A Vet Wants to Know: Why Are You Still Giving Your Dog Jerky Treats?
Dr. Eric Barchas
Have you ever bought treats for your dog from a bulk bin at your nearest pet store? I would like to hope that readers of this blog or any other educated dog parents would never do that. But stores are still loaded with this stuff ... somebody is buying it. We can't wait for pet stores to grow a conscience. But if nobody was buying, nobody would be selling. It's a simple equation.
Perhaps not everybody knows yet that such jerky treats can kill their dog. Perhaps they feel that it's not going to happen to them. Perhaps they can bring themselves to deprive their dog of the joy on munching on these.
There is a very simple solution. Make your own. Stop buying stuff that can potentially harm or even kill your dog.
Our dogs always loved jerky treats of all kinds. We've been making jerky treats ourselves for years. Get yourself a dehydrator and get "jerkin." It's easy. And it's the only way to have the cake and eat it too.
Is It OK to Mix a Raw Diet and Kibble?
Dr. Peter DobiasThis is a very interesting question the answer to which depends on whom you ask. Some veterinarians focused on nutrition say it's fine, and some say it is not. So how is it?
Or is the answer the same if you asked whether you can have a raw salad with cooked dinner? Strangely, nobody has asked that question as far as I know.
Why would anybody bring this up in the first place? It seems to be a matter of whether processed/cooked and raw foods digest the same way at the same speeds. And there are arguments about that. There are also debates whether the problem is that proteins and starches digest differently and at different speeds.
I don't think there is any evidence conclusive enough to determine who is right and who is wrong. I don't mix kibble and raw diet but do I think it's wrong? I think it depends how an individual dog does with it.
See what Dr. Dobias thinks.
Expert tips on dealing with your dog’s fear of thunderstorms
Dr. Marty BeckerBelieve it or not, we've already had a few thunderstorms this year. We've been fortunate that other than JD's mild concern, I'm the one who is the most worried about such things. I call JD's concern mild because as long as he had either Jasmine or Cookie to mirror, he'd always calm down because they were calm.
For many dogs, though, a thunderstorm feels like an armageddon the end of the world. There are a number of products one can try to alleviate the thunderstorm anxiety, starting with herbal essences, calming pheromones or shirts and wraps.
Find out what Dr. Marty Becker recommends.
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