bump on her vulva, discovered on monday, 10 Oct '11.

Instead of rushing her to the vet immediately (as I know some would), I decided to monitor the bump for a while and do some reading up to learn more about cysts.

In the process of doing so, I came to learn about the use of turmeric as a cyst remedy in the Earth Clinic webby. I read about the experiences shared by owners, whose dogs have cysts that have seen improvements and good results when they added turmeric to their food on a daily basis for a period of time. Afterwhich, they continued their dogs on a maintenance dosage when their cysts have healed.  

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/turmeric.html

I decided to give the turmeric remedy a shot. Anyway, I have been putting a small dash of turmeric to Rossi gal' meals every now and then. All I have to do is increase the dosage of turmeric and add it her food daily.

I began adding 1/8 tsp of turmeric to her food everyday, starting from Friday, 
14 Oct' 11. 

In a week's time, on the night of Thursday, 20 Oct' 11,
the bump was spotted with Pus and it 'burst' later that night.

 This was taken on the next morning, Friday, 21 Oct' 11,
the bump had subsided significantly.

The latest picture that is taken this morning, Sunday, 23 Oct' 11,
the bump is healing nicely.

Turmeric has worked well for Rossi gal's bump. It took some time and some patience for the remedy to take effect, but it's worth the wait. :>   

I will definitely be continuing her on turmeric. For Rossi gal, it is a must-have in her diet, not just because it helped in healing her bump, but also for its beneficial properties. Organic turmeric powder

Sidetrack:

I'm not one who goes running to the vet straightaway for every single thing under the sun, for eg.diarrhea, vomitting or constipation.

I do not consult vets for nutritional advice, as I do not think they are the best people to seek advice from, for some reason. I do not think they could advise me too. 

I know my Rossi gal best and I can take care of her nutritional needs. I am her best nutritionist.

I do not believe every meal I give must be 'Balanced'. I believe balance in the diet is achieved over time. I do think the word, 'Balance' is over-emphasized by some. To me, 'Balance' is a concept instilled by the pet food industry, which I used to believe in, but Not anymore. Seriously, do we ourselves achieve 'Balance' in each and every meal we eat? Something to think about.  

I couldnt stand those who hang on to every word that comes out from their vet's mouth like their lives depended on it. @x@ Zzzzzz..... 

I do not believe in rushing my gal to the vet in the middle of the night just cos she had some diarrhea or vomitting, which could probably be resolved at home.

A couple of months back, Rossi gal had diarrhea that lasted more than a week, to be exact, two weeks. I didnt rush her to the vet like a crazy fellow. Instead, I monitored her condition and resolved her issue naturally. An episode of tummy upset 

However, I'm not saying, not to go to the vet when it is absolutely necessary. What I'm saying is, I do not believe in going to the vet blindly for just about anything and everything. Instead, I would practise my common sense and discernment on whether a trip to the vet is warranted.

A vet clinic is not a place where I wanna step into for no good reason. It's not a playground for having fun or socialization.  

That's all I'm gonna say. :P

A Ranting Furry Post

Call it an obssession...Call it a craze.

Whenever I see pictures of furballs or live furballs appearing before me, I go crazy. I wish my Rossi gal is a furball too...but too bad, she is not.

Since young, she dun have much furs. Guess its in her genes.

On raw, her furs did grow out, but never to the extent of a lush mane.

Sigghhzzz....

Dogs on crap diets can have so much furs. (till no shirt can fit)

I give Rossi gal the best diet I could.

Why can't my Rossi gal have more furs?

Its So unfair.

I dun ask for a lion-mane sort of lushness.

Just more of it.

Is that too much to ask for???

Sighzzzz....

Frozen Organs

Rossi gal dun like her organs (liver & kidney). Not sure why. I guess it could be due to the organs' texture or she dun like the smell. She is not a fussy eater and eats just about everything...with the exception of organs.

Actually, she is not the only one. I have heard of other furkids who dislike eating organs. There are some who like kidneys, but dislike liver or vice versa. Then there are also those who like eating both. Well, like us, they have their preferences too.  

Whenever I include organs into her meals, she would either eat them up grudgingly with some coaxing or leave them out completely. When she does the latter, I would proceed to pick up those slices of organs, open her mouth and shove them down.

This is a method I picked up from an overseas raw feeding forum, for those furkids who dun like to eat organs. I must say this is a fast and effective method. No fuss, No hassle. Just shove it down and close her mouth, that's it. I have been doing this for quite a while too.

Lately, I come to learn of another method in the same raw forum and decide to try it out. That is, feeding organs in the frozen state. I read that this is another good way to feed organs to furkids who dun like organs. There are some fellow raw feeders who shared that this method works well too.

Left: lamb kidney, Right: organic pork liver,
sliced up into treat sizes.

Each container is topped with a lid for freezing.

 Frozen organs

*Though the shoving method works well, I still hope she could eat her organs willingly (and it would be great, if she could enjoy doing so too). That's why I decide to try out the frozen method.

The first time I took one of these boxes out, she was actually quite excited and waited by my side expectantly. She must have thought they were treats. Well, she isnt wrong. I wanted to give these organ bits to her like treats.

For a start, I removed a frozen piece from the box, placed it on my palm and handed it to her. She gobbled up. Then I took another piece and gave her, she gobbled it up too. For the next few days, I continued feeding her organs this way, same, she gobbled them all up just like treats.

The frozen way works wonderfully for her. :) She likes her organs frozen. I will continue feeding her this way.