It Is Hot Outside, Keep Your Dog Safe and Hydrated!

 It is very hot and humid in Northeast Ohio right now, and even worse in other parts of the country. What can you do to keep your dog or cat safe in these crazy hot temperatures?

Get your exercise in early or late. An early morning walk before temperatures and surfaces have heated up is a great idea. If you can't do early mornings evenings are also a good choice. Be careful of surfaces that have been baking in the sun all day. Grass paths or concrete sidewalks are usually a safe choice, asphalt can hold heat for a long time so always check the temperature with the back of your hand before you walk your dog on them.

Frequently dogs and cats don't drink enough water to maintain hydration. Keeping the water bowl fresh, or adding ice cubes may increase the fun of drinking. Dash, my standard poodle will ignore the water bowl until I change it, then he will take a good long drink.

Frozen treats are always fun in the summertime, and will help keep your pet hydrated. Raw goat's milk is a great choice. It is hypoallergenic and very digestible. You can use it to top a meal or pour some in a bowl for your dog or cat to enjoy. The Bones & Co also makes whipped goat's milk, great to use on a licky mat or stuffer toy like a Kong. Unsweetened applesauce or pureed pumpkin are some other healthy high moisture choices you can add to the dinner bowl or a licky mat. If you want to make the licky mat a little more challenging you can place it in the freezer after you apply the applesauce or pumpkin puree. Keeping your dog busy inside will help use up some energy if they aren't getting their usual outdoor exercise. Bone Broth is another healthy way to add moisture to your pet's diet. It is also rich in collagen, so good for joint health, too. Dog's Naturally magazine has a great recipe for bone broth that is easy to make at home https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-to-make-bone-broth-for-your-dog or we have it available frozen in 16 oz glass jars.

 A plastic kiddy pool can be great fun even if your yard is small. They are available in several sizes and usually hold up well to doggy toenails. You can also get two and double them if your dog is large or heavy. If your dog doesn't want to get in the pool, tossing in floating toys for them to retrieve will help keep them cool.Planet Dog and West Paw have some great floating toys that are made in the United States. We move ours to a new spot every day or two to avoid dead grass spots. 

Hopefully the heat wave will break soon and we can all enjoy some comfortable outdoor time. Until it does, stay safe and enjoy the air conditioning.

 

Does Your Dog Need A Coat? Most Likely, Yes.

 Many people think that because their dog wears a fur coat all year, the dog must be good to go come the harsh winter weather.  Unfortunately that is not always true. 

Double coated dogs are fine without coats, such as huskies, malamutes, akitas, and German shepherds.  These dogs evolved working outside in cold temperatures and their coats are an indicator of this.  But single coated dogs benefit greatly from wearing a coat outside, such as greyhounds, boxers, pit bulls, cane corsos, etc.

Jenny August at Fargo Fleece has been making dog coats by hand here in Northeast Ohio for 10 years.

“The cold affects our pups the same way it does us,” Jenny says. “Dogs come equipped with their own external layering system, but some dogs have lighter layers of fur or smaller body mass than others and some are not genetically suited to the environments they find themselves transplanted in.”

Small dogs can be particularly susceptible to the cold due to a couple factors.  They have less muscle mass which produces less heat.  Small dogs also stand much closer to the ground and the closer proximity to the cold radiating outward from the surface saps their warmth faster.  Since they’re also small, puppies face the same challenges in addition to the fact that puppies have higher water content which causes them to lose their heat faster. A breed that doesn't need a coat as an adult, like a golden retriever, would benefit from one as a puppy.

We are proud to carry hand made coats from Fargo Fleece and Terrier Wear. These coats are well made, machine washable and will last!

Meat Treats; Pieces and Parts

While rawhide has been a popular dog chew for decades, it is actually one of the most common causes of bowel obstruction. Rawhide is a byproduct of the leather industry and it isn't very digestible. It may also be treated with preservative chemicals making it even more dangerous. Dogs love to chew, and they also need to. It is a stress reliever and helps keep their teeth clean. So what are some good choices?

Trachea, necks, duck heads and pig ears

Giving your dog or cat freeze dried animal parts, like pig ears or beef trachea adds a minimally processed component to the diet. Pig ears and snouts are made up of cartilage, highly digestible

while providing a longer lasting chew. Beef trachea or esophagus, duck or chicken feet are also good choices. Freeze dried organ meats like hearts or gizzards are a pretty quick chew but are rich in protein, supplying amino acids and vitamins that can be lacking in processed pet foods. Farm Hounds has a great selection of organ meats made from pasture raised animals, hearts, livers and poultry gizzards just to name a few. They source their ingredients from small family farms, avoiding the contamination risks of factory farming.

A popular choice on the Vital Essentials Raw Bar are freeze dried poultry 

Magic shopping the Raw Bar

necks. Neck bones contain a lot of cartilage so are a good source of glucosamine and chondroitin, both important for joint health. Because the necks are freeze dried the bones are essentially raw, so unlikely to splinter into sharp edges. It is important to choose the necks that are the appropriate size for your dog. Small dogs would do fine with chicken necks, medium and large dogs would do better with duck or turkey necks. Fish skin jerky is a great way to add Omega 3 to your dog's diet, a fatty acid that can be missing in processed dog food. Omega 3 is thought to decrease the inflammation response in dogs with arthritis and can decrease skin itchiness for dogs with allergies. 

For many pet owners giving treats is showing love. Our pets are perfectly ok with that and enjoy every crumb. By giving freeze dried or dehydrated pieces and parts you are adding important nutrition to your pet's diet and adding quality to their lives without piling on excess calories and carbs from starches. Definitely a win-win.

So You Have A New Puppy; What To Do Next

Bringing home a new puppy is a very exciting time. They are cute and fluffy, but they will also chew your house apart if you aren't careful. Especially now that everyone is social distancing, how can you make sure your new dog gets everything they need?

Magic, Mayhem and Fritz

Nutrition is extremely important for a growing puppy. Large breed pups especially need food that is formulated to support healthy growth, but at a slower rate than smaller breeds. All puppies need food with the proper calcium to phosphorus ratio for healthy bone growth. Regardless of breed, the first year is a time of rapid growth and development. A high quality food will support that growth and get your puppy off to a good start. It is also a good idea to feed a variety of different proteins. Studies have shown that introducing different proteins early in life can help prevent allergies later in life.

Oliver with a Bully Stick

Safe and healthy chews are very important for a puppy. There are a lot of different chews on the market, some are better than others. Rawhide is very popular, but can be very dangerous if your dog bites a piece off and swallows it. Most vets advise against rawhide for this reason. I like to give my dogs Bully sticks. These are pieces of dried beef tendon and they are very digestible. Freeze dried necks, chicken or duck feet or other "pieces and parts" are also good choices. The Benebone Company makes a nylon based chew, these are made to wear down very slowly and even the tough chewers don't break pieces off.

Puppy classes are great for socialization and training, but with the current shelter in place order in Ohio training classes have been cancelled. Abbe Moen at Affinity Canine is currently holding virtual classes, and can help get your new puppy off to a great start. Check out www.affinitycanine.com.

Most important, enjoy this time with your new family member!

What Are High Value Treats?

The term high value treat is used frequently in dog training, but what exactly makes a treat high value? The short answer is flavor. To be high value a treat has to be more important to the dog than whatever distraction is going on around them. When you are working with your dog in the living room or back yard with no distractions, kibble would likely work just fine. When you are at the park surrounded by people, running children and other dogs, a treat has to be much more interesting to keep the dog's attention.

Meme courtesy of At Attention Dog Training.

This is why dog trainers will tell you to practice at home until the dog has mastered the behavior, then head to the park to "proof" the behavior with distractions. It is also important to increase the value of your treats as you increase the distraction level.

I like to use freeze dried foods as training treats. They are small, flavorful and since they are nutritionally complete they are a wonderful part of my dog's daily diet. On days we are doing a lot of training I can subtract from regular meals without sacrificing nutrition. These treats come in a variety of proteins so you can change up flavors to keep your dog interested. 

Treat size and consistency matter too. It is very helpful in training if your dog doesn't have to stop and chew. A small, soft treat is a great reward but it doesn't break up the flow of training. 

These treats also hold up well in your pocket or treat pouch, so you aren't fumbling to get one out. Timing is very important in training, when your dog does something great you want to let them know.

We carry a great variety of training treats, please come in and talk to us. We can help you make a great choice.

CBD Oil For Pets

I started hearing about CBD oil well over a year ago and started researching its uses. I am a bit of a cynic about new products and won’t bring something in to the Grateful Dog Bakery until I verify it through independent sources. What I found was that people either raved about how well it worked or said it didn’t work at all. Further research showed me that the best results were coming from a full spectrum molecule product with a high concentration of CBD per dose. The more I read the more sense it made. The full spectrum molecule is able to attach to receptors in the body and brain to relieve pain, anxiety and a host of other problems.

Once I figured out how the product worked it was time to start researching companies. While there are many products made specifically for pets I settled on the Clean Remedies Company for several reasons. Their product is grown in Oregon, organic and vegan with no use of any pesticides. The thing that really sold me on the product was that their pet product and human product are one in the same, simply packaged with different dosing instructions. Their product is tested by independent labs and the results are made public to verify it is what they say it is. Finally their staff is very well educated and happy to answer any questions in plain English.

I take pride in the fact there is no product in my store that I won’t give to my own dogs. Beau, our 12 year old golden retriever, has arthritis in his hips and spine so I started giving it to him twice a day. Ophelia, another golden, is storm phobic, so I also gave it to her for thunderstorms. I am happy to say she seemed much calmer with the CBD oil. Beau is more mobile, spending more time out strolling the yard than he has in the last couple years. Finally, since I also have arthritis myself I started taking it. I can’t say I am completely pain free but I am a lot more comfortable, especially after a long day at the baking table.

The feedback I am getting from customers is very positive. Dogs with arthritis are more mobile, anxious dogs are calmer. One customer giving it to her dog who was having seizures reports no seizure activity in the 3 months since the dog started taking it. Prior to that the dog was still having 1-2 seizures a week even while on anti-seizure medication. The owner will be talking to her vet about decreasing the medication dosage with hopes of weaning it off entirely.

All in all CBD Oil is a product I am confident in recommending.

Talking Prices: Save Money, Shop Small and Local!

I see a great many social media posts asking people to shop small and support local businesses. I am suggesting you shop small to save money as well. We are competitively priced with other small businesses, the big box stores and the online retailers! Surprised? The commercials for the big box stores and online retailers always say they are the most economical, but let me show you how that isn't true. I compared prices at two of the online retailers, Chewys and Petflow. Their prices are pretty much identical, as are their so called "list prices". I am not sure where these list prices come from, but they are not the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

Let's start with the Champion Co. They make Orijen and Acana, two very high quality dry foods. I selected Orijen Original and Acana Pork & Squash to compare prices.
Orijen Original 25 lb., our price 76.99, online price 78.99

 Acana Pork & Squash 25 lb. our price 68.99, online price 68.99

The Champion Co also gives independent retailers a bonus: we can offer the frequent buyer program. After you buy 12 bags your 13th bag is free. So while 13 bags of Orijen from the online retailer would cost you $1026.87, buying from us would cost you $923.88. 13 bags of Acana from the online retailer would cost $896.87, buying from us would be $827.88. As you can see that is a significant savings!

When you look at Fromm on the online retailers they show a list price that makes their price look pretty good. I chose Fromm Gold Adult 33 lb. to compare prices. The "list price" is 68.99, the online price is 46.66. Our price is 47.99. Not a huge difference, but here comes a big savings when you shop local. Fromm also has a frequent buyers program. Buy 12, get your 13th bag for free. So the price comparison for 13 bags is 606.58 from the online retailer, 575.88 when you shop with us.

When you look at freeze dried foods the difference is even bigger. I compared online prices and two of the local big box stores, and was very pleased to see our prices are lower. I selected Primal Freeze dried Duck Formula 14 oz and Sojo's Freeze Dried Beef 8 lb. For the Primal 14 oz Duck Formula our price is 26.99, online price was 30.99 and the big box store was 28.99. Primal also gives us a frequent buyer program, buy 12 and your 13th bag is free.
So let's compare; 13 bags from us is 323.88. Online
is 402.87 and the big box store 376.87.

For the Sojo's Beef Formula 8 lb. our price is 76.99, online
price is 83.14. Again we are able to offer a buy 12 get your 13th free so you are saving even more when you shop with us!

The price comparisons on canned foods were similar as were dry, canned and freeze dried foods for cats. When it comes right down to it, the online retailers and chain stores aren't saving you any money. The online retailers do offer convenience, but certainly not savings.

One of the things we promise our customers is high quality products. We do a lot of research before we bring a product in, and we will never carry a product just because we can make money on it. If I wouldn't give it to my dog or cat I won't sell it to you for yours. That is our pledge to you. My online and big box competitors can't say the same thing, as I saw looking at their websites. The Whole Dog Journal and TheDogDigest.com recently put out a list of the worst dry dog foods and I was appalled to see all of these foods were available online and in the stores. What that says to me is they don't care what you feed your pets as long as they make money selling it to you.