This page is a place where I will talk about products that I love.
food, litter, medication/supplements (always consult a vet first) for various medical issues, ect.
I have experienced a lot with my own dogs and have learned a lot from all my wonderful clients. enjoy!
cat LITTER
Natural Litter:
Natures Miracle- Natural, flushable, smells wonderful, holds clumps OK, covers smells pretty good, clean and healthy.
Blue Buffalo Walnut – Natural, flushable, I personally use this. Its not great at holding clumps when stepped on, or covering smells, but its a healthy choice.
Worlds Best Cat Litter – I love this one. Natural, flushable, holds clumps well & covers smells well.
Clay litters:
Clay litter is the most popular as it cover smells well & keeps clumps intact, but it can have a lot of heavy dust that isn’t good for us or our pets. My absolute favorite clay litter, hands down is the light weight litter from Tidy Cat. It’s SO easy to pick up clumps, covers smells great, and produces very little dust. It smells good too even when scooping!
PET FOOD
In the last 10 years the food we feed our pets has come a long way. I'm going to give some examples of my favorite brands and why I like them. I encorage you to do your own research.
#1 Honest Kitchen: This is a human grade (yes people can eat it!) dog and cat food. It's a dehydrated food, you just add water and wait 3 min. I meal prep and keep in the fridge.
#2 Orijen: Top quality dry food, in my opinion the best one on the market, with No By-Products, has healthy carbs and is full of all around well sourced ingredients.
#3 RAW Diet: This is a great way to feed our pets, especially if they have allergies. I have seen many, many dogs come back to life from the absolute worst health & skin conditions on a species appropriate diet. There are many ways to feed RAW. One way is the Whole Prey Model, where you figure out the CORRECT ratio between muscle meat, organ and bone. This takes time and research to do correctly. Another way to feed raw, and how I feed my dogs, is the ready-made model. I personally like this because its easy and all the work is done for you. A few companies I use include Nature's Variety Instinct, Primal & Stella & Chewys. A third way to feed raw is with freeze dried patties or bites. Just add water, let it sit and feed.
#4 Home Cooking: It’s important that your homemade dog food is “complete and balanced,” meaning it meets all of your dog’s nutritional needs. It is not important, however, that every meal be complete and balanced, unless you feed the same meal every day with little or no variation. Like RAW, you need to do research so you feed your dog properly. You can do more harm then good in the long run with an unbalanced diet. (https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html)
Arthritis / Hip Dysplasia
Here is a list of helpful products to ease the pain of Arthritis & Hip Dysplasia. Those with a ** I used on my own pets. PLEASE ask your vet before adding a new supplement to their diet.
**Glucosamine Supplement – I use Cosequin Double strength, can be given starting at an early age. Others include Dasuquin, Glycol Flex, Chrondrointin & Myristin
**OMEGA 3 & 6’s – Anti-Inflammatory Properties -Wild Caught Salmon Oil – MUST be WILD caught to reap the full benefits
“Golden Paste” – Turmeric - (www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/healing-with-turmeric-golden-paste-for-dogs/) - NOT recommended for diabetics
**Metacam – NSAID, side effects, prefer over Rimadyl
Galliprant - A new drug as of 2017, that is as good as Metacam or Rimadyl with out the potential harmful side effects
CBD Oil - Canna-Pet & Blue Bird Botanicals www.bluebirdbotanicals.com
Connection – Hyaluronic acid – inClover (inClover.com) for more info.
Lubrisyn - Hyaluronic acid
**Assisi Loop – EMF IN HOME therapy - www.assisianimalhealth.com
**Laser Therapy – Done at the vet, Costly BUT very effective and worth it if you are willing to put in the time & money.
Adequan Shots - Done in home or at the vet. Costly but amazing.
**Chiropractor – Dr. Marc Sommer, Little Critters – CHATAM location for our area (Well Bred)
Acupuncture – Dr Pope RED Bank Vet
Hydro Therapy
Devils Claw
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD)
CCD, is a very real, rather common and goes undiagnosed as lot. There are many signs to look for and some supplements you can give to ease their symptoms. I have dealt with this first hand and will be happy to help out with any questions you may have. If you have Facebook, there is a wonderful group that can help you navigate this disease. www.facebook.com/groups/CanineCognitiveDysfunction
Senilife: I used this as the first line of defense and it helped a lot. It seemed to slow the progression almost immediately.
CBD Oil: This is a widely used supplement for CCD. Its helps many of the issues that come along with this disease. Blue Bird Botanical,s is a wonderful company that you can call and speak to an actual person. They are very helpful in answering any questions and concerns you may have.
Melatonin: It's natural and it helps with sleep, you can pick it up at any pharmacy or store, over the counter.
Acepromazine: A tranquilizer, requires prescription from vet. Can be dangerous if given wrong dose.
Clomicalm: Similar to Prozac for people, but dogs use Prozac too, it is suppose to help calm the brain by altering the release and the uptake of serotonin (a chemical in the brain responsible for mood, anxiety, depression). Requires a prescription.
Xanax, Ativan and Valium: Sedatives that calm anxiety and help with sleep. They all require a prescription.
Benadryl: is a antihistamine, can be bought over the counter, it is used not because of allergies but because it's side effect is drowsiness, meaning hopefully sleep.
Trazodone: requires prescription, it is an antidepressant and it also works quickly and causes drowsiness, so it is used more for the drowsiness effect.
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CCD) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting aging dogs. CCD is an under diagnosed disease that involves at least 14% of geriatric dogs, but apparently less than 2% of diseased dogs are diagnosed. There are several physiopathological similarities between Alzheimer disease (AD) and CCD, developing amyloid-β deposits in brain parenchyma and blood vessels, brain atrophy and neuronal loss. The clinical signs lead to behavioral changes. They are unspecific and could appear as soon as seven years of age, but are more relevant in senior dogs. The abnormal behavior could be classified following the acronym DISHA: Disorientation in the immediate environment; altered Interactions with humans and other animals; Sleep-wake cycle disturbances; House-soiling; and changes in Activity levels. There is no specific diagnostic test or biomarker to demonstrate the presence of CCD; therefore, it is often assessed by ruling out other diseases that may cause similar behavioral changes. Veterinarians have to be able to make an accurate account of veterinary history asking for abnormal behavior that could be misreported by the owners. CCD is a neurodegenerative disorder that cannot be cured. It is possible to delay the progression of the clinical signs and improve the quality of life of patients, but like in AD, the progression of the illness will depend on the individual. There are three treatment pathways, which could be used in combination: drug therapy to improve cognition and reduce anxiety, antioxidant diet and nutraceutical supplements to reduce the progression of the illness, and finally, environmental enrichment to maintain brain activity. The aim of this review article is to contribute to the knowledge of the illness, presenting recent advances in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
