Summer Series Part 2: Travelling with a pet who gets car sick

Taking your pets on a road trip can be fun. Unless your pet gets sick or anxious in the car.
Motion sickness or car related anxiety in pets is common, and frustrating for everyone. But there are ways that you can help your pet to enjoy car rides too!
1. Start with showing fido that car rides can be fun!
Your pet may have associated the car with feeling sick, and as a result may have some stress and anxiety. To help overcome this, you can take your pet for a ride that is 10 minutes away or less. Make it somewhere fun, like the park. Play with your pet once you get there. This will reinforce the idea that the car is a good thing.
2. Try a Thundershirt!
Sometimes your pets anxiety is bad enough that small car rides don't do the trick, or may make it worse. If that is the case, using a Thundershirt may help. A Thundershirt is a tight knit wrap that is worn snug, and applies a gentle and constant pressure that helps to initiate a feeling of calm; similar to swaddling a baby. Thundershirts have been shown to be effective in stress related behaviours in 80% of pets!

3.For Motion sickness: 
There are a number of options to help with motion sickness.
a) Limiting visibility by covering the sides of your pets kennel or crate can help.
b) Keep the interior of your car cool by keeping the windows open, and letting the fresh air in!
c) Travel when your pet has an empty stomach. It has been shown that many dogs don't get car sick when they haven't eaten for a little while.
d) Make frequent stops. Sure, this can make it take longer to get to your destination, but letting your pup get out and stretch his legs will help to keep the car ride positive, making for a happier pup.
4. Using natural remedies: 
There are many natural alternatives to drugging your dog that are available.
a) Rescue Remedy makes a pet formula. They use a mixture of flower materials that help to calm and soothe.
b) Travel Anxiety by HomeoPet is another liquid treatment that uses herbs to help relieve motion sickness and anxiety.
c) Burt's Bees uses a mixture of Lavender, green tea, and other natural ingredients to make up their calming spray. This spray can be used directly on your pet, or on their bedding and in a crate.
d) Pheromone Spray by Comfort Zone  is a spray that mimics the same pheromones that a mother dog releases when she has puppies. This can be used inside a vehicle or crate 15 minutes prior to travelling.
e) Quiet Moments Chews by NatureVet these are a soft chew that uses a mixture of chamomile, passion flower, Vitamin B1, and Ginger.  These can be given to your pup 30 minutes prior to travelling.

Summer Series Part 1: Traveling with your pets

During the summer months, it is especially tempting to take your furry friends on vacation with you. Traveling with your pet can be one of the best experiences, or one of the worst. There are a few tips and tidbits that you can use to help make your traveling plans more enjoyable for the whole family.
1.Riding in the car:
When you take your pet with you on the road, there are just a few things that you may want to plan on doing before you leave. Securing your pet in the vehicle is the first step to a safe road trip. There are several ways that you can do this, whether it's a crate, a seat belt tether, or a booster seat:

  There are a few options for securing your dog in the car, but cats almost always travel best in kennels or carriers. Having your pets ride along in the front passenger seat can be a fun experience, but do so at your own discretion; it may be safer for them to ride in the back in case your airbags deploy in the event of a accident or crash.

  Remember that your pet most likely will not be able to handle riding in the car for as long as you can. Frequent rest stops are a good idea, for a bathroom break, a drink of water, or a snack. When you do stop, making sure that your pet has a collar, leash, and an updated I.D tag are a good idea. Accidents happen, and having an injured pet or even a lost pet will ruin the vacation for everyone.

  DO NOT leave your pet alone in the car during the summer. When it is only 72 degrees outside, the temperature within your car can rise to over 100 degrees within an hour. Even if you leave your windows cracked open when the temperature outside is above 80 degrees, your car can heat to over 100 degrees within just 10 minutes. Within 30 minutes, your car can reach temperatures that can lead to the death of your pet. For fido's safety, having a gauge for the inside of your car may be a good idea.

We hope that these tips help you to have a safe and happy summer time vacation with your pets!
Coming next: Tips for traveling with a pet who gets car sick.

 

Spot Farm Treats

Introducing the newest item in our treat line up: Spot Farm treats.
Spot Farms is a family owned company. They use antibiotic free, USDA certified, all natural whole muscle meats for their treats. All treats are free of artificial colors or preservatives, BHA, BHT, or any other chemicals. They believe that the benefits of  human grade ingredients from farms right here in the USA shouldn't just be reserved for people. Many of their products contain glucosamine and chondroitin (which occur naturally in some cuts of meat) which help to support joint health, Turmeric which can help to reduce joint inflammation, antioxidant-rich cranberries, taurine which helps to support heart health, chamomile and tryptophan which can help to soothe anxiety, and Flaxseed which are high in Omega 3.  A cool feature is that on the back of each bag of treats they feature one of their 'farm families' so that you can know exactly where the meat that you're feeding your pup is coming from. By using meat as the main ingredient, and never using any fillers they strive to give you the best nutrition for your dog. 

Our store carries a variety of these treats including (from left to right):

Hip + Joint Chicken Jerky, Chicken Strips, Hickory smoked Turkey Bacon, Heart Health Chicken Jerky, Serenity Chicken Jerky, Skin + Coat Chicken Jerky, Chicken Jerky, Chicken Apple Sausage, and Turkey Meatballs.

 

One of our employees pups, Tally, LOVES her hickory turkey bacon.

I don't think that she can get much happier.

True Chews Dog Treats

True Chews treats are 100% all natural, American sourced, and American made dog treats. All of their treats are made with farm raised protein and contain no animal by-products. True Chews come in a variety of flavors, and are fairly limited ingredients. Pippin received her first True Chews Treat, and she LOVES them!

In our store we carry several variety's of True Chews:
Premium Sizzlers, made with chicken and apple.
Premium Grillers, made with either chicken or sirloin steak.
And Premium Jerky Cuts made with either duck or chicken.

Earthborn Holistic Earth Bites

 

Earthborn holistic Earth Bites are grain free, made with wholesome meats, cheese, or peanuts, fruits and veggies, and rich in Antioxidants. The treats vary from 5 to 6 kcals per treat depending on the flavor.

Pippin got to sample the Skin & Coat flavor, that is made with whole Whitefish, peas, molasses, tapioca, honey, salmon meal, apples, blueberries, carrots, spinach and cranberries. The skin and coat flavor has a balanced blend of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to help keep your pooch healthy.

Lets just say that Pip doesn't mind being the treat taster when she is getting treats like this.

*Mention this blog post at the register and get $1.00 off these treats!



Natural Balance Burger Bites

Pippin LOVES these treats. These treats don't just look cute, they are actually a good quality treat as well. Made with whole meats, barley flour, rice flour, dried sweet potatoes and natural smoke flavour, these treats are actually pretty limited in ingredients. They come in at about 21 kcals per treat.

These bites sure got Pippin's tail wagging. We carry 3 flavors: Turkey, Lamb, and Venison.
*Mention this blog post at the register and get $1.00 off these treats!
 

Discover the benefits of adding raw food to your pet's diet.

We're sure that many of you have heard those key pet food buzz words lately: Raw diets.
But, many of you may be wondering, what is a raw diet, and why would you feed that to your pet?

Well, a raw diet is exactly that. The ingredients that go into your pets diet have never been cooked, and are minimally processed. When you have foods that aren't cooked, the naturally occurring enzymes that you find in raw meats, poultry, fruits and vegetables are not broken down and aid in digestibility of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. When you have good quality raw muscle meats, it can also help your pet to maintain a healthy weight. Raw foods are nearly 100% digestible, and are easily absorbed by the body.
Some of the benefits that many people see from giving their pet a raw diet (or even supplementing your pets diet with some freeze dried raw) are:

• Better digestive health: Raw food enzymes support naturally occurring digestive enzymes in your pets' digestive process. Enzymes in the digestion are essential for breaking down what your animal eats. The body naturally produces some of its own enzymes; mostly in the stomach and the pancreas. Over time however, the digestive system can become less efficient and begin to produce fewer of those enzymes. As a result, the digestive system can become more alkaline making it harder for the body to break down proteins, fats, and carbs. This process can lead to excessive gas, food allergies, or food intolerances. Through better digestion and superior assimilation of food derived nutrients, your pets can live happier and healthier lives.

• Better skin and coat health: Raw foods contain essential fatty acids and long chain amino acids that support healthy skin and coat and healthy bright eyes, and healthy teeth.

• Better oral health: Enzymes from raw food help to soften calculus, which aids in the teeth cleaning process as pets chew. Amino acids help to support healthy gums.

• Better immune system: When you feed a raw or partially raw diet to your pets, you are often introducing balanced levels of amino acids, fatty acids, and enzymes that are necessary to support your pets immune system. When your pets' food offers naturally occurring essential nutrients, you're setting up a good foundation for his overall health and wellbeing.

There are really two options available commercially for feeding raw food to your pets: Frozen Raw, or Freeze Dried. Deciding which option to go with may be a challenge.  The questions to ask yourself at this point are these:

• Will you be feeding raw as a whole diet, or just adding raw to a kibble diet or using as treats? If you are considering feeding your dog strictly raw, then both freeze dried and raw options are available to you. Just a few things to consider though: Either way you go, unless you have a very small dog purchasing enough raw food is generally still very expensive. Some companies (like Primal and Nature's Variety) have frequent buyer cards that can enable you to get free food over time, but not every company makes those programs available. Raw feeding is generally great for pets, and will generally result in all of the benefits listed above. That being said, every dog is different. We do not promise that every dog will flourish on a raw diet.

• What does your schedule look like? If you lead a hectic life, and are constantly leaving early, or coming in late then know that frozen foods need time to thaw out. Do not microwave raw food, as many of the diets contain bone. Frozen food, though an excellent source of moisture for your pet, can be a tad time consuming, and quite frankly messy. This is where freeze dried comes into play. Most companies that offer freeze dried products, offer them in patties, bars, or nuggets. Determining which size you would need would depend on the size of your pet, and weather you would be supplementing or feeding raw alone.

• Are you simply wanting to give raw as a treat? If so, then freeze dried is probably the way you would want to go. If you buy patties or bars, they are easy to break up into smaller pieces. The nuggets are already bite sized, so they are super easy too! Freeze Dried, though raw, is safe to handle straight out of the package because of its unique process of killing off the bad bacteria. Raw bones are a great treat as well. Raw bones offer a great tasty treat to chew in the yard, and a natural way to help clean teeth. Safe handling is needed, as bones get bloody as they thaw out.

Dogs and cats are carnivores, and most dogs instinctively crave meaty foods. Most of the raw/freeze dried products that we offer in our stores are high in meat protein, but balanced with some organ meat, bone and veggies. We offer a number of brands in our stores including, but not limited to:

Stella & Chewy's, Nature's Variety, and Orijen.



The subject of raw feeding or supplementing is vast, and there is much more information that is available than what is listed here. As always, we suggest that you do some research, and have a chat with our staff at any of our stores. But hopefully this post was able to answer some of your questions, and get you started.