Ever wonder how to help determine what food is best for your pets? Packaging and marketing can make it difficult to make choices. Did you ever wish for a guide to help you evaluate the quality and nutrition of products available? Good news! We did just that. Read on…. What if I told you that it’s highly likely that the pet food you are feeding your cat or dog has never been tested to ensure it is nutritionally adequate? Or, maybe it’s been tested, but your pet food company claims the results are ‘proprietary’. What if I told you that some...
We, as humans, have always been told to cook our meat to eliminate pathogens like Salmonella, E. Coli, or Campylobacter. The truth is, there are very little documented cases linking raw feeding to enteric pathogens. In a study by DogRisk1, stool samples were tested in dogs who were fed raw diets and some who were fed kibble-based diets. It was discovered that “Zoonotic meat-borne bacteria—such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, and enteropathogenic Yersinia—were only sporadically detected in RMBD (raw meat-based diets) by PCR.”1 This means that there is no consistency with raw diets and enteric pathogens. As long as basic, safe handling...
By now we’ve all been made aware of the risks related to heartworm. Recently, we realized that some information on heartworm was biased or incomplete. So, we decided to take a deeper dive into exactly what heartworm is, after one of our own dogs was diagnosed and we were left with some unanswered questions ourselves. Luckily, we have a close network of incredible veterinarians here and throughout the U.S. that helped to create an individualized plan. We wanted to share some of what we learned through our experience as well as touch on why we see an increasing prevalence of...
The benefit and necessity of grain-free pet food have come under scrutiny in recent years due to an FDA investigation due to a potential association with a canine heart disease known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). As a result of this potential association, many have been told there is no scientific evidence to support the use of grain-free foods in canines and felines, or that these foods do not provide any benefit over grain-inclusive foods. For the most part, grain-free refers to kibble, although some have also categorized various canned, freeze-dried, and raw diets under the ‘grain-free’ umbrella. But are these...
Bacteria may be the key to a healthy pet Gut health has finally made it out of the shadows and into mainstream consciousness thanks to the steady flow of research on the microbiome (or gut flora) and its importance in wellness. Science has proven a strong connection between the health of our guts and our overall health — especially when it comes to our pets. While gut health can quickly turn into a complicated and overwhelming mess of information, I want to break down this fascinating subject into more…digestible…bites. In 2018, I attended several seminars, conferences, and other educational programs...