By Julie Bawden-Davis for Pawalla

While you nourish your own body with healthy foods, it only makes sense that you want to do the same for your furry friend. Increasingly popular all-natural pet foods allow you to make a positive contribution to the health and well-being of your pet.

“Just as people are more knowledgeable about what they’re consuming, they’re also becoming more aware of what they’re putting in the mouths of their pets,” says veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker, who runs the Natural Pet Animal Hospital & Apawthecary in Bourbonnais, Illinois and is author of Dr. Becker's Real Food for Healthy Dogs & Cats.

“The 2007 melamine recall also stirred thousands of people out of ignorance, leading to the recognition that you cannot trust a pet food company simply because your parents and grandparents told you to feed a specific brand of food,” she says. “Pet owners are becoming educated about appropriate as well as unnecessary ingredients in pet foods.”
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By Bonnie McCarthy for Pawalla

Brian Taplinger was driving down Greens Farm Road in Westport, CT., his terrier ridingshotgun, when his Volvo swerved and hit an oncoming Acura head on. The driver of that car, 70-year-old Geoffrey Reynolds, died as a result, and Taplinger was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle.

He confessed to police that his dog had jumped into his lap at the time of the accident and caused him to lose control of the car.

Although most states don’t require pets to buckle up, there is evidence, both factual and anecdotal, that suggests perhaps we should.

Did you know that an 80-pound dog in a 30 mile crash is thrown with 2,400 pounds of force?  Or that a 10-pound dog in a crash at 50 mph will exert approximately 500 lbs. of force? Most people don’t. In fact, in a 2011 survey of dog owners who have ridden with a dog in the car, 23 percent said they have “used their hands or arms to hold their dog in place while applying the brakes.” Continue Reading

We'd like to introduce Jagger, the lucky winner of a Pawalla gift subscription. The great folks at Fabulous & Frugal recently asked their readers to send in stories about the most expensive thing their pet every destroyed. Read about Jagger's path of destruction from Erika, Jagger's pet parent, below. Who would have thought such an adorable pup could get into so much mischief?!
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By Julie Bawden-Davis for Pawalla

Which Flowers & Plants are Dangerous - or Deadly - to your Pet?

When Amy Dee brought sweet pea flowers (Lathyrus latifolius) into her home to enjoy their sweet aroma, she had no idea that the floral bouquet would threaten her cat’s life.

"One day Butterscotch started vomiting and was lethargic, so I rushed her into the vet,” she says. “They asked if she’d eaten anything unusual, and I told them about the sweet peas. I was shocked to find out that sweet peas are toxic to cats. Fortunately, the vet was able to save her life.”

Toxic plants
Pets, especially puppies and kittens, like to chew on plants. While many plants are harmless, certain types of plants are toxic and potentially fatal, says veterinarian Jeff Horner, DVM, with Orange Veterinary Hospital in Orange, Calif.

“Puppies chew on oleander limbs and trunks for a couple of weeks and then collapse. By the time I see them, it’s usually too late, because their hearts are damaged,” he says. “Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow (Brunfelsia pauciflora) is another deadly plant, which causes seizures. When people realize what has happened, the animal’s liver is usually damaged beyond repair.”

Lilies are another common plant often brought into the home for their pleasant aroma, and many people are surprised to find that they cause renal failure in cats.

Other plants contain microscopic crystals in their leaf juices that are akin to tiny needles or splinters of glass. When the plants are chewed, intense mouth pain, irritation, swelling and drooling can occur. And in large quantities, these plants can also cause more serious poisoning.
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By Julie Bawden-Davis for Pawalla

With hot weather here, overexertion, such as heat stroke, becomes a very real threat for your dog. Eager to please their masters, many dogs keep going long after they should. When they do stop, they physically can't go any further, and at that point they are in serious jeopardy.

It’s up to you to protect your dog and prevent overexertion from taking place.

Dog Bodies are Unique

The furry bodies of dogs don’t have many active sweat glands. They possess a limited number of sweat glands on their feet and in their nose and ears, relying instead on panting to regulate their body temperature, usually keeping it between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees. As a dog pants, air passes over the saliva on the tongue, cooling the blood in the tongue, which is then circulated throughout the body.

Dangers of Overexertion

Heat stroke occurs when the dog’s body cannot cool down and regulate itself. Temperatures of 106 degrees F or higher are considered heat stroke, and this drastic elevation in temperature can lead to disastrous consequences for your dog, including multiple organ dysfunction and failure.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

Signs that your dog has experienced overexertion and is suffering from heat stroke include excessive panting, especially with the tongue hyper-extended, dark red or purple gums, trouble breathing, apparent weakness and muscle twitching, and in more severe cases, lack of coordination, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, convulsions and even collapse. Continue Reading

By James O'Brien for Pawalla

What if you reached into the fridge every day and took out exactly the same thing for lunch?

What if you chopped exactly the same vegetables and mixed together precisely the same ingredients for every dinner?

Answer: you'd get pretty bored of what you were eating, pretty quick, and you'd start facing mealtime with frustration.

If you think about it, the same thing is true for your pet partner: dog or cat. Two legs or four, it's hard to imagine getting excited about the same exact grub, every meal.

Furthermore, it's about nutrition. This isn't a new idea.

Helen M. Davis, writing about animal food studies in the middle of the last century, included this conclusion in Science News Letter: "The vitamins required by the animals are the same as those now essential for human nutrition . . . a well-balanced diet . . . with reasonable assurance that a varied diet . . . will assure an adequate vitamin allowance." Continue Reading

By Julie Bawden-Davis for Pawalla

When Nila Yousufi got her miniature poodle Sia a year ago, she decided to buy pet insurance.
“I’d heard horror stories from friends of having to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills, so I decided to play it safe and get insurance,” she says. “I pay $35 a month for a plan that covers basic medical care, including office visits, a percentage off surgery, and it completely covered her shots and neutering.”

Katie Weissberg has owned nine cats over the years, but never purchased health insurance, because the plans she looked at only covered major medical issues. In retrospect, however, she suspects it would have been a good idea.
“One of my cats had a tumor removed, which included three surgeries, and I definitely could have used the insurance for that,” she says. “You just never know if your pet is going to have a freak accident or get sick.”
Benefits
Hopefully you'll never need it, but if you do, pet insurance can mean the difference between affording an important procedure for your pet or settling for an inferior, less expensive treatment option. Continue Reading

By Dr. Susan Lauten, Pawalla Pet Nutritionist

Sure Milo loves that tattered catnip mouse, but does it really contribute to his health? Yes!

In a previous post, I discussed the benefits of wet foods, the foundation of a balanced routine for keeping pets healthy and happy. In this follow-up post, I will discuss other components of a healthy routine - supplements, treats, and toys.

Supplements can support and improve our pets’ health in many ways. For instance, it is known that antioxidants can slow and reverse the signs of aging in dogs. Antioxidants can help avoid tissue damage and reduce the risks of cancer. The addition of certain supplements can improve liver or heart health in our dogs and cats. Animals with kidney disease can benefit from the addition of certain vitamins. Healthy, active, working or sporting dogs can benefit from nutrients that provide the energy required for a full day of play or work and still be ready for the next fun-filled day. Some multivitamins can be safe supplements for all ages. Joint supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, green lipped mussel, and fish oils are all important to the aging fur family member. The benefits of these products can increase the mobility of the aged dog. Let’s not forget cats here too - cats also suffer from hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis.

Treats are also part of pet health, namely mental and emotional health. Provided they are used specifically as treats, the emotional bond that is displayed as part of the play between pet parent and family is priceless at treat time. Our pets will put on their best show to convince us they deserve the treat and we will adorn them with love and praise. Overuse of treats can lead to obesity, so reserve them for once a day. Yes, treats are part of the overall health of your furry friends... Continue Reading

By Dr. Susan Lauten, Pawalla Pet Nutritionist

What do wet (canned) foods, treats, supplements, and toys have in common?  They are all components of a balanced routine for keeping our loving pets happy and healthy.  The first component, wet food, forms the core of that routine and the topic of this post.

A key benefit of wet foods is that they offer pets excellent nutrition that includes water. Water is a major nutrient, and a lack of water is detrimental.  In fact, dehydration can quickly lead to a life threatening situation. Dry foods contain almost no water, making water intake a primary factor in caring for our pets, young and old. Pets on a dry food diet must drink significantly more to supply the water necessary for their health. Dry dog and cat foods are sometimes chosen because they are easy to store and may be less expensive, but they may not be the best choice.

Because of the desert ancestry of cats, nutritionists now recommend canned cat foods in lieu of, or in addition to dry foods. Although dogs will eagerly drink required amounts of water, the question is whether they have access to adequate clean fresh water at all times. Dogs may be confined when their pet parents are at work, and/or dogs may sleep in crates overnight. We may not realize how much water access is limited. Less active dogs may not be as eager to get up to drink water, leaving them at risk for reduced water intake. Wet foods or a combination of wet and dry foods may be the answer for dogs as well.

The canning process also provides more ingredient ratio choices.  More fresh meat with little or no grain ingredients can be chosen.  Fresh vegetables can be included in unlimited quantities for those who seek a lower calorie food.  The amount of fat in canned foods can also be controlled.  Recent studies recommend low fat foods for dogs with GI sensitivities.  Food mites, a challenge to storing dry foods, are not a problem with canned products. Improving your pet’s diet can be so easy with the addition of canned foods!