Nature & Nurture Pet Care

Monday afternoon We have Ernie & Freddie, Kobe & Izzy #dogsofcloverdalebc #dogsofwhiterockbc #outsideisfree #beautifulbc #healthylifestyle #mentalphysicalandsocialwellbeing

Monday morning We have Izzy & Kobe, Tobie, Emma & Indy, Maggie, Sophie & Max #autumnvibes #morning #dogwalkerlife #dogsofsouthsurreybc #livingourbestlives #gratefulheart

Sunday Fun Day We have Izzy, Kobe and Elsinore #westcoastbestcoast #dogsofwhiterockbc #dogsofcloverdalebc #beautifulbc #dogwalkerlife #petsitterlife #ilovemyjob

Now it’s official! #pijaccanada #dogsofsouthsurreybc #dogsofcloverdalebc #dogsofwhiterockbc #mentalphysicalandsocialwellbeing #sciencematters #understandingbehaviour #worklifebalance #leadershipdevelopment #livingourbestlives

Saturday afternoon and evening visits We have Kobe & Izzy and please welcome Elsinore to our pack #dogsofinstagram #dogsofsouthsurreybc #dogsofcloverdalebc #petsitter #autumnvibes #sunshine #westcoastisbestcoast

Thursday’s adventures We have Izzy & Kobe, Hershey, Piper, Rosie and Meeka, Sophie & Max, Theo and Tobie #dogsofsouthsurreybc #petsitterlife #dogwalkerlife #ilovemyjob #equalityforall #livingourbestlives

Tuesday’s are my calm before the storm

Hiding behind me

An early start followed by a day full of George

A calm start to the week

THE INVISIBLE SLIMY MONSTER IN THE WATER BOWL Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet's water bowl and you feel a slippery slime of sorts? Well that inv...isible goo is called Biofilm. Biofilm is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on a surface. It is made up of many different types of bacteria bound together in a thick substance that acts as a glue to both hold the bacteria together and adhere it to a surface. Biofilm can often be good bacteria but there is also the bad! Biofilms provide a safe haven for organisms like Listeria, E. coli and legionella where they can reproduce to levels where contamination of products passing through that water becomes inevitable. Bad Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body such as urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections and bladder infections. Many pet parents are guilty of simply refilling the water bowl over and over without a wash and this becomes a wonderful environment for biofilm to soak around in. How to reduce Biofilm: Remember to clean your pet’s water bowl at least once a week if you can and change water daily. For pet daycares where a host of different bacteria float around in water bowls, wash daily! For best results, run your water bowls through a hot cycle in the dishwasher with an eco friendly, non-toxic soap to really clean out the biofilm! Rodney Habib Pet Health Site "An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!" (P.S. - I am going to get lambasted over the "wash once a week at least" concept. However, after a wonderful discussion with a well known pro-active veterinarian/scientist, when she studied the bacteria looming in pets' water bowls she found if you have a healthy beast, biofilm can actually be full of wonderful, healthy bacteria. It's like playing in the mud as kids and having good bacteria all over you! So sometimes cleaning regularly can wash all the good stuff away. ;) )

A lovely Saturday

Happy Friday A short day gave me time for errands. Just what I needed

The sun came out for a visit yesterday

I had mud up past my knees by the time I got home yesterday. While not all dogs like the rain, the ones who do sure make up for it!

It was a spectacular wind show yesterday!

Annual reminder about disgusting and dangerous raw hide pet toys / treats Avoid these nasty things this Christmas... There are always some pretty grim tre...ats for sale but this time of year it really is a perfect excuse to off load the biggest load of toxic tat for our dogs to "enjoy" as a treat. Many of these so called treats end up with the dog "enjoying" some time in a veterinary surgery over Christmas The vast majority of these rawhide products and treats come from China... The chews are made from cattle or horse hides and their journey starts with the hides being soaked in a toxic sodium sulphide to remove the hair and fat. More chemicals are used in order to split the hide into layers which is then washed with hydrogen peroxide to give the white "pure" look and remove the rancid smell. Now comes the pretty festive colours and the glue to form cute shapes. On testing, these chews have shown traces of arsenic, mercury, chromium and formaldehyde. If that wasn't bad enough they regularly cause intestinal blockages, poisoning from chemical residue and choking. The chews go slippery when wet and are near impossible to get hold of to save a choking dog Leave them in the shop where they belong or if some well meaning person buys them for your dog put them safely away for later then dispatch in the bin!