Bark City Doggy Daycare

Last week, we posted on or Facebook page a new journey we are embarking on. Our elderly dog Kale came back from the vet with a diagnosis of the beginning stages of kidney disease. As expected, our vet recommended we put her on Hill's Prescription diet. The concern with Hill's is that it is highly processed. Kale has a long history of chronic ear infections and processed food exacerbates the problem. After voicing my concern, the veterinarian pointed me towards another company: Just Food For Dogs. Just Food For Dogs is a company that specializes in whole foods, "homemade" dog food. Their food is USDA approved for human consumption. The supplements are made in an FDA & CGMP compliant facility that produces supplements exclusively for human consumption. The company is supported by 8 veterinarians on staff and is the only brand to validate health benefits through feeding trials. Wow! They offer a variety of balanced, pre-formulated daily meals for your "aver...

We will be reviewing some new toys this month: Beco Pets! This is not a Bark City image. I stole it from Beco Pets website. Just so ya all know.  Beco Pets was named one of the world's most ethical companies in 2017 and are dedicated to developing the most fun, innovative and ethical pet products on the shelf. They have a wide product range and develop a variety of items: Sustainable wild-caught dog food, dog beds, biodegradable poop bags, bowls and toys. In addition, there is also the Beco Foundation that gives 5% back to local communities, animal and environmental causes.  Reading up on their website, I could write this blog about their wild boar food or bamboo feeding bowls, but instead we are going to focus on their toys. Because, alas! This is a dog toy review! Here is our initial video introducing the toys we will be testing out with our daycare dogs this month:  All of these toys seem to be made out of recycled, sustainable materials. The...

I am sure by now, most of you have heard of a spice called Turmeric. It is most likely in your cabinet and you have used it when cooking. This little spice has been getting a lot of trendy, news worthy praise as of late for it's medicinal value. More and more pet owners are starting to turn to this spice to help their furry family member live a happy, healthy life. But, why? As crazy as it seems, an immense amount of research is being done on this spice and it seems to be trumping quite a few medications. EXPENSIVE medications: arthritis drugs, steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, chemotherapy, Inflammatory bowel ect... Yep, It's beginning to become one of those "super spices". The component in Turmeric that makes it so powerful is a bio-active compound, curcumin (not to be confused with the spice Cumin...they are two different things). Curcumin is found to be anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, wound healing, anticancer and a powerful antioxid...

Our next toy review is Aussie Naturals. Above is a short video highlighting all the varieties of toys the dogs will be playing with this month at the daycare. Stay tuned, because at the end of the month, we will review them again with our thumbs up or down on the durability and fun-factor of each toy. There is not much information about Aussie Naturals on the world wide internet. I think this is because they were acquired, along with Outback Jacks and Wild Eats , by Hyper Pet last year. I have written to Hyper Pet to request more detailed information about these products and hopefully, I will have the information by the end of the month! What I do know is that these toys are designed and manufactured to be safe, durable and sustainable. They are made from materials such as: natural rubber, jute, cotton, coconut fiber and leather. Here are a few pictures of the dogs in action these last few days (They were introduced to the dogs on June 1st.) If you would like to...

It’s TOY REVIEW TIME!!!!! We have decided to do something fun with our enrichment program and start doing a hands-on dog toy review. Each month, we will be purchasing toys from a different dog toy company. We will be reviewing them for a month. During that month the same toys will be used in each activity. We will be posting videos of how the dogs like them and which ones actually h old up. If the toys make the cut on being a fun toy and a good investment, for not only us but also for home use, we will have them available for purchase (we may even hint to you that your dog absolutely loves a certain toy 😉 ) Here is a glimpse of this month's toys: Aikiou and Animaganza. These toys will be introduced to the Enrichment Dogs this Friday, May11th, 2018. Please be on the look-out for our reviews (and be patient with us as we learn the ins and outs of  videoing product reviews 😀). Aikiou (pronounced: IQ) This image is from the Aikiou website: https://aikiou.com/ ...

You've done your research and have decided to switch your dog over to a raw food diet, but feel completely overwhelmed and a little bit scared all at the same time. No fear! In this post, I will give you the general "ins and outs" of making your own raw food. Because let's face it, buying pre-made raw dog food can get super expensive! In addition, at the end of this post, I will give you some handy links for further reading to reassure you that you will not kill your dog. First, let's talk parasites. That is probably the number one (or two) concern when switching to a raw diet. There are two things you can do to eliminate the probability of giving your dog parasites: 1. Do not feed your dog the guts. Guts are where parasites harbor. By taking the guts our of your dog's meal, you drastically reduce the probability of there being parasites in your raw food. 2. Freeze your raw meat for three days before serving. Freezing will kill any parasites that have tra...

I found this recipe on The Gracious Pantry and decided to give it a go for myself and my four-legged family members. I did alter the recipe, because the recipe on "The Gracious Pantry" had some ingredients toxic to dogs. If you are making it for your dog, please use the recipe below! The original recipe calls it "Ice Cream", but I beg to differ. It is more of a sorbet, since none of the ingredients even remotely resemble anything creamy or dairy like. I doubt my dogs care whether or not it is correctly termed "ice cream" or "sorbet". But let me tell you, if you go into eating this thinking you are getting a creamy dessert, you will be disappointed. None the less, it is a delicious treat that can be put into a bowl, cone or Kong. This recipe is really simple and healthier than conventional ice cream. Below the recipe, I have outline the health benefits of some of the ingredients: 4 bananas 1 cup pumpkin Puree 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 ...

Bone broth should be in everyone's freezer during the flu season. It's great for 4-legged and 2-legged family members on the road to recovery from a bout of germ mayhem. It's full of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes and very easy to make. It does need to be made ahead of time, because it takes a LONG time to make-- like 10 hrs. The good news -- that 10 hours has nothing to do with preparation or you in the kitchen. It has to do with all the ingredients simmering into goodness in a crockpot. After it's made, you just have to freeze it into portions and wait for the germ apocalypse to strike. What you need: Bones-- any kind of bones. Chicken, beef, pork... whatever suits you fancy. Meat is optional, but obviously Fido will think it's delicious. A popular choice is Oxtail, but anything will work.  Vegetables-- please see this list for vegetables that are good/ bad for your dog. Onions and garlic are not a good choice for Fido (TOXIC), but are a good choice...

At Bark City, we love dogs. I don't have enough fingers or toes on my human body to count the ways dogs are awesome. Recently, some new research on a somewhat old presumption is surfacing that gives one more reason to treat dogs like super heroes: Pet exposure may reduce allergies in humans. We all know someone who has an allergy to something or other. Research has been suggesting over the past few decades that allergic diseases are increasing: Asthma has tripled in prevalence since the 1970's and food allergies have doubled (1). Some humans carry the presumption that having a clean, sterile household, free of pet dander will ward off allergies. This may be true for adults (and older children) that already have allergies, but may not necessarily be true for a baby yet to be born or a young infant. It seems that exposure to pets in infancy, especially while in utero through the first three months of life, influences the child's immune development and may decrease the pr...

 Let's face it: The dreaded vet bill. It brings knots to our stomachs, marital arguments and a general all around uneasiness. But, we love our four-legged family members and when it all comes down to it, they are family. So here are 8 ways you can ease a bit of your anxiety and save on vet bills: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for your pet. This means that you should exercise your pet, mentally and physically AND keep their weight under control. Over weight dogs can lead to a myriad of health problems such as: diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and various forms of Cancer. Keeping your dog healthy reduces the risk of treatments that add up to A LOT of money.  Nutritional Supplements   help promote a healthy immune system and are wise to use in moderation to maintain a healthy canine. BUT, you must use common sense. Do your research and find real foods that naturally include the vitamin, mineral, amino acid, fatty acid, ect... you are looking to supplemen...