dig by dog

If we had to recommend one all round food supplement it would be Pet Plus. Ill outline why we like this particular product so much in a moment. First, I want to just explain that a healthy dog on a raw food diet wont need supplements (although some owners might take the attitude that they are an aid to good health and cant do any harm). What about dogs that are ill, have recently been ill or lack energy? Here the story is very different. The right supplement can make a marked difference to a dogs wellbeing and vitality. There are plenty of products on the market but the one we have always favoured (initially because our Chief Veterinary Surgeon recommended it and later from personal experience) is Pet Plus. The reason is that it contains high quality, whole food based ingredients. These are:

Enzymes
Pet Plus contains Protease for protein digestion, Amylase for carbohydrate digestion, Lipase for fat digestion and ProCerelase for the digestion of vegetation.

Probiotics
Lactobacillus Acidophillus is one of the best probiotics for dogs. It colonizes the gut easily, creates an environment that discourages pathogens and does not transfer antibiotic resistance, unlike some other probiotics.

Prebiotics
Alfalfa, Kamut wheat grass and barley grass have been pulverized and juiced then carefully dried so that all those fabulous nutrients, which would otherwise be hidden inside the cells, are preserved without chemicals and readily available to your dog. The beet root fibre is also a great source of fibre. Together, these four ingredients are an essential support for the probiotics and provide an enormous number of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Safflower And Flax Seed
Excellent sources of essential fatty acids, safflower and flax seed supplies the perfect balance of omega 3 and 6 for your dog. They are also rich sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and support the probiotics.

Brewers Yeast and Garlic
Repelling parasites is the main role of the brewers yeast and garlic. They are also a source of B vitamins and many other important nutrients.

Another thing we like about Pet Plus is that it has been formulated by Susanna McIntyre a naturopathic vet based in South Wales and it is possible to buy it from her direct. Anyway, if you have been wondering whether your dog needs a bit of a boost then this could be the answer.

Several thousand years ago dogs were initially domesticated for their functional value; hunting helpers, village and stock guards, even body-warmers in bitter cold climates. These basic functions are no longer required by modem civilization and, the dog's capacity to cooperate within a group for the mutual benefit of its members is stifled - frustrated. Without some meaningful functional nurturing, dogs grow older, mature physically, but behave like puppies emotionally - seeking attention and care, totally frustrated, denied any competent guidance toward filling an acceptable role in the family.

On the human side of the equation, as we become increasingly dependent on verbal skills and electronic communications, a pet animal is sometimes our only meaningful daily contact with the animate, natural world. However, without an opportunity to develop nonverbal communications with animals, dog owners tend to use human verbal and physical abilities (vocal commands, scolding, manipulation, force, punishment) to communicate with their pets. Most people mistakenly think dogs must simply be "trained" if they are to learn how to behave properly. When training fails, both owner and dog become frustrated, and problems develop. While formal (deliberate) training is an important element in a satisfying relationship, informal training is at the root of most problem behavior.

Dogs learn from, and react to, the way people behave. Movement, stance and sound communicate with dogs. On the other hand, as dogs struggle to communicate with people through their own movements, postures and sounds, they are too often misinterpreted; or ignored. This only widens the frustrating communications gap for both parties.

It may seem far-fetched to propose that behavior consultants should help dog owners learn how to interpret their pet's behavior, then use movement, stance and special sounds, in order to communicate effectively, and hence, live together harmoniously. However, it is not unrealistic at all. Once the basics of effective human/canine communications are learned and applied, they play a crucial role in correcting behavior problems humanely and effectively.

It doesn't occur to most dog owners that shouting at a barking dog is, in fact, joining in the racket - responding with the human version of the same behavior. When their dogs do become silent, it is because they associate the owner's tone of voice with disapproval and/or fear of impending pain from punishment. Excitable types, or those with some prior traumatic experience, usually become worse.

In the non-verbal world of dogs, silence means quiet, inaction begets stillness, and movement stimulates action. The fact that this patently obvious facet of non-verbal communication must be written or talked about to gain attention among dog owners further points up the extreme verbal orientation of humans. Spoken language is just noise to dogs. It is a tribute to their adaptability that they actually learn the meaning of certain key sounds, which usually comes about through a combination of the dog's intelligence and the owner's almost accidental consistency when referring to certain events or objects.