Your dog's health and welfare Archives : Judy's Dog Report

Final planning before getting a dog – part 5 of 5

Final planning before getting a cute dog like this one.

Welcome to the final segment of my 5-part series. In this final instalment, I will discuss the importance of final planning before getting a dog. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the previous posts to get a comprehensive understanding of what to consider before bringing a furry friend into your home. You can find the full series in “5 things to know before getting a dog“.

While it may not be the most pleasant topic to consider, planning for your dog’s future care is an essential responsibility of being a dog owner. By identifying a caretaker and preparing your dog for the transition, you can ensure that they are taken care of even when you’re not around. So, let’s dive in and explore what you need to know about final planning before getting a dog.

Research pet services before getting a dog.

Always research pet care services before bringing home a sweet dog like this one.

Research ethical pet care services before getting a dog

By now I hope you have read parts 1 through 3 of this 5-part series that explains the 5 things you need to know before getting a dog. In this 4th segment of this series, you will learn how to research pet care services before getting a dog.

As you prepare to welcome a dog into your home, I recommend that you research to find ethical pet care services. Not all pet care services will ensure that your dog is safe while in their care. So I refer to ones that provide a caring and safe environment for your dog as ethical pet care services. And if you research this in advance, you will give your self the time to contact the various services and ask them questions to be able to choose the ones that are safe for your pet.

You can get online veterinarian services 24/7!

Dogs can stay healthy with online veterinarian services.

As a dog parent, you hope your dog will never need medical care, beyond the basics. Your life is already busy enough just powering through your work days, and then dedicating precious time for your family and dogs! So I am about to share a new online vet service that allows you the flexibility to access convenient, exceptional online veterinarian services should you need them!

Please see my affiliate program disclosure at the end of this blog.

Why use online veterinarian services?

And you might be wondering: why go online for veterinarian services? Especially if you are aware of a number of clinics right in your own neighbourhood! One reason is the typical delay in getting an appointment quickly, especially if the need is not urgent. And another reason is the isolation and loneliness of people during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. This has sparked a sudden explosion of new pet parents and a corresponding scarcity of veterinarian services. In fact, many clinics are so booked up that they are not accepting new clients at all!

A dog grooming table to use at home!

This is the small size PawHut dog grooming table that I used to groom my mini-poodle.

Grooming your dog at home during COVID-19 second wave!

As you may recall, last spring I wrote a two-part series on grooming your dog during COVID-19 because dog groomers were closed. And again due to the pandemic, dog groomers are shuttered in many regions.

Given that I must get used to grooming Roxy myself for a while yet, I wanted to make the process easier for both of us. So I decided I should get a dog grooming table that is designed for home use. And honestly, I never thought that I would want a dog grooming table! Mostly because I thought it would be too expensive and take up too much space to store it. But then I found myself needing one under these unusual circumstances.

Dog Rescue Agencies: How to find the good ones!

In this post, you will learn how the dog rescue industry operates, how to recognize fraudulent pet rescue organizations, and how to locate good quality agencies to find the right dog for you!

This cute dog was rescued when he was 6 years old in 2014! He's he's now 12 years old and is happy and healthy in his forever home 6 years later!

So you have decided to rescue a dog from a shelter? That’s pretty exciting to know that you will be adopting a dog in need of a forever home!

In the initial blog of this series, I discussed how to recognize puppy mills and backyard breeders. And I provided some tips on how to search for a reputable breeder if you were planning on buying a puppy. So now in the second post of this three-part series, I will provide you with some guidelines on how to avoid unethical and mismanaged dog rescue agencies. Plus I will provide you tips on how to find a high-quality dog rescue organization.

And it’s important to understand that when planning to rescue a dog, you need to be patient and dedicate some time to find the right dog from a good quality agency. Be prepared for some disappointment along the way. But if you keep at it, you will increase the odds of finding the right dog for you!

Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders: Avoid them.

Puppies could be from puppy mills and backyard breeders

You decided to get a puppy

So you have decided that you want to bring a dog into your life! Maybe you currently have a dog and are planning to add a puppy into your home. That can be a wonderful thing! But it’s a complicated world these days! Continue reading this blog to help you recognize and avoid puppy mills, backyard breeders and illegal individual criminals selling puppies.

The demand for companion dogs in North America has exploded in the last 10 years. And even more so during these isolating times of Coronavirus. This heightened desire for companion dogs has consequently driven up the volume of puppy mills, backyard breeders and criminal dog trade activity.

A dog grooming brush-blow dryer

Recently, I took you on my journey of grooming Roxy while dog groomers were closed down due to COVID-19. Well since then I learned about a dog grooming 2-in-1 brush-blow dryer, and I had to test it out! So I ordered it from Amazon.

Ownpets 2-in-1 Pet Blow Dryer

A dog grooming 2-in-1 brush and blow dryer combined!

Beautiful summer weather invites our dogs to roll in the grass, among many other messy canine activities! So I knew that Roxy was going to need a bath before her next grooming appointment. But every time she had a bath, it was always difficult to blow dry her fur. It required holding a brush in one hand, and holding the blow dryer in the other hand. This two-handed method meant I had to periodically stop blow drying in order to brush through tangles. And only then could I resume blow drying her fur.

Keeping your dog cool in the heat of summer

Summer is here. And it’s hot! So here’s a few ideas for keeping your dog cool in the heat of summer!

Cute Mini Schnauzer rolling in the grass to stay cool on a hot summer day.

Keeping your dog cool by doing this with your water bottles:

Over my many years of working with dogs, I learned most dogs will not drink warm water during a walk. And I could relate to that! I didn’t want to drink warm water on our walks either! Even when I placed some ice cubes in my water bottle, the content warmed up very quickly in hot weather. So I came up with a simple method to keep the water in my water bottle cold for over an hour!

Dog Nutrition Part IV – What’s on Roxy’s menu?

So today, my final dog nutrition part IV in the series is all about what’s on Roxy’s menu! Up to now you have learned about why processed pet food is unhealthy and what other options are available? And also how to approach buying non-processed dog food.

How I created the best dog nutrition menu for Roxy.

If you have read through my previous 3 dog nutrition blogs, you will not be surprised that my primary choice for Roxy is raw food. This is because dogs’ digestion systems are designed to deal with it safely and efficiently. Raw food is also my first pick, because it provides superior nourishment to cooking the nutrients out of the food. High quality fresh frozen raw food purchased from my trusted pet specialist is balanced with the right proportions of muscle, bone and organs for needed for optimal dog digestion. That way, I can be sure I’ve got the correct ratios.

And, surprisingly, it can be the least expensive, except for maybe home-cooked meals. But feeding home-cooked meals to your dog requires much more planning. You must buy and formulate the right nutritional ratios of all the ingredients. If you select, buy, apportion and then cook the food, you will spend more time and effort. It’s simpler to buy the fresh frozen food from your local dog food expert as I do for Roxy.

Why also serve freeze-dried or air-dried raw food?

This all being said, I also wanted Roxy to be able to digest something other than fresh frozen raw food. So I have included the freeze-dried Stella and Chewy and the air-dried Ziwi Peak raw foods in her diet for the following reasons:

Buying non-processed dog food – Dog Nutrition Part III

In this blog, you will learn how to buy non-processed dog food! I’ll answer the following questions: Where do you buy these raw foods? How do you decide which type and how much? How do you introduce raw food to your pet? What are the cost comparisons? Are there any risks to feeding raw?

So far in my previous two blogs in the series, you learned about why processed dog food is unhealthy and then, what are the non-processed alternative dog food options?

Where to begin buying non-processed raw dog food to ensure proper nutrition?

Karen Schiavone founded and has operated Barkside Bistro in Toronto for a number of years. I have been purchasing high-quality frozen commercial raw dog food from her at Barkside since 2014. On Karen’s website, she indicates that her mission is to “strive to offer products that have been carefully selected, with consciousness towards environmental sustainability, and ethically responsible decisions.”

So I trusted that the brands from Barkside Bistro were sourced from companies that Ms. Shiavone personally vetted to be ethical, both environmentally and in their farming practices. And what I learned from Ms. Schiavone, is that a dog’s full nutritional requirements are obtained through 90% meat and organ content, with 10% bone content per meal. When you search online, you can see that most commercial raw dog food products contain this ratio.

Ms. Schiavone also obtains a health history for all new clients’ dogs, so that she can recommend the appropriate commercial raw food for the given dog’s health. Based on the dog’s medical and dietary needs, she also discusses possible supplements.