The Dog Bowl Pet Supply and BARF Raw Food Blog

Dear Customer,

Thank you very much for your feedback and we are happy to hear that you are a long-time advocate for feeding raw! We sincerely regret if your experience at The Dog Bowl was other than ideal and will make every effort to ensure that your next visit is tail-wagging good. Admittedly, it sometimes gets very busy around here, making it a challenge to offer every customer the attention they deserve. Please don’t be bashful about asking questions and making your presence known? Our goal is to provide excellent customer service at all times and, with your kind and continued feedback, we hope to become the purr-fect partner in maintaining the health and happiness of your pet!

Respectfully,

The Dog Bowl

Ever wonder why your dog or cat has horrible breath or plaque build up on the teeth?

Bet you would never guess that dogs & cats do NOT chew?.... Yep.

Contrary to popular marketing you may hear & read on labels that dry food "cleans" teeth. It actually does just the opposite. Dry dog or cat food actually mixes with the saliva in the pet's mouth & sticks in the teeth, causing plaque, bad breath & a number of negative results.

Try this experiment: Grab a few bits of the dry food in your hand & add a little water (this will mimic the saliva from your pet's mouth). Leave the food in your hand... You may even mix it up a little in your palm, but hang onto it for a few minutes - You won't believe how sticky it becomes in a matter of minutes. This is what happens in your pet's mouth. Yuck! How could that pet have great breath after a meal like that?

Pets, dogs and cats in particular, PULL & TEAR their food and then swallow. Think about their jaw structure - it is impossible for them to move their bottom jaw from left to right.

Does your pet have a plaque problem? The Dog Bowl has the solution. One of which, is to give your pet food and treats which actually help in plaque removal. (click here)

Instead of brushing (which can damage the gum tissue) or even an evasive & stressful "dental", The Dog Bowl has a dental spray product called Leba III. (The Dog Bowl is currently offering FREE shipping!) Click the link provided to read more about Leba. It is simple - just spray it in your pet's mouth!

Question: What is pet dander?

Answer: Animal dander is not hair or fur, but old skin scales which are constantly shed. Older animals produce more dander than young ones because their skin is drier. Animal dander is tiny, extremely light weight and can stay airborne for hours. Cat dander sticks to our clothing and personal belongings and is easily transported wherever we go. This is why it has been found in schools and offices, triggering allergies where an animal has never lived. Its ability to remain airborne and to permeate every area of the house makes it extremely hard to control.

The primary source of animal allergens, though, is a glycoprotein found in the glands at the root of a cat’s hair and in their salivary glands. It becomes airborne when the allergen from the glands is spread over the cat’s fur during grooming. When the saliva dries, it flakes off and is released into the air.

Any furred or feathered animal is a potential source of animal allergens. Birds, for instance, produce a feather dust which can cause reactions---the larger the bird, the more dander. The saliva and urine of, say, rabbits and guinea pigs, also contain the proteins that cause reactions.

Question: What are ear mites and how did my pet get them?

Answer: Ear mites are a contagious, external parasite that infect most commonly cats, but also dogs and, rarely, humans. They live mainly on your pet’s head---in the ears and on the skin---and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye as moving white specks on dark-colored, waxy debris inside the ears. Pet owners usually become first aware of mites from their pets’ scratching, rubbing, and even bleeding sores on the ears. The intense itching associated with mites is thought to be due to a hypersensitivity reaction similar to an allergy. Therefore, some pets who do not develop such inflammation can be infected without showing signs.

If your pet is found to be infected, it is important to treat the ears, body, and environment with a product that kills mites. Most flea and tick products will kill ear mites on the skin. Such products can be found at fine pet stores, vet clinics and online at www.thedogbowl.com.

Question: Why and how do cats purr?

Answer: Well, first, purring is not limited to cats. It has also been attributed to racoons, civets, weasels, martens, skunks, badgers, and otters. Cats most often purr when happy and content, but can also purr when stressed, in pain, or even during birth. Purring may be learned early, as the first method of communication between the blind and deaf newborn kitten and its mother. Veterinarian Neils C.Pederson, author of “Feline Husbandry”, believes that purring is initiated from within the central nervous system and is a voluntary act. In other words, cats purr only when they want to.

How they purr is still somewhat of a mystery. Some feline experts say the sound is created by the vibration of vocal cords during inhalation and exhalation. Others believe purring is a vibration caused by blood passing through a large vein in a cat's chest.Interestingly, the measurable “Hertz” of a cat's purr lies between 25 and 150; sound frequency in this range can stimulate bone growth and healing.

Here are a few whisker facts:

• Whiskers are two to three times thicker than the cat's hair.
• Whiskers, like hair and nails, fall out and are replaced.
• Whiskers should never be cut or trimmed (you’ll read why later).
• Whiskers are rooted deep in the cat's face, in an area rich in nerves and blood vessels.

Whiskers help the cat feel his way around. They are so sensitive they can detect the slightest directional breeze change. This helps a cat slink its way through a dark room without bumping into anything. How? The air currents in the room change depending on where furniture is located. As the cat walks through the room, he knows which way to turn based on those changes.

A cat's whiskers are also a good indicator of his mood. When he is angry or defensive, they pull back. When he is playing, they push forward. When he is happy, curious or content, the whiskers are more relaxed.

But their primary use is to help a cat judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening. A cat's whiskers are roughly as wide as his body-- sort of a natural ruler -- and whisker tips are sensitive to pressure. You'll probably see a cat stick his head in and out of an opening before he goes through. He's judging the width of the opening and determining if he will fit. An interesting note: cats don't have a true collar bone, like humans. This allows them to turn and twist their way through very narrow openings.

Question: Can West Nile virus cause illness in dogs or cats?

Answer: Dogs and cats become infected when bitten by an infected mosquito. There is also evidence that cats can become infected with the virus after eating experimentally infected mice. That said, in one year’s time, relatively small number of WNV infected dogs and only 1 infected cat were reported to CDC during 2003. Experimentally infected dogs showed no symptoms while some infected cats exhibited mild, nonspecific symptoms---slight fever, slight lethargy---during the first week.

There is no documented evidence of dog or cat-to-person transmission of West Nile virus. Preliminary studies have been unable to detect virus in the saliva of infected dogs, which suggests that dog bites pose a low, if any, risk of transmission to animals or people. But, if your pet becomes infected with WNV, there are likely to be infected mosquitoes in your area and you should take protective measures.

The good news is that, while there is no specific treatment for WNV infection in cats and dogs, full recovery is likely.

Question: Do dogs dream?

Answer: Your dog lies asleep at your feet, and suddenly his legs begin to twitch and run. Is he dreaming? Yes, evidence supports that dogs do indeed dream.

Dogs are, in fact, similar to humans in many ways. We are 95% identical genetically and physically, right down our common blood pigment, hemoglobin. Our brains are similar, our neurochemistry is the same, and our reflexes and memory are similarly wired. We are also similar in sleep patterns, both progressing from light to deep sleep where brain wave activity is increased, breathing becomes irregular and actual dreaming takes place. Dogs experience the same REM stage as humans, loping in and out of several dreams times throughout the night.

The REM, or “rapid eye movement” stage, has this name because behind closed eyelids, a dog's eyes are moving rapidly back and forth, presumably watching images he is dreaming about. It is during this stage where he may also have involuntarily vocalizations and body movements. But avoid the temptation to awaken him, even if he appears to be having a bad dream. Dogs, like humans, need uninterrupted sleep for healthy mental activity.

Do all dogs dream alike? Research suggests that small dogs dream more than larger ones. Also, dream frequency seems to be related to age---puppies dream more than adult dogs. What do dogs dream about?Most likely canine fantasies and the everyday things that make up their existence like chasing, playing and eating.

Have you ever had a dream about your dog while he is dreaming next to you? Could that mean you are you dreaming WITH your dog? That would be, of course, impossible to prove. But all very interesting to ponder...

Question: I’ve had my two cats on a raw meat diet for about three weeks now. They eat once a day and are loving the change! My 7-year-old is developing a very shiny coat and has more energy than ever, but he has been vomiting right after he eats. He is also experiencing hairballs more than usual (he used to be on a dry, anti-hairball food). Any advice?

Answer: We’ve had this question before and had great success with thisadvice: feed less twice a day. What may be happening is that your cat is so excited about the taste of raw meat that he is gorging himself. To ward off hairballs, be sure and add alpha-omega oils to his food to help the hair pass through, and shed his coat once a day using a good shedder like “The Furminator” from www.thedogbowl.com. It sheds many times more hair than any other shedder we’ve tried.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Question: My dog destroys my furniture while I am at work. Aside from locking him outside all day, what can I do to stop this destructive habit?


Answer: Most destructive chewing occurs just before the owner returns home. Your dog, anxiously anticipating your return, has been releasing his energy by chewing. You can prevent him from indiscriminately chewing whatever is handy and instead chew his own toys. Whenever you return home, insist that your dog greet you with a toy in his mouth. At first you will have to help him by telling him to "find" his toy. Do not give your usual home-coming greeting until he has a toy firmly in his mouth. Within a few days, your dog will realize that you’ll say hello only when he has a toy in his mouth. Now when your dog starts anticipating your return, he will automatically begin looking for a toy with which to gain your greeting and approval when you do return. If a toy is already in his mouth, he will be likely to chew on it, rather than on the furniture, to release tension.

Question: Why does my pet shed?

Answer: Have you noticed that sometimes there's more hair about the house then other times? That's because some types and breeds of pets shed their coat at certain times of the year. Shedding hair is quite normal and occurs when the hair follicles in the skin become active. As a follicle begins a new cycle of growth it ejects the old hair shaft to make way for the new one. The follicle then shuts down, retaining the hair until the next new growth phase occurs. It is the synchronizing of this growth phase all over the body that causes seasonal shedding. In autumn animals usually replace their thin summer coat with thick winter fur. In the spring, they will shed to prepare for upcoming warmer days.

Animals that spend a lot of time indoors and enjoy our creature comforts such as heating and cooling may shed their coat intermittently due to reduced exposure to seasonal conditions.
There is a way to practically eliminate extra hair around the house and also reduce hair balls in cats. It's called the "FURminator" Professional De-Shedding Tool and it is the most effective shedding comb we have found to date. It reduces shedding up to 90% and we know it works because we use it ourselves. You can find it at www.thedogbowl.com.

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

Question:

Why should I read my pet food's label?

Answer:

All protein sources are not the same. Protein from animal by-products may include chicken beaks, feet, hair, hooves, tendons and other low grade items. While these items may contain protein they are NOT digestible by your pet!

Are soybeans listed as a main ingredient in your current pet food?

Research has shown that soy, especially in combination with other grains, form a "technically" complete protein but are digested poorly by dogs and are a cause of flatulence.
Soybean products have also been implicated as a cause of Bloat, a life-threatening disease where the stomach rapidly fills with gas from fermenting food. Meat proteins do NOT ferment, but grains and beans do. Brewers rice is a common main ingredient in dog foods.

Brewers rice is what remains of rice after brewing alcoholic beverages, it can hardly have any nutritional value after that.

Rendered meat sources may include animals that have passed away from cancer. Restaurant grease is often sold to pet food manufacturers who spray the kibble before shipping so that your pet is "tricked" into eating the food. There are many other tricks that manufacturers use to make you believe you are getting a good product.