Oconomowoc – Blog
FEEDING THE WORKING DOG
Hello Friends! I am excited to share a success story with you all! Recently, I had the opportunity to help out K9 Shadow and his handler, CPL. Allison Clark from the West Allis Police Department, with a diet change to address problems they were having. K9 Shadow is a Dutch Shepherd that was imported from the Netherlands, then went to Jessifiany Canine Services to continue his training in narcotics detection, evidence recovery, tracking, area and building searches, and handler protection. When Allison and Shadow were partnered together in January of 2023, Allison noticed that Shadow was not utilizing his food well, causing him to be considerably underweight he also had itchy skin and a sensitive stomach.
I recommended she try Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Working Dog Formula. This company has some very good things going for it to maintain the quality and integrity of the ingredients in the bag. Dr. Gary Cotton says, “A pet food is only as good as the ingredients and process used to make it,” well said! Their ingredients are EU certified, EU certification is highly comprehensive and regulated for food safety and superior to the US standard. Best Breed is slow-cooked using a low-temperature extruding method ensuring the nutrients are not compromised, and the carbohydrates can be easily digested and absorbed. Another benefit is the fiber sources used that encourage a healthy environment for gut microbes. Goodbye, diarrhea!
There is a delicate balance in meeting the nutritional needs of the working dogs’ high energy requirements without loading up on highly inflammatory fats and grains, of which corn, wheat, and soy are the worst offenders. These grains have a high Omega 6 to low Omega 3 ratio and a heavy toxic load of herbicides and pesticides. Over time these chemicals and nutritional imbalances will disrupt the gut and allergy symptoms and irritable bowels will follow. This gut bacteria imbalance and inflammation can also cause overexcitement and irritability in the work due to stress and anxiety.
Important things to look at when evaluating a working diet are Protein, Fat, and Calories, but not all ingredients and manufacturing processes are created equally. We need to look deeper than that. If the dog can not digest the food, or the ingredients themselves cause unbalances and inflammation, the guaranteed analysis on the bag will not matter much in the long run, because dis-ease will follow.
Back to K9 Shadow, he is now up to his ideal working weight, his itchy skin has resolved, and no more digestive upset! Allison reports that he is able to fully focus on the work he loves to do, and he has the energy to do it!
CPL. Allison Clark and K9 Shadow, thank you for choosing Friends of Nature, we are honored to be able to continue supporting you along with the West Allis Police Department!
Kaye Huebner
Ways to Boost Natural Immunity
Hello Friends! With all the confusion as of late, concerning how to effectively prevent the spread of viruses, I thought this would be a good time to talk about supplements that boost the immune system naturally. The immune system works to attack any proteins that are non self, such as viruses, bad bacteria, protozoa, and even cancer cells. The first thing to consider when talking about improving immune response is diet. It is important to take a look at what your pet should be eating to fuel the body properly. Look at your pets teeth, the shape of the teeth will tell you what they should be eating. Carnivores have sharp pointed teeth designed for ripping and tearing meat, this would be our dogs and cats. Herbivores have flat teeth designed to grind plants, omnivores [...]
Our Most Recommended Cat Foods
Hi, Friends of Nature Followers! This week, we're going to be talking about our most recommended dry, canned and freeze-dried cat foods! N&D Our number one recommended dry food is N&D by Farmina. It's made in Italy, with out any GMO's and meat meals. Farmina only use fresh and dehydrated meats in their four different formulas: Grain Free with Pumpkin Standard Grain Free Quinoa Functional Low Grain Grain Free with added pumpkin helps with digestion. Quinoa Functional uses single exotic proteins. Quinoa contains high levels of protein as well as vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, and vitamin E. The low grain formula only uses oats and spelt. Neutered Formula Formula specifically for neutered adult cats. The first ingredient in this high protein, limited carbohydrate, and low fiber food is fresh quail. There aren't any grains or [...]
What Is Causing “The Trots”?
Hello Friends! This weeks topic is all about poop! Every spring and continuing through the summer, there a large number of dog owners that battle soft stools or intermittent diarrhea. Often, many remedies have been tried and it just keeps returning, or even gets worse! We are going to explore what may be causing this and share some tips for correcting it. As winter turns into spring, the snow and ice melt away and we say hello to our first culprit, Giardia. Giardia is a single celled protozoan parasite that can be found in ponds, lakes, and rivers, it can also be transmitted to your dog when he sniffs contaminated ground or feces where an infected animal has been. Diagnosis of Giardia is a challenge because false negatives are very common. It is not unusual [...]
Our Most Recommended Dog Foods
Hey, Friends of Nature Followers! This week, we're going to be talking about our most recommended dry, canned, and frozen diets. N&D Our number one recommended dry food is N&D by Farmina. It is made in Italy, without any GMO's or meat meals. Farmina only uses fresh and dehydrated meats in their four different formulas: Grain Free with Pumpkin Standard Grain Free Quinoa Functional Low Grain Grain Free with pumpkin added helps with digestion. Quinoa Functional uses single exotic proteins. Quinoa contains high levels of protein as well as vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, and vitamin E. The low grain formula uses only oats and spelt. No wheat, corn, or soy is used in any of the formulas. Nature's Logic Our second recommended dry food is Nature's Logic. Both the Original and the Distinction use millet, [...]
Welcome to the FON Oconomowoc Blog!
Greetings, Friends of Nature followers! The FON family is starting something new, a weekly blog which will be posted every Thursday! We wanted to start something that could reach out to our current customers, new customers, or anyone in our community. We're not just here to do our job, we're here to connect with you and your pets! We want to give back in the best way we can, by sharing our knowledge on pet care! Here you will see helpful nutrition information, new products, how-to videos, special FON events, and more! Don't forget the wild birds! We will also be sharing bird tips, top seeds, and seasonal products! Of course, we want to have some fun with this too! We'll be posting funny pictures of our pets and would love to include yours! Please [...]