Dog Forums

Ever find yourself wondering if your dog's quirky habits are normal, if their breed is specific to certain traits, if other people feed their dogs ice cream or do you just want to share your obsession over your pet with the world? Well, you're not alone. Hundreds of people enjoy chatting it up about their dog's ability to say "Mama" or a plethora of other conversations pertaining to best friends.

I too, have fallen into occasional chats about my Weimaraner. Because, of course, only a Weimy owner can testify to their outgoing personalities, hyper-activeness and occasional bouts of gas (giggle) yes, it's true - what we live with... but nonetheless, there are other Weimaraner owners out there who love to discuss their common traits.

One of those common groups can be found on the popular photo managing sites Flickr, where you can link your photos to different breeds, which in turn gets a good discussion going about your photos. I had often questioned the time involved in creating a MySpace page for a dog until I became involved in Networking for the shop. How could I not partake, given the nature of my business and the love I have for my Roxy?

Inevitably, this has lead to several discoveries found on the world wide web. For one, it has given me a quick reference to the dozens of foods my Weimaraner is instinctively allergic to. I have also learned at home recipes and emergency medical tips at the click of the mouse. This is in no way a substitute to a visit to the vet, but for those burning questions in-between, I must say has satisfied my curiosity.

If you simply google the words "Dog Forum", you will find pages of useful information and resources right at your fingertips. Ever wanted to find a Dog Owner's Manual? Well HERE it is... anything from taking care of your dog's ears to recommended dog accessories (ahem... of those, you simply must mosey on down to LaDeDog! to see how closely we keep up on the trends). The Dogster (For the love of dog) website offers a lot of information you are sure to find useful as a dog owner.

The Green Bean Diet

Do you have a dog that is overweight or in need of losing a few pounds? Many have found that by simply adding green beans to kibble, they can easily ween their dog down to a healthy weight. Vets also recommend this diet when concerned about a dog's weight & suggest gradually adding them until up to 1/2 cup for about two months.

It's important to note that you need to try just a spoon-full to begin with, and add more at each serving to ensure that he does not have a sensitive GI tract. Another important factor is to find green beans that are unsalted.

Green beans are a zero calorie food that can be used as a healthy filler, making the dog think he's getting the real deal. Suddenly cutting out that extra cup of kibble may make him irritable and begging for more, so the goal here is keeping your dog full in-between meals. Although dogs are carnivores and their primary food-source should be meat, a small amount of their diet can consist of a vegetable source.

Of course, putting your pooch on a diet is not a substitute for exercise. So get out there and enjoy the great outdoors with him, play a game of fetch, feed him a healthy diet, and as always, it's always a good idea to talk to your vet about your dog's weight-loss plan so that any hormonal issues can be ruled out.

Ingredients:

Cut out 1/3 of your dog's usual kibble and replace it with 1/2 cup of non-salted green beans (canned, frozen or fresh - the choice is yours, and the amount of time you want to dedicate to it)

Directions:

Step #1 Check with your vet to see what amount of dry dog food your dog should eat daily.

Step #2 Open the can of green beans & (if you are up to 1/2 a can) add half of the juice & half of the beans to one c of the dry dog food at breakfast time.

Step #3 No need to heat it! The green beans add a healthy dose of fiber to your dog's meal, which makes him feel full.

Step #4 Plus, the dog thinks he's getting something special - people food! Give the other half of the can (or divvy out the remainder while gradually getting him used to it) with the second c of food for supper.

Enjoy the Green Bean Diet for Dogs recipe!!