Best Bully Sticks Healthy Dog Blog

March 3, 2009

The Best Bully Sticks Mailmans Best Friend Contest

The Best Bully Sticks Mailman Best Friend Contest was announced today and you can read all the details here: Mailman's Best Friend.

The contest begins on March 6, 2009, and all submissions must be received by April 17, 2009. The winners will be declared on April 24, 2009.

Are you a mail carrier? Know a Mail Carrier? or like your Mail Carrier? Let them know about the contest so that they can enter and win some of the prizes.

Once again all the details, prizes, legal stuff, and how to enter can be found by following this link Mailman's Best Friend

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February 26, 2009

101 Dog Care Tips - Best Bully Sticks Tip 10 - Senior Dog Care

Senior Dog Care

Our pets are living longer than ever these days, thanks to advances in veterinary medicine and pet nutrition. As our dogs age, they face a variety of conditions that can negatively affect their health. Some of the conditions that commonly affect senior dogs include diabetes, kidney and liver disease, tumors and cancer, arthritis and other joint pain, obesity and thyroid conditions, as well as dental disorders.

Scheduling regular veterinary examinations is key in keeping your dog healthy. When dogs enter their senior years, regular exams are more important than ever (most recommend twice yearly). Senior care, which starts with regular veterinary exam, is necessary to diagnose or delay the onset of disease; and for the early detection of problems such as organ failure and arthritis.

Veterinarians depend on laboratory results to help them understand your dog's health. When your dog is healthy, laboratory tests determine baseline” values. When your dog is sick, your vet is able to compare the “baseline” values and the current values. Changes in these laboratory test results, may be a sign of the presence of an underlying disease (lab tests frequently include: blood count, urinalysis, blood chemistry and parasite evaluation).

It is also necessary to keep your senior pooch active. Activity is necessary to keep your dog at a healthy weight, while helping to maintain proper muscle tone. In addition, choosing a premium dog food and healthy treats will help by giving your pooch the necessary protein and vitamins that they need to stay healthy. As we mentioned in previous posts, fish oil is a great way to be preventative, none of us consume enough omega 3’s with our normal diets. Also, including natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin in our pooches diet can help with hip and joint health (our beef trachea chews and fish chews are a great natural source of this).

Please let us know if there is a topic you would like to see covered! As always, we appreciate your continued business and support!

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February 26, 2009

Spotlight on Portuguese Water Dog

Spotlight on Portuguese Water Dog

Weight – 40-60lbs (male); 35-50lbs (female)
Height – 20"-23" (male); 17"-21" (female)
Coat – Curly and Wavy types
Color – Black, Black & White, Brown, Silver Tipped, White (most rare)

Appearance
Closely related to the Standard Poodle, the Portuguese Water Dog is a water dog that is highly intelligent with a usually curly coat and webbed toes for swimming. More robustly built than their Poodle cousins, PWDs can come in a variety of colors and have a single layer coat that doesn't shed, leading to them being favored by those with dog allergies. Their hair must be groomed regularly, with the favored cuts being the Retriever style and Lion style of trimming the hair. Like humans, some PWDs can go grey later in life, a process sometimes referred to as "blueing."

Temperament
Portuguese Water Dogs make excellent companions. They are loving, independent, and intelligent, leading to them being easily trained both in obedience and other skills. They are friendly, and are known to hop or dance when greeting people, a trait that some owners try to train away, but others find endearing and tolerate. They are known for "counter surfing," a habit of standing upright at counters and tables, especially when food is present. PWDs do require extensive attention and exercise and can become destructive if they become bored, so it is recommended that they have a ready supply of treats, toys, and chews like bully sticks.

Health
Like all purebred dogs, PWDs are vulnerable to certain genetic defects. Some defects can include: hip dysplasia, cataracts, PRA, distichiasis, GM1 Storage Disease, and Juvenile Dilated Cardio-Myopathy. Careful checking of the breeding of the PWD's parents can help to reduce the presence of these defects in the dog, and given the limited gene pool of the breed (due to the lack of prevalence of the breed), most of these defects are recessive in the breed.

Famous Portuguese Water Dogs and PWD Owners
Senator Ted Kennedy – Sunny and Splash
President Barack Obama – announced that his family has chosen to adopt a PWD, in part because of their hypoallergenic nature and his daughter Malia's allergy to dogs.

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February 22, 2009

101 Dog Care Tips - Best Bully Sticks Tip 9 - Fish Oil For Dogs

Fish Oil for Dogs

Vets originally used fish oil to treat dogs with allergy problems, but more recently they have found it to benefit many different aspects of our canines’ health. Since our pooches cannot produce the fats contained in these oils themselves, they rely on their diet to supply the needed fats.

Much like it’s benefits for humans, omega 3 oils (fish oil) support heart, vision, and joint health, along with providing important nutrients for proper immune function, and a healthy skin and coat. The icing on the cake is that… it’s a natural source of all sorts of other vitamins and minerals.

We have seen two forms of fish oil. One is in pill form that can be taken in a piece of cheese or some peanut butter and the other is in liquid form. We have found the liquid form is more calorie friendly (those pieces of cheese and peanut butter can add up) and just plain easier to give (putting over their food has worked well for us).

We do recommend that you consult with your veterinarian about specific doses for your pooch, although there are dosing instructions on most bottles. Some dogs require more than others based on certain conditions. Stay tuned to our website… we will be adding some very unique salmon treats and jerky’s to the site really soon!

We carry the Plato Salmon Oil for dogs which can be found by clicking the link, however there are many great oils on the market; and the important thing is to make sure to add it to your pups daily regimen!