Recently a friend of mine sadly lost her puppy. The reason for the puppy’s death were ‘unknown’ but what the vet said had me thinking. They didn’t do a tox screen to see if she was poisoned due to the cost, but my guess was it was a toxin, just not one from a meddling neighbor. It was her food. Her belly was very hard and bloated suggesting to me some kind of impaction from poor digestion. My friend’s dog was put on a ‘leading brand’ dog food recommended by the vet. One that I’m totally against and will preach openly about(at my shop). In a matter of months of being on this food the puppy died. If people are being told by a vet to go on a food that will do more harm than good, who are we to trust?

I’ve worked at vet offices both in Ireland and in America and I can say there is no difference in what they are being taught about nutrition. Zilch! One book I read several years ago, Dr Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, stated specifically that when he was attending veterinary college there was only one class on pet nutrition and the rest were about drugs and surgery. Can you see the bias towards medicines even in animals? The incentives for vets to carry certain brands of pet foods are why we’re being told to buy them. Human doctors have the same amount of education on the matter as veterinarians and given incentives to push drugs as well, so it’s no wonder people are dying of drug toxicities and malnutrition. Instead of being told “eat this apple” they hear “take this pill”. Humans and pets need the same array of vitamins, minerals, fats, fiber, and proteins. Pets portions may be different to ours but the base nutrition is exactly the same.

If you look at the digestive tract of a dog it’s almost identical to ours. Their stomach acid is 4X stronger so they can digest raw bones and egg shells for calcium. We need ours from plant sources. The bottom line is we BOTH need calcium. We don’t eat cereal for every meal so why should animals. Dry nuts (kibble) are supposed to be a complete meal for a dog? Would you want to eat a dry bland over processed cereal everyday? I can understand for ease of feeding and lack of freezer space using a dry nut, but at least put some raw meat on top to give them what they desperately need for proper digestion. Real food raw like they would get in nature. And please do your research on the brands you come across. There are so many well-known brands that have indigestible ingredients in them that only do more harm than good.

Brands I recommend:

Nature’s Menu-Raw Food

Prize Choice-Raw Food

Luath’s-Holistic Dry Food

Because poochie loves Christmas too! Have fun cooking for your dog with this yummy dog treat recipe, try different flavors by adding carob chips, honey or even bacon bits! Go nuts, your dog will love you for it....  

A customer stopped in recently to purchase a bag of Luath’s Chicken and Rice food for their dog. They informed me that they’d changed over to Luath’s 6 months prior and couldn’t believe how much it helped their dogs epilepsy. Apparently the dog had been suffering seizures on a regular basis but since changing to the Luath’s food it only suffered 2 in 6 months.

Master butcher Andy shows us how Darlings Real Dog Food is created and how fond of it he is himself!

A few weeks ago a customer brought her two King Charles Spaniels in for their grooming appointment. I noticed they were scratching the second they stood still so I asked her about it. She told me they did that all the time and didn’t know why. A few questions later I realized it was their food causing it. Throughout the entire grooming session the dogs were scratching non-stop. I applied aloe to the skin to see if that would offer any relief but to no avail. When she returned to pick them up I advised her to change to Luath’s, the hypoallergic brand of food I carry, and to also give them a supplement that should cure the itching quickly. The supplement I recommended was called Quercetin.

“Quercetin is a phytochemical that is part of the coloring found in the skins of apples and red onions. It has been isolated and is sold as a dietary supplement.” It contains natural anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic effects.

I recommended she give each dog 1 capsule twice daily with food and to come back in 3 weeks for a follow up. When the dogs returned they didn’t itch once the whole time they were there. Their skin even looked better with no signs of dermatitis or dander. Needless to say my customer was very relieved and thankful.

Standard procedure from a vet is to inject the dogs with a steroid to alleviate the symptom. Not only are these injections are dangerous but they can lead to other health problems in the future and don’t actually cure the pet. It’s impossible to know all of your animals allergies so keeping a supply of Quercetin on hand is highly recommended. Give them 2 per day until symptoms reverse. Quercetin can be found at your local health food store.

Vicky Marshall explains why raw meaty bones are the way to go... The first time a vet suggested giving our dog a bone to chew on I was slightly shocked. This, I thought to myself, borders on malpractice. The poor dog will choke or, worse, he will swallow a bit of bone and then…well, I wasn’t quite sure what might happen but I felt certain nothing good could come of it. 

I raised my objections. The vet explained why bones are so good for dogs but his words fell on deaf ears. ‘Look,’ he said after a few minutes, ‘I understand you have reservations. If I lend you some books will you promise to just flick through them? For Rudi’s sake?’ 

Many people think that if their puppy is hyperactive that it’s just being a “puppy”. The fact of the matter is if a dog is hyperactive, at any age, there could very well be a nutritional deficiency affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and brain function.

The CNS is nourished mostly by B Vitamins. Nervines like Chamomile, Valerian Root, and Rhodiola are also great herbs for tonifying the CNS. If the food you’re feeding your pet is lacking in essential B Vitamins they will inevitably show symptoms of a deficiency. The brain is 60% fat. So one of the most important ‘foods’ your brain needs are essential fatty acids (Omegas). Essential fats like Sunflower and Olive Oil are 2 of the best, and cheapest, sources of these fats. Other great sources are Hemp Oil, Flax Oil, and Cod Liver Oil. All of these oils help nourish the brain and, with B Vitamins, can help prevent hyperactivity.

A well balanced kibble for your pet should contain all of the following:

- At least one source of Omega Fatty Acids like Sunflower Oil
- A high quality meat source (no animal derivatives, preservatives, or allergens*)
- All Vitamins and Minerals essential to pet health
- Vegetables.

Other excellent ingredients are spirulina, seaweeds, oregano, and thyme. You can even supplement the kibble with raw meats like chicken, fish, lamb, or duck and vegetables like green beans, carrots, broccoli, and potatoes. It’s always a good idea to add whole foods to a kibble if a complete raw foods diet isn’t in the budget. The brands I recommend are Luath’s and Robbies by Land of Holistic Pets. Visit my Tailwaggers.ie products page for flavors and sizes.

An article recently published advised that commercial processed foods could actually be harmful to pets. Increasing concerns about obesity, lack of nutrition, poor behaviour and other health problems including cancer have been linked to tinned, pouches and even dried biscuits pet foods. The pet food industry is now worth over €200 million and the demand for convenience pet foods is on the increase. We now see scraps from the table and the local butchers replaced with foods that are full of additives many of which are harmful. TV vet Joe Inglis says: 'Over the past few years, many additives have been banned from human food, but pet food is still pumped full of similar chemicals.' 

Times like these we’re all thinking of ways to tighten our budget. We cut out certain expenses such as going out on the weekends, buying a new frock once a week, and we even surrender our beloved pets to animal shelters for lack of a better option. Well I’m here to say you can STOP surrendering your pets because I’ve devised a list of ways we can all save money on our pets.