Losing a furry friend can be a heartbreaking experience, not just for humans but it can be equally upsetting to our canine companions. Dogs are incredibly social and sensitive creatures, and they too can feel the pain of losing a mate. They experience a range of emotions including joy, fear, sadness and even empathy. While their emotional range may not be as complex as humans’, dogs can still form strong bonds with their owners and mates, and show signs of affection, loyalty and distress.  ..read more

* Resource guarding in dogs is a natural behaviour that occurs when a dog becomes insecure and/or anxious in specific situations, leading them to feel the need to protect something they perceive as their possession. * They become defensive and protective over items, belongings, or even people that they value. * The intensity of this behaviour increases with practice. * As dogs mature, the signs of resource guarding become more apparent. * It is crucial to understand the reasons and triggers behind dog resource guarding ..read more

Bugs such as bacteria and viruses as well as parasites such as fleas and worms are common in the lives of our animals and in fact, many of these unwanted residents live normally on or in the bodies of our animals. With any infection, there are two main factors allowing for progression. Firstly, the susceptibility of the host (animal) and secondly the virulence (ability to cause disease) of the bug ..read more

As you may have noticed, dogs just love to lick humans! Why all this licking and should you stop your dog from doing it? - The jury is out on what a dog’s licking actually means. Believe it or not, what you interpret as affection might, in fact, be your dog encouraging you to throw up your lunch for them. Researchers of wild canids (wolves, coyotes, foxes and other wild dogs) report that puppies lick the face and muzzle of their mother when she returns from a hunt to her den, in order to get her to regurgitate food for them. This is how puppies transition from suckling their mother’s milk to e ..read more

WHY IS GUT HEALTH SO IMPORTANT? The gut is our first line of defence against the outside world. The bulk of our immune system resides there. A healthy gut is required for good health. There are two major and increasingly common conditions negatively affecting the gut health of people and pets: leaky gut and dysbiosis. The two conditions are inter-connected. LEAKY GUT Increased intestinal permeability is also known as leaky gut. 'Leaky gut' refers to the ability of the gut wall to regulate what crosses over into our circulation, and what is kept out and excreted from the body ..read more

If you’ve ever witnessed your dog eating poop, you probably wondered if there’s a nutritional deficiency or mental problem that’s causing this behaviour. You likely find it upsetting or even revolting, but it may just be canine nature. So many dogs eat faeces that veterinarians consider stool eating normal doggy behaviour. The tendency of some dogs to eat their own poop or that of other animals has a scientific name: Coprophagia. Here are some of the reasons why your dog may be engaging in this behaviour: - It’s in a dog’s DNA to eat poop. Eating of fresh stools is a reflection of an innate pr ..read more

The kidneys are essential organs that work to remove waste products from the bloodstream, regulate the levels of certain nutrients such as potassium and sodium, conserve water and produce urine. The kidneys have a large amount of spare capacity to perform their various functions so at least two-thirds (67% to 70%) of the kidneys must be damaged before signs of kidney (renal) disease are easily seen. In many cases, this means that the damage to the kidneys has been occurring over a number of months or even years (chronic) before failure is evident. Chronic renal failure (CRF) is mainly a proble ..read more

There are a number of reasons why dogs eat grass: - Dogs eat grass to fill a void in their nutrition, usually when they’re lacking fibre. Roughage helps stimulate the intestinal tract and is a vital part of their diet. On the chance that your dog’s behaviour is caused by a nutritional deficiency, switching to a better dog food, especially a high-fibre variety, could help alleviate the problem. - To induce vomiting if they feel unwell, or to relieve themselves of an upset stomach. - By eating grass on a regular basis, they can prevent a build-up of worms by purging their system of these parasit ..read more

Because we rely heavily on the immune system to help prevent cancer from occurring, many of the tips that I’ve shared before to support the immune system are also applicable to help prevent cancer: 1) Avoid risk factors: Certain things can make cancer more of a risk. For example, cats with white ears and white noses and some breeds of dog with white skin on their bellies can be prone to getting a type of cancer called Squamous Cell Carcinoma when they are exposed to the sun. Avoiding excessive sun at the times of day when the sun is at its peak will help with prevention ..read more