Kibble or Raw?

Let me bust this myth right now. You don’t have to choose. You can do both!

There is a huge myth that pet parents have been told and that is that you can’t feed raw food with kibble because the two foods break down at different rates in the stomach. While raw food may break down easier in the dog’s digestive track, there are no negative effects to feeding raw along with kibble. I speak from experience since my 95lb dog gets half raw half kibble and hardly ever has a messed up stomach!

These days especially being able to mix raw with kibble can be a huge help with the budget. We would feed our big pup all raw if we could afford it. And originally when we thought he was going to be about 45lbs that was the plan. But making that work for his size isn’t something we are able to do right now. And there is nothing wrong with this. A fed animal is the most important thing in my opinion. And leveling up when you have the ability is the best thing you can do for all parties.

If you have an animal with a sensitive tummy and the idea of mixing the two different kinds of food makes you nervous you can alternate the foods. For example you could feed raw in the morning and kibble in the evening. Or switch that up if you feel like! It’s totally up to you! For cats you can give them their measured kibble and give them a bit of raw on the side and let them choose what they feel like in the moment! Just make sure to pick up the uneaten raw after about a half hour or so. You don’t want it to spoil and make them sick later.

Never let someone shame you for what you can feed your pet at the moment. Especially these days with how expensive everything is becoming. We all need to be kinder to one another and not judge. Kibble, kibble with toppers, canned, or raw. It’s all food. Do what you can and love up on your pet!

Essential Oils and Pets

I have been on a health journey for myself for about the last 2 years. This is important for this post because it led me to finding essential oils along with functional medicine. I have been using them on myself that whole time, recently though I have been slowly exploring how to use these things for my animals as well. I have been hesitant to do this for several reasons though. The first is the negative stigma about using essential oils around pets that exists to day. This had me terrified. They aren’t safe for pets! Never use essential oils with your pets! Essential oils made this dog sick! Essential oils killed this dog! I mean who wouldn’t be scared after seeing all these things whenever you try to do research? It steered me away this entire two years! But the last year I have been doing more of a deep dive and looking into stuff more. Within the last 9 months I have discovered multiple veterinarians that actually advocate for using essential oils with pets and guide people on how to do so! And I found that Doterra has a board of veterinarians that guide people as well! So I listened to all the podcasts they have up, I read the blogs and I followed them on Instagram to start getting their tips and the things I have been learning are so different from the main stream thoughts! So I have been gaining more confidence on using them around my pets and clients!

(Pictured: Copaiba which can help with pain, and Roman Chamomile which can help to calm anxiety.)

I started diffusing at home a long time ago but I was so paranoid about doing it around the cats that there were oils I flat out refused to use and if I applied them to myself I wouldn’t pet them for at least an hour after. It was stressful to deal with, I knew they helped me but I didn’t want to risk them making our fur babies sick so I took precautions. Now I diffuse without worry and I know that I don’t have to wait an hour to touch my kitties after using the oils on myself because they absorb into my skin so quickly. I have even begun letting my animals select what oils they want for the day. I have noticed especially when I diffuse calming oils around the cats that they don’t have as many scuffles! I still make sure that the animals have a choice though. I make sure all the doors are open when I diffuse so the animals can leave a room if they do not like what I am diffusing that day. And I don’t pick the animals up or pet them directly after applying oils to myself.

Eventually I plan to take classes and learn how to dilute properly to use essential oils directly on our pets but for now I enjoy the benefits I see from diffusing and I feel confident that the oils that I use are safe for our fur children and my clients. If I can’t do it with my own fur babies I wouldn’t do it with a clients pet. That is my rule.

Always make sure to use certified pure essentials oils. “Essential oils” sold at the grocery store are usually not good quality and these can be very dangerous for your pets! Doterra is always pure and tested in house and by a third party so I trust them to be safe for me and my fur babies. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about essential oils! I would love to be a resource for you and your fur babies!

What supplements do I give my pets?!

There are sooooo many supplements out there it will make everyone’s head spin. Every brand seems to be coming out with their own lines and each does either exactly the same thing with different ingredients or no difference at all but a HUGE difference in price! So how do we know what to give our pets? Where do we start? My first answer will always be talk to your vet! See what they recommend but then do your own research if you don’t like the brands they are recommending!

Second. Price does not always mean quality unfortunately. So really look at where they are sourcing ingredients and look up reviews online, not just the site. Also go to your local boutique type pet store. Not the big brand name stores that are everywhere. The smaller stores tend to heave better trained and more invested workers who know the brands to recommend.

Now here are some supplements I have given to my pets or recommended when working at pet stores for different ages and issues. These are supplements I myself or people I know have tried and had great luck with. I am not a veterinarian and these are my personal opinions.

For our puppy we have had a problem with dandruff since we got him. So he gets Ultra Oil. And he get the max recommended on the bottle for his weight. On top of this we added Primal’s edible elixir mussels mix. Both of these have helped almost clear his dandruff completely after a few weeks. This is along with brushing and a couple soothing massages to stimulate the hair follicles.

For my sweet girl with allergies she gets CBD daily to keep the inflammation at bay. My favorite brand is Peaceful Pets. Made by a local company by where I live. I know the owners and they are wonderful and doing great work in the space! She is also on a medicine from her naturopath vet called. . And a joint supplement since she turns 9 this year and I want to keep her joints healthy as she ages. The one I have been giving I am not completely loving at the moment. I really want one that has more green mussels in it. There have been a lot of studies coming out recently on the benefits of this ingredient for joints so I am on the hunt and will check out some other ones till I find the best fit. But I do not feel comfortable recommending the one I am using currently until I find out more. Below I recommend one that I will use once I run out of the current one as I continue my search.

Our cats all get the same supplements right now but for slightly different reasons in a couple cases. They get CBD for our oldest it is to help with her joints, inflammations, and mood. She is a munchkin cat so she has short stubby legs and we worry about that beginning to affect her as she ages and continues to jump around like the crazy parkour cat that she is. It also helps with her mood when she starts to get grumpy with our two younger cats when they want to play with her and she is not having any of it. For the boys this supplement helps to calm them a bit. They were getting rather rowdy before we put them on it even with the catio and all their toys and this has helped to take that edge off and make them better cat citizens of the house!

Supplements that all of our animals get include the Ultra Oil, kelp, and goats milk. The Ultra oil is what we do for omega’s. Ayrie is sensitive to salmon so we wanted something for her that had great omega’s without the salmon. Ultra oil uses, anchovy, sardine, and hemp seed in the place of salmon and we are having great results on it! Everyone’s coats are super soft and healthy and we believe this has helped contribute to that. We give kelp to help keep their teeth clean. Kelp helps to break down plaque and keep it away so they have healthy beautiful teeth! Lastly they get raw goats milk. Goats milk has great natural probiotics and we like to add this into their food to make sure they have a healthy gut micro biome!

Some other brands I have recommended or used myself in the past and still like are things like no more wiggles by Austin and Kat. I recommended this to a friend for her high energy pittie. With all the crazy weather that California has been having recently they have found that their pittie hates the rain and refuses to go out in it as long as possible. This includes potty breaks… Yikes… So as she got more frustrated being stuck inside and the brain games and chews got less interesting they needed help and I recommended this one.

For a joint supplement I like the connectin brand. They make treats and powders so you have different ways of sneaking it into their diet! There is also Austin and Kat’s joint support supplement. I have seen several dogs start doing much better after going on this supplement.

Tripe is awesome for the tummy. It is the stomach lining of usually either cow or lamb. It can help to calm sensitive tummies, and very very few animals will turn down the opportunity to eat this stinky delicacy. I recommend the raw over the canned can because there are more nutrients in it when it is not cooked. But if you can’t find the raw canned will still help!

I am currently torn about multi vitamins for my personal pets. Because we feed raw diets and rotate proteins often I do not feel like they are completely necessary at this moment. But I know a lot of people like to make sure all the bases are covered with them. If I had to pick one I would do Austin and Kat’s cat multivitamin. I do not have one for dog’s currently.

I hope this guide has given you some idea where to start. I am grateful you took the time to read this for your pet’s health and your own knowledge! Have a great day everyone!

Pet Health Trends in 2023

Everyone, and I mean everyone has their opinions on this topic. And it is confusing as all heck. So I want to take a moment right now and tell you it’s ok. Take a moment, take a deep breath, let it out. Then recognize that whatever you are already doing, you are doing your best. You have a pet and you brighten each others lives. And that in and of itself is incredibly important!!

There are so many people right now arguing over everything. Kibble vs. Raw. Grains vs. Grain Free. Holistic vs Conventional Veterinarians. You name it people are probably arguing it over it somewhere in the animal world. Electric collars vs positive reinforcement training. So why on earth am I daring to even comment on any of these topics. Because that is what part of being int his industry is about. So here we go.

First off let me say I believe each situation is unique and should be approached as such. If something has been suggested but doesn’t feel right in your bones, then go seek another opinion. Each animal and person’s experience is unique to them, and sometimes what works for the masses won’t work for someone. I always refer back to the time that a dog came into somewhere I worked and it turned out that that dog was allergic to EVERY KIND OF ANIMAL PROTEIN. I mean EVERY KIND. The only way this dog could exist was by eating vegetarian food. I NEVER suggest feeding vegetarian or vegan food because it is not appropriate for your pet to eat. But this situation is exactly why those foods exist. To help dogs exactly like that one that are few and far between. What I have learned in this industry is that there will always be someone who breaks the mold. Who needs something different. That needs an uncommon answer. That is why there are so many products, training routes, and treatments out there. To provide for everyone’s unique experience. So Bear that in mind please as you read on.

Raw vs Kibble trend. If you have found yourself on my page through your interests you have probably seen the beautiful food bowls that people are meaning with all raw diets. Each item placed lovingly in its little spot and artistically arranged to be appealing to the human eye (because we all know Fido down there doesn’t care where the heck his beef lung is just drop the whole bowl lady!!!). But really who has time for that?! (Influencers that’s who and man am I jealous!) The commercial you see on the tv has your basic brown kibbles being poured into a bowl though! And that is what the vet is selling and all I have time for! That is fine! That is what works for you and your pet! Good job providing food for your pet every day!! The trend itself is for more fresh foods in the bowl. Do I support this? 100% yes I do. Can everyone do it? That is debatable depending on who you talk to. When you have extra thought and your dog doesn’t have a sensitivity to it. Look up if it is safe to give them and if so, toss it in that bowl!! They will probably be psyched to get people food! When we eat whole raw foods we feel better. The same goes for your pet! But do what you can! My family dog can only eat kangaroo kibble right now because she is going through an elimination diet. I will absolutely feed her the approved food and treats whenever I am there until they figure out her allergies so that I don’t cause her to get sick or be in pain from the digestive upset it appears that poultry now causes her! DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR SITUATION.

Grain vs Grain free. I won’t lie this one makes me crazy, here is why. No one in the veterinarian community on the kibble feeding side is looking at dogs as individuals. A dog comes in and they hear they are being fed grain free they tell them to get on grains immediately. Even if they have allergies. Or are a bully breed which in my experience 90% of the time are sensitive to grains. So they are taking the possibility of a heart condition (dilated cardiomyopathy) and making it everyone’s problem. A condition that hasn’t actually been linked to grain free foods might I add. It is just suspected, not proven. They are working on the actual studies now. So every owner that comes in to me looking for a new food in a panic because their vet told them grain free foods could give their dogs heart disease but they are panicking because of their sensitivity to grains I have to calm down and tell them whatever they do it is their choice but right now it is their dog being miserable every day on grains or possibly developing a heart issue. From what I have seen most choose to stay grain free. I can tell you from personal experience with food issues with my dog that I myself choose to feed grain free raw. She has never been healthier in her life at 8 years old. But again, talk to everyone. Get everyone’s opinion, and then make the best decision for you and your pets.

Holistic vs conventional veterinarians. The trend for both people and pets lately is going towards holistic. At least form everything I have been seeing and personally I love it. To a point. I believe that drugs and hospitals exist for a reason. For traumatic acute instances. But that long term solutions should be as natural as possible. The answers to everything are in the body. Holistic vets look for that, natural vets tend to treat the symptoms. But not everyone can afford the long term treatment plans for the holistic side. So do what you can. All vets want the best for your animals, they are doing the best with what they know. So do your best too and do what you feel is right. Be happy with yourself at the end of the day.

E-collars vs positive reinforcement training. Oh man this one has gotten a bit interesting at times. Both sides are not pulling punches. I again sit somewhere in the middle. I do not think that an e-collar is for everyone. I think they should be used with an experienced trainer. I do not think they need to be the first training route with every dog. But I think they serve a purpose. My little dog Ayrie is not e-collar trained. She is positive reinforcement trained. And it works very well for her. 90% of the time she is impeccable. 100% with treats in my hand. My family dog Elke is impeccable 95% of the time. That 5% she isn’t is when she sees a small prey animal run from her. There is NOTHING in this world that can get her back to us except loosing the animal or her e-collar. We fought getting the collar for a long time. The day we changed our minds she was going after a squirrel at a dog park. ESCAPED the dog park and ran across a busy street where she could have been hit by a car. We bought a collar the next day. Dog’s need off leash time to express their instincts and get energy out. Elke can only get that safely with her e-collar. If my choice is a command with a shock or her gettin gait by a car, I will pick the shock every time. No questions asked. So again consider your situation try every alternative. If nothing works CONSULT WITH A TRAINER WITH EXPERIENCE. When trained wrong there are many consequences to using the e-collar.

Dental Health Month

February is Dental health month for pets! This month is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of dental health. You will see dental chews on sale, posts everywhere, and a lot of veterinarians will be running dental cleaning specials for the month (seriously look into these it is great!). So I just wanted to join in and share some things that I love to do for my pet’s dental health! This really is a major thing to be aware of as most people don’t brush their pets teeth there is a staggering rate of dental disease in our pets which can cause other health issues down the road including heart problems!

So why is the rate of dental disease so high these days? Well for one thing kibble. Have you ever tried brushing your teeth by eating crackers? That is the equivalent of eating kibble. Sure it will scrape some of the plaque off but it puts almost just as much back on every time they eat it. And that is the brown gunk you see along your pets gum line, plaque. Plaque leads to gum irritation when not dealt with and cavities. So what is an owner to do? Here, let me give you some pointers.

You can brush their teeth! No way. My pet won’t let me near them with a brush. Ok, don’t fret! I will list some other ideas for you down below! And honestly I advocate for doing a couple and rotating through them! So first brushing. Look for a pet safe brush, the bristles are going to be a bit softer than ours. And then go get yourself a pet toothpaste, enzymatic toothpastes work the best! Try to get in the habit of doing this once a day! (I type this out knowing full well that I haven’t brushed any of our cats teeth ever or Ayrie’s for at least a month, keep reading to find out why.) This is the most important one to do if you feed kibble because it will get rid of the plaque quickly. I’m including in this some gels. There are some gels made by a couple brands that you just squeeze into your pets mouth along the gum line and it just slides down and works on the plaque without brushing. It doesn’t work as well as a brush but if your pet will tolerate this better it works!

Next up dental chews. These are a treat you can give once a day that your pet chews on and it helps to clean the teeth. These can be tricky because there are so many options. Personally I only use a couple kinds of these. I never use Greenies anymore because I don’t like the ingredient panel. I used them in the past and they are still the name brand that everyone looks for. Some brands that I personally prefer are Health Extension, Bocce’s Bakery, and Whimzees. Now with Whimzees be aware of your dogs chewing style. Since these ones are harder than the other they run the risk of cracking the teeth, but they scrape plaque off the best because of how hard they are. The other two are a lot closer in texture to greenies but the ingredient panel is SO much better.

Supplemental options, there are a few kinds to list here. There is kelp, there are water additives, and Plaque-off. Kelp naturally helps to break down plaque in the mouth. If your pet has any thyroid issues check with your veterinarian before adding this into the diet though. Water additives you add directly to their drinking water and they help to break down the plaque as they drink. With these if your pet is picky you need to start very slow with adding it to the water or they won’t drink the water when they smell something in it. Plaque-off is another name brand that people look for because it WORKS. You just add it to their food and watch the plaque disappear!

Ok the very very best thing you can do for your pets is getting them into your vet for a regular check up and periodically scheduling a dental cleaning! This is the fastest way to get all their teeth clean and get any dead or infected teeth out before they cause more damage! This month most vets are running specials so if the cost is a big factor for you not taking your pet in for one of these (believe me I get that first hand! Ayrie broke a tooth jumping out of the car before I grabbed her and it cost $800 to remove it…) then I would check in with your vet to see how much of a discount is being offered this month and get them in if you can! And put a reminder in your phone for the month before next year if they are already booked up to snag a spot next year! Ideally our pets should get one of these yearly!

So why don’t I brush my pets teeth personally? First off, I should. I am being bad not doing so. But even then I don’t stress about it because all of our animals are fed raw food and they don’t have any plaque. We get compliments every time they go into the veterinarian about how beautiful their teeth are. Because they don’t eat anything with starch they don’t get plaque and any plaque they do get when we give them raw treats and bones they scrape it off themselves! Raw food naturally raises the pH of the mouth and stomach in order to break the food down. This in turn makes their mouths less hospitable to plaque and bacteria so it doesn’t thrive there! I will still sometimes treat Ayrie to a dental treat. Also we give them all kelp with their dinner to break down anything extra and they love it! Raw meaty bones are really the best though. I want to start giving the cats some this spring when the weather warms up as I personally do not like having the raw bones in the house with the carpet in the bedrooms. Ayrie has gotten raw bones for years and they are one of her favorite treats still!

What do you do for your pet’s dental health? Comment below!

Benefits of Massage in Cold weather

If you have ever injured yourself before you may have noticed that when the weather begins to cool off that injury tends to begin to get sore and achy. Or if you have no major injuries to speak of you may have heard an older family member complain about the colder weather making it harder for them to get around with their old joints. These unfortunate parts of having a moving body happen to our furry friends as well. But have no fear! Massage can help ease these pains!

Massage helps to improve circulation with the manual movements of the hands along the skin and also stimulates the lymphatic system to drain. Both of these things are good for a sore achy pet. The increase in circulation helps to get blood flowing everywhere but this especially helps with sore spots by increasing oxygen along with raising the temperature to the areas focused on. Even a slight raise in temperature from hand to hand contact can ease some of the pain. You can try this yourself. If you have a pet with a particularly achy joint you can do passive touch as we call it. All you have to do it place your hands over the joint. For example if the get sore in their back just rest your hands on top of their back, or if it is a hock . Place your hands around the joint. Then just sit there with them for awhile and see how they do after. Make sure your pet is comfortable with this touch. Depending on how painful they are they may not want you touching their sore spot directly so don’t force them. Start somewhere nearby and work your way closer slowly.

As for the lymphatic system, the lymphatic system helps to purge the body of waste and toxins. But if it gets “backed up” this can lead to an increase in pain as these things will build up in the body and can cause discomfort. Stimulating the lymph to drain can help to get your pet back to equilibrium and ease some pain naturally. A buildup of toxins in the body can cause flu like symptoms and we all know how great it feels to have the flu. The lethargy and aches can be debilitating for us and we can communicate that. But our fur babies can’t.

These are just a few of the ways that massage can make our pets feel better in cooler weather! Reach out today to book your pet’s massage!

Here is a sweet senior Beck to brighten your day.

Calming Effects of Music

Have you ever noticed the difference that music can make for your energy levels? Think about what you listen to when you are working out versus a calm evening at home. For me personally my workout music is a lot faster and louder than the playlists I like to put on before bed or when relaxing. This works for our pets as well!

If your pet is feeling anxious you can put on a classical music playlist to help calm them down! There are now even some playlists with music made specifically for dogs! The other day I was listening to the Wag Out Loud podcast and they had a lady on named Lisa Spector, who composes music specifically to help calm down our dogs! How cool is that! She even has a podcast herself I have started listening to in the evenings with my animals called My Zen Pet if you want to check it out yourself!

When I went to the North West School of massage therapy while we were practicing on dogs in class they would put on calming music. Sometimes it was meditation music sometimes it was classical and I loved it. It is something I honestly forgot about for quite awhile. I am going to make an effort to incorporate playing calming music during my massages this new year! I hope that it will bring a whole new level of relaxation for my massage clients from here on out!

There are so many levels to animal wellness that sometimes it is easy to overlook certain ones as you learn more I am so happy that there are so many learning avenues open to us where we can refresh our knowledge and implement new things like calming music to make their lives and ours better!

Does your pet have a favorite type of music? Or a song? Let me know in the comments below! I used to have a Guinea Pig named Coco when I was a kid and his favorite song was Closer by Ne Yo. He would start purring whenever it came on and relax into whatever spot he was sitting on!

The Benefits of Massage for Nervous Dogs

While massage has many physical health benefits one benefits that not many people think about is the benefit of touch for naturally nervous or anxious pets. Your pet may not have any physical ailments to speak of such as the ones that we normally associate with people who go to get massages like; aches, pains, or arthritis. You may just want them to have the benefit of a positive experience with touch with someone they are not as familiar with. Touch from a stranger or someone they do not come into contact with often can be a very stressful experience for our fur babies. A positive experience with a massage could help them not be so anxious in future situations!

Just like training a puppy that strangers aren’t all scary with treats you can book massages periodically to show them that physical touch is a positive experience as well. Generally when our pets are experiencing new people touching them it is a lot of people who do not respect our pets boundaries and just reach in to pet without checking how the dog feels about it. Or it is at the veterinarian where there are a lot of weird smells, people, and the fear of the other pets in the area all around them which can make them even more touch averse.

I did a massage just the other day with a new client who wanted her dog to get the positive touch experience with someone she wasn’t familiar with. She did awesome! I was so impressed with her and so happy to be a part of her positive training experience with her mom! Part of the joys of my job as a animal massage therapist is getting to see the pets be relaxed and happy.

She did still get physical benefits from her massage. Her mom told me she was very relaxed and slept well that night. But that was not the main goal. Massage can be for physical benefit, anxiety, training, or just for fun!

Reach out today to ask me how massage could benefit your pet!

Safety with Chews

Well I have had a dog for 9 years now whether it was the family dog Elke or my little angel Ayrie. For the first time today though ever Ayrie got a bone stuck to the roof of her mouth. I have heard about this, seen pictures, and videos but this is the first time I have ever experienced it myself first hand. And I am proud to say I did not panic. I had given Ayrie a raw hide alternative chew (I will not name the brand as it is not something wrong with it) and we played the normal game of find it where I hide it somewhere in the pet store and she looks for it with her nose. She found it and took it to her favorite spot where I can see her and began chomping away. After a moment thought I could hear her chewing and see she was wiping at her face with her paw with most of the chew sitting next to her. This is not her normal chew style. Ayrie likes to hold her chews between her paws when she can and munch away so I knew something was up. I got up and went over and her wiping at her face was getting a bit more urgent but not serious yet. I Knelt down calmly and put my hands on her muzzle and spoke to her calmly. “Let me see.” I told her after some comforting words and then I opened her mouth. Sure enough she had bitten it perfectly so it fit up into the top of her mouth and was caught on one side of her teeth. I reached in and after a couple of tries I was able to knock it loose from where it was stuck. I will admit my heart rate got a bit quick as I was doing this and I breathed a sigh of relief when it came loose so quickly. Situations like this can be super scary for the owner and the pet. And I am fortunate that had it not resolved so quickly I would have been able to run her a couple doors down to her veterinarian.

So the reason I am telling this story is to highlight that you must ALWAYS watch your pet when they have a bone/chew/treat!! I can’t even begin to add up the number of times Ayrie has had that specific kind of treat or others like it. Nothing has ever happened to her before like this. BUT it is always a possibility! I stress this with all owner who buy chews, just like a child they need to be monitored. Things are bound to happen that one time when you least expect it. (I’m sensing a theme here for myself between Mars and the Christmas tree and now Ayrie). I hear often people who talk about giving their pets chews when they are leaving the house. Please DON’T do that! Unless it is just a frozen Kong that has wet food in it or something like that that is not a choking hazard. ALWAYS monitor your pet with any chew you give them for the exact reason that happened to Ayrie! Sometimes they do such a good job gettin the chew stuck that it requires a trip to the vet and if you are not home when the item gets stuck it can be worse! Safety first!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and happy New Year!

Our cats and the Christmas tree

The holidays are here! There are beautiful lights up, people are out shopping for presents, and there are Christmas trees in peoples homes! Well animal permitting there are. This is our boys first year with a Christmas tree. Ayrie has seen them for years and could care less. Haha has seen a couple but isn’t phased by them. So it was really the boys we were wondering about the day we brought the tree in. And we were pleasantly surprised! We were fully expecting it to be like the videos on the internet where the cats are climbing in the tree and knocking it over or broken ornaments are everywhere. In preparation we even went and got dollar store ornaments so we wouldn’t care if they broke and they were harder to break since they are plastic! On top of that we found bells and put those on the tree as an early warning system in case they tried any funny business! And nothing! Until two days ago…

Mars chewed through the cord for the lights in the wall. He is fine thank heaven. Of all the things we were expecting I can honestly tell you that was the last thing (possibly not even) on my list of worries. The tree itself with the balls and bells looked far more enticing to us than the cord. But suddenly the tree was dead and the cord was looking a little funny in the wall. Mars is a very smart cat though which is both a blessing and a curse in some ways. But in this case we have noticed he is giving the tree a wider berth since the other night and even with the string of lights replaced and back on he seems to be content to just look at it from a foot or two away. We are also trying to up playtime so he doesn’t get bored and begin chomping on things again. When Mars begins chewing that is our signal that he hasn’t been getting enough stimulation and he needs some dedicated playtime with us and a toy. Normally he directs this behavior at card board boxes around the house since we are still slowly unpacking from the move. But now we are aware that once the boxes are gone he may redirect this behavior to other items in the house. I am going to take this lesson and attempt to use it to prevent something worse from happening in the future. I recognize that the couple days leading up to this we as cat parents had been slacking and not giving any of them their playtime because we had prioritized cleaning and cooking for ourselves. So this is just a post to say pay attention to your animals behaviors, and try to give them what they need! It helps both you and them! We are not perfect and I am sure we will mess up again at giving them their needed playtime in the future unfortunately. But now that we have had this lesson I have set up reminders on my phone for when I get home at night and on my days off to play with the cats and get ayrie her exercise as well! Sometimes I need these reminders because I get caught up in other things and having a checklist works the best for me so I can deprioritize some things and focus on others.

The cats and Ayrie’s exercise is now on the top priority list for their safety and the safety of our home! An exercised animal is a happy animal. And we like having happy animals in our home! I am grateful that this lesson was not a harsher one and hope I can be better for them from here on! Have you ever had something like this happen with your pet? And how has that changed how you do things now?

Winter and our bored pets

Winter has arrived here in central Oregon. It has hit hard and fast for those of us South of Bend for about the last month and it is sticking it to us with temperatures below freezing most days. So I thought I would talk a bit about general winter wellness for our pets! The cold and dark makes it hard fro most people to get out with their animals on the best days. Ice and aging pets add a whole new struggle. There have been multiple stormy days here that have made me say no way to a walk with little Ayrie already. And after about 2 days of that, even with the games I will be telling you about here she begins to get cranky, and I don’t blame her! Being inside is boring! There is only so much we can do in our homes before walking in circles or just laying on the couch becomes tempting options in my opinion. So imagine how boring it would be for our pets who have even fewer things to keep them occupied!

One of the big things I like to do with Ayrie on no walk days is play a game I have dubbed “find it”. I will take a chew that she enjoys and I will hide it somewhere in the house or store if I am at work. While I am hiding it, Ayrie is in stay somewhere she can’t see me. That way she has to use her nose to find the treat. This gets her moving and exercises her brain while she sniffs and looks for the treat. After she finds it she gets to enjoy chewing it up as she pleases! I will also do this sometimes with small treats so there are several things for her to run around and find. As she gets better with her nose I come up with harder hiding spots! This game also works for our cats! Though we have to separate the boys for it otherwise Phoenix gets food aggressive.

Another thing to do is just a good old play session! Grab their favorite toy and play fetch or rough house a bit with them! Ayrie loves to do this, it gives her attention from us and a good energy outlet. We do the same thing with our cats with either a string or a lure toy as well. Since it has been so snowy and cold they don’t like being out in the catio so much at the moment unfortunately.

Another thing we can do is that we put their food into a puzzle toy or slow feeder. That way even meal time is a game and gives their brains some extra work!

I hope some of these gave you ideas to help work out your dog or kitties during this cold weather! Stay warm everyone!

Peep Ayrie’s side eye when she needs her snow suit and booties in this snow we have been having.

Cold Weather and Our Pets

With winter upon us and the snow piles growing higher come dropping temperatures. An older pet may move ok on normal days but during the cold winter months they can slow down drastically. This is hard to witness for us. But I am here to tell you there are some things we can do to relieve their pain and struggling!

Find a good joint supplement. Something with a good dose of glucosamine and chondroitin and or green mussels. Both are good for the joints. A food that touts having glucosamine and chondroitin will not have a high enough dose to be effected you should have a supplement.

Keep them warm. The less exposure they have to intense cold for a prolonged period of time the better. Or if they do keep them moving and warm the muscles up. There are also several products on the market now that provide a gentle warming element that can be worn on those especially bad days.

Find a good CBD supplement. CBD has great anti-inflammatory and pain relief qualities. Find a good pet CBD to make sure that it has the lowest levels of THC possible and follow the dosing instructions. On bad days the dose can be adjusted to help relieve pain.

Regular massages or chiropractic treatments can help with stiffness as well! Just like people animals get sore and things move out of their proper positioning. A good chiropractor or certified massage therapist can assist when this happens in getting them back up and moving properly again.

If you are in the central Oregon area send me a message if you are interested in having your pet get a massage. I am happy to book a consult and visit with your fur babies!

Have a great week everyone and stay warm!

Long Lasting Chews

I have had a ton of people this week asking me for natural long lasting chews. So I thought I would come on here and put some of my recommendations down. The go to long lasting chew used to be rawhides. They could keep even the toughest chewers occupied for a while depending on the size. But the longer they have been around the more we have realized these chews while long lasting are not healthy for our pets. Between the bleaching process when cleaning them and them causing obstructions in our pets stomachs there are not as many people buying them these days. So what can you do instead?

The most popular chew you will see is bully sticks. For those of you who know what part of the animal these come from smile and continue on. For the rest of you google at your own risk. It’s meat, your dog will most likely love it, it is just humans that are grossed out. These chews can be stinky so buyer beware. If this is an issue for you look for the ones that say low odor on the bag or tag. These don’t smell nearly as bad. Your dog will be busy for awhile and they are worth the money.

My favorite natural chew is raw bones. Buy size appropriate bones and let your dog go to town.These are awesome because after your dog has cleaned out the original marrow you can refill them with yogurt, peanut butter, or whatever mix you like and freeze them for more uses! These are awesome for your pets teeth too. They will scrape off the plaque and the marrow has lots of nutrients.

Another popular chew is the Yak cheese chews. When buying these I prefer the straight Yak milk ones. The ones that have been mixed with cows milk are not as tough and go much faster because of this. Be careful with these ones though if you have a puppy. I would not give them to a puppy unless you know all their puppy teeth are gone. They are so hard that your puppy could possibly crack their baby teeth on them.

Along with the yak chews are antlers. These come with the same concerns for puppies so try to wait until their adult teeth are in. And use antlers sparingly. When given every now and then they are great but if given too much your dog can actually grind their teeth down on their abrasive edges. But they last a long time and make dogs happy so weigh the pros and cons with your vet if you are concerned!

Have a great week everyone!

Does your dog swallow their chews?

I got a question at work the other day that I thought deserved a post. Does your dog swallow bones home after chewing on them for awhile? That is nerve racking every time it happens. I am very grateful I haven’t had a dog like that and I hope it stays that way but if it doesn’t I have a plan of attack. Here it is for any of you currently dealing with it.

Find a toy like a Kong with a hole that the chew can fit in. In the case of a Kong fill it up wit your dogs favorite stuff in and push the shew in the middle then freeze the entire delicious treat before you give it to your dog to enjoy. This will make it so they only have access to it for small portions at a time. Now this does NOT mean they can be left alone with this chew. You should always monitor your dog when they have a bone or treat to make sure they do not choke. This is just to help slow them down and try to keep them from swallowing a big chunk of the bone or treat whole. There are other toys that have been made for this specific issue. A trip to your local pet store and asking the clerk they will most likely have a couple options on hand. Or search amazon and see all the options there if the store is out. Get creative with it too. Switch up how much of the bully stick is out of the toy, this will make your pet work harder and think more which will tire them out even more!

See photo to get an idea for a couple of the toys I am aware of that could help in this situation.

Let me know if this was helpful or if there is anything you would like to ask me about!