How to Reduce Excessive Barking

Although dogs are going to bark, there's definitely a difference between a normal amount of barking and a dog that engages in this behavior excessively. If your pet falls into the latter category, it's normal to feel stressed or even overwhelmed by how your dog is behaving. The good news is even though it may not seem like it right now, there are ways to reduce how much or often your pet barks. 

5 Dog Diseases Impacted by Nutrition

As any vet will tell you, there are a number of health problems found in dogs that are related directly to diet. Since helping dogs enjoy healthy and happy lives is a key part of our mission, we want to highlight several of the conditions that fall into this category:

1. Pancreatitis

This condition occurs when the pancreas gets inflamed and digestive enzymes start flowing into the abdominal area. Those enzymes then start breaking down proteins and fats in other organs and the pancreas. Dietary fat has been linked to a higher risk of developing this condition. Ensuring your dog keeps its fat intake to a minimum will reduce that risk.

2. Heart Disease

As with humans, heart disease is unfortunately a fairly prevalent issue with dogs. One of the leading causes of this disease is increased sodium. The reason getting too much salt can lead to heart disease is blood vessels will retain more water, which in turn increases blood pressure. Since table scraps often have a lot of sodium, this is one of several reasons why feeding them to your dog isn’t the best idea.

3. Bladder Stones

There are multiple types of bladder stones that dogs can develop. But they tend to cause the same issues, including straining to urinate, urinary accidents and discolored urine. Getting an adequate amount of both phosphorus and calcium without going overboard is the best prevention against these stones.

4. Diarrhea

Although this condition may not be as pressing as the others, it’s still a problem. Before we address why, it’s worth noting that diarrhea (especially if it includes bloody stool) can signal a very serious health condition. If you have any concerns about your dog’s diarrhea, it’s always best to err on the side of caution by contacting your vet. For cases of diarrhea not caused by a serious health problem, effective solutions include ensuring your dog eats at consistent times during the day and gets enough fiber.

5. Obesity

Not only is a significant percentage of the US human population affected by obesity, but more than fifty percent of all dogs suffer from it as well. This condition increases their risk for everything from higher blood pressure to arthritis. In addition to getting plenty of exercise, giving your dog food that has the right nutrients without an excess of calories is key.

An Important Note About Freshness

If you look at the ingredients in our food, you’ll see that we go to great lengths to provide the optimal balance for dogs’ health. Additionally, freshness is one of our top priorities. By making our food fresh every month, we’re able to ensure that all the nutrients in our food remains active and actually does what it’s supposed to in regards to helping dogs.

How Do I Volunteer At An Animal Shelter?

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. If you’ve been thinking about adopting a dog, now is the perfect time to move forward with that decision. And even if your home is already at capacity for dogs or you’re not in the right position to bring this type of animal home, you can still help animals in need by volunteering at a shelter.

Like just about everywhere else in the country, shelters around Edmond are always in need of great volunteers. So if you’d like to contribute in this way, we want to shed a little light on what to expect and the best ways you can help:

Can Dogs Help Children Read?

Anyone who spends time with one or more dogs on a regular basis knows from first-hand experience that these animals are capable of doing incredible things. Whether it’s something small or the type of feat that makes the local news, dogs can provide so much to humans of all ages. Since we are huge dog lovers and care a lot about sharing information about them, we want to focus on a topic today that’s nothing short of amazing.

Questions You Should Ask At the Shelter Before Adopting

Adopting a shelter pet is a big decision. While it’s a decision that can bring you lots of joy for a very long time, it’s important to understand the commitment you’re making. As long as you’ve given yourself time to think through the impact of this decision and know with certainty that bringing a pet home will be a good fit for your lifestyle, you can feel confident in moving forward.

How to Keep Your Dog Safe During a Tornado

Dealing with tornadoes is just part of the package that goes along with living in Oklahoma. For anyone who has grown up in Oklahoma or lived there for many years, it actually gets quite easy to not really put much weight into warnings during tornado season. Although there’s no need to constantly be on edge about bad weather, it is important to remind yourself that a truly dangerous storm may one day strike close to home.