The Healthy Dog Runner

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Recipe for a Dogs and People

By Pamela Schmidlin, Certified Health Coach, Certified Dog Trainer, Professional Photographer

April 24, 2013- With the warmer weather on it's way, I decided to make my dogs a treat yesterday, this was a perfect treat to help them cool down after a nice long walk.

This treat is all vegan, all natural, all delicious, and can be consumed by ALL! (meaning your dog and you!)

So, with all that being said......here we go.....

Six Legged Companion Vegan Ice Cream

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of vegan yogurt (I used Amande Cultured Almondmilk)

1-2 tbsps of fresh peanut butter (my suggestion is to use fresh peanut butter and not the commercial brands, or make it yourself, it doesn't take long)

1 Banana (I use ripe bananas, those with spots as it's sweeter)

1 tbsp of Coconut Butter (I use Artisana Raw Coconut Butter)

What to do:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend together!

Once blended- everything should be smooth- take the mixture and pour into separate bowls.

Put the bowls into the freezer for a few hours.

Once the ice cream freezes, bring it on out and serve it up!

Okay, HOW EASY WAS THAT?

Now, you have a treat that you can make in less than 5 minutes (okay, a little longer if you count the freezing process....) and enjoy alongside your dog on those hot summer dog days of summer!

Enjoy!

Email me and tell me what your up to and what you want to me to blog about, atpamelaschm@optonline.net

I can be found on the web at:

Monday, April 22, 2013

Earth Day 2013

By Pamela Schmidlin, Certified Health Coach, Certified Dog Trainer, Professional Photographer and Videographer

Monday, April 22, 2013- Happy Earth Day!....

Actually everyday is Earth Day to me, as I try to live animal and environmentally friendly as earthly possible! (pun intended!) Living a vegan lifestyle, I already decided to contribute to cleaner, happier, and healthier planet! But for those of us who are transitioning to such a lifestyle or live another lifestyle, what are some ways you can choose to celebrate Earth Day today (and hopefully everyday from here on out, let Earth Day be the start of new healthier habits that will have a positive, happy impact on the world around you!).

Here are some ways that you can contribute:

1- DRINK WATER.....but wait, go for filtered tap water, and use a recycleable container. Forget the plastic bottle, the plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment. In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, adding 29 billion water bottles a year to the problem. In order to make all these bottles, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil. That’s enough oil to keep a million cars going for twelve months.

Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.

2. Recycle!....Whenever you can recycle, this means yes- any plastic bottles you may use....but it also means so many other things, from wood, metals, plastics, paper, glass, and of course biodegradable waste....
Some of the benefits of recycling are:

Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators;
Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals;
Prevents pollution caused by reducing the need to collect new raw materials;
Saves energy;
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change;
Helps sustain the environment for future generations;
Helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States.

3. Composting! Recycling any fruit and veggie scraps for use in upcoming gardening is a great idea! There are so many ways to
start your compost pile today. Composting improves the soil structure, increases the nutrient content, uses less water, as well as warding off plant diseases.

4. Drive less, walk, run, or bike to your destination whenever possible. Or take public transportation whenever possible!

5. Start a garden! Whether it be fruits, and veggies or wonderful flowers, it all adds so much back to the earth! Use that compost you made from the biodegradable waste!

Skyler, Candycane, Sandy, and Benji have their suggestions for how their fellow dogs can help celebrate Earth Day today and everyday! Here are their suggestions:

1. Walk the dog more- and while on those walks use compostable poop bags. Don't use extra bags.

2. Clean your backyard of any poop regularly!
Important because bacteria, worms, and parasites thrive in the waste. And eventually can wash away into our water supply!

3. Feed your dog a vegetarian or vegan food (and watch out for GMO's in their food, and anything you or they shouldn't be eating!) www.v-dog.com

4. Buy toys and products that are animal and environmentally safe! (Including shampoos and grooming products!)

5. Be sure to spay and neuter you pets!

There are so many ways you can celebrate Earth Day today, how are you going to go a little greener today?

Oh, one more thing......here's a message from the plants themselves on Earth Day 2013:

Enjoy! (hehe....)

Email me and tell me what your up to and what you want to me to blog about, at pamelaschm@optonline.net

I can be found on the web at:

Sunday, April 21, 2013

More pampering yourself: Tongue Cleaning

By Pamela Schmidlin, Certified Health Coach, Certified Dog Trainer, Professional Photographer and Videographer

Tongue Cleaning

Alright we all brush our teeth right?!?!?....And floss....but how many of us clean our tongues? What? Clean our tongues?!?!

Yes, I said it....Clean our tongues. There is alot of bacterial build-up, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue that you may not clean off while brushing your teeth. Yuck!

The bacteria and fungi that grow on the tongue are related to many common oral care and general health problems.As well as the decaying bacteria that produce volatile sulphur compounds on the rear of the tongue; these molecules account for 80 to 95 percent of all cases of halitosis (bad breath).

So we have to take that extra step and clean our tongues!

There are several ways to go about this, ready?

First, take your toothbrush and brush your tongue. They do sell tongue brushes! Toothbrushes are not the most effective way of tongue cleaning.

Second, and more effective is tongue scraping. You can purchase a tongue scraper pretty inexpensively. Tongue cleaners are designed to lift and trap the plague caoting and clean the surface of the tongue.

Tongue cleaning will remove some of the millions of bacteria (up to 500 different types), decaying food debris, fungi (such as candida), and dead cells, from the rear surface of the tongue. Tongue cleaning is generally viewed as an effective solution for many cases of bad breath.

When you clean your tongue you are practicing good oral hygiene. The bacteria are considered as major contributors to periodontal problems, plaque on the teeth, tooth decay, gum infections, gum recession and even tooth loss.

In addition, physicianshave reevaluated the link between oral health and pathologies of the rest of the body. Many clinical studies concluded that oral bacteria are associated with a number of serious diseases. Such as cardiovascular problems, pneumonia, increased risk of diabetes, and osteoporosis of the jaw.

Alright to be honest I love puppy breathe, but as our dog get older doggie breathe isn't as cute as that puppy breathe. So it's also important to keep our dogs, teeth and mouth healthy.

So yes, we should continue to brush our dogs teeth....make sure they have something to chew on so that they can work remove plaque themselves as well! BUT they actually have a tongue cleaner for dogs, check the link here: http://www.orapup.com/. The cleaner uses the dog's natural tendencies to lick! While helping your dog towards fresher breathe, you will be treating the dog, and NOT forcing your dog to do anything he/ she doesn't want to do!

So make sure you brush, floss, and clean your tongue! (and your dog's too!)

Email me and tell me what your up to and what you want to me to blog about, at pamelaschm@optonline.net

I can be found on the web at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehealthydogrunner

Saturday, April 20, 2013

A way to start your day with a kick!

By Pamela Schmidlin, Certified Health Coach, Certified Dog Trainer, Professional Photographer and Videographer

Green Smoothies....yes, I have another recipe for you today! It's Green Smoothie time. I start my day with a nice glass of refreshing, hydrating water of course followed by a nice GREEN SMOOTHIE!

So I thought today I would share my Green Smoothie recipe with you.....ready? Here we go!

My Favorite Green Smoothie Recipe

Greens of your choice (I use 1-2 handfuls of my choosing for the day this could be Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, or whatever greens you choose to you!)

Bananas (2)

Mango (1)

Water (as much or little as needed to get the thickness or consistency you prefer! Be sure to add the water as you blend to see just how much you want!)

Coconut Butter (1 to 2 tbsps- to your liking)

Put the greens in first, then the mango and bananas, and slowly add the water. Once you blend these ingredients a little stop and add in the Coconut Butter!

Blend until smooth and you have a nice green color. Now pour in a glass and serve!

A Great K-9 Green Smoothie

Okay, I bet your never thought of making a Green Smoothie for you dog- huh?....Well, let's try it....

Take about 1/2 cup of Greens (again, whichever you choose)

Banana (1)

Peanut Butter (1-2 tbsp) (Try to get natual peanut butter, or any nut butter of your choosing)

Water (again enough to make the consistency of your liking)

Blend the greens, Banana, and water together until smooth and you have a nice green color. Now that it's blended, take your dog's food in a bowl and pour over the smoothie over it, mix it together and serve it to your dog!

Here's a video with me making my Green Smoothies, Enjoy!

Email me and tell me what your up to and what you want to me to blog about, at pamelaschm@optonline.net

I can be found on the web at:

Weekend Pampering......

By Pamela Schmidlin, Certified Health Coach, Certified Dog Trainer, Professional Photographer and Videographer

The weekend is here.....and although this is something to be done throughout the week, this is something that you can really spend more time on and really pamper yourself with. Ya ready?!?!? Here it is.....

DRY SKIN BRUSHING

Most of you are probably saying, alright Pam, what the heck is skin brushing? Well it's simple...it's literally taking a brush and brushing your skin....just like to brush your hair you would brush your skin!

I'm thinking the next question your asking is WHY?...Why on earth would I need to brush my skin?

Let me tell you....Skin Brushing helps the skin, by the way our body's largest organ do it's job of detoxifying the body so much easier, that's right it helps us SWEAT! Our skin can become so clogged with dead skin cells and everything around us that comes in contact with our skin that we need to help it out.

Dry Skin brushing removes any dead skin cells, so that we can grow new skin cells. It can improve circulation in the areas that we brush as well. Not to mention the smoother skin we get afterwards, and the healthy glow that follows. As well as the reduction of cellulite due to the increased blood flow to the skin. Skin becomes firmer once the dead skin cells are brushed away.

Not to mention that when you skin brush, the act of skin brushing leaves you feeling awake and revived. Which is a great morning started (and cheaper than a cup of coffee, as well as better for you!).

And finally take some stress off the liver and kidneys.

Now here's how to skin brush:

Use a soft, natural bristle brush preferably with a long handle to reach areas like your back. Allow at least 5 minutes for yourself to skin brush.

Start with your hands or feet, and brush towards your heart. (Yes, at first you may tickle your feet- but go with it, the laughter at first will do you go as well.)

Work towards your heart, if you started with your hands once you reach your heart center- do your feet....again brushing towards the heart. Brush every part of your body.

* If you have any wounds or rashes avoid them, and continue on.

Alright, Skyler, Sandy, and Candycane wanted to mention the version of Dog Skin Brushing. Which is simply....Brushing the dog!

Brushing the dog is NOT just a good idea to make your dog look good before heading to the dogpark, it is so good for your dog's health (not to mention yours). So I'm going to suggest setting aside time each week to really brush your dog.

Brushing your dog, let's you know what your dog's body is really like, and at this time you can look for lumps, bumps, or abrasions. You will be able to find bacterial infections, insect bites, or skin cancers.

Keeping your dog mat free is important as well. Mats are tangled hair, that are hard to separate, that are close to the skin and can become painful overtime. They can also cause skin problems. Remove matting carefully with special mat combs that can be purchased at your local pet store.

Depending on your dog's coat, you will need a brush, comb, or rake. Take a look at your dog's coat, if unsure you can ask at your local pet store, or groomers about what to use for regular maintenance of your dog's specific coat.

Here's how to go about brushing your dog:

Always approach your dog in a positive manner when your going to brush him/her.

If your dog is not used to being brushed and wants to run from you, you may have to introduce this new activity slowly. One step at a time. Start by calling your dog, introducing the brush to them, and brushing one slow stroke at a time, followed by stroking them with your hand. Always talking calmly with your dog. Start with a minute of two, and work up to longer brushing time.

Be carefully around sensitive areas (groin, stomach, and pit areas).

Brushing is a great bonding experience between you and your dog.

Have a great weekend...more blogs and vlogs to come....so check back during the weekend, bookmark my blog....and we'll see you soon....So go pamper yourself today (and everyday) and then pamper your dog!

Email me and tell me what your up to and what you want to me to blog about, at pamelaschm@optonline.net

I can be found on the web at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehealthydogrunner