My cat client greets me here each time I visit
Oh, you're here already?
Chew Toys Are Not Equal!
Dog safety tip
Do your pups a favor and leave these at the stores!
(if you truly want to provide something healthy to give your dogs to chew, stop by the butcher's! In fact, lets just drop the word "raw" from the name altogether.)
"THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!
How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.
Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.
Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!
A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?
“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com
So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?
Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:
STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.
(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)
Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.
(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)
Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.
The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)
STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus!
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)
STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.
“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com
“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com
Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.
STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!
Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.
When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!
Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.
Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“
(Oh, how lovely…)
And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.
How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?
Here is world-renowned veterinarian Doctor Karen Becker's take on the matter:
“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.
Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.
At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“
P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?
An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” –dogingtonpost.com
Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger
"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"
An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” –dogingtonpost.com
Time to Celebrate!
I brought party hats to help celebrate their mom's birthday! 🎉🎈🎊🎂
Happy Birthdayyyy!
Business Logo!
Amazing work done by Jason Thomas with Clutch Graphics CT
Water Station is Up!
Water for my neighbors:
Pit Stop!
Beat the Heat -product tip
Don't feel like lugging around your dog's #water bowl? Collapsible bowls both cloth and plastic are great and can clip onto your belt loop.
#TakeABreak
#FreshAirPetServices
#babyitshotoutside #summer #dogstagram #dog #dogwalker
Ladies First
Just A Minute Is Too Long
Pet safety
Just leave them home
Capturing A Moment
Don't we all wish we could have a cat's life?
Treats!
Strawberry & Blueberry Frozen Yogurt treats!
(From Doggy Dessert Chef -go for the least amount of ingredients and use full fat yogurt 1C strawberries, 1/2C blueberries, 1C yogurt -spoon into ice cube tray) #pure #yogurt #berries #summertime#dogsofinstagram #dogtreats #recipe #woof #dogs#FreshAirPetServices
Super easy and so tasty!
Why a Professional?
Look beyond the cheap rates and think about the quality of care you and your pet deserves.
Professional means reliability and security!
Retractable "Leashes"
There are just too many preventable injuries and exposures to risks associated with retractable leashes!
Some nervous dogs may require harnesses
How Often Can I Expect My Cat To Be Checked In On?
Any reputable pet sitter will insist on daily cat visits for vacations
Cautionary Tale
Written by Kea Grace
The sudden hair-raising, blood-curdling, nightmarish screaming emanating from the backyard had me bolting down the stairs and sprinting through the house before my brain even fully registered I was moving. I flung open the patio door and was greeted by a chilling sight I'd only seen once before out of all my years training dogs.
Two dogs, a Golden Retriever (fully trained Service Dog) and a Labrador Retriever (Service Dog in Training), were tangled in a frantic, chaotic, life-or-death struggle. Their panic was visceral and raw; their terror so thick as to be palatable. These dogs, bouncy, silly, playful dogs who had lived together, played together, been alone together on innumerous occasions, were not fighting. Neither of them had ever met an enemy, especially not in each other.
Right now, though, both dogs were convinced the other was trying to kill them, and they were responding per that assumption. Neither dog was wrong, but not for the reasons you might think.
These two youngsters had likely been tussling, and one of them, the Labrador, grabbed the Golden Retriever's buckle-free ID tag holder. Some how, some way, the Labrador flipped over, cinching the collar tight around his lower jaw. The collar crushed his tongue into his teeth, which started the initial flow of blood. Meanwhile, the Golden starts trying to work his way free of a collar that's getting tighter and tighter.
I arrived just in time to see the Labrador start alligator rolling, further constricting the collar around his jaw and the Golden's neck. Instantly, the noise jumped an octave or two -- the screeching was so loud, something in my ears popped. Diving into the fray, yelling at the top of my lungs for help that never came, I straddled the Lab, hoping to stop his movement, and grabbed ahold of the Golden, who promptly bit me. Teeth were everywhere, fur flying, spit and blood soaked fur, fabric, skin. Snapping and snarling intermixed with the ever-present screaming.
The Golden's eyes were bulging, his tongue lolling, and the frenetic agitation in his movements were fading. When I buried my fingers in his fur, looking for his collar, they came away bloody from where the collar had dug into his skin and caused lacerations. Everything was wound so tightly, there was no chance of getting fingers, a knife, or anything else behind the thick paracord braid. Believe me, I tried. And tried. And tried. I even bolted to the garage in search of wire or bolt cutters, hoping to cut the stainless steel ring, which was the sole piece of hardware on the collar.
So I set out to do the only thing I could think of at the time -- I started picking up the 65 pound Labrador boy and flipping him over. This increased his panic, but each time I threw him back to the ground and rolled him, the collar loosened just a bit.
The Golden, who was completely limp and nearly unresponsive by now, complicated matters simply by existing -- his 75 pounds of body weight levered against the twist point in the collar, making it very difficult to maneuver a struggling, frenzied Lab baby, around that single spot resting on the ground, essentially by his face. I was literally throwing the Labrador around a fixed point that his jaw was attached to.
Finally, I managed to get enough space to pull the Golden out, and to pry the collar out of the Labrador's mouth, where it had embedded. I've never been so relieved in my life as I was when I saw the Golden stagger to his feet, sides heaving, and press himself into me. The Labrador crawled into my lap, and we sat there, clinging to each other, celebrating life, a huddled mess, for a few minutes, a week, a month, a year, a millennium, while tears streaked my face and sobs wracked my body.
I've rarely felt so helpless in my life. There was nothing to hang onto and every move I made, no matter how helpful, caused them more pain. Neither of them knew what was going on or what caused it, and both were so desperate for freedom, they didn't care the cost -- but the problem only compounded. They were fighting each other, they were fighting me, and I was fighting to help, all while fighting them. It was chaos on a level no one should ever experience.
The Golden was dying under my hands as I fought to do something, anything, to fix this unholy disaster. I could feel him ebbing, lessening, fading, while the Labrador's fight only strengthened as the resistance on the other end disappeared. Had I not been right there, I could have returned to a scene straight out of a horror film, straight from hell itself.
I'm a lifetime dog trainer. I've had thousands of dogs in and through my hands. This is only the second time I've encountered this problem, and the first I've had to handle it solo. Statistically, it probably won't happen to you. Statistically, it shouldn't have happened to these guys. They'd had thousands of hours together, doing exactly what they did that day -- but this time, it went wrong. Deadly wrong. Petrifying wrong. Sickeningly wrong.
All of this to say . . . . don't take chances with your dog's life. We all know they need to wear tags, just in case they need to find their way home, but please, please, please -- if your dog is in a play group, do one of three things:
1. Remove their collar.
2. Buy the cheapest, thinnest, horriblest plastic quick release buckle collar you can. Put tags on it. Put it on your dog. Cut it off or snap the buckle in an emergency.
3. Purchase a "play safe" collar, which is like a break away cat collar, but for dogs. PetSafe Brand makes one called the daycare collar.
Things happen. Do your best to not let them happen to your best friend.
Senior Dogs Rule
Checked in on Maggie today. This 14 year old Golden was such a joy to visit!
Since she's completely deaf, we used gestures and lots of petting to communicate.
Since her owner said at times, she needs encouragement to eat her kibble with the "add-ons".
So I decided to try to teach her the "touch" game (the dog gets a piece of kibble or treat once they touch your hand -usually the hand not holding the reward- with their nose) with her just to see if she'll follow along. And I really wanted to interact with her when I was there.
This darling senior was sharp as a whip and picked up what was going on without the help of verbal cues.
Can't wait to visit her again, it seems like I can learn a few things from her :)
Maggie enjoying the grass