April | 2009 | Holistic Pet Food Blog

I don’t very often write about myself but I have to tell you, I’m really excited to be attending the Trilogy HealthyPetNet convention in Tampa, Florida, this weekend.   I’ve been an independent rep for over three years but this is the first chance I’ve had to actually attend the convention.

My goal for this blog is to be as factual and objective as possible.   It’s about educating you on the many healthy pet foods out there, telling you about the good and bad ingredients, keeping you up to date on the pet food recalls. 

But as you know, outside of my very busy day job (I am an IT project manager in “real life”), I do animal rescue.  That’s how I discovered HealthyPetNet. 

I’m excited about this convention  for a couple of reasons.  First, I get to finally meet Judy Bishop, who is the amazing person who has shepherded and mentored me in this business.  She is a former dog groomer who became one of the top reps in the company.  She has become a close personal friend and the whole trip will be worth it to meet her.

Second, on Friday evening, I am meeting with several others in my group to have dinner with Dr. Jane Bicks.  She is the holistic veterinarian who formulates the pet foods and supplements for HealthyPetNet.  I’ve gained so much from the education we get from her on weekly veterinary conference calls, can’t wait to meet her in person.   

Saturday and Monday are a half-day of general sessions, while Sunday is a full day of workshops, plus an evening reception and dinner.

It will be a fairly small convention, I think I heard maybe about 60-75 reps?  So it will be individual and personal, something you don’t get very much of these days.

We are going to learn more about the products but also about the business.  As you know, HealthyPetNet is one of the top 15 network marketing companies out there.  They’ve been around for 10 years and have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau in Southeast Florida, no small feat.    They have never had a pet food recall, again, no small feat.    So I’m quite proud of my association with this company.

This has been a really fun business for me.  Of all the home-based things people have wanted to drag me into, THIS one WORKS for me.  I can do exactly what I want with it.  I am a BUSY lady.  I work long hours and in my spare time, I train for marathons and raise money to fight blood cancers.  I also have a home and garden and many rescue kitties to take care of.  PLUS I’m the organist for my church and am active in volunteer work.

I’m passionate about my pets and their health and nutrition, you can see that written all over my lifestyle.    So I’m really excited to sort of land right in the lap of HealthyPetNet, enjoy meeting some really great and great-hearted people, and get a bit of a vacation out of it, to boot.

Watch for some fun articles that I’m sure will come out of the convention.

 

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Animals Evolved » Blog Archive » Can Omega 3 Fish Oils Stop Aggression in Dogs?

Although most dogs are docile and loving, particularly towards their family, some dogs can be aggressive towards other dogs and even towards humans who aren’t a part of their pack. This sort of aggression can cause problems for both dog and human if not corrected. Although most interventions designed to stop aggression in dogs centers around behavior training, a study shows that the problem could be at least partially physiological. One proposed cause of aggression in dogs may be a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids.

Although much has been written about the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in terms of human health, less is known about its effects in dogs. These fatty acids, found most commonly in fish oil, have been shown to lower triglyceride levels in humans as well as play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease. What’s less known is that a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in some forms of human psychological illnesses such as depression, illustrating the importance that omega-3’s play in brain health.

A study published in a veterinary journal in 2007 looked at blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in dogs that were known to be aggressive compared to those who didn’t exhibit aggressive behavior. To the surprise of the researchers, it was found that dogs who manifested aggression had lower levels of omega 3’s in their blood compared to well behaved, less aggressive dogs. Could low levels of omega 3’s be a correctable cause of aggression in dogs? Interestingly, studies of aggressive human prisoners have also shown deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s thought that omega-3 fatty acids may play an important role in the function of brain cells by stabilizing the cell membrane.

While it may be premature to attribute all cases of aggression in dogs to an omega 3 deficiency, increasing the amount of these fatty acids your dog receives in his diet could have a positive impact on both his behavior and his health. Because the dose to potentially stop aggression in dogs hasn’t been well established, it’s best to check with your vet to find the amount that’s right for your particular dog. Not only can the addition of fish oils possibly stop aggression in dogs, it may also have beneficial effects on your dog’s heart and can reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

Many pet stores and pet supply catalogs carry special fish oil supplements for dogs. If the right dose is selected, you could also use fish oil supplements designed for humans, but always check with your veterinarian first.

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N101 Blog » Cod Liver Oil

We all love our pets and want to make sure that they live long, healthy lives. Sadly, many of the pet products that are commonly sold on the market lack the full amount of nutrients that cats and dogs need to maintain proper health. One of the best things that we can do to help supplement these nutrients into our pet’s diet is to give them a daily dose of cod liver oil which is loaded with nutrients that are beneficial to pets.

What is Cod Liver Oil?

For hundreds of years people have used cod liver oil for it’s nutritional benefits to humans. In the past century, pet suppliers have also harnessed the power of this supplement to provide additional nutrition to pets after a man named Edward Mellanby performed research that found cod liver oil could be beneficial to pets with arthritis.

Cod liver oil is an oil that is retrieved from fish. The oil is loaded with vitamins A and D, and also contains omega-3 fatty acids that are not only excellent for pets with arthritis as Mellanby speculated, but also in other areas of pet health as well.

Pet Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

The nutritional value of cod liver oil helps to provide joint support which can indeed help as a treatment for pets that suffer from arthritis. However, supplementing cod liver oil into your pet’s diet from an early age can also prevent arthritis from occurring because it helps to keep joints loose and limber.

Cod liver oil is good for all pets, but should definitely be given to some breeds of dogs that are more prone to developing joint disorders as it can help to prevent the joint problems from occurring. It is also highly beneficial to both cats and dogs that are older and may be beginning to experience stiffness in their hips and legs after sleeping.

Working dogs can benefit from a cod liver oil supplement because it also helps to provide the dog with a natural energy booster. But be warned, older pets that have become more sedentary and lazy may suddenly start running around and acting young again thanks to the energy this supplement provides!

Finally, cod liver oil also helps to provide a healthy coat and skin for your pet. Many people do not realize it, but having a healthy coat and skin is important to your pets health because it prevents serious skin and coat conditions from occurring that can actually affect your pets overall health.

Purchasing Cod Liver Oil for Pets

When purchasing a cod liver oil supplement for your pets, look for a quality supplement that contains no additives and has been distilled to produce a pure oil, such as the Pet Cod Liver Oil from Nordic Naturals that is safe for use in both cats and dogs. Just a small dosage of the oil added to your pets food daily will provide them with the additional nutrients that they need and help to keep them healthy and strong for many years.

Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement derived from the liver of cod fish, and it is chalked full of omega 3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, D, and E. Long ago the needs for such supplements were not necessary because people lived off of the land and actually ate whole foods that were extremely beneficial to the body. The meat they ate was usually wild, such as fish caught fresh from a river or some sort of red meat grazing free on a range. Now days, our food is full of preservatives, and so chemically altered that the goodness has long disappeared. We now eat for survival and filling, and we must supplement for health because our food is basically left worthless in this area.

Obviously, from the name you can tell that fish are considered the number one source of Omega fatty acids. However, in our modern society many people are steering clear of fish due to the mercury and pollutants that are thought to be in the meat. There are still hundreds of thousands of people that do eat fish, the problem is that these fish are raised on large commercial fish farms and lack the fatty acids, because of poor diets and over crowding. Fatty acids are completely essential to the body, yet they are not manufactured in our bodies, so we must eat them, to get them. It is estimated that 90-95% of the population is deficient, and this may be the explanation for our high numbers of disease and sickness.

So why not just take a fish oil supplement??

This is an easy question to answer, the difference between cod liver oil and regular fish oil are vitamins. Cod liver oil is a great source of vitamins A, D, and E while regular fish oil is not. You can think of cod liver oil as fish oil with benefits, and many people switch between regular fish oil in the summer and cod liver oil in the fall and winter. This switching is a great option for people who get plenty of sun exposure during the summer and not much in the winter. However, if you are restricted from the sunlight, for whatever reason, sticking to a cod liver oil supplement throughout the year is best.

Everyone can benefit from a daily cod liver oil supplement this is because, cod liver oil is one of those all around good for you supplements, that benefit everyone from your kids to your grandma and everybody in between. It so easy to take a supplement there is really no reason to not take one, most defiantly one that possesses as many health benefits as this!

Pedigree UK | Blog | 2012

Today is Fish Oil Friday, so named because this is the third and final instalment introducing our newest range of adult cans. 

The fish oil contained in our meals is sourced from marine fish, which are a natural source of omega 3 fatty acids. These are known to promote healthy, supple joints and in the case of fish like anchovies, they provide some of the highest concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids around. 

Our new Fish Oil meal is supplemented with vitamin E to help support immune systems and with omega 6-rich sunflower oil added for silky skin, your dog will be raring to go!

Find out more about our Fish Oil meal on the Pedigree website. Come and visit us on Twitter @wearefordogs for a chance to win a Fish Oil meal for your faithful friend. 

Photo creds to PieDogMedia.