Heart disease in dogs is a very common diagnosed disease, and quite a serious one at that. It is a very common cause of death in dogs in North America.
 
Now, prevention and treatment are two quite separate protocols, in this post I will be talking about ways you can prevent heart disease and even potentially reverse it if its in a minor stage. No two dogs or cats should be treated the same when there is a diagnosis at play, and that is why I talk about prevention here and not treatment.
 
1. Diet:
I will be doing everyone a disservice if I don’t mention diet first and foremost. It is number one on the list for a reason and the most essential component in preventing any disease. Your pet needs be getting all the amino acids (both essential and non-essential) in the most bioavailable way, a.k.a. a non-processed species appropriate diet. Make sure that the diet is as fresh as possible and balanced with enough organ meat- that is key! 
 
2. Antioxidants: Polyphenols
If you know me by now and have followed my work then you will know I always mention beautiful and wonderful antioxidants. They really are like magic! For heart health, what I am looking for though is specifics, such as polyphenols. Polyphenols are plant based antioxidants that come from nature. My favorite and easiest way of getting polyphenols into my pets (and myself) is olive oil and/or olive leaf extract. However, not every olive oil is the same, make sure when purchasing you find real olive oil, unfortunately even if it says so on the bottle it does not mean it is real and you will not get any therapeutic results from it. When you purchase olive oil from us it is a guarantee that it is true and authentic and real.
Another great antioxidant worth considering is very high-quality green tea leaf extract, standardized to contain 98% polyphenols, 75% catechins, 45% EGC. As you all know, I like specifics. GTLE has been proven in research studies to have cardiovascular supportive properties, is anti-inflammatory, improves fat metabolism, reduces risk of cancers/metastasis, is neuro-protective, aids in detoxification and also helps to support respiratory and skin disorders, just to name a few!
 
3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
Of course I had to include the super star of fats when it comes to cardiac support; omega-3s are no joke when it comes to heart disease. Antiarrhythmic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive (promotes low blood pressure) and antivasopressor (lowers blood pressure). Ideally, you would want to supplement with an already converted form of Omega-3 where the EPA/DHA are active, marine sources are the most popular. Low plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA in dogs are associated with heart failure. There is a lot of controversy about omega-3s on the marketplace (due to rancidity reasons), we have done our homework and research when it comes to selecting the very best, that’s why when you shop with us we give you the right choices to choose from for you and your pet.
 
 4. Minerals:
More specifically the superstar mineral for the heart: magnesium.
Magnesium is the mineral most important to the healthy functioning of the heart. Magnesium has antiarrhythmic properties which means it alleviates abnormal heart rhythms and has antithrombotic activities which means it reduces blood clots.
I personally like to supplement with a mineral complex which has magnesium in it, however there is a very unique way in giving magnesium to your pet that a lot of people don’t talk about (and not in an oral supplemental either), but to spray it on. Not on their coats but on their paws and bellies! That is right, you can spray magnesium on your pets’ paw pads and bellies and they can absorb magnesium that way.
 
 5. Dental Health:
Believe it or not, the bad bacteria from the mouth can actually travel down to your pet’s circulatory system and damage their epithelial cells that may cause heart disease. Staying on top of your pet’s dental health is key. Adding beneficial bacteria such as probiotics to their meals, like kefir or sauerkraut can also be beneficiary.
 
6. Weight Management:
If your pet is overweight there is that much more internal pressure on his/her organs to function and perform properly, including the heart. The heart has to work that much harder to pump blood into the extremities of the body. It is best to keep your pets like lean mean fighting machines with plenty and plenty of exercise, even for seniors, although you would need to moderate their exercise plan. Check out our last blog post were there is a weight scale provided to see where your pet lies on that chart.
 

As always, consult with your veterinarian if you are planning to add anything new to your pets diet. 

1. Feed your pet's cells with essential nutrients:
This point was number one for a reason, this is where we have 100% control as pet guardians and is a lot of responsibility. Dr. Douglas Kneueven, DVM,CVM, puts his perspective on whole food based nutrition very well and recognizes the importance of whole food nutrition as treatment of conditions;
 
“For decades, clinical nutrition was used supportively for common diseases, but in recent years our viewpoint has changed. “[Nutrition] has emerged as a cornerstone of treatment based on the principles of grade 1 evidence-based medicine,” report Drs. Kirk and Bartges in Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. “No longer are nutrients simple building blocks, co-factors, or enzymes, but instead regulators of cellular metabolism, gene transcription, or translation.

An incomplete understanding of nutrition
You don’t have to look too far back in history to see demonstrations of our nutritional ignorance. In the early 1980's, cats were going blind and dying from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Initially, the cause of the problem was considered idiopathic. No one thought cat food that was “complete and balanced” could be the cause. In 1987, it was discovered that DCM was caused by a taurine deficiency. Looking at the research of the day is enlightening. They found that canned cat foods (cooked) required extra taurine supplementation.“We have found that these same canned diets, if fed in an uncooked form, do not cause clinically significant taurine deficiency.” This seems to indicate that cats were meant to eat raw food. “Taurine deficiency alone is not sufficient to cause myocardial failure or central retinal degeneration in all cats…most likely in our opinion, these conditions may be caused by taurine deficiency and other, currently unidentified, cofactor or cofactors.” It appears our understanding of nutrition is incomplete. “When you look at the classic example of taurine deficiency, many [diets] were deficient. The cats that didn’t become ill were those that were going outside and catching mice.” It seems when we try to improve on nature, we often get it wrong. How many other current idiopathic diseases may be related to nutritional issues?". (The Case For Whole Foods, Kneueven, 2013).
 
Now just because you feed a less processed whole food diet does not actually mean your pet is getting what they need, which is why I was thrilled when reading his article he concluded with this statement:
 
​"Encouragement for clients
My preferred method of providing pets with raw diets is to refer clients to one of the many pre-made raw foods commercially available. Research into the companies is needed to find one whose formulation expertise and nutrient philosophy matches yours. For example some have higher vegetable percentages than others. Another consideration is the method the company uses to mitigate pathogens. Many have turned to high-pressure pasteurization, which makes one wonder how raw the food really is. I do not believe there is any one diet type ideal for every patient and every client. I am also pragmatic and realize that not all my clients are willing or able to provide the nutrition I think is best. Some real food is better than none at all, so I always encourage my clients to at least enhance their animals’ diet with raw or lightly cooked meats and vegetables, or whole food supplements. I am always impressed by the amazing health benefits of whole foods.” (The Case For Whole Foods, Kneueven, 2013).

​So there you have it folks, from a DVM himself!
My 2-cents here is that it is not enough to provide macro-nutrition but they need support in micro-nutrition as well. It again goes back to ‘our’ food chain which is, you guessed it; feed-lot animals. The animals we feed our animals with don’t have the luxury to roam from plain to plain, forest to forest, field to field, they are confined, even when they are free range and free roaming. With that, of course, comes nutrition set backs, both for us and for them. Because of this, I highly recommending strategic ‘bridging of the gaps’ as I call it, with a good quality mineral complex.

2. Supplement with Antioxidants:
 ‘Anti-’ oxidant means anti- oxidation, a substance that prevents oxidation, what is oxidation?
When you cut open into an apple or avocado, after leaving it for a couple minutes you will notice it turning brown, that is because it is oxidizing. Now say right after you cut into that apple you rubbed it with some lemon juice, it will actually not turn brown, that lemon juice is full of vitamin C (antioxidant), so it is protecting that apple from oxidation damage. That is essentially what happens to us on the inside, free radical damage in the body can be caused by many factors including but not limited to; environmental factors, food, stress of any kind including physiological (exercise), etc. 

​Antioxidants help quench free radicals in the body, this is why they are known to be anti-aging.
Now, there is a reason why we take a dogs age and times it by 7, they age very rapidly (as do felines but not as quickly as canines).
Research from Japan and Europe involving diseases such as cancer and the use of multiple antioxidants showed not only improvement in quality of life but longer survival time as well.
It is important to note that there are many different kinds of antioxidants and not all work through the same channels in the body, there are antioxidants that target cardiovascular health, ocular health, pain and inflammation, some that channel through the lymphatic system, some that work through the endocannabinoid system, some the circulatory system, etc.
There are antioxidants that interfere with medications and chemotherapy and some that help to enhance them, it is best to speak with someone knowledgeable to pin point exactly which antioxidants would be right for your pet(s). Antioxidants are absolutely crucial and the right ones can do wonders for health and longevity!

3. Weight management: 
Did you know that if your pet is overweight even slightly, you are increasing their chances for disease and internal stress on organs, joints, etc. by a significant amount?
It is a personal pet peeve of mine (no pun intended) when I see an overweight dog or cat, knowing the internal destruction and inflammation going on, and their chances for diabetes, cancer and the likes increasing significantly, all because they cannot help themselves when it comes to food. I have said this time and time again, the worst thing you can do is put up an ‘all you can eat buffet’ for your carnivore.
 
You do not see not one wolf or coyote in the wild carrying that much weight, you want your pets to be lean mean fighting machines, (please see blog post on ‘Lean Pets Have Happier Cells’ to learn more).
Now there is a science to that, it is called ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body uses fat or stored fat for fuel, not carbs or protein. So, when a wolf goes to hunt, sometimes they catch something, sometimes they don’t. When they don’t their body goes into ketosis, which re-sets their immune system, gut, etc.  This is why fasting is so important for carnivores.
 
My own personal philosophy for happy lean pets?
I would rather slightly under feed but over supplement (strategically of course) to try to mimic their natural ancestral diet as much as possible. In fact, the oldest living dog recorded (at 31 years of age), a cattle dog in Australia, was fed a species appropriate diet and fed only 3 days a week!
 You want to be able to feel ribs, not so much see all of them, but definitely be able to feel them. See chart below.

4. Do not over medicate/vaccinate:
As I am writing this, currently the news has broken out that there are dangerous amounts of lead leaking into Toronto’s hydro pipelines, affecting schools, homes and other public places. Just so you know, our recommended amount of intake of heavy metals should be at about 0%, even according to Health Canada. The health detriments are endless for heavy metal toxicity, damaging our nervous, endocrine and circulatory systems.
 Now of course there is a time and place for medications, but one must remember the chemicals and known and unknown toxins, carcinogens and heavy metals that are in concentrated form and I am not just talking pharmaceuticals here, even in the nutraceutical industry one must be very discerning and cautious as to what you are putting and allowing in your system.
 When it comes to vaccinating you do have a choice to titer test, any veterinarian would or should do it, for puppies and kittens a well thought of vaccine protocol should take place by your vet, taking into account breed, condition and age. Also, ask for mercury-free (thiomersol-free) vaccines if possible.

​5. Keep them happy and fulfilled!:
This goes beyond throwing a ball or walking Fido once a day. This point is touching on what your pet was meant to do, their soul purpose in life. If I take a dog that loves to run and confide him for several hours in a day, I am weakening their vital force because they are not doing what they love and were designed to do.
I have unfortunately witnessed seeing a dog going from doing what he loved to do, to not, and dying 3 months later of cancer.
 
When I took Monty in, I realized that he was no ordinary Sheppard and so I enrolled him (and of course myself) in a sport that I know he loves because it challenges him in ways he needs to be and wants to be challenged. I have a dog that feels overall fulfilled and happy, and he is happy to be with me.
Provide your pet(s) the opportunity (daily or weekly) to do what they love and were meant and designed to do and you will watch them thrive!

​We hear the term ‘bioavailable’ a lot in the health and pet industry, but what exactly does it mean?
 
The term bioavailable means “entering the circulation when introduced into the body and so able to have an active effect”, so in short, how much is your pet absorbing nutrients?

In terms of processing, let’s not get too caught up in numbers, it’s not about the quantity rather the quality that is the most important in my humble opinion. Even when comparing two supplements, one will boast to be of a higher value because you get more per dose however that form of nutrient can be less bioavailable than the counterpart because it comes from a synthetic and therefore not a real source. For example, lets take the mineral calcium, absorption coming from a green food such as kale or spirulina will have a far better bioavailability than say a source such as limestone.
When it comes to food, the same applies, if I eat real cheese made with free range cow, sheep or goats milk versus a ‘cheese-product’ say like cream cheese, they will both have very different effects in the body, the cheese product will most likely get stored in the body as fat because the body does not know what to do with it versus the real thing, where the body will readily use. Same goes for out pets, processed food even though veterinarians claim is balanced is still very highly processed, therefore, less bioavailable, in fact, the pet industry is the only industry where it’s health care practitioners boast processed over fresh food, even calling fresh food ‘dangerous’, well if that were the case, there would be not one bear, wolf, fox or any other carnivore that eats fresh meat alive!


​Still not sure where to begin in terms of your pet’s overall nutrition and supplementation? Contact us and we will help you select the best option for your four-legged family member.

​  Carnivores

Feed them like one:

Sometimes when I introduce people to nutritious types (or parts) of food I hear things like “Ew! I would never eat that-gross!”, well, what might be gross for you is probably the very thing that will save your pets life. We need to start thinking less like humans and more like carnivores, remember, they were meant and designed to consume things like chicken or duck feet, beef trachea, heart, liver, etc.
These foods have very high bioavailable nutritious factors that will help support their immune health, dental health, joint mobility, cardiovascular system, just to name a few…
So, start thinking like a carnivore next time your out shopping for your pet’s food!

  Treat them like one:

This point is more specific to dogs, which are pack animals and need a hierarchy in place as mentioned in the last post. Dogs don’t need a ‘mommy’, they need a strong independent confident leader, who of course loves them. Many times, I see a lot of spoiled dogs who are actually quite aggressive and when I turn to see who their owners are, they are most likely the ‘coddlers’, lacking the leadership they’re pack needs because they are too busy being the ‘mommy’- baby talk and all...
…If you have ever watched a documentary on wolves you will actually see how tough the female wolf is with her pups, she does no think twice about disciplining when the pups do something wrong, she will grab them by the scruff and shake. That is her way of communication to her pups as if to say “Not cool and don’t try it again”, and the pups will learn immediately because they understand, that way of communication is very clear to them, our equivalent of “Go to your room and think about what you’ve done!”.
Dogs also need their own space and their own bed, if you share your bed with your dog(s) you are basically telling them that they are your equal. Be consistent with your leadership both housebound and out, and you will watch your relationship with your dog(s) thrive.

Now I’m sure everyone who is reading this is probably thinking that they’re relationship with their dog(s) is absolutely perfect.  How do I know? Because I used to be one of those dog owners where really, my dog did no wrong, we had a great bond and of course the most important thing, I love my dogs. But the sad reality is that we can love love our dogs and they can love love us back, but the moment they see that squirrel or whatever, your left in the dust on your behind (and yes, I’ve been there too!). The minute I’ve ‘upped the ante’ in my relationships with my dogs, where good enough was not good enough, where I needed and asked more from them, that is where things changed. Here are some things I have found useful for building a really good solid and healthy relationship with my dogs:

1. Establish leadership

 In regards to being the Alpha, well, it’s either you or them. Canines are pack animals and they need a hierarchy in place, sometimes they naturally like to take on that role, especially if you have a dominant dog and without you even knowing it, they are silently controlling the relationship. Establishing strong leadership will not only tell your dog that you are in control, but it will also tell them that you are their protector and if you’re not frightened by something then why should they be frightened? You will be their safe place.
Another thing that leaders do is they set boundaries. At first, they might fight you on it but then they will eventually get it if you are consistent enough, but the one thing that will go up is their respect for you.  All of a sudden that squirrel doesn’t matter because you have now become their world, their leader, and who doesn’t want that?
Building a good leadership role will also strengthen the bond and relationship with your dog by providing a good basis for communication. Training tools (when used correctly) are great, but do not rely solely on them, because as soon as that training collar comes off, well then, audios amigos!
With or without the tool, you want your dog listening to you.

2. Give them what they need; mentally, emotionally and physically.
Don’t expect to get a well-behaved dog that has been cooped up all day and is now turning borderline aggressive or ‘too much to handle’, because now he has so much energy to even know what to do with! Dogs need exercise but not only that, they need to be mentally stimulated, boredom is not a good thing, especially for working dog. There are many fun and dynamic exercises (both mental and physical) one can do to stimulate their furry loved one, it can be as simple as taking a long hike in the woods rather than going around the block a few times (a new kind of adventure), this will also give them more stimulation, or ‘attention exercises’, where they need to mentally focus on you and ONLY you (a lot harder than it sounds-trust me!).

​3. Spend the time. 
Without giving you won’t be getting.
At the end of the day, we spend the most time on what we think is important, don’t forget to show your dog that he/she is important just by spending time with them, especially when they would so much rather be with us than by themselves (hopefully!). I definitely increase my bond with all my animals just by spending quality time with them, either by doing something or doing nothing. For example, I’ve actually developed more of a bond with my horses over the years just by spending time with them, doing simple things like grooming or ground work versus actually riding them. Same thing with my dogs and cats, just by picking up a brush and stroking them I’m bonding, and according to the man himself- Cesar Millan that is, all animals respond to energy first. This is before body language and even words- energy is very important. Whenever I’m around my animals I try to not have my phone on me, so I can really be present, and maybe notice things that I haven’t before.
 
 
It is always beneficial to surround yourself with knowledgeable people for support, or if you are having a particular difficult time with your dog(s) investing in a good trainer or a canine behaviorist who can fully understand your particular situation and give you their professional recommendations is even better. You might be surprised just how much you learn about your dog and about yourself, whether you’re a new dog owner or a seasoned one.
One last thing, no relationship is perfect, some days it might be one step forward and two steps back, we are all WIPs (work in progresses), that is just life, the important thing is to keep moving forward and once you have a solid foundation in place, well then, anything is possible, even for a dog who was on death row.

A great book for reference is Mother Knows Best, by Carol Lea Benjamin.

Kibble is still the number one seller when it comes to pet food in North America, and while there are certain grades of kibble, from your run of the mill to premium, can it ever and will it ever be a ‘species appropriate diet’? Will your pet every really and truly thrive on it? I get asked this all the time, and here is my answer; no.
​
While there are many reasons, here are my top three reasons why:

1. It is dry:
With a species appropriate diet, i.e. when your dog or cat catches a bird, a mouse or say a rabbit, the first thing they consume is blood. Blood as you know, is very wet, which then assists to lubricate the GI tract and get the digestive process flowing, so to speak. A species or biologically appropriate diet contains a moisture content at about 60% give or take, with kibble you are getting roughly around 6-7% moisture content. That is a huge gap! Not only is kibble dry as a rock, it actually pulls moisture from your pet’s GI tract making it even harder for them break down and assimilate nutrients from an already non-bioavailable form of food. When your dog or cat is lapping up water from their water dish that is a sure sign of dehydration, not a good thing, as it’s very taxing on their liver and kidneys.  
 
2. Too high in carbohydrates:
In a previous blog I gave an equation where you can calculate the carbohydrate/sugar content in your pet’s food, the ones who did it came back shocked, and it didn’t matter whether the food was bought from a veterinarian or grocery store. Carbohydrate content in kibble can range anywhere from 40%-55%+. That is just simply way too high, half or almost half of the pet’s food is compromised of non-essential simple sugars. I personally do not feed or sell any diet with a carbohydrate content over 15%-20%, and that is coming from fruits and vegetables (good sources). Especially for our feline friends, who should only be on a balanced protein diet with little to no carbohydrates at all, as they are obligate carnivores (meat only). Canines and felines are not designed like herbivores to break down high carbohydrate content, carnivores are made completely opposite to herbivores, with short and acidic digestive tracts meant to consume raw fresh meat. That is why they get bloated and gassy on kibble, and overtime excessive inflammation can lead to numerous health problems which can get quite expensive to treat.

3. Highly processed:
I’m known for the saying, “If I take broccoli (which we all know by now is a superfood), batter it up and deep fry it, can I still claim it to be a health food?”. Well, same goes for kibble, no matter what health ingredient the manufacturer claims it has, it is too processed to ever be considered a health food (think steak that has been cooked to death), so what’s left of it? If you were to go see your doctor and he/she told you that from now on you only have to eat this special type of cereal that comes straight from a box and it is all balanced for you vitamin/mineral wise so you absolutely need to eat nothing else day in and day out, what would your reaction be? Mine would be thanks but no thanks, I like my carrots and apples and steak and chicken and salads, etc. You get the point. Now think of your pet, who has no choice in the matter, only eating what you put in the bowl, even though they get bloated and gassy but it might be mild enough so you don’t notice, meanwhile they are always eyeballing your food and why wouldn’t they?! It’s real food! In order for kibble to be kibble, it has to go through an extrusion process that uses heat and high pressure to create the shape and volume of kibble, that is how it’s manufactured. While there are the lesser of evils, it still is a high stretch to say that is what they were meant to consume. If one is still skeptical all they need to do is look at stool samples of a raw fed dog or cat and kibble fed. With raw feeding stools are smaller with practically no odor, the proof is always in the pudding!  

Tip to kibble feeders:
Hydrate your pets’ food to add moisture back either with warm water or better yet, bone broth. Also, supplement with a good quality probiotic and digestive enzyme to better help your pet digest the high starch and carbohydrate content in kibble, as they lack the enzymes to digest the incomplete amino acids in foods like  peas and corn. Adding things like kefir and other whole foods to accompany kibble is also a good way for your pet to safely get some form of bioavailable fresh foods into their diet. We at Thrive4life Holistic Pet offer ‘kibble toppers’ to better add more bioavailable nutrition to your pet’s diet, or if you want to switch your pet off of kibble and to a less processed species appropriate diet such as cooked, raw or a type of raw diet that has the convenience of kibble but the nutrition of raw, contact us to learn more.
 

​The information in this blog is presented by Dr. W. Jean Dodds, DVM, (Canine Nutrigenomics) on Angiogenesis, if your pet has cancer please seek veterinarian guidance.

Angiogenesis is the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels (Mercola, 2012). Creating new blood vessels serves important functions; two examples are during pregnancy to form the placenta or under a scab to facilitate wound healing. In these instances, the body releases special proteins that stimulate angiogenesis. But once these newly formed vessels have done their job (i.e., the baby is born or the wound heals), the body returns them to their previous level by releasing substances that inhibit angiogenesis, called antiangiogenic substances.

​Scientists have discovered that when the process of angiogenesis is out of balance creating either too few or too many blood vessels, a variety of diseases can occur. For example, if your body cant produce enough blood vessels when you’ve been cut, the wound won’t heal properly. Too few blood vessels can also lead to poor circulations and diseases such as coronary artery disease and stroke. Too many blood vessels, on the other hand, cause a different type of problem, leading to diseases such as obesity, arthritis and cancer. Angiogenesis, or the growth of too many blood vessels is related to every type of cancer (Li, 2010).
Just as a person cannot grow and flourish without oxygen and nutrition, neither can cancer cells. So, where do they get their nutrition? It is delivered by the blood vessels, cancerous tumors would not be able to grow beyond the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen! This means that by blocking angiogenesis, we can literally “starve” tumor cells of the nutrients they need to grow and turn dangerous (Li,2010).
The problem is that cancer cells can actually release factors that turn on angiogenesis, providing themselves with the nutrition they need to thrive. The blood vessels formed during angiogenesis also create a “superhighway” for the cancer cells to enter into the bloodstream, enabling them to metastasize (Li, 2010).
The promising news is that certain drugs and dietary ingredients are antiangiogenic, meaning that they block angiogenesis and cut off the supply of nutrients to the cancer cells. Antiangiogenic therapies have been used to treat various types of cancers, including mast cell tumors, in more than 600 dogs, with an overall 60% response rate (Li, 2010).
Interestingly, researchers have found that nutritional ingredients were in many cases as successful as-or even more successful than-drugs to reduce angiogenesis (Li, 2010).
Here are a few “dog approved” antiangiogenic foods to add to your canine companion’s anti-cancer diet:

• Apples
• Artichokes
• Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• Bok choy
• Cherries
• Curcumin
• Ginseng
• Kale
• Lavender
• Maitake mushrooms (medicinal mushrooms)
• Olive oil
• Parsley
• Pumpkin
• Sea cucumber

(Li, 2010)
Other antiangiogenic foods exist that are not safe for dogs (e.g., grapes. nutmeg and dark chocolate) and so we have not included them here; but you can certainly feel free to take advantage of their cancer-protective effects!
And since fat tissue is dependent upon angiogenesis, feeding antiangiogenic foods will also help keep your dog at a healthy weight- which is essential to fighting cancer and all disease (Li, 2010).
 
*For sources of quality antiangiogenic food/ supplements please contact us and we will help pick the right ones for your pet.*
 

With this one I’ll get right to the point- No.
All probiotics are definitely not created equal, and how can they be with so many strains and different species of bacteria and yet, there is a lot of variety out on the market when it comes to probiotic supplements and even foods that contain live bacterial cultures.
When it comes to food choices you have things like yogurt, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, etc. All great choices as food grade probiotics, I personally like coconut milk kefir, not only because it’s dairy free and I make it myself and it tastes delicious, but because of how it makes me feel.
However, I want to shed some light on probiotic supplements because let’s face it, when you need it, you need it!
 
Interestingly, when I started my career in the nutraceutical industry what was boasted as the ‘best’ at the time was to look for probiotics on the market with many different strains, in fact the more strains the better! When it came to the bacteria count, again the more the better. You see as high as 100 billion count with more that 8, 10, 15+ strains on the market, so is more really better?
What if I told you the probiotics I’ve had the most success with, both using myself and recommending to others with tremendous success had no more that 2-3 strains!
Crazy I know! That is because I don’t quite frankly care about the quantity of what I’m getting, rather, I care about performance.
I care about what specific strains do in the gut, can they even last in the gut? Do they cancel each other out in the gut? And if I’m taking in a probiotic that has a rainbow of strains, how do we know they’re actually not competing with each other? Remember this is live bacteria we are talking about. For example, let’s look at the three strains Bacillus mesentericus, Clostridium butyricum and Streptococcus faecalis, these three strains have been actually studied together for over 60 years in Japan, and they found that not only did they not cancel each other out, they actually boost each other, ‘they play well in the sand box’ to put in other words. That is called a symbiotic relationship. Not only are they extremely effective, but they actually inhibit bad bacterial growth, which is something we need to really consider when shopping for probiotics, how do you know the components in there aren’t feeding the bad guys?! Scary I know…
Look for probiotics that have the strains studied together, not apart, and remember that more does not always necessarily mean better.

If you are unsure what probiotics are best for your pet at their current stage in their health and wellness journey, come see us, we would be happy to discuss bacteria with you! The good that is ;)
 
 

This is my home-made organic fruit and vegetable medley I make for my pets for a number of reasons;
​
To boost their nutrition intake, adding a source of prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, and to add extra calories to their food as a way of ‘bulking’ up their diet. For those who think that they ‘don’t need vegetables’ have neglected to do their homework. In fact, a very well-known holistic veterinarian has even gone as far as saying fruit and vegetables should make up to 25% of their diet- even though industry standards say no more than 15%!
So here it is;

• 1 cup broccoli or cauliflower
• 1 cup carrots
• ½ cup spinach or kale
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• ½ tsp. turmeric (optional)

Gently steam vegetables. Pour cooked vegetables in blender with liquid and add 1 banana.
Stores in refrigerator for 5 days or can pour in molds and freeze for long term use.
Great as frozen treats or to accompany meals.
‘Bone’-Appetite!