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.

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

Everyone jokes about smelly “dog breath”, but dental care is actually very important for your pet and ignoring dental hygiene can cause major problems down the road.  Some dogs are prone to having more serious dental problems. Usually, the smaller the dog, the worse the teeth.  Dental health is also linked to genetics. Large chunks of plaque and tartar and inflamed gums are signs of dental disease. Left untreated, bacteria in your dog’s mouth can enter the blood stream and spread to other parts of the body including the heart, kidney, liver, and even brain.  So what is the best way to care for your dog’s teeth? read more…

Yeast infections in dogs are fungal infections of the skin that cause itching, hair loss, redness and skin lesions.  Usually, a putrid smell is noticeable when a dog is suffering from a yeast infection.   These infections usually occur on the skin or in the ears.  Yeast lives happily in and on a dog’s body until something upsets the balance such as poor diet, poor hygiene, foreign chemicals or medications, or anything else that can affect the balance of a dog’s sensitive immune system.

After speaking with dozens of customers whose dogs suffer from yeast infections, I have learned some of the best ways to naturally treat the infection and keep future outbreaks under control. read more…

Grains in pet food include rice, barley, wheat, corn, oats, millet, and rye.

Wheat, corn, and rice bran are the main ingredients in many commercial dog foods.  Why? Because pet food manufacturers use these grains as an inexpensive way to increase calories and protein.  Grains are high in carbohydrates and sugars, contributing to obesity and other common health problems like diabetes in dogs and cats.  Blood sugar fluctuations and insulin resistance in pets is commonly linked to a high carbohydrate diet.   read more…