# Biscuit's Raw Diet Diary



## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

I wanted a place where I can keep track of how Biscuit is doing and what he is eating as well as my expense as we go 100% raw. Yesterday, I toyed with it a bit giving him a chicken neck to try. Today we are crossing over and NOT looking back. The kibble has been given to a neighbor in need so all that is in the house for Biscuit to eat is chicken at this point. 

This is mostly for me to keep track of things while it is new, but I will welcome any input or advice as I go.

Expense:

3 lbs (37 pieces) chicken necks $0.99
2 chicken thighs $0.50 
2 whole chicken wings $0.30

Going to get some more today and prepare it into single servings and then freeze it so it is ready to go when we need it. I also plan on finding a scale for me to measure portions better.

Meals:

Breakfast: 2 oz approx. of chicken wing, meat only $0.10

snack: 2 oz of chicken neck $0.03

Lunch : 2 oz chicken wing segment (drumstick) $0.10

Dinner: 2 oz chicken thigh $0.10

Snack (if needed) : half of a chicken neck $0.02

Biscuit's progress

Breakfast: Cleaned his bowl and was immediately ready for a nap (totally normal as it was 6:30am. We had gone outside to potty and had our morning walk around the block before he ate.

Lunch: Ate all of his wing segment and was still hungry so I offered a chicken neck that he nibbled and chewed on for a while. After lunch walk produced what I think is the first raw poo. It was very tiny, not constipated, just small.

Snack: Remainder of chicken neck and some cottage cheese (his favorite treat) 

Dinner: Ate all of his thigh meat and was very satisfied. Walked and took a nap.

Will most likely go out again around 10-11pm and we will walk the whole block again. This usually puts him to sleep for the night.

So far there have been no ill effects from switching to raw. I am crossing my fingers that we are not going to get the runny poos. I am trying to keep the bone content a little high for the first few days in hopes that that will keep those problems at bay. We live on the third floor and I do not allow for potty pads in the house so I am not sure if we could make it outside if need be in time.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Day 2 

So today we started our day with our morning walk around the block. Nice small tootsie roll sized poo! Then we returned home for breakfast.

Breakfast: Boneless Chicken breast 2 oz portion

Lunch: Chicken thigh 2 oz diced up with some cottage cheese mixed in.

Snack: 1 oz portion of chicken wing meat off the bone and 1 oz of chicken liver Mixed with a little (half a tsp) cottage cheese as he ate all of the meat, but none of the liver. With the cottage cheese, he happily ate all of the liver.

Dinner: Chicken neck with 1 oz breast meat. CHANGE OF PLANS: Dinner will be a chicken neck with a nibble or two of extra meat. His afternoon poo was a little runnier than I would like :foxes15: I am upping his bone content for his final meal of the day.


One major change that I am noticing is his energy level. I don't know if it is due to his age (9 weeks) or if it is due to the change in his food. But all day yesterday after he ate he was running around and playing like crazy! He is doing so again today. On kibble after a meal it was pretty much set in stone that he would take a long nap. 

Another major change that I am liking very much....He no longer smells like kibble! Just clean.

At first I was very hesitant to go raw, but right now I am so glad that I did.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So I missed a few days here while traveling. But I am very pleased with our progress. Biscuit has had beef, pork, lamb, goat, and squirrel while we were gone and loved it all. Today is shopping day, so we will he going to the market to find lots of yummy things and then come home and portion it out for his meals into freezer bags. This week we are adding organs! Yumm O!


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Everything has been going great on our raw diet. I am loving the hunt for new and exciting things for him to try. since Biscuit has done so well on chicken, we have added all proteins in as well as organs. He does not like whole or sliced organ meat so I am making an organ slurry that I coat his meals with. Poos are small and firm and he is going on average once a day.

Thanks to the help of some wonderful people here, I did learn in the last 2 days that I was over feeding the little booger, by a lot! So I am back to the drawing boards on portion sizes, but it is quick and easy to work out.

I am to feed him 3% of his expected adult weight (not 8-10% like I have been) or I can feed him 8-10% of his current weight. So this cuts the amount he gets in a day from 8 ounces to 2.5 ounces or 4 ounces per day. That is a BIG difference. Since I already have things portioned into 2 ounce servings he will simply be getting only one and a fourth of those a day. We shall see how this goes. I hope he will not be hungry as he is accustomed to eating sooo much more. But I think doing what is best for him and his health is the right thing to do. If he is still hungry on the 2.5 ounces a day I can increase up to 4 ounces if need be. 

He is growing and looking so much better on his new raw diet. I cannot believe the changes that I have seen in him. To me this is definitely worth the effort. His coat is shiny-er, his breath does not smell, he no longer smells like kibble is oozing out of his skin, and he is FULL of wonderful puppy energy.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Awesome Stephanie! I love reading your posts. 

Just watch his body condition. Raw fed puppies grow slow and steady. Keep him at a normal weight, not pudgy but not excessively lean. Then adjust his portions up or down depending on how he looks. Go more by that then what the scale shows. You should be able to feel ribs when you rub your hand over him, but not see them when he's walking around. 

So proud of you and the great job you are doing!


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks Lady Bug! Since I have had him since he was so tiny and young I am having a bit of a time judging the pudge factor. He tends to do like human children and bulk up a bit then grow over night. He has grown since starting raw, but not excessively. But he has gotten a little pudgy over the last week and I can't tell if we are hitting a growth spurt (as we are hitting the 3 month mark) or if it is the over feeding. I am hoping that by cutting back on portions I get my answer. 

He does however seem so much sturdier. I know that because he was so young when we got him that he didn't get all that he needed nutritionally from mom and I think by him eating nutritionally complete food it is improving his overall health dramatically. His hair is fuller, his muscle definition is changing, his eyes have more sparkle, and all that stuff. It is almost as though he is making up for what he lost.

I don't think that in reality I was really over feeding him by that much though because I am offering meaty bones at least every other day and he doesn't really eat that much of those. He chews on them eats a little and when he is done there is usually a lot left of meat and bone there, so mostly his diet is the boneless meals of meat and organs with a little bone. I am just trying to let him be my guide and relax through this. I kind of feel like he will tell me what he needs.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

OMG, I think I was actually over feeding and that is why he didn't want to eat the bones! So today he has had the scaled back portions for his meals and tonight I gave him a chicken neck and he is chomping that sucker down! YAY! And yes I know they are really boney, but these also have a lot of fat and skin so the kind of balance out the extra lean stuff he gets the rest of the time.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

Can't believe I didn't see this before! I'll be checking in! I made a raw diet journey thread for Kahlua ages ago too and it was really helpful at the time to go back and see the notes! Keep up the great work! =D


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Aww thanks. I am trying to get it all down. It's just a lot some days.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Aw I wish I would have done something like this so I could have tracked all of Onyx's raw improvements.

And about him now eating his bones due to feeding correct amounts, he was probably trying to tell you "mommy I don't have any room for all of these bones" haha.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Onyx, thanks for your help with that! It has changed things for the better.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So this morning I stopped by the butchers and got a few yummy things to try out and I found Green tripe! 

So for breakfast he got to have some duck breast and loved that. The rest is in the freezer

And for dinner Vinison Yumm! 

Oh and I found ostrich, bone in quail, elk, and wild boar! Those are on the list of to gets, but I CAN get them.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

Oh wow, I am so jealous! The green tripe will be a big hit I'm sure. And duck too; how lucky. I can never find any much for "exotic" meat around here though we do have an ostrich farm not far! You'll have to let us know how he likes everything if you order any! =D


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

LostLakeLua said:


> Oh wow, I am so jealous! The green tripe will be a big hit I'm sure. And duck too; how lucky. I can never find any much for "exotic" meat around here though we do have an ostrich farm not far! You'll have to let us know how he likes everything if you order any! =D


How close are you to Chicago or do you ever get to Chicago?

This is where I found the meat and all of their stuff is top notch.

https://www.paulinameatmarket.com/

You can order from them and have it shipped, but I am not sure what the cost would be for that.

The tripe I found at the farmer's market. I simply walked up to the meat vendors and asked if they have it available and he said yes so next wed. morning we will be trying that out.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Wow lucky you! I feed quite a bit of venison but it can be pretty pricey since it is hard to find here. I do get big racks of venison ribs for $3.45 a pound though. Venison, bison, and goat are my main staples. I'd love to have Onyx try ostrich.

I've read on a few raw feeding posts that you shouldn't feed raw wild boar due to the possibility of it carrying a deadly parasite.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Green tripe is an amazing food for dogs, it is so nutritious and they *love* it. As we don't feed any veg on this raw diet, I think green tripe is a great addition as it contains digested grass so provides any veggie goodness they might need. Be warned though, it really stinks! Like cow poo, but worse! 
It is fantastic that you have so many different meats to pick from. I bet quail will be a hit.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Crap on the wild boar! I thought it would be good. But thanks for the heads up on that. I would have never guessed.

And I kind of figured on the green tripe. I grew up on a farm so the poo smell doesn't really bother me too much as I am kind of used to it and well we have had to tube a cow or two to purge a stomach and it was not pleasant so I can only assume it would have a similar smell...But regardless the smell is gross!

I am really only buying stuff until my dad and grandpa finish with hunting season toward the end of November. I have dibs on all the inner parts of the kills of deer, elk, and turkey. I also have dibs on the good puppy parts of the beefs that they will be sending to slaughter soon. I am really mostly shopping to see what I can find until then. But By Christmas I should have a few quails, a few pheasants, some grouse, fresh beef, hopefully some deer meat, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit, and depending on how fat they get between now and then some fresh pork. If all goes as planned I am hoping to not have to shop for meat until next spring at the earliest and be set on organ meat for sure until next fall. But this is how my family eats. I grew up country and we very rarely if ever bought anything from the store food wise we either raised it or hunted for it.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Free deer organ yummies? I HATE you. Lol only joking. I'm jealous though. I wish I had a family of hunters. Most of my friends and family are city people though. They know of nothing more than the meat counter at Safeway :sad3:

I must ask, where the heck do you get squirrel? Haha.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

More than likely, I will have to go help hunt some of that while I am home next time, but it is always fun when I get to go so I don't mind. But squirrel we hunt in the woods and shoot out of trees usually. They kind of taste like rabbit. My granny fixes squirrel stew or fries it. It is kind of tasty, but I have to be in the mood for it. Just so you know we aren't crazy!

If you were closer I would share!


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Lol I don't think you're crazy. Meat is meat, especially when it comes to the dog. I will literally feed her any meat I can get.

Now I never thought of ME eating squirrel but I'm just like my dog. I'll try just about any meat, cooked of course ha. I think I'm more carnivore than omnivore 

Oh if I were closer I'd be begging for some deer heart hehe.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So I just wanted to see if my ticker will show up in my siggy/ Never mind it doesn't


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Now it does


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So we had the ostrich and the venison yesterday. I was half expecting the runny poo gods to curse me today, but everything is normal.

The wild boar is going to be a no go for us. I did some looking it up and there is a parasite that is linked to eating it raw that I am not willing to risk subjecting my baby to. But that's ok we will just look for something else new to try.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

I can't say for sure, but I think some of his pudge is shrinking. His hoodies are a little looser. He is doing really really well on the smaller servings.

Today he had a tiny little lamb chop and ate it right up!

And of course he has had his chicken and no bone meals too. 

Can I say this, he is a puppy and he is still house training a bit but very rarely has an accident if I am paying attention. Well today I let him run around while I took a shower. As I stepped OUT of the bathroom to go get dressed I stepped in his poooooo all in between my toes and everything! No warning no smell didn't even think it would be an issue! So while I am generally thankful that the poo is stink free, today is not one of those days. But at least I can laugh about it. We have hardwood floors so it was really not that big of a deal, except that I stepped in poo barefoot.


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## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

Have you tried any turkey organs yet? That's the only thing I found here at the stores so far. If he did, I was wondering if Biscuit did ok with it?

Very jealous that you can get variety of meats for him! lol I'm glad that you put this thread up because it would also help me as an example guide to feeding when I'm ready to feed fully raw.  

Oh yea, I finally found a place that sells some ZP, it was the last place that I want to drive to....downtown! Maybe you should try to call the last place you want to go to? lol

LOL @ the poo thing. I think they tend to poo when we are not looking or busy doing something. Did you shower around the time you posted earlier that he goes poo?


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

I have not tried Turkey organs yet, but I have tried chicken and he did well on those. He just doesntg like the texture of organ meats so I put them in the food processor until they are kind of a smoothie like consistency. After that, I mix the organs in with his boneless meat. And he has no problem eating it.


I have no problem going downtown, I just cannot find it locally. My pet store is going to get some in stock for me though.

Yea, it was about 30 mins before we go out. So not entirely not my fault.

Good luck to you with raw. If you have an ethnic grocery store, go there for meat. You will find lots to try.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So this morning we had some screaming squirts from what I am assuming the lamb:foxes15: After a wing tip everything seemed to work itself out by mid-day. We just kept things nice and simple for meals chicken, chicken, and chicken to let his tummy settle. 

Other than that everything was good.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Glad you didn't get put off by the squirts lol. A lot of new raw feeders freak out when they see loose poops, chicken wing tips are a great cure though! 

It was probably just due to the higher fat content of lamb that he wasn't used to.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Well the old saying is true, *hit happens. I am not really put off by poop, lol. I cloth diapered my daughter for 3 years and the whole growing up on a farm thing so if I can handle all that then a little chi poo is not biggie at all. I got into this knowing these days were going to happen as new proteins were introduced so it just is what it is. I gave him the wing tip and all was well the rest of the day.

Biscuit did wake up starving this morning. Actually barking at me to get up out of bed. So I open the door and HE ran to his food bowl not to the door to go potty. So this morning he had some beef cheek and chicken YUMMY. But even after I gave him his appropriate portion he still acted hungry. So I gave the bone from an ox tail to chew on for a while and he seems to settle down a bit.


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## Onyx (Nov 28, 2011)

Ha that's adorable. It's so great to see them love their food and be so enthusiastic about eating.

Onyx usually eats her meaty bones in her crate or my closest space on a towel (door open) and if I say "food" or "you hungry?" She goes RUNNING into one of them and patiently waits for her meal lol.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

I am so glad that he is liking this and for the most part, we have very few bumps in the road. But he is really learning quickly when it is time to eat and is rather insistant. So I think I am going to try changing the time a little so that he doesn't come to expect food at that exact time every day.

Biscuit eats on a towel in the kitchen or dining room mostly. But I think I am going to try feeding him in his kennel for a while to see if that will help keep him from trying to roam and look for a hiding spot.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

*I think I want to change HOW I feed Biscuit. . .*

So typically in a day little man gets 3 servings of boneless meals that are all nicely diced and measured and one meal on the bone. I am trying to figure out a way to give him all of his meals on the bone. No more dicing and chopping of the meat with the exception on one small serving so that I can get him to eat his organs. 

So for those that have more experience than I, I have some questions:

*Is it possible for me to basically ONLY feed bone in meals?
*
Ex. Day 1: Large beef rib with meat. He eats his fill, I toss back in the fridge and use it again at next meal. Repeat until bone is clean.

Day 2-3: Pork shank (leg bone thing). He eats his fill, toss back in the fridge. . .

My concern is that he is only suppose to have 2.5-4 ounces of food a day. I will not be able to be as in control of his portion sizes doing things this way. *Will it hurt things if it is not strictly regulated portions? * Because there is a chance that he gets more than he should or less than he should in a given setting.

The reason for this is that the more that I read and research it just seems better to do only on the bone if you can. The other reason is that it just seems more natural for him to eat chicken meat off the back or leg or what ever than for me to buy chicken breast and chop them up.

I don't know, I am mostly thinking out loud here, but I am hopeful that someone will get the gist of what I am trying to say and offer some advice or opinion to help me out or their thoughts on what I am thinking of doing.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

So I have been playing with feeding more meat on the bone meals this week. He has been eating chicken legs, some tiny lamb chops (no runs this time YAY!!!), and some bone in ribs. On the chicken legs, he is able to eat some of the bone, but not a lot so I think he is staying in his 10% range with those. On the ribs and chops, he really only chews on those so the amount of bone ingested is not really counting. He is getting a small 1 ounce boneless meal a day (beef cheek) with his organs and liver. But I have found that he will eat chicken liver as is no having to make a slurry. So I am going to see if I can find other liver meats with that type of texture. He also enjoyed some chicken hearts as well. I am hoping to get some beef and pork hearts later this week to try those too, but I think those only count as muscle and not as an organ. I have also sourced some whole quail and rabbit to give those a try, but I don't know if I will get them before I have to go back to Kentucky on Thursday. 

My little guy is doing awesome. The vet is very impressed with how his fur and skin has changed. Teeth are new, but they are nice and clean. He is weighing in at 2.3 pounds and has lost the pudgy look he was sporting a week or so ago. His labs on his blood work all came back "perfect". So I know longer think I am doing the right thing in how I am feeding him. I KNOW I am doing the right thing.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

So pleased to follow your progress Stephanie! You are doing an awesome job!


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks, but I am only doing it at all because of you and a few others here. You all have shown me what it is, answered all my questions, and offer the best support and encouragement. 

I keep waiting for Biscuit's coat to shine like Brody's, but I am afraid he has more of a rough texture to his coat that is keeping it from being super shiny


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

stephanie.f8291 said:


> So I have been playing with feeding more meat on the bone meals this week. He has been eating chicken legs, some tiny lamb chops (no runs this time YAY!!!), and some bone in ribs. On the chicken legs, he is able to eat some of the bone, but not a lot so I think he is staying in his 10% range with those. On the ribs and chops, he really only chews on those so the amount of bone ingested is not really counting. He is getting a small 1 ounce boneless meal a day (beef cheek) with his organs and liver. But I have found that he will eat chicken liver as is no having to make a slurry. So I am going to see if I can find other liver meats with that type of texture. He also enjoyed some chicken hearts as well. I am hoping to get some beef and pork hearts later this week to try those too, but I think those only count as muscle and not as an organ. I have also sourced some whole quail and rabbit to give those a try, but I don't know if I will get them before I have to go back to Kentucky on Thursday.
> 
> My little guy is doing awesome. The vet is very impressed with how his fur and skin has changed. Teeth are new, but they are nice and clean. He is weighing in at 2.3 pounds and has lost the pudgy look he was sporting a week or so ago. His labs on his blood work all came back "perfect". So I know longer think I am doing the right thing in how I am feeding him. I KNOW I am doing the right thing.


Yay!!! =D  I've been following this Diary and glad to see Biscuit is still doing well. Beef and pork heart is excellent; super nutritious. Yup it counts as muscle, and it is very rich. We try to make beef heart our dogs main "staple" here and they love it. And hooray for PERFECT lab work! =D You're doing the right thing for sure; the proof is in the ....pork?? LOL! Keep up the great work.


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## Smith (Jun 7, 2010)

stephanie.f8291 said:


> Thanks, but I am only doing it at all because of you and a few others here. You all have shown me what it is, answered all my questions, and offer the best support and encouragement.
> 
> I keep waiting for Biscuit's coat to shine like Brody's, but I am afraid he has more of a rough texture to his coat that is keeping it from being super shiny


Biscuit still has his puppy coat, which tends to be softer and less 'shiny' than adult coats. Also, Brody is a black dog and _nobody's_ coat gleams in a sun like a black dog's!  Lyra is a fawn like your Biscuit, and her coat is soft and shiny, but put her and Ichabod out in the sun together, and Ichabod's dark coat outshines hers every time. :lol:


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks for the support. I really would not be doing this if it weren't for you all.


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## blacktrack208 (Aug 30, 2012)

This is so interesting, thanks for posting.


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

You are so welcome. It is fun and a great way for me to kep track of things.


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