Bath Time For Your K9 Companion

Some of us have lucked out with easy-going dogs when it comes to bath time. When it’s time for me to give Patrona a good washing, which is not too often (I bathe my dog every 3 to 4 months), I run the water at a lukewarm temperature and I also use a hand held shower head, to make things easy for me to rinse out my dog thoroughly in the hard to reach places such as under her arms, and back legs. I tell Patrona “inside” and she climbs into the bathtub on her own with no fuss. I soak her thoroughly and I give her a wash with the shampoo. The shampoo that I like to use is made by Sadie & Mitts, it gives my girl a nice clean smell and her fur is so silky smooth. I use the tip of my fingers to work in a proper lather with the shampoo. I start off at the back of her neck just behind her ears and I work my way down the neck to her chest, shoulders, front legs and paws, then I gradually work my way over to her back and under belly and back paws. I rinse her out and give her another wash with the conditioner, always making sure, that I properly rinse out so there’s no leftover residue. The times that I've rushed through her baths, her skin and fur got all flaky. So I've learnt to take my time with it! A good indicator that there’s no leftover shampoo or conditioner in her fur, is when the water runs clear from my dog, and her coat is no longer foamy. To safely wash her face without getting water in the ears or shampoo in the eyes, I soak a wash cloth and gently wipe around her eyes and in her ears without prodding too deep. After that, I take the wash cloth and lightly scrub around and under her muzzle. To dry my dog, I use a Drypet towel it’s made out of microfiber material, very soft to the touch, and super absorbent, it dries my dog in seconds.

For some dog owners bath time is a negative experience altogether, and not a task that is looked forward to. It’s always good to find ways to make bath time a pleasant experience for you and your dog, and before you know it, it will be another way to bond with your k9 companion. The following is my recommendation on how to make bath time something to look forward to and enjoyable.

Bath time: Making it into a pleasant experience.

Dogs know how to read your body language and have a great sense of picking up on your energy. They know when you’re relaxed, happy, sad, frustrated, agitated and tense. If bathing your dog is a negative experience for you, feeling frustrated or tensed up, it will in turn make your dog feel frustrated as well, and before you have even started to wash your dog, it has already started off as a negative experience. Stay calm and you’re dog will be calm, do not encourage any nervous energy or behavior.

How to wash your dog.

To wash your dog you will need:

• A Drypet towel
• A pet friendly shampoo such as Sadie & Mitts
• A hand held shower head 

Some people bathe their dogs in the bathtub, whilst others will bathe their dogs outdoors. If you are washing your dog in your bath tub make sure the temperature of the water is lukewarm. If you bathe your dog outside, make sure it’s not too cold for your dog’s comfort. Remember if you want this to be an enjoyable experience for yourself, it has to be enjoyable for your dog as well.

While bathing your dog, you want to prevent water from entering its ears, because this will cause irritation and once water gets into the ear and is not properly cleaned, it will become a breeding ground for bacteria. We recommend that you clean your dog’s ear occasionally, so to not disturb the healthy wax levels in its ear and avoid altogether future ear infections. To bathe your dog, start off by soaking your dog from the chest, shoulders, and work your way over its back and under belly. Use dog shampoo such as Sadie & Mitts, human shampoo is too harsh for your dog’s skin. We recommend that you use a hand held shower head, for a thorough wash and insure that there is no left over shampoo residue in your dog’s skin and coat. If you do not thoroughly wash out the shampoo, it will cause your dog’s skin to have irritations and flakiness. If your dog is not accustomed to getting wet with the hand held shower head, put your hand over the shower head to regulate the flow of water. Rub your dog holding the shower head in your hand until it is fully soaked. In time, you will be able to hold the hand held shower head over your dog without your dog stressing. A great way to dry your dog is using Drypet. Its microfiber material is soft and gentle to the touch, as well as super absorbent and your dog will be dry in no time.

How often to wash your dog.

For a dog with normal skin it is recommended to bathe once a month maximum or when necessary. Some dogs are naturally clean and do not produce too much body odour. Some dogs have sensitive skin. This requires less bathing, and you should only bathe when your dog’s coat is too greasy, or if your dog has gotten dirty from rolling in mud or something stinky such as poop. It is recommended to use shampoos with gentle ingredients for sensitive skin such as oatmeal and aloe vera. Some dogs can go months without needing a bath. The less you bathe your dog, the healthier its skin and fur will be. The more you bathe your dog, the more dry and irritated your dog’s skin will get. Bathe your dog only when its necessary. Weekly and bi-weekly baths are counterproductive towards the healthy maintenance of your dog’s skin and coat. (unless your dog is allergic to air born allergens and requires more often bathing)  

Thank you for reading,
Margarita & Patrona

RAW DIET FOR PUPPIES

If you decide to put your puppy on raw diet there are a few guidelines to follow to have a positive experience transitioning your puppy from kibble to raw.

To get your puppy started on a raw diet, you will introduce a simple source of protein such as chicken (or turkey if your puppy is allergic to chicken) that won’t be too heavy on your puppy’s digestive track. You will do this for the first week or two, and you will monitor its stool and weight. Once your puppy has grown accustomed to its new diet, you will introduce a second source of protein such as beef and other protein sources. A diet that includes variety will provide an even more wholesome and enriched diet for your pup.

How much to feed your puppy is based on his age, weight, metabolism and activity levels. I have provided a chart below that states how much to feed, in how many meals a day depending on your puppy’s age, weight...

AGE	% OF BODY WEIGHT	MEALS PER DAY
8 weeks – 4 months	10%	4
4 – 6 months	8%	3-4
6 – 8 months a day	6%	3
8 – 12 months	4%	2-3

*These are general guidelines, percentage will vary if you need your puppy to gain, lose or maintain weight.This chart is to be used as reference only, before feeding your dog we highly suggest/recommend doing your additional research.

Puppies have small stomachs, some will need smaller meals through the day, but it’s important that they do get their daily food intake. This will also aid in proper digestion and not to overload their stomach. When your puppy has transitioned successfully to raw, you can start feeding it larger portions and fewer meals per day.

A concern that may arise when you switch your puppy to raw is an upset stomach. When puppies are on kibble they have lower acidity levels that are not sufficient to digest raw meat. If this occurs, remove the meal and introduce in smaller portions and more frequent meals. As your puppy adapts to its raw diet, the acidity levels will be regulated for the proper consumption of raw meat.

Another element that is important in your puppy’s raw diet is raw meaty bones, they provide your puppy an adequate intake of calcium and phosphorus that it needs for the healthy development of its bones and joints. The calcium will also allow for the entirety of its bone mass to grow properly, skulls, teeth, heart and its metabolism will also benefit from it and will result in higher energy levels. 

Once your puppy is settled in with its raw meat/meaty bone diet (after 1 or 2 weeks) you will introduce liver and other organs for added nutritional value as long as you are following the 80-10-10 guideline (80% meat 10% bone 10% organ). Too much organ and your puppy will have loose stool, too much bone can constipate your puppy or making the stool too hard for it to expel. This will take a bit of trial and error to get it figured out, please be patient. After all, feeding raw is all about figuring out your dog and its needs!  

Overall, feeding you puppy a raw diet will give it a healthy head start in life and will allow you to grow closer as you will be monitoring it much closer than if you had fed it kibble from the start. A puppy on raw is a puppy that will certainly have fewer visits to the vet I the long run making its life spent with you much more enjoyable than its kibble fed counterpart!  

Thank you for reading, 

Margarita & Patrona

FEEDING RAW – BIG PAWS STYLE

Feeding dogs raw can be intimidating for some people. But once you've gained knowledge on the subject, it’s not difficult to embrace.

Why feed a raw diet to your dog?

We live in an era where we have become more conscious of making healthy choices, such as diet and exercise. This state of consciousness is a direct result of  our constant exposure to overly processed foods which has forced us to make more mindful decisions regarding our well-being.

For example, if you were to have a sports car, in order to maintain it in optimal condition you would use a premium quality fuel. Failure to do so, would dramatically reduce the life spend of your vehicle and increase the visits to your mechanic, thus making it much less enjoyable in the long run. The same is applied to your dog. If you want your dog to have a healthy life, you will strive to provide your dog with a wholesome, balanced and adapted diet.

When you feed your dog raw, you know exactly what goes into your dog’s system. Your dog will not be eating by-products and fillers that are commonly used in kibble. A dog’s digestive track is designed to consume and absorb meat and certain vegetables and fruits. Feeding your dog raw properly will insure that it will get all the mineral, nutrients and vitamins that it needs to thrive appropriately because it’s not as heavily processed as kibbles are.

A balanced raw diet consists of feeding your dog 80% meat 10% organs and 10% bone. This ratio of meat, organ and bone simulates what a dog would eat in the wild if it were to hunt and catch prey such as a rabbit. The rabbit analogy helps understand the 80-10-10 ratio we amongst many others recommend going by.

I have provided a chart below that lists how much to feed your dog according to its age metabolism and what percent of its body weight should be fed daily. For puppies you can start feeding them raw as soon as they are weaned from their mother’s milk, and this will help them create what many call an “iron stomach” which will help process proteins (chicken, turkey, duck, beef, goat, lamb etc). If you have acquired a puppy that was started off with kibble and you want to switch over to raw, it is recommended to start off with raw right away and not mix it with kibbles as it will cause bloating and upset stomach for your puppy, (this is also applied for adult dogs). Read our blog Raw Diet for Puppies, for more information on how to feed your puppy raw.

Age	% of body weight
8 weeks – 4 months	10%
4 months – 6 months	8%
6 months – 8 months	6%
8 months – 12 months	3%-4%
12 months and older	2%-3%

*% represented are based on the dog current weight - This chart is to be used as reference only, before feeding your dog we highly suggest/recommend doing your own research.

To transition your dog from kibble to raw its advised to start with a simple protein that is not heavy on your dog’s digestive track, such as chicken (turkey is another protein that can be used if your dog is allergic to chicken). Once your dog is settled in into its raw diet, you can start incorporating other sources of protein, nutrients, vitamins found in organs and meaty bones for an enriched and wholesome diet.

You will notice changes in your dog, such as:

•           Cleaner teeth and healthier gums
•           Healthier metabolism
•           Reduced shedding
•           Shinier coat and elimination of skin allergies
•           Reduced smell and smaller stool that is biodegradable
•          Increase and cleaner energy levels

Winston from Team Big Paws fed on raw since 4 months old.

Feeding your dog raw will be a rewarding experience for you and your dog. Feeding raw will improve your dog’s quality of life given that you provide it a wholesome diet. As a consequence of feeding raw, your dog will not only live a healthier life but it will also dramatically reduce visits to the vet and potentially increase the lifespan of your canine companion. Please note that in order for a raw diet to be beneficial to your dog it needs to be fed in a balanced and wholesome manner.

Should you have any questions, pleas feel free to contact us at info@big-paws.com, toll free at 855 826 3535 or simply drop on by the store located at 1847 Davenport Rd. Toronto, Canada. 

Thank you for reading,

Margarita & Patrona

HOW TO FEED YOUR CAT RAW

Some cats will take to raw food right away.Almost all kittens and young cats will  switch over to a raw diet without much of a transition. You will be feeding your cat anywhere from 2% - 4% of their body weight on a daily basis. Age, activity levels & metabolism needs to be taken into consideration when feeding and switching to raw.

Maintain the raw food frozen as cats will only eat fresh foods.  A cats metabolism is not designed to combat bacteria or digest ‘ripe’ meat. Therefore, they have developed a unique sense of smell that indicate them if the food is not fresh enough to eat.  

It’s recommended to feed your cat its raw meat at room temperature as it seems to be associated with the temperature of a freshly killed prey. This will entice your cat to eat its food as it will feel more natural. In addition, kibble and canned food are most often stored at room temperature which your cat has grown accustomed to. Always take up and discard any uneaten food after thirty minutes.

Once your cat is settled and happy with the raw diet, incorporate organs for additional nutritive supplements and to assure that your cat is getting their necessary intake of taurine (a type of amino acid) which they cannot naturally produce on their own.

For the older cats and picky eaters here are some steps to make the transition from kibble to raw:

Stop free feeding your cat and present meals twice a day for 15 – 20 mins. Allow your cat to eat and remove the leftover kibble. Introduce again for next meal.

Serving portioned meals through the day will serve you three purposes:

           

            1) Increases your cats’ appetite, in turn making your cat more willing to switch to raw.

            2) Breaks cycle of your cats’ dependency on kibble.

            3) Helps your cat fall into a scheduled eating pattern.

Switch kibble to canned food for easier transition to raw.

Incorporate little by little raw food. Increase the raw food as you decrease the wet food.

Your cat will tell you if it’s getting too much, or not enough intake of the raw food. If it’s losing weight, increase the portions. If it’s gaining weight decrease the portions.

The transition process if any is worth it as your cat will benefit from its raw diet. You can expect the following  improvements in your cat’s health:  betterment of their oral health, improved digestion which will lessen or eliminate ‘kitty breath’, smaller less stinky stool that is biodegradable and an overall positive influence on your cats’ quality of life. 

Thanks for reading,

Margarita & Patrona