Breed booklets are focused on the proactive care of your dog. They provide an overview of genetic diseases in your breed, symptoms, most common treatments, what a good vet will check for, and how dietary measures and supplements can help to prevent some problems. The dietary information applies to all methods of feeding (commercial, cooked or raw). Rather than pointing to specific diets, we believe that certain dietary principles and specific supplements can be the key to having healthier dogs. The GSD booklet is different from the others. Due to this wonderful breed having more genetic diseases than some other breeds, Dr. Cormier and I decided to list the diseases, but they are not described and neither are the treatments. We felt strongly that while you can search for information about these diseases on the Internet, your dog would benefit most from proactive dietary approaches. For this reason, the GSD booklet is heavily focused on nutritional aspects.

If you’ve been following breed booklet announcements and don’t see you breed listed, we thank you for your patience. Dr. Cormier and I will have your booklet ready as soon as possible. We’ve already written about the Airedale Terrier, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Shepherd, Basset Hound, Beagle, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bichon Frise, Border Collie, Boxer, Bouvier, Bullmastiff, Cairn Terrier, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Doberman Pinscher, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Labrador Retriever, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Miniature Poodle Newfoundland, Portuguese Water Dog, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Shetland Sheep Dog, Shih Tzu, Siberian Husky, Standard Poodle, and Toy Poodle.

New Primrose Packaging

If you already use our primrose oil, you know that the quality can’t be surpassed. We’re happy to announce that there are now 120 capsules per bottle, which means that for just pennies more, you’re getting double the amount of 500 mg capsules! This incredible value for a top-notch product is possible because we committed to thousands of bottles per year, and we’re pleased to be able to pass the savings on to our customers. Thanks for your support!

Tip: Shipping costs are based on the weight of a package, but every carrier has a minimum price regardless of what a package weighs. So, the freight cost can be high if you order just one bottle of a supplement. Order more bottles and the freight per bottle is far less. Often, you can buy 2 or even 3 bottles for the same freight charge or just pennies more.

Fact of the Month
Bioflavanoids are powerful

Bioflavanoids are naturally occurring compounds found in fruits, vegetables and legumes. The study of bioflavanoids is ongoing and over 4,000 flavanoid compounds have been classified at this time. They have antioxidant properties, and help strengthen the walls of major and minor blood vessels. While you can buy bioflavanoid supplements, fresh foods offer more choices and allow you to feed what a dog tolerates. Common dietary sources of a variety of bioflavanoids include parsley, citrus fruit, berries and legumes. Parsley can cause your dog to urinate more frequently, so add this in small amounts. Citrus fruits make good treats, but don’t forget that the peel offers even more benefit. Wash the fruit well, finely grate some peel and add a little to the dog’s food. My own dog is particularly fond of small amounts of lemon zest. Berries can be expensive at certain times of the year, and those that travel across the country from the farm to your grocery store may not have the nutrient value expected whether they were grown organically or not. Frozen berries are an excellent option when local berries are out of season. They’ve been picked at their peak of ripeness and nutrient values are good. Legumes cause some dogs to have gas. Soak them for several hours, drain the water and boil them in fresh water. This process minimizes gas. If you prefer canned legumes, remember to rinse them several times. This reduces the sodium content somewhat and might cause less gas as well. Keep carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, chard, red tomatoes and broccoli in mind if you want to add classes of bio-molecules called carotenoids to your dog’s diet. These, as well as the foods listed above have anti-cancer properties. You can add any of these foods to your dog’s diet regardless of the feeding method you choose. Be sure to pulverize fruits and vegetables to ensure good digestion. People chew food well whereas dogs tend to be gulpers. For this reason, we need to perform the same action for them by using a food processor, grinder or juicer when we feed vegetables.

Tip: One of the benefits of some foods is that they have ant-inflammatory properties. This is an important feature for Tori because certain combinations of food seem to help her. I’ve started using a food processor to mash ¼ cup each of banana, blueberries and cooked broccoli or sweet potato. The resulting mash is added to a little yogurt. I add 1/4 tsp lemon, orange or tangerine zest and 1 TBS Antioxidant Booster, mix well and spoon this into ice cube trays. Tori (15-1/2 pds) eats 2 cubes weekly and seems to relish them.