NO-O-O-O-O-O! NOT TATERS!!!

Veggies instead of meat?  That WOULD make my White Dog blue*!
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*  THIS is George Rodrigue's Blue Dog, who Spense was impersonating at NOLA's Mardi Gras a couple of years ago --

Spenser helps out

I'm reminded of a subject that's dear to the hearts of many of us, with the help of my favorite four-legged family member....

This is the best photo i have of my boy, and you can see why i have to do what i call "fur patrol" with the dustbuster every couple of days.  Consider also that the carpet in our bedroom is a period-appropriate figured dark blue; the subject of hair loss comes to mind from time to time.

I noticed even back in the days when i was taking Armour thyroid that Spense and i would tend to shed at the same time, rather like nuns menstruating.  ;-)  My hairbrush would need cleaning out more often at about the same times that i'd have to step up vacuuming and fur patrol.  I deduced that the same conditions were causing it in both of us, but never looked into the matter.

Well, i finally decided to, and sure enough, people of European ancestry (at least) are inclined to shed more hair in the fall, and to a lesser extent, in the spring.  This seasonal telogen effluvium is absolutely positively NORMAL.  A lot of telogen effluvium is normal, but the medical and hair-restoration industries would love us to think that there's something wrong with us, and we desperately need their services.

There are lots of things, less benign, which cause us to lose more hair than is "normal," with hypothyroidism being one of the best-known conditions.  Everyone also knows about chemotherapy-related hair loss, and many also know that iron deficiency can be a cause.  But is the low-fat world world aware that they're missing out on some of the best skin-hair "tonics" they could get?  Search stubbornly enough and you'll find some good dietary advice on the net to benefit your mane ... and if you have a dog that can help, too.

WebMD is willing to tell you that stress and diet are the main causes of telogen effluvium -- that two-dollar phrase which makes googling "hair loss" more productive.  Of course, they can't tell you how to amend your diet for the better, because that would be contrary to the CW they MUST cling to.  So you start your search into particulars with your four-legged family member in mind; after all, excessive (and diet-associated) shedding is influenced similarly in dogs and humans.

First and foremost is enough of the right amino acids and fats -- notably omegas 3 and 6 -- and you thought that latter stuff was nasty!  ;-)  Of course it is ... in EXCESS.  "Hair that doesn’t receive a balanced supply of nutrients becomes dull, loosens, and falls out. For example, pets on starvation diets have thin, dull coats*."  Will i get jumped-on if i leap to a conclusion?  People go on a low-calorie diet, get nutrient-deficiency-related hair loss, and become convinced that their problem all along has been hypothyroidism?  Remember what Donaldson said about thyroid supplementation for weight loss....

Then there's blood flow, organ function, lots of different hormones, allergy, medications, and nervous habits (overgrooming in animals can translate to excessive hair-brushing -- one doesn't HAVE to lick...).  ...In fact, i'm sure that advertising and "cultural norms" have got to be contributing to some people's shedding because all the things we do to our hair and the chemicals we put on it are just WEIRD, if you look at the subject in an objective manner.

So before you think you're hypothyroid or have a dire disease because you see more hair on your shower floor these coming months, take a look at your diet (and your liver, and your blood-pressure, and so on) -- or it may just be shortening of daylight hours.  Or lengthening, if you're in the southern hemisphere.  If your dog is shedding more, too, it's probably natural.
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*  http://www.petassure.com/newsletters/030110newsletter/03012010Article3.html

in that fat-burning groove

The scale was down another half-pound today, and i'm back to that lowest-in-several-years point where i was before the last trip to SF.  It IS tiresome to have to lose the same few pounds over and over, but at least i'm still trending downward.  Seven and a half pounds to goal (again)!

On yesterday's theme, i took the same supplements this morning, but haven't had any caffeine (yet).  I've had good energy and stamina, even after a short shopping trip, and when i returned i broke my fast with a grassfed burger -- and now i have a bit of postprandial sleepiness.  Perhaps i should have a cup of high-octane now, and have the second dose of tyrosine and carnitine in two or three hours when the AAs in my brunch have "moved on" a bit....

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It's the tyrosine, with no significant contribution by the caffeine.  Wow.  If i had the credentials i'd recommend that anyone with fatigue issues should try this non-essential amino acid, beginning with a low dose and increasing it slowly till they see a response....  ;-)

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One of the tasks i've broached with my new-found energy has been to try making treats for Spenser myself.  It's not easy to find a decently-priced doggie snack that hasn't got some really objectionable ingredients.  What half-wit thinks that SUGAR is an appropriate additive to bikkies???  Even if he DID brush his own teeth, it wouldn't be a good idea.  No wonder so many spoiled puppies get diabetes.  Grrrrr....  Then there are the tainted jerkies that come out of China....

After perusing a bunch of recipes that have ingredients almost as inappropriate as in professionally-made treats, i decided to make some chicken jerky for him, from a recipe intended for humans.  I sliced chicken breast thinly and marinated it overnight in fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic and ginger.  It's finishing up in the dehydrator as i write -- sure hope he likes it when it's done!  Of course, if it's people-food, there shouldn't be much doubt: i didn't put any alcohol in it.  That's about the only thing in MY diet that he doesn't like.

too tired to think -- so i'm blogging! ;-)

Yes, i'm being facetious....  I hope that i DO think adequately before i write, most of the time.

I just wanted to drop a line about the diets of dogs.  While out driving today, getting breakfast then shopping to restock the meat drawer, we drove past the place where i customarily buy Spenser's food and treats.  Something made me think about a friend who has mentioned that her dog has diabetes.

DIABETES IN DOGS???  This is just plain outrageous.  Of all the "diseases of civilization," doggie diabetes is just something that generally leaves me with my mouth hanging open, speechless.

Read the labels of mainstream, even high-end dogfood "products" and you'll see how it could happen.  An awful lot of the chows read like the labels of breakfast cereal.  One otherwise-acceptable treat had sugar as an ingredient.  What kind of idiot manufacturer thinks that sugar is a reasonable additive to DOG TREATS?

A few years ago when i ditched grains (for the most part) myself, i decided that it was even more absurd for Spense to eat them as it is for me.  I looked into a raw diet (which i personally believe is the optimal one), but decided that it needed to be easier for others to feed him when i'm not around, and therefore compromised on a kibble which contains some vegetables but not grains.  I went to Taste of the Wild, and it has definitely been beneficial for him -- no more problems with his anal glands, cleaner teeth, less itchiness, lower body fat ... and he likes it very well.  I'm pleased.  Finding the ideal treat is more difficult, as availability comes and goes when i find one i really approve.  I should probably just buy meat on sale and dehydrate it for him.

Really -- if you have a pet, DO think about what's in the stuff you feed him/her!  Grain products are not an evolutionarily-appropriate diet for dogs or cats.  And as for vegetarian diets for obligate carnivores...!  [groan]