Feeding the dog...

Since I just spent the last 5 hours cooking food for Freya, I decided it is time for a new post. I know I am horrible at keeping up to date with this blog, thank god my income does not depend on this... However I do want to continue posting updates because I know I have helped some people out there and I want to continue helping others.

As I said, I just spent 5 hours cooking 46 Potions of dog food that has now wandered into the freezer. Why do I cook my own dog food? This is not the stuff she gets every day. This is the "wet" dog food that we all buy canned a few times a month for a little "extra nice" dish for the pup.

Because I find the canned dog food very expensive and in a lot of cases not even healthy for a dog, I have been making my own wet dog food for years. It all started with my last dog, Odette, she had liver issues (as you can read on the blog) and we had to watch the things we fed her very closely - that was when I started making my own dog food and my own dog treats. You can find quite a few recipes on the blog - I often just throw things together in a pot (meat, veggies and a base such as rice or noodles), cook that for a while and then bag it - it is that simple.

Now another huge advantage of cooking your own dog food that I want to share with you today - is the savings. Now lets see what I worked with today:

So to sum up, at 46 portions, each weighing around 220g, of a beef, chicken or fish dish, packed in vacuum sealed bags, comes to €0.365 per portion. Without the vacuum sealed bags it would be 0.29 per portion, however those plastic bags do safe a hell ton of space. Last time I packed the dog food in little plastic containers that you can just wash, and I needed nearly 3 times the space for only 35 portions. 

Decide for yourself if you want to spend the time cooking your own food. For me it has become a hobby and once every half year I spend an entire day shopping and then cooking Freya's food. Firstly because it is cheaper, secondly because I know what is in it and I can control what she eats.

Life with the shy one... Freya - Part 1

After the death of my dog I knew I had to get another one soon as for me life without a dog in the house just feels like something is missing. My boyfriend decided we were ready for a dog of our own and we started our search for the new family member.

We tried to get a dog from the shelter, but shelters in Austria are apparently very picky. I am a person that has a lot of experience with dogs, as you can see on here with all my fosters, experience with diseases because of Odette and dog nutrition. However the shelter in Krems denied us a dog. Firstly because my uncles' dogs have chains on them and secondly because I once mentioned Cesar Milan who is (according to them) way too rough. So we gave up on that and just decided to search online. I still wanted to rescue a dog and I knew I was going to find a way on the internet.

On an Austrian site we found a dog that was so cute on the picture I immediately fell in love. She was a street dog rescued from Bulgaria. She was born on the street, guessed to be about 5-6 months old and she has grey, black and white fur. The marking in her face is something I have never seen in a dog and I just couldn't stop guessing what breeds might be mixed in her. After seeing her picture I started thinking of names, and I fell in love with the name Freya - the Nordic goddess of love and marriage.

On our way home - so afraid...

On November 1st. we got in the car, drove an hour and a half to meet her. She was so afraid, hiding under a table, not coming out - not even for a treat. The owner pulled her out from under the table so that we could at least touch her once. As soon as you let her go she was back under the table. Her ears nearly inexistent as she pulled them so far and her tail was constantly touching her belly cause she just couldn't let loose. We stayed there for about an hour, considering how we were going to deal with a dog that shy and afraid and how it might turn out in the future. The longer we stayed, the more I fell in love.


We decided to adopt her and paid the fee, signed the contract, picked her up and put her in the car. On the drive home we stopped once to see if she had to pee. She was on the leash, freaked out on us, tried to get away and nearly got out of the collar as it was a tad too big. I picked her back up and put her back in the car. At home we carried her up the stairs and she went straight into the kennel that we had put up for her.


Our vet guessed her to be a bit older so we are assuming her birthday is April 28th, a special day for us.

Too afraid to come close - but look, she has ears !!

The first 2 days she didn't eat or drink, she tried so hard not to have to go outside, and on the second day when she finally peed outside, we were celebrating. Then she started eating out of my hand. And more and more she started to trust us. She started coming closer, started sleeping in the little basket next to the couch, she came for cuddles and even started sleeping at our feet. She stopped running away when we opened drawers or the fridge, she ate in the kitchen and even stopped hiding when hearing an unknown noise.

Now, she jumps on the couch for cuddles, and she even has started playing with toys - a thing she never did before. On walks on a field we can even let her off leash, she comes back to us immediately, as soon as we call her. She loves to meet other dogs and even though she may still be afraid of strangers, she loves it when people cuddle with her on the couch.

Sleeping next to the couch, with her favorite toy

I am so proud of her and how we deal with the adventures of a shy dog, how we got her to come out of the cage, eat and not be afraid any more will be explained in this series "Live with the shy one... Freya"

Life with a sick dog... Part 6 - The end

This post is quite late. To be exact it is 1 year, 7 weeks and 4 days late. But a lot has happened, I was so extremely hurt by the loss and for a while I had given up this blog.

The beautiful puppy that we adopted, had to be put to sleep on November 14th, 2014. She was only 2 years old, we had tried everything, it was just for the best. Odette was put to sleep, as a result of another liver issue causing seizures. The shunt operation the year before worked but more shunts started growing causing the blood to once again get carried around the liver instead of through it. The ammonia level in her blood was so high they couldn't even measure it any more. We tried everything over the last couple of days to save her, but it was in vain. We decided to be strong for her and let her pass over the rainbow bridge so she can stop suffering.

And to remember her, I want to tell you a little bit about her: Odette was perfect. Only 2 years old but so much experience and she's seen more of the world than some humans ever will. She loved everyone and anyone who has met her will just say that. She loved walks and to play with her ball for freaking hours so at you got so mad at her for bringing that ball again. Despite her internal problems she had so much energy and she was so full of life. She absolutely loved carrots and was so skinny any model would have been jealous.

Odette was crazy smart and learned really fast. At 12 weeks she knew how to sit, stay until I released her and how to pee on command. She hated lying down but I can't even blame her. Took quite a bit of convincing to get her in a proper down position "Odette, lay down. Down. DOWN !! All the way, all the way, elbows on the ground !!" But she would do it to make you happy. She loved to please, anything to see a human happy.

Last year she went blind and she didn't even let that stop her. Running into things and taking three times as long to find her freaking ball didn't take her energy away at all.

Odette loved everyone and boy, did she love to jump at people. Annoying for some (especially men as she tended to hit you right in the balls) but who could be mad at her face for long ? When she came up to you during dinner it wasn't to beg for food. It was so that you would pet her head and give her an ear massage.

She was so gorgeous, had the perfect fur, soft and smelled good. She loved to sleep under my blanket but she also loved her kennel. She could be alone for hours, though occasionally she would pee inside. She didn't have the biggest bladder but neither do I so I can't be mad at her for that.

When she met another dog she first got scared. Pulled her tail between her legs and sat down. Then she'd start wagging it and when the other dog turned away she'd start a puppy attack.

She never barked, apart from in her sleep which was the cutest bark ever. And she made little whining noises when she was annoyed with us stupid humans, again can't blame her.

She was too good for this world and I am glad she is no longer suffering. Though she held on for so long, she was such a warrior. No more pain for you baby girl, no more suffering, no more vet visits, I know they scared you. Thank you for the amazing time I got to spend with you, you will always always be my puppy, my perfect first dog.

Play with all the people up there, catch all the balls you can and meet all the other dogs we already have sent to heaven. One day I'll be up there with you and we'll cuddle, play and learn new tricks once again. So many things I wanted to teach you, so many places I wanted to take you to and so many things I wanted to cook for you and now I missed the opportunity.

I will never forget you, you will always be in my heart. I hope you understand why we released you from this place, you are in better hands now. I love you and always will little one, my puppy. ♥♥♥

One of her first days with us - she always slept under my blanket...