While dog’s diets are fairly different from human diets, they still need to include some of the basic food groups we eat every day. Fats, carbohydrates, water, and protein are all important parts of your dog’s nutrition. Not only is it important to make sure your dog is getting enough of each of these food groups, it’s a good idea to make sure they’re coming from wholesome sources, too.

About 18% of your dog’s daily caloric intake should come from nutritional proteins, and the source really matters - your dog is able to digest and utilize proteins from certain sources better than others. Here are a few trustworthy sources of protein for your dog:

• Eggs: For both humans and dogs, eggs are a great and easily-digestible protein when cooked. Many people used bits of cooked egg as a treat for highly active dogs, but we like adding it as an extra morsel for the occasional mealtime. When cooked properly, eggs are a great way for dogs with upset stomachs to get the protein they need to live happy, healthy lives.

• Lean-muscle meats: Lean meats like chicken and turkey are great sources of protein for your dog as they don’t add an excess of fat to your dog’s diet and they keep them fueled for the day. Human-grade dog foods like our whole food products provide your dog with healthy sources of protein that are easy to digest and responsibly sourced.

• Vegetable sources, like beans and lentils, can be healthy additions to your dog’s diet in small amounts, but they should never be used to replace whole-meat sources of protein. Additionally, be careful about what beans you give to your dog - green beans are a great treat, especially when frozen. But avoid fava beans, baked beans, and any kind of beans in sauce as a treat for your pup. Try making some lentil-based treats!

The easiest way to know that the proteins you’re giving your dog are right for them is by feeding them a human-grade food you can trust! Pawsitively Pure features the nutritional information you need on the package so you can keep track of your dog’s healthy diet. Get your dog on the right track to a healthy lifestyle this year! To learn more about Pawsitively Pure, browse through our website, or contact us here.

Can you believe the new year is just weeks away? As we tie up loose ends from 2018 and prepare for the beginning of 2019, many of us are writing a list of New Year’s Resolutions to help us lead our best lives. Whether it’s dieting, exercise, or simply flossing more, improving health is one of the top-cited resolutions on everyone’s lists. This year, why not take your dog’s health into consideration?

Taking small steps to improve your dog’s health is a great way to boost their overall quality of life and ensure they’ll be part of your family for years to come. Here are 3 items to add to your list of pet resolutions this year:

1. Exercise more. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, over half of all dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity in your dog can cause joint issues, lack of range of motion, heart disease, and lung problems. Increasing exercise doesn’t mean you have to commit to long, drawn out walks - simply schedule more time for play or take your pup to the park more often. Give them more chances to run around and get out their pent up energy.

2. Check regularly for lumps. One of the easiest ways to detect cancer in your dog is to check for unusual lumps and bumps beneath the skin. Keep in mind that a lump doesn’t always indicate cancer, and it’s also not the only indicator - but it’s a good head start when it comes to keeping an eye on your dog’s health and taking preventative measures if necessary.

3. Make improvements to their diet. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: a healthy diet is your dog’s first line of defense against illness. Giving your dog a diet that’s packed with nutrients can help increase their lifespan, boost their energy, and ward off common diseases. This year, commit to cutting off the table scraps and give them nutritious bone broth - they’ll love the flavor just as much!

While your dog’s health should be on your mind every day of the year, the new year is a great time to start taking small steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Improving your dog’s quality of life can help you improve your own at the same time! To learn more, contact us or browse our website to see our great products.

As we discussed before, a new dog can be a great way to celebrate the holidays with your family as long as you’re committed to being a loving dog family. Dogs can lighten up any room; studies have shown that a dog’s presence can help relieve stress and can even increase a person’s quality of life. But before your new dog can brighten up your day, it may take a little time for him to acclimate to his new surroundings.

It’s best to have all your supplies prepared before you bring your dog home, so in the week leading up to his arrival, be sure to purchase toys, cleaners, waste bags, food, etc. On the day of his arrival, arrange to bring him directly home from the shelter or his original location. Here are a few other tips to make the next few weeks a little easier on everyone:

• Take your time while introducing him to new family members. It’s tempting to immediately pet and hug a dog when he arrives at your house, but he needs a little time to gather all the new smells and experiences. For the first day especially, let the dog approach you. Stay calm and offer treats for good behaviors. Keep a close eye on small children who may be a little too eager for your furry friend’s tastes.

• Utilize the leash as much as you need. Leashes are great tools for guiding dogs through new and strange experiences. On the first day, you may choose to keep your new dog on a leash as you give him a tour through your home and backyard. Give your dog plenty of outside time and re-establish potty time procedures, even if he has been potty trained before.

• You may want to crate train for a while. Crate training gives your dog his own safe space when he’s overwhelmed and helps to establish boundaries and routines. Make sure the crate is comfortable with a bed and blanket and a few toys, as well as access to water. You can use the crate to establish bedtime and feeding times, as well as to teach your dog which areas are on- or off-limits.

Above all, patience is the most important thing while your dog is getting used to your home. Especially if he’s coming from a shelter, he’s been through a lot of stressful emotions leading up to his arrival at your home; with a little time and a lot of love, he’ll feel right at home. When establishing your dog’s routines, be sure to include a highly nutritional diet at feeding time. To learn more about human grade dog food, contact us or browse through our site.

Your pet’s immune system is surprisingly susceptible to environmental factors. Think of all the different allergies and itch-causers they experience in a given day: their immune systems are on overdrive as their bodies work to keep them safe and fully functioning amidst a slew of allergens. While a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to combat these allergens, sometimes your dog’s immune system needs a little help.

Here are a few more Mercola products we use on a regular basis to help our dogs’ immune systems stay healthy and strong:

Immune Balance for Pets

Immune Balance for Pets harmonizes immune function, boosts cell, tissue, and organ repair to help slow cellular aging, supports liver and digestive health, helps restore a healthy gut microbiome, and much more.

• Arabinogalactan from Western larch trees, a prebiotic fiber that ferments in your pet’s gut, supporting colon health, protecting your pet’s intestinal lining, and promoting a healthy normal inflammatory response

• Bovine Colostrum with standardized IgG (150 mg/serving) from American dairy cows not fed synthetic hormones or routine antibiotics; contains important immune factors, growth hormone, and probiotics

• Certified Organic Moringa leaf powder contains abundant vitamins and minerals as well as valuable antioxidants to promote a normal healthy inflammatory response, helpful for flexible and comfortable joint movement

• Yeast Fermentate grown, harvested and manufactured in the U.S. (contains no active yeast!), increases Natural Killer (NK) cell activity and antioxidant protection within only hours of consumption

Juggling four different supplements on your own can be challenging, especially getting them in the right proportions for your pet. Pet Immune Balance offers a simple option for providing ideal immune support for dogs and cats.

Organic Mushroom Complex

This proprietary blend of 8 mushroom mycelium…

• Contains 100% Certified Organic, biologically active, whole food mushroom and mycelium (not isolated extracts) to optimize the life cycle of the mushroom

• Is an excellent source of fermented foods for digestive and immune health

• Contains protein and high levels of natural whole food vitamin D2, B6, B12, beta glucans, chelated minerals, fiber, antioxidants (including L-ergothioneine) and natural glucosamine

• Is grown and produced entirely in the U.S.

• Uses oats instead of rice for its substrate, adding valuable plant beta glucans and enhancing the mycelia's bioactivity

• Retains its bioactivity through carefully controlled processing methods

• Contains an array of beta glucans, each with its own beta glucan structure

• Does not contain additives, fillers, gluten, and unhealthy levels of heavy metals

Spirugreen

Spirulina is one of the richest beta-carotene ingredients, with ten mixed carotenoids. Including orange carotenes, alpha, beta, gamma, and yellow xanthophylls, these powerful antioxidants work synergistically in different sites in your pet's body.

Studies on both cats and dogs show that spirulina supports good health in several ways:

• Helps support a strong, healthy normal immune system

• Helps promote a healthy coat and skin

• May help promote comfortable movement and flexibility

Healthy Pets SpiruGreen truly packs a one-two punch with all the nutrient value of spirulina, including carotenoids, phycocyanins and enzymes, plus all the goodness of microalgae astaxanthin, one of the world's most powerful fat-soluble antioxidant carotenoids.

Whole Food Digestive Probiotics

 Whole Food Digestive Probiotic provides general nutritional maintenance support for your healthy pet’s immune health, digestion and gut health, normal cell growth and development, and overall vitality.

This “all-in-one” nutritional supplement contains four key blends:

• Probiotic blend of 8 valuable strains of gut-friendly probiotics to help promote a healthy nutritional balance of gastrointestinal bacteria for healthy normal immune function, brain health, digestion and utilization of nutrients

• Digestive nutrition enzyme blend from papaya, pineapple and porcine pancreas to help break down protein, fats, fiber and carbohydrates into usable components

• Superfood and green food blend, including spirulina, fermented chlorella, broccoli sprouts and turmeric root to provide valuable nutritional antioxidant support for cellular, detox, gut, joint and immune health

• Mushroom blend of highly-valued Reishi and Chaga mushrooms to help maintain your pet’s nutrition through healthy normal immune function, healthy blood flow and circulation, and a healthy liver

Supplementing Your Dog’s Diet

I prefer that your pet receive all the nutrition they need through the foods they eat. However, that's not always possible.

The best of diets – even a raw, species-specific diet – can come from soils that are depleted or from lower quality food sources. Sometimes, the food simply loses many of its nutrients through processing and storage.

And most commercially available pet foods, even if they're "fortified" to meet AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards, contain synthetic vitamins and minerals which have their place, but are further removed from naturally derived supplements.

That's why I feel it’s important to feed your dog the highest level of nutrient dense dog food using human grade ingredients made by Pawsitively Pure Dog Food as well as offer your pet additional supplements, I have been using Mercola products for over 10 years for my dogs and I swear by them; they are great for dogs and really make a difference in their health and well-being.

Here are a few of the Mercola supplements we use on a regular basis:

Digestive Enzymes

Betaine HCl - break down proteins into peptides and amino acids and fats into triglycerides

• Bromelain (pineapple) – one of the safest and most powerful  enzymes to help break down and digest protein

• Papain (papaya) – a natural plant-sourced enzyme that works  together with bromelain to digest protein

• Pancreatin – an animal-based pancreatic enzyme providing all three of these enzymes:
  

  • Protease – helps break down proteins into amino acids for digestion

  • Amylase – for splitting and breaking down long-chain carbohydrates, including starch and glycogen (the energy-storage molecule in animal tissue) for digestion in the small intestine

  • Lipase – helps break down and digest fats

When used this way, after meals, the enzymes circulate throughout her body via the bloodstream, helping to:

• Support the healthy circulation of blood through arteries

• Maintaining normal immune function

• Clear cellular debris while cleansing tissue

• Stimulate healthy new cell growth

• Promote normal cell growth

• Promote a healthy immune response

• Support normal detoxification processes

• Clear away undigested proteins, cleansing the lymph and blood

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B Complex is a bioavailable, complete complex that provides the ideal proportion of the eight major B vitamins:

• Contains the patented PANMOL® vitamin B complex with concentrations of B vitamins a hundred-fold higher than what’s found in whole grains (but without the grain)

• The B vitamins are organically bound to sprouts from organic quinoa seeds for enhanced bioavailability and potential benefits

• Contains more than just the eight familiar B vitamins – It contains a multitude of well-balanced and biologically active B vitamins complete with co-factors and coenzymes

• May be better absorbed in your pet’s body than regular isolated synthetic B vitamins

Curcumin

Vitamin B Complex is a bioavailable, complete complex that provides the ideal proportion of the eight major B vitamins:

• Contains the patented PANMOL® vitamin B complex with concentrations of B vitamins a hundred-fold higher than what’s found in whole grains (but without the grain)

• The B vitamins are organically bound to sprouts from organic quinoa seeds for enhanced bioavailability and potential benefits

• Contains more than just the eight familiar B vitamins – It contains a multitude of well-balanced and biologically active B vitamins complete with co-factors and coenzymes

• May be better absorbed in your pet’s body than regular isolated synthetic B vitamins

Keep an eye on our blog to learn more about the Mercola products we love. To learn more, browse through our site.