2009 Animal Education Foundation Symposium

     

Here’s the dealio on the AEF Symposium!

(And don’t let the word “Symposium” twist your noodle! It’s just a bunch of really great people who know what they’re talking about get together and they all yak about the area they are active in, that’s all. I used to see that word and think,  ”I can’t go to that! It’ll be way over my head!” Don’t worry!  You’ll love it, and if you get a chance to go, please do so. )

You simply cannot go wrong with this group of people speaking. I recommend this particular function very highly. It’s a great group of speakers and I guarantee you will come away from this knowing a hell of a lot mor than you did when you walked in. I’d love to go but I have to fly. Apparently my airline expects me to show up to work now and then….

 

2009 Animal Education Foundation Symposium

The 2009 Animal Education Foundation Symposium brings experts in the fields of behavior, enrichment, husbandry, welfare, and conservation to the Washington, DC area. Come join us and learn as they provide valuable insight into their life’s work!

Saturday, July 18, 2009 ~ 8:00 AM to 6:00 PMDoubletree Hotel Crystal City ~ 300 Army Navy Drive ~ Arlington, VA 22202

Approved for 6.5 hours of CEU credit by the CCPDT      This is the: Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

AEF’s discounted room rate has expired, but you may still click here to make your room reservations. AEF benefits from each room booked, so please email us if you plan to stay at the hotel.

Download a registration form here!

~ Behavior Analysis ~

Susan G. Friedman, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. She pioneered the application of the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to companion parrots, which she teaches to caregivers, veterinarians, and other professionals in her on-line class Living and Learning with Parrots and in her telecourse Living and Learning with Animals. Susan lectures all around the world to a wide variety of audiences and is an accomplished and prolific author in professional and popular journals and books.

~ Avian Husbandry and Health ~

Michael Jones, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, received his DVM in 1992 at the University of Missouri-Columbia and went on to an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. From 1993 to1996, Dr. Jones held a residency at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine in Avian and Zoological Medicine. Since 1996, he has been an Assistant Professor in Avian and Zoological Medicine at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Jones clinical and research interests are Raptor Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacology of therapeutics in avian species. He is also a Master Falconer with 15 years experience.

~ Avian Welfare ~

Julie Murad, President and CEO of The Gabriel Foundation based in Elizabeth, near Denver, CO, has been at the forefront of avian welfare and education for over 35 years. She has published and presented at national and international avian conferences including the AAV, the AFA, and NAVC. She has traveled all around the world witnessing first-hand the importance of in-situ conservation programs for parrots, and advocating standards of care and education for psittacines and their human companions.

~ Enrichment ~

Gay Noeth lives in rural Saskatchewan, Canada with her husband Wayne, dog and pet birds. She has been keeping parrots as pets since 1993 and has been very interested in behavior and enrichment. Over the years she has taken and attended many parrot behavior and training classes and has attended numerous parrot conferences. She believes that by enriching a parrot’s life in captivity we can stave off many problem behaviors and give parrots a better quality of life in our homes.

~ Training & Behavior ~

Sid Price is the founder of Avian Ambassadors. He has more than ten years of experience of working with wildlife in public presentations. He is a professional member of the following organizations: International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, Animal Behavior Management Alliance, Association of Professional Wildlife Educators, New Mexico Wildlife Association, Raptor Research Foundation, and the World Parrot Trust.

Sid is President of the International Association of AvianTrainers and Educators and also served on the board of the New Mexico Wildlife Association for several years. He is a charter member of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance.

~ Conservation ~

Mark Stafford, DDS, is the Co-Founder of Parrots International. A dentist with a conservation background, Dr. Stafford received BA degrees in both Environmental Biology and Environmental Studies. Dr. Stafford and his wife, Marie, donate their time and resources to travel into the field to visit and evaluate “in situ” conservation projects. They donate their photos and videos to Parrots International as well as donate their time to manage and organize Parrots International.

Mail-In Registration Form

Mail-In Dinner Registration Form

Online Registration

 

Additional Information:
Living and Learning Workshop
Fundraising Dinner

(c) 2008 – Animal Education Foundation

The Petco Festival in Naples: A Flappin’ Good time!

 

I was invited by the Naples, Florida Petco to join in the festivities and participate in their First Annual Pet Festival. It was a Fundraiser for the “Petco Foundation.” According to their website:

“In February, 1999, the PETCO Foundation was established to promote a wide variety of educational and charitable activities nationwide by partnering with approximately 5,700 local animal welfare organizations at the grassroots level. Since then, the PETCO Foundation has raised more than $49 million through a combination of fundraisers including Tree of Hope, Spring A Pet, Round Up and KIND News. In addition, the PETCO Foundation is always prepared to launch immediate fundraising efforts in the case of natural disasters and emergencies.”

I was happy to represent “BIRD TALK” Magazine. BT sent some issues down which I happily signed and gave to the attendees, compliments of the magazine. I met so many wonderful people and even a few birds. They managed to raise some money for the foundation as well as arranging for some of the local pet rescues to find homes for quite a few animals.

Petco arranged for a small area to pet some animals: A miniature horse, some pygmy goats and some pigs. They had some great carnival games, and the big Petco Mascot, “Red Ruff” was on hand for photos and fun. Here is a photo of Mattie and I taking it all in. Mattie had a wonderful time meeting everyone. And so did I:

They arranged for a beautiful area for me and the birds to hang out. Chistina, a Manager at the store organized the event and did a superb job. 

All in all it was such a successful day both for the animals and the people. Here is a video of Parker and me greeting some “Bird Talk” Magazine readers and supplying them with complimentary copies “autographed” by Parker, Pepper and Mattie. (I used a bird track stamp and a paw-print stamp!):

 

done

Long Island, Here I Come!

                                           The LIPS Expo Link: http://www.liparrotsociety.org/parrotexpo.htm

LIPS is having me come and speak on October third at their Parrot Expo on October third. This should be interesting. This year’s theme is “Parrots, The Reality Show.” I got a kick out of the fact that they want me to talk to them about the reality of living with parrots. I’m not sure what I can tell them that they don’t already know! But I think the real reason they want me to speak is because of the Memos in “BIRD TALK.” And that’s fine. People seem to like those little suckers and I love writing them.

Some of the subjects for the memos come very easily to me and I can knock out the basic draft in about a half an hour, spending more time polishing it, but the gist is there in a short period of time. Others aren’t as easy; it seems like it takes a pair of pliers, some bailing wire and long forceps to drag some of them out of the “writing tool” in my head. 

I don’t know why that is. The basic concept and gesture is there; I know what I’m writing about. It’s more about the rhythm of the piece and the way it flows that I occasionally have trouble with .

I love writing them. And I know that when I first finish one, I have to put it away for a while and let it bake. a week or two later, I go back to it. If it makes ME laugh out loud in places, I know I am on to something.

                                                                                                               

Now if I could write like Darby Conley, artist and writer of the strip, “Get Fuzzy”, I’d really have something. I love his stuff! He’s not afraid of giving his animals attitude, and Bucky, pictured above, is about as nasty a pet cat can be. 

 

Now that I think about it, Bucky the Siamese isn’t that far away in personality from Parker. Parker is just as destructive, but he’s a bit more upbeat than the Buckster. 

 But, I’ll do the best I can with explaining the Memos and how I write them. In the meantime, here is one more “Bucky View” from “Get Fuzzy”:

Snowball Strikes Again!

Snowball is now starring in his own Taco Bell commercial!

Here it is:

 

 

I’m thrilled for the “Bird Lovers Only Rescue”, and for Snowball. It certainly demonstrates that great things can come from adopting a bird.

Cruising is For the Birds!

 

 

 

Got Parrots? Do a Cruise!

This looks like it’s going to be a blast! And it’s a fund raising event for the World Parrot Trust!

Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on October 24, 2009 for 8 days  

Returning to Ft Lauderdale on November 1, 2009

 

For even more information please check out this link: http://www.parrotloverscruise.com/cruise_information

Join us for an 8 day Cruise With the Award Winning Carnival Cruise Lines, Onboard One of Their Newest Ships Carnival Freedom to the Exotic Western Caribbean

3 Great Locations

1 Great Cruise

3 Great Speakers ~

Dr James Morrisey

Robin Shewokis

Lara Joseph

 

Cozumel, Mexico

Limon, Costa Rica

Colon, Panama

 

 

Cruisers join in on the pre-cruise contest. Send funny pictures of your birds, and the zaniest one will win a nice foraging toy from the fabulous Cavalier Bird Toys. Contest runs until last payment date for the cruise. We will be picking the winner then.

 

 Join us for an 8 day Cruise With the Award Winning Carnival Cruise Lines, Onboard One of Their Newest Ships Carnival Freedom to the Exotic Western Caribbean

3 Great Locations

3 Great Speakers

1 Great Cruise

 

• First Ever Fund-Raising Cruise To Help Save The Wild Parrots!                                          

  

  Check out World Parrot Trust website. 

  Information on Parrots

  Conservation Efforts 

  Pictures of Parrots

  Sounds Parrots Make

• Itinerary

  
  

  Day     Port of Call                          Arrival            Departure

  1          Ft Lauderdale, FL                                       4:00 PM

  2          Fun Day at Sea

  3          Cozumel, Mexico               8:00 AM           5:00 PM

  4          Fun Day at Sea

  5          Limon, Costa Rica              10:00 AM         6:00 PM

  6          Colon, Panama                    7:00 AM           4:00 PM

  7          Fun Day at Sea

  8          Fun Day at Sea

  9          Ft. Lauderdale, FL                8:00 AM

 Attend Our Speakers’ Presentations.  

Play Some Games.   

Win a Raffle.

 

Meet Other ”Bird” People.

 

We’ll have plenty of time while we are at sea to attend the presentations given by our speakers, and talk about our parrots.

Plus we are planning some fun time together to play some games and win some prizes. Our sponsors have donated some amazing items for lucky raffle winners. 

And, it is all for the parrots in the wild. Remember, if we don’t help, they will disappear forever!

• Pricing

  8B   Balcony               $1032.11*

  8B Balcony Single      $1764.11*

  8B Balcony Triple       $741.41*

  6B   Ocean View          $842.71*

  6B Ocean View Single $1511.11*

  4B   Inside                     $722.11*

   

  All prices quoted are based on per person rate.

   

  *A $50.00 per person charge added for conference expenses and donations to World Parrot Trust. Prices are only guaranteed as long as our block of cabins are available. Price could go up after that so get your $25pp deposit in. 

   

  Insurance is optional but strongly recommended:

  $99.00 per person – Balcony

  $89.00 per person – Ocean View

  $79.00 per person – Inside

• 325.00 due at time of booking. Final payment due August 3rd.

   

  *There is still plenty of time. Just  Go  Click  Dream  Sail  Relax  Enjoy 

• 
  

  .

Pepper Turned a Corner

That’s Pepper on the right. She’s a perfectly charming African Grey. She’s eighteen years old and she came to live with Parker and me about 3 years ago. She was found by my friend Shari housed in an 18×18 inch galvanized wire cage; probably her original cage from when she was purchased as a young bird at a now defunct pet store in Fort Lauderdale. Apparently she was well-loved by an elderly woman who was married to a gentleman that didn’t much care for Pepper. Well, as things happen, the woman died and the husband wanted nothing to do with her. Nor did the remaining family members. They wanted her out of there. By chance they happened to call the Canine Vet Shari was working for and Shari rolled into action.

Shari got her “carry-cage,” obtained the address and drove over. Well, Shari told me the situation was a little bleak. It was a small house and Pepper’s cage was positioned by a hallway, the kitchen and the way to the bathroom. Shari took notice that her dinner that evening was a piece of chicken, a piece of steak, and some walnuts placed on a paper plate on the bottom of the cage. No vegetables, no fruit, and the only toy she had was a beat-up bell. Shari told me it was just sad, depressing and dark. Bleak. Hopeless. A painful life for such a wonderful bird.  

Shari hauled her home and began changing her diet. Fresh vegetables. Sprouts. A cooked bean mix. Healthy nuts. Quality pellets. A sunny bird room. Company from Shari’s other Greys: Wild-caught Fred, Igor, and Ico. It took a while but Shari got her eating quality stuff like a hog. This little bird can eat! I stopped by a few times to work with her and we got along famously. I was simply charmed by this diminutive little girl. At first, she was bitey, bitchy, and obviously uncomfortable with human contact. She barely knew how to step up and yet when I began working with her, I could feel her heart was in it despite her fear. Dozens of treats and repeated trips in and out of the cage, I finally felt she was pretty solid with being comfortable about stepping up from inside the cage and being returned. Huge praise! Lots of treats for simply stepping up. She began to trust me, but it was only a beginning. With Pepper, it was hard sledding! God, she was stubborn. Little by little, with Shari’s consistently good diet and care and my training sessions, she became “almost handleable”.  I say that because she was still fearful, but I could cope with her fears, comfort her and help her move on.

One day Shari called me and said two simple words: “It’s time.” Shari had decided that she was going to re-home Pepper with me. I was torn. I had Parker who is a bopping, happy, active and very social bird. Yet believe it or not I had been lurking on Parrot Adoption Foundations trying to find someone that would allow me to adopt a bird from them that needed help. This was difficult. I live in Florida and there just aren’t that many places around here that adopt out. 

I felt I needed to “pay it forward” because Parker was purchased when I didn’t know any better, didn’t have a clue and I had done it all the wrong way. I mean I did everything wrong.  I quickly wised up and figured out I had a lot to learn. That’s when I began to read absolutely everything I could get my hands on about parrot husbandry and training. I took classes, purchased training DVDs and simply saturated my brain with all things “Bird.”

When Pepper came to live with me, I knew a hell of a lot more than I did when I first got Parker. But I had fifteen years of stuff to “undo” and there was massive retraining that had to be accomplished. But it worked. Pepper Is now almost “Cuddly” with me. She still has issues with strangers, men in particular, but with me, she is just wonderful. I’m really proud of how far she as come. Her feathers are growing back and she’s healthier. She seems to enjoy life here and I just adore her. She’s fun, interesting and she and Parker provide plenty of fodder for my Column in “Bird Talk.”

 But I’m not done. I’m never done. Next week I’m attending the B.E.S.T. Parrot Conference in New Jersey where I’ll once again be immersing myself in learning even more from the best in the business: Susan Friedman, Barbara Heidenreich, Robin Shewokis, and Joanna Eckles.

I’m not thrilled about getting on an airplane on my day off, but I just can’t pass this Conference up. It’s simply too good and the information too valuable to miss. I hope I run into you there.

I’m Getting a Tiffin and Taking it on the Road

Have you ever heard of a “Tiffin?” I knew what they were, but until recently I didn’t know what they were called.

These are Tiffins:

According to Wikipedia this is the definition and derivation of the word “Tiffin”:

Tiffin is lunch, or any light meal. It originated in British India and is today found primarily in Indian English. The word originated when Indian custom superseded the British practice of an afternoon dinner leading to a new word for the afternoon meal. It is derived from the obsolete English slang tiffing, for “taking a little drink or sip”. When used for “lunch”; it is not necessarily a light meal.

 

I did some more research and found that there is a big business in delivering these meals from the homes to the workers in India by delivery guys called, “Tiffin Wallahs”. They pick up the meal from the wife at home and take it to the job site of the husband so he can eat his lunch.  The container they use began being referred to as  a “Tiffin.”

 

If you know anything about me, you know I like to cook, I love good food and I’m a tightwad when it comes to wasting money. So everyday, I pack a lunch to take with me on the plane. I’ve been flying for 22 years or so, and the thought of eating airplane food gives me the “willies.” I’m sure it’s perfectly fine but it gets old after a couple of decades ya know? So I’ll make up a “breakfast” the night before I go to work. Because there are no microwave ovens onboard, only convection ovens, I have to pack things either in metal or foil. And it’s kind of hard wrapping soup in foil. If you’ve seen any of my posts on Face Book about the “next day’s menu,” I tend to take a lot of food with me. I’m built like a thermometer with eyes, but I eat like a horse and I’m starving in the morning. I work the coach galley and I’m slamming carts around, breaking up bag after bag of ice, and lifting twenty pound inserts of sodas. By 8 a.m. I’ve had a workout and would probably eat a seat cushion if that’s all there was.

I’ve avoided any cushion ingestion by packing a good solid breakfast. And it’s usually not “breakfast food” which usually gives my Face Book friends indigestion. A typical “Menu” post is this: 

Tomorrow’s breakfast menu is a killer! I just finished making it. It’s browned chicken legs with rosemary in a reduced red wine sauce with onion, tomato, and green pepper. It will be served along side white rice and marinated artichokes. Oh, I’m out of candy bars so I’ll have to make do with some mini-Toblerones from the flight. I’ll pick some up tomorrow.

Another post:

 Tomorrow’s breakfast is Baked Orange Roughy fish, with Salsa, and boiled potatoes. Oh and peaches. Oh and a candy bar.

So as you can see, my breakfast menus aren’t typical breakfast food. When I fly with my friend Doreen, we take turns doing the cooking. The only rule is: you have to cook it yourself. No cheating. I found something at the grocery store called a “Flanera”, which looks like the above tiffins, except that it isn’t leakproof. That became a problem when I was getting to work and hauling my luggage and 9-pound lunch through the airport and security. My friend Mary knew they were called tiffins and I did a bit of shopping around. And Voila! I discovered a website called: “The Happy Tiffin.”  Isn’t that just  a great name? It’s a really great website with all kinds of different tiffin models and sizes. Very cool for those of us looking to eat better and more inexpensively when we’re at work or away from home. And the best part? Leakproof! Just watch:                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 I think I’m going to like my little happy tiffin.

Gone Chop Crazy!

                                                           

Well, the “Chop” has hit the fan and it’s flying all over the place like feathers in a windstorm. I’ve gotten so many questions about it and it seems as if the concept is catching on. Terrific! Any more mail on this and I’m renaming this blog “The Chop Blog.”

If you have any more questions about it, feel free to let me know, but I’ll go over this as thoroughly as I can. “Chop” is a feeding concept. It is like you’re making two lasagnas and you cook one for dinner that night, and put the other in the freezer because you’ll be able to pull it out some evening when you don’t have time to cook. Or maybe your Aunt Ellen is coming over with her family.  You know what a pain in the keester her family is. But you remember you already have the lasagna prepared in the freezer and all you have to do is slam it in the oven. It’s one less thing you have to worry about because her kids are little juvenile delinquents. They’ll tear up the house and try to flush the dog down the toilet if you don’t watch them every second, so who has time to cook a big meal? And Aunt Ellen doesn’t give a damn because she already knows where you keep the Scotch. So thank God for that lasagna lying in the freezer and aren’t you glad you took the time to make two?

 

My Mother used to buy a huge load of cooking apples in the fall, (usually green Granny Smith apples) and then she would make dozens of apple pies. She wouldn’t bake them, she would simply cover the unbaked pies with aluminum foil and place them in the freezer. Over the winter, we would have pies to take out of the freezer, bake and my family would have hot, fresh-baked pie all winter. This is one of the reasons why I don’t eat much pie now. I ate so much damned apple pie when I was a kid, I got tired of it.  I think the only reason she never made cakes was because she couldn’t freeze them. Her apple pie was considered the quintessential home made pie and it was worshipped far and wide. I was simply tired of it. “Oh good God, no. Apple pie again?” I know, I know. But I digress…

Well, “Chop” is based on the same idea. If you’ve ever heard of “Once-a-month-cooking”, or “OAMC” as it’s called, making chop is the same thing. You are making a HUGE batch of a fresh and frozen vegetable mix for your birds and then packaging it up in baggies or plastic containers in an amount that will feed ALL your birds for one meal. My baggies contain about 6 tablespoons of chop. Each bird gets about two tablespoons for breakfast along with other various items. (Nyla gets more because she is a complete and utter hog.) You simply take out two baggies the night before you are going to serve them; one for breakfast, one for dinner and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day they’re ready to rock and serve up to your little dudes. This lowers the daily “PITA factor” (pain in the ass factor)  in your daily routine. “Chop” can consist of absolutely anything that is good for your birds. But the base is primarily fresh and frozen vegetables which is what the little feathered gangsters should be eating anyway.

I have to point out that for once in your life there is a concept that is not about the birds,  it’s about you and the time you have to take care of them properly on a daily basis. You don’t have to cut corners with chop because you ran out of time or your kid is throwing up all over the brand new carpeting, and isn’t it unfortunate that he had Hawaiian Punch and fruit loops for breakfast? So you have a mess on your hands that you need to clean up before you end up with a “Jackson Pollock” splatter effect on the dining room floor and  you have to get him to a doctor. Just open the fridge, grab the bag of “chop,” toss it in their bowls and run the kid to the clinic. The birds still get a healthy meal and it didn’t take any time at all. So I guess it really IS about the birds again. (You know, they do tend to rule the household, don’t they?)

In the day-to-day, “Chop” is easy, fast, convenient and consistently good for your guys. It is as good as the stuff you put in it. The trick is to take the initial time to make a big batch of it, bag it, freeze it and you’re off the hook for as long as it lasts. If I had a chest freezer, I’d probably make about  five gallons of the stuff and only have to make it about twice a year. It’s easier if you have a few people to get together with and make it. It’s more fun that way and there are extra sets of hands to snap open the baggies while you’re filling them and someone else can refresh the cocktails. When you’re done, and it’s in the freezer, it looks like this:

Now people have inquired as to what I put in it. EVERYTHING! I use bags of frozen mixed vegetables without any sauce. Fresh vegetables go in there as well. The last batch I made had the following fresh items in it: dandelion greens, beet greens, carrots, celery, and jalapeno peppers. The frozen vegetables it contained were mixed bags of vegetables containing asparagus, broccoli, corn, carrots, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, peas, green beans, snow peas, red peppers, green peppers, yellow peppers, chopped kale, lima beans, wax beans and a whole peeled yam. All of this gets cut up a bit if necessary and thrown into a food processor. Chop it to the consistency your birds prefer and throw in a big bowl, (or in my case this time, a big-ass stock pot. The recipe got a little out of hand and the amount just kept getting bigger, so I resorted to the stock pot.)

I threw in a little bit of seed, about three tablespoons each of flax seed, hemp seed and rape seed. I put in a couple of cups of uncooked dry oatmeal. I added about two cups of cooked quinoa, and two cups of cooked brown rice. I also cooked up and added about two cups of cooked, whole-grain, “fancy-schmancy”  corkscrew vegetable pasta because I was in a squirrely mood when I was at Whole Foods and thought they’d get a kick out of the shape and color. I cooked up some spelt and that went in. I threw in about a tablespoon of celery seed and a good shot of dried pepper flakes, probably two or three tablespoons.

Higgins makes a product called “Snack Attack Leafy Greens and Herbs”. It  is a dried green product that looks like orgeano or any dried herb which is essentially what it is. It contains alfalfa petals, basil leaves, bee pollen, chamomile, chives, leeks, parsley flakes, rosemary and cinnamon powder. I threw in about a half a bag of that. Sometimes I add whole cranberries that I buy in season and freeze. Sometimes I add fresh radishes for flavor and color. I also add dried unsweetened coconut, about a cup or so.

This flipping batch got so big I had to pull out the big guns and use my stock pot to mix it up in. It was like “The Blob”; it just kept growing and growing:

 

Parker on my Stock Pot. It's a big pot!

When I was done bagging it up, I had 75 baggies containing one serving for each of my Greys for one meal. That’s over a month of meals where I don’t have to stand over a chopping block every damned day cutting up vegetables for my birds. I couldn’t be happier and the birds eat this stuff like it was their last meal. 

As I’ve said before, it’s quite versatile: You can put it in bird bread, mix it in with scrambled eggs for them, (don’t forget to save one of the shells, crush it up and add to the mix…It’s great calcium!) and you can put damned near anything in there that they like and even don’t like, because they’re going to end up eating it. You can spice it with herbs, you can add milk thistle seed, throw pureed squash over it, or cook it in rice pancakes for them. I’m thinking about making some kind of “birdy biscuit” with it. The possibilities are endless with this stuff. 

I just counted the number of different items in this batch of chop, and if I’m not mistaken, there are 39 different items in this batch. That’s a lot of different stuff that they can get nutrition from. It makes me happy to know that not only are they getting a wide variety of different foods to benefit from, but I’m not tied to a chopping board every day.

Now you know how to make “Chop”. What I want to know is: What are you going to do with all of that free time on your hands? I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I have a suggestion! How about sitting down and watching a nice video? :                                                                             Good Bird!                                                

 

 

My “Bird Talk Dog” Mattie Looks So Good I Could B.A.R.F.!

My dog Mattie has recently been featured in “Bird Talk” Magazine’s column, “Memo to Parker and Pepper”, which I happen to write. In the column, Mattie is the perpetual victim of Parker and Pepper’s terroristic antics, always getting toys thrown at her or getting pooped on. It’s a fun column to write and from the email I’ve been getting, the BT Readers seem to be getting a kick out of it.

I thought I’d give you a short history of Mattie, with the emphasis on “short”. Two years ago, a neighbor found Mattie in my Condominium Association parking lot and called me immediately. I ran down and there she was in the hot sun laying on the asphalt  and looking as it appeared to us, half dead. She was densely matted, could barely open her eyes and couldn’t walk very well. I soon discovered that for all practical purposes, she was deaf.                                                                          

Mattie was a mess. I had no idea where she came from, and despite living in the neighborhood for over ten years, I had never seen her before. I carried her up to my condo, gave her water, found her some food and tried to make her comfortable. She was obviously in pain, very upset and her gums were pale. I got her to a Vet where he had her sedated and shaved her down. The mats the Vet Technicians cut off of her filled a gallon-sized, zip-lock container to bulging proportions. (I saved this in case someone wanted to claim her as their dog. I wasn’t going to have any of that; if they did, I was willing to go to Court and take Mattie, photos, plastic “Bag-O-Mats”, the Vet report and the six-hundred dollar vet bill  with me…)  She was matted so badly I was worried she would have maggots in the mats. She didn’t, thank God, but she had an intestinal infection, an ear infection, and an eye infection. She was malnourished but not underweight. She appeared to have two tails, (one was a long sausage-like mat), and her feet looked like bananas. Her toenails were two inches long and fur encased the nails like cocoons. No wonder she couldn’t walk.

 Once we got her shaved down and the infections cleaned up, this is what we found under all that mess:

 

My friend Jen calls her “Mattie-Pattie”

Mattie had sores all over her body from the matted fur pulling on her skin and she was disinterested with life and pretty skittish. In time, she began to come around. I started her off on a quality canned diet for a while and after much soul-searching and hours of research, I began to convert her to a raw diet. This was no effort. It took about one meal before she was wolfing it down.  I surfed from brand to brand, and found a few that seem to work in terms of quality, value and convenience. She eats this prepared frozen diet that I thaw out in the fridge overnight before serving and Mattie also gets green tripe, vegetables, occasional sprouts, raw bones, salmon oil, and organ meats for treats.

The B.A.R.F diet stands for  ”Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” or “Bones and Raw Food”. It’s controversial, but growing in popularity ever since there was that pet food scare a while back. It is based on the philosophy that dogs should eat what they are evolutionarily suited to eat. 

Here is a link to a website that explains it: http://www.barfworld.com/html/barf_diet/barfdiet.shtml

I put Mattie on the diet and she began to bloom. The Vet guessed that she was about eleven and although she had a slight heart murmur and all of those infections, she was actually in pretty good shape. After a couple of months, Mattie began to show some personality and didn’t sleep twenty-two hours a day anymore. Unbelievably, her hearing came back. Of course, cleaning up the ear infection played a a part in that But it wasn’t until I got her on the raw diet that her hearing came back. That was months after we cleaned up the infection. She began to run. She’s alert, she seems to enjoy life and although she is still a quiet, introspective little girl, her eyes shine, her coat is beautiful and she’s loving her life. 

Now on to the ummm, “nitty-gritty” of one aspect of the raw diet and what it does. Her poops are small, well-formed and firm. Amazingly, they have virtually no smell. She had nothing but huge poops and diarrhea when she was eating the canned diet.  I didn’t understand why this was. It wasn’t until I did some research and found that the diet is so nutritionally dense, you don’t need a ton of it to keep them healthy, so there is less waste.

Detractors of the B.A.R.F. diet are legion. They argue that while dogs began by eating raw food, they have been eating cooked food with humans for centuries and living longer than dogs in the past. The pioneer of B.A.R.F., Doctor Ian Billinghurst, an Australian Vet and Author of the book, Give Your Dog a Bone, says in its defense:

“Head in the sand science is very poor science,” he said. “Veterinary nutritionists have no experience feeding BARF…Their problem is that they neglect to be scientists when faced with something outside their experience. Instead of making proper investigations or simply being honest and admitting their ignorance of BARF, they make a series of assumptions and parade those assumptions as if they were scientific fact. On that basis, they assume that meat containing potentially pathogenic bacteria will cause problems, and forget that the dog is designed to eat bacteria-rich food, such as feces…They assume with absolutely no evidence that immune compromised animals will succumb to infection when introduced to the BARF [program.]“

He goes on to state: 

“The commercially fed dogs’ shorter lives were filled with misery, as they suffered from the whole range of degenerative diseases, often from a very early age. The problems they suffered included arthritis, periodontal disease, diabetes, skin problems, the whole range of orthopedic problems in young dogs, including hip and elbow dysplasia, and many, many more, including the worst and most frighteningly abundant of all—cancer.”

The thing that impressed the hell out of me is all of these people who went out of their way to report the changes in their dog’s health and disposition after starting the diet. I’ve never come across someone on the internet that fed a raw diet and then changed their mind, switched to kibble and raved about the difference in their dog. 

And the debate rages on. In the meantime, I have a very lovely, healthy and happy dog who seems to be thriving on the diet. And to paraphrase an old saying: “The proof is in the pooch.”

The Best Parrot Conference: Best Speakers, Best Content!

                

 

Behavior

Enrichment

Science

Training

 

It’s the B.E.S.T. Parrot Conference!

(BEST PARROT CONFERENCE INFORMATION)

When? – May 29, 30, 31 2009

 

Where? – Hilton Garden Inn, Edison, NJ

You should very seriously consider attending this Conference. They are all terrific Speakers and Educators. Their information and expertise will not only change the way you interact with your animals, but how you view and interact with the rest of the world.

Mark the dates on your calendar to join parrot experts and enthusiasts for a weekend filled with hours of education and sharing. With this conference we hope to combine lecture and theory with a truly hands on experience. General sessions will provide the framework that you will use as you participate in small section, up-close workshops. At this time speakers include Barbara Heidenreich of Good Bird, Inc., Robin Shewokis of The Leather Elves, Joanna Eckles and Dr. Susan Friedman.

 

The Speakers:

                                                                                                                            

Dr. Susan Friedman

Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is a psychology professor at Utah State University. Over the last decade, she has helped pioneer efforts to apply to animals the scientifically sound teaching technology and ethical standard of Applied Behavior Analysis that is so effective with human learners. Susan has given a wide variety of workshops and conference presentations including the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the American Federation of Aviculturists and Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program. She was a guest speaker on the topic of learning and behavior for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Colloquium and presented workshops in Africa, Canada, France, Israel and Holland. Susan teaches two on-line courses, one for veterinarians and other animal professionals (www.lla-tele.com), and another for pet owners (www.behaviroworks.org). Her articles have been translated into 8 languages. Susan is also a core member of the Condor Recovery Project and has been nominated for the Media Award, given by the International Association of Behavior Analysis, for her efforts to disseminate to pet owners, veterinarians, animal trainers and zookeepers some of the essential tools they need to empower and enrich the lives of all learners.

 

                                                                        

 Robin Shewokis

Robin Shewokis is the owner of The Leather Elves, a company that designs and manufactures enrichment devices for animals in captivity. The Leather Elves started as a family business that created enrichment for companion parrots. After working with several facilities that housed collections of parrots Robin realized that there was a need in those facilities for enrichment targeting other species. In 2000 The Leather Elves began working with zoos internationally to enhance the level of enrichment provided. Since then Robin has consulted at zoos in the US, Canada and Holland and has distributed enrichment products worldwide. In the companion parrot community Robin has spoken at numerous parrot clubs, providing a workshop that helps companion bird owners create a stimulating environment for their pets. Robin also works to develop new enrichment products for companion parrots that will stimulate naturalistic behavior when presented. Robin has published articles on enrichment in national and international publications. She is the enrichment columnist for the Flyer, a quarterly publication of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators.

Robin also co-hosts a weekly pod cast with Barbara Heidenreich called “Wings n Things” which focuses on enrichment and training for companion parrots at www.petliferadio.com.

 

                    

Barbara Heidenreich

Barbara has been a professional in the field of animal training since 1990. She owns and operates a company, Good Bird, Inc., (www.GoodBirdInc.com) that provides behavior and training products to the companion parrot community. These products include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos, and parrot training workshops. Barbara has provided animal training workshops or presentations at the Association of Avian Veterinarians conference, The American Federation of Aviculture conference, The Avicultural Society of America conference, The International Parrot Conference at Loro Parque, Parrot Festival, The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators conference, American Association of Zoo Keepers conference, Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, The Parrot Society of Australia conference and many more. She is the past president of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (www.IAATE.org) and has been on the Board of Directors since 1997. Her expertise has been utilized by the US Dept. of Agriculture and Fish and Wildlife Service. In the past 4 years she has trained over 600 parrots at her workshops presented around the world.

 

 

Joanna Eckles

Joanna Eckles has been a bird lover all her life. She became fascinated with birds and birding at a young age and this passion remained a constant in life through high school and college. At Cornell University, Joanna studied Natural Resources and worked on a number of projects studying wild birds. After Cornell she moved to Minnesota to work as a trainer with the World of Birds Show at the Minnesota Zoo. She trained a variety of birds and presented free-flight educational programs at the zoo for 11 years. Upon leaving the zoo to start her family in 1999, she joined the World Parrot Trust as the administrator of World Parrot Trust USA. In 2006, she began working almost exclusively on PsittaScene, the magazine of the World Parrot Trust.