MACdoodles

25/11/2023

Look at our doodle family ❤️ Penny, Charlie and Harper
And Falkor ❤️

28/07/2023

13/07/2023

Help a sista out! I just spent $300 on more items from my list! Can you help me get some much needed stem activities, and classroom decor and organization items?
I can't wait to send some thank you pictures and cards out with the help of my kindergarten kiddos! 🙏❤️
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3EKBEOHC8WB1F?ref_=wl_share

14/06/2023

Stop walking your dogs during high peak sun times. 11-3/4 here in FL ... It's heartbreaking seeing dogs 'dancing' because they have burns on their paws at the farmers market in Lakeland. 🙏🏻♥️
precautions and ways to walk safely :

1. Take them to the woods or wooded/shaded trails and walk there.
2. Get them boots to protect their paws from hot pavement/asphalt. Assume the pavement is too hot.
3. Use Musher's Secret or the equivalent to protect their paws. Assume the pavement is too hot.
4. Bring water and a portable bowl on walks.
5. Invest in a cooling vest/collar.
6. Keep walks short and walk slow. A slow sniffari is far more enjoyable to your dog than a fast pace any day.
7. Plan your urban or suburban route around shaded areas.
8. Take extra care with brachycephalic or with dogs who have laryngeal paralysis as well as with dark coated dogs. All will heat up faster than average.
9. Walk in the early morning or in the evening after the sun has gone lower in the sky.
10. Walk near water sources such as streams, creeks, etc. and allow your dog to cool their paws if they like that sort of thing.
11. I will repeat ad nauseum head to wooded areas because honestly, this type of outings is not only the coolest option when it's warm outside but it's the most enriching with smells.

Do you have additional suggestions? If so, please note them in the comments.

There is no reason to skip your dog's walks when it's warmer. Enrichment is important to mental stability.

Below is my dog Kenzo, who adored his walks in every season, despite his majestic floofiness. This pictures was taken on a hot July day. He loved his wooded hikes.

It is HOT out there. 🥵 Quick tips …

☀️ Walk dogs in the cooler parts of the day so paws don’t burn.

☀️ Do not leave pets in the car.

☀️ If outside, pets need lots of water and ample shade (not just a doghouse — way too hot in there).

Phew! Hope you and your fur buddies are stayin’ cool!



——-

Image shows a sign that says “hot pavement” and compares air temperature to asphalt temperature: 77° = 125° asphalt temperature. 86 ° = 135°. 87° = 143°. The bottom of the sign says, “Conditions change quickly” and “Do not leave your pet in the car!”

(Image description provided for accessibility, for people who use screen readers.)

14/06/2023

Happy 2nd birthday to Harper and her other brothers and sisters!

29/06/2022

Fireworks🧨explode like magnified gunfire in the exquisitely sensitive ears of wildlife, our companion animals🐾, and our Veterans.

The Forever Dog

17/06/2022

More proof. Stop walking your dog in this heat STOP

15/06/2022

14/06/2022

Happy Birthday babies! Wishing Litter2 the Happiest 1st birthday !🥳🐾🦴❤️🐶

14/06/2022

Happy First Birthday Litter2!! We ❤️ you! Stay tuned for some picture updates! 😍

After a long day Momma is ready for some rest. Puppies snuggling up on the heating blanket and Penny snuggling up next to them. Night night pups 🐾😍🐾🐾

04/06/2022

❤️🐾
Dear Mom and Dad
Let me stay home. It's not nice for me to walk and run next to you. But because I am a loyal dog, I often go beyond my limits. So I walk and run beside you, standing still if I have to. And feel my paws burn.
I'm looking at you for a moment, but you do not understand. Because in a little over 5 minutes we're at the cool puddle, right? But those little 5 minutes can be fatal to me. Because I sweat through my paws, and in this heat I just can not get rid of the sweat. My whole body is boiling, but I keep going .....
And then I end up on the tarmac. In the heat and in the sun. With my tongue out of my mouth and my eyes flashing in the sun. My paws are burning, my tongue is dry and my head is pounding in the heat that my body cannot get rid of ...
Instead, let me stay at home where I can enjoy the sun, with a large bowl of water, somewhere in the shade. And best of all like in a cool area with grass.
Love
Your dog
🐾🐾❤️

03/06/2022

HAVE AN ALLERGY-RIDDEN ITCHY DOG? 🐶

With the arrival of spring🌳🌷 you may notice your dog itching more than usual. Try this yeast smashing, anti-itch homemade spray to help your dog out when they need a quick sense of relief!

This body rinse can be useful to restore skin pH, soothe itchy skin, calm rashes and welts, and has some added benefits for keeping biting flies, fleas and gnats at bay. 🪰

👉Mix the following ingredients together in a bottle/jar with cap and shake well before use:
Apple Cider Vinegar: 1/2 cup
Brewed Green Tea (cooled): 1/2 cup
Distilled Water: 1 cup

Apply to clean skin and coat, massage, rinse, and pat dry.

We also suggest supplementing with quercetin, “nature’s Benadryl” for your allergy-ridden dog. With its natural antihistamine qualities, quercetin is well known to help with dog allergies. You can find more ways to help reduce your pet’s allergy symptoms in our book The Forever Dog, plus more supplements and food tips! www.foreverdog.com

01/06/2022

THE INVISIBLE SLIMY MONSTER IN THE WATER BOWL

Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet's water bowl and you feel a slippery slime of sorts? Well that invisible goo is called Biofilm.

Biofilm is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on a surface. It is made up of many different types of bacteria bound together in a thick substance that acts as a glue to both hold the bacteria together and adhere it to a surface.

Biofilm can often be good bacteria but there is also the bad!

Biofilms provide a safe haven for organisms like Listeria, E. coli and legionella where they can reproduce to levels where contamination of products passing through that water becomes inevitable.

Bad Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body such as urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections and bladder infections.

Many pet parents are guilty of simply refilling the water bowl over and over without a wash and this becomes a wonderful environment for biofilm to soak around in.

How to reduce Biofilm:

Remember to clean your pet’s water bowl at least once a week if you can and change water daily.

For pet daycares where a host of different bacteria float around in water bowls, wash daily!

For best results, run your water bowls through a hot cycle in the dishwasher with an eco friendly, non-toxic soap to really clean out the biofilm!

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

(P.S. - I am going to get lambasted over the "wash once a week at least" concept. However, after a wonderful discussion with a well known pro-active veterinarian/scientist, when she studied the bacteria looming in pets' water bowls she found if you have a healthy beast, biofilm can actually be full of wonderful, healthy bacteria. It's like playing in the mud as kids and having good bacteria all over you! So sometimes cleaning regularly can wash all the good stuff away. ;) )

18/05/2022

THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!

How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.

Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.

Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!

A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?

“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com

So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?

Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:

STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.

(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)

Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.

(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)

Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.

The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)

STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus!
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)

STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.

“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com

“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com

Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.

STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!

Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.

When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!

Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.

Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“

(Oh, how lovely…)

And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.

How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?

Here is world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker's take on the matter:

“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.

At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“

P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?

An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

26/04/2022

SO JUST HOW LONG DO YOUR PET’S SHOTS LAST?

Definitely longer than a year!

According to the top pet immunologist (aka vaccine expert) in the world, Dr. Ronald Schultz, Ph.D. – “ Annual revaccination provides no benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions.”

What the heck are adverse reactions (or side effects)?

Well according to the other rock star pet immunologist Dr. Jean Dodds:

“Side effects from dog vaccinations can occur anywhere from instantly up to several weeks or months later. Vaccines can even cause susceptibility to chronic diseases that appear much later in a dog’s life (Dodd, 2001).

Severe and fatal adverse reactions include:

•Susceptibility to infections.

•Neurological disorders and encephalitis.

•Aberrant behavior, including unprovoked aggression.

•Vaccines are linked to seizures. Distemper, parvovirus, rabies and, presumably, other vaccines have been linked with poly neuropathy, a nerve disease that involves inflammation of several nerves. (Dodds,2001)”

SO HOW LONG EXACTLY DOES YOUR PET’S VACCINE LAST?

According to the recommendations of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), (basically the dudes who set the standards for the vets): “Among healthy dogs, all commercially available [core] vaccines are expected to induce a sustained protective immune response lasting at least 5 yr. thereafter”

Here’s the breakdown of the core vaccines from Dr. Ronald Schultz:

Minimum Duration of Immunity for Canine Vaccines:

Distemper- 7 years by challenge
Parvovirus – 7 years by challenge
Adenovirus – 7 years by challenge
Canine rabies – 3 years by challenge

The moral of the story here, if you have no idea when your pet is due or has been vaccinated, then just run a titer test and this will confirm if you are due, rather than over-vaccinate your poor pet, setting the stage for future problems!

What’s a titer test?

A titer test (pronounced tight-errr) is a laboratory or in-house veterinary test measuring the existence and level of antibodies (necessary to fight off disease) in your pet’s blood. Basically, it’s a test that will tell you whether or not you actually need to vaccinate your pet.

It’s also super useful when making a decision about vaccinating a pet with an unknown vaccination history, or for determining if pets have received immunity from vaccination.

Vaccinating your pet is super important so don’t lose the overall message here: VACCINATE, JUST DON’T OVER-VACCINATE!

According to Dr. Dodds:

“Vaccines have achieved many important benefits for companion animals, and has saved more animals' lives than any other medical advance.”

Want more on titer testing? Check it out:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153271303942028&set=pb.509362027.-2207520000.1461100680.&type=3&theater

Rodney Habib

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

22/04/2022

Please teach your children, family, neighbors and friends also do Not Let Strangers just come on up!!

17/04/2022

Version 3 of our herbal dosage chart with some new additions! :)

Rodney Habib

13/04/2022

Eewww fabric softener!
Haven't used in 10 years!!!

ARE LAUNDRY CHEMICALS AFFECTING YOUR PETS’ SKIN & HEALTH?

If you wash your pet blankets and beds using popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets, that “just washed” fresh smell comes from chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can negatively impact your pets’ health (coughing, rashy, itchy pets, anyone?).

Dr. Anne Steinmann’s UW-Seattle research team found more than 25 VOCs emitted from dryer vents using these products, including well-known respiratory irritants like Acetone, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, but also Pentane (which causes skin rashes and upset stomach), Ethyl Acetate (on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list; causes anemia, changes in white blood cells and can damage the liver and kidneys), Benzyl Acetate (can be absorbed through the skin and is linked to pancreas problems) and Alpha-terpineol (causes headaches and nervous system disorders).

Our pets can do without having to breathe in these chemical residues or having to lay on them, so here’s our Forever Dog Tip of the day: replace chemical-laden fabric softeners with a non-toxic DIY option!

Recipe: Mix 6 cups white vinegar with 1 cup baking soda, let it fizz. When the fizz stops, pour mixture into a large glass container with a lid. Use 1 cup per load of laundry.

We highlight all of the of home chemical risks that can negatively impact your dog’s health in the The Forever Dog book, available now for pre-order by clicking here: https://foreverdog.com/about/ -window

11/04/2022

SO JUST HOW LONG DO YOUR PET’S SHOTS LAST?

Definitely longer than a year!

We all want our pets🐶🐱🐾 protected from life threatening diseases, but did you know your pet may be carrying enough protection from their puppy and kitten shots to last a lifetime?! (Just like your childhood immunizations).

Your pets may not need to be “boosted” at all, and giving more shots to an already-immunized animal is not only a waste of money, but in worst case scenarios, may cause serious immune issues of all types.

According to the top pet immunologist (aka vaccine expert) in the world, Dr. Ronald Schultz, Ph.D. – “ Annual revaccination provides no benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions.”

This is where a titer test comes in!🩸🔬

A titer is a simple blood🩸 test that provides information about your pet’s current immunity🩻 to the diseases he’s been immunized against in the past. Titer testing instead of automatic boosters (except when required by law) can help lower your pet’s chemical (antigen) load by providing only what is needed to maintain an alert immune system.

It is not surprising all of the Forever Dogs we met had modified shot schedules! You can read more about titers and other ways to reduce and detox your dog's chemical load in our new #1 New York Times best selling book The Forever Dog. We also cover the questions you should be asking a prospective breeder regarding the puppy’s and mom’s immunization protocol! All found here - www.ForeverDog.com

10/04/2022

FYI. please be aware of the treatments you give your pets. Just like you would your children. ❤️

USE CAUTION WHEN CHOOSING A FLEA & TICK PREVENTIVE FOR YOUR PET! ⚠️🐶🐱

Popular flea, tick and Heartworm🦟 products have a history of being associated with reactions in some dogs and cats including seizures, behavioral issues, muscular/balance issues, and even death.

One class of these pesticides Isoxazoline (found in products like Nexgard, Bravecto and others) is so powerfully potent that it starts killing within two hours after administration! 🤯 In fact, it kills 98.7% of fleas within 24 hours! Because of this, Isoxazoline drugs now carry a warning⚠️ on their labels in both the U.S. and Canada.🇺🇸🇨🇦 Even the FDA-U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning statement for veterinarians and pet parents. 👩🏻‍⚕️

If you need to use a chemical preventive, or if you are looking for safer alternatives, you don’t want to miss today’s Inside Scoop Live episode at noon!

We’ll be discussing natural options, how to know if you really need Heartworm preventives year round, and supplement protocols to help support your pet if you have to give these pesticides. 🙌

Today Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker are joined by special a guest co-host, veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan D.V.M for this flea, tick and Heartworm extravaganza. We’ll also be covering:

🔥Non-chemical, natural prevention and integrative protocols

🔥What to look for and what to avoid when choosing a chemical pest preventative

🔥 Detox and support protocols when you are giving chemical preventives

…plus our Flea, Tick & Heartworm Guide full of DIY recipes, supplements and more! 📖

Join us Sunday at 12pm ET for this Live discussion. Looking forward to seeing you in the comments! 🙌

👉If you haven’t joined our troll free subscription group of 2.0 pet parents and want to learn more, just head over to the Planet Paws page and click the blue "Become a Subscriber” button to join our weekly Livestreams + get access to all the previous episodes to watch at your own pace! https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia

04/04/2022

As we prepare to try for our last litter for Penny let's review something important. Because YOU have the right to request this, and to SHOULD!!!

TITER FIRST! 💉

We all want our pets🐶🐱 protected from life threatening diseases, but did you know your pet may be carrying enough protection from their puppy and kitten shots to last a lifetime?! (Just like your childhood immunizations).

Your pets may not need to be “boosted” at all, and giving more shots to an already-immunized animal is not only a waste of money, but in worst case scenarios, may cause serious immune issues of all types. This is where a titer test comes in!🔬

A titer is a simple blood test that provides information about your pet’s current immunity to the diseases he’s been immunized against in the past.🧫 Titer testing instead of automatic boosters (except when required by law) can help lower your pet’s chemical (antigen) load by providing only what is needed to maintain an alert immune system.

It is not surprising all of the Forever Dogs we met had modified shot schedules!🤩 You can read more about titers and other ways to reduce and detox your dog's chemical load in our book The Forever Dog. We also cover the questions you should be asking a prospective breeder regarding the puppy’s and mom’s immunization protocol! www.foreverdog.com

12/02/2022

Hi y'all, we just wanted to give a quick update on Penny. She unfortunately did not take and will not be having a litter this spring, but we are still hoping we can maybe get another litter this year. We will let you know as soon as we have nore updates

22/12/2021

This pretty mama is going to see her boyfriend for the last time!! Puppies soon!!

12/12/2021

Almost Christmas time! And almost tome to see Penny's boyfriend for the holidays and one last time! 😉😉

13/08/2021

And like that, the last puppy has gone home. Roux will have a great home with Alec. But we sure will miss her around here!!

13/08/2021

New puppy families, please remember your new family member is not fully vaccinated and this is very real and very scary. I have a few friends who have lost dogs as well as entire litters because of this virus. Please remember for the first few months of their lives please limit visitors where you go and keeping them in a contained area of your yard. It's so important to keep them safe but to also not overstimulate them.
As part of a badass breeders and 4E Kennels programs, we want to make sure that you are safe as well as your puppy.

12/08/2021

It hasn't even been 3 days and Poppy is acclimating so well. The boys adore her, and keep her busy. I'm sure she is keeping them occupied too! The successes of our pups make this so worth it. Knowing a loving, healthy, and almost potty trained pup is in the perfect home for them is the reason we do this. 😘😍😘 we miss you baby girl 💗

https://photos.app.goo.gl/W1U5PPoVsVUhe2Js6

10/08/2021

Puppy pick up day was a success! Only one more little girl left to go home Friday. We are so happy our families love their new fur babies! Updated!

10/08/2021

Puppy pick up day was a success! Only one more little girl left to go home Friday. We are so happy our families love their new fur babies!

09/08/2021

Puppy pick up day is a bittersweet day

05/08/2021

We all have pups that love the water, pool, hose, right!?😍😍
But this comes with a warning please read below👇
"I lost my poodle last night, he was not only our family pet but my only stud and retired service dog as well. I was bathing him and he was biting at the shower nozzle as always. I dried him off and he went rolling on the floor like he always does. He's always had a bad habit of drinking a lot of water but it's never caused any problems. He had water and air trapped in his belly and he bloated from rolling on the floor. We were on the way to the emergency vet when he passed. In all my years of dogs, I didn't know that dogs could bloat from snapping at water from a hose. I thought it was only with food. Myself and many of my friends have dogs that like to play with the hose or bite at the shower head. Never once did any of this know it could happen. I post this as a warning for anyone with dogs that like to do this with water. Please don't let them, it's not worth the risk. I feel like I failed him even though it was a freak accident. I'm sorry sweet boy"
-a heartbroken owner 😢💔

31/07/2021

Groomer stories for the weekend scroll:
I had a lady call and ask to make an appointment for her puppy. Ok they do have to have all their shots xyz ya know. Yes ma’am he does. Ok great. She comes in this morning with a baby! I mean tiny!! She is standing there with an attitude asking my girls if they are the ones grooming him. They say no but before they can even get finished speaking I walk up and she says will you be grooming him? I say yes walk over. She says well I don’t want to just leave him. Ok well how old is he? She says 8 weeks. The shock on my face was evidently apparent because with an attitude she says why? I said well it’s dangerous for him here that young. She said how why? Just speaking over me. Her husband starts saying let’s just go. I proceeded to tell her he needs to be fully vaccinated before he can come here to protect him. She said he is. I said he’s had 1 set she just walks out before I can explain that 1 set of shots is not fully vaccinated. She then comes back to the door says it would have been nice if you would have said that when I made the appointment and slams my door so hard!

Dont be this Karen, be responsible. You're puppy should be going NOWHERE until they are fully vaccinated after all the series have been administered. And say NO to dog parks, always: you can always control your baby, but you can't control others😓

26/07/2021

These pups love playing with Falkor

26/07/2021

Puppies getting free reign for playtime tonight!!

26/07/2021

The puppies say, goodnight!!

25/07/2021

Hello 😍

17/07/2021

Our little princess!!

13/07/2021

Its playtime and exploration day!! Charlie and Falkor loved it!

12/07/2021

Penny needed a little break from feeding, so we decided to get them started on mush. They started eating immediately!!

09/07/2021

Puppies in a basket while we clean their pen