What Should I Do If My Pet Is Overweight?
Many pet owners don’t even realize their pets are overweight. A few extra pounds might not sound like a big deal, but it is.
Many pet owners don’t even realize their pets are overweight. A few extra pounds might not sound like a big deal, but it is.
Pumpkin is a commonly recommended supplement for dogs and cats for everything from loose stool to constipation to an occasional bowl topper or a regular supplement. But what is it about pumpkin that makes it so great for your pet? Let’s find out what makes this sweet treat a favorite among vets and nutritionists!
Pumpkin is rich in dietary fiber – both soluble and insoluble.
Because pumpkin contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, it can essentially help to normalize your pet’s stool, whether it’s too loose or too firm. It’s a win-win situation!
As a preventative, pumpkin is an excellent source of prebiotics that feed the good gut bacteria- probiotics. This is a wonderful addition for any pet with a sensitive stomach as it can aid in the digestive process. Also, since roughly 80% of your pet’s immune system resides in their gut, a happy belly can mean a healthier pet!
Pets need food that allows them to consume all their vitamins and minerals. Pumpkin is packed with essential vitamins and minerals:
Not only is pumpkin a great source of vitamins and minerals your pet needs, but it also assists with the absorption of these nutrients to improve many functions of their body.
Kibble-fed pets often live in a mild state of dehydration, as the body pulls moisture from itself to digest the dry food. Therefore, adding moisture to your pet’s kibble is essential. Adding moisture-rich pumpkin can help to keep your pet well hydrated. Added moisture is crucial for not only the digestive process but also…
Pumpkin is super versatile for your furry friends. You can include it as a treat, bowl topper, or toy filler. Pumpkin is worth the hype! With the holidays right around the corner, include your pet in the holiday festivities and try incorporating more pumpkin into your pet’s diet!
*This article is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to provide medical advice or replace the advice of a qualified veterinarian.
Pet Parents are spending a great deal of time and money to ensure they are serving the healthiest foods to their pets. However, when it comes time to select a bowl or feeder, most Pet Parents report that they choose the cheapest bowl or one that matches the décor of their home. However, did you ever consider if your pet’s food bowl is actually safe? Have you checked to see where your food bowl was manufactured or what materials it is made of? Can you trust the labels on the package that sometimes provide this information? Think about it…these food bowls are in constant contact with your dog’s mouth and tongue multiple times each day.
Let’s start out with the country where your pet’s food bowl is being manufactured. Why should this matter? Because you want to be sure that it is in a country that follows “GMP” or Good Manufacturing Processes. The most important assurance of GMP is to provide quality control and safety. Simply put, the manufacturing people are properly trained; working in a properly cared for facility; following a standardized process; producing consistent products, and guided by procedures that guarantee quality and safety. Pet products made in the United States are most likely to be manufactured within these guidelines whereas those manufactured in China are least likely. Pet Parents should especially be concerned about pet bowls, feeders, and lick mats made in China because there are no guarantees that the materials or manufacturing process are safe and free of harmful toxins. Of course, it is more expensive to manufacture under GMP because of the additional time and cost involved in the manufacturing process.
It is worth noting that just because a food bowl is manufactured in the U.S., it doesn’t mean that the materials were also sourced in the U.S. The cost of quality materials can compel manufacturers to find cheaper materials sourced from other countries and have them imported. So, you have to look at both where your pet’s food bowl is manufactured as well as where the material is sourced from.
The next factor to consider is the material of your pet’s food bowl. Typically, pet food bowls and feeders are made of either stainless steel, plastic or silicone but not all of these materials are created equal. Let’s consider each of them:
The reason we should care about the food bowl we choose for our pets is the dramatic incident of cancer. I want to be forthright in saying there is no mandatory reporting to a universal database that allows the scientific tracking of this disease. However, the Animal Cancer Foundation has recently provided estimates that roughly 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made in both dogs and cats each year in the United States (out of a 65 million dog and 32 million cat population).
What can Pet Parents do to check on the quality and safety of their pet’s feeding devices? First, check the label to see the country where it is made, where the material was sourced and the type of material used. Beware of products that do not state where it is manufactured as well as those that say ‘globally sourced materials’—there is no way to ascertain if it is a safe or reliable feeder. Also, if it says, “Designed and tested in the U.S.”, dig deeper to find out where it was manufactured and where the materials were sourced—this statement has nothing to do with the quality or safety of the feeder. Also, as a last resort, contact the manufacturer and ask them to provide this information! You have the right as a Pet Parent to work around the ‘disinformation’ to ensure the health and wellbeing of your pet.
So, the next time you are purchasing a pet food bowl or feeder, invest the same time and money you would in choosing their food. It is the one item in the household that your pet interacts with multiple times each day. And now you can rest assured that you are truly serving them a safe and healthy meal.
About the Author: Carol Smeja, Ph.D
Carol Smeja’s career has focused in the area of psychology and sociology which led to her earning a Ph.D. She applied these roots in understanding the psychological and social dynamics of eating while working in marketing/research with the U.S. and global food companies and improving health & diet with U.S. government agencies. More recently, she has applied her extensive research and diagnostic training in understanding the eating behaviors of our dogs & cats by studying the natural and instinctive behaviors of their ancestral roots. She has conducted comprehensive ancestral reviews and integrated information from wildlife specialists and professional research/observational programs. She volunteers at zoos to continue to gain knowledge on our pet’s dietary needs and feeding habits in addition to improving conservation efforts. Lecturing at both professional events and pet organizations, Carol seeks to educate Pet Parents on the importance of how you feed your pet to improve their health & wellbeing. She is also the co-creator of the Original Mine Pet Platter. Made with an innovative and sustainable material naturally sourced from plant life that is safe and non-toxic. 100% designed, sourced, and manufactured in the USA, the mine Pet Platter is food and dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, eco-friendly and recyclable. The Mine Pet Platter is safe for pets and the planet.
Which One is Best for Your Pet?
Your dog’s skin and coat condition are excellent indicators of overall health. A healthy coat is a shiny, smooth coat without coarse or brittle hair. And healthy skin should be supple, not flaky or greasy.
While nutrition influences the health of your pet’s skin and coat from the inside, regular grooming and bathing do wonders to keep your dog’s skin and coat vibrant and healthy.
We believe that bathing your dog should be included in your overall grooming process. Bathing promotes skin exfoliation, removes loose hair, prevents matting, and lets you check for external parasites like fleas and ticks.
Perhaps most importantly, bath time is another opportunity to bond with your dog. Warm water, soothing shampoo, and soft and repeated touching allow you and your dog to strengthen your connection to each other.
Before we take a look at shampoos, let’s talk about your dog’s skin.
A dog’s skin is thinner and more sensitive than human skin. The epidermis (the outer layer of skin) is our body’s shield against the environment. We are protected from disease, ultraviolet light, and injury by it. This “shield” is 10-15 cells thick in humans. In dogs, it’s only 3-5 cells thick.
Hair that grows out of the skin is also different between the two species. Human hair grows as a single hair and continues to grow. A dog’s hair grows in bundles and stops growing at a certain length, as determined by the dog’s genetics. Once the hair stops growing, it dies and is shed.
These differences are why you can’t use human shampoos on your dog. In most cases, the pH is too acidic for your dog’s skin and will cause irritation and rashes.
Like shampoos for human hair, there are many choices when picking the right shampoo for your pup.
We separate dog shampoos into nine main categories:
Let’s take a closer look at each type of shampoo.
These are less expensive “maintenance” shampoos that gently clean your dog if she has no allergies or skin conditions. Our favorite general-purpose shampoos include Kenic Kalaya Emu Oil Shampoo.
Conditioners are used after shampooing to detangle and condition your dog’s coat. Most coat conditioners contain silicones that bond to the hair’s surface, creating a protective envelope. This temporarily creates a smooth surface, even after the conditioner is rinsed out. We recommend EarthBath Oatmeal and Aloe Conditioner.
A conditioning shampoo is the ultimate two-in-one product if you want to gently clean and condition simultaneously. We haven’t found these two-in-ones to be as effective as a dedicated conditioner, but they are perfect for maintenance bathing. We like Skout’s Honor 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner.
While your adult dog’s skin is sensitive, a young puppy’s skin is even more so. We recommend using only a washcloth and warm water to clean your puppy until she is three months old. She can be introduced to bathtime at that age, using a shampoo specially formulated for a pup’s soft fur and delicate skin. Quality puppy shampoos use all-natural ingredients and should be tear-free to reduce irritation. Our recommended puppy shampoos are EarthBath Puppy and Skout’s Honor Happy Puppy Shampoo.
Hypo-allergenic shampoos are for dogs with extra sensitive skin or those prone to scratching. These shampoos are typically free of the fragrances, dyes, and coloring that can cause allergic reactions. Our top hypo-allergenic shampoos are Kenic Emu Oil Shampoo and EarthBath Hypoallergenic.
Oatmeal shampoos are designed for dogs who suffer from occasional hot spots or seasonally dry, flaky, and itchy skin. These shampoos are made with a finely ground mixture of oatmeal that acts as a mild exfoliant when lathered into the coat, loosening dead skin cells and temporarily relieving itching. Our top-selling oatmeal shampoo is EarthBath Oatmeal and Aloe.
Medicated shampoos target specific skin and coat conditions such as hot spots, fungal and bacterial infections, and parasites like fleas and ticks. Often, these conditions require medical treatment in addition to specialized shampoo. Our best-sellers are Kenic Tea Tree Shampoo and EarthBath Hot Spot Relief Shampoo.
Often referred to as “good bacteria,” probiotics are live bacteria that help resolve many skin-related issues in your dog. We frequently recommend probiotic shampoos to relieve itchy skin, dry hair, hot spots, and seasonal allergies. Our favorite probiotic shampoo is Skout’s Honor Probiotic Honeysuckle Pet Shampoo + Conditioner.
This type of specialty shampoo works on the molecular level to break down odors at the source instead of masking them with fragrance. We’ve found it’s a wise investment to always keep a bottle on hand. You never know when Fido will get in an argument with a skunk or decide to roll around on a fresh pile of feces or dead animals. Our most effective deodorizing shampoos are EarthBath Deodorizing shampoo.
Your dog’s skin and coat are windows into her health. Using a high-quality dog shampoo keeps her coat clean, moisturized, and healthy.
Regular bathing — once a month is fine for most dogs — prevents matting and removes dead hair and skin. Bathtime is also the perfect opportunity to look for scabs, hot spots, bald spots, or parasites.
Please feel free to call us at (203) 271-0111 or stop in the store and let us help you pick the shampoo or conditioner that’s best for your dog.
Grooming is an essential part of owning a pet. But have you ever asked yourself why?
Regular brushing, bathing and nail trimming can assist with not only the overall appearance of your pet but also have some physiological benefits. Brushing your dog’s coat regularly removes the dead hair, prevents mats, and even allows their coat to breathe and grow new hair. Brushing your pet is also essentially a massage—and who doesn’t enjoy a massage? It provides great bonding time between you both.
One of the more common issues that bring dog owners to NorthPoint Pets is a dog’s skin. Allergies, itchy skin, flaky skin, hot spots and more—are all common complaints from pet owners. But rather than looking at the obvious symptom—the pet’s itchy skin—we want to figure out WHY your pet is itchy and that starts in the gut.
Our pets have good (and sometimes bad) bacteria in their gut. This colony is called their microbiome which is in their intestines and gut. The microbiome is essential for immune health, which includes our pet’s skin and coat. When the microbiome is compromised, their skin is also compromised. This results in a dull coat, a stinky dog, and more.
The best thing you can do for your pet is to feed a good diet with an addition of fresh foods. We can also recommend supplements to help your dog look and feel their best!
Brushing your dog’s coat is essential to your pet’s health. Regular brushing removes loose hair before it sheds on your carpet and clothes. It also clears out dead hair and straightens tangles. Tangles can cause painful skin irritations and infection if left unattended.
Brushing is also good for your dog’s skin. By running the brush through the fur, the movement stimulates the production of natural oils in the skin.
Finding the right brush to use on your dogs can be confusing. Many of our customers feel overwhelmed by the options and which brushes work best on the many coat types.
Fortunately, we have decades of dog brush expertise to help you pick the perfect brush for your pet based on coat type. Make sure to check out our recommendations based on coat type at the end of this article.
Dog grooming brushes fall into four main types:
Brushes are used daily grooming to untangle minor mats, remove dead hair, and stimulate your dog’s skin.
At first, many dogs don’t care about being brushed. If your dog refuses to be brushed, try a grooming glove. These gloves have textured rubber surfaces that pick up loose hair and provide a massage, just like when you’re petting your dog.
There are many types of combs to help you keep your pet’s coat healthy.
A general grooming comb is best for long-haired dogs to help remove tangles and knots. Make sure to use wider-spaced teeth to start tackling knots, then progress to a comb with more tightly spaced teeth.
A dematting comb has ridged stainless steel blades to cut through mats instead of pulling on them or ripping the fur from the skin.
A flea comb has tightly spaced teeth that catch fleas and dirt as they move through the coat.
PRO TIP: Always brush in the natural direction of your dog’s fur. This minimizes the chance of you ripping or tearing the skin.
A rake is designed to get deep into thick coats to gently remove tangles and dead portions of the undercoat.
A standard rake resembles a comb but with longer, wide-spaced teeth. Looking like a miniature garden rake, the teeth have rounded tips and excel at gently removing dead fur and tangles in longer-haired dogs.
An undercoat rake has curved small blades with sharp edges to remove mats and loose fur from dogs with heavy undercoats. While this type of rake will remove mats, we’ve found it not as effective as a mat comb.
Built for dogs that shed, the deshedding tool acts like a stripping knife to pick up and pull out dead hairs, leaving a low-shedding topcoat behind. This tool mimics a groomer’s clippers when they were not turned on but used to gently rake through a dog’s coat.
There are many sizes to choose from when picking a deshedding tool. Please feel free to contact us with questions so we can ensure you have the right size to make the grooming experience more productive and more pleasant for your dog.
Here’s what we typically recommend to help you find the right brush for these common canine hair types.
This group’s breed includes Boston Terriers, Boxers, Bulldogs, Corgis, Dobermans, and Great Danes. Use a bristle brush to distribute the dog’s natural oils for a shinier and healthier coat. A slicker brush can also be used to remove any dead hair.
Breeds in this group include Airedales, various Terriers, and Schnauzers. We recommend weekly brushing with a slicker brush or pin brush.
Breeds in this group include Bichon Frise, Poodles, and most of the Doodle varieties. Weekly grooming with a slicker or pin brush will help keep your dog’s permanent perm fashionable.
This group’s breed includes Afghan Hounds, Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, Maltese, and Yorkshire Terriers. We encourage DAILY grooming for these breeds using a pin brush to keep those silky locks under control.
These breeds include Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, Labrador Retrievers, Newfoundlands, and St. Bernards. A double coat has two layers that grow independently and are often of different lengths. The outer coat is coarse, and the undercoat is soft and dense. We find that a rake brush, matched to your dog’s coat length, helps pull out loose undercoat fur.
Taking care of your dog’s coat is a vital part of grooming. As you’ve just seen, many types of dog brushes are available to handle everything from basic coat care to removing the thickest hair mats.
Having the right kind of grooming brushes on hand will make the experience easier and create a stronger bond between you and your dog.
The topic of feeding meaty bones tends to drum up some controversy. Is it safe to feed your pet a raw meaty bone? Is it even beneficial to your pet? How do you know which bones are safe to feed? Let’s address some of these questions.
No. Marrow bones are known as ‘recreational bones’ because your pet should not be able to chew and consume the bone itself, but rather the tiny bits of fat, tissue, and cartilage left on the bone, as well as the inner bone marrow. ‘Raw meaty bones’ generally refer to bones that have more ‘meat’ on them and less bone, such as turkey and duck necks.
Yes. Since RMBs are mostly thin bone, tissue, and cartilage, they are easy for your pet to break up, chew and swallow.
No. It is not necessary to thaw your raw bones before feeding. However, some dogs and most cats prefer to have their bone thawed to soften the frozen tissue prior to feeding. If you must thaw the bone, leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours, or submerge it in cool water inside a plastic baggie to thaw it faster.
No. Never feed a cooked bone. Cooked bones can splinter, which can cause intestinal obstructions and perforations (not good!).
Do not feed weight-bearing bones of heavy animals. What does this mean? When you think of a large animal such as a cow, weight-bearing bones are those that allow the animal to stand properly, which can be too hard on your dog’s teeth.
Bones are an excellent addition to our pet’s diet, and here’s why:
Bones should be fed intermittently as a compliment to your pet’s regular diet. Feeding frequency will depend on your pet’s size, age, and activity level. While they can occasionally be fed in place of a meal, they should not be fed every day.
Switching your dog or cat to raw food can bring many positive benefits to your pet, but there are important factors to consider.
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Lick mats are an effective tool to help pets that struggle with anxiety. At NorthPoint, we’re frequently asked about lick mat fillers. Here are our top suggestions for lick mat fillers!
Pet owners have been turning to CBD to promote calm and relaxation in the presence of chronic pain, anxiety, and inflammation. We are frequently asked about CBD, so we wanted to create this quick primer to answer some of your most pressing questions.
DIY Dog Wash closes one hour prior to store close.
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