I got the recipe from the August/September issue of Animal Wellness Magazine. The focus of that issue was cancer care and prevention in our pets thru a healthy diet. Unfortnately, I don't have the recipe handy, as I gave the mag to a friend to look at. However, you can order back issues thru the website, either paper or digital. There is a small fee unfortunately. There are lots of interesting recipes to be had though, as well of tons of other info.

You reminded me of something when you said Lily was definately energized after her honey/garlic treat. Even though honey is all natural, organic, and unprocessed, it is still of form of sugar. So, when the body metabolizes the honey and turns it into glucose, look out! You get a sugar rush. I knew there was a reason I never made that candy recipe! Eli is so sensative to sugar, he's halfway to the moon if he gets any, then he gets that sugar crash later on, but during the to the moon phase, he's nuts! I don't give him anything with sugar in it, not even in his treats, and I use no sugar added peanut butter, too. I suppose if I used honey in a whole grain cookie recipe, it would be OK, it would take the body longer to metabolize the sugar, resulting in a steady blood sugar level with the rush and crash. Hmm. We'll see.

If you get that recipe, and try it, let me know. I'll see if my friend still has the mag in the meantime.

With Lily, the honey/barlic stuff gives her good energy, not out of control, naughty energy. She just feels really good. It also happens frequently when she gets a high protein meai, with freeze dried tripe and greens. I wouldn't give her anything that would cause an imbalance or hyperactivity. I'll check out the Animal Wellness site for that recipe. Thanks!

And one more thing regarding honey, if you use it in a recipe that requires cooking or baking, you lose at least half the beneficial nutrients, so Juliette recommends using it in raw form. Her book is The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, in case someone wants to know. Great book. Juliette's aforementioned book contains recipes for a "super healthy puppy food" as well as herbal formulas for ailing animals that include raw honey in varying quantities. Since I consider her an excellent source of information, I think small quantities of raw honey are fine, when combined in proportion with whole food nutrients. And of course what works for one dog may be totally inappropriate for another. My dogs love eggs and have been eating them for years, while my friend's dog has a lot of difficulty digesting them. Thanks for the discussion!

I may try just a little honey in combination with another whole food. I will check out the book you speak of as well. I wish E could tolerate eggs. They are so nutritious. But, he gets GI upset like you friend's dog.

Let me know if you get ahold of that magazine. There were lots of neat recipes, and a list of whole foods that can be fed as antioxidants. I never knew you could give a dog artichokes, but I always wondered about it!

Will let you know how the honey goes.

 

I managed to locate a copy of the aforementioned Animal Wellness magazine and checked out the recipes. Personally, I liked the ingredients in almost every recipe. I definitely wouldn't cook or bake any of the ingredients - with the exception of Kombu, which I would simmer separately and then combine with other ingredients. Why buy raw honey if you're going to heat it to 350 degrees? Raw food is always my preference, especially fruits and vegetables - it's all about the enzymes. Thanks for the heads up on that magazine. I'm going to check it out more often.

If you're searching for a good Raw Honey--I've used Manuka Honey from New Zealand. It supposedly is the very best Nutritive Honey with incredible Healing properties. I used it when I had an ulcer--and it healed within days. read about it in this link  www.benefitofmanukahoney.com  I purchase it at my local Whole Foods Market.

I managed to relocate that mag as well. I thought that cooking the honey for so long was a bit extreme. I like the recipes as well, and plan on trying a few out. I may even get a subscription---I don't think it's that expensive. Previous editions had lots of stuff on raw foods and treats.

Sarah,

I meant to tell you that I know you would never give Ms.Lily or any of your dogs anything that may cause imbalance. You are a wonderful canine guardian! I wish I could give honey to E, but I am afraid that I will have to scrape him off the ceiling!

If you try the Kombu, please let me know!

I've tried the kombu-- I started by cooking it in a stew of root vegetables with TVP for us humans. Then, I removed the reconstituted kombu and snipped it into bits to mix with the boys' dog food. They love it!!

And as far as using honey, I dip a piece of raw pear or apple into the honey and offer it as a treat--

R,

I have been having a hard time with the greens lately. I tried chard, and spinach, and they didn't work out very well for the dogs, as in they didn't like it. I had made a batch of food with amaranth, and added chard at the end, to steam it briefly. The batch ended up smelling and tasting of dirt/mold.( I had rinsed everything well).  I thought the amaranth was spoiled, so threw it all out. Turns out it must have been the chard--I added a small amount to another batch, and had the same results. The kids seem to like kale, so will stick with it for now. I look at the kombu when I'm at the market. Just a bit afriad to try it just yet. We'll see.

Best,

 

my dog has allergies too, what a pain!  The best thing of course if a skin or blood test to determine exact what he's allergic to.  The first thing a derm doctor will try is a food trial.  They put the pet on an allergin free diet and reintroduce foods one at a time.  A great many dogs are allergic to grains, and since it sound like you're trying to test foods I would diffinately try grain free.  Both "EVO" and "Wellness" dog foods have excellent grain free diets. 

Have you ever wondered why so many dogs have allergies? I think it's due to over-vaccination.  My cats haven't had vaccines since kittenhood, and they are fine. My dogs have had vaccines more recently, and they tend to have problems. It's a theory that I hope to check more into. E went to the vet the other day, and I declined a few vaccines that weren't considered core. I haven't decided what I will do when the next batch of core vaccines are due I need to do more research. I may opt for titers if available.

 

All things considered, and based on your little guy's lifestyle, what vaccines could possibly be necessary to tax their immune systems with? And yes, I vote for the titers before anything.

This might sound like a stupid question but can I ask why the flea problem is so bad? Is your lawn treated outside? Is your dog around alot of other dogs?  Is he outside alot or is he an inside dog?  Actually, this will help me gather some information for myself as I am a first time dog owner.  My intent was to use the flea repellent shampoo (by Natural Pet), flea comb and collar to avoid using any toxic monthly flea treatment. My understanding from my vet was that the monthly flea treatments used is not always necessary unless the pet is exposed frequently to other animals with fleas and is receiving no other treatment etc. 

Thanks very much.

 

 

Jay from Call of the Dog has some excellent remedies for Fleas--

As a new Dog owner, you have only just begun this process....I have one dog that can stand the monthly flea/tic medications and one that is Highly allergic to them, so I strived to find natural soul-utions to the problem for both their sakes. If you socialize your dog at all or take your dog out for a walk--welcome to Flea world!!! I have heard that in "cold" climates, fleas aren't a problem--is that true???  But, I live in CA and have year round dilemma with the pesky pests. Th