Bark City Doggy Daycare

It's coming (enter scary Jaws music)-- Cold and Flu season. It hits canines as well as humans. Like humans, if you furry friend is feeling under the weather, it's best if you keep him/her at home until fully recovered to reduce the risk of spreading infection. Also like humans, there are certain things you can give your dog to help support recovery. Here are my top five not in any ranking order: 1. Coconut Oil : Coconut oil has a composition of medium chain fatty acids. One of these medium chain fatty acids is called lauric acid. When lauric acid is present in the body, it is converted into monolaurin. Without getting all "scientific-y" on you, I am just going to say that monolaurin is a super hero in the body: it exhibits anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties that destroy all those enemies that infiltrate the body.  It is recommended that you start with 1/4 tsp for a small dog or 1 tsp for a large dog every couple of day...

This is Marley. Marley was my first dog (American bulldog/mastiff mix). We adopted him from the Humane Society. He was 2-yrs-old and had never been outside. He wasn't house trained and had food anxiety (he would get nervous and start shaking if a human was in the same room when he was eating... tells you something, right?) We had A LOT of work to do with Marley, but eventually he became a somewhat normal dog (like eating 2 lbs of burger right out of a pan on the stove or leaping over the back of the couch to be the first one to greet whomever was at the door). BUT, Marley always had food anxiety on the of his mind. It just sometimes lurked around the corner as a subtlety that we forgot about...Until we put him on a diet. Looking back on the infamous diet, I probably should have done a lot of things differently. I should have added fillers (like pumpkin!) to his food instead of just giving him smaller portions. That would have been a great option since I was dealing with a dog t...

Hairballs are not just a cat thing. True, a cat's meticulous grooming habit will contribute to the frequent disgusting thing on your carpet, but dogs can also get hairballs. Just not as frequently. And sometimes, these canine hairballs can become an obstruction which is life threatening. Dogs that are at a higher risk for hairballs are: long haired dogs, puppies nursing off of a mother that is shedding (or has long hair), dogs with skin irritations, skin parasites and/or an anxious dog. Signs that your dog may have a hairball are: coughing retching vomiting loss of appetite gastrointestinal distress pain The last three signs are also signs that your dog's hairball may be causing a blockage. As you can see, all of these signs can also be cues of other medical issues. All in all, if you are seeing a pattern of these symptoms, it's best to have your dog checked out by a veterinarian. For the last three signs, you should take your dog to the vet asap. A blockage...

Awe 😍 Teacup dogs! They are cute, cuddly and you can take them anywhere. Teacup dogs have always been in "fashion" as highly trendy. And, at first glance, I can see why-- again, the cuteness. Lots of people are drawn to them because they require less food and preventative medication than a standard dog. They also seem like a logical choice if you live in a facility that has pet size restrictions or in an area that is difficult to exercise a standard dog. But before you buy one, there are certain things you must be aware of before committing. A Teacup Dog is any dog that is bred to be as small as possible-- this means about 5lbs or less in size. To obtain this optimal level of tiny, a breeder will usually breed the runts of litters. This can be problematic: sometimes the smallest of the litter is caused by a birth defect or another medical condition.  With standard dogs, dogs are bred to preserve healthy genetics. But with teacup dogs, they are bred for size first and fo...

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...