Sasha's Grooming Salon

19/10/2024

Sometimes I get cross.( I know ye would never believe it ) 🤣 But then its great to have the skills to be able to help and the knowledge to be able to advise. Thankfully this guy has never had to be shaved down since once it was explained the maintenance needed . All curly coated cross breeds need huge maintenance and brushing and combing daily is vital. 4 & 8 week grooming appointments are the only way to go with these coats. So think before you decide on a breed, look at lifestyle, work commitments, budget and space available for a pet.

23/09/2024

10/09/2024

The dog has zero need of carbohydrates. Even the kibble manufacturers agree here. They are included as they can be an "excellent source of energy", sort of like the way Mars Bars and Coca-Cola are, I guess.

But how excellent. It's said that sled dogs lose around 10% of their body weight during the Idiatrod (620miles/1000km). I recently heard this weight loss is significantly less of a thing when the dogs are raw-fed over such distance but I never saw actual evidence of that until now. Check this out, adapted from Houpt and Zicker (2003):

"The responses to a season of quail hunting by English Pointers fed two different diets were compared. The diets differed in protein and fat. Diet A was 13% fat and 23% protein, and Diet B was 49% protein and 28% fat. The dogs on the higher fat and protein diet (Diet B) lost less weight and performed better in that they found more birds per hour".

The authors conclude "...it seems that the fat, or energy density of the food, is the more important aspect of endurance performance."

So yes, dogs can run fast on carbs, possibly even faster, it remains to seen, but at what cost to the body as it is cannibalised for protein and fat, we don't know.

Remember, the more protein you feed sled dogs, the less physical injuries they get through the season.

This makes sense. Joints and cartilage and bone and synovial fluid are built on protein. The less building blocks you get, particularly while young and in pre-season, the greater the potential for disaster.

This was highlighted to us over the weekend in Helsinki - if cats just get 25% real food in their diet (largely meat) they are significantly less likely to suffer osteoarthritis later in life.

Other work by DogRisk surveyed more than 200 GSD's and found raw feeding was protective to hip dysplasia.

But this is sled dogs. Very high-performance animals with insane, borderline unnatural energy demands. This is not your average dog. For such animals, the carb debate is completely redundant.

***
REF Houpt and Zicker (2003). Dietary effects on canine and feline behavior. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract, 33(2):405-16

14/07/2024

For anyone who needs to get a muzzle for their dogs. These are made to measure so very comfortable and come in fun colours.

Muzzles should fit & feel good - ours look good too (but that’s only half the story) Designed & manufactured by leading dog behaviourist for optimum welfare.

20/06/2024

We’ll done ! A great natural product that can be used on cats too 🐾

14/03/2024

This is our complete daily multivitamin. Suitable for both raw/natural and dry fed dogs.

It provides balanced nutrition for dogs

*Ingredients:* Organic Wheatgrass, Barleygrass, Spirulina, Chlorella, Alfalfa and Nettle Leaf

12/03/2024

17/01/2024

POWER PASTE IS HERE!!
We have a new product ready folks - it's called Power Paste!

I know, awesome name, but it really does what it says on the tin.

Power Paste is a vital complementary feed that makes DIY raw-feeding a far simpler process but ALSO serving as a borderline-vital nutritional topper for kibble feeders (hence it's available in both raw AND cooked forms, hopefully bringing a few vets over to the dark side).

The idea actually came to me as one of my stockists says she weeps when they leave her shop with a sack of Royal Canin! Now, if pet shops sell a bag dry, particularly high-carb stuff, the client really NEEDS to add in a dollop of this each meal!

Then, the more I thought about it, it's the product I always wished was in the fridge when making his food. It's everything I think is pretty important.

Power Paste is choc full of all the bits we wish we had to hand when making food for them ourselves but are a bit of a pain to source or put together. It contains ALL the organs (grass-fed beef liver, heart, kidney, spleen, pancreas), fresh Atlantic sardines, some lightly steamed local veg, a number of awesome, organic power additions such as organic hedgerow items, mushrooms, pre-soaked seeds and a teeth-cleaning seaweed addition (yes, no need for any other seaweed supplement with Power Paste), even some collagen, blood and hair!

All DIYers have to do now is, for example, buy some chicken thighs, maybe add some beef meat (mince from shops, heart, tripe, etc), and you're done! Or a whole turkey, and you're done! Or some cheap lamb bits (necks, ribs, hearts, tripe) from a supplier, and you're done!

Twice as nice at half the price of a comparable pre-made (though now you KNOW your dog is getting lots of the good stuff).

Power Paste will also be handy for making a good meal from leftovers (stored in ice cube trays), making treats or even home made dry-food yourself!!!

Check out this link www.dogsfirst.ie/power-paste/ to have all your questions answered, including:
- exact ingredients and why each is used
- videos on how to use
- recipe ideas with total cost breakdown
- nutritional breakdown

Power Paste is NOT a complete raw. It's a complimentary feed, a power addition for meals. It retails around £6 per tray (a touch more for the cooked version). Yep, it costs more than most complete raws per kilo that's because it's lead ingredients are beef organs (3-4 times pricier than most other meat ingredients used in raw dog food) and all the power additions. It's not the WHOLE part of the diet, the rest of the stuff is much cheaper, this is just the nutritionally super stuff.

We (Dogs First) will not be selling individual units of Power Paste direct from our site beyond offering whole boxes of it (25 units) to the public. For now, it is available in pet shops. So far stocking it in the UK is (live links to these shops available in the piece above...):

Bark Raw - Gloucestershire
Bubbles Pet Care - Leigh on Sea, Essex (shop only, no online yet)
DoodleDales - Suffolk
Poochie Park - Leeds
Comfort & Nourish - Surrey
Paws Naturally - Kent
Rawsome Pets - Manchester
Leominster Pet Centre Ltd - Herefordshire
Petcayr - Ayrshire, Scotland
Thumpers Pet Care - Bedfordshire

Of these both Poochie Park and Doodledales have it ready for sale! For Irish customers, check out Barkin Bistro who will have it up on their site today.

Interested in stocking Power Paste? It's available for Irish/UK stores now. We are working on a US supplier to open up that market, hopefully by summer. Sign up to our wholesaler page here where you will find Power Paste and our supplements and, in 3 weeks, our incredible new yeast range! https://wholesale.dogsfirst.ie/

***
There has never been a better time to learn how to feed a dog yourself. Ready to make the leap? Check out my popular masterclass showing you exactly how to do that...
www.drconorbrady.com/feeding-dogs-masterclass-1

11/01/2024

A brilliant alternative 🐾🐾

A natural and effective geraniol based tick and flea repellent and treatment. This product is based on essential oils and It is important to shake bottle until the contents are cloudy. Ensure that you empty the pipette fully and shake well before refilling the pipette. This ensures that the dose is properly applied. Fill the pipette completely, part hair and apply directly to the skin from the neck/scruff area down towards the base of the tail.

07/01/2024

24/12/2023

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas