VIPets Dallas

06/11/2024

Great tips to prevent disease.

📘 Dr. Jones' Free Book: Unlock veterinary secrets with Dr. Jones' insightful book on animal health care. Download now at http://veterinarysecrets.com/news/?...

01/19/2024

A quick reminder to our high-rise dwellers🤔:

01/01/2024

Live laugh and ❤️. Happy 2024.

11/21/2023

Please share

Did you know that va**ng can cause symptoms similar to severe lung disease? Children, as well as pets, can be harmed by second-hand vapors from e-cigarettes and v**e pens. Cats and dogs are extremely sensitive to particulate toxins in the air, especially if the pet has asthma, an upper respiratory infection or seizures. Va**ng indoors increases ni****ne, hydrocarbons and aluminum in the air, which have all been linked to respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Please keep smoking and va**ng away from pets.

11/21/2023

Be aware

A mysterious, unknown illness has reportedly caused hundreds of dogs throughout the United States to become ill and even die, prompting worry among dog owners.

08/27/2023

In honor of National Dog Day
Hugs to all the doggies.

07/23/2023

Meowy says: What's up? Hope your weekend is fabulous.

07/04/2023

Adorable

05/14/2023

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's of people and pets!

05/01/2023

Please read your labels !!

04/29/2023

04/24/2023

So true! How muddy are your pets' paws?

10/01/2022

This is so true

❤

09/30/2022

09/30/2022

Did you know? We bee keep also?

09/30/2022

Meow! We love and service all pets 🐣🐈🐕🐮🐷🐄🐐🐀🐇🦃🐔🐓🦅🦆🦜🐸🦚🐢🦎🐍🐟🐌🕷🦧🐩🐅🐎🐏🦙

🐱🧶🐈🐈‍⬛

09/29/2022

Thanksgiving Holiday Help. Hi neighbors – if you love pets and would like to pad your Holiday budget, VIPets Dallas is looking for you. Each year during the Thanksgiving holiday we expand our team to help meet the needs of our East Dallas neighbors who need help with their pets during the holiday. Our greatest need is from Sunday November 20 through Sunday November 27.

If you would like to be considered for our Holiday Team 2022 and making some extra Christmas money, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me at [email protected] to learn more.

09/29/2022

Lol

Sun Gazing

09/25/2022

Now that the fall is here, pumpkin is back 🎃 Pumpkin is a miracle food that offers many benefits for cats and dogs with digestive problems. Pumpkin is high in fiber and helps to regulate the natural wave action in your pet’s GI tract. Pumpkin can help cats and dogs with both constipation and diarrhea. The high fiber content adds bulk to the diet, helping your pet feel full and lose weight. Pumpkin is a nutrient powerhouse containing Vitamins A, C and E that you can mix directly into your pet’s food. If your pet has diarrhea or other digestive problems, pumpkin can help.

How much pumpkin to add? It all depends upon the size and sensitivity of your pet. Always start slowly because too much pumpkin can have a laxative effect. For cats and small dogs, start with 1/2 teaspoon per meal and big dogs can start with about a tablespoon per meal. Be sure to check with your veterinarian first if your pet has diabetes or is especially sensitive.

08/27/2022

Better late than never...working thru wifi difficulties...Happy doggie day!

08/13/2022

For sure

07/05/2022

Please do not buy these products. They are killing our pets with toxins.

THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!

How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.

Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.

Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!

A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?

“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com

So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?

Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:

STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.

(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)

Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.

(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)

Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.

The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)

STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus!
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)

STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.

“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com

“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com

Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.

STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!

Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.

When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!

Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.

Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“

(Oh, how lovely…)

And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.

How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?

Here is world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker's take on the matter:

“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.

At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“

P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?

An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com

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!"

05/30/2022

Gratitude to all our service men and women. Past, present and future generations live in freedom because of your service and sacrafice. 🇺🇸

03/01/2022

Hey, our webpage is freshly updated! ..and we forgot to post about it on Facebook. Open it up on all your devices and let us know what you think.

11/28/2021

🕎

Happy Hanukkah! One important message of Hanukkah, also referred to as the Festival of Lights, is that “we must always work to find light in the darkness”. Sending love ❤️
to all!

11/25/2021

Be careful giving table scraps!

Thanksgiving is coming and we need to be careful about overindulging our adorable pets. Emergency visits due to pancreatitis spike after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Small dogs are especially at risk. Table scraps such as fat from meat, gravy, stuffing and pies can make a dog's pancreas swollen and inflamed. If your dog displays symptoms (swollen abdomen, upset stomach, arched back, lethargy), see a vet immediately. It’s hard to resist begging eyes, but human treats are not good for pets. Candy, cookies, ice cream and lattes can make your pet sick. Even though our pets may seem and act human-like, their digestive and immune systems are different than ours. You can still still spoil your pup by having a wide variety of dog treats set out for family members to give them.

11/24/2021

Have a cozy and relaxing holiday!