Blog Archives

Turkey Talk

Turkey Talk

Nov 18

Posted by

Thanksgiving

          ~What We Don’t Want

Where's the Turkey

The emergency Vet Vist probably tops our list. It is the quickest way to spoil our celebration. Nonetheless, is there a time when our attention is more divided? The snatch and grab Weimaraner could abscond with some spectacular finds. They are everywhere–the counter, the dining table, the plates, and possibly on the floor. One thing you might overlook–the rising bread dough or rolls. Bread Dough Toxicosis can prove life-threatening. Maybe a toddler is waving a turkey leg. Is that an invite? The opportunist Weimaraner will make the most of this food-driven holiday gathering.

The humans at your table–they are a significant threat to the Weimaraner. Who doesn’t want to sneak the pup a treat? But too many sneaks and the gut can become overloaded even with acceptable food. The sensitive Weim might have a bout of pancreatitis from too much fatty food. Then there are the cooked poultry bones–be sure if you throw them out it is where the Weimaraner cannot steal them.

You Might Consider

IMG_5035What if you made a plate for the Weimaraner that everyone could help share? This plating idea might work. Here are some excellent choices.

  • Turkey — no bones
  • Green beans (plain)
  • Squash or Pumpkin (plain)
  • Apple slices (without the seeds)

Avoid These

      ~ to mention a few

  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Stuffing
  • Gravy
  • Corn on the Cob
  • Nuts (pecans and Macadamia)
  • Grapes and Raisins

You can bake a Weim cookie or a Weim pie that forgoes the seasonings. Eggs and pumpkin and a tiny bit of milk will bake up nicely. You could make the crust using treats. Possibly make them in a silicone cupcake pan or cupcake papers. We are not saying it cannot be a lot of fun for the Weimar too. However, no one wants the unthinkable to spoil all the fun.

Remember, it is all good and fun until the unthinkable happens!

Here’s to an excellent Thanksgiving Day Celebration for all our Weim-loving Friends!!

Posted in Dangers, Feeding the Weimaraner, Food, General Health, Health and Wellness, Holidays Travel & Vacations, Information and Education, Ingested items, The Weimaraner

Leave a comment

Tags: , , , , , ,

A Good Thanksgiving Look

A Good Thanksgiving Look

Dec 7

Posted by

If you are dieting…..

Ellie's Thanksgiving LookEllie was running around after dark and collided with our wood pile (best as we can figure).  The result was a long gash in her right front leg that required a number of stitches.  She’s now a cone head but extremely good-natured about it.  It did cause her some frustration at Thanksgiving, however.

Note: Possibly, some who wished they had eaten less, could have considered this look for the dinner table. Actually, if you tend to miss the loading shut–this would catch the misses.

Ah shucks, it is a holiday–a celebration of all we value. Family, good fortune, and more than enough to eat.

Posted in Information and Education, Maggie X Benton, Previous Pup Update

4 Comments

Tags: , ,

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Nov 26

Posted by

While we Prepare to Celebrate

10703995_10203865392493285_2238146014813983610_n (1)We send you the warmest of greetings. Thank you for your faithful friendship. We value our relationship. It is the season to give thanks, and to remember all we have to celebrate.

  1. We are thankful for our family.
  2. We are thankful for the life we can lead–thank you to those who made this possible. (veterans, and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice–including their families).
  3. We are thankful to our God for his provision
  4. We are thankful for our friends, and clients–many times they are one in the same.

Today–it will find many of you traveling, or scurrying to make-ready. We, likewise, have things associated with the Thanksgiving holiday to prepare for as well as our usual daily hoopla. We cannot omit the fact that we are thankful for the Weimaraner. This speaks to the Weims ones we know, and those who bring smiles to so many people every day.

 Preventing the Unthinkable

The last thing we want is a trip to the emergency room (albeit for a human, or the Weimaraner). This is never truer than on a holiday. Unfortunately, we can easily become distracted for a moment, or miss what is happening. Here are some things to keep in mind during our celebration.

  1. Counter-surfing — it takes a moment when your back is turned, and they have it.
  2. Trash-raiding — make sure it is Weimaraner safe. Ingested cooked turkey bones, foil, string, and a myriad of other items can lead to emergency surgery.
  3. Skip the bones entirely — you might want to treat them, but things can go awry.
  4. Table scraps need to be carefully monitored. With guests sneaking them a bite here and there, it can easily get out of control. These rich additions can upset their tummy, or trigger a more serious condition. For example, the turkey skin might seem harmless, but the fatty morsel (or too much rich food in general) could trigger a pancreatic attack. Weims can have a sensitive tummy in general; however, the important thing is to remember a dog cannot handle all this rich holiday food (or the trimmings). The best approach would be to set a dish of allowed scraps, and tell people they must not have any more than what is on the plate. This may not prevent the well-meaning guest from giving them what they should not get.
  5. Ingested roll dough stories abound on the Internet. Yes, it does pose a danger. Cake, and yeasty bread batter when ingested, expands rapidly in the dog’s gut.
  6. The dangers are not limited to what we plan to eat. Remember the risk includes candles, cut flowers, alcohol, potpourri, etc.
  7. Finally, do not forget about things like sugarless gum, candy, etc. The Weimaraner is opportunistic, and they can find a jelly bean at the bottom of someone’s handbag.

Manners and Your Guests

Respect is a two-way street. Some Weimaraners will jump up, and they do it playfully. Their toenail could catch grandma’s skin, and cause an unintentional serious rip. They could knock a child, or unstable person to the ground. Even the well-mannered dog could be playing, and someone could catch a tooth. Unfortunately, this can lead to serious problems–a trip to the emergency room, reports being filed, and people making accusations about your Weimaraner. The other-side of the issue is you don’t know what someone is doing to the Weimaraner when you are not looking. Things can go awry in fast order if the family pet becomes challenged, afraid, or territorial. These situations are best avoided.

We cannot say what is the best situation for you, and your gathering. We suggest you proceed with caution. The crate-trained Weimaraner might be safer in their den. Putting them out in the yard, while everyone is inside can also cause issues. The Weimaraner is like a child who never grows up. They are filled with energy. They are stimulated by the aroma, and their energy is fueled by the excitement in the air. Ultimately, we all want them to be a huge part of everything we do. They require supervision. Thank you for remembering that during this holiday season.

Posted in Holidays Travel & Vacations, Information and Education

2 Comments

Tags: , ,

This Week’s OwyheeStar News

Nov 30

Posted by

Annie on SledNovember Says Goodbye

We have seen snow, rain, and a little fog this November. Freezing temperatures have come our way too! With December looming large upon the horizon, we know we will be looking at several new things–for example, single-digit temperatures are predicted around the corner. We are hoping those will bypass us, and we will get unseasonably warm weather for a couple of weeks. Others are praying for more snow–skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, and snowball fights are high on the December list. Pick your poison–oops, we meant sport. Then make the right preparation, so you are ready when the opportunity presents. Here is Annie practicing on the snowmobile (2012).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The week was a mix…

There were four featured OwyheeStar Weims this week–Lucy, Charlie Blue, and the two from the UK (with their litter photo). A few other notables made an appearance in the ‘Christmas Weimaraner’ and “Are you busy yet?’ blogs. The two blogs touched on a topic that is near our heart during this time the year. It is so easy to upset the balance in your home during the holiday season. With Christmas shopping, parties, and celebrations of every sort, the Weimaraner can feel disenfranchised, or left behind. This is never a good thing. There can be ups and downs in your schedule, but the secret to a content and well-adjusted Weimaraner that rolls with change, is to condition them to it from the first day. It is like the rain, if they arrive in the rainy season, and you enjoy the rain with them, almost without exception; they will embrace it as the norm. If, however, you open the door and everything within you goes yuck, guess who will pick up on that? (hmmmmm) When it comes to the holiday season, and finding yourself extra busy, your schedule should be as even-keel as is possible. Remember, your busyness and the smells can trigger some pretty interesting behavior. Some of it can be life-threatening; therefore, vigilance is important despite the distractions.

Here are the links for this week’s blogs….

The Saturday after Thanksgiving

Today, is going to be a day of cleaning, decoration, and preparation. Oh, and yes, we will be watching more football. We especially like college football, but we also watch the big boys. Therefore, there will be Sunday football too! Cliff has been busy trying to work on his big backyard project. The frozen ground means he has to wait until mid-to-late afternoon to have a chance to move dirt, and blocks. He is making progress despite the weather. Our Thanksgiving was minimal–a trip to Golden Corral. We were shocked at the number of large family groups there, but our group was three. It was a very different year for our family. Our son got remarried on Tuesday. Our daughter’s mother-in-law has cancer. Change happens–some good, and other is not so good. We were fortunate to have Cliff’s father with us for another Thanksgiving–his 95th.

Making Crazy Memories

We were fortunate to get a handicapped parking place, so we could get Dad to the door more easily. The line was just beyond the door, and it took us about 20 minutes to get in and seated. He was not going to stay in the car and wait, so he stood in line. Our table was close to desserts, for two guys who love their dessert that could not be more perfect. Cliff braved the buffet twice–once for himself, and once for dad. It wasn’t too bad. By the time we left, there was a very long line. We were very fortunate. The food was good, and the dishes were easy. The pie I made after getting home from the restaurant, was not so perfect.

I put a great deal of effort into make the crust beautiful. I was so proud. I thought I would use the home canned pumpkin given to us. I used to can our pumpkin, and home-canned pumpkin is the best. Therefore, I mixed up the filling, and baked the pies. I should have taken a photo. They were beautiful. We took a little sliver to sample, and it was not as expected. The flavor was horrid! There is nothing in a pumpkin pie except for milk, eggs, spices, and pumpkin. Sadly, the two pies went into the garbage disposal. We headed into town to buy pie, lamenting the outcome, and hoping we had not been poisoned. (The jars had a good seal, and they looked fine.) We arrived at Albertsons (the closest market), people were coming out the door, so we were happy. The doors were locked a couple of minutes before we arrived. Then we drove to Red Apple Grocery, and the parking lot was full. We thought all the cars was a good sign–the doors were locked. The no-go at either market lead us toward Walmart. In preparation for Black Friday, everything was cordoned off. That meant I was fortunate to be able to get to the bakery section. I wanted milk, but you could not get there. I picked up three pies, and checked out. We came home to have pie later, and it was OK. It will be memory that we can laugh about in the future. It is funny how these things happen. Anyhow, the good news is I didn’t serve that horrid pie to anyone else–especially Cliff’s father.

We hope your Thanksgiving was good–including the pie, if you eat that type of thing. :O)

 

Many blessings and warm wishes from Shela and Cliff–(and the OwyheeStar Weimars too!)

~Thank you for being a part of our lives!

Posted in News, OwyheeStar

2 Comments

Tags: , ,