Dogs are kid’s best friend! But to get these BFFs together, children need to learn safe get-to-know-Fido rules.
5 Tips to Teach Kids to Play Safely with Dogs
June 5, 2018 By 1 Comment
5 Tips to Teach Kids to Play Safely with Dogs
May 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Just like humans, the majority of a dog’s immune system resides in his gut. The gut is the largest immune organ in the body and contains approximately 70% of all immune cells. So keeping your dog’s digestive system running optimally is essential to making sure that he stays healthy, active, and lives a full and healthy life.
One way to potentially improve your dog’s digestive health is to offer him a daily probiotic supplement. There have been extensive studies on the benefits of probiotics in humans, however, veterinary research is just starting to really dive into how supplementing your pup with a variety of good bacteria can aid in keeping him healthy.
What are Probiotics for Dogs?
Senior Dogs and detecting health problems early
April 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Senior check ups are extremely important
Bella is 11 and Fitz will be 10 in June. They are big dogs, and they do age faster than the littles. It happens so fast, and we have to prepare for what is to come. Have you changed your dogs food to senior food? have you done a senior screening? Do they have arthritis? Do I give all of the supplements they need? Some things to think about as our loved ones age. Please make an appointment with your vet and come up with a solid plan to make your pups senior years comfortable ones. Both of my dogs have arthritis, so we give them MSM/Glucosamine as well as fish oil and several others. We have recently started pain medication as well.
When I took my boy Fitz in, he weighed in at 109lbs. He is a big boy! I have noticed he does not go upstairs at night anymore, and he is getting up less and less to greet us at the door when we come home. These are signs that something is off with him. I had a full senior blood and urine panel done on him. The results came back, and most of the report was good. The liver enzymes were elevated quite a bit, so we decided to schedule an ultrasound and have his body X-rayed for arthritis while he was sedated. We are so very happy we decided to do this. It turns out he has a a gallbladder mucocele. What that is, is the distention of the gallbladder by an inappropriate accumulation of mucus. Decreased bile flow, decreased gallbladder motility, and altered absorption of water from the gallbladder lumen are predisposing factors to biliary sludge. It is the reason his liver levels were so high. We will now need to do an ultra sound every 3 months to make sure it is not enlarging too much. He may have to have his Gallbladder removed.
We also found severe arthritis in three different parts of his back. We have come up with a good treatment plan to keep him comfortable. I will also be looking into acupuncture. My point is, we would never have known all of this was going on if we did not take him in. This is a part of being a responsible pet parent. Please read below on some more information on how we can care for our senior dogs and what to look for.
After our vet appointment, we stopped to get our boy Fitz some ice cream.
Cannabis For Your Dog: How It Can Help
March 26, 2018 By 3 Comments
There’s a popular medicinal herb you can give your dog these days …… and it’s called cannabis.
Dog owners are using it to help their pets with a wide range of ailments – from anxiety to arthritis to cancer.
Are dogs going to pot?
Not exactly. The cannabis dogs are taking is hemp, not marijuana.
For a long time, hemp was illegal in the US and other countries because it got lumped in with other forms of cannabis. Today, you can buy hempseed products in your local grocery store – not just soaps and lotions, but hempseed protein powders and drinks like hempseed milk.
But the hemp that has therapeutic benefits for your dog isn’t the kind lining the supermarket shelves.
We’re talking about whole herb cannabis.
Lawsuit Filed Against Champion Pet Foods Orijen and Acana
March 24, 2018 By 2 Comments
Consumers in California, Minnesota, and Florida are suing Champion Pet Food for “False Advertising”, violations of “feed law”, and numerous other charges. The lawsuit includes results of heavy metal testing and includes results that this dry dog food contains BPA – a chemical typically not associated with dry/kibble pet foods.
What is the best cat food on the market?
March 22, 2018 By 5 Comments
After assessing more than 2,000 formulas, we’re happy to recommend 18 of the best cat food brands, both wet and dry.
The best cat food will keep your cat healthy and happy, and will come in a flavor he or she loves. Any high-quality food needs to feature protein front-and-center, and won’t include any low-quality fillers, artificial additives, or ingredients that are toxic to cats over time. To find the most high-quality options available, we scoured the formulas of over 2,400 dry and wet cat foods on the market, read through research and regulations, and talked to veterinarians about what cats need to thrive.
In the end, we identified a shortlist of the best cat food brands and lines that you can count on. Now it’s up to you to figure out what flavors sit well with your cat’s preferences and to find the food that fits your budget. If you’re having trouble deciding between a wet or dry food diet, or you want more information about our top picks, check out our comparison tables and guide to cat food types, below.
Health Insurance for Dogs in 2018
February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Knowing exactly what you need in an insurance plan for your dog can reduce insurance-claim letdown.
As we gathered information for this update, we immediately noticed an improvement in what the various insurance companies cover and don’t cover. We also noticed that there are many more companies offering pet insurance than there were three years ago; perhaps the competitive rates are due to the greater number of insurance-company choices.
We’ve listed the major players in pet health insurance, and the details of each plan, at the bottom of this article. But first, here are 15 things to pay attention to when deciding which of these plans might be best for you and your dogs.
If your dog becomes seriously ill or has an accident requiring surgery or other advanced treatment, having even lousy pet health insurance is better than having none at all. And having a good plan and knowing you can afford the co-payments can give you peace of mind at an otherwise terrible time.
Using Essential Oils Around Your Pets
January 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
As pet owners, we often worry about how the products we use in our homes impact the health and well-being of our pets. Essential oils are natural but we may be worried that the wrong essential oil can trigger a negative reaction in our pets. However, aromatherapy can be just as beneficial to our companion animals as it is for ourselves. So if you are worried about using essential oils around your pets or are curious about the benefits of essential oils for your pets, here is a simple guide that can help answer your questions.
Be Careful With These Essential Oils
Every pet is different and may have different reactions to different essential oils. However, there are some essential oils that you may want to be careful using around your pets. If you have cats, you also need to be wary about certain oils. Cats are particularly sensitive to essential oils that contain polyphenolic compounds because they interfere with their liver detoxification processes. So if you have cats use extra caution around essentials oils like cinnamon, tea tree, thyme, birch, wintergreen, clove, and oregano.
There are also certain essential oils that should not be used for or around dogs including anise, clove, garlic, horseradish, juniper, thyme, wintergreen, and yarrow. These essential oils can trigger a range of issues from allergies and skin sensitivities to interference in their natural body processes.
If you use any of these essential oils for your own health, make sure you also exercise caution around your pets. If you use a diffuser, keep them out of the room during the treatment period. If you wear these essential oils on pulse points throughout the day, be careful when petting your companion animals.
Essential Oils That Are Great For Pets
Though there are some essential oils that can cause your pets problems, there are plenty of essential oils that can be used to help them. The best part is all of these essential oils have great benefits for you as well. Here are some essential oils you can safely use around and for your pets:
- Cedarwood: Helps repel pests and promote healthy skin and coat
- Chamomile: Promotes relaxation and sleep and also support healthy digestion
- Lavender: Relieves anxiety from separation or during long trips
- Myrrh: Can help fight allergies and promote health skin and coat
- Clary Sage: Calms nervousness and excitability
- Geranium: Great for repelling pests and as a treatment for ear infections
- Peppermint: Soothes the pain from arthritis and hip dysplasia and repels pests
- Carrot Seed: Supports healthy skin as a topical treatment for dryness
- Ginger: Relieves pain from arthritis and hip dysplasia and supports healthy digestion
- Helichrysum: Used topically can help with pain relief and skin issues
- Marjoram: Repels pests and helps treat skin infections and irritations
These are just some of the great essential oils that can be used. If you are interested in learning more, you can always talk to a holistic veterinarian for suggestions for specific ailments.
Safe Use Of Essential Oils
Whether you decide to use aromatherapy for your companion animal or just yourself, it’s important you exercise the safe use of essential oils. Pets have a stronger sense of smell than humans and smaller bodies, so the biggest mistake pet owners make is using too much essential oil. One of the best ways to avoid this mistake is by using a high quality aromatherapy diffuser that you can control the amount of oil emitted. A high quality aromatherapy diffuser, like the beautiful hand carved diffusers from Organic Aromas can diffuse the perfect amount of essential oil into the air so neither you nor your pets are overwhelmed.
Use High Quality Essential Oils
Another important aspect of using safe essential oils around pets is to use only high-quality therapeutic grade essential oils. Other, lesser-quality essential oils are made with additives or are stretched with carrier oils that may trigger pet sensitivities. They also may be a blend of oils that include other botanicals or absolutes that resemble the smell of the botanical but potentially contain solvents that could be unhealthy for you or your pets. So make sure that you do your due diligence and get the best quality oils like our selection of organic, therapeutic grade essential oils at Organic Aromas.
Many people worry about the impact of essential oils on their pets. However, as long as you use the correct essential oils and avoid any of the oils that may trigger issues for your pets, they are perfectly safe. Also make sure that you are exercising best practices when introducing essential oils into your home by using a quality diffuser and only therapeutic grade oils in a safe and prudent manner. Finally, go slow and monitor your pets to see how they react. Since every pet is different, an essential oil that can benefit one might trigger a different response in another.
Consult Your Veterinarian
1. When it comes to animals and essential oils, we always recommend that pet owners consult with their veterinarian to get advice on the proper way to use them, particularly based on the individual pet’s species, age, size and health history.
2. Research does show essential oils can be safe for dogs and cats and even very effective, but only when diluted heavily and/or used in the appropriate way, time, place and on a specific subject in the correct amount.
3. Using undiluted essential oil on animals is always a mistake. Unless diluted correctly, it’s not recommended for cats, and while it might be effective for dogs, never apply it directly to the animal.
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11 facts on CBD for dogs you may not know about
January 21, 2018 By 4 Comments
