Bark City Doggy Daycare

It's that time of year again: Everyone is walking around with tissues in their hands and pockets, eyes red and puffy, and in a Benadryl coma. ALLERGY SEASON. Humans are not the only ones to suffer. Dogs can too. Dog's exhibit seasonal allergies a little bit different than humans. Their symptoms are generally skin issues: allergic dermatitis. Your dog will be ITCHY. Fido will be scratching excessively, biting and chewing on spots of the body and rubbing against surfaces.  You may also notice that your dog's ears are chronically infected with rashes, yeast and bacteria. This will cause your dog to be constantly scratching the ears, head shaking and there will be hair loss around or on the ear.  Hot spots: These are localized areas of the skin that become red, scabby and infected.  Generalized redness: Puffy eyes, red oral tissue, red chin, red paws... Allergies are an immune system response. Canine's with an already weak immune system may develop respiratory issues ...

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...