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Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Homemade Dogfood


This photo is in relation to a story for children.
Furs Chapter ~ Buddy's new adventures ~ Pt1

I have been cooking homemade dog food for pets I've had for the last 20 years and personally I find it to be a much healthier alternative to canned or processed dog foods.

Creating your own food is very easy and it actually works out cheaper in the long run.

There are certain things you need to be aware of before you start changing your dogs diet. Their digestive systems are not a adaptable as our human digestive systems so it is important to make changes slowly.

Start to add new foods gradually while reducing the old food. Once you find a recipe your dogs like then stick with it.

When feeding your dog make sure that they always have a bowl of water and always feed them at the same time every day.

Small dogs will only need to eat once a day while larger dogs might need to be fed twice.

Speak to you local butcher or supermarket manager and ask them if you can have any meat or vegetables that are going out of date, if it''s been kept cool it will be fine for your dogs (it's actually fine for human consumption as well)

As soon as possible either freeze the meat or cook it and then freeze it.

The following is a simple recipe that will ensure that you dog stays healthy, why not try it for a few weeks and see the change in him/her. This is just a basic recipe which can be extended on.

Mince, Veggies & Rice

500g chicken mince or beef
1 kg Fresh or frozen mixed veggies (no onion)
2 Cups rice (white or brown)
2-4 cups water (to cover ingredients)
Beef stock or gravox

Break up mince into a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil.
Add veggies, rice and more water if necessary (to cover) and beef stock, gravox or other seasoning to taste.
Simmer until rice is cooked, adding more water if necessary.
Allow to cool and serve or divide into portions and freeze until needed.

Sometimes I mix in a little dry food in when I serve this up to our dog Buddy and he loves it.

If you make the rice the day before or even at the weekend and keep it in a fridge the whole meal can be made in a few minutes. This recipe is quick, simple and healthy and if you can get the ingredients cheaply it will be cheaper than manufactured foods.

There are certain foods that you shouldn't feed your dog for example onions or large quantities of garlic as they contain thiosulphate which is dangerous.

Other foods that you shouldn't feed them are chocolate or macadamia nuts. Chocolate will stimulate a dogs heart rate and can lead to heart attacks It is also a diuretic

Here are some links for more homemade doggie delights and recipes.

Gormetsleuth - Dog food recipes

Dogs 4 Sale - Healthy dog food recipes

I Love Dogs - More dog food recipes


Emus at Healesville Sanctuary

I took this photo at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria.

An adult Emu may reach 2 meters in height and can weigh up to 45 kilograms, making them the tallest bird inhabiting Australia. They are outweighed by only one other bird in Australia- their relative, the Cassowary.

The feathers of an Emu are double shafted, giving the birds a loose, shaggy look. Emus are brown in colour, although the intensity of this colour varies according to the season of year, changes in surroundings and the behavior of nearby birds.

Although they have feathers, they cannot fly because their wings are too small. Also due to the structure of the feathers they are no longer capable of creating lift. This open structure serves the sole purpose of insulating against the elements. Emus have three toes, the underside of these toes is flattened with a small pad, to aid traction over rough terrain.


Habitat

Emus are found throughout Australia in almost all habitat types.


Diet

Emus feed mainly on grass, flowers, seeds, fruits and insects. Emus also consume stones which aid in the digestion process.


Breeding

Emus are sexually mature at around 2 years of age. Breeding season will usually occur between April and November. Normally Emus are silent, but during breeding season, the female will make a deep booming noise. Emus will lay a clutch of 6-11 eggs which are dark grey-green in colour and are about 13.5cm in length and 9cm wide.

It is up to the male to take care of the eggs during the 60 day incubation period and he is the sole parent for up to 2 years after the eggs hatch. After laying her eggs the female will find another wandering group and usually another mate with which she will lay another clutch of eggs. Female Emus can lay several clutches of eggs to numerous males in one breeding season.


Thursday, July 31, 2008

Buddy Love

Hi. my name is Buddy Love, I'm a Maltese x Shitzu and I am one year old.

I came to live with my new family Chrissy and Peter 6 weeks ago. I have had many new adventures during this time and would like to tell you all about them.


You can read all about it here:

Thursday, July 10, 2008

'Seaside Sheep'

Photo taken at George Town, Tasmania

It is a very picturesque township with lots of opportunities for some great landscape and nature shots.

George Town sits on the eastern banks of the Tamar River about 40 minutes’s drive (50 kilometres/32 miles) north of Launceston. It is the third oldest settlement in Australia after Sydney and Hobart.

At nearby Low Head you can explore one of the best-preserved examples of an early pilot station, built by convicts in 1805. The pilot station is still in operation today. Also, from Low Head you can take a penguin tour to see the world’s smallest penguins clamber to their nests each night.

To the east are the vineyards of Pipers River, and the Bridestowe Lavender Farm.

Just south of George Town along the shores of the Tamar River is the deep-water port of Bell Bay and as you follow the A8 Highway you can stop by the Lavender Garden at Rowella, and the Hillwood Strawberry Farm.

More information about George Town, Tasmania

Learning Photography with Neil Creek:

Neil Creek's Blog

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Walking with Wallabies & Wombats

While in Tasmania in June 2007, Peter and I went to the Narawntapu National Park.
I was really lucky to get so many great photo's of our short but adventurous visit to the Park.




The Narawntapu National Park is a place of peace for people and wildlife alike and offers a wide diversity of habitats for both plants and animals, Narawntapu is an ideal park for the study of nature. Dusk is the best time to observe the many native marsupials that live in the park and come out to graze on the grasslands. Commonly seen are large Forester kangaroos, Bennett's wallabies, Pademelons and Wombats.'
Read the full article here: