Bark City Doggy Daycare

We started this blog 4-years ago and since then I have been posting quite a bit on Canine health. It's a lot of information! This week, I decided I would consolidate some of the information into 6 "must-haves" for every dog parent. These are things that you should have in your pantry that can help not only your dog, but you as well. It's a win-win situation when two-legged family members and four-legged can share the same health benefits of a product! I have numbered them, but the list is not in numerical importance. Plus, I will have each item connected to a link. This link will give you more information on that specific item if you would like to learn more. Some of these items have a whole plethora of health benefits! Here they are: Organic Raw Honey can help with wound recovery, digestions, immune support, allergies and skin issues. Plus it tastes really good and has an abundance of vitamins, minerals, is anti-microbial, anti-fungal.... you get the point. ...

It seems that an outbreak of Kennel Cough has hit the Bozeman, MT area and has dog owners (and daycares) in quite the panic. Kennel cough is often called "Bordetalla" after the bacteria Bordetalla bronciseptica , which dogs can get vaccinated. BUT Kennel Cough, aka infectious tracheobronchitis , is actually a term for an infection in the trachea and bronchial tubes that can be caused by bacteria or virus. This infection is highly contagious and has an incubation period of about 5-10 days after exposure. It usually diminishes after the first 5 days, but can linger for up to 10-20 days. Infected dogs can remain contagious for up to 14 weeks even after symptoms disappear. The classic symptom of Kennel Cough is a forceful, persistent cough. Infected dogs may also exhibit sneezing, runny nose and eye discharge. Luckily, here at Bark City, we have not had any cases of Kennel Cough in our daycare . We would like to keep it that way! In order to try our very best, we have taken...

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...

The other day, my neighbor came over with a catalog and a basket of essential oils. The aroma in my house soon turned into a wondrous rainbow of smells and it honestly helped the cold congestion everyone in my house had been feeling for the last week. While the aromas lingered in my household, it got me thinking about essential oils for pets. EO's have been around for a long time and lately their popularity is becoming mainstream. We all want something a little more natural.... a simpler way of doing things in our life. And let's face it, we all wonder sometimes if we really need all those tests our vet is pinning onto our bill (I still don't have the answer to that.) We love our pets. They are part of our family and we want the very best for them... Which is a happy, HEALTHY life. But are EO's safe for pets? I immediately started researching the topic and was surprised by results. For dogs and horses, there is a wide array of articles on how to use essential oils...

I've been drinking apple cider vinegar (ACV) for a while now to help relieve symptoms of arthritis. Every day, I mix about 1 Tablespoon of ACV in a mug with a heaping spoon of raw honey and fill it to the brim with hot water. Aside from noticing that my joints ache less, I have been noticing my nails are growing like wild fire and my hair is soft and shiny. It got me wondering if I could give this remedy to my furry family members and if they would reap the same benefits. Sure enough, the answer is "yes" (of course it would be, otherwise I would not be writing about it in this blog). I've decided to compile a list of the benefits that have been toted on the internet about ACV along with a dosage suggestion and how to mix it for spray on application. Without further ado, here ya go:  It should be noted that it is recommended you use raw, organic ACV that has the "mother" inside the bottle. I like to use this brand ---> Bragg's Apple Cider ...

This coming Sunday will be Easter. In some homes, that means a big Easter ham with all the fixin's and baskets full of candy and CHOCOLATE for our two-legged family members (aka.. humans). But, we must be extra careful during holidays to make sure our four-legged family members do not get into the candy or the dinner. Some ingredients (like chocolate) are poisonous to dogs . Here is a handy list I made last Thanksgiving as a quick "go-to" list on what dogs can and cannot have from the table. Though, now that I am looking back on this list--- I forgot chocolate on the bad side! As an alternative to fretting over what our dogs can and cannot have, I have gathered a list of 5 dog treat recipes that you can make for your dog to eat while you are eating the people's food. Here 'ya go: Just click on the link provided at the bottom of each image to bring you to the actual recipe. Honey and Ham dog treats from Doggy Dessert Chef Easter Brunch Scramble form ...

The secret of cranberries and maintaining a healthy urinary tract has been passed down from generation to generation. It is now not so much a secret and could be said to be general knowledge. I bet the majority of you have been told to drink cranberry juice when suffering from a bladder infection. But, are cranberries really all that effective for treating urinary tract infections (UTI) and can they be used for canines? Little research has been done on the effectiveness of cranberries on canine urinary tract health, BUT a lot of research has been done on humans. Of all the reading I have done for canines on cranberries, it seems that most veterinarians are using the human research to shed light on canine health. In addition, it seems that a lot of canine owners are praising the benefits of cranberries for helping their furry family members. There does seem to be some confusion on how cranberries help with UT health.  It is often told that cranberries help by lowering the PH ...