Dog Food Standards

If you continue to feed very inexpensive, corn filled, and by-product dog food, you are going to be continuing a standard of care that is very antiquated. There is no reason for a dog owner to put up with the past standards of what could and should not be sold at dog food, or pet food stores in the past.

New food standards need to be installed, but first, you as a pet owner should be one to start the trend. In the commercial world, if you do not insist on proper nutrition, you are not going to find it. It is important that you as a good dog owner, always vote with your pocket book.

By this, I mean, be sure to buy good nutrition. Be sure to start only a trend with yourself, that you buy only healthy dog food. No corn, no by-products, and no chemicals or preservatives. Do not be fooled by healthy claims until you read the labels. Be a cautious buyer, and let me know what you think. I am happy to help your decision for the right food for your dog.

Pink Eye for Dogs

Yes, little kids are not the only ones that suffer from pink eye or conjuctivitis. It is fairly common in dogs, and usually happens to dogs who have visited a dog play area, park, or other area frequented by other dogs. The dog who suffers from this ailment, usually has an itch, watery eye, redness, and a discharge around the tear duct.

A visit to the vet is in order, so a general diagnosis can be performed, and medicine can be prescribed. The disorder will often get worse before it gets better, so prompt attention is a good idea.

If the redness occurs in only one eye, it could be dry eye, where the tear duct is not producing enough tears. The humidity in the home can be increased, and a gentle salt bath or homeopathic eye solution used. The best ones are ones that are non-toxic and do not provide any chemical interactions.

A great product line, called Halo, makes a good eye rinse for your dog. It will take you through a 2 week treatment easily, and is a great product if your dog suffers from eye discharge.

Do not let brown streaks or itch remain with your dog's day to day life. It is not a normal symptom.

Happy Dogs are Itch Free!

Lose the crazy cheap dog food, and you will be on your way to a itch free dog! There are some dogs who have had crappy food for years, and have some toxic reactions to the chemicals and by-products of no real nutrition. The reason the dog food that you buy stays fresh on the shelf for years, is because it is not really food. It is some kind of filler, protein that is something you would never eat, and the chemicals that keep it all from going bad.

Keep your dog fed this way, and you will watch a series of vet visits develop, with the word allergy come up, here and there. No reason to get the dog tested, just stop feeding the cheap and poor nutrition, and you will see a change.

Initially, they may feel worse when you switch to the new, better food. This is perplexing, and sometimes it results in a switch back to the corn and grain food. Stop, and think! The reason the dog is feeling worse, is because all the toxins and chemicals have been released by the dog's body, into the blood. The liver is just having a hard time processing all these new chemicals that were stored. It takes time for the new nutrition to give way, and get the upper hand. Often, there is a back load of chemicals and toxins that need to evacuate from your dog's fatty tissues.

Your dog's body was just holding onto all of these chemicals, until you had a better option. Once the nutrition was actually offered, the body then realized it would be ok to let go of all that fat. That is the bad reaction you are seeing.

Patience, my doggy friend. The process is not quick. It is however, forever! It will work, and you will be amazed at the changes. Do not be fooled by dog food that seems nutritional, that is really poor grain, corn, or by-products. A good offering is something that you can really understand, and one that has an expiration date that is in weeks or months, not years.

Addiction Dry Dog La Porchetta 20 lbs

Great Dog Food Starts With You

Your puppy may look so healthy, and you are deciding on food choices for your new dog. It can be a daunting task, and often, we buy a food, that seems good on the pocket book, at a grocery store, or a big box store, and we end up feeding that, and think it is healthy and wise choice.

Surely, if you take some time to read the ingredients, you will not recognize any of the items on that list. It is really important to stay away from this type of food, as it usually develops other problems.

Food Allergies
Joint Problems
Skin Allergies
Bad Breath
Bad Behavior resulting from Digestive Problems

More vet visits will be in store for you, as Ear Infections often occur with dogs that eat a lot of the wrong food. You may have a healthy dog now, but keep feeding the food that is years old, full of preservatives, by-products, and chemicals, and you will spend more at the vet.

A healthy dog food, with ingredients you understand, is the best dog medical insurance policy!

Dogs and Dog Booties

Your dog boots are really just slipper shoes for your dog's feet. They need some kind of coverage for their paws, especially in the very deep snow, and the cold. If you are considering dog boots, we use these boots, and they work well for dog booties. They will keep your dog's feet warm, even in very cold weather.

Healthy Food Does Help!

If you have found a great food for your dog, and you are now feeding this food, you may want to know when are the ear infections going to cure themselves? When will the skin problems disappear? How about the mange and fleas that your dogs suffer with? These are all clues of auto-immunity gone wild. The body is removing toxins and chemicals faster than it can take in the vitamins and minerals.

The plan will take some time. It will produce results, you need to stay dedicated until it does. One thing you can do is add some sweet potatoes, pumpkin or some baby food that is organic and a mixture of these two items. The power pack of minerals and vitamins, fiber and great amino acids will really boost your dog's digestive system, and allow a great transition.

Be kind to yourself, know you are doing the right thing, and treat the symptoms with vet care when you need to. The mere fact that you are adding great food, will bring a good from of care for long term, life long great health.

Sometimes when you feed the best the worst happens

You might see a downturn in your dog when you change their food. Do not give up your holistic eating plan! This is not a quick fix, and when we made the change with our girls, they took a downturn at the beginning. It was very frustrating, until I learned one important fact: Sometimes you get sicker when you eat better! This goes for people and for animals too. Here's why!

It has to do with your liver, and how your digestive process works. When you are eating crappy food and drinking chemical laden drinks, your body can not remove all the chemicals and toxins. Some of them end up as stored toxins in your fat cells. And, when you eat better, your body is rejoicing with happy news, and says, release the hounds, so to say! The fat, toxins and chemicals that were stored, are suddenly released, and in a binge release into the blood. This, creates a toxic event, where the liver is overwhelmed, and it takes some time for the after effects of years of stored junk to be sent out to pasture. So, this can take some time!

Imagine you eat for 5 years fast food only. It takes some time before you actually taste real food, and enjoy it. It takes some time for your body to flush and clean itself. And, when the process is done, you have a really amazing powerful machine. This can take up to a year sometimes.

If you are experiencing bad breath, fat, poor dental hygiene, allergies, lethargy, and depression or sadness in your dog during this transition, do not give up your plan. I would appreciate your comments on any questions you may have while you go through this purging period.

Happy barks!

Fillers and Corn

What is a filler? Have you ever wanted to know, what they are talking about when you hear the term filler? Here is a list of what most fillers are:

Corn
Wheat
Rice
White Potatoes

This looks like it would be OK, right? When you look at the list, it looks better than the by-products, but really, it is a very unhealthy option for your dogs. You need to ensure these items are never in your dog's food, and here is why!

Your dog has a very small digestive system, and the fillers above are very hard on your dog's liver and kidneys. The toxic fillers above will not only make your dog sluggish and fat, but it will eventually lead to kidney issues.

Many animals die of kidney, pancreatic, stomach, and liver problems in their elderly days. Not to mention, heart disease. It is a clear choice, filler or no filler, you decide!

By-Products in Dog Food

Your dog is your best friend, so why are you feeding him or her the worst kind of things, like by-products? What are by-products? The most easy way to understand what they are, is what they are not. They are not human grade meat products, they are the things you and I would never eat. The list is disgusting, and includes hair,hooves,eyeballs, some organs like a lung, or a anal canal. This is a way for the meat processing companies to make a fortune, as all of the by-products, or sickening extras, go to dog and cat food companies, and the pet owner, sees by-product or meat meal on the label.

Do not feed your dog meat meal, by-product. It has little nutrition, and to enhance the nutrition, they add some fillers and chemicals to complete this disaster. The most horrific thing about this, is your dog ends up sick and overweight. The same things that happen to people, when they eat food with little nutrition, happen to our best friends.

Dogs love a Good Brushing

If you have a regular brushing with your groomer scheduled, and you take them to the groomer on a regular basis, you should still try to brush your dog. It is a trust relationship kind of thing, and it will improve your relationship with your dog. They often live to do things with you, and if you continue to improve this relationship, you will find them less busy with naughty or bad behavior.

I recommend a good brush, and a great one is made by christensen's in texas, and a great size is the #27 wire brush. It fits in your hand so nice, and it is a really fine wire, so that it does not hurt the dog's skin. We have invested in a dog grooming table, that folds flat for storage, and this has been a good thing, because whenever I get it out, the dogs know it is time to relax, and take it easy.

We used to have a time with brushing, but since we brush more often, and just a little each day, it has been a joy and less of a chore for the dogs.

Dog Basic Training

Puppies know from a few weeks old, how to sit, lie down, and walk with you. They can follow almost immediately. The problems come about when they get some conflicting information from leadership. Just like in any business, when management is having trouble communicating with the team, there are going to be some rogue leaders and some very stressed followers.

It is imperative that you, as the human, regain your pack leadership position. Your dog is looking to you for leadership! They communicate by being naughty, tearing up the house, barking and just plain being a nuisance. If you have a dog that is acting out, chances are you are not leading, but are following your dog.

During Dog training, a dog will ask you for leadership. If you work towards being able to effectively communicate with your dog, you will be able to lead them forward. The best way to do this, is to remember, your dog watches every move you make. They smell your anxiety, they hear your restlessness, and all of these emotions are seen as a compromised leader. They will want to assume leadership in this case.

Be sure to go to Dog Obedience, not for your Dog initially, but for you. You are the part of this group that needs to be trained. Your dog will do what comes naturally, follow when it feels right.

Dogs and Cats

You can have a great relationship with both your cat and your dog. The old myth that dogs and cats do not get along, is simply silly. Sometimes, when you bring a cat or a dog into a home, and the existing dog or cat is not used to the other species, there can be some tension. It is merely a matter of time before they are both having a great time playing and having some real fun.

You just need to keep the two separated, while they get used to each other. Let the cat make the first move, as it is usually the one that will "allow" the other animal to be in its presence. There just needs to be a time of adjustment.

We always jump to conclusions too quickly these days. There is so much hurry and rush, that sometimes, just making time to walk through the steps, you can find that the friendship will blossom.