Dog Health

Dogs Eating Grass

Posted on by George Burns

Dog-eating-grass

With regards to dogs there are still many questions that don’t have a definitive answers – one of which is why do dogs eat grass? Grass is all around us and while we understand why horses and cows graze on grass, dogs are a different matter.

Some owners see dogs as carnivores and generally averse to vegetables, why is it that they sometimes seem to feel compelled to graze on a patch of the green stuff? So it is only natural that, having seen dogs eating grass from time to time, that we ask the question why do they do it?

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dog itching can be a problem for many dogs

Dog Itching

Posted on by Pat Tusler

Skin testing of dogs will nearly always come back with results about dust mites, grass pollen, house dust and so on. Everybody and every living thing is allergic to parasites and dust. The issue is how our bodies handle it. How strong is the dogs immune system  to brush aside parasites and dust problems. Continue reading →

healthy dogs out running

Dog Urinary Incontinence

Posted on by Pat Tusler

Dog urinary incontinence is mostly seen in spayed bitches (and neutered dogs).

What is Dog Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence in dogs occurs when a house-trained dog loses control of his bladder. This can range in severity from occasional small urine leaks to inadvertent voiding of a large amount of urine. Continue reading →

Collie sitting

Diet and dog epilepsy

Posted on by Pat Tusler

I read an article recently which suggested that “an emerging trend in human healthcare is the focus on the link between diet and disease.”

The author of course missed the fact that Hippocrates (c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC) raised the issue. “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”.

Here we are in the 21st century and only wakening up to this simple fact, that diet not only influences health but can cause disease.

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all natural dog food

Why use natural dog food

Posted on by Pat Tusler

You would think it common sense to give our beloved pets ‘natural dog food’ all the time. It is nothing more than a natural instinct.

Here at Land of Holistic Pets we consider ourselves a ‘natural dog food company’, through and through.

Ever since we started making our own ‘natural dog food brands’ – Robbie’s and Luath’s – we’ve concentrated on making them natural and healthy. As a consequence we strive to maintain the highest standards and seek to always improve.

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holistic dog with yin-yang background

Natural dog food tainted in USA

Posted on by Pat Tusler

Article first published on 5.5.2012.

Salmonella, in what is claimed to be natural dog food, has resulted in 14 people in nine states taking ill in the USA. The natural dog food from a plant in South Carolina is not averse to controversy having had a number of their products recalled in the past.

At least five people were hospitalized because of the dog food, which was made by Diamond Pet Foods at its plant in Gaston, S.C., the Federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. “People who became ill, the thing that was common among them was that they had fed their pets Diamond Pet Foods,” said CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell. Continue reading →

old v new

The changing face of dog food

Posted on by Pat Tusler

Why is modern dog food the way it is?

Some 40 years ago our family pet dog was fed on the leftovers from the kitchen table and scraps from the butchers which included tripe and sheep heads, we also used the unsold wholemeal bread from the local bakers, garden vegetables that my family used to grow and the odd piece of fish, we even fed rabbits and hares when she was lucky enough to catch them.

I remember once going to the vet but it was because the local GP could not extract the fishing hook from the dog’s ear – the fear of being bitten I think more than anything else.

Society has changed dramatically from those days.

Supermarkets now dominate the food supply chain and food processing is more the norm than natural foods. Continue reading →

dog-coat

Dog’s Shedding Hair

Posted on by Pat Tusler

Dog shedding occurs in nearly all dogs and is a natural process of eliminating (shedding) dead hair.

There are a few natural reasons for this – It is a bit like a human sweating,  to allow a new coat to come in and for seasonal changes in temperature.

There is no such thing as a non-shedding dog,  excepting of course the hairless varieties. That said,  shedding varies greatly between the breeds because of dogs differences in genetics, environment and of course , the dog food it is being fed. Continue reading →