Just like our skin gets dry and itchy in the cold winter weather, our pet’s skin can get irritated too! Follow these tips to keep your pup comfortable and free from dry skin during the cold winter season.

• Don’t give your dog as many baths as you normally would.  When you do bathe him, use a gentle and soap free shampoo. Tea Tree oil and oatmeal are great skin soothers!
• An exfoliating scrub can help dogs with dandruff. Try DERMagic anti dandruff scrub for smooth, itch-free skin.
• Keep a natural doggie lotion on hand for irritated areas. DERMagic Skin Rescue Lotion provides relief from skin irritations like hot spots, flakes, flea allergies, and dermatitis.
• Use a thick paw cream to lather onto your dog’s paw pads to prevent the skin from cracking.
• Add a high quality salmon oil to your dog’s food daily.  The omega 3 and 6 oils provide many benefits to your dog, including helping to maintain a shiny, healthy coat.

Lately, I’ve been researching dehydrated diets for dogs and am impressed by the many healthy benefits. First of all, what is dehydrated dog food? Pure, whole ingredients like meat, fruits, and vegetables that have been dehydrated (moisture has been removed). Before re-hydrating the food, it has a powdery texture with bits of meat, fruits and veggies visible. After hydration, the food looks more like oatmeal or stew. When it’s time to mix a batch for your dog’s meal, you just add water, stir, and let sit until the mixture thickens. My favorite brand, The Honest Kitchen, only requires about 5 minutes until the food is ready to serve. The Honest Kitchen offers a variety of flavors of their premium, human-grade dehydrated food. My dachshund Remy LOVES this food and will lick his bowl clean every night! Another thing I like about dehydrated food is that you can add “extras” like your own meat, fruits and veggies, plain yogurt, or cottage cheese. Dogs deserve variety in their diet just like we do! read more…

Many senior and large breed dogs suffer from joint problems such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, and disc degeneration. Joint disease is characterized by the loss of cartilage that surrounds and protects the joint.  When cartilage wears away, there is nothing to protect the bone, causing pain and inflammation. These joint diseases can severly affect a dog’s mobility and his overall quality of life, so early treatment is important for best results.  If your dog is showing signs of decreased joint health such as limping, trouble standing up or going up/down stairs, or difficulty paying, take a trip to the vet to discuss the possibility of joint disease.  

If your dog is suffering from joint problems, a supplement containing glucosamine and chondroitin can be very effective in managing and maintaining joint health.  Glucosamine, naturally found in the shell of crustaceans, and chondroitin, found in animal cartilage, work by blocking destructive enzymes that break down cartilage and helping to synthesize new, healthy cartilage. read more…

So what exactly is rawhide? It’s literally made from the outside of a cow, dried out cow’s skin.  The majority of rawhide chews are made outside of the United States (you can imagine the obvious problems with that), but even those made here in the U.S. are dangerous. Rawhide is a heavy duty material that is very difficult to break down. During the process of making a rawhide dog chew, various chemicals are used to strip the skin of any hair, dry it out, and sanitize the chew.  During the sanitation process, the chews are submerged in a bleach solution. Do you really want your pet chewing on something previously dipped in bleach?

The most dangerous issue with rawhide chews is the possibility for creating major blockages in the dog’s system.  When the dried rawhide is made wet again by your dog’s saliva, it slowly expands to it’s original size.  When your pet chews up a piece of rawhide and swallows it, that piece could expand inside the stomach and cause anything from an upset stomach to death.

Every dog loves to chew, but there are other alternatives to rawhide that are much safer and healthier for your pet.  Here are some alternatives, but remember to always supervise your dog with any toys and chews!

• Bully Sticks made from Free Range Cow
• Grade A Deer Antlers
• Himalayan Chews
• Marrow Bones made in the USA

For those of you that feed your dogs Fromm, there is a new grain free flavor: Beef Frittata Veg (sounds delicious right?!)

Surf and Turf was Fromm’s only grain free dog food, and our biggest seller at the store, so I’m happy to see they are adding to that line.

For more information on Fromm’s new Beef Frittata Veg Flavor Click Here

Halloween is approaching and I thought I would post this yummy and healthy recipe for pumpkin treats! Keep some handy in case you get a few four-legged trick-or-treaters :)

Pumpkin Pie Treats

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1.5 cups pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Combine Pumpkin, water, canola oil, molasses and cinnamon in a mixing bowl
• Slowly add the flour and mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined and dough forms
• Work in small batches and roll dough out to about 1/2 in thick
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutter (try a pumpkin shape!) and place treats face up on a baking sheet
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until treats are hard and crunchy
• Let treats sit and cool for up to 2 hours, allowing the moisture to evaporate
• Store in air tight containers

Pumpkin is great for sensitive stomachs! It’s filled with fiber and great for digestion.