I officially got dog last Thursday.
 |
| Augie with Buttercup :) |
She's 5 years old. Her mom is a lab/rot mix and her dad was a hound.
60 pound Hound= Stinky
My parents have had a rabbit beagle(Hound) named Max for 10 years and it has been my mother's personal plight to fight his stink. Knowing this, and having the sensitive nose that I do, I went in search of stink prevention.
I found a few websites that mention not bathing them more than once a week but the main issue mentioned was diet. No wheat no corn no soy. So I went to Walmart and picked up Rachael Rae's super duper healthy doggie food for 15 bucks. It had a pretty package :)
All of the suggestion sites say to READ THE LABEL. (Click there to read it yourself) I'm glad I did.
It was the same basic ingredients as Beneful, Old Roy, etc. Specifically soy and "Corn Gluten Meal"
After reading a few more labels, I resentfully ventured over to Petsmart to purchase the flea and tick medicine and find us the Filet Minion of dog food.
Before you label me, I say resentfully because I've never been one to purchase Buffalo meat for my pets. I don't believe in giving them only table scraps but I figured the cheap food was good enough. I mean, Andy likes ramen.
After 30 minutes of asking questions, reading labels and weighing prices, I quickly grabbed a bag of this before I could change my mind:
Flea and Tick medication. In the name of all that is holy, that is expensive. I spent $50 on the K-9 Advantage for Large Breed dogs. This is a 4 pack. Our dogs don't usually get ticks but our yard is a veritable flea extravaganza so we decided that this would be satisfactory. I don't know about you but $300 a year is too much to spend on Flea and tick control. I decided to give the dogs the chemical treatment every other month and find a less expensive method to supplement during the extra month. I found this recipe:
8oz. Apple Cider Vinegar
4oz. Warm water
1/2 tbsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Baking Soda
Mix dry first, then wet. Baking soda will react a little. Shake and spray all over animal.
I bought everything on this list for around 5$.
MASSIVE baking soda :2$- Walmart
AC Vinegar: 1.50$- Walmart
Bottle: 1$ -Dollar Tree
Salt: .50$ Walmart
I haven't been able to stand the smell of vinegar since I was pregnant with my daughter. This is one of the main reasons I tend to use the toxic stuff to do things like clean house.. Since the toxic stuff is a lot more than $5 in this case, I had to come up with something.
My sister-in-law is the queen of all things natural. When I have questions, I seek her wisdom. I should probably come bearing gifts so she doesn't get sick of me and my questions, but she's extraordinary sweet. I needed to know where to find something potent enough to mask the smell of Vinegar. Heidi suggested Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil. This is next on my list of things to try because Walmart just so happened to have Peppermint extract for about 1$ per ounce. I got the larger bottle and doubled the recipe. After adding the entire bottle of peppermint extract, Buttercup smelt like Violet Beauregard on a Wintergreen kick as opposed to rotten pickles.
I sprayed her yesterday and I haven't seen her scratch since. I have yet to subject Millie, our 15 year old Minpin mutt, to such torture. She already hates me enough for bringing a new dog home. I think I will soon though, because today she actually brought herself to snuggle on the couch with Haddie and Buttercup. Well that is, as long as Buttercup knew her place.... at the other end of the couch.
Our soon to be new home has a large fenced in back yard that I'm looking forward to letting the dogs run around in. I hate tying up Buttercup but she's so big she can't just run loose. We take her on long walks every night before bed.
Tonight I am taking her to Petsmart in Harbor View to be groomed before we spend the weekend at Andy's parents house. Click the link for different care packages. I think the prices are very reasonable.
We'll be spending time with the boys and finalizing everything with his new job. So far, moving is still scheduled for the weekend of the 20th. The appraisal has been ordered. Everyone cross their fingers.
I found a few websites that mention not bathing them more than once a week but the main issue mentioned was diet. No wheat no corn no soy. So I went to Walmart and picked up Rachael Rae's super duper healthy doggie food for 15 bucks. It had a pretty package :)
All of the suggestion sites say to READ THE LABEL. (Click there to read it yourself) I'm glad I did.
It was the same basic ingredients as Beneful, Old Roy, etc. Specifically soy and "Corn Gluten Meal"
After reading a few more labels, I resentfully ventured over to Petsmart to purchase the flea and tick medicine and find us the Filet Minion of dog food.
Before you label me, I say resentfully because I've never been one to purchase Buffalo meat for my pets. I don't believe in giving them only table scraps but I figured the cheap food was good enough. I mean, Andy likes ramen.
After 30 minutes of asking questions, reading labels and weighing prices, I quickly grabbed a bag of this before I could change my mind:
The results have been positive. She still smells like dog... but comparatively, she smells like a better smelling dog. Also, for other hound owners fighting the good fight: we used some Q-tips and cleaned her ears thoroughly, this helped A LOT!
Flea and Tick medication. In the name of all that is holy, that is expensive. I spent $50 on the K-9 Advantage for Large Breed dogs. This is a 4 pack. Our dogs don't usually get ticks but our yard is a veritable flea extravaganza so we decided that this would be satisfactory. I don't know about you but $300 a year is too much to spend on Flea and tick control. I decided to give the dogs the chemical treatment every other month and find a less expensive method to supplement during the extra month. I found this recipe:
4oz. Warm water
1/2 tbsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Baking Soda
Mix dry first, then wet. Baking soda will react a little. Shake and spray all over animal.
I bought everything on this list for around 5$.
MASSIVE baking soda :2$- Walmart
AC Vinegar: 1.50$- Walmart
Bottle: 1$ -Dollar Tree
Salt: .50$ Walmart
I haven't been able to stand the smell of vinegar since I was pregnant with my daughter. This is one of the main reasons I tend to use the toxic stuff to do things like clean house.. Since the toxic stuff is a lot more than $5 in this case, I had to come up with something.
My sister-in-law is the queen of all things natural. When I have questions, I seek her wisdom. I should probably come bearing gifts so she doesn't get sick of me and my questions, but she's extraordinary sweet. I needed to know where to find something potent enough to mask the smell of Vinegar. Heidi suggested Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil. This is next on my list of things to try because Walmart just so happened to have Peppermint extract for about 1$ per ounce. I got the larger bottle and doubled the recipe. After adding the entire bottle of peppermint extract, Buttercup smelt like Violet Beauregard on a Wintergreen kick as opposed to rotten pickles.
I sprayed her yesterday and I haven't seen her scratch since. I have yet to subject Millie, our 15 year old Minpin mutt, to such torture. She already hates me enough for bringing a new dog home. I think I will soon though, because today she actually brought herself to snuggle on the couch with Haddie and Buttercup. Well that is, as long as Buttercup knew her place.... at the other end of the couch.Our soon to be new home has a large fenced in back yard that I'm looking forward to letting the dogs run around in. I hate tying up Buttercup but she's so big she can't just run loose. We take her on long walks every night before bed.
Tonight I am taking her to Petsmart in Harbor View to be groomed before we spend the weekend at Andy's parents house. Click the link for different care packages. I think the prices are very reasonable.
We'll be spending time with the boys and finalizing everything with his new job. So far, moving is still scheduled for the weekend of the 20th. The appraisal has been ordered. Everyone cross their fingers.
No comments:
Post a Comment