Jul

24

2010

Orijen and Acana Company Information

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After watching this video about the manufacturing, ingredient sourcing and philosophy of Orijen and Acana. There is no doubt in the mind why this is our top selling food in store and online.

• Orijen Dog Food
• Acana Dog Food
• Orijen Cat Food
• Acana Cat Food

Apr

5

2010

Pet Food Myth-Busting

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Over the last five years I have heard quite a few stories from customers of misinformation they have received from either advertising, pet professionals or just through the grapevine (i.e. “friend of a friend said…”). Here are a few things I have heard in recent weeks that made me want to write this post.

1. It’s ok to feed your milk chocolate, just avoid bakers chocolate.
Absolutely false! It is not ok to feed your dogs chocolate. The levels of the toxic theobromine in chocolate vary from the different types, and yes unsweetened bakers chocolate has about ten times the amount of theobromine than milk chocolate. However many dogs have been poisoned via milk chocolate. It is believed that 100mg to 200mg of theobromine is the toxic level, however the ASPCA has had reports of amounts as low as 25mg being toxic. Some dogs are much more susceptible to this, and reports of accidents with dogs getting into a large amount of bakers chocolate have been ok. The short of it… It is better to be safe rather than sorry, so don’t feed your dog chocolate of any kind.

2. I’ve always fed my dog “insert grocery brand here,” and they have been just fine.
Usually I hear this from people who come into the store looking for hot spot spray, doggy deodorant (because their pet has a peculiar odor), ear cleaner for chronic conditions. When I try approach the fact that it might possibly be the food I get this statement, followed by, “my dog just has always had bad ears or has always been smelly… thats just kind of dog they are.” If your dog has these type of symptoms don’t accept it as normal for their breed. I always hear, “hounds/labs have bad ears,” and yes that is true if they are on a food that is not right for them. We have 4 hounds and only one of them has one bad ear, but that is only due to an previous injury to the ear drum.

As humans we all can survive on junky diets, but it is the quality of life that suffers as a consequence. Our pets are no different, but it is what you accept as “normal” to define “just fine.”

3. Dogs should never eat raw eggs
This one kills me, because it is a scientific reasoning behind the myth that ignores scientific common sense. The thought being that avidin present in raw egg whites breaks down biotin in the body, but the amount of biotin that is in the yolk more than makes up for any loss that occurs. One other concern is salmonella, but unless the dog has a severe immune deficiency, the dogs short digestive tract will be resistant to the bacteria.

4. Food “insert brand/flavor” is the best food for every pet
This simply just does not exist… Every pet is different, and has different dietary needs and requirements. We have four dogs at home and three different foods, and there is no way all four of our dogs could be on the same food. Some pets do better with certain proteins and others have sensitivities or have nutritional requirements that are not being met by the food the other thrives on.

5. Dogs should not be fed table scraps
There is a few shreds of truth here, but each for different reasons. You do not want the majority of your pets diet to consist of table scraps, because it isn’t balanced. Two, you don’t want to feed from the table if you don’t want to be “hounded” during your meals, so giving scraps in their bowl well after your meal time is acceptable. Three… you want to avoid scraps salty, sugary, excessively fatty, or carb heavy.

Mar

23

2010

Your dog is Pres-to-log!

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If the old adage, “You are what you eat,” is true, and your dog is eating food with powdered cellulose. Then your dog may be a Pres-to-log. This isn’t anything new in the industry (Many have focused on bashing this ridiculous ingredient), and by definition’ “Powdered Cellulose – Powdered cellulose is purified, mechanically disintegrated cellulose prepared by processing alpha cellulose obtained as a pulp from fibrous plant materials. (Sawdust).” Powdered Cellulose is used in these inferior foods as a cheap dietary fiber, and also acts as a bulking agent for feces. Thats right more poop, exactly what we want!

I have been approached by many of the companies that have this and other horrible ingredients. They always have the same sales pitch “we have great margins.” Financially it’s not very wise for me to exclude these brands from my store… they spend a ton of money in advertising and marketing, have huge margins. As opposed to the small company brands that very few people have heard of, and very little margins, but I do carry them because they are excellent foods. Ethically I can’t bring myself to sell someone a junky product that they believe is a quality product just to make a dollar. Would you want to give your business to someone who would?

Nov

27

2009

Meet Loki

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Photo courtesy of Meredith Perdue at &Unlimited

Age: approx 6 years
Breed: Border Collie mix
Issue: Seizures of indeterminate cause
Loki’s protocol: Loki has always been fed a grain-free raw diet, but Dr.
Strobbe of Medomak Veterinary Care recommended that we change her protein to
a more “cooling” food, such as turkey or duck. Cooling foods help with
hyperactivity in the brain (or in Loki’s case, generalized hyperactivity!).
Treats:_ Barkwheats Chamomile, Stella & Chewy’s Duck
Food: Sojo’s Complete Dehydrated Grain-Free Turkey
Supplements: Settle Seizures from Herbsmith, NaturVet probiotics
Etc: Dr. Strobbe has done a few rounds of Acupuncuture.

Since we started her on this regime,…voila! Seizure free!

Aug

13

2009

Dear Abby (Volume 2) Poo-culiar Habit

Dear Abby Email this 3 comments

Dear Abby,
I actually have a real question…this totally grosses me out but I’m sure there’s an explanation for why it happens.

Thanks Doc
-Aaron

Jul

16

2009

Day of festivities at The Animal House

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The Animal House will be featuring two exciting events on Saturday, July 25th, including an adoption clinic with Maine Greyhound Placement Service and a demonstration by natural food and treat company Stella & Chewy’s.

Representatives from Maine Greyhound will be available for a meet-and-greet from 11am-2pm. Meet-and-greets are a great way to find out more about the breed, the adoption process, the dogs available for adoption, and the rescue group, located in Augusta. Plus, you can come in and visit with some wonderful greyhounds!

Also joining in the fun is Animal House favorite, Stella & Chewy’s. Stella & Chewy’s features all-natural, raw, frozen-fresh and freeze-dried pet food and treats, made exclusively from human grade free-range meats, ground bones and fresh organic vegetables. Stop in for some free treats and goodies, and enter to win a free Stella & Chewy’s prize pack. A Stella & Chewy’s representative will be available handing out goodies and answering questions from 10am-3pm.