Time for Dinner, Time for Dinner

Every morning, either my husband or I feed Cabana her breakfast. The first person up feeds her, while the lollygagger makes the bed. It's pretty much 50-50 which of us does which task. We measure out one and one third cup of food, then we take about 40 pieces of kibble from Cabana's bowl and put it in her Everlasting Treat Ball. (I'm a bit wacky, so I actually count out 40 pieces each time. I think my husband puts fewer pieces in the treat ball when he does it.) Then, we add warm water to make a nice gravy. Here, Cabana waits patiently while I take a few photos and tell her "okay" so she can start eating.

Cabana always eats what's in her bowl first, then picks up the treat ball and takes it into the living room to dispense. When the treat ball is empty, she comes back to her bowl and licks up every bit of flavor.

At dinnertime, our daughters take turns feeding Cabana another cup and a third. But memories are short, and we often can't remember who fed Cabana the night before. Last night, both daughters thought it was their turn, and Cabana accidentally got fed twice!! Of course, Cabana didn't let on that she'd already eaten, less than 10 minutes ago. There was no telltale body language to give anyone a clue--but I bet the wheels in her brain were just churning, "Wow, another dinner! These forgetful humans are awesome!"

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Off to the Vet

I dropped Cabana off at Guide Dogs' vet clinic this morning. One sniff when I opened the car door, and Cabana knew where we were. She was so excited I could barely get her head collar on her. You'd think we were at Disneyland! The vet did a quick examination of her and said she looked great. Then, he sent me over to kennel reception so I could "get her a room" for the next two nights.

When I went to kennel reception, the woman working there took one look at Cabana and said she was too fat!! She said Cabana didn't have enough of a waistline and asked how much we fed her. I said 2 cups morning, 2 cups evening. She said that was way too much and that we should even switch to a "light" food. She also asked dubiously if we ever exercise her, and I told her we walk her DAILY, 2-3 miles. I know she was trying to be helpful, but I felt like I had been slapped. I don't think I could have felt worse if she told ME I was too fat and ate too much!

But I know I don't need to take it so personally. I'll just cut back Cabana's food a bit--but I had always felt Cabana was on the thin side so it totally caught me off guard. It reminded me of Kate, saying the same thing about Faulkner--he was always thin and then all of a sudden, he chunked up!

Before I took Cabana in to the vet this morning, I got a nice email from Nicole, Chelsie's mom, wishing Cabana well for her surgery, and saying how much I would miss her and that the house would seem so empty. I thought, pah, no way! I'm going to do my Christmas shopping without worrying about getting back home, and it's going to be a great break for a couple days.

But darn it, Nicole was right! Now I'm worried about Cabana being fat, about the surgery, about her being lonely in the kennels. And the house does seem too quiet. I did manage to do some Christmas shopping on my way back from the vet, but it seems like a small consolation. :(

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Career Change Changes

Hill's Science Diet is Guide Dogs for the Blind's primary food choice, so that is what Cabana has been eating all her life. But every once in a while, I hear that Science Diet isn't necessarily the greatest selection out there. Cabana has always done really well with Science Diet, though. She's very regular and seems to enjoy the taste, although she's barely ever eaten anything else but that.

I wondered what other people feed their career change/pet dogs? Is there a food you'd recommend and why?

Also, I went to buy Cabana some training treats the other day. GDB puppies are not allowed to have treats, other than pieces of their regular kibble. When I looked at the VAST assortment, I had no idea what to buy. There's so much talk about some treats not being good, making your dog too fat, or being high in something or another. I don't want to upset Cabana's tummy either. But I'd love to find a highly-motivating treat that I can use to work on Cabana's recall, one that will pull her away from the most inticing distractions. Any ideas?

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In's and Out's

This is Cabana's standard position during our dinnertime, half on her bed, half on the doormat. She lays exactly like this every night, patiently waiting until we are done eating. At 6:30, one of my daughters will enter the kitchen and open the drawer that holds Cabana's food. When Cabana hears that drawer open, her feet make a happy trot-trot-trot into the kitchen.

I always wondered why Cabana insists on laying like this, but after I took these photos, the reason dawned on me. She is facing in the direction of the kitchen, of course!

Cabana eats 2 cups for breakfast and 2 cups for dinner, which we mix with warm water. We are transitioning her from Science Diet Puppy to Science Diet Adult lamb and rice. Last night was the first time she had the puppy/adult mixture, and she hesitated a bit, probably thinking, "Whoa, what's this?! New food!"

I wouldn't call Cabana a fast eater or a slow one--she seems very medium. It takes her about 3-5 minutes to eat her 2 cups of food (I haven't actually timed her, so I'm guessing), and then she spends a minute carefully licking every iota of flavor from her bowl. Currently, she weighs 52 pounds.

Since I'm on the subject of what goes IN to Cabana, I'll say a brief word on what comes OUT. (I happen to enjoy bathroom subjects, especially since they are important when it comes to dogs--but if you're squeamish or gross out easily, click here to exit this post.)


Cabana has a very regular relieving pattern. She poops first thing in the morning, around dinnertime, and at bedtime.

One thing that my puppy group leader told me, which I found very helpful and somewhat fascinating, is that the more segmented the poop, the better the dog's digestion. So, if the poop comes out in big smooth lumps, the food is not being digested as well or as fully as if it comes out in lots of smaller pieces all stuck together. I know, I'm getting a little gross. But at least I'm able to tell that Cabana is digesting her food very well!!

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