Your Healthy Honor Dog

FAQ series - Dog food, bones to chew on and supplements

2022-01-27T16:02:00.010-05:00

Frequently Asked Questions:

The products we use and recommend and where to find them

This list may be updated from time to time but will be a good explanation of the products we use and where they can be purchased. We do not get any compensation for any of the products or recommendations.We are providing links and places to purchase but you may find other sources for the same products or be able to buy them locally to you.

** Please note we are not recommending Grain Free kibble dog foods anymore as the high pea and legume content of all grain free foods is causing an alarming high rate of taurine deficiency which causes Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in certain breeds. Goldens are especially susceptible to this deadly disease. Do not feed a grain free kibble **

Food recommendations:

The best diet for your dog is a homemade, balanced diet. It may sound hard but it's a lot easier than you think! Here is a link to the diet outlined by Natures Farmacy on a blog post HERE You can order a laminated, easy to follow card from them (free!) HERE

If you feel you must feed a kibble, here are a few of the ones we recommend:
**Note: we have not fed all these different foods but have read the labels and researched the products and they appear to be healthy, super premium products**

** If a dog food is listed for "All Life Stages" then it is great for feeding puppies and adult dogs**

Farmina Natural Chicken and Ancient Grains - purchase HERE or HERE (This is probably one of the best quality foods available right now, however is a little more expensive, especially if you are feeding multiple dogs) This food is non-GMO as well

Natures Logic Dog Food - search for a local dealer HERE or order online HERE

Victor Dog Food - search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE (Hi Pro formula or Professional formula are foods we have fed for years and the dogs do really well on them)

Daves Naturally Healthy Dog Food - Search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE

Holistic Select Adult Chicken and Brown Rice - Search for a local dealer HERE or order HERE

Nutro Ultra - Buy Here, or Here

American Natural Premium - Search for a local dealer HERE or order online
Adult food HERE or Puppy food HERE
Annamaet Adult Dog Food Search for a local dealer Here or order Here

Primal Dog Food is a really good dog food, however it comes in frozen patties so you have to have freezer space to store it. Find a dealer close to you HERE for the frozen patties or you can order the easy to use and travel with freeze dried nuggets HERE, HERE and HERE

There are many other really good dog foods available. We highly advise if you feed something that is not on the above list that you look for foods that are ONLY 4 or 5 star foods on Dog Food Advisor. (Do not choose anything lower than a 4 star food) They have done all the leg work and have rated all the foods based on quality of ingredients as well as the many other resources on their site, click HERE

Canned Meat

There are a few higher quality canned meats that you can mix in with your dogs regular meal. Not only do they love the meat, it's useful if mixing in pills or supplements that they may not eat without some meat to hide the flavor of it.

Here are just a few we have used and where to buy

Nulo feestyle canned meat - buy it Here

Evangers Organics canned meat - buy it HERE

Organix canned meat - buy it HERE

Again, Dog Food Advisor is a great resource if you are unsure about the quality other brands. There are a lot of good, quality options out there, just read the labels.

Bones

You can read about healthy bones to give your dog HERE, HERE and HERE.

This is also another brand that we have found that the dogs really like HERE or HERE (NOT the filled variety) These Red Barn bones will tend to crumble as they are chewed down and will generally not break off in large pieces. Strong chewers always need to be monitored and any pieces that break off and could be swallowed should be tossed. If you suspect your dog is chewing off large pieces, throw the bones out and find something else that they can't swallow or possibly choke on. Also HERE and HERE for a couple of more choices

Himalayan Dog Chews are another great, healthy and safe dog chew. They are literally compressed cheese with just a couple of healthy ingredients. There are several kinds and sizes available but HERE is one brand on Amazon, HERE and HERE and HERE (large container)are several that Amazon Prime carries. It will take several days to weeks for average chewer to go thru these. For super chewers, they may eat them faster, but will give them plenty to chew on for a while. Our dogs really love these! Here is a link for a larger quantity that we usually buy ourselves

Bully sticks are great for puppies, as they can't devour them with their tiny teeth but they keep them busy! THIS ONE or THIS ONE or THIS ONE HERE have been good ones we've used and the pups love them!

Supplements

If you have an Honor puppy/dog then you have no doubt gotten our "puppy packet" with several recommendations and the articles of why these supplements are important. There are several blog posts on here too with great articles for the need for extra supplementation.

Vitamin C - A great antioxidant and also help with collagen production for healthy hips, elbows and all joints of the growing dog until the bone plates are closed. Vitamin C should be given for the entire lifespan of the dog. Puppies start out on 500 mg. daily in food and we slowly progress them up to 4,000 mg. by 4 months of age. They should stay at that level until 2 years of age, when the bone plates are done closing, and at 2 years of age can be dropped down to 2,000 mg. daily for the rest of his/her life. Vitamin C and be increased during times of stress such as surgery or if an injury happens. The rule of thumb is to give Vitamin C to the point of a loose stool and then back down a bit, so the above doses are a general guideline of what we feed. Your dog may need less if he/she is having trouble with loose stools at these levels, but we find most Goldens handle this level very well. This one or this one are great options.

A probiotic is essential for a healthy gut, which in turn helps them get the full benefit from their food, helps digestion and helps keep the immune system strong.

DocRoy's is what we currently use on our own dogs. It contains pro and prebiotics and is great for puppies and adult dogs. It can be ordered HERE on Amazon or you can go to the Revival Animal Health site here

A good multi Vitamin/Mineral supplement will ensure your dog is getting a well balanced diet and all the nutrition they need. We feed and recommend NuVet Plus wafers or powder. NuVet products have superior quality products and really good prices that we have used on our own dogs and recommended for many, many years! This is only available thru breeder and veterinarian referrals. If you have any trouble ordering, call the 800# on the website and they will answer any questions. USE CODE 83900 WHEN ORDERING. Feed according to label instructions and use for the lifetime of your dog(s)

We currently recommend Krill Oil for supplementation over the standard Fish Oil or even Salmon Oil. The thought being that krill are very small but have very high levels of Omega 3, DHA and all the other benefits provided. Here is a great article by Dr. Becker of why Krill oil is superior to Salmon and other fish oils. Krill Oil can be purchased at any GNC, health food store or Costco for a quantity discount, but here are a few good ones here, here, or here.

Apple Cider Vinegar has too many health benefits to even begin to list here but you can read more about why we recommend it so highly in this post. You want to make sure to get organic with "the mother" which looks like some stuff floating at the bottom of the bottle. Braggs is the most commonly available brand and can get it at most grocery stores and health food stores but here is a link if you prefer to get it on Amazon.

While canned pumpkin is not a supplement, it is one of the things you should always have on hand for your dog. It is a super quick way to firm up any loose stools or diarrhea but can also help with constipation. You want to make sure you are buying just plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling that has sugar and spices in it. We suggest organic, which can be found in most grocery stores that carry organic canned vegetables or you can order online here. If you want to check out the some of the benefits of canned pumpkin, click here

This post contains some affiliate links, any proceeds from purchases on these links goes directly back to Honor Service Dogs, Inc and supports their non-profit mission

WWW.HonorServiceDogs.org

The 1 Ingredient Treat You Can Make Your Dog, Sweet Tater Chews!

2021-10-19T13:12:00.000-04:00

The 1 Ingredient Treat You Can Make Your Dog,

Sweet Tater Chews!

Sweet potatoes (or Sweet Taters as we like to call them here in the South)! These chewy treats are super easy, super delicious treats that your dog will love and you will love how easy they are to make. And... how can you pass up the possibility of asking your dog in your best baby voice: "Does my sweet tater want a sweet tater?" ??!? 😄

So many of the treats you buy off the shelf are filled with terrible ingredients, made in China or smell terrible. These are super easy to make, you know exactly what it is made of and are also super low priced as well! Unless your dog has a very unusual sweet potato allergy (which we've never heard of!), any dog could eat these without any fear or reaction or upset tummy.

Here's what you need to do:

Buy as many sweet potatoes that you want to slice up, 2 or 3 will give you plenty for most dogs.

Wash, dry and slice into pieces about 1/3 inch thick (pro tip: slice a small section off what will be the bottom of your sweet potato and it will be more stable as you slice it)

Lay out your slices on a cookie sheet(s), not over lapping, lined with parchment paper

Place in oven at lowest temperature, which is 175 degrees on most US ovens, for around 8 hours or overnight. After 8 hours, pull the sweet taters out and examine them. If they are completely dry, then they are done! Any that are still a bit moist looking or feeling should go back in the oven until they are sort of crispy or have a dried jerky like feel and look to them. The thicker they are sliced, the longer they will have to be dried in the oven. Completely dried taters will last on the counter for several days or can be stored in a zip top bag for a few weeks in the fridge, if they last that long!

Actual footage that Sweet Tater Chews are Golden Retriever tested and approved!!!

Dogs should live longer, here's how you can help!

2021-10-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

Dogs should live longer, here's how you can help!

Justin Covert

"30-40% of all cancers can be prevented simply by implementing diet change"

Rodney Habib on cancer research, prevention and reversal of cancer. Yes, reversal!

This 15 minute long video will blow your mind and will change the way you feed your dog, even small changes will make a HUGE difference!

Watch it here

Please watch and then share it with everyone you know that has a dog (or cat! You'll see why if you watch to the end!)

What does a healthy bowl of dog food look like?

2021-10-19T07:13:00.002-04:00

What does a healthy bowl of dog food look like?

Feeding your dog can be a little daunting and keeping up on the best dog foods can be exhausting! There are plenty of good kibbles available on the market but the healthiest choice is to actually prepare a balanced diet of food that you and I would eat. There may be some differences of opinion if you actually need to cook the food or if a raw diet is best. There is a lot of research that supports both as healthy options. We feel raw is the healthiest because you are not cooking the nutrients out, however you do have to be very careful handling raw meats and of course, lots of cleaning up and hand washing as well.

For our dogs, we will sometimes feed a completely raw diet or sometimes do a mixture of raw and a good/high quality kibble. Because of the nature of our dogs and breeding, we will sometimes do different things with different dogs and they will have different needs than a pet that is spayed or neutered, etc. Younger, active dogs and puppies will have different calorie requirements based on their activity level and stages of growth.

This photo is a bowl from a completely raw fed dog. This bowl contains a chicken leg quarter, frozen broccoli that's been thawed but not cooked, frozen blueberries, canned sardines, about a tablespoon of bacon fat, an organic raw egg as well as powdered supplements.

This bowl has a chicken leg quarter, frozen broccoli that's been thawed but not cooked, frozen blueberries, a raw organic egg, about a tablespoon of bacon fat, about 3/4 cup of kibble and powdered supplements

For both of these bowls, the dogs are young and active, not spayed/neutered (usually spayed/neutered dogs will have a much lower calorie requirement) and are in very good health. Sometimes the chicken or ground beef will be a smaller portion, for instance, just 1 chicken thigh and a bit more kibble mixed in. If these were puppies, chicken wing sections are the best chicken pieces as they are smaller and easier to chew. If you have a butcher that will grind raw chicken with the bones in it, that is ideal but not always possible to find.

Never feed your dog cooked bones! Raw bones are soft and easy for them to digest. If you cook meat for your dog, make sure all bones are removed. Raw bones are actually really good for them and have many added health benefits when consumed.

How to make it work for your lifestyle:

One of the easiest ways to feed a homemade diet is to follow the Natures Farmacy guide below:

Some tips include:

Make up a week or more, worth of meals and freeze in individual bags for each day. Just take a pre-made pack out to thaw the day before.

Using frozen veggies is crazy easy and makes it so quick to feed this way. Take frozen veggies out of the freezer in the morning, allow to thaw in the dogs bowl and then add additional meats, etc. when ready to feed. Plus, they seem to like the texture better than completely raw veggies.

You can feed hard boiled, scrambled eggs, etc. but raw is super easy to crack into their bowl

Using Primal brand frozen patties that have all the meat and veggies already pre-made and frozen into portions that you just thaw and feed

If you travel with your dog, or don't have a lot of freezer space, Primal (aff. link) is also available in freeze-dried form that can be rehydrated with water at feeding time and requires no refrigeration or extra packaging.

If feeding a completely homemade diet seems like more than you'd like to take on, then go ahead and add some healthy fruits, veggies and real meat in with the kibble. At least they are getting some really good real food along with a good quality kibble.

People always want to know what we feed or to recommend a good kibble. HERE is a list of kibble, supplements and bones that are all healthy for your dog.

Do your own research on the right diet for your dog. Dogs have a very fast digestive system so typically don't have the problem of getting salmonella like a person would from eating raw meat. If your dog has health issues then a cooked diet may be a much better idea. Dr. Karen Becker has done a lot of research in this area and has a lot of good information as well!

As always, this is information on what we do with our dogs and recommend but is not a substitute for seeking medical advice with a good veterinarian.

The cure to Cancer?

2021-10-15T10:21:00.000-04:00

A VERY effective cancer treatment your vet will not tell you about

There is a very effective treatment for cancer and tumors that may be cancerous or benign. It is so simple, you may not even believe it will work. This treatment shrink tumors, it also can completely eliminate cancer in canines (as well as people). It only has 2 ingredients. It's easy to prepare. It is much easier on your dog than any chemo or radiation treatment could ever possibly be. Your vet not only will not tell you about it, he/she may have never heard about it.

OK, are you ready? Here it is: Maple syrup and baking soda. Yes that is it, nothing more. This is not just Mrs. Butterworth's and Arm and Hammer from the grocery store, however, but the correct kinds can be very easy to get, regardless of where you live. The Maple syrup must be Grade A or Grade B, real maple syrup. Like from Vermont. The baking soda must say "No Aluminum" on the package, such as Bob's Red Mill brand. You can usually get both of these at any "healthy" grocery store like Whole Foods. Trader Joe's carries the Maple syrup, but not the baking soda. Locally in Charlotte, Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market carry these products, as do several health food stores. If you do not have any of these stores near you, you can always order on line at Amazon.

How can something so simple work so effectively? It's really simple and is your classic Trojan Horse story. Cancers and tumors feed on sugars in the body. Cancer can not survive in an alkaline environment. When the maple syrup and baking soda are properly cooked together, cooled and then fed to the dog ( or person if the case may be), cancers and tumors will readily take the maple syrup in and the baking soda gets inside the cell and kills the cancer from the inside! This treatment is so simple but is so brilliant and works amazingly well. Unlike traditional cancer treatments your vet may offer, the maple syrup treatment is very inexpensive and is not harsh on the body or immune system. It will not wipe out the immune system (such as with chemotherapy treatments), By boosting the immune system to work at it's full capacity, cancer can be avoided and cured.

To make this amazing mixture, measure 1 part baking soda to 3 parts maple syrup, whisk together in a stainless steel, copper or Pyrex type pan on the stove and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will bubble up and get very dark. Be very careful not to burn the mixture or walk away from the stove. Do not refrigerate this mixture, but keep at room temperature. The dosage would be 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon daily, depending on the size of the dog. Treatment is more effective on an empty stomach, but can also be mixed in a small amount of bread or canned meat if needed to get the dog to eat it.. Some love the taste and others don't. Give the treatment daily for 2 weeks and then go off for 2 weeks. This cycle can be repeated as often as necessary. Any dog over 6 or 7 years of age, can use this treatment as a PREVENTATIVE (since cancer starts long before your are aware of it). We would recommend 2 weeks dose with a month off in between as a routine.

*post contains affiliate links

How To Detox Your Dog

2021-10-01T19:53:00.001-04:00

** This page under construction, please check back for updates soon! **

Detoxing Is Essential For A Healthy Dog

An Honor Golden

The food your dog eats, the air he breathes, and the water he drinks all contain a common ingredient

… toxins.

Every day, your dog is exposed to heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and nickel), petrochemicals, and other external toxins including solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s found in paints), pesticides, herbicides, phthalates, food additives and medicinal drugs.

The list of chemical toxins is never-ending so it’s become increasingly important to learn how to detox your dog.

A Toxic Environment

It’s estimated that there are 85,000 chemicals in our environment.

Ninety percent (90%!!) have never been tested for safety.

It’s estimated that the average newborn today will have 287 toxins already in its body, and human breast milk is now considered the most toxic beverage in the world!

If I haven’t depressed you enough, let me remind you that many of these toxic substances have cumulative effects.

For example: mercury and aluminum are toxins included in most vaccines. Individually they wreak havoc; but in combination they are like a nuclear bomb hitting the nervous system. And what about phthalates pluspesticides plus bisphenol? They take BPA’s out of our plastic bottles, and then substitute BPS’s. So what are BPS’s anyway? And why are they any better? Geez, Louise!

And then there’s GMO’S – God Move Over – OMG!

The subject is huge, the studies are vague at best; and sadly, the FDA has turned a blind eye. GMO’s add nothing to the nutritional value of the plant, nor do they serve the plants nutritionally. By tricking the plant into creating herbicide tolerance, and into producing its own pesticide, yields and profit increase – but not our health.

GMO foods in livestock have been shown to damage virtually every organ (see Genetic Roulette-The Gamble of Our Lives, by The Institute For Responsible Technology). The risks to humans and our pets is still unclear; but isn’t it likely that it’s the same as it is for the livestock?

Studies have shown that our animals are exposed to hundreds more toxins and at higher rates than humans. In general, drugs are metabolized more slowly in animals, the fetus, infants, and the elderly.

Do you have a dog who is overweight and hypothyroid? Well, you probably know by now that starch based diets aren’t very digestible for our carnivore kids. Giving a daily dose of a thyroid supplement may not succeed in nourishing the thyroid or improving its health and function … but detoxing can substantially help.

If your dog has the FLC Syndrome (Dr Mark Hyman coined this: the “Feel Like Crap” Syndrome) then his or her thyroid hormones might be blocked.

What are they blocked by, you wonder? Toxins, of course!

It’s possible your canine is experiencing the hypothyroid state and FLC Syndrome because his metabolism is slowed w-a-y down, which in turn makes it difficult to burn fat. And if he does burn calories from fat, well, sorry to say, you’ve released the toxins stored, sometimes making the FLC syndrome worse. Help!

Adding gas to the fire above (oh, I forgot to mention that all these toxins create inflammation everywhere in the body!), they also damage hormones that regulate appetite control. Leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you are full can be blocked by heavy metals.

How To Detox Your Dog: Four Major Systems

In practical terms, how do we help the body so hypothyroidism symptoms and FLC Syndrome are a thing of the past?

First, stop the toxic load – eliminate or decrease any environmental toxins in the food, air, water, ground (grass, asphalt) and food bowls.

Secondly, support the body to naturally detox via liver, kidneys, gut and skin. These organs already know how to keep us clean. With a little help from their friends, life can be good.

The body uses four of its systems to detoxify itself. The four systems are:

Liver – most complex detox organ, able to detox thousands of substances

Gastrointestinal Tract – best at removing solid waste

Skin – largest detox organ

Kidney – best at removing water soluble toxins

Liver Detox

A healthy liver might be able to detoxify many toxins but considering the volume and types, it’s better if your pet can get a little help from their friends. Helping the liver do what it already is programed to do can reduce symptoms of allergies, weight gain, fatigue, skin disease, chronic constipation, arthritis, chronic infections, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, depression, anxiety, autoimmune disease, and – quite likely – the free radical damage leading to cancer.

The liver can use nutrients readily available in a balanced, fresh diet, but in these toxic times, this may not be enough.

Adding a “liver formula” to the diet can make the work easier. Simple B vitamins like folinic acid (or folate), B12, Niacin (B3), Riboflavin (B2), start the process. Other team members include: amino acids, antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E), trace minerals (selenium, copper, zinc, manganese), bioflavonoids, silymarin (milk thistle), garlic, onions (yes, you are reading this correctly, in small amounts!), cruciferous vegetables and others, all help keep the process moving.

Use a liver formula that includes these nutrients, combined with a fresh clean diet, and the liver can rock!

It might help to understand a little liver science so you can support the precious liver of your precious pet. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz.

First, the liver takes fat soluble toxins like prescription drugs, chemicals from agriculture, food additives, household pollutants, and normal metabolic wastes in the first phase of detoxification (Phase I), called theActivation Phase. The following diagram shows how toxins enter the liver, go through chemical reactions using the nutrients listed, to become more water soluble and then excreted through the urine or feces.

Keep reading HERE

Five Simple Steps To Prevent Cancer

2021-10-01T16:08:00.001-04:00

** This page under construction, please check back for updates soon! **

Preventing Canine Cancers

Clark Cannon

Did you know that the primary cause of death in dogs over two years of age is cancer? In fact, half of all adult dogs will die from cancer. That’s a staggering number. But you can beat the odds for your dog by following these five simple steps.

The Best Cure For Canine Cancer Is Prevention

Cancer begins when carcinogens damage DNA, which then waits for just the right opportunity to create cancerous cells. The good news is your dog’s body has a built-in mechanism to kill cancer cells; a gene called p53. However exposure to toxins and viruses can damage that gene and limit its ability to protect the body from the spread of cancerous cells.

We all know that treatment options for cancer aren’t all that effective. The best cure for cancer is to just not get it in the first place. Happily, there are easy, actionable steps you can take to prevent cancer in your furry family members. Here is a list that every pet owner should be aware of.

Reduce the use of flea and tick products

Dr. Dobozy of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) pesticide division states that one of the laboratory effects of fipronil in the popular flea and tick product Frontline, is thyroid cancer and altered thyroid hormones.

While the company creates the impression that their product does not migrate into the body, radiolabeled fibronil was found in several organs and in the fat of tested dogs and was also excreted in their urine and feces.

Bio Spot Flea and Tick Control, Defend Exspot Treatment and Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On all contain one or both of the active ingredients Permethrin and/or Pyriproxyfen. Permethrin has been implicated as a carcinogenic insecticide causing lung cancer and liver tumors in laboratory animals. Exposure to a carcinogen typically occurs many years before the cancer appears. Often times it never escalates into a cancerous growth. Imagine how potent the carcinogens are that create cancer within several months in a laboratory setting.

Don’t think that the numerous products not mentioned here are safe. According to the Center for Public Integrity, who collected information through the Freedom of Information Act, the “natural” pyrethrins (naturally occurring compounds from the chrysanthemum plant) and pyrethroids (the synthetic counterpart) caused double the fatalities (1,600) from 2002 to 2007 than the non-pyrethroid compounds.

There are natural products that are effective for fleas and ticks. Do your pet a favor and look for safer alternatives. Here is a simple recipe you can make and use at home.

Maintain your lawn and garden with non-toxic products

Lawn chemicals, weed killers and herbicides are just as toxic as flea and tick products. Dogs and cats are low to the ground and are much more susceptible to these toxins.

Studies (Abstract of Environmental Health 112(1): 171-6 (Jan. 2012), show a link between lawn chemicals and cancer in dogs. In this study, researchers identified 263 dogs with biopsy-confirmed canine malignant lymphoma (CML), 240 dogs with benign tumors, and 230 dogs undergoing surgeries unrelated to cancer. Then, they asked the pet owners to complete a 10 page questionnaire.

Scientists found that dogs with malignant lymphoma were 70 percent more likely to live in a home where professionally applied lawn pesticides had been used. Dogs with serious malignancy were also 170 percent more likely to come from homes where owners used chemical insecticides.

For nontoxic lawn nourishment, broadcast one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch of high-quality compost over your lawn using a shovel. Compost nourishes beneficial soil microbes and doesn’t contain harsh salts the way many chemical fertilizers do, and you could see some improvement in just a few days.

Instead of reaching for Roundup or other harmful synthetic products to kill weeds creeping up through sidewalk or driveway cracks, try using BurnOut, an organic weed killer made of food grade vinegar and clove oil. Just be sure to spray it directly on weeds on a warm, sunny day for the best effect. You can also use BurnOut to quickly and organically kill weeds in the yard; however, it will temporarily leave a brown spot, and you’ll need to reseed the area to shade out new weed growth.

Know what’s in your detergents, soaps and cleansers

Keep reading HERE

More on Diatomaceous Earth

2021-10-01T11:44:00.001-04:00

** This page under construction, please check back for updates soon! **

Charlotte Cosgrove

What is Diatomaceous Earth?

Diatomaceous Earth is a soft powder formed from the fossilized remains of diatoms (a type of hard shelled algae).

It is unique in a couple of ways:

It has a very high silica content (which is used to build hair, skin and nails)

It is very hard (hardness of 7 on the scale where diamonds are a 9) and looks like a tiny tube with holes in it when viewed through a microscope

It has a very strong negative charge

The FDA classifies Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) as “Generally Recognized As Safe” and it is commonly used in things like toothpaste, as an anti-caking aid, for clarifying beer or wine, or to eliminate pests naturally.

What Does Diatomaceous Earth Do?

Diatomaceous earth’s unique structure makes it a great natural way to kill insects and pests (including intestinal parasites), gently cleanse the digestive system, and improve hair, skin, nails, and teeth.

The strong negative charge of diatomaceous earth means that it naturally attaches to and removes from the body things like: chemicals, viruses, bacteria, heavy metals and even radiation. It’s sharp/strong structure allows it to puncture the exoskeleton of insects on a microscopic level, causing them to dehydrate and die (while humans and animals are left completely unharmed).

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is recognized as safe for human and animal use, and food grade DE is considered safe for human consumption, even during pregnancy and nursing.

Uses for Diatomaceous Earth

Continue reading HERE

Purchase HERE

The Importance Of Not Over-exercising Your Puppy

2021-09-24T11:05:00.001-04:00

Can exercising your puppy CAUSE problems?

2 Honor pups

Yes it can! If you have a puppy from us, you know our agreement states that no forced exercise will be given before the age of 2 years old. This means NO jogging with your dog, NO long, extended miles of walking or hiking, and NO ball chasing that is over just a few throws that the pup retrieves and brings it back to you or any other form of exercise that is too much for a youngster.

Dogs and puppies can't tell you when they've had "enough" and will just keep going and going, bringing harm to their skeletal system when the growth plates haven't finished growing and closing. This means you can cause degenerative joint disease in your dog like hip dysplasia, elbow displaysia and Panosteitis just to name a few.

Here is a link for great article explaining the growth plates and what that means for your puppy.

Read here

2021-09-22T09:26:00.002-04:00

Our blog is being updated and improved! If you receive older posts in your inbox, we apologize and offer you these adorable pictures to enjoy in the meantime as we make improvements and new content over the next several days and weeks!!

The end! 😉

FAQ Series: What to do if your puppy or adult dog has loose stools/diarrhea?

2021-02-02T17:56:00.004-05:00

FAQ Series: What to do if your puppy or adult dog has diarrhea?

Be smart about your dogs poop!

Bringing a new puppy home is a fun and exciting time for the humans as well as the new furry bundle of puppy. Housetraining is a big issue that needs to be addressed the moment you walk in the door and can't be put on the back burner until the pup is well established in his new home. One of the biggest hinderances of housetraining can be when the pup can't hold it long and either has a somewhat loose stool or full out diarrhea. You need to take care of this immediately, not only for the pup to feel better but for your own sanity with the new housetraining.

First things first: if your puppy has watery, really foul smelling diarrhea, as well as not eating, acting depressed or lethargic - take him to the vet immediately!! These are the first signs of Parvo and is deadly to pups. If your vet can not see the pup immediately, take it to an emergency vet. Even if your pup has had a vaccine or 2, they are not out of the woods from catching parvo! Treatment cannot be delayed if your pup has the above symptoms.

OK so you've determined your pup is not in "danger" and just has some loose stools, what to do?

First is to only offer a very bland diet of cooked rice, can be brown or white, mixed with some cooked bland chicken or ground beef. If they will eat it (some love it and some may not want it) add canned pumpkin. You can not give too much pumpkin, so if the pup will eat several tablespoons or half a can full, go ahead and feed him as much as he will eat of the pumpkin. (Keep in mind, it needs to be plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Preferably organic, but if you can't find organic, regular will do. Depending on the store, canned pumpkin can either be found in the canned veggie aisle or near the baking goods like canned milk or ordered on Amazon HERE) You should not limit the amount of food they eat at this point.

After offering the rice, chicken/ground beef and pumpkin, make sure the pup is only getting distilled or filtered water.

Keep the pup on this diet for at least a day or several days up to a week or more, depending on if the stools are firming up. As the stools start firming up, you can start to add some kibble to the rice, meat and pumpkin mixture, while making sure the stools are still staying firm. If everything is going well, you can increase the amount of kibble and decrease the amount of rice/meat/pumpkin mixture until they are fully on the kibble. If you have a puppy from us, you know that we recommend to feed other good stuff in their meals such as cottage cheese, yogurt or a very high quality, organic canned meat, etc. mixed in their kibble. You can add these things along with the kibble as the stools seem to tolerate these additions. If you start to add kibble and the stools start to get loose again, it's possible there is something in that kibble that their tummy can not tolerate, and you may need to try another brand/formula. This is not common, but can happen. If their stools just don't firm up after several days on the rice/meat/pumpkin mix, then you probably need to run them into the vet for a stool check to make sure there isn't something else going on.

So now what about an adult dog that may have gotten a loose stool? You can absolutely follow all of the above, especially if they are really loose or been loose for a few bathroom breaks. If you notice just a loose stool and the dog seems healthy otherwise, you can simply add pumpkin to the food and that will help firm them up pretty quickly. Pumpkin can be given at every meal if you wish, for as long as you wish.

As with a puppy, if your adult dog is lethargic, not eating, not drinking, AND has diarrhea as well, definitely get them into the vet immediately. It's unlikely for adults to have Parvo but there are plenty of other things that can cause the above symptoms and you don't want to wait for them to be seen by the vet.

Remember, we recommend throughout the life of your puppy/dog, keep them on some key supplements such as Vitamin C and a really good probiotic which will help keep their gut healthy and balanced and should help prevent loose stools. If your dog eats something they shouldn't have or has an upset tummy, go ahead and double the probiotics any time, as
needed. HERE IS THE LINK for all the dog food, supplement and bones to chew on recommendations.

Effective and safe flea and tick treatment

2020-06-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

Effective, safe and natural flea and tick treatment for your your dog

Honor Golden "Gigi"

This is NOT a paid endorsement, but this is a product that we have used for several years and found it to be very effective.

Cedarcide has many products for pets as well as humans. They have products that you can spray on your pet as well as around your house and yard that are completely safe. As we are getting into summer full swing and you are looking for safe but effective alternatives for your pets and family, give this product a try.

Cedearcide

If you are wondering why go the natural route, just do a quick google search on the side effects of products like Simparica, Bravecto, Nexgard, etc. Vets may feel it's safe for a majority of the pets but if your pet is the 1 out of 100 that has seizures or other neurological damage, then that's one too many in your home. The sad fact is that most dogs that suffer side effects may never have a healthy life again, even after getting off of the offending products. Please do your research and opt for safe options like the link given above. There are many natural things you can do for your pet like what is posted HERE, HERE and HERE . We personally have talked to people who have used the spot on products after following their veterinarians advice and have had some serious health problems after, not to mention ongoing medical expense. Be the advocate for your pet to live it's longest and healthiest life possible!

FAQ series: How to keep your dog from getting Hip Dysplasia

2020-05-10T15:34:00.001-04:00

FAQ series:

How to avoid Hip Dysplaisa in your dog

Two words that can strike fear in any owner: Hip Dysplasia.

You don't have to fear hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia or other joint problems for the most part when you get a puppy/dog from a reputable breeder that does all the normal clearances for that breed as long as you are also doing your part. Yes, you have a very big role to play in your dog being healthy and strong into old age too.

There are many factors that go into HD, with the 2 biggest causes are overweight and over exercised, especially in growing puppies.

DO: Feed your dog a healthy home made or super premium kibble (see some of our suggestions HERE) but the worst thing you can do is over feed your puppy/adult dog. It is especially harmful for puppies to grow up on joints that are still developing and can cause wear on them, which directly causes HD.

DON'T: Feed the amount of food suggested on the bag. Just like people, food intake needs vary greatly, dogs have different needs from other dogs. The amounts which is commonly given on the dog food bag may not be optimal for your dog. You may need to feed more or, many times, quite a bit less than what is suggested.

DO: Keep your puppy slim and trim and where you can always see his waist when you look over the top of him. If it's hard to find a waist and your pup looks like a "tube" from shoulders to waist, it's time to cut back on the amount of foods and treats given. See the illustrations below, you may need to adjust the amount of food your dog gets from week to week, depending on rate of growth, activity levels, etc. You may need to refer back to these images from time to time over the lifespan of your dog to make sure he is maintained at a healthy weight.

DO: Watch the amount and size of treats given to your pup. Healthy treats are great and make reward based training very easy to do, but take into account the amount given in a day when you are feeding as well. Treats should always be small and healthy like a small piece of cheese, apple slices, or bananas if your dog likes them. Small sized homemade treats are also a great option.

Exercise is very important for a healthy dog, but while they are puppies, they do not need a lot of exercise. Very short walks, even just up and down the driveway are usually plenty for new puppies. Over exercising can and will cause hip dysplasia.

DON'T: Force exercise your puppy until he is at least 1 1/2 to 2 years of age. This includes jogging, throwing tennis balls or toys for long periods or with the competition of another dog, or running with the dog either on or off leash, such as a bike ride, etc. Puppies don't really know when they've had "too much" of a fun activity, so when they are chasing the tennis ball for more than a few throws, that ends up being a "forced" activity. It's really up to you to tell your puppy when he's had enough. While these practices are fine with older dogs over 2 years old, it can and will cause HD in growing dogs. The growth plates are "open" and still growing until the dog reaches maturity which is around 2 years old in Golden Retrievers. This is also why the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals doesn't give permanent clearances until they are at least 2 years of age. Over exercising while the growth plates are open causes arthritic changes in the joints, such as hips and elbows. You can read about growth plates and the impact of too much joint stress on puppies HERE. Once your dog is over 2, you can pretty much do all exercise and activities within their ability with out long term harm.

DON'T: Allow puppy free access up and down flights of stairs until he is over 1 1/2 -2 years old. Either use baby gates to keep a puppy from going up and down on his own or confine him to the downstairs only. You can carry the puppy up and down while he is little or use the collar or leash to have him go gently and slowly up and down. If you have a house that requires him to go downstairs to get out of the house, such as an upper deck with a flight of stairs to get down to the yard, take extra caution, especially when the steps may be wet.

DO: Swim your dog and puppy for no or low impact exercise! Swimming is a really great way to exercise your pup with out too much worry about stress or impact on the joints. If they are getting tired, be sure to stop and take the rest of the day off.

DO: Supplement with Vitamin C. Higher doses while the growth plates are still open and lower doses for the lifetime of the dog. Vitamin C is an excellent supplement to give to help avoid raising a puppy that becomes a dog with HD. The joints in the body are connecting bones together with cartilage, which includes the hips and elbows, of course. If the cartilage becomes damaged, arthritic changes begin to take place, which is basically the definition of HD, arthritic changes in the hip joint. The only thing that can repair the cartilage in the body is collagen. The only way of improving collagen production in the body is with added Vitamin C. Yes, it's true that dogs can produce some Vitamin C in the body, but only up until they are 40 lbs. and not nearly enough to repair any damages that may have taken place. This discovery that Vitamin C can help reduce the occurrence of HD in dogs was made by Dr. Wendell O. Belfield in the 1970's by comparing dogs who had HD with the x-rays of humans who had died of scurvy. His clinical studies are very interesting and impressive, you can read about it HERE. Vitamin C has many benefits to the dog including helping to boost a dogs immune system, fight off bacteria and virus as well as a powerful detoxifier, which can help avoid diseases like cancer. The benefits of Vitamin C are numerous enough that we recommend it be given for the life of the dog. HERE is a link to a couple of brands we recommend and amounts that should be fed for a Golden Retriever.

DON'T: Spay or neuter your dog until they are at least 1 1/2 to 2 years of age. There have been many studies recently to indicate that early spaying/neutering can not only increase the occurrence of cancer in dogs, but also greatly increases joint disease (hip and elbow dysplasia as well as torn cruciate ligaments in adult dogs). One of the largest studies done was at UC Davis Veterinary School in California. While the findings apply to all breeds and mixed breeds, Golden Retrievers were the breed in particular that were studied. One of the findings was that Hip Dysplasia had a 100% increase in males that were neutered at a young age. You can read the study HERE, it's a quick and very informative read. We suggest that females are allowed to go through at least 1 heat cycle (keeping them under lock and key while in heat of course!) and males not be neutered until they are closer to 2 years of age, or older if possible.

The No Money Doggie Check Up

2020-05-10T06:18:00.042-04:00

Easy, At Home Check Up

Tucker and Beau Glossner

As your dog’s loving guardian and biggest fan, I know you want to keep tabs on his day-to-day health and happiness so you can take quick action if he ADR (ain't doin' right).

After all, since you spend more time with your four-legged family member than anyone else, you’re in the best position to know when something’s “off” with his well-being or behavior.

Of course, to know what’s abnormal, you first have to establish what’s normal for your dog. This is best done at home when he’s relaxing in his own environment. The first step is to simply observe him — how he looks standing, sitting, lying down and moving around.

Once you have a mental picture of how your dog looks when he’s calm and comfortable, you’ll be able to quickly notice when he’s not, which is the goal.

Do-It-Yourself At-Home Dog Checkup

Dr. Shea Cox of Bridge Veterinary Services in northern California, writing for The Bark, offers a do-it-yourself (DIY) dog checkup in seven simple steps, to which I added a few notes of my own:1

1.Your dog’s temperature should be between 100 and 102.5 degrees F. Take her temp using a digital rectal thermometer by lubricating the end with a bit of coconut oil and gently inserting it about 1 inch into the rectum of a small dog, and about 2 inches if your dog is larger. If it doesn’t slide in easily, don’t force it.

2.You can check your dog’s pulse by locating the femoral artery inside her thigh. Use your fingers to gently feel for the roll of the artery and a pulse. Then just as you would when taking your own pulse, count the number of beats over a 15-second period and multiply that number by 4.

Dogs’ heart rates cover a wide range, but 80 to 120 beats per minute is considered normal for most dogs. Larger breeds, especially canine athletes, sporting and working dogs, tend to have slower pulses than small breeds and puppies.

3.Starting at your dog’s head, take a careful look at his nose, which should be smooth and soft to the touch, and clean. (It doesn’t necessarily have to be cool or moist, by the way. Healthy dogs sometimes have dry, warm noses.)

Next, check his eyes, which should be bright, moist and clear, with little or no discharge. The pupils should be the same size, and the whites should be white (not yellow, pink or red), with just a few visible blood vessels. His ears should be clean, dry and odorless (or nearly).

His gums should be a healthy pink color and moist. There should be no lesions or swelling in his mouth, and no bad breath. His teeth should be free of tartar and plaque, the tongue clear and the roof of the mouth clean and free from debris.

4.Moving down to your dog’s chest, notice how he breathes. His chest should move in and out without effort, and the breaths should be rhythmic. Unless he’s panting or is a flat-faced (brachycephalic) breed, his breathing shouldn’t be audible.

The normal resting respiration rate for dogs is 15 to 30 breaths per minute. If your dog is sleeping, his rate will be closer to 15 breaths per minute. If he’s excited or anxious, it will be on the higher end of the range. Small dogs tend to have faster breathing while at rest than larger dogs.

5.Next, take a careful look at your dog’s skin, which is actually the largest organ of her body and can give a pretty accurate picture of her overall health. Her skin should be soft and smooth with no lesions.

There should be no redness or rough spots, and very little odor. Her coat should be soft, shiny and smooth (unless she’s a wirehaired breed).

6.Check to insure your dog is well-hydrated. You can do this by gently lifting the skin of her neck or back into a “tent” and releasing it. It should quickly return to its normal position. If it returns slowly or remains in the shape of a tent, she may need more drinking water or moisture in her diet.

7.Now to the torso. Put your hands just behind her ribs and gently press on her tummy. If she’s just had a meal, you may feel a fullness on the left side of her stomach just under the ribs, which is normal.

Evaluate her muscle tone and weight. If you feel she’s carrying extra weight, you’ll want to address the issue with more exercise and feeding a nutritionally balanced, species-appropriate diet.

Check for heat and swelling over her body, and test the range of motion of the joints, which should move freely, without resistance or difficulty.

Moving your hands over her body toward the rear, feel for lumps, bumps and masses; signs of discomfort; or distention of the belly that may warrant further investigation by your veterinarian.

If you notice an unusual lump, bump or wart during your DIY exam and you don’t think it warrants immediate attention, it’s a good idea to start a body chart for your pet. Draw a simple diagram of her body and note whatever you’ve found in the appropriate place on the drawing.

Be sure to include exactly where it was found, when you found it, how big it is and whether you’ve noticed it changing. If you notice a lump that has grown bigger or changed appearance a day or two later, make an appointment with your vet.

Finally, examine her toes, nails and the pads of her feet. There should be no debris between the toes, the nails should be clipped to a comfortable length and the pads of her feet should contain no cuts or sores.

If you examine your dog regularly, you’ll quickly become familiar with what’s normal and what’s not. Performing regular at-home exams is a simple and very effective way for you to keep a close eye on your canine companion’s health.

By Dr. Becker

FAQ: The First 24 Hours home With Your New Puppy

2020-04-24T21:22:00.001-04:00

Congratulations on bringing your new puppy home!

Honor puppies

A new puppy coming home is very much like bringing a new baby home from the hospital. Everything will be NEW for both of you. Your puppy will be in a completely new environment with completely new people and not have any of his familiar smells, surroundings, his Mama or siblings around.

Here is a list of Do's and Don'ts to get you through the first 24+ hours with your new baby in the house:

DO: Read the FAQ on Housebreaking on this blog before bringing the puppy home. You don't want to start off with any accidents if possible so he doesn't make a bad habit in his new home.

DO: Always use 1 door at first to take the puppy out to potty. This lessens confusion of where he will eventually tell you that he has to go outside.

DO: Always carry your new puppy out to potty. Their bladders are small and he wont be able to "hold it" until he gets outside. ALSO they ALWAYS have to pee as soon as they wake up, so if he is awakened, run him outside first and foremost. Then play time can begin.

DO: Keep the first few days quiet and not a lot of new visitors. Friends and family will want to meet your new puppy but make them wait at least a few days until your new puppy is feeling more at home. This may take up to 2 weeks until you and your new puppy have figured each other out.

DO: Make sure you have some canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin), vanilla or plain yogurt and cottage cheese on hand to mix into their food. They are used to eating with a tablespoon or 2 of goodies mixed in

DO: Have some pee pee pads on hand to make the continued house-training easier. You can use newspapers, but pee pee pads have attractant in them and they will want to use them instead of another surface if they have to go. They are not a "normal" floor surface so they wont set up a bad habit of them thinking it's OK to go to the bathroom on the floor.

DO: Carry your puppy for vet visits and don't allow him on the floor in the vets office. Do put him on the table only after it's been cleaned from the previous patient.

DO: Take your puppy potty on the way home from the breeders house, but ONLY stop at a grassy place such as a restaurant or a hotel that has a safe, clean place for him to do his business. NEVER take your puppy to a pet area at a rest stop.

DO: Keep your puppy on leash at all times when not in a fenced-in and familiar environment.

DON'T: Expect the puppy to eat a lot the first day or two. It's completely normal for them to not be super hungry with all the changes they are going through. If it continues past a couple of days, give us a call

DON'T: Leave the puppy loose in the home if you can not watch him every second, in case he has an accident. If you can't watch him or need to have your attention on something else, then put the pup either in an x-pen, a small bathroom or laundry room with a bed on one end and a pee pee pad on the other end. That way if the pup has to "go" it's not going to hurt their house training.

DON'T: Allow small children to carry the puppy or hold the puppy on a raised surface such as a couch or chair. Puppies can wiggle very easily, fall and be injured. Have the child sit on the floor and hold the puppy and never be allowed to pick up and carry the puppy.

DON'T: allow kids to be excitable, running and being loud around the puppy. Don't allow the puppy to be with a hyper or excitable older dog. Not only can these possibly cause injury, but puppies are like sponges that soak up their environments. If you want a calm, good-natured puppy to turn into a calm good-natured adult dog, make sure any wild and hyper activity is not around them, especially the first 6 to 12 months of age.

DON'T: Allow your puppy to come nose to nose with other unfamiliar dogs that you do not know or if they could possibly be sick

DO: Call us the next day after you get your puppy home and update us how the first night went, ask questions, etc.

Dog Vaccines: Why Detox Is Important

2019-05-16T12:14:00.003-04:00

Seamus McPherson

Forty years ago, dog vaccinations changed forever …

For the first time, veterinary researchers started looking at how many vaccines are too many because it turns out vaccines can carry some harmful, unwanted consequences. Limiting the number of vaccines is critical to your dog’s health – you want to protect your dog, but you also want to make sure he doesn’t become sick from his vaccines. And vaccine damage is more common than you think … it happens every day.

And don’t think vaccine damage is limited to your dog’s head swelling up five minutes after the vaccine – there are ingredients in vaccines that can accumulate the body and become toxic, or damage the immune system, resulting in allergies, cancer and inflammatory conditions weeks, months or even years later.

The good news is, researchers have shown that the core vaccines ( like rabies, parvo and distemper) can protect dogs for at least 7 years … and probably for life. So we don’t have to vaccinate our dogs every year or even every three years. And limiting vaccines will go a long way to limiting your dog’s risk of vaccine damage.

But the bad news is, most states require rabies vaccination every 3 years – which is way too often. Or your vet, daycare or boarding facility might require vaccinations – and there’s just no way to get out of it. And even just one vaccine has the potential to set your dog up for health issues down the road.

It doesn’t matter if you vaccinate just once or a bunch of times – it’s critical to help your dog detoxify after that vaccine.

Why You Should Detox Your Dog After Vaccination

There are a lot of vaccine ingredients that can harm your dog. These ingredients have been linked to cancer, allergies, joint disease (researchers found distemper vaccine virus in torn cruciate ligaments and diseases joints but not healthy ones) and virtually any auto-immune disorder (like hypothyroidism, diabetes and more).

These unwanted side-effects come not from the vaccine itself, but from some of the nasty ingredients it contains:

Aluminum

Aluminum is the most common adjuvant in veterinary vaccines (adjuvant means it exaggerates the immune response). Aluminum targets the brain and endocrine (hormonal) system. So this means brain and nervous system degeneration, vaccine-associated cancers, seizures and behavior issues.

Thimerosal

Thimerosal is a mercury-based vaccine additive that’s used as a preservative.

In 1967, a study in Applied Microbiology found Thimerosal killed mice when added to vaccines. In 1972, Thimerosal manufacturer Eli Lilly found Thimerosal to be “toxic to tissue cells” in concentrations as low as one part per million (PPM), 100 times weaker than the in a typical vaccine.

Pittman-Moore wrote to Eli Lilly: “We have obtained marked local reaction in about 50% of the dogs injected with serum containing dilutions of Merthiolate (Thimerosal). Merthioiate is unsatisfactory as a preservative for serum intended for use on dogs.” (Director of Biological Services, Pittman-Moore Company, letter to Dr Jamieson of Eli Lilly Company dated 1935. U.S. Congressional Record, May 21, 2003, E1018, page 9).

Since then, repeated studies show the dangers of Thimerosal. In 1967, a study in Applied Microbiology found Thimerosal killed mice when added to vaccines. In 1982, the FDA proposed a ban on over-the-counter products containing Thimerosal. In 1991 the FDA considered banning Thimerosal from animal vaccines.

Finally, in 2006, researchers at UC Davis published a study showing that Thimerosal may make the immune system vulnerable to bacteria and other pathogens. Samuel R. Goth et al., Uncoupling of ATP-Mediated Calcium Signaling and Dysregulated Interleukin-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by Nanomolar Thimerosal.

Despite these safety warnings, most veterinary vaccines still contain Thimerosal (even Thimerosal-free vaccines).

Animal Proteins

The viruses vaccines are made of need to grow on animal tissue – so vaccine manufacturers grow your dog’s vaccine on chicken embryos, cow fetuses, etc.

When they make the vaccine, that animal tissue gets ground up with the virus and injected into your dog. Foreign animal proteins aren’t supposed to enter the bloodstream directly and this sets the immune system on high alert so it can destroy the foreign invaders.

But if the foreign invader looks like the body’s own cells, then amid the chaos, the immune system can start attacking the body’s own cells. This is called auto-immunity and nearly all common diseases in the dog today – including cancer, hypothyroidism and allergies – are auto-immune diseases.

Larry Glickman DVM, looked at this in the Purdue Vaccine Studies:

“Our ongoing studies of dogs show that following routine vaccination, there is a significant level of antibodies dogs produce against their own tissues …Some of these antibodies have been shown to target the thyroid gland, the connective tissue such as that found in the valves of the heart, red blood cells, DNA etc.”

Contaminants

Contaminants found in vaccines are also behind many of the adverse reactions we see in dogs. “Contaminant” means anything that shouldn’t be there. That’s anything impure or unclean, is toxic or poisonous, or has the ability to create disease. Vaccines contain contaminants that can cause cancer, leukemia, autoimmune diseases and a myriad of other unwanted conditions.

I hope by now, you’re seeing the value in helping your dog rid his body of these unwanted ingredients that are an unfortunate part of vaccination. So let’s get to the detox!

Detoxing After Dog Vaccinations

There are several ways to help your dog detox from vaccines – they’ll help rid his body of unwanted chemicals and side effects, but they won’t interfere with the vaccines themselves. You’ll want to try these as soon as your dog is vaccinated (don’t wait for symptoms to appear, start the detox right away).

Probiotics

Vaccines can disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria in the gut – this community of bacteria helps your dog manufacture and absorb vitamins and it’s the core of your dog’s immune system. You never want to damage this delicate community!

Adding probiotics (plus their food, prebiotics) will help restore the delicate balance of bacteria in the gut. You can buy a pre-made prebiotic/probiotic blend or you can give your dog some kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi – any fermented food is a great source of healthy probiotics.

Give probiotics twice a day (look for at least 10 billion CFU and avoid dairy-based probiotics)

Homeopathy

Homeopathy has a great track record for vaccine damage. If your dog shows any symptoms of vaccine damage, you can consult with a homeopathic vet and they’ll help you find the right remedy to get your dog back on track.

You can also try a pre-made combination remedy that’s designed to homeopathically start the detox process and help remove those harmful heavy metals from your dog.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids will help control inflammation and are an important part of the detox process. Most fish oils are rancid and this can increase inflammation, so my go-to is PhytoSynergy phytoplankton.

Give phytoplankton or omega-3 daily

Micro-Algae

Micro-algea like phytoplankton, spirulina and chlorella are antioxidant rich, but they also have one other benefit – they’re natural chelators. This means they bind to heavy metals like aluminum and mercury so they can’t wreak havoc with the body.

Feed phytoplankton or micro-algae daily

Garlic and Leafy Greens

Garlic is perfectly safe for your dog in the right amounts. Garlic contains sulphur, which helps the liver detoxify from heavy metals.

Dark leafy greens like kale, parsley and cilantro can help reduce the buildup of heavy metals like mercury in the body.

Give a half clove garlic per 10 pounds and add dark leafy greens to the meals daily

Be Prepared

Detoxification can flush out some really nasty junk from your dog! He might seem off for the first day or two or might have loose stools.

If he seems uncomfortable, slow down … there’s no need to rush. Try adding just one of the above items at a time to keep your dog comfortable.

Make sure you work with a truly holistic vet to make sure your dog never receives any unnecessary vaccines. Chances are, he’ll offer even more great options to help detoxify your dog from heavy metals and keep him healthy for years to come.

Read original article HERE

HERE

FAQ Series - Housetraining

2017-11-09T22:13:00.002-05:00

Frequently Asked Questions:

Housetraining your new puppy

Honor Golden, Kolton

We get FAQ everyday and we wanted to put these questions and answers into a form where they can be utilized before and after you get you puppy. This post can pass along to anyone you know that may be getting a new puppy or even adult dog. These ideas are timeless and will work for anyone.

1. Never let your puppy out of your sight for the first couple of weeks. Have a space that the puppy can be when you can't watch him every minute. We recommend a small bathroom, a laundry room or an x-pen set up that is big enough to have a blanket/bed and an area that can have a large pee pee pad or some newspapers as well as a small bowl of water. The pup needs a place he can have a quiet place and sleep if needed but also the pee pee pads or newspapers offer a place he can "go" if you are not available to run him outside. So if you get on a phone call or just busy doing something else where you can't watch him for every second, put him in his own area that is safe if he does have an accident. If he has an accident in the house, it may start a habit of thinking that he can go there again and you want to avoid that.

2. Always take him out at just one door at first so there is no confusion of which door to go to, to tell you he's got to go outside. Take him out of this door often, sometimes even several times an hour. A baby puppy's bladder is small and can't hold much. They also will usually need to go after he eats a meal and ALWAYS as soon as he wakes up from sleep. (When he wakes up from sleep, ALWAYS carry him out, he will not be able to hold it to follow you all the way out when he wakes up). In a couple of weeks he should be able to hold it longer periods and possibly all night. Take him outside the last thing before you go to bed at night and the first thing when you wake up in the morning.
If there are multiple doors that he will be able to go out of eventually, just make sure he is really steady on telling you he has to go out (which is usually by going to the door) before introducing other doors to the outside.

3. Do not let the puppy have access to the entire house, until you feel he is completely house trained and can hold it for long periods of time. This is kind of a no-brainer. He will be out of sight more easily if he has access to many rooms and harder to catch him if he looks like he has to "go". You definitely don't want him to have accidents, not only for the clean up but also so he doesn't think that it's OK to do his business in the house. You can close doors, use baby gates or x-pens to keep him contained to a certain area of the house at first. The puppy can have more space and more access to the house as he grows and is consistently going to the door to do his business outside.

4. Where should the puppy sleep at night? This one is really up to you. If you value your sleep at night and don't want to get up to take him out, put him in the space or room that you have prepared for him (see #1) with a blanket/bed, newspapers or pee pee pads and a small bowl of water available. If the puppy has to go at night, and they pretty much always do when they first come home because their bladders are small, then he has a place to go that will be OK. Newspapers and pee pee pads are good because they are not the normal household surface like wood floors, tile, carpet, etc. and it won't set up a bad habit of thinking it's OK to go on those surfaces.
Some people opt to put the puppy in a crate next to the bed and then get up with the pup to take him out when he starts to cry in the night. He should only cry if he has to go out. You definitely don't want to let him have an accident in the crate, as that should be considered a bed for him and definitely not some place it's OK to "go". As stated previously, make sure you take him out last thing before going to bed and first thing as soon as you get up, and don't forget to carry him out as he won't be able to hold it all the way to the outside.

5. What if he has an accident? You never want to punish a puppy after the fact, if you find they have had an accident. They won't remember what they did and it's too late to punish them. Just clean up the area well and try not to let him out of your sight again. (see #1) IF you do catch him in the act, or if he's just starting to "go" say very loud and in an angry voice "no!no!no!" as you are picking him up and running him out the door. As soon as you put him down outside, praise him with a very up, happy, voice and excitedly tell him what a good boy he is. Puppies are very intuitive to the fluctuation in your voice and the angry "no, no no" will convey to him that going in the house is inappropriate behavior and the excited, happy voice praising him will convey that going out side is the right, proper behavior.

One final tip:
Many people find it effective to either hang a bell from the door knob of the door that they are taking the puppy out of and encourage the puppy to tap it on the way out as a way of telling you he has to "go". This is a great tool for when the dog is older and can just ring the bell to tell you he has to go out. It is a tool and will take a while to train this behavior. The other bell that some people use is like this one here. Just put it on the floor next to the door and tap the puppy's foot on it as he goes outside. They will eventually learn that this means they need to go out and will be able to tell you by ringing the bell

All your titer questions answered!

2017-09-02T09:28:00.007-04:00

All your titer questions answered!

Kona Thompson

Answering your questions about titer testing, a safe alternative to annual vaccines.

Vaccinations can be both helpful and harmful. It all depends on how they’re used. In young dogs and cats, vaccines help establish immunity from infectious disease. But repeated and unnecessary vaccines can be harmful if the immune system reacts to them inappropriately and makes the animal ill. Titer testing is a safe way to avoid over-vaccination while ensuring your companion remains protected from disease. This article will answer some common questions about vaccine titers.

Q. WHAT EXACTLY ARE TITER TESTS?

Vaccine titer tests are simple blood tests that measure your animal’s antibodies to certain diseases. In most practices, these diseases include distemper, parvo and hepatitis virus for dogs, and rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia virus for cats. The titer is a number derived from testing your animal’s blood for antibodies against these diseases. A positive titer means your dog or cat has antibodies against a specific disease (the titer usually results from prior vaccination to the disease, or exposure to the disease). It indicates he is protected from the illness caused by that particular virus. For example, a positive titer to distemper virus indicates your dog is protected from distemper.

Q. WHEN SHOULD TITER TESTING BE DONE?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Most holistic veterinarians do limited vaccinations for their puppy and kitten patients, using a series of immunizations to ensure adequate protective immunity without “overdoing it” like traditional doctors do. A limited booster series may be done one year following the final puppy or kitten vaccine visit, when the animals are approximately 18 months of age. Titer testing is then done the following year and continues annually for the life of the animal. Vaccines are given only when titer testing shows a need for them based on the dog or cat’s immunity.

Titer testing can also be done for stray or rescue/adopted animals with an unknown vaccination history. These animals can be immunized if needed, based upon their titer testing results.

Q. IS IT EXPENSIVE?

It depends. Some veterinarians, especially those who don’t routinely do titer testing, charge a lot for it. I’ve seen invoices for $200 to $400 just for distemper and parvo titer testing. But if you visit a doctor who routinely does titer testing, especially if it’s done in the doctor’s office, it is very reasonably priced. For my own canine patients, I do titer testing for distemper, parvo and hepatitis virus, plus a complete annual checkup, for under $200.

Q. IF MY ANIMAL HAS A POSITIVE TITER, WILL ADDITIONAL VACCINES BE HARMFUL?

Giving additional vaccinations to a dog or cat that has a positive titer for a particular disease will not offer more protection, is a waste of health care dollars, and could be harmful if he reacts adversely to the vaccine. Positive titers indicate your animal is protected and vaccines can be skipped that year.

Q. WHY DOES MY VET SAY TITER TESTS ARE USELESS?

I don’t really know why some doctors say this unless they are ignorant of basic immunology. Titer testing is used every day in veterinary practice to diagnose diseases such as heartworm and feline leukemia infection. And veterinarians who have themselves been vaccinated against rabies routinely have their titers tested to determine if and when they might need to be revaccinated.

Q. CAN I TAKE MY ANIMAL TO A BOARDING KENNEL OR GROOMER IF I CHOOSE TITER TESTING IN PLACE OF VACCINES?

Since kennels, grooming facilities, and doggie daycare businesses require proof of immunization, either recent vaccines or titer tests showing that the animal is protected and not in need of additional vaccination should be acceptable. Keep in mind that grooming and boarding facilities associated with a conventional veterinary clinic will usually not accept titer results, whereas those not associated with a veterinary clinic will usually accept either titers or vaccines. Check with the facility to be sure.

Q. WHAT ABOUT RABIES SHOTS?

Rabies titer testing is frequently done in people, as mentioned earlier. It is also an acceptable method for determining protection against rabies in animals, and is required for international transportation. Unfortunately, most city, state and county laws require frequent rabies vaccinations because they do not accept titer testing. Hopefully, this will change someday. For now, vaccinating for rabies every three years is adequate as long as your animal is healthy.

Q. IS IT BETTER TO HAVE TITER TESTING DONE AT THE CLINIC OR BY AN OUTSIDE LAB?

By doing the testing “in-house”, the cost is greatly reduced and quality control is better due to the smaller volume of patients being tested. That being said, outside labs can do titer testing nicely, especially for busier practices that may not have time to do it in the office, but the price is likely to be higher.

Q. IF I NEED TO VACCINATE BASED ON TESTING RESULTS, WHEN SHOULD THE NEXT TEST BE DONE?

It would be done the following year at your dog or cat’s annual visit. The titer test should be normal at that time, indicating protective immunity without the need for further immunization – but we don’t know this for sure, so the testing should be done annually following any booster immunization.

Q. IS THERE ANY DOWNSIDE TO TITER TESTING?

Not really. However, no test is perfect. Titer testing tells us a lot about the state of your dog or cat’s immune system and its ability to prevent specific diseases. There is no guarantee that a titer will protect him – but there is no guarantee a vaccine will protect him either.

If your groomer or boarding facility does not accept titer results, you will need to either over-vaccinate your dog or cat (not a good choice), or find another facility that is more open-minded and concerned with his health (a much better choice!).

Make Bath Time Less Stressful For Your Dog

2017-04-19T15:20:00.010-04:00

Pamper your dog at bath time!

Luca Prince

Many dogs hate bath time, which is too bad, because with proper preparation, bathing your dog doesn’t have to be stressful for either of you.

8 Steps to Less Stress at Bath Time

1.Brush your dog first.

Give your dog a thorough brushing right before bath time to remove dirt, debris, dead hair and mats from his coat.

Brushing before a bath will make brushing after the bath much easier. If your dog enjoys being brushed, this is also a good way to help relax and soothe him before a bath.

You can also remove your dog’s collar at this time, or leave it on to use (very gently) as a handle to steady him while you’re bathing him.

2.Choose the best spot to bathe your dog.

Since most homes aren’t equipped with a raised tub like you see at veterinary clinics and grooming shops, if you have a small dog, you can use a laundry room or shop sink, or even your kitchen sink.

For larger dogs, the bathtub usually works (though it can be hard on your back), or a walk-in shower. If it’s a nice day and warm enough that your dog won’t get chilled, you can bathe her outside using a garden hose.

Make sure to get your bath supplies ready beforehand, including towels and washcloths, a pouring container for water if necessary, shampoo and conditioner and so forth. Leaving a wet dog standing alone in a tub or sink while you dash off to get the shampoo you forgot is inviting disaster.

3.Help your dog feel safe in the tub.

First, make sure the water temperature is comfortable — not too hot or cold. Most tub floors feel slippery under a dog’s paws, so I recommend putting a towel down on the bottom of the tub so your pet feels more secure during his bath.

It can also save you from having to support a larger dog who keeps losing his footing.

If your dog seems anxious or fearful in the bath, try to enlist a helper to hold him steady and help him feel safe. Your helper can soothe your dog and maybe offer him the occasional treat for being a good boy during his bath.

The goal is to create a positive experience so your dog won't develop an extreme dislike or fear of being bathed.

4.Keep those ears and eyes protected.

Put a cotton ball just inside each of your dog’s ears to prevent water from getting in them. Most dogs don't enjoy having water sprayed or poured on their heads, and it's really not the safest or best way to get the face and ears clean anyway.

Another reason I don't recommend pouring water over your dog's head is because she can develop secondary ear infections from moisture getting into the ear canal.

And no matter what shampoo you use — even if it says it's safe around the eyes — I don't recommend lathering your dog's head.

If for some reason you must, it's important to hold her chin up and rinse toward the back of the neck and not down over the face to avoid getting shampoo in her eyes.

5.Lather front-to-back.

Wet your dog’s entire body using either with a hose or sprayer, or by filling up a container with water and slowly pouring it over him, saturating the coat and skin. Don’t forget to wet all four legs and paws and his undercarriage!

Get your dog as wet as possible before applying shampoo, especially if he has a full or long coat, as it will make lathering and rinsing much easier.

Once he’s good and wet, grab your Isle of Dog shampoo made specifically for dogs. You can use either a body bar that you hold in your hand as you lather, or a liquid shampoo, in which case you’ll want to pour a line of shampoo down his back and massage it into his coat and skin.

If your dog has super-thick hair you can dilute your shampoo 50/50 with water to assist in getting the shampoo down to the level of your dog’s skin. Lather his back and sides, his underside, legs and paws, armpits, the area under his neck, his backside, groin area and tail.

6.Rinse, rinse and rinse some more.

It's really important to rinse all the soap and residue off your dog, which can take some time with a long or dense coat. Shampoo that dries on the coat or skin can be irritating, and it will also get dirty and matted in a hurry.

So even though your dog is looking a bit like a drowned rat and is more than ready to be out of the tub, take your time and make sure you've rinsed her thoroughly.

Once she’s rinsed, use a washcloth to clean her face and around her eyes while she’s still in the tub. Gently wipe away any gunk that may have collected in her facial folds (if she has them) and under her eyes.

Next you can sort of wring or pat water out of your dog’s coat, and then grab a towel and rub her down a bit before lifting her or having her step out of the tub. The second she’s out of the tub and free of your grasp, she’ll start her very efficient “self-drying shake,” so be prepared!

7.Drying your dog.

Short-haired dogs often just need a bit of toweling and a few shakes to get dry. Dogs with longer or dense coats, however, generally need either lots of toweling and/or blow drying.

Most dogs aren’t crazy about the blow dryer, so if yours isn’t, I suggest you towel her dry, making sure to keep her warm, especially in the colder months. It's easy for dogs to get chilled when their skin and fur is wet.

Don't let your dog get to the point of trembling. After each bath, attempt to use the blow dryer again — she may or may not get more comfortable with it the more she’s exposed to it.

Remember to keep the dryer setting on low heat, and if she gets nervous or anxious, you should stop. The goal is to create a positive bathing experience, since this is something you'll be doing for your dog for the rest of her life. The calmer she is with the process, the easier it will be on both of you.

8.Finish up with ear cleaning.

Now it’s time to remove the cotton from your dog’s ears and check them for dirt and gunk. The rule is to clean your dog's ears when they're dirty. If they produce plenty of wax every day, they'll need to be cleaned every day. If they don't produce a lot of wax or collect much gunk, you can clean them less often. If you leave wax or debris in your dog's ear canal, it's the foundation for infection.

When you need to clean his ears, you can either put the ear cleaner directly down into the ear (as long as the directions say it's safe), or you can apply it to cotton balls and then swab out the wax and debris. If you pour or squirt the solution directly into the ear, before your dog can shake his head you'll want to massage it in so it thoroughly coats the inside of the ear. Use as many cotton balls as it takes to get to a clean cotton ball from each ear.

It's nearly impossible to put a cotton ball too far into your dog's ear, so there's no real danger of rupturing an eardrum or hurting or irritating the ear. You can substitute gauze for cotton balls if you prefer. The outside, floppy part of your dog's ear is called the pinna. Once you're done swabbing the inside of the ears, use a clean cotton ball to swab and disinfect the pinna of each ear.

I hope I’ve offered some suggestions you can use to help your dog experience bath time with a minimum of stress. As far as frequency, I recommend bathing your dog whenever she's dirty, stinky or has skin allergies or a minor skin infection. By Dr. Becker

Chemical free flea preventatives

2017-04-04T09:14:00.010-04:00

Best Home Remedies For Fleas

Marco Mackie

The main goal of natural flea prevention? Make it through flea season without an infestation, keep flea populations at a minimum and a happy itch-free dog.

Once fleas are in your house and on your dog, you’ve got a whole lot of crappy work ahead of you …

… weekly flea baths for your dog, washing every bit of fabric in your house, vacuuming everything under your roof. Several times over, in fact, to make sure the infestation is completely gone.

Flea prevention is a whole lot easier than trying to get rid of them once they’ve taken over.

How do you prevent flea infestations and keep them off your dog?

Follow these tips and home remedies for fleas and make natural flea prevention simple and easy.

But first, let’s start with the outdoors and try to keep the fleas out of your home and off of your dog so you’ll never have to use my remedies.

1. Keeping Fleas Out Of Your Yard

When soil temperatures rise above 45 degrees for at least 2 to 3 weeks (spring, summer and fall in most areas), use nematodes to minimize flea populations.Nematodes are your best friends when it comes to keeping your yard flea-free. If fleas aren’t in your yard, they’re less likely to find their way onto your dog.

What Are Nematodes?

Nematodes are tiny wormlike multicellular animals found in the soil. There are a lot of different kinds of nematodes, good and bad. The good ones I’m talking about here are beneficial in controlling many garden pests like ants, termites and grubs — but they also eat fleas!

They can be found at many garden centers and online.

They come ready to use; you just add water as directed on the package. Spray them throughout your yard using a hose sprayer or a watering can.

Since nematodes are living organisms, you’ll need to use them quickly after they arrive. Apply them in the spring, summer and fall for effective coverage.

Mowing

Most people who know me will tell you I’m not a fan of mowing or lawns in general. However if you live in a flea prolific area, you need to keep your lawn cut short.

Plants That Guard

Keep pots of lemon balm, sage, rosemary, catnip, lemongrass, basil and mint outside of your main “potty” doors and throughout your yard. These plants help repel fleas through the natural oils that they secrete and deter fleas from entering the house.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic powder made up of fossilized organisms called diatoms that break apart flea eggs and dry them out before they can grow into adult fleas.

You can purchase DE at most holistic dog supply stores, health stores and garden centers or on Amazon. Make sure you’re buying food grade DE only. Industrial grade DE is chemically treated and used for pools and manufacturing.

Spread food grade diatomaceous earth outside in your yard wherever your dog spends most of her time. Look for places where the earth or grass is worn down from your dog’s extensive napping or relaxing schedule.

CAUTION: DE can irritate your lungs so wear a mask and make sure your dogs and animals aren’t breathing the dust. After the dust has settled, DE is safe.

Garlic

Fleas don’t like garlic, so it’s a natural flea repellent that’s safe to use in the yard and with your pets.

Here’s a recipe you can make to spray in your yard when flea populations are reaching epic proportions.

Garlic Water For Your Yard

What you need:

8 heads of chopped garlic (there’s no need to peel it for this recipe)

1 gallon of almost boiling water

How to make it:

• Place the garlic in an extra large soup pan and pour the water over the top

• Cover and let the mixture steep for 12 hours

• Pour through a strainer into a garden sprayer

• Lightly spray your lawn and garden area

Note: When treating your yard with garlic, just give everything one light spray. If you use it too heavily, garlic might harm some of those beneficial bugs you do want in your hard, so just give everything a light spray and don’t soak your grass or plants in the liquid.

You can also make small changes in your house to keep fleas away.

2. Protect Your Home

The best thing I ever did was remove all the carpet from my home, especially pile carpet. If carpet is a must, choose berber. Berber is the best choice for carpet when you have dogs because the weave is unfriendly to pests.

If you have carpets, follow these steps.

Steam clean your carpets a least once or twice a year. This can really get you off to a good start in protecting your home from fleas. Fleas love to hide in carpets, especially where the carpet meets the wall.

Vacuum at least once a week in all areas. Immediately empty the vacuum bags or throw out canister debris in an outside garbage container.

Once a month during flea season, spread diatomaceous earth all over and vacuum after 48 hours.

Reminder: DE can irritate your lungs so wear a mask when you’re applying it and keep your pets out of the room until the dust has settled.

3. Protect Your Dog

These are some of my favorite ways to prevent fleas on your dog.

Feed Garlic

You can use small amounts of garlic as an internal flea preventative.

Now you might be screaming, “No, I’ll hurt my dog!”

Yes, garlic can be harmful if you use really huge amounts (equivalent to 75 cloves of garlic for a 70 lb dog) but garlic is safe to use if you use freshly chopped organic garlic and feed the right amount.

So always use organic fresh whole clove garlic and avoid garlic supplements.

You can safely give your pet ¼ clove of garlic per ten pounds (use regular sized garlic, not jumbo). If your pet weighs less than ten pounds, cut a ¼ clove of garlic in half and give ⅛ clove.

No matter how big your dog is, I prefer not to give more than two cloves of garlic per day. So if you have a hundred pound dog, still give her only two cloves of garlic.

Start feeding garlic one month before the start of flea season and you’ll find it’s an effective deterrent in your flea prevention tool kit.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Inside And Out

Fleas don’t like a dog who’s pH balanced.

Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar (ACV) creates a more acidic environment outside and balanced alkalinity on the inside, making it a must-have for flea season success.

Feed your dog ½ teaspoon of ACV per day per 25 lbs. ACV contains important nutrients, vitamins, minerals, vital acids and potassium.

Tip: Test your dog’s urine with pH strips before adding ACV to their food or water. Dogs should have a pH between 6.2 and 6.5.

Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe

Your dog’s skin and coat should be slightly acidic for fleas to find him inhospitable. You can easily achieve this by spraying your dog each week with the following solution.

What you need:

4 oz warm water

6 oz ACV, unfiltered and preferably organic

¼ tsp of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

How to make it:

Mix the ingredients in a small spray bottle and spray your dog’s coat and underbelly weekly, avoiding the eyes or any open wounds.

Essential Oils

Unless you’re willing to mix your essential oils with a carrier oil (a vegetable oil used for dilution), don’t use them.

Many people, blogs and companies advocate water-suspended essential oils for fleas. This practice is dangerous. Water can’t safely disperse essential oils because essential oils are NOT water-soluble unless they’ve been diluted with a solvent.

Chemistry is chemistry and anyone who tells you otherwise is misinformed.

There are some natural substances that dissolve essential oils, but for do-it-yourself flea and tick sprays, I suggest using a thin carrier oil like grape seed oil or fractionated coconut oil. Mix one drop of essential oil to one milliliter of carrier oil.

Here are a few flea repelling essential oils:

• Lavender

• Lemon

• Cedar

• Eucalyptus (radiata)

• Clary sage

• Peppermint

Avoid making or purchasing flea repellent that contain essential oils of wintergreen, pennyroyal and clove. These oils are dangerous for your dog and should not be used for any reason.

A note about bandanas or collars infused with essential oils: While this may be a useful idea to protect your dog when she’s outdoors, make sure you dilute the essential oils … and please take off the bandana after your dog comes inside.

Everyday Flea Repellent

Here’s my favorite everyday flea spray that’s lightly scented and very effective if you spray your dog each day when she goes outside. Pay special attention to the belly, tail, legs and ears.

What you need:

1 organic lemon

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 sprig of garden sage (Salvia officinalis)

1 quart of filtered water

Optional: 1 sprig of lavender

How to make it:

• Slice the lemon into thin rounds

• Place the lemon, rosemary and sage in a large stainless steel or glass bowl

• Add a quart of almost boiling water

• Cover and let steep overnight

• In the morning strain the liquid into a spray bottle

• Refrigerate (lasts 1 to 2 weeks)

Chemical Free Tags

I live near salt water where fleas are prolific. Joy. As part of my all-natural flea prevention regimen I have been testing out two different chemical-free collar tags. So far, I’m amazed at how well they work.

This ultrasonic tag that lasts a year. It works with your pet’s energetic field to deter fleas. The only catch is it takes up to two weeks to reach full strength so it’s a good idea to purchase these tags in the winter to prepare for spring.

Both tags are working well and I’m pleased with the results. The great thing is they don’t contain chemicals and I can use them on my cat too.

NOTE: Adding the foods and vitamins you’ll read about below are great ways to boost your dog’s nutrition and foster an unwelcome home for fleas. But starting with a fresh, raw diet is key. Dried dog food goes through high heating and processing which kills the natural nutrients your dog requires to thrive.

4. Health Is The Best Defense

This last recommendation is probably the most important of all.

Fleas are parasites and parasites seek out the weak and unhealthy. This means if your dog is healthy, fleas will be more inclined to leave her alone and jump on your neighbor’s dog instead!

Good diet is the foundation of good health. The most important way to keep your dog glowing with good health is to feed her a diet full of fresh whole foods and unprocessed proteins.

In particular, supply her with plenty of B vitamins (found in most meats, organ meats, oily fish and eggs), probiotics (such as goat kefir or fermented vegetables), sulphur rich foods (eggs, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) as well as omega-6 fatty acids (poultry, eggs, flaxseed and hempseed) and omega-3 fatty acies (mackerel, freshly ground hemp and flaxseed).

Does Your Dog Have Fleas?

If you suspect your dog might have fleas despite your best prevention efforts, here’s how you can find out:

Stand your dog on moistened paper towels or a damp white bath towel.

Brush her

If little specks of dirt fall onto the towels and turn red or brown, your dog has fleas.

Steps For Treating Your Dog For Fleas

During an active flea attack, wash your dog with citrus Castile soap each week followed by a final rinse with ACV. For this rinse, use one part vinegar to ten parts water.

Keeping your dog’s coat clean and using a flea comb is essential to natural flea prevention. Comb from top of head to the underside of the tail, neck, underbelly and legs.

Once a week, wash all of your dog’s bedding in hot water with a natural, unscented detergent. If your dog sleeps with you, make sure you throw your own bedding in the washer once a week too.

Each week vacuum your carpets and floors, paying special attention to any places your dog hangs out (along with his little flea companions). An extra diatomaceous earth carpet treatment or two can also help keep fleas from multiplying.

Because the flea’s entire life cycle, from eggs to larvae to pupae to adults, can be as long as several months, you’ll need to keep repeating these steps to make sure the flea infestation is completely gone.

Living the All Natural Lifestyle takes a special effort especially when it comes to your sweet pooch. With a bit of planning, you can be well on your way to a successful flea-free season without resorting to cancer causing toxic chemicals.

5 steps to having a yeast-free dog

2017-03-26T11:30:00.010-04:00

Itchy, smelly dog? It may be a yeast infection

Marco

Both people and dogs have a normal amount of healthy levels of yeast that occur naturally on the body. The typical normal, healthy flora of dogs is a naturally occurring staph, as well as a light layer of naturally occurring yeast. These healthy levels of flora are possible thanks to a balanced immune system.

How a Yeast Infection Occurs

On the immune system spectrum, balance is in the middle, and that's what you want your dog's immune function to be – balanced.

An underactive immune system can lead to yeast overgrowth, because it can't control the balance. The other end of the spectrum is an overactive immune response where allergies are present. This can also lead to problems with yeast.

When a traditional veterinarian sees a dog with allergies – a sign of an overactive immune system – he or she will typically prescribe steroid therapy to shut off the immune response. (This improves symptoms but does not fix the underlying cause of the allergies.)

When your dog's immune system is turned off with drugs, it can't do its job of regulating and balancing normal flora levels, so your pet ends up with yeast blooms.

When conventional vets see dogs with allergies and possibly secondary skin infections, often they prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotics are well-known to destroy all good bacteria along with the bad, wiping out healthy yeast levels in the process, so these drugs often make a bad situation worse.

Another reason an allergic dog, in particular, can end up with a lot of yeast is he can actually develop an allergy to his yeast. Intradermal tests often reveal that a dog is having an allergic response to his own natural flora.

This situation can be very problematic because the dog's allergic response can affect his whole body. These dogs are often red from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail – their entire bodies are flaming red and irritated.

So dogs with an underactive immune system or that are immuno-suppressed can end up with a yeast infection, as well as dogs that have overactive immune systems, or allergies.

Signs and Symptoms of a Yeasty Dog

Definitive diagnosis by a vet of a yeast infection is accomplished either by cytology (looking at a skin swab under a microscope) or by culturing (submitting a sterile swab of the skin to the lab where the cells are grown and identified on a petri dish).

But as a pet owner, you'll be able to tell if your dog has a yeast infection just by her smell. Yeast has a very characteristic odor. Some people think it smells like moldy bread; others liken the odor to cheese popcorn or corn chips. In fact, some people refer to a yeast infection of a dog's paws as 'Frito Feet.' It's a pungent, musty, unpleasant smell.

The odor of a yeast infection is not a normal doggy odor. Healthy dogs don't have a 'doggy odor.' So if your pup has stinky paws or musty-smelling ears, chances are she's dealing with a yeast overgrowth.

Another sign your dog is yeasty is scratching. Yeast overgrowth is tremendously itchy. If it's a problem with her paws, she won't be able to leave them alone. The same goes for her ears. A lot of butt scooting can also be a clue.

If your dog is spending a lot of time digging at herself to relieve intense itching, take heed. Whether it's a bacterial or yeast infection, she needs your help to solve the problem.

Step #1 in Clearing a Yeast Infection: Address the Diet

If your pet is dealing with yeast overgrowth, there are a couple of things you'll need to do.

Number one, you must address his diet. It's rare that a dog has yeast in just one spot – one ear, for example. If that's the case with your pet, you can probably get by just treating that ear for yeast and keeping your fingers crossed his immune system responds to re-balance his natural flora.

But if your dog, like the majority, has yeast in more than one spot, for example on all four paws or both ears, or especially if his entire body is yeasty, you have no choice but to look at what he's eating.

Diet is the foundation of health. The way you nourish your dog is either going to help his immune system manage yeast, or it's going to feed a potential or existing yeast overgrowth situation.

I encourage you to put your pet on what I call an 'anti-yeast diet.' The beauty of an anti-yeast diet is it is also an anti-inflammatory and species-appropriate diet. This one is excellent and you can download for FREE.

Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy. Carbohydrates break down into sugar. Both MDs and veterinarians advise patients with yeast to get the sugars out of their diets.

Dietary sugar isn't just the white kind added to many pet treats and some pet foods. There are 'secret,' hidden forms of sugar that can also feed yeast overgrowth, for instance, honey. Although honey can be beneficial for pets in some cases, it does provide a food source for yeast. So if your dog is yeasty, you'll need to carefully read his pet food and treat labels and avoid any product containing honey, high fructose corn syrup, and even white potatoes and sweet potatoes.

If your dog has a significant yeast problem, I recommend you go entirely sugar-free. Feed low-glycemic veggies. Eliminate potatoes, corn, wheat, rice – all the carbohydrates need to go away in a sugar-free diet. This is really an important step. I wish I could tell you yeast is easy to treat and avoid without addressing diet, but it isn't. Your pet needs to eat a diet that helps keep his normal flora levels healthy and balanced.

The second thing I recommend is adding some natural anti-fungal foods to his diet, like a small amount of garlic or oregano. These foods are both anti-fungal and anti-yeast and can be beneficial in helping reduce the yeast level in your dog's body.

Disinfecting Yeasty Ears

In addition to providing an anti-yeast diet and anti-fungal foods, the third thing you must do to help your dog overcome a yeast infection is to disinfect yeasty body parts.

This is actually an often overlooked, but common sense, almost-free step in addressing a yeast overgrowth in pets.

In human medicine, it is routine for internists and dermatologists to give patients with yeast specific protocols for cleaning affected parts of the body. The same instruction is rarely given in veterinary medicine, which makes no sense and is really a shame.

Typically, a vet will hand a client with a yeasty dog a cream, salve or dip, with instructions to just keep applying it to the infected area. The problem with this approach is that as yeast dies off, it forms layer of dead yeast on top of layer of dead yeast. Unless you remove the dead layers of yeast and disinfect the skin, adding loads of ointment to layers of dead yeast can actually exacerbate the problem.

So disinfecting the parts of your dog's body that are yeasty is very important. There's no pill or cream that can disinfect your pet – you must do that yourself.

If your pet's ears are yeasty, you'll have to disinfect them daily. Just as some people produce lots of earwax and clean their ears daily, while others produce almost no earwax, the same applies to dogs. Some almost never need their ears cleaned, while others need a daily cleaning.

The frequency is entirely dependent on how much debris your dog's ears produce. So if your Lab has soupy ears throughout the summer months, you'll need to clean them every day during that period.

If you check your dog's ears and they're clean, dry and have no odor, you can skip a day of cleaning. Again, the amount of cleaning should correlate with the amount of debris built up in the ear. If you don't clean out that debris, it won't magically disappear on its own. It will grow from wax, to yeast, to a fulminating bacterial infection unless you deal with it.

You can disinfect your dog's ears with either a store bought solution, Epi-Otic is very effective or with witch hazel and large cotton balls. Use as many cotton balls as it takes to remove all the debris from the ears at each cleaning. Read more on cleaning ears HERE and yeast in dogs HERE

Canine Vasectomies

2017-03-15T17:35:00.003-04:00

Canine Vasectomies

Reuben

Do you know that vasectomy surgery can be performed on dogs? Indeed this is true, and, as we learn more and more about the impacts of traditional canine neutering (castration), vasectomy surgery is becoming increasingly popular.

What exactly is a vasectomy?

Whether performed on a human or a dog, vasectomy surgery involves clamping, cutting, or ligating (tying off) the vas deferens, the duct that transports sperm out of the testicle and into the semen. Local anesthesia is all that is needed to accomplish this surgery in men. (Most men will lie still when told to do so.) Vasectomy surgery is performed in dogs using general anesthesia.

Vasectomy versus castration

Castration is referred to as “neutering” because the reproductive organs (testicles) are removed. With vasectomy surgery, the testicles remain in place, so the dog is not considered to be “neutered.”

Whether castrated or vasectomized, the end result is a sterile dog. And, there is a period of surgical recovery with both procedures. Castration tends to be a “bigger deal” surgery in that the incisions are larger and there is more overall tissue trauma. Performed by someone with significant experience, a vasectomy tends to be considered a relatively minor procedure.

The testicles are where testosterone is produced. So, it makes sense that castration (removal of both testicles) reduces testosterone production to almost nil. A very small amount of testosterone continues to be produced by the adrenal glands. Vasectomized dogs maintain normal testosterone production.

Choosing whether or not your dog should live his life with or without testosterone is a big-deal decision these days. There is mounting evidence (pun intended) that removal of testosterone, particularly in dogs under a year of age, might be associated with negative health implications. There are plenty of pros and cons to consider, and they should be discussed at length with a veterinarian you hold in high regard. Be sure to do some investigating yourself. I have compiled a bibliography on canine spay/neuter research, including that which is most current.

Be forewarned

If you opt to sterilize your dog via vasectomy, here are some things to consider:

– There is no “Vasectomy 101” course being taught in veterinary schools (yet). Most veterinarians who perform vasectomies are somewhat self-taught. While this surgery is pretty darned simple, be sure that you are working with a surgeon who has several vasectomies under his or her belt (pun intended). If you are having difficulty finding an experienced surgeon, look for a surgical specialist. He or she will be able to handle your request.

– If ever you become unhappy with the role testosterone is playing in your vasectomized dog’s life (he’s humping everything in sight, he’s jumping the fence to be with the neighbor’s dog who is in heat), you can always opt for castration at a later date.

– Following vasectomy surgery, a male dog can successfully breed for up to two months. Do not let your vasectomized dog interact with a female in heat during this time period.

– You might be ostracized and/or interrogated at dog parks and other public venues where only neutered dogs (those without reproductive organs) are allowed.

– Proprietors of doggie day care facilities may refuse your vasectomized dog because they hold negative and sometimes inaccurate impressions of testosterone-driven behaviors.

Would you ever consider a vasectomy for your dog?

Best wishes,

Nancy Kay, DVM

Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life

Author of Your Dog's Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Vet

Recipient, Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award

Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award

Recipient, Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog

Recipient, Eukanuba Canine Health Award

Recipient, AKC Club Publication Excellence Award

Why your dog's food needs more antioxidants

2017-02-27T09:12:00.015-05:00

Fighting Free Radicals With Diet

Teddy Brigham

Conventional medicine considers disease and a decline in health as a natural process of aging. Advocates of natural health care view this decline over time as the accumulation of toxins and chronic disease, not as an accepted byproduct of aging itself.

Oxidation

As oxygen interacts with the body’s cells, oxidation occurs. While this is a natural process and the body metabolizes oxygen well, 1% to 2% of its cells will become damaged by that oxygen and become free radicals.

Free radicals are damaged cells. They are missing a critical molecule and they then seek out to replace that molecule from other cells very aggressively. When free radicals rob other cells of their molecules, they damage the DNA in that cell and this creates the basis for disease. When a cell’s DNA is changed, the cell becomes mutated: it grows and reproduces abnormally and quickly.

Generally, the body has a good defense against free radicals and they are controlled with antioxidants. Problems arise when there are too many free radicals for the body to manage.

Free radicals are dangerous because they trigger a damaging and rapid chain reaction that can quickly overwhelm the body’s natural defense system. This damage leads to chronic disease, including cancer, joint disease, heart, liver and kidney disease, and cognitive decline.

Control Free Radicals

Toxins that are introduced to the body can generate free radicals and trigger the spiral into chronic disease. Pesticides, antibiotics and other toxins in your dog’s food will harbor free radicals. Environmental pesticides and cleaning chemicals are also an important source. Vaccines and pharmaceuticals also trigger substantial free radical production.

With time, the free radicals these toxins will accumulate and the body won’t be able to stop their damage. This is why avoiding these toxins is the biggest step you can take to preserve your dog’s health.

Antioxidants And Diet

While reducing your dog’s exposure to vaccines, pesticides and chemicals your dog is critical to his health, he will still be exposed to some environmental toxins.

Getting antioxidants into his diet will help fight this oxidative damage.

A healthy diet will contain plenty of antioxidants that will help prevent free radical chain reactions or stop them after they have started.

Vitamin C is able to capture free radicals and neutralize them. Dogs are typically able to produce their own vitamin C.

Vitamin E will sit in the cell membrane and break free radical chain reactions. Animal sources generally have low levels of vitamin E whereas plant based oils contain the highest concentrations.

Flavonoids are especially powerful antioxidants that are found in most fruits, vegetables and herbs, and in high concentrations in berries. Green tea also contains very high amounts of flavonoids. In general, the more brightly colored the food, the higher the concentration of flavonoids.

Polyphenols, or phenols, are a smaller class of antioxidants that can be found in highest concentrations in dark red fruits.

A well rounded, healthy diet is the best approach. Avoid supplementing your dog with synthetic sources of vitamins C and E as these are treated as drugs by the body and may trigger further free radical production. A fresh, whole diet complete with organ meats, nutritional herbs and some berries, and perhaps a little green tea, should help your dog manage oxidative stress.

How to groom your Goldens ears

2017-02-15T16:14:00.001-05:00

Professional groomers on Golden Retriever ears

Reuben

Have you ever wanted to have your Goldens ears look more neat and trim? Professional groomers give you the inside scoop on getting a Golden Retriever ear looking good

CLICK HERE to see video tutorial

How to get your dog to come to you every time you call!

2017-02-10T09:51:00.005-05:00

Tips for teaching the "come" command

Billy

“Come” is the most important word that you will teach your dog, and if it is trained using positive reinforcement and play, you are more likely to have a successful, reliable recall. Maintaining a solid recall is a lifelong training effort that includes enthusiasm, consistency, and most importantly, rewards – lots and lots of rewards!

Before You Begin:

Never use your recall cue to call your dog to you for something negative, such as a reprimand, isolation, to get their nails clipped, or anything else your dog finds to be negative. Always make sure it is fun and positive every time they run to you.

If you have inadvertently already been calling your dog for things that he or she considers unpleasant, then just change your command and start training all over so your dog learns that coming to you is the best thing in the world! So, if you need to get your dog for something he considers unpleasant (such as a bath or nail trim), do not use your “come” command – just go get the puppy without associating a word with it.

Teaching the Recall:

Start slowly by practicing at home with minimal distractions and plenty of fun or yummy rewards, like toys and treats. First, show your dog a high-value treat as you move backwards and say the dog’s name in a bright, happy tone. If the puppy runs straight to you, reward with several small treats.

Be very exciting and make the puppy understand what great fun it is to run to you. As he comes to you, give him several treats AND praise AND petting AND play. Once your dog is running consistently straight to you, you can name the behavior (come, here, etc.).

When going outside to practice, there will be more distractions, so always keep your dog on a leash or safety long line until he has been trained more thoroughly, and don’t forget to use high value treats!

Collar Grabs:

Practice grabbing your dog’s collar when he comes to you, just before you give him the treat. This will avoid your dog taking the treat and run away to play the game again. It will also make your dog associate a “collar grab” with a good thing and not something to run away from and avoid. Again, always make it a positive experience, lots of treats (also called high reward treats) and a happy upbeat voice!

Final tip:

Keep treats in your pocket so if you have to call your puppy/dog you will always have the reward with you. Keeping them in your pockets will also allow you to practice any time of the day!

Happy training!!!