Bark City Doggy Daycare

 We have all heard the age old advice not to change your pet's food and that they should stay on their chosen pet food for the rest of their lives. Not True. Like humans, dogs change physiologically over time and their food needs to be adjusted every now and then to ensure proper nutrition. So, how can you tell if your dog is not getting enough nutrients (or too much) from their current dog food? Here are seven signs that it's time to change your dog's food: Changing your dog's current food can sometimes be a tricky task. It's hard to wade through all the different varieties out there. As an owner, sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in dog food just to figure out what works and doesn't work for your pet. Transitioning your dog's food must be done over a 7-10 day period. Starting with about a 20-25% "new" food mixed with the old. Gradually increase the percentage of new over the time span until the old food is phased out. Sometime...

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...

I am really excited for this upcoming spring because I will be growing a weed in my garden! Not just any weed, but Stinging Nettles to be exact. I have been doing some extensive research on this plant and I think it will be beneficial not only to my dog, but also to my family and myself. Stinging nettle is famous in the herbal world as a natural anti-histamine as well as an anti-inflammatory. This means, it can not only help the seasonal allergies that run rampant in my family (two-legged and four-legged members), but it will also help my arthritis. But, that is not all.... Stinging Nettle is also considered to be one of those "super foods". It contains: That is a lot of stuff. For harvesting Stinging Nettle, it is recommended that you wear gloves, long pants and cut them with scissors, because of the stinging part (which is on the underside of the leaves). BUT, some people purposely sting themselves to help with joint pain. There are two phases of harvesting that sh...