Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Country Living is Great when everything works

Right now, this is the view that I have from our kitchen window.  This magnificent apple or cherry tree, I've never figured out quite what it is, it drops very small cherry like apples on the ground which our Meg, our newest pup, loves to eat.  It's in full bloom today, it doesn't last long and it's branches are drooping under the weight of fierce thunder storms that tore through our area, wave after wave, from noon onwards to suppertime tonight.  And our well pump has been hit once again by lightening.  No water.  Great living in the country, I can wax poetic about it 99% of the time but when you can't flush to loo or scrub your teeth or wash your hands with water from the tap, I get a little uptight and antsy.  DH has just gone out to the swimming pool to collect a pail of water for flushing the toilet should it be required overnight and our plumber will be coming at 8 tomorrow morning.  Thank heavens this has happened in-between Bed&Breakfast guests.  Our last night's guests left this morning and the next lot arrive on Friday afternoon, a full house of women friends here to enjoy a peaceful week-end retreat.  Thank heavens for our wonderful service people who never fail to come as quickly as they can given that we do run this B&B.  I've already had one week-end of being out of power with a house full of alpaca breeders here a month ago.  They all live on farms and understood...it's part of country living on a well when the power goes out...no water.  No complaints, I wouldn't trade living here for the city in a heartbeat.  I'm so thankful to have this wonderful experience of country living and the one thing about the privacy here, is that if you have to go behind a bush, no-one is going to see you...
Rosey in the country in springtime

posted by RoseyP @ 9:23 PM

3 Comments:

At May 22, 2013 at 5:10 AM , Blogger Lavinia said...

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At May 22, 2013 at 5:10 AM , Blogger Lavinia said...

Concerned about the dog eating apples--vet a long time ago said it would cause kidney problems in our dog. Hugs. Lavinia

 
At May 22, 2013 at 5:39 AM , Blogger RoseyP said...

Laura, it's interesting what people pick up from a blog, I find. I've learned something this morning and it's not even 6:30 a.m. I did not know there was a concern about apples and dogs so looked it up on the internet (below) but I think I'm going to have to settle once and for all, just what kind of a tree I have out there. Will take the little pesky things into the garden centre today. The fruit is no more than an inch or less in circumference so I'm thinking it must be a cherry tree. Now I will find out for sure and thanks:

In general, apples are harmless to dogs. However, there are a couple of things to be cautious about: the seeds and too many apples.

The Seeds
Apple seeds contain amygdlin, a form of cyanide, which is very poisonous to every living thing. Cyanide prevents the blood from carrying oxygen throughout the body.

If the dog swallows a few seeds, the body will detoxify itself. Actually, the dog must ingest large quantities of apple seeds to do major damage. Also, the cyanide is within the seed covering, and if the covering isn’t broken, it will pass through the dog’s system intact. Sort of a no harm, no foul situation.

So, if you’re going to give your dog apples, core the apples. Then, cut them into bite-size pieces and feed the dog this way. This may seem overly cautious, but why take the chance.

The Good Things
Apples are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C as well as low in saturated fat and sodium. Some believe that vitamin C can help hip dysplasia, a common ailment in large and large, purebred dogs. Saturated fat contributes to heart problems. Apples contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which contribute to a healthy, glossy coat and help to control skin allergies.

Too Much of a Good Thing
On the down side most of the calories in apples come from naturally occurring sugar, not processed sugar that might be found in other treats it’s true. Still, sugar is sugar, so it can contribute to weight gain in large quantities.

Also, apples contain calcium and phosphorous, so if your dog has kidney trouble, don’t give him apples. Too much calcium and phosphorous in the kidney are indicators of kidney stones and early- to end-stage kidney disease.

Be careful of omega-6 fatty acids because they can cause inflammation, which wouldn’t be good for an arthritic dog. They also aren’t good for dogs with kidney disease. The apples themselves don’t have that much omega-6, but if the dog gets it from other sources, it can be a problem.

Eating too much apple can loosen a dog’s bowels, and you don’t want that. How much is too much depends on the dog, so show caution.

 

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