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Your dog needs to chew

November 1, 2013November 1, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

It’s not rocket science — every dog owner knows dogs need to chew. And they happily purchase a variety of chew treats for their dogs. However, choosing a safe and healthy treat is not an easy task — it seems every day we are seeing another recall of chews for antibiotic residues, salmonella, or some yet to be determined, toxic substances. So many dogs have died from toxic jerky treats made in China. The recalls of these treats continues to expand, and I urge everyone to not purchase any jerky…

The truth and myths about raw food diet for pets

April 1, 2013April 1, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

By Dr. Becker Today and over the next couple of weeks I’ll be discussing my favorite topic, raw food diets for pets. I want to talk about some of the myths and truths surrounding raw food diets, but before we get to the good stuff, it’s important to have a foundation of understanding about basic nutrition. One point that no one argues is that for optimal health to occur, animals must consume the foods they were designed to eat. I call this a species-appropriate diet. So vegetarian animals must eat…

Pet Poisons From A to Z — 26 Common Items That Are Dangerous to Cats and Dogs

March 20, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

by Dr. Mary Fuller It can happen to even the best pet owners. You turn around for one second and the dog is into the chocolate that was sitting on the counter, or the cat has discovered the Easter lily you thought was safely out of the way. “We just don’t realize how determined our pets are to eat the things they shouldn’t,” says Dr. Tina Wismer, DVM, medical director for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Of the more than 180,000 cases that the organization handled in 2012, most of…

Dogs understand human perspective

March 15, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

Dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human’s point of view than has previously been recognised, according to researchers. They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see. This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behaviour when they knew their owners’ perspective had changed. The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on 84 dogs. The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could adapt their…

Pet obesity: Tips on how to avoid killing your dog

March 7, 2013March 7, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

Much like their human owners, animals have to deal with unwanted weight, too. Animal obesity is an epidemic across the country with more than 50 percent of pets now overweight. My little girl Nadya, an adorable 7 year old bichon/poodle mix often overindulges in food. Every time she thinks she does something good, she expects a treat. You spoil them and then you don’t realize what you’re doing. To lose weight, cutting calories is the key. If you look at the calorie content of those treats, it would comprise probably…

Your dog’s dental hygiene determines his overall health

March 2, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

by Robert Mueller: I would guess that very few people are aware of the connection between dental health and the benefits provided for good cardiovascular health. The dental industry has changed over the last few decades, and with the knowledge gained from research and preventive dentistry, the incidence of heart disease has been reduced. The slogan ‘ Good Food, Great Teeth’ is ever so true for pets as well as humans. Pets that are in the infant stage at 2 to 6 weeks of age start their teething issues when…

Vaccinations: A word of caution for our animals and why titer tests are a better option

February 26, 2013February 26, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

It’s no surprise to many disgruntled pet owners that many veterinary clinics rely on revenue from vaccines. Happily for the dogs, many vets have replaced vaccinations with titer testing. The problem with this is twofold: one, they are replacing yearly or triennial vaccination with yearly or triennial titer testing, and two, titers are expensive. Once a dog has a positive titer, he is considered protected for life. This means he no longer requires more vaccinations (most of the core vaccines have been shown to protect dogs for 7 to 15…

Debunked: Omega 3, 6 and 9 for dogs

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

First, let’s talk about how the fatty acids are named. “Essential” means needed, thus our bodies don’t make the fatty acid. The biochemical structure is what makes them fatty acids and helps with the different names. “Fatty” means the EFAs are used in the body in lipid (fatty) layers of cells and tissues. Where the first double bond is in the fatty acid molecule helps in the naming – an omega-3 fatty acid has the first double bond 3 carbon atoms from the naming end; an omega-6 has 6 carbon atoms until the first double bond;…