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Pet Food Safety: Is my pet's food safe?

Nutrition and food is one of the most important things we can do to impact our pet’s health and well-being. The food we feed is what goes into their body every day and that’s the tools the body has to work with to try to get and stay as healthy as possible. So it’s really important that the food we’re using is healthy and safe. But lots of things can make our pet’s food less healthy and even unsafe. 


I want to share with you a great resource for pet food safety: Pet Food Safety Veterinary Lab. This lab is run by a veterinarian who has tons of expertise and degrees in Food Safety and she can actually test your pet’s food for things that could make it unsafe. It’s an amazing resource and I encourage you to check it out!


Why do we need pet food testing? What are we concerned about? A lot of things! You may remember recent pet food recalls due to euthanasia solution (pentobarbital) in the pet food, or when there was plastic (melamine) in pet foods. Both of these resulted in pet’s dying after eating these contaminated foods. There are constantly recalls of pet foods for things like bacterial contamination or incorrect amounts of minerals or other issues. So there are many things that can make our pet’s food unhealthy or unsafe. 


Things that encourage inflammation are unhealthy. Foods that are heavily processed (like kibble) have more pro-inflammatory compounds due to their processing. High levels of a variety of pro-inflammatory compounds called MRPs (Maillard Reaction Products) and AGEs (Advanced Glycation Endproducts) are present in processed pet foods including canned, extruded and pelleted kibble diets.1,2 These inflammatory compounds are absorbed by pets when they eat these foods.3


Unbalanced diets are unhealthy. What does that mean? Diets need to be complete: contain all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats that pets need for proper health and physiologic functioning. Diets also need to be balanced: the correct amounts of all those things need to be present. It’s not helpful if there’s too little of these important things. Serious issues can result if important nutrients are not present or not present in the correct amounts.


Diets with mystery ingredients are potentially unhealthy. Food allergies and sensitivities are very common in pets so we often want to avoid certain ingredients, especially proteins. However it’s not uncommon for commercial pet foods to contain different proteins than what it says on the label. In studies anywhere from 38% to over 80% of tested foods were mislabeled.4,5


Foods with toxins and contaminants are unhealthy. These can be molds and mycotoxins, bacterial contamination, excessive thyroid hormone contamination, heavy metals or plastics (melamine), or contamination with drugs like euthanasia solution (pentobarbital). These are all things that have contaminated pet foods recently and caused pets to become sick or even die.


So that all sounds pretty bad and scary so how can we make sure the food we’re feeding our pets is as healthy as it can be?


Avoiding the more processed foods is a great start. Less processed foods would be things like fresh food, dehydrated, or raw foods. That reduces the issues with pro-inflammatory compounds and reduced bioavailability of the more processed foods. 


Commercially available pet foods including less processed commercial foods like fresh foods, dehydrated, and raw foods, should theoretically be complete and balanced. They will have a statement on them that it is formulated to meet AAFCO requirements for All Life Stages or Maintenance. Which means it should theoretically be ok although there have definitely been cases where there have been issues even with commercial foods. If you want to do home made food it is critical to work with a veterinarian or use resources from veterinary nutritionists like BalanceIt.com to be sure that the diet you make is complete and balanced. Trying to just add over the counter “pet vitamins” will not provide adequate levels of nutrients, especially calcium.


To help avoid mystery meats and contaminants the best will be to source the ingredients yourself and make your own complete and balanced diet after using BalanceIt.com or working with a veterinarian. However I know not everyone has the capacity to do that so sometimes we have to use commercial options.


Even with the less processed foods as I’ve discussed before there’s really nothing about the label or package that tells you about sourcing of ingredients, what their quality control is, etc that might reduce the risk of issues. You can call and ask but no one really has time for that. 


This is where Pet Food Safety Veterinary Labs can come in! It’s run by Dr. Donna DeBonis, a vet who has worked in human food safety and now offers lab testing of pet foods. It’s a really amazing resource to have. Go check out her website and all the testing options she has to help you determine if your pet’s food is safe and doing all the good health supporting things we want it to do. She can test for contaminants, she can test for diets being complete and balanced, she can test for DNA so you know for sure what’s in it.


She also tracks pet food recalls all over the world and has a great podcast with interviews of lots of interesting speakers on pet food safety. I recently did an interview with her about how important food is for pet health and how important it is for that food to be safe and healthy which you can check out here.


Our pet’s food plays an important role in their overall health and well-being so it’s important that food is healthy and safe. Many things can make it unhealthy and even unsafe. We can try to make sure it’s as safe and healthy as possible by feeding less processed food, making sure diets are complete and balanced and knowing what is and isn’t in them. It’s not always easy to know if diets are complete and balanced and what is and isn’t in them. Pet Food Safety Veterinary Labs can test pet food and help you know that your pet’s food is safe and healthy. 


References

  1. Van Rooijen, Charlotte, et al. “Quantitation of Maillard Reaction Products in Commercially Available Pet Foods.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 62, no. 35, 2014, pp. 8883–8891., https://doi.org/10.1021/jf502064h. 

  2. Van Rooijen, Charlotte, et al. “The Maillard Reaction and Pet Food Processing: Effects on Nutritive Value and Pet Health.” Nutrition Research Reviews, vol. 26, no. 2, 2013, pp. 130–148., https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954422413000103. 

  3. Palaseweenun, Pornsucha, et al. “Urinary Excretion of Advanced Glycation End Products in Dogs and Cats.” Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, vol. 105, no. 1, 2020, pp. 149–156., https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13347. 

  4. Maine, Isabella R, et al. “Investigation into the Animal Species Contents of Popular Wet Pet Foods.” Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, vol. 57, no. 1, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-015-0097-z. 

  5. Okuma, Tara A., and Rosalee S. Hellberg. “Identification of Meat Species in Pet Foods Using a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay.” Food Control, vol. 50, 2015, pp. 9–17., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.08.017. 

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Best Products for Senior Pets

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Best Products for Senior Pets

As our pets get older they often need some extra TLC and some help to continue to be able to do the things they enjoy and have good Quality of Life.  There are a lot of little things we can do that can really help our older pets.

However, age isn’t a disease and many things we associate with “just getting old” like slowing down, difficulty jumping up, and hind end weakness are due to underlying disease which can often be very effectively managed with appropriate veterinary care in addition to using these kinds of products. 

Here are some of my favorite products to help senior pets enjoy their golden years!

This post contains affiliate links which I may earn commissions from. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Mobility Products

It’s very common for older animals to have more difficulty moving. This is often due to arthritis and issues with nerve function but regardless of the underlying cause there are lots of easy things you can do at home to help your pet.

Steps, stairs, and ramps

These can make such a huge difference in Quality of Life for aging pets! Being able to continue to get in the car or on the bed or up to the window is really important for Quality of Life for many pets. There are many commercially available options like the ones below but you can also get creative and DIY too. It may take a little patience and persistence to convince them to actually use them but once they get the hang of it life will be better for everyone.

There are lots of great products specifically for helping your pet in and out of the car too from folding ramps and portable stairs to trailer hitch attachments.

Even if they absolutely won’t use stairs or a ramp (be persistent though, they’ll often come around to it if you just keep encouraging them with positive reinforcement!) you can still put down some extra padding like bed, foam pad, or even a memory foam carpet where they land so it’s not so hard on their joints, neck, and back.

Runners and rugs

Carpet may have downsides but when it comes to older pets it’s definitely better for traction and stability. Adding runners or throw rugs in areas your pet uses a lot and especially where they eat and around their bed(s) will really improve their comfort and confidence. If carpets just won’t work you can try yoga mats or other rubber type surfaces which help with traction.

Booties, grips, etc

There are many types of pet booties available. Some are just designed to prevent injury when pet’s are dragging their feet and some are designed for traction. If we’re looking for traction brands like Ruffwear are good. It’s important to take any booties off regularly so moisture and bacteria doesn’t build up and cause any issues. Other products like Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips help with traction and stability by basically helping the nails work better at their job. There are lots of products that are designed to go on the paw pads too like Paw Friction or even just using chalk which can help too.

Harnesses, braces, wagons, and carts

Some people might say that using these kinds of assistance makes pets lazy. Not true at all! These can be great tools to help pets continue to be engaged in normal activities and have good Quality of Life.

A good harness should be adjustable so it will fit your pet snugly but not too tight. Your vet can help you make sure the harness is fit correctly. My favorite brand is Help ‘Em Up. They’re expensive but they’re the best and are designed to be safe and comfortable even if worn 24/7 and are very ergonomic for us too. For some older pets braces or joint pads like those from Hero, OrthoPets or DoggLeggs can be beneficial, however if not fitted properly and used correctly they can actually make things worse so always work with your vet when looking at braces and pads.

Wagons, strollers, and slings are a great way for older pets to continue to be able to enjoy activities like longer walks and hikes even if their body isn’t quite up for the full distance anymore. Remember to get them used to new and different things like these by just putting them in and giving treats at first so they know it’s a safe and fun place to be.

Carts and wheelchairs can be excellent options to allow pets to keep doing things they enjoy. Good brands include Walkin’ Wheels, Eddie’s Wheels, and K9 Carts. They can be used to improve mobility even if pets aren’t fully paralyzed. Carts and wheelchairs do need to be fitted and adjusted to each pet but your vet can help you with that. 

Other Helpful Things

Elevated food and water dishes

Another thing that can make older pets more comfortable is just raising their food and water dishes so they’re at a comfortable height where they don’t have to really bend way down to reach them. That’s more comfortable and more stable which helps older pets with joint and weakness issues.

Grooming

If your pet’s nails are too long (you shouldn’t hear them clicking on the floor) that does change the angle of the foot and makes it harder for them to get good traction. The nails are really the biggest contributor to normal grip of the feet. Really long fur in between the toes can be slippery too. In older cats their claws can get really long and actually grow into their pads so it’s important to be checking their claws and keeping them trimmed. Grooming can help but just getting their nails trimmed back to a normal length isn’t going to “fix” underlying problems; it’s just one part of the puzzle for helping older pets.

Baby gates and play pens

Sometimes older pets just aren’t able to safely navigate things like stairs when you’re not around to help them or they may be losing their vision or having trouble remembering where things are in the house so they’re just safer and more comfortable if they can’t access some areas of the house.

Incontinence & ”Accidents”

This is common in older pets and there may be medical causes which can be treated so always check with your vet if your pet is having issues with incontinence or accidents. For some older pets they just need to go out more often so setting some alarms on your phone to take them out more often can help reduce accidents.

Puppy pads, grass patches

These are great options for when they just can’t quite make it all the way outside. You can also use puppy pads in areas where they sleep if they’re sometimes leaking a little.

Diapers and bed pads

There are several styles of doggie diapers and they do come in different sizes so you may need to try a couple to see what works for your dog. For male dogs with just pee leaking issues sometimes the “belly band” style works better for them but both male and female dogs can use the style that looks similar to human diapers. Pets may feel like they can’t move with the diapers on at first so start by just putting them on for a short time and giving them some treats, playing with a toy, etc so they realize it’s not a big deal. Washable bed pads are great for pets who are leaking a little in their sleep or when they’re laying down. Use them anywhere they sleep (dog bed, couch, your bed, etc).

Litter boxes

Many older cats have arthritis which makes it hard for them to get into high sided litter boxes and can make it uncomfortable for them to posture normally. This can result in accidents outside the box. Using a litter box with a lower entry makes it easier or creating a step/ramp up to a higher box will help. Open top boxes are often easier for senior cats to navigate too. Sometimes just adding puppy pads just outside the litter box is a simple solution for cats who just aren’t able to keep everything in the box. Adding extra litter boxes so your cat doesn’t have to go as far and especially doesn’t have to go up and down stairs makes it easier and more comfortable for older cats.

Toys and treats

Older pets can still play! Staying mentally engaged is important for their Quality of Life as well as helping to slow any “doggie dementia” or “kitty dementia”. Things like puzzle feeders, treat balls, lick mats, and snuffle mats are all great options for both cats and dogs. 

For more high intensity toys like the ball or frisbee for dogs or chasing feather/string toys for cats you may be able to modify your play so your pet can still enjoy these activities even if they can’t physically do all the crazy moves they used to. Try throwing the ball or frisbee just a short distance to them rather than away from them. Or roll the ball instead of throwing so it’s a slower pace. You can still play tug of war but just let them tug against you. Move the feather/string toys more slowly and keep them near the ground so your cat can still hunt and catch them without having to leap or run. Lasers aren’t great toys for cats (senior or otherwise) since they can never actually “catch” the laser so it’s frustrating for them, but there’s lots of other good toys for senior cats.

Here are some of my favorite high value, low calorie treats to use in these types of toys and feeders like freeze dried treats (you can cut them into really small pieces too!) and bonito flakes. For the lick mats and chew toys like Kongs meat flavored baby foods can work well, some pets like apple sauce or yogurt and of course peanut butter is always popular but always double check the ingredients since some contain xylitol which is toxic for dogs.

Sometimes you have to have a “cheat day” so there are some slightly less healthy (but really delicious according to most pets!) options like Squeeze Cheese, Kong paste and Churu paste.

More

There are lots of other things that can help older pets too like supplements, herbal medications, pharmaceutical medications, massage, rehabilitation, acupuncture, laser therapy and chiropractic treatment. Each senior pet is unique so you should work with your vet to find the best treatments for your individual pet. However most (if not all!) older cats and dogs do have some amount of arthritis which can benefit from glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Check out other blog posts on my favorite glucosamine and chondroitin products as well as some easy rehabilitation exercises you can do for your pet. For more information on dementia in pets see my educational handout.

Our older pets have some special needs but there are lots of little things we can do to help them continue to be able to enjoy life!

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Holistic Kitten Starter Kit

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Holistic Kitten Starter Kit

Congratulations on your new family member! Kittens can bring us so much joy and love, but bringing a new kitten home can also be a little nerve wracking. Is the house “kitten proof”, do you have all the supplies you need? What to feed? What if they get an upset tummy from all the changes? What about the litter box?

Here’s a helpful list of things I recommend for my clients with new kittens (or even new adult cats!) to make sure your new kitten is on the right track for holistic care to maximize their health and well-being.

For more information on my general recommendations for medical stuff like vaccines, deworming, how much to feed, and what kind of issues to watch out for see my downloadable Kitten FAQs.

This post contains affiliate links which I may earn commissions from. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Food and Water Bowls

I like ceramic, glass, or metal food and water dishes. Remember that cats are originally desert creatures who hunted and got most water from their food. They really don’t have a good instinct to drink water from a bowl. You should still always have a water bowl available but also have a source of moving water such as a fountain available too.

Eating out of a bowl doesn’t really come naturally to cats either. Steep sided bowls end up hitting their whiskers which are very sensitive. Stick with shallow bowls or plates. 

Or even better, feed your kitten using a slow, interactive, or puzzle feeder. This lets them use those natural hunting instincts and helps them get their energy out in a healthy way. 

 Collars & Harnesses

Collars should be fit so they can’t be pulled off over the ears but can be moved up, down and around the neck easily. Since kittens grow so quickly you’ll probably have to loosen the collar weekly which means you may have to get a larger collar before they’re fully grown. Flat collars are the safest for wearing all the time and there are collars designed to break with enough pressure in case your cat ever gets the collar stuck on something.

Cats can learn to wear a harness and leash to go exploring safely outside. Make sure it fits snugly and doesn’t inhibit the movement of the front legs. Walking a cat isn’t like walking a dog; let your cat sniff and explore at their pace.

Toys

There’s going to be a lot of playing and chewing so you’ll need a variety of toys. Different cats like different types of toys so try out some different kinds. Avoid laser pointers since they can be frustrating since cats can’t ever catch them.

Interactive toys are great since they can keep your kitten entertained for a while so they don’t Zoom-bomb that important meeting.

Of course you need some catnip toys too! Some cats don’t care about it and some cats get too excited but most cats love it.

Any toys with parts that could be chewed off and swallowed like string, rope, feather or plush toys are fine with supervision but not safe unsupervised. All toys should be big enough that your kitten can’t swallow them. 

Scratchers

Scratching is a normal behavior for cats. By giving them appropriate and desirable scratching areas we can reduce the risk of them scratching things we don’t want. Different cats like different surfaces and textures for scratching so get a variety.

The product Feliscratch is a pheromone that can be applied to areas you want to encourage them to scratch. You can also try plastic or sticky tape to discourage scratching in some areas but some cats actually like scratching these surfaces!

Litter Boxes and Litter

Super important to make sure your kitten starts off on the right foot with litter box training! There are many different styles of boxes and litters so it’s important to try out a few to see what your cat prefers. It’s a good idea to start off with a simple low sided box for easy access as your kitten learns. If the litter box has high sides place a few books or a small box in front as a step so it’s easy for your kitten to get into until they’re bigger.

Once they’ve got the hang of using the litter box you can try out some other styles too to see what they prefer. Avoid the “top entry” type though most cats don’t like this style and it adds more strain to their joints requiring them to jump in and out every time. Remember to have at least 1 more litter box than you have cats and to have at least one box on every floor to help avoid accidents.

There are many options for litter: paper, clay, wheat, corn, clumping, non-clumping etc. The best litter is the one your cat likes best and will use! Try out several kinds to see what your kitten prefers just look for low dust and avoid all dyes and fragrances (natural or artificial) as cats are extra sensitive to these.

If your cat needs some extra encouragement to use the litter box you can try Cat Attract litter or litter additives (basically catnip).

Litter Box Management

Keeping the litter box clean is important for your cat and you! Trays and puppy pads can help with litter tracking or in case of any near misses when learning. Scoops are a necessity. There’s also liners and litter cans that can make the process easier.

Want to make it even easier? There are many systems to make cleaning easier from sifting litter pans to fully automated self cleaning systems.

Toilet training

Cats can be trained to use the toilet. However they should always have a litter box available as a “back up” in case they don’t have access to the toilet.


Beds, trees and perches

Cats feel safest when they are up high. Also looking out the window is “kitty tv”! Try out cat trees and perches of different heights and try to place them so they can use them to see out the windows.

There are also window perches you can try.

Some cats like to have very enclosed beds or spaces to hide in.

Some cats like a flat soft bed on their favorite spot on the couch or bed, some like a puffy bed on the floor or couch.

Food

Having real, minimally processed, bioavailable, food is even more important for growing kittens than for adult cats! I like dehydrated or freeze dried foods, commercial fresh or cooked foods, or a complete and balanced homemade diet. Kittens do have special nutrient requirements but guess what, most foods are actually kitten food! If the package says somewhere on it that it meets or was formulated to meet AAFCO requirements for All Life Stages it’s kitten food. 

Here are a couple freeze dried options but I don’t actually recommend any specific brands due to lack of transparency in the industry. I also recommend rotating brands and protein sources to help avoid any potential issues with any given brand or protein.

Check out my other blog posts on why to avoid dry food and my Kitten FAQs guide for more information and to learn how much to feed and how to monitor weight so your kitten stays lean and healthy! 

Treats

As always the less processed the better. Things like freeze dried liver, lung, or meat as well as bonito flakes and freeze dried shrimp are great treats and can be chopped finely or broken into small pieces to make very low calorie, high value rewards. Of course catnip is great to put in treat balls or on cat trees for entertainment.

Keep them all over the house or even try a wearable treat bag so you can always reward those good behaviors! Put them in a treat ball to combine snack time and play time.

Automatic Feeders

Sometimes you can’t be there to feed your kitten. Try one of these automated feeders which will work for real food instead of kibble/dry food!

Catios

Staying indoors is much safer for cats and protects birds and other wildlife but indoor only life can be less exciting for cats and lead them to develop some bad habits. The perfect compromise is a Catio! These enclosures allow your cat to safely enjoy all the sights, sounds, and smells outside. Available in all shapes and sizes premade or DIY and can be set up against the house so your cat can go in and out by a cat door whenever they want.

No outdoor space available? Check out these tips to keep your cat entertained inside.

Carriers

All kittens should learn to be comfortable getting in their carrier so they can travel to the vet and with you on trips and moves with minimal stress. Look for a carrier that can be opened from the top so your cat never has to be pulled out through the front.

Other

Leaving their mom, litter mates and home is stressful and scary but calming pheromones in Feliway can help make the transition easier for your new kitten.

Stairs and ramps are critical for kittens to learn to use now. By the age of 6 half of cats already have arthritis which only worsens with age, so it’s good for them to learn to use these things now so they can use them to help their joints as they age and develop arthritis.

Kitten Proofing

The best way to avoid trouble with chewing or eating something they should is to just prevent your new kitten from having access to things that could cause trouble. Never leave any sort of string, shoe laces, yarn, hair ties, or rubber bands where your kitten could access them unsupervised. These are commonly swallowed and can cause an emergency situation blocking the intestines. Keep shoes with laces in cupboards or otherwise out of kitten reach. Put all hair ties and rubber bands in drawers. Lilies are very toxic to cats, don't bring them in a home with cats. Tylenol (acetaminophen) and other human medications are also very toxic to cats so keep them in a cupboard and make sure you pick up any dropped pills. Chewing on electrical cords can cause burns, try cord protectors to prevent this.

Grooming and Oral hygiene

All cats should get used to having their feet handled and their nails trimmed. Small pet nail clippers or human nail clippers will work. Never clip nails without knowing where the styptic powder is just in case a nail is cut too short.

All kittens should learn to allow their mouth to be looked at and their teeth brushed. Usea small head toothbrush with “cat toothpaste”. 

All cats and especially those with long hair should also get used to regular brushing. Some cats like a grooming glove since then they’re getting pets and grooming.

Cats should groom themselves and never need a bath unless they have certain medical conditions or have gotten something toxic like car oil or lily pollen on them in which case veterinary care is appropriate. If they need some “spot cleaning” use water or a fragrance and dye free wipe or baby dry shampoo.

Training

Cats are actually very trainable! Whether you want teach tricks or just want to teach them to tolerate nail trims, positive reinforcement is the way to go. Reward the behaviors you want and ignore the ones you don’t. Decoding your cat is written by veterinary behavior specialists and answer many common questions. Another great training tool is clicker training. Check out this fun book on clicker training cats. Don’t forget treats, treat jars and pouches from above so you can always have treats ready to reward good behaviors.

First Aid & Emergencies

Kittens are more vulnerable to illness than adult cats so you should always consult with your vet for any issues. 

Always consult your vet before using any of these products for your pet. Diagel is a natural product for mild diarrhea, Optixcare Eye Health is a natural product for eye irritation, and Zymox is a natural ear cleaner.

It’s a good idea to look up the nearest emergency vet and put their number in your phone now and also put the ASPCA Pet Poison Hotline number 800-213-6680 in your phone in case your cat eats anything they shouldn’t.

Want to learn more about getting your kitten off to a holistic start? Check out my Kitten FAQs guide!

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Holistic Puppy Starter Kit

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Holistic Puppy Starter Kit

Congratulations on your new family member! Puppies can bring us so much joy and love, but bringing a new puppy home can also be a little nerve wracking. Is the house “puppy proof”, do you have all the supplies you need? What treats to use? What if they get an upset tummy from all the changes? What about training?

Here’s a helpful list of supplies to think about getting with new puppies to make sure your new puppy is on the right track for holistic care to maximize their health and well-being. For more detailed information on my general recommendations including medical stuff like what to do about vaccines, deworming, how much to feed, and what kind of issues to watch out for see my downloadable Puppy FAQs guide.

This post contains affiliate links which I may earn commissions from. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Food and Water Bowls

Ceramic or metal food and water dishes are best. Get a size that will make sense for how big your puppy will end up being. If it’s a little dog they only need a small water dish, if they’re going to be a big dog you might as well get a big water dish now. 

For food dishes slow feeders or “puzzle feeders” are good options to help keep puppies entertained.

 Especially if your puppy is going to be over 50 lbs consider getting an elevated feeder since that’s more comfortable for them and better for their joints then having to bend really far down for food and water. 

Don’t forget some collapsible bowls for car trips, visiting friends and family, camping, and hikes.

Leashes, collars, harnesses, head collars

As we know puppies often like to chew on the leash which makes leash training more difficult and frustrating. Using a leash made of rubber, biothane, or (faux) leather can reduce that. 

Collars should be fit so they can’t be pulled off over the ears but can be moved up, down and around the neck easily. Since puppies grow so quickly you’ll probably have to loosen the collar weekly which means you’ll want an adjustable one and you still may have to go up a size before they’re fully grown. Flat collars are the safest for wearing all the time. 

Harnesses and head collars are a source of much debate. The truth is that the best thing for your pet is to learn to walk on a leash without pulling or taking off after something. If they do that it doesn’t matter what they wear. But your puppy probably didn’t come leash trained so in the meantime there’s going to be a lot of pulling and running after something and suddenly hitting the end of the leash. When that happens and they’re wearing a neck collar or head collar it is more likely to basically cause whiplash vs a harness spreading out those forces. Note that when we want dogs to pull sleds we put them in a harness with a back attachment. So if you want to help reduce pulling you’ll want a front attaching harness. Very small puppies may need a cat harness for correct fit. Harnesses should be fit snugly and not obstruct the movement of the front legs at all. As with collars you’ll probably go through a couple harnesses as you puppy grows. Avoid retractable leashes. PS: If you want to know more details on the ins and outs of the harness debate check out my Puppy FAQ guide!

Toys

There’s going to be a lot of playing and chewing so you’ll need a variety of toys. Different dogs like different types of toys so try out some different kinds. Everybody needs a good durable chewing toy though. Kong or similar are great since they can be used for distraction and help with teaching puppies how to be alone. 

Any toys with parts that could be chewed off and swallowed like rope or plush toys are fine with supervision but not safe unsupervised. For dogs under about 10 lbs cat toys can be a fun option too. All toys should be big enough your puppy can’t swallow them. So your puppy may outgrow some toys over time.

Food

Having real, minimally processed, bio-available, food is even more important for growing puppies than for adult dogs! You can get these real food with dehydrated or freeze dried foods, commercial fresh or cooked foods, or a complete and balanced home made diet. Puppies do have special nutrient requirements but guess what, most foods are actually puppy food! If the package says somewhere on it that it meets or was formulated to meet AAFCO requirements for All Life Stages it’s puppy food. Dogs that will be over 70 lbs as adults do have some additional special requirements regarding calcium in particular so the food should also say “including growth of large size dogs”. The ones I’ve listed here claim to meet those requirements so they should be safe for all puppies but you should always double check with your vet for specific guidance for your puppy. These are just included for your convenience, I don’t recommend any specific commercial brands since there’s not enough transparency in the industry for me to truly know what’s in them.

Check out my Puppy FAQs guide for more information on what to feed, how much to feed, and how to monitor weight so your puppy stays lean and healthy! 

Treats

As always the less processed the better. Things like freeze dried liver, lung, or meat are great and can be chopped finely or broken into small pieces to make very low calorie, high value rewards. Keep them all over the house or even try a wearable treat bag so you can always reward those good behaviors!

Miscellaneous

A non-toxic anti-chewing spray (plus distracting and redirecting to appropriate chew toys) is a must for that furniture your puppy just really wants to chew! 

Leaving their mom, litter mates and home is stressful and scary, but the natural calming pheromones in Adaptil help make the transition easier for your new puppy.

Stairs and ramps are critical for puppies to learn to use now. Especially for many small dog breeds constant jumping down from the bed and couch really strains the neck, elbows and back. Teach them to wait to for you to help them or to use the stairs and ramps. Even for bigger dogs it’s good for them to learn to use these things now so they can use them when they are older and dealing with arthritis.

Puppy Proofing

The best way to avoid trouble with chewing or eating something they should is to just prevent your new puppy from having access to areas where they might get into trouble. Keep shoes in cupboards or otherwise out of puppy reach. Using baby gates, portable fencing and exercise or “X-pens” can help you keep your puppy in safe puppy proof areas out of trouble. 

A kennel or crate is another good safe place for your puppy, while it does take a little training to get them used to it once they’re crate trained you can leave them safely home alone or sleep without worrying about them getting into trouble. 

Potty Training

Of course puppy pads are critical! There are also fake grass patches. And for outside poop bags and holders are a must.

Grooming and Oral hygiene

All dogs should get used to having their feet handled and their nails trimmed. For small dogs small nail clippers may work, those over about 10 lbs larger clippers will work better. Some dogs and people prefer a Dremel type nail trimmer. Never clip nails without knowing where the styptic powder is just in case a nail is cut too short.

All puppies should learn to allow their mouth to be looked at and their teeth brushed. Use a finger brush with “doggie toothpaste” or for very small puppies a small head toothbrush.

Dogs should only need a bath if they’re dirty or have certain medical conditions. Bathing too frequently can dry out the skin and disrupt the normal oils and flora of the skin increasing the risk of infections. If soap is needed a tearless baby shampoo or a dog shampoo can be used, fragrance free is usually safest. If your puppy is going to have long hair they should also get used to regular brushing. If they do need their paws wiped or a spot clean Optixcare Wipes are safe and have natural skin moisturizers.

Training

Positive reinforcement is the way to go! Reward the behaviors you want and ignore the ones you don’t. Check out these great books by a veterinarian and behavior specialist which covers lots of common puppy training issues. 

Another great training tool is clicker training!  Don’t forget some treat pouches so you can always have treats handy to reward good behavior!

First Aid & Emergencies

Puppies are more vulnerable to illness than adult dogs so you should always consult with your vet for any issues. 

Always consult your vet before using any of these products for your pet. Vetericyn is a natural antimicrobial spray, Diagel is a natural product for mild diarrhea, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is an herbal cough syrup, and Zymox is a natural ear cleaner.

It’s a good idea to look up the nearest emergency vet and put their number in your phone now and also put the ASPCA Pet Poison Hotline number 800-213-6680 in your phone in case your dog eats anything they shouldn’t.

Want to learn more about getting your puppy off to a holistic start? Check out my Puppy FAQs guide!

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Moving With Pets

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Moving With Pets

Moving can be hard on our pets. It’s stressful and can impact their health. We may not be able to avoid stress completely but there are things we can do to try to manage it and steps we can take before, during, and after a move to make sure we protect our pet’s health and well-being.

Moving is very stressful for everyone, especially our pets. Stress affects the body and it’s common for health issues to flare up around this time. Things like “colds” with weepy eyes, congestion and sneezing, GI upset, allergies and other skin issues, urinary issues, and behavioral issues like separation anxiety and aggression can all flare up in the days and weeks before, during, and after a move. Pre-existing health conditions often get worse. There may be different diseases in your new location that your pet needs protection from.

So what can you do to make moving as safe and low stress as possible for your pet?

Before Moving Day

Figure out what your pet will need for the move. Will your pet be moving by car or plane? How far will they be traveling? Will they need to be in a crate or carrier? Will you need a health certificate or exam before you move?

If your pet will need to travel in a crate or carrier make sure you have one that fits your pet and that your pet is used to being in there and are calm and comfortable.

Start calming supplements, herbals, pheromones, plus any calming medication your pet needs. A lot of these things can take some time to kick in (weeks or months even); starting early helps them be most effective when stress is highest. Your vet can recommend and prescribe things to help keep your pet relaxed.

Speaking of the vet: set up an appointment with your vet several weeks or even months before the move. Let them know if you need any health certificates. Ask for recommendations on calming supplements, herbs, pheromones, and if medications would be good for your pet. 

Make sure pets are up to date on preventative care like vaccines. Ask if there’s any different diseases to worry about where you’re moving. Get refills on any medications your pet takes including for things like flea/tick and heart worm prevention. Make sure you have enough to last at least a month after the moving date. 

If you’re moving to a place too far to continue going to your current vet ask for recommendations for a new vet where you’re going. Set up an appointment at that new vet now for a few weeks after the move so you don’t forget. Ask for a copy of your pet’s medical records to give to your next vet. Look up emergency vet clinics near your new place. If you’ll be driving more than a day look up emergency clinics along the way as well. Save emergency clinic info in your phone just in case.

On Moving Day

This is a really stressful day for your pet. Your vet can help figure out if extra or increased doses of calming supplements, herbs, and medications would be helpful since it’s an extra stressful time.

Moving day means a lot of moving parts, strangers, and front doors left open so it’s often best to have pets confined somewhere safe: in their crate, carrier, or even a bathroom or bedroom while furniture and boxes are being loaded/unloaded. This will reduce stress and avoid potential for being stepped on or getting lost going out the front door in a new environment. 

At your new home have beds, blankets, and familiar items with familiar smells on them already in place when your pet arrives. Try to have all of their important resources (food, water, beds, litter box, etc) already in the places you think they will permanently be by the time your pet arrives so they don’t have to look somewhere new for their water bowl every day.

If you’re moving to a larger space your pet may need more things like beds, toy boxes, litter boxes, scratching posts, etc. If you’re moving to a smaller space with multiple pets (especially cats) you may actually need more of these things too. Why? Just like people a small space can create tension and disagreements. Extra resources like toys, beds, and litter boxes reduces these tensions.

After Moving Day

It may take days to weeks for your pet to adjust to the new home. That’s ok. Stress related health issues can flare up even after the move so continue calming supplements, pheromones, herbs, and medications during this time. 

If any health issues or symptoms do show up after the move of course set up an appointment with a vet. But even if everything is going well it’s best to get an appointment with your new vet within a few weeks after your move.

Why? Once you’re established with a new vet they can take over doing any prescriptions your pet needs and will be more likely to be able to get you in on short notice if anything comes up in the future. They can contact your old vet to get a copy of your pet’s records and full medical history so your pet doesn’t get any unnecessary vaccines or testing repeated. Your new vet can also discuss any different diseases here that you need to protect your pet from and help you figure out if, when, and how to reduce calming supplements, herbs, pheromones, and medications. 

While we can’t just tell our pets that there’s nothing to worry about when moving we can do a lot of things before, during, and after a move to help make the process as low stress as possible for them.

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How to Choose a Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplement

There are lots of glucosamine chondroitin supplements out there, how do you know which is best for your pet? You want it to be safe, effective, but how do you tell? Learn from an experienced holistic vet how to evaluate glucosamine chondroitin supplements so you can choose what’s best for your pet.

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Does my pet need glucosamine chondroitin?

Is your dog having trouble getting up? Cat hesitating to jump? Are your pets just getting older? Have they ever had an injury or surgery to their legs? They might benefit from glucosamine chondroitin supplements! Learn more about how it works and how to choose one for your pet!

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Does my dog need rehab?

Does my dog need rehab?

Physical therapy for pets? Yes, it’s an important part of veterinary care! Find out more about what rehab for pets is and how it can help treat pain and weakness and improve healing, health and well-being.

Pet Food Ingredient Myths Part 1

Let's talk a little more about the pet food industry and some of the myths about various ingredients. I'm calling this Part 1 since I'm sure I'll have updates as time goes on and the industry comes up with new marketing ploys.

Pet food is a multibillion dollar industry. Last year revenues were almost 28 Billion dollars. Purina alone did over 12 Billion in sales last year. Their profits? About 2.4 Billion dollars. That's Billion with a B. Just for comparison Zoetis, the animal drug division of Pfizer, only had profits of 821 Million. If you thought the pharmaceutical companies were only interested in profits and willing to use sketchy methods to make money how much worse must the pet food industry be if they're making so much more money? To protect these kinds of profits Purina (and every other pet food company) are going to pull out every marketing ploy and advertising psychology trick they can. So pretty much everything you read on the label or see on their advertising is just part of their marketing ploys to get you to spend more money.

There is actually an entire field of advertising psychology. Turns out it's pretty easy to trick our brains with clever advertising. For example if someone tells you their product is “X Free!” our brains automatically assume that X must be bad and that the competitors must not be X free. It's just a thing people do. We'll talk about a couple of commons ones that lots of companies try to trick you with.

Grain Free. Unfortunately this is just marketing. It's not grains that are the problem for animals; it's high carbohydrate, low protein diets. Food allergies (and all allergies really) in animals are actually very different from what people experience. It's actually very different types of immune cells being 'set off' so the things they're allergic to and how they manifest those allergies are very different than in people (I have a whole separate blog post about allergies in animals). So it's actually the meats that cause the most issues with food allergies (chicken and lamb are the biggest offenders). The food companies figure that you don't know that so they put “Grain Free” on the package so you'll assume grains are bad for animals and pay more for their food because it says it doesn't have grains in it. All they do is switch from using one cheap carbohydrate like rice to using another cheap carbohydrate like potato and charge you extra for the potato. Meanwhile your pet is still getting an inappropriate diet that's high in carbohydrates and low in protein and fat.

But By Products really are bad, right? By Products is actually term which has a legal definition as far as being in food. It means any part of the animal that isn't skeletal muscle. So liver, kidney, bone etc are all technically By Products. In fact you've probably been paying extra for a fancy brand where they just changed the ingredient list so instead of saying “Chicken By Products” it says “Chicken Liver” even though it's the same thing. Organ meat like kidneys, heart, liver and spleen are actually good for dogs and cats as part of a balanced diet since they're high in protein and contain vitamins and minerals that regular muscle meat doesn't. Even things that seem gross to us like bone and feathers are actually really good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. In the wild cats and dogs (and their wild cousins) do eat all of these parts because they do have nutritional value. There's some myth that By Products are used as “filler” in pet food. If you were a pet food company trying to make a lot of money you'd want to use the cheapest thing you could find as “filler” right? Well any animal product will always be more expensive than plant products. It takes a lot more resources to grow animals than plants so they're always going to be more expensive. If they want cheap “filler” they use things that are really cheap like potatoes and peanut hulls.

Those are some of the most common ones people ask me about but really pretty much anything you see in a foods marketing that says “Made without X”, “No X”, or “X Free” you can be pretty certain that whatever X is it's probably not actually bad for your pet and that it's just a marketing ploy to charge you more money.

 

Pet Food Labels

You've probably been told that you need to read the labels on the pet food you're feeding carefully to determine which one is best. But what exactly are you supposed to be looking for? You'll find all sorts of stuff on the internet about what percentages you're supposed to have and what ingredient lists should look like and what should and shouldn't be in there. Is any of that true?

Basically the answer is no. The vast majority of what's on the label of your pet's food is marketing to try to get you to spend more money. This is going to be a long post but it's important to understand why we can't trust the labels because a lot of people are trying to do what's best for their pet and thinking that because there's x, y, and z on the label it's a good food and they're actually just paying a lot of money for foods that aren't very good for their pets.

The first thing to realize about the pet food industry is that it's essentially a “self-regulating” industry. Yes there are official regulations and requirements that exist but there's extremely little enforcement of them. Unless animals start dying nobody really cares what is or isn't in there and whether or not the label is accurate. So companies can put pretty much whatever they want on the label. Things like “human grade” and “organic” sound nice, are they true? It says it's beef but is it? They've actually done studies checking proteins in various foods and about 1/3 of the foods are incorrectly labeled and either don't contain the protein they claim to or contain additional proteins not on the label.

Now there is something called AAFCO which you'll see on label. Most foods will say on them somewhere something like “Meets AAFCO standards for all life stages” or “Meets AAFCO standards for maintenance”. People sometimes thinks this means the food has gone through some sort of testing. Nope. AAFCO is just an organization which publishes some nutritional standards for minimum and maximum amounts of things that should be in pet food for various life stages. They don't regulate, test, certify or approve anything. So there were tests in the 1950's where they figured out if you feed less than a certain amount of Vitamin A to growing puppies they develop problems. They went through all the vitamins and minerals and figured out the minimum and maximum amount they needed to not have obvious problems. So a pet food company just looks at these numbers and formulates a diet that meets these minimums and maximums at least theoretically and voila! They have a diet that meets AAFCO standards for all life stages. Now those vitamins and minerals may not be are in a form that's actually digestible and usable by the animal but it was formulated on paper to meet the standards so they get to put that on there and it's not even untrue.

Now everyone knows that protein, fat and carbohydrates percentages are important and that we're looking for higher protein and fat and lower carbohydrates in food for dogs and cats since that's what their bodies are made to eat. So you just look at the back of the package and pick the one with the highest protein percentage right? Unfortunately it's not that simple. If you look closely you'll see that it says Crude Protein (min.). So that means it's at least that much but could be more, how much more we don't know. So if Food A says 25% minimum Crude Protein and Food B is 30% minimum Crude Protein Food A could actually be 32% and Food B could actually be just 30%. Now they can do an actual analysis of it and figure out the exact numbers but that would be slightly different for every batch so it would be expensive to do that so that's why they just use those minimum and maximums but it means you don't really know how much of anything is in there.

Even if you knew the true amount that's still just Crude Protein. To do these guaranteed analysis they actually take the food and do a series of tests and chemical reactions to remove different components. To figure out the Crude Protein they use a chemical which basically pulls out all nitrogen containing stuff in the food. Since proteins all contain nitrogen it's a good rough (Crude) measure of protein. The key point there is that it's rough. Just because it contains a lot of nitrogen (Crude Protein) doesn't mean that all that protein is digestible and actually usable by the animal. So even if you got the actual analysis you still wouldn't know how much high quality digestible protein your pet was actually going to be getting.

The other thing that makes it really difficult to tell which food has more protein or lower carbohydrates is the moisture content. Those minimums and maximums in the Guaranteed Analysis section are on what's called an “As Fed Basis”, it's for the food just as it is in the package. So for dry kibble it's only 5-10% water so all the other numbers look much higher since it all totals to 100%. For canned foods the moisture content is 30-40% so the rest of the numbers are going to look lower. It's like if you had a granola bar and a bowl of stew. Let's say the granola bar has 6 grams of protein and the stew has 24 grams. If you compare them without the water on what we call a “Dry Matter Basis” it's clear that the stew has more protein. But if you do it on an “As Fed Basis” the granola bar might have say 50% protein because there's very little water so it's mostly protein, fat and carbohydrates whereas the stew might be more like 20% protein since it's mostly water "As Fed". Now you can do some math and convert the percentages they give you from “As Fed” to “Dry Matter” so you can actually compare apples to apples but that's quite a bit of work and even after you convert it it's still just those minimums and maximums so may not actually be the correct percentages anyways.

Ok so the percentages aren't very helpful but I can just look for meat as the first ingredient and it's a good food, right? Nope. That ingredient list is done by weight of the raw ingredients. Which gets tricky because meat and bone are a lot denser (so show up higher in the ingredient list) than your carbohydrates. So for example take a theoretical food made with 1 cup of uncooked ground beef which weighs about 8 oz, 1 cup of uncooked rice which weighs about about 6 oz, some olive oil (1 oz let's say) and vitamins and minerals (0.5 oz let's say). Beef would technically be the first ingredient here but there's an awful lot of carbohydrates in that food. Another issue with the ingredient list is that they only have to list ingredients that make up 2% or more of the weight. This is why they don't have to list the chicken fat that gets sprayed on dry food at the end. All dry food has to have fat sprayed onto it at the end because the high heat it's cooked at actually cooks out all the fat. So in order to get fat and fat soluble vitamins back into it they have to spray fat on at the end. And chicken fat is the cheapest way to do it so that's industry standard. But you won't see chicken or chicken fat (very common food allergens for dogs and cats) on the label on many of the fancy expensive dry foods because it's less than 2% by weight so they don't have to include it.

Well I get one of the really expensive foods that's made with organic, human grade ingredients so it's a good food, right? Not necessarily. Remember how there's really no enforcement of label regulations in this industry? So USDA doesn't certify pet foods as Organic. They certify human foods and that's why you'll see USDA Certified Organic and you'll see that logo on human foods but they don't look at pet foods. So if a food says it's “organic” it's just marketing. Human grade isn't a real thing either. There's no legal or regulatory definition of “human grade”. It's just marketing. Now there is legal and regulatory stuff about what is and isn't “Human edible” which is pretty strict. If anything not human edible is added (like ground bone for example) the whole thing becomes human inedible. Any food claiming to be edible for humans has to follow strict federal regulations that govern the manufacturing, packaging and storage which are expensive and time consuming so not really a priority for companies when they can just put “human grade” on the package and charge you extra without having to actually spend any additional time or money on their end- more profits for them!

People always ask me what brands I recommend and now you can see why I don't recommend any specific brands. If I recommended them I would need to know what was in them and trust them but there's no way to do that from just reading the label.

Stay tuned and we'll go through some common myths about pet food ingredients!

Is dry food bad for cats?

Is dry food bad for cats? Short answer: Yes! Read on to learn more about why you should ditch the kibble.

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Introduction

I'm Dr. Aja Senestraro. I'm a holistic veterinarian and my practice is called Sea to Sky Holistic Vet but this blog isn't really about me or my practice. It's about sharing my knowledge and expertise with as many people as possible so I can help as many animals as possible.

My philosophy is to look at the whole animal and it's environment and to take things like their history, personality and genetics into account. I try to find the underlying causes of disease so I can treat these and help support the body to heal itself. To do this I draw from multiple medical traditions including Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (acupuncture, herbs, tui-na, food therapy), Western herbalism and aromatherapy, rehabilitation and conventional Western medicine to come up with a plan tailored to the exact needs of each animal.

Every day I hear a lot of the same questions and concerns from my clients and I see a lot of the same issues in my patients. Things like: What's the best pet food? How do I know if my pet is painful? Should I give my dog fish oil? Is it normal for cat's to have hairballs? What can I do to help with my pet's arthritis or thyroid problem or chronic diarrhea or cancer or anxiety?

We all want to do what's best for their pet, but how do you know what's best? There's a lot of information on the internet but a lot of it unfortunately just isn't accurate or actually helpful and well meaning people end up confused and doing things that aren't actually good for their pets. Not everyone is lucky enough to live near a good holistic vet they can get trustworthy information from. That's why I want to share my point of view as a holistic vet in this blog so hopefully more people can have a trusted resource for this information in order to make informed decisions about what's best for their pet.

Now of course I can't legally give any specific and individual medical advice for your pets without seeing them in person for an exam so nothing I write in this blog is intended as or should be considered specific or individual medical advice. But there are lots of things I can provide my professional opinion on which may be helpful for people and their pets.

I'll be starting with my answers and opinions on some of the common questions I get. Do you have a topic you'd like me to cover? Leave a comment!

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