Adding veggies to your dog’s diet can be a challenge, especially if your pet is a picky eater. But the benefits of greens are undeniable and it’s worth trying to incorporate them into their meals, even if it’s just occasionally. Here are some tips and tricks to encourage your dog to eat their greens:
I often caught my dog incessantly licking his paws. After a while, I began to wonder what was…
Greens are leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, collard greens, and broccoli. These veggies are great natural sources of fiber, rich in vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and essential phytonutrients. Phytochemicals within these plants offer benefits when consumed and provide antioxidant purposes as well.
I recently attended the 2023 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in Orlando, Fl. and came back with a treasure trove of science and information we can use to help improve the health and wellness of our pets.
Green vegetables contain important nutrients and fibers that can help to support the growth of healthy…
Your pet’s dental health is an important piece of their overall health and wellness. Oral disease can be caused…
When your pet is diagnosed with a heart dysfunction or heart disease, you want to take immediate action to support your pet’s health and well-being. In addition to specific recommendations from your veterinarian, here are some tips to help keep your dog or cat’s heart healthy — without modifying their main diet.
Your pet’s weight plays an important role in heart health. One of the main contributors to heart problems is obesity. Being overweight adds unnecessary stress to your pet’s joints, muscles, internal organs, but also to the heart itself.
Help your pet maintain a healthy weight by giving him the right amount of food for his size, breed, age, and reproductive status.
In combination with a proper diet, daily exercise is vital. Walks, runs, and active playtime improve the strength and endurance of the heart’s ability to circulate blood, but also burn excess calories that can lead to obesity.
If your pet has been diagnosed with heart disease, please consult your veterinarian before starting any exercise program with your pet. Certain heart conditions dictate no exercise while others allow for lower-intensity exercise sessions that include monitoring duration, intensity, and external temperature.
When searching for heart-healthy treats, look for single-ingredient, nutritionally dense, minimally processed products. These types of treats are typically lower in sodium and other unhealthy preservatives that may aggravate a heart condition. My favorites are freeze-dried hearts, any fish treat (since fish is high in omega 3’s), or any treat containing no or low-salt additives.
Supplements can be an important part of your pet’s heart health plan. Although supplements should never replace a well-balanced diet, they can provide a nutritional boost that can help reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, manage weight and improve overall well-being.
When our loyal customer, Brandon shared his “raw story” with us, it was too heartwarming not to share! The below is Brandon’s first hand experience with switching his picky German Shepherd to a minimally processed diet…
“I was surprised with my best friend “Hades” 5 years ago by my girlfriend Chelsea and how can anyone forget that moment? A box was checked off the bucket list as we prepared ourselves for a great future with the little guy (a thirteen week old German Shepherd).
Although, things changed drastically. When we had picked up Hades, he was actually within the progressive stage of Kennel Cough into Pneumonia. Tough, I know but luckily after immediate veterinarian assistance and a few weeks to recoup, Hades tackled Pneumonia and made it out okay. We were warned though that he most likely not grow to the normal size of a GSD and certain attributes (lungs, heart…etc) would not develop fully. Then we met Nicci and her staff at NorthPoint.
Hades was a VERY picky eater when he came home from the hospital and we struggled big time when it came to getting him to eat. Numerous bags of dry food went to waste because he seemed to have become bored with it, as well as wet food. We found it tough to gain back the weight he had lost when he got sick, too.
Luckily enough I had discovered NorthPoint Pets & Company in the middle of this dilemma and a simple 10 minute conversation with the staff re-directed my mind state from kibble to raw. We gave raw a shot and I’ll tell you what, we’ll never switch back. Instantly, Hades was hooked. Not only was it a simple switch but the benefits showed immediately.
Not only was it a simple switch but the benefits showed immediately.
After starting raw, his plate was licked clean every time and he started to finally show some weight gain! His hair started to shine and we started seeing all of the typical signs of a 4-6 month old puppy we were warned about! Hades’ energy was up and boy did he start filling out (he even did so well on hiking trails I had to quit smoking to keep up!). My favorite thing when we started to feed raw and even to this day was that as he developed, the adjustments on how much to feed and when to feed, became natural. He was kept lean throughout his puppy stage (by vet recommendations due to certain hereditary possibilities like hip displaysia) and then bulked up with ease as he grew older and older. Well, 100 lbs later, I believe the initial diagnosis from the vet was proven wrong. I credit all of that to raw. No joke.
In my opinion, raw has set Hades up for the best physical and mental condition that he can possibly be in.
In my opinion, raw has set Hades up for the best physical and mental condition that he can possibly be in. He is currently 5 years old and has not eaten kibble since he was 13 weeks. Good luck getting him to eat anything else… he won’t even go for one of those whipped cream doggy drinks from that fancy coffee place! Thank you, NorthPoint for everything you have done for Hades and all of the raw education you have shared! Hades says thanks too!”
This is why we do what we do. This is what drives our team to continue our research, to provide the most up-to-date information, and further our education in everything we do. Thank you Brandon for sharing your raw story with us!
February is here and what that entails in the animal world is Dental Health Month! Dental health is so important because poor dental health can have long term negative impacts on the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver.
Plaque can form and build up on your pet’s teeth as quickly as 24 hours and if dental care/preventatives are not taken to remove plaque then calculus (tartar) buildup occurs within 3-5 days. When calculus starts to build up on your pet’s teeth, it gradually begins to push the gums away from the tooth, giving the calculus an opportunity to spread into your pet’s bloodstream. The bacteria that are built up within the calculus can lead to infection and have serious effects on the major organs mentioned above.
Amazingly enough, diet has a pretty decent impact on your pet’s dental health. There is a myth, kibble is the best for dogs and cats because when they crunch on the hard pieces of kibble, it supposedly helps scrape the calculus away. Think about that. Have you ever watched your pet eat? More often than not, they swallow their kibble whole. Also, go to your dentist and tell them you forgot to brush your teeth, so you had chips to help scrape the calculus away from your teeth. Kibble contains high levels of sugars and carbohydrates which rapidly produce oral bacteria and plaque. Whereas fresh or raw diets can help protect your pet’s teeth and gums simply due to low or lack of starches. In other words, the food will not stick to the teeth like kibble would.
The good news is that dental disease in your pet does not have to occur. While it is common, it’s actually not natural.
Dental cleanings are great but should not have to happen yearly, or even in younger years. Yearly cleanings can have a negative impact on pets because anesthetic gasses used yearly can slowly apply stress on your pet’s organs. Think about the change that needs to happen- diet, toys/bones, brushing, etc.
References:
Holmstrom, Steven E. “Pathogenesis of Periodontal Disease.” Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Approach, 2nd ed., Steven Holmstrom, 2013, pp. 150–153.
Holmstrom, Steven E. “Home-Care Instruction and Products.” Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Approach, 2nd ed., Steven Holmstrom, 2013, pp. 194–213.
Miller, Bonnie R, and John R Lewis. “Veterinary Dentistry.” Clinical Textbooks for Veterinary Technicians, 9th ed., Joanna M. Bassert, 2018, pp. 1222–1229.
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Recent FDA Pet Food Recalls & Warning Letters. Images captured from FDA website. Date accessed: 15Mar2023.