WINTER ESSENTIALS

Winter has arrived along with snow and ice. Big Paws Inc. has preventative measures to insure you and your dog get through winter without complications.

ROAD SALT vs. SAND

Have you noticed when you take your dog for a walk in winter, after a certain period of time, your dog starts picking up its feet, or holding its feet up when not in movement? This is due to your dog’s paws being exposed to snow, ice and road salts. Your dog picking up its feet is an indicator that its paws are sore and/or cold.

Now, what is it about road salt that's making your dogs paws uncomfortable and sore?

Here's a break down of what road salts are made of. Road salts are composed of:  chloride combined with sodium, calcium, magnesium or potassium. Unlike the salt we consume, they may contain heavy metals depending on the manufacturer. Road salts are toxic to dogs; they’re considered an irritant and are increasingly recognized as an environmental toxin. In August 2000 Environment Canada completed a five-year study of the effects of road salts concluding that they are toxic to the environment. Dogs suffer from painful burning and cracked-dried out pads. When they lick their feet, they ingest the salt, which could lead to further internal irritation in the mouth and digestive track. Veterinarians routinely treat cases of poisoning and painful skin and jaw lesions that are caused by salts. Here at Big-Paws we care about the wellbeing of your dog and that is why we ONLY use sand. Sand is a great alternative to road salts, its safe for your dog and it is environmentally friendly. We suggest you encourage the people in your neighborhood to use sand as well, so that your neighborhood is a “paw-friendly” area to walk your dog.

PROTECTING YOUR PET FROM THE COLD

Just like us, dogs are more susceptible to illness during the winter, especially for dogs with no undercoat, that have thin or no hair (Great Danes, Greyhounds, American Bulldogs). Protecting your dog from the cold is especially important in older dogs, struggling with arthritis, and dogs with minimal body fat that does not suffice as insulation. Putting a coat on your dog will keep it warm protects its internal organs from the cold, and blocks out the rain, snow and gusty winds. Take into consideration, that if it is too cold, take your dog out only for bathroom breaks, also be aware of its ears, to avoid frostbite. A good indicator that your dog is cold, is if the poor thing is constantly shivering. This means you will have to take measure to keep your dog warm. Always be aware of the breed of dog you have and its tolerance of extreme weathers. Breeds that are well adapted to cold climates are Alaskan malamutes, Saint Bernards, Siberian huskies and Chow chows for example. Also take into consideration, that if you have a dog with a long coat and you cut it shorter than its natural length, your dog will need some sort of protection against the cold since you've removed it.

PROTECTING YOUR DOGS PAWS

To protect your dog’s paws from the snow and road salts, we recommend that you maintain their nails short, it will provide better traction for them on ice, if your dog has long nails it will make your dog’s toes splay out (spread) allowing more snow, ice and salt to get stuck between your dog’s toes. And if your dog has a long coat, keep the hairs short at the bottom of their paws to prevent buildup of ice balls in and around its pads. A couple of things that we recommend to protect your pet’s paws are dog boots or Vaseline.

Dog boots is a good way to protect your dog’s paws from the winter elements, but you might encounter difficulties with your dog wanting to use boots, as it can be an awkward experience for them, after some time though your dog can get accustomed to them. For others a great option if you do not want to put boots on your dog is Vaseline. Before you head out for your walk, apply Vaseline all over your dog’s paws and in between its toes, it’s a great salt barrier to avoid any burns or lacerations.  Also when you return home from your walk, have a towel ready to wipe your dog’s paws with warm water, to get any leftover Vaseline out and any salt or debris that could be stuck on your dog’s paws. Dogs lick their paws to clean them; cleaning them will prevent ingestion of the road salts which are toxic to them.

Big Paws Inc. wishes you a safe and enjoyable winter with your canine companion!

Thank you for reading, 

Margarita & Patrona

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

1 Reason why we stand apart from the rest of the competition!

Hey everyone,

so I was asked today on a walk with my dogs what made our business so different than the rest from someone we met on the street.

I do have to admit that answer was a simple one!

"The Difference between us and your local franchised pet store is that we care about the quality of our gears and we put that quality before our profit margins!"

Well think about it, why don't you see our product on every corner? Well because people are mostly after money and have lost track of what your dollar is worth in terms is quality.

I'll let you in on one of our industry secrets, some companies which we don't support nor carry product from have made it their business to sell you products made to fail.Why you should ask?  Well simply because we have now been conditioned to think that its better and cheaper to replace something rather than fixing it thus doubling their profit! Why are they making $$$ on you? Well because you can't find anything of quality around you and are now forced to purchased the same poor quality item twice.

We do live in a capitalistic society after all. 

One excuse I often hear from owner reporting from experiences from other pet store is that their dog was too powerful for the gear they sold them and thus the dog  now became the problem. Really??

Humm...Make sense now! lol

Now why would you sell me something not made for my needs?! I mean, when I buy tires for my care in the summer they don't sell me winter tires do they now! Also, you mean to tell me that over the last 60 years lets say they have not come up with a product solid enough to handle my dog?! Yea I don't think so! The truth is that it's all about repeat business for them and that quality comes second to your dogs and your safety. Why safety? Well if your collar falls apart and your dog takes off in traffic, take a look at the bumper below and you tell me? Oh and FYI  I told you we carry solid gears, quality tested.

Unless your pet is over 1000lb it should be fine in most of our gears! 

And if it is over 1000lb we still got products that will handle that no problem!

We did see some of our products on lions and others big cats.

We on the other side ( he he ) don't think that quality should come second to profit. Yea maybe we don't live in  huge mansions or drive fancy cars but at the end of the day we can go to bed and say we did our best to provide you the best product available to us.

Lets do some math here : $45 at one collar every 8 month for 12 years in average come to about $580 for the same crappy collar!

Now with us the equation is slightly different: $60 at one collar for every 8 years (our product life expectancy is 8-12 years depending on the product care)  for 12 years comes out to about $80 for a great looking and well made collar! And who else do you know gives your collar a warranty ? Really a warranty on a dog collar that's weird no? Naw, it's just we are that confident about our product quality!

dog owners serving dog owners!

At the end of the day our quality is what we based our selves on and yes if we can provide you with some cool looking gears in the process well why not!

And that my fellow readers is one of the reason we are different from the rest!

Thanks for reading.
Kevin and Winston.

A Balanced dog

Hey everyone, my name’s Helder and I’m a part of the big paws team. I love dogs and everything
about them, that’s why I joined this awesome team of dog enthusiasts. We love to work our dogs and
use them for whatever it is they were meant to be bred for. In this blog, I just want to briefly give you
some tips on what I do to keep my dogs happy and balanced.

One of my favorite things to do with my dogs is walk them. I can’t stress enough how important
it is to walk your dog every day. Just cause you have a 2 acre lot doesn't mean you don’t have walk your
dog. A walk is not only for physical exercise, but also for mental stimulation as well. Working your dogs
mind will tire him out faster as opposed to trying to drain him physically. When I walk my dogs, there
is a structure and they must follow that. If they fall away from it, I will correct them and get them back
on pace with me (their pack leader). First thing to remember when you take your dog out for a walk
is to wear comfortable shoes, I like to wear my Air Jordan's as they not only look good, but are super
comfortable on my feet.

The next step would be to put a collar on your dog. If your dog gets all excited when he sees the
collar or when he sees you going to the door, wait for him to calm down. You want to start your walk
with a calm dog and end it the same way as well. So once you’ve got the collar on your dog and his leash
attached and he’s calmly waiting for you to open the door, go ahead and open the door. Remember that
you always want to walk out first as this is what the pack leader does. In the wild, the pack leader will do
everything first, whether it’s eating, playing, walking, etc…

Ok, so now that you’re on your walk, try to make it fun for both you and your dog. Work his
brain a little bit by making him heel next to you, Heeling for a dog is very draining mentally and is an
excellent way to tire him out. We like to put our dogs through an obstacle course, climbing and jumping
through anything we can find here in an urban environment. A walk doesn’t have to be a chore, it
should be fun both for you and your companion. When you’re ready to come back home, remember
to end the walk the same way you started it. I make sure my dogs are calm and then I walk through my
door first and let them in after me in a calm manner. There you have it folks, make your walks fun and
enjoy that personal time bonding with your dog. To me, there’s nothing better than a balanced dog.


Thanks for reading everyone :)
Helder, Stella & Brandy