Friday, May 4, 2012
Treat Your Pet to Good Health
Even though we act like it’s true, pets aren’t just like people. Ingesting empty-calorie snacks every once in a while can have a much greater impact on pets than humans, and not in a good way. Even feeding a diet of premium food may not offset the potential damage of ingesting “junk foods”, which often contain unsavory ingredients including artificial flavors and colors. In this particular health equation, it isn’t just a matter of subtraction (or taking away the bad stuff). Thanks to Dr. Jane’s wholesome recipes, you can actually add nutrients to your companion animal’s daily intake. In this episode of Pet Talk, Dr. Sarah reveals how simple it is to make a positive change. If you want to provide your fur kids with the best possible nutritional advantage, you owe it to yourself to watch the latest episode right now. And, please, share this vital message with your friends and family, too!
The Promise of Probiotics
Forty years ago, the famous Australian virologist Sir Macfarlane Burnett said, regarding antibiotics, that “By the late twentieth century, we can anticipate the virtual elimination of infectious diseases as a significant factor in social life.”
Unfortunately, his prediction proved utterly wrong.
In the last couple of decades, we’ve seen the development of superbugs – bacteria that are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, which has left researchers scrambling for solutions. Even a few years ago, our focus was on the targeted elimination of specific bacteria through the use of antibiotics. In an unforeseen consequence, the prevalent usage of these medications has altered entire bacterial populations. This change represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of both humans and companion animals. Fortunately, there is a tool in our arsenal to help us all lead healthier lives.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Three Toothsome Tips for Canine Dental Health
You may be groaning inwardly at another post on canine periodontal disease, but the doggone truth is, many of us pet parents could stand to freshen up on the topic. That’s not a guess, it’s a fact: 17 out of 20 dogs over the age of three have some level of periodontal disease that needs treatment. One of the most common canine diseases, it’s also one of the most easily prevented. Dental disease not only “stinks” at the source, it’s also known to negatively impact the health of the whole body. It’s not a stretch to say that to have true wellness, your dog’s teeth and gums need to be as healthy as possible. I know all of you are busy, so I’ll briefly cover the three most salient points to remember when it comes to canine dental care. You might want to take notes, or simply print this out for reference, as there will be an oral exam. At least, I certainly hope so!
1. Dental Disease Can Be Painful, Even Deadly
I’m sure all of you know that dental disease causes “doggie breath”, but you may not be aware that chronic inflammation can cause pain, lead to infections, and serves as a precursor to much more serious issues. For instance, severe periodontal disease is significantly correlated with increased risk of heart disease, such as infected heart valves (Glickman et al., 2009). Chronically inflamed and infected gums also increase the risk for kidney disease, limiting the amount of toxins they can purify from the blood (Glickman et al., 2011). I’d ask that you keep in mind that inflamed and infected gums are just as painful for dogs as they are for humans, potentially lowering your companion animal’s quality of life. The bottom line is, a healthier mouth makes for a happier dog!
Talking About Ticks (video)
If ticks were human-size, they’d be one of the scariest creatures on the planet. Even though ticks are tiny, they’re still an awful nuisance, especially if you don’t know how to minimize contact and the damage they can inflict if contact occurs. Over the course of the last couple of decades, large swaths of the U.S. have been churning out bumper crops of ticks, even in urban areas, and tick season is right around the corner. Thank goodness we have Dr. Sarah on-hand to clear up misconceptions about these little blood-suckers and to share helpful tips for dealing with these creepy-crawlies. If you and your companion animals plan to spend any time outdoors over the next few months, be sure to watch the latest episode of Pet Talk right now. And, please, share this video with your friends and family!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Rudy the cat
I just wanted to thank you guys for producing a quality pet food. I’ll never go back to a low-quality brand.
Just over a year ago my husband brought home a kitten for my birthday. We had adopted him from a household that feeds neighborhood cats and takes in injured and sick strays, nurses them, spays/neuters, and sends them back out when they’re healthy or tries to get them adopted if they’re clearly cut of the indoor kitty mold.
Our cat, Rudy, was tiny and scared when we brought him and all his extra toes home (he’s a heckuva polydactyl totaling 23 very cute toes in all). When the rescue house had taken him in, he was malnourished and very sick and so small they guessed him at about 3 weeks old and bottle fed him! We adopted him at the estimated age of 3 months only to find out he was at least 6 months old and FeLV positive. The doc told us not to expect him to live more than two years at best, so we put a lot of time and energy into getting him to play and grow and eat as much as possible.
Maddie the rescue dog!
Our family just rescued a 3yr old Weimaraner that was being ‘abused’ by the dogs that she lived with, and she had recently had a litter of puppies. Her hair was about fifty percent gone from stress, she smelled bad, and had little bumps all over. I had seen FRR on the Internet and decided to try it. It arrived two days after our dog, she was refusing to eat anything at all, but when the FRR arrived she ate an entire bowl of it. Her hair is already coming back in great, she even is starting to get compliments from people at the dog park!
Today our new bag arrived, this time the fish and chips, well Maddie was literally biting the bag before I could even get it out of the box. She still has some Lamb Meal, Millet & Rice left but I opened the new bag to give her a taste, I practically had to fight her off of it, I gave her a handful and she gobbled it up like she was starving! Thank you so much Flint River Ranch for the great products, Maddie loves them and I love the wonderful customer service and FAST shipping (my orders get here about two days after I order them and I am in Nevada) we can’t sing your praises enough and I will recommend your products to all that I know! Our beautiful rescue dog is only getting better every day and we have you to thank for it!
-Evans Family
Vinny, Lulu & Pearl
Our Aunt Peggy brought us your Trout & Potato Dog treats, from Atlanta to Newport, Rhode Island, when she came to visit us at Christmastime. WE LOVED THEM!
When she got back home, she sent us your trout & potato dog food. WE LOVE IT! Thanks to Aunt Peggy and Flint River Ranch.
Thank you, Thank you, thank you!
Vinny, Lulu & Pearl
Cody loves Flint River Ranch
Just wanted to let you know that I am so impressed with the quality of your Dog Food that I have added my Mom’s dog and my Dad’s dog to my autoship program. Each recently got new dogs and I wanted to help them out with healthy food for their new pets.
I love the Autoship program, I don’t have to remember when it’s time to re-order and I never run out of fresh food.
Cody recently had a Vet checkup and the Vet was thoroughly impressed with his overall health. Cody loves Flint River Ranch Fish and Chips Formula Dog Food. The Vet asked me how often we have his teeth cleaned, I responded that we haven’t had them cleaned. He didn’t believe me. Cody has never had any breath odor at all. We only feed him FRR Fish & Chips. Cody weighs in at a healthy 72 pounds and we only feed him 1 cup twice a day! The Vet said we may want to consider REDUCING the quantity slightly. One cup of food sure doesn’t look like much in a dog bowl, but apparently there is more than enough nutrition to keep him healthy and satisfied. I originally thought that FRR foods were more expensive than store bought foods. Now, I firmly believe that a healthier dog is less expensive to maintain and far outweighs the minimal difference in cost of purchasing a healthier food.
Dave, NE Ohio
Molly
Molly was adopted on Mother’s Day 2009 from a bad shelter in Northern California. She shed tons of prickly white hairs in her first few months with us. But once she began eating Flint River Ranch her coat is shinny and healthy. She didn’t really need more energy since she is a smooth fox terrier, but we know from feeding FRR to our past pets that this is the best food we could get for her. She is our girl, we love her and a great big Thank You that we know reputable, conscientious folks are making great food for our furry kids.
Sincerely, H Thomson
Luna loves Kibble
Dear Flint River Ranch,
Our 2 yr old Border Collie/Black Lab mix Luna just loves the original formula of FRR kibble. When the new shipment arrives she sniffs the box until we get the bag out and then has to be the first to sample a mouthful of fresh morsels. She likes the bigger pieces best and loves a challenge, so we usually stuff her Kong with them and let her work them out. In the photo here she just could not wait and had to dig right in. Thank you for making such a great quality product – it shows in her shiny fur how good it is.
We adopted Luna at 4 months of age, she was a rescue found at an Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon. She came to us with various intestinal parasites, to include giardia and salmon poisoning. She has already had surgeries for elbow dysplasia and root canals but is finally (knock on wood) healthy. She is the star of the household, and her only remaining issue is a beef allergy. The FRR food has always been tolerated wonderfully by her belly, and she looks forward to it every day.
With sincere appreciation from Oregon,
Brian, Annie and Luna Jenkins
