dogs

On Popsicles and Pooches

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Deepa

Coffee Cardamon pops (1 of 3)

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen that I’ve been so proud of my little boy this week. After tearing a ligament in his knee and hobbling around pathetically for a week, I finally took the leap and operated. We anaesthetised him, all 7.8 kg of cuteness. We stuck a needle into his little spine to deliver epidural pain relief. He had an entire team at his disposal. An anaesthetist, a surgeon, a vet student, two nurses and two trainee nurses. Many many two-leggeds for one tiny little nugget of a 4-legged. Then he was all draped up and for a little while I could forget that it was my precious little fur-child I was doing major surgery on. This helped as it had been all I could do not to curl up in a ball of nervousness leading up to the event.

Thankfully it all went according to plan and before I knew it I was packing a sleepy and sore bundle of fur into my car alongside his drip pump and medications. Two days on, he is vehemently disagreeing with the post-operative plan to keep him confined and is demanding in true small dog style to be given access to the rest of the house. He is using a well prepared arsenal of woeful looks, sad tail wags and softly incessant whimpers which even I as a veterinary professional am struggling to ignore.

But ignore we shall as the little body with the chubby little knee needs to heal. And if Cookie can withstand and recover from major surgery as an eleven year old pooch, I’d better do my part to ensure that his recovery is as smooth as possible.

All this has nothing to do with popsicles. However I am a firm believer that coffee and popsicles are enough reason to indulge in coffee and popsicles. These have a good caffeine buzz, with fragrant cardamom providing an extra jolt. Sweetened with rice syrup, they are almost toffee like, the warm flavours complementing the freeze. A grown-up popsicle, if you will.

Coffee, Cardamom & Yoghurt Popsicles

Makes 6

Get:

1/3 cup strongly brewed coffee
6 cardamom pods
1 cup full-fat Greek yoghurt
1/3 cup honey or rice syrup

Special Equipment:

Popsicle moulds
Freezer

Make:

Use a mortar and pestle to crush the whole cardamom pods until they break open and the seeds are roughly powdered. Place the seeds and pods in the coffee and set aside for 30 minutes to infuse. Once infused, pass the mixture through a strainer and discard the cardamom.

In a large bowl, whisk the yoghurt with the syrup or honey and cardamom infused coffee to form a smooth mixture. Fill the popsicle moulds, insert popsicle sticks and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight.

To serve, dip the popsicle moulds in hot water to make it easier to lift out the popsicles.

Click the Month: November 2013

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Deepa

So this Click the Month business was actually meant to posted at the end of the month. A sort of sum up of one or some of the highlights in the 30-odd days gone by.

But, well, despite my best intentions, sometimes life gets in the way. So it doesn’t happen or it pops up a little late. You know what? Anyone who knows me knows that ‘late’ is the norm for me, ‘on time’ is early in my world and ‘early’….actually early? Well, that’s what I’d call a dream.

This month I lunched at my friend Julia’s, where a bunch of us gorged on incredible food such as some succulent roast chicken, this salad and this cake.

I followed the dogs around, camera in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, and managed to get all three of them to sit still for a decent click or two.

Black Cat Pumpkin Cheesecake bars and 5 Tips for Safe Pets this Season

Posted on October 20, 2013October 21, 2013 by Deepa

Halloween is coming! And in anticipation, I present you with these Pumpkin Cheesecake bars which I assure you, you will love as much as I do. The base is one that refuses to play second fiddle to the fresh, tangy topping. It is packed with nuts and shredded coconut, providing a roughage that contrasts nicely with the smoothness of the cream cheese and pumpkin.

I used melted dark chocolate to pipe these funky little black cats, and adorned them with shiny edible pearls for eyes. You can of course choose whatever design you please; witches hats, bats, evil eyes……the world is your cheesecake!

Speaking of cats and holidays, for those of you who have four-legged family members, I thought I’d put together a list of ways to care for them during this season. Our beloved furry friends can get a little neglected during the festivities and that, as well as the insanely hot summers we experience here in Oz mean that vet hospitals are the busiest during this time.

Here are a few important ways to look after our creatures over the next few months…….

1. Watch what they gobble: Our pets love a Christmas feast as much as we do. In fact, we often see patients that have eaten something silly, causing them to become sick. Nothing ruins a holiday like having to spend an hour in a busy waiting room of a vet hospital! When pets eat fatty foods such as bacon, sausages and sweets, it can trigger a condition known as pancreatitis. This is a very painful and debilitating condition whereby the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing vomiting and a lack of appetite leading to dehydration and illness. Most cases are treated with hospitalisation, antibiotics and IV fluids, but severe cases can be fatal.

Fatty foods aside, certain foods such as onions, chocolate, raisins and many others are actually toxic to pets. So while you enjoy your meal, treat your pet to something pet-friendly such as a raw bone or doggy treat, and ask visiting relatives nicely not to feed the pets human food or leave it lying around within reach.

2. Remember that things that are not food can seem edible: In addition to eating inappropriate foods, some dogs (think Labrador!) have a knack for eating things that really shouldn’t be eaten by anybody! While you are celebrating the holidays, your pooch may do the same by gulping down something that may get stuck in his or her gut causing an obstruction. Some holiday related things that I have had to fish out of doggy intestines include wine corks, skewers, fish hooks and corn cobs. Believe me, spending Christmas eve elbow-deep in a dog’s abdomen is no fun for the vet, the dog or the anxious owner!

3. Protect against nasty critters: In Australia, the heat tends to bring out some of those nasty creepy crawlies that we are well known for. Paralysis ticks are a horrible little bug, and if I could choose one species to be extinct, it would me this one. They latch onto an unassuming animal and proceed to inject them with a poison that paralysis first the legs and then the respiratory muscles.

There are one or two good products available from vets to protect dogs against these ticks and they should be used in high risk areas such as national parks and near water bodies. Unfortunately none of these products are highly reliable and you should search your pet after visiting these areas, focusing on the head and neck. If you notice any signs of paralysis such as weak legs, a change in bark or breathing difficulty, veterinary care should be sought immediately.

Snake bites are also more common during summer and this should also be treated as an emergency.

4. Stay on top of routine treatments: Ensure your dogs are fully vaccinated. Diseases such as Parvovirus and Canine Cough (Kennel Cough) are more frequently transmitted in the warmer months. Parvovirus occurs mostly in young, inadequately vaccinated dogs and causes severe vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. It is also a condition that can be fatal due to the profound dehydration and weakness it causes. Vaccinations and worming can often be overlooked during the excitement of the holiday season so stay organised!

5. Beat the heat: Keep your pets cool during the scorching summer months. Keep them indoors or provide plenty of shade outdoors. Ensure there is plenty of clean drinking water within reach, and add ice cubes to it on hotter days. Pets should not be left in cars on hot days and if this must be done, leave a couple of windows open a notch, don’t leave them for more than a few minutes and park the car in the shade.

So with a bit of care and vigilance, your furry friends can enjoy the holiday season while staying happy, healthy and out of hospital!

Hoping I haven’t put you off your food with all this vet talk and on a brighter note, here’s the recipe for my Black Cat Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars for October’s SABH. The lovely JJ from 84th & 3rd is hosting this one. These bars are gluten-free, vegetarian and fructose free (not including the decoration).

Happy Halloween to you and your pets!

Black Cat Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Makes 8

Recipe for the base is from Sarah Wilson’s Blog

Get:

For the base:
1/2 cup nuts- hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios or macadamias work well
1/2 cup shredded or dessicated coconut
1/3 cup nut meal- I used almond
2 tbsp unsalted butter

For the topping:
1 block (200g) cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree*
2 1/2- 3 tbsp rice syrup or honey
1 tsp allspice
1/3 cup almond meal

To decorate:
About 10 squares dark chocolate
Sprinkles, pearls, et al
A piping bag or homemade version (try this tutorial)

Make:

Preheat the oven to 160 C.

Use a food processor to grind the whole nuts to a very coarse meal with some small chunks. Place in a large bowl and add all the other ingredients. Using your (clean) hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a sort ok kneadable dough. Press the mixture into a grease-proof paper lined loaf tin or a deep baking tray if you decide to double the recipe. The base should be about a centimetre thick. Bake on the middle shelf for about 15 mins or until firm and very slightly browned. Allow to cool before adding the topping.

Place the topping ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until well combined and smooth. Pour the mixture over the cooled base and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing into 8 even squares.

Line a tray with grease-proof paper or a silicon mat. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in 20-30 second bursts in the microwave. Place in the piping bag and pipe shapes of your choice. At this point, I placed the edible pearls to make the cats’ eyes. Place the tray in the fridge till the chocolate sets. Once the cheesecake bars are set and sliced, decorate with the chocolate shapes and any other decorations you wish to use.

*I make pumpkin puree by placing a chunk of pumpkin, skin and all, on a tray in an oven preheated to 180 C. Bake until the pumpkin is quite soft, about 30 min. Scoop out the flesh and mash by hand or using a food processor.

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On the Importance of the Fur-Child

Posted on October 10, 2013October 11, 2013 by Deepa

Our family pooch Cookie is a nuggetty little Jack Russell Terrier crossed with God-knows-what. He is undeniably socially inept when it comes to others of his kind. His stumpy front legs turn outwards and he is afflicted by skin allergies to silly things like grass, that see him determinedly licking his paws at any given opportunity.

He is deeply offended by the advances of other four-legged beings and has been known to hold a grudge beyond what is decent and reasonable. He is intensely dedicated to playing fetch but is appalled at the fact that when on a beach, he is expected to swim (swim!) into the water in order to retrieve the ball. Yes, if Cookie were a person, he’d be a Forrest Gump of sorts; a creature that is utterly endearing in his inability to ever reach the top of the food chain.

But just like many a fur-child around the world, ours brightens our household like no human could. The flavour that pets add to our lives can only truly be understood by those that have shared their lives with one that is furred, feathered or scaled.

I’m not talking about the obvious heroes- the guide dogs, the search and rescue dogs or those incredible pooches who detect seizures in their epileptic owners before they even occur. I’m referring to those everyday creatures, without special training or powers. The ones who make a terrible racket every time the doorbell rings and ‘help’ you with your gardening on weekends. Those that wake you up by stationing themselves purring on your chest every morning. That one that is right this moment snoring on your ottoman, chasing butterflies in his sleep.

A woman once shared with me that it was her four little fluff-balls who saved her from depression when she was battling breast cancer. That while it was her oncologist, her surgeon and her nurses who saved her body, it was her canine family that saved her sanity.

Another tale that I will never forget was a man’s very personal story, in which his Springer Spaniel was single-handedly (pawedly?) responsible for reuniting him with his estranged wife. And let us not forget those creatures who keep our senior citizens company when no-one else will.

Our pets add sparkle to our lives that we would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. For many, they are all that wait for them when they come home each evening. They make us laugh and remind us to look outside ourselves, even at times when that seems impossible. For those of us without kids, they give us something to be responsible for other than ourselves.

At the very least, if they are anything like Cookie, our fur-children provide intensive cuddles, free entertainment and a reason to get outside and throw a ball again…..and again…..and again.

Happy Vet Nurses day Friday the 11th of October!

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