Naturalistic Hound (2025)

14/01/2025

Routine blood and urine tests play a crucial role in the early detection of hidden health issues before they become serious problems.

For example, regular blood tests can help identify conditions like kidney disease, liver problems, and diabetes long before they show noticeable symptoms. Routine urine tests can detect infections, kidney stones, or even early signs of bladder disease.

By the time symptoms like lethargy, weight loss, or changes in appetite appear, the disease may already be in an advanced stage—making treatment more difficult and stressful for your pet (and you).

Prevention is always better than cure. Early detection leads to timely treatment, which improves outcomes and reduces complications. Give your little one the best chance at a long, healthy, and happy life.

Schedule routine tests with your vet today!

I am very grateful to for their excellent care of Pepper ❤️ If you are located in London, I would highly recommend for both home and in-clinic visits 🌟

13/01/2025

🎉 Happy 14th Birthday to the love of my life, Pepper! 🩵 You’ve filled my life with so much love, joy, and unforgettable moments. I can’t imagine a day without you.

Here’s to many more years of cuddles, adventures, and memories together. Love you more than words can say, my sweet boy! 🩵

07/01/2025

Commercial pet food is often classified as ultra-processed food (UPF) because of the extensive industrial processes and additives involved in its production.

1. Industrial Processing
Commercial pet foods, especially kibble and canned food, undergo multiple processing steps, such as extrusion (for dry food), sterilization (for canned food), and dehydration.
Ingredients are often rendered, meaning they are cooked at high temperatures to separate fats and proteins, which alters the nutritional profile.
2. Low-Quality Ingredients
Many pet foods contain low-cost by-products of the human food industry, such as meat meals, bone meals, and fillers like corn, wheat, or soy.
These ingredients are often combined and restructured into forms that no longer resemble their original state, a key characteristic of UPFs.
3. Additives and Preservatives
To ensure long shelf life and improve palatability, commercial pet foods are packed with preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, and texturizers.
Common additives include antioxidants (BHA, BHT) and flavor enhancers, which help mask the taste of lower-quality ingredients.
4. Fortification with Synthetic Nutrients
Since processing can strip away natural nutrients, manufacturers often add back synthetic vitamins and minerals to meet nutritional requirements.
While this fortification ensures that pets meet basic dietary needs, it mimics the process used in ultra-processed human foods.
5. Highly Palatable Formulations
UPFs are designed to be hyper-palatable, encouraging overeating in both humans and animals. Pet food manufacturers add fats, salt, and artificial flavors to make the food more appealing, even if it’s not nutritionally ideal.
Concerns with UPF Pet Food
Digestive Issues: The lack of whole, unprocessed ingredients may affect gut health.
Weight Gain and Obesity: The high palatability and calorie density can lead to overeating.
Chronic Health Problems: Long-term consumption of ultra-processed pet food has been linked to issues like diabetes, kidney disease, and dental problems.

07/01/2025

Counting down to 14 years of love, loyalty, and endless tail wags!

-5 🎂

🐾🎉🩵

26/02/2024

Pets that receive proper nutrition:
- are alert and active
- have optimal body weight
- have healthy skin and coat
- have firm, well-formed stools, medium to dark brown in colour

If any of these issues arise, the first necessary step is to re-evaluate your pet's feeding program.

Proper nutrition is the key to ensuring that pets are well-nourished and healthy.

20/11/2023

Words can't explain how much I love you, Little Man 🩵

You are the centre of my world.
Before, now and always.

📸 , just wanted to say a huge thank you for the amazing experience and the stunning shots of Pepper! You're a real talent. Thanks again!

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
– Peter Adams

08/11/2023

Whether it's simple sugars or starch, all forms of carbohydrates are converted into glucose (=sugar) upon ingestion . While a modest amount of 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑠 (and glucose) can be beneficial, high amounts of glucose in the blood are toxic. These sticky molecules are prone to bind with important structural protein molecules generating free radicals. This process leads to oxidation and inflammation, which can cause a wide range of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, brain degeneration, leaky gut syndrome etc...
It is also important to note that feeding kibble to your pet does not effectively clean their teeth, due to its high sugar content. As such, it is essential to seek alternative methods to promote proper dental hygiene in your pet.

If you think you are feeding a good quality dry food which cannot possibly contain so much carbs (=sugar), guess again. It is a fact that the creation of kibbles necessitates the use of carbohydrates, this is a fundamental aspect of their production process. The machinery that produces pet kibbles requires carbohydrates in order to create the proper consistency of dough. Especially in dry, but also in canned foods, carbs are used to hold together the different food particles thanks to their stickiness.
Regardless of the cost of the dry food you purchase, it will always contain considerable amounts of carbohydrates.

the kibbles

Calculate carbs content in your pet's dry food:
100 - Protein - Fat - Moisture - Ash = Carbohydrates.

(This method works for dry food only; to estimate canned food's content you need to calculate the dry matter values first.)

31/10/2023

Fish oil is typically fed for its high content of healthy Omega3s - polyunsaturated fatty acids.
However, something that is not commonly known is that unsaturated fats have a weaker structure compared to saturated fats, which makes them more susceptible to oxidation.
The oxidation of the double bonds in Omega3s negates the nutritional benefits and produces volatile compounds. Maintaining the high quality of these products is essential.
Whether rancid (oxidised) fish oil is harmful remains unclear. However, sporadic studies have shown that oxidised oils when tested in high doses in animals, demonstrated to have toxic effects.
Harmful or not, the oxidation process destroys the functionalities of fatty acids making them unable to provide healthy anti-inflammatory benefits.

Causes of oxidation are:
× Exposure to light
× Exposure to heat
× Exposure to air

In order to minimise and prevent oxidation in these fats:
× We must store them properly (away from light, heat and air)
× We must supply antioxidants in the pet food to shield the Omega3s and Omega6s from oxidation before the pet has the opportunity to eat it:
_ Synthetic Preservatives often added in commercial pet food: BHT, BHA etc...
_ Natural Preservatives: Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Rosemary, Sage, Curcumin etc...

19/09/2023

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀 𝐃𝐨𝐠

`` From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.”

They don’t understand the distance travelled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.”

Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you probably understand phrases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.”

“Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.

“Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that its’ not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a man” or “just a woman.”

So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog,” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.” ``

- Author: 𝑅𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐴. 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑦

And... I couldn't agree more ♡

16/08/2023

ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ꜱᴜᴘᴘʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴇɴɪᴏʀ ᴅᴏɢꜱ

𝐂𝐁𝐃 𝐎𝐢𝐥 - Can help ease symptoms of anxiety, neurological disorders, heart issues and certain types of pain (especially joint pain), among other health conditions.

𝐂𝐨𝐐𝟏𝟎 - Can help with heart-related conditions, improving energy production in cells, preventing blood clot formation and acting as an antioxidant.

𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐳𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐬 - Ageing dogs will produce less digestive enzymes. Therefore they will benefit from taking digestive enzyme supplements to break down foods easier, and, in doing so, reduce digestive symptoms and increase the absorption of nutrients.

𝐎𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐚-𝟑 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐬 - Have been linked to many health benefits. In particular, they help promote brain and heart health, reduce inflammation, and protect against several chronic conditions.

𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 & 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 - Protect the retina and lens from oxidative damage, thus preventing various eye conditions that develop with age. They also filter blue light preventing light damage.

𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 - Reduce the risk of many diseases (including heart disease and certain cancers). Antioxidants provide stability to free radicals and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation.
The most familiar ones are vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene, along with the minerals selenium and manganese.

16/08/2023

Why Your Kibble Fed Pet Is Always Hungry 🐕
Kibbles are highly processed feed. Processing them removes nutrients and provides very few vitamins and minerals.
Don't let the synthetic vitamins and minerals fool you.
Bodies were not designed to recognise these synthetic concoctions in the same way as their natural counterparts.
If you're constantly feeding your pet refined carbohydrates, his body will want to continue eating until it finds the nutrients it needs. That means your pet will be hungry often, even if you've just fed them a meal.

If you're not ready yet to ditch the kibbles, make them more nutritious by adding some fresh food as a topping.

Feed real food.
Feed health.

16/08/2023

As a canine nutritionist I always recommend a homemade diet first. If for whatever reason this can't be an option, I often suggest an awesome alternative: !
ROCKETO is the only commercial pet food company in Europe that slowly air-dries organic fresh raw ingredients (40ºC or below) without using artificial minerals or vitamins.
This ensures that as many of the nutrients in the foods stay intact and therefore just as bioavailable to the body as they would be in their raw state.
ROCKETO’s dehydrated-raw complete dog food can be stored in the cupboard and rehydrates to the perfect consistency in minutes.
Making it not only nutritious but also convenient.
Ditch those kibbles!

Their stock includes treats and supplements.
Pepper is here enjoying some Organic Gut Bites 😋

Ingredients:
Organic beef liver
Organic psyllium husk
Organic knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum)
Organic coconut (flakes and flour)
Organic sea buckthorn
Organic chia seeds
Mixed tocopherols (natural preservative)

Maximum bioavailability of micronutrients & gentle on the digestive system.

(This product despite containing great ingredients is a treat, therfore don’t overfeed)

Naturalistic Hound

14/01/2025

13/01/2025

07/01/2025

07/01/2025

26/02/2024

20/11/2023

08/11/2023

31/10/2023

19/09/2023

16/08/2023

16/08/2023

16/08/2023

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