Our pet of the month contest is a chance for our customers to tell us how a product, service, treat or toy from Four Paws Pantry & Spa has enhanced, changed or made more enjoyable, their pet’s life. If your pet’s story is selected for that month, you will win a $75.00 gift card from Four Paws.
By way of example to show you the kind of stories we are looking for; I’d like to share with you my story about my Birda.
When I was a trainer, I met a very active, but older woman by the name of Vera. Vera’s roommate, Mary Lou, had given her a puppy; a Border collie Australian shepherd mix, that they named Birda. The couple called me in to help them train their five month old puppy and that’s how I came to know and love Birda. She was a handful! Imagine an older couple with a five month old Border Collie, what were they thinking! I would get calls from Vera weekly concerning this matter and that, just the normal puppy stuff, except for Birda’s habit of herding the cats! One sad day I learned that Vera was very ill, in fact she was terminal. She phoned me, so upset about Birda’s fate, what will happen to her, she asked me?
Birda
Now one year old, Birda came to stay with me and my husband Charlie. Birda tried to befriend our Schnauzer, Emily, but she was having nothing to do with her! Now part of our pack, Birda was in for a few changes, including her diet. Vera had been feeding Science food, and that changed immediately to a more natural grain free kibble. Then I started adding raw food to her diet, eventually only feeding raw. As time passed I learned about Urban Wolf, a base that you add your own raw meat to. It’s one of the few bases we carry, and it performs spectacularly. They all got switched and when I didn’t have the time to prepare the UW, I use a variety of the raw frozen products we carry at the store. I also see to it that Birda has raw bones, usually weekly, and that all of her treats are free of grains and mostly free of carbs.
Another area where I changed things up a bit was vaccinations. From the moment I got Birda, she has been on a low vaccine protocol, using titer testing to check her levels of protection.
Birda is now nine years old; it’s hard for me to believe! She has the most beautiful coat of any dog I have ever owned; her breath is sweet; her teeth white; she never smells….except for those times when she rolls in some creatures poop. She’s never been sick and her activity level is still high. Birda’s veterinarian, Dr. Sheila Dodson, shows pictures of Birda’s teeth to her clients. Yep, she’s a poster child for raw bones!
I can’t imagine what Birda would have looked like or what her overall health would have been had she remained on her previous diet for most of her life. I do know one thing – the healthy, vibrant, glossy girl that walks by my side is truly a Four Paws pet!
Debra Manfield,
Owner of Four Paws Pantry