Double T Mini Aussies

07/28/2024

Warning: small rant in defense of small birds that need big help from humans 💚🫵🏼
Most of you know me as a wellness veterinarian 👩‍⚕️, but I am also a wildlife biologist 👩🏻‍🌾 and licensed wildlife rehabilitator 🦅. This is one of my patients, who is sick because humans fed him cloudy, polluted nectar teeming with bacteria that eventually killed him 🧫😰.

I feel the same way about wildlife as I do domestic pets: it’s our responsibility to know enough to do no harm. When it comes to feeding wildlife, either do it right, or don’t do it at all. If you decide to feed hummingbirds, please do it correctly and responsibly, or you will kill them (and life is hard enough for our wild friends).

1. Do NOT use artificially colored store- bought hummingbird food 🛑❌. Commercial nectars have way too many preservatives, additives, chemical stabilizers and Red Dye #5 that’s harmful to their bodies 👎🏼.

Make your own nectar instead:

1 cup plain sugar + 4 cups boiling water (filter out the impurities)

(1:4 ratio means you can make smaller batches, like 1/4 cup sugar + 1 cup boiling water, if desired). Stir until sugar dissolves and let cool. Store in refrigerator and use up within a week.

❌ I love raw honey, but DON’T USE HONEY with hummingbirds 🍯👎🏼 (sugar is 50% fructose/50% glucose, honey is 40% fructose/30% glucose + other constituents, so it’s the wrong food matrix for them)

❌ I eat organic cane sugar, but DON’T USE ORGANIC SUGAR with hummingbirds👎🏼, it contains more minerals (like iron) that can bioaccumulate over time

2. Warm sugar water can quickly incubate incredible levels of pathogenic bacteria 🦠 and fungi that can infect and kill birds quickly 📈⚰️.The warmer the weather, the faster pathogenic microbes accumulate in nectar ☠️

Thoroughly disinfect and refill your hummingbird feeder twice a week in the spring. Above 85 degrees, clean and refill daily. (Yes, I said daily 😅) 🫗🧴🚰🧽🪣

Is this a complete pain? Yes. It’s also lifesaving and crucial, if you choose to feed hummingbirds. I spend 15 minutes a day taking care of my hummingbird feeders because I want the birds in my yard to not leave diseased and ill 🕊️.

I want to be a responsible steward of the wildlife in my yard. Please do the same, or simply enjoy them without feeding them. Plant hummingbird-friendly flowers 🌸. Better to keep them safe than inadvertently give them fatal food poisoning 💔.

03/30/2024

Whew! NINE batches of Fresh Breath Treats this am! Blueberry/Banana and Pumpkin Peanut Butter coming yet this weekend! Check out Grandma T's Holistic Dog Treats at https://doubletminiaussies.com/grandma-ts. Every recipe has health benefits for your best buddy!! Treats you can feel GOOD about feeding! 😁🐾🐶💞

Quality Miniature Australian Shepherds Dedicated to producing excellent quality Miniature Australian Sherpherd puppies

03/13/2024

Is tap water bad for your pet’s health? 💦

Your tap water may not be as safe as you think.🚰 In addition to the known health risks associated with "forever chemicals", research out of the University of Wisconsin found that dogs with bladder cancer are more likely to live in areas where tap water contains higher levels of the forever chemical - total trihalomethane, a reactive byproduct of disinfection chemicals (especially chlorination) used in municipal tap water. Studies also found pollutants in tap water increase the risk of other cancers like lymphoma in dogs. 😞 The good news is, these studies also show filtering tap water could decrease the overall incidence of these cancers. ☺️

👉Here are 5 tips to reduce your pet’s exposure:

1. Request an Annual Quality Report from your municipal water utility (the company that bills you monthly). You can also check the EWG Tap Water Database for your area. This report will list the detected contaminants, the potential source(s) of those contaminants, and the levels at which those contaminants were present in the water supply.
3. If your municipality doesn’t test for PFAS or you get your water from a private well, purchase a home water test kit (you can find one through a variety of retailers online).
4. Once you know what’s in your tap water, you can select the appropriate type of filter to remove the contaminants in your water supply. Activated carbon and ion-exchange resin filters can significantly reduce PFAS. Do your research and find the right filter for your water and budget.
5. Don’t use bottled water - it is not necessarily any safer and can still be contaminated with PFAS.
6. Avoid plastic water bowls and food storage containers. Many plastics contain PFAS that can leach into your pet’s food and water. Switch to glass or high quality stainless steel bowls, and glass or silicone containers are good choices for food storage.

📘 In The Forever Dog LIFE book, we cover not only water filtration options, but also tips for minimizing your Forever Dog’s 🐶(and Cat’s!🐱) exposure to toxins across the board: how to choose the safest food and water bowls 🥣, DIY recipes for nontoxic home 🏡 solutions (to protect your pet and the water supply), foods 🌿 that support the body in the face of unavoidable pollutants, and much more!

03/13/2024

The Forever Dog LIFE : Important tip!

03/12/2024

Freshening up your dog or cat's space with a room or fabric spray? 🐾 Try this pet-safe, nontoxic room spray!

Here's a sneak peak at one of the many recipes in the "Healthier Homes" section of our new book The Forever Dog LIFE! With this easy to make room spray, you can remove those nasty odors without the coughing, itchy rashes, organ dysfunction and other health risks associated with commercial room sprays!

Our dogs and cats share our living experiences 🏠, and also suffer the same health consequences, but they cannot escape indoor environments with polluted air. So we show you how to make non-toxic products for your pet's body and home that are good for you, your pets, and the environment!

Available for preorder at your favorite online retailer or The Forever Dog LIFE bio.

03/12/2024

Basil Serving Suggestions 🌿🥄

🐾 Fresh basil: Mince and sprinkle 1/2 to 1 teaspoon into your dog’s food for every 10 pounds of their body weight 🐶 (half that amount for cats 🐱).

🐾 Dried basil: Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to your dog’s meal 🐶 (half that amount for cats 🐱).

Discover the compounds that give basil powerful antioxidant properties here: https://bit.ly/3SYt2k8

03/11/2024

03/11/2024

This!! It doesn't matter if they're adopted, rescued or purchased! This still applies! Keep it very low key for several weeks. No taking them places or having a bunch of company over to "meet your new dog"! They need to trust and bond with you before any of that happens!

Too much too soon WILL cause issues.
It is a really common occurrence with newly adopted dogs.

Congratulations on your new dog.
I know you want to take them to the beach, the pet store and your café....however can I ask for a few minutes so I can explain just what your dog has gone through.....and why you need to take the next few weeks SLOW.
Your new dog has had it's whole world turned upside down.
They don't know you.
They don't know if they can trust you.
They don't know if they are with you for an hour or forever.
They may have been in various scary places.
Other houses, rescues, the pound and likely ALL of these in the past few days or weeks.
Your dog has stress hormones surging through their brain, they are STRESSED....they need to decompress, they need STABILITY in their environment and from you.
They need time with you and their new environment.
They need to know that the tree outside may rustle against the house and that's OK.
They need to know that those normal creaky noises in your house are OK and that at 3.45 the neighbours bang their door shut.
They need to know when it rains that tapping sound is OK.
They need to know that when the door opens they won't be moved somewhere else again.
They need to trust that YOU are safe even when you have had a bad day, you will still give them food and that they can close their eyes around you.
You know what your good intentions are with your new dog, your dog however has NO idea what is happening.....only that everything has changed and it is scary.
They do NOT need other new environments yet. Take it SLOW.
Dogs that have just been adopted need TIME. There is no need to rush out the next day and take them to all the places you want to go with them.....They need the opposite.
Let them decompress, let them inspect a new area of your house or yard every day or two. Walk them up and down outside your house for a few days (and only there), let them sniff, and sniff some more. Let them p*e freely.....it may be boring for you, but not for your dog. They need to know what is happening around them and they learn that through their nose, eyes and ears.
They NEED this.
They need to learn to TRUST you.
The long walks can wait, the café will still be there in a few weeks and you can visit the pet shop alone until they are ready.
Your bond together is the MOST important thing to concentrate on right now.
You will never regret taking it slow and it can save your dog and yourself from making the very same mistakes that can lead to people rehoming in the first place.
All the very best with your new dog.

03/11/2024

02/28/2024

I use the BAB protocols in raising my pups. I am still new to it and working on setting the new habits. I cannot stress enough, how impressed I am with this program! Use this, regardless of age, to work on your dog's behaviors and training!

The POWER 3 is a proven method from our Raising the Empowered Puppy Guide. Send your clients home with a copy or get set up as an affiliate and share your link with them. Either way, take an active role in encouraging your families to raise empowered puppies. Click here: https://buff.ly/49uLY0Z

02/28/2024

Your pet’s bedding is freshly washed, a ready nest full of softness, warmth….and formaldehyde?🙀

If you use dryer sheets or other fabric softeners, that “fresh scent” left behind is evidence of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

Formaldehyde is one of the respiratory irritant VOCs common in fabric softeners, along with acetaldehyde and acetone. But there are many more - researchers found 25 distinct VOCs emitted from dryer vents when these products were used😱 Other common offenders include:

☠️pentane - causes skin and GI irritation

☠️ethyl acetate - on the EPA’s hazardous waste list, causing anemia, changes in white blood cells, and damage to the liver and kidneys

☠️benzyl acetate - absorbed through the skin and damages the pancreas

☠️alpha-terpineol - causes headaches and nervous system disorders

The good news is that your pet can have clean, soft bedding 🛌 without risk of coughing, itchy rashes, organ dysfunction and more! In our new book Forever Dog LIFE, we show you how to make reusable non-toxic dryer sheets that are good for you, your pets, and the environment, plus many more DIY solutions for home and body! 🙌

www.foreverdoglife.com

02/28/2024

Congratulations Will Rogers of Marianna FL on the new member of your family, Ruby! (Crush x Beau 7/28/22)

02/18/2024

All HAIL the science world’s most “healthiest veggie on the planet” —> 🥇🌿Watercress!🌿🏆

If you (and your pet) are growing tired of adding and/or eating the same 3 or 4 veggie toppers over & over again, try switching it up by adding in the powerhouse veggie, Watercress🪴.

Ranked by the CDC, based on characteristics like nutrients per calorie and bioavailability of nutrients, watercress topped the list with a perfect value of 100, beating out Chinese cabbage (91.99 points), Swiss chard (89.27 points), beetroot (87.08 points) and even spinach🍃 (86.43 points) in the CDC’s vegetable rankings, making it the holy grail for health.

What’s more, the nutrients they looked at in the superfoods are specifically those shown to be beneficial in managing or preventing chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, among others.

Watercress is a member of the cruciferous vegetable 🥦 family. Antioxidants abound in these veggies, and they’re especially high in watercress. Notable antioxidants found in watercress include glucosinolates, beta carotene, and lutein, which may be responsible for preventing DNA damage. They also provide support for the eyes 👀 and cardiovascular 🫀system.

In fact, in a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, researchers found that feeding dogs any cruciferous vegetable could reduce the incidence of bladder cancer by almost 80%.

Offering up this green, leafy veggie will boost several essential nutrients like B vitamins, potassium, and vitamin K. Plus it provides a healthy dose of vitamin C and fiber.

Here’s a fun and easy way to tempt your pup 🐶to try watercress (and it’s fine for your cat 🐱too, although some kitties might turn their noses up at the mildly peppery flavor).

And in Chapter 2: Forever Foods in our new book, The Forever Dog LIFE we’ll give you inspiration for using watercress and other nutrition standouts as microgreens and sprouts 🌱

Join Dr Becker in the Learning Lab right now to see her demo on making this nutrient dense, delicious lick mat creation, sneaking this leafy green into even the finickiest of dogs.

Already preorder? Join here - The Forever Dog Learning Lab

More info or to preorder your copy - www.ForeverDogLIFE.com

01/17/2024

01/17/2024

I do this a lot! It's a great, very easy, enrichment exercise!

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!