Archives for March 2011

Our Patient Ziggy and Instinct RAW

We got a great email this week that demonstrates what a difference Instict’s RAW can make in a pet. We got permission to share it with you:

Dr. King:

My three year old Australian labradoodle, Ziggy, is a huge fan of Instinct by Nature’s Variety. Before beginning this grain-free diet of raw lamb,rabbit and bison, as well as the Instinct kibble, Ziggy was a very picky eater and suffered itching, urinary tract infections, and low energy levels.

Before discovering the Instinct food, feeding Ziggy was a chore. I searched and tried numerous products and he did not like any of them. He now eats and loves the Instinct diet. He is energetic, allergy free and easy to please at mealtime. His coat even looks and feels healthier and he is a happier dog.

The frozen medallions are very easy to transport when we travel and the kibble is a wonderful addition to his meal. The variety of flavors leaves Ziggy satisfied and not begging for other foods.

Thank you for recommending this product for Ziggy. It has changed his/our lives.

Do you have an Instinct story? Share it on our Facebook page! Want to learn more? Read our FAQ about RAW!

You Can Own the Easter Bunny…and Other Myths

The grass is green, the flowers are budding and there’s something in the air that might lead you to consider buying a cute fluffy bunny, chick or duckling for Easter. Although such adorable creatures make wonderful photo opportunities for your children or grandchildren on Easter Sunday, the story doesn’t end there.

Baby chicks grow into chickens with a life expectancy of 15 years or so. Hens will lay eggs for about 5 years, and roosters crow all their lives. How does a 3 a.m. wake-up call sound to you? Think flocks, because baby chicks are not loners. You would need a few to get started, and is that something you’re truly prepared for? Do your neighborhood ordinances allow farm animals?

Ducklings when grown require a bit of space, specifically 10 feet per adult duck. Like baby chicks, ducklings are happiest in a group. They’ll need a shelter from the elements and a body of water. For the first four or five weeks, they need to be kept inside to keep them warm and to protect them from natural predators. In warmer weather, that initial time could be reduced to two or three weeks. In captivity, a duck’s life expectancy is 15 to 20 years. That’s a string of Easter Sundays!

Rabbits multiply quickly to make up for the fact that they’re “dangling at the bottom of the food chain” like the hyenas in Disney’s Lion King. They’re capable of being litter box trained, but the process may take extra time and patience. Many rabbits are skittish and don’t care to be cuddled and held – despite their appealing furry looks! Unfortunately, a threatened, cornered rabbit may bite.

Rabbits are happier with another rabbit companion, but getting the chemistry right is tricky. For example, males will fight, and two females are not a sure bet either. A neutered male and female are probably best together, and any bonding takes time. Although life spans vary by breed, an average life span is about 10 to 15 years. Like cats or dogs, each rabbit has an individual personality and could be a great addition to your household. (Read our earlier post about caring for rabbits and other small mammals.)

With any pet, it’s prudent to do a bit of research before you make a decision. Visit your local library, local Audubon Society Office or talk to us at Town N Country Animal Hospital. We would love to hear from you and help you find the best pet for you and your family.

RAW FAQ’s

We hear a lot of questions about RAW at Town ‘N’ Country. Here are the most frequently asked:

I can’t imagine feeding raw meat to my precious baby! What’s it like? I know the mention of “raw meat” has the potential to create frightening, disgusting images, but I want you to know that the consistency of the frozen meat is much more appealing than any canned food I’ve ever seen. For a moment, close your eyes and imagine the smell of canned food just after you’ve opened it. Can I get an “Ewwwww!” here? I always tell the owners to simply allow their pet to try a small sample. The proof continues to be in trying it! When pets taste a bite or two, the usual result is a very happy owner and a pet who has one more reason to love those folks at Town ‘N’ Country.

Is some RAW better than none? Absolutely! Think about it this way: you feed your pet a dry kibble as the majority of their diet. The nutritional value of this diet can range from the equivalent of a bologna sandwich to a prime rib depending on the diet’s quality. Every time you feed your pet RAW, it’s the equivalent of offering just the right mix of fresh fruit, veggies, and premium steak all at once. RAW offers a punch of healthy digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals and nutrients in one perfectly balanced delicious form. If I continue with this analogy, eating a healthy spinach salad would benefit someone who has been eating a diet of mostly fast food.

My dog is healthy and doing great on his current diet. Should I switch? I understand your concern for switching diets haphazardly, but I always encourage our clients to occasionally rotate varieties (even if its only between dry kibbles). Doing so provides variety, helps meet any nutritional needs they might need and can help prevent development of allergies. I would strongly encourage a trial of RAW at some point though. My own dog has been on a premium kibble diet for years, and I thought there was no chance I’d see a difference in her. But here we are, 3 months into complete RAW and she has more muscle mass, cleaner teeth, more energy and a shinier coat (which I didn’t think was possible). I’ve had many clients who’ve had similar experiences.

I only mention this fact about RAW because it seems to really excite owners when I discuss it. RAW will help prevent dental disease and obesity. As a vet, I can tell you that these two things are hot topics discussed daily between clients and vets at Town ‘N’ Country. I won’t bore you with all the gory details, but the bottom line is this:

1) Remove the carbohydrates from your pet’s diets and decrease his waistline.

2) Remove the sugars from your pet’s diet and prevent her plaque and tartar accumulation which lead to dental disease.

Certainly I’m not telling you that your instantly skinny Schnauzer will never require another tooth brushing or Oravet application, but I can guarantee that your skinnier Schnauzer will need it a lot less.

Basically, Instinct’s RAW comes down to a piece of the puzzle when it comes to providing the very best you can for your dog or cat. We believe it can make huge differences for many of our patients, and we’ve seen it make huge differences in our own pets. Just ask Krystin (one of our nurses) about Nikki next time you’re in. We understand it’s not for everyone, but there are free samples this month so even if you don’t think it’s for you, what have you got to lose? (Except your pet’s extra weight?)

You didn’t hear about the sample? Go here for the coupon for FREE RAW dog food.

Dr. King Speaks at the Baby Fair

This Saturday, March 19, Alamance Regional Hospital is sponsoring their annual Baby Fair. Dr. King has been invited to speak about “Introducing Pet and Baby”. The session will be held from 9:15-9:45 AM in the Education Center on the lower level of the hospital.

Dr. King will talk about how how to prepare pets for a baby’s arrival in a home. But the session isn’t just for parents to be! She’ll also discuss how to train pets to get along with small children.

If you are expecting, know someone who is, or if your pet needs to feel more comfortable around small children, you won’t want to miss Dr. King’s talk!

She’d love to see your familiar face in the crowd!

Question About Chewing Sticks

Question: Hi. My parents occasionally watch my dog for me when I need to go out of town and they have a huge fenced in back yard with lots of trees. My 9 month old dog will grab sticks around their yard and chew them and sometimes eat them. She has thrown up stick pieces due to this before. I was wondering if this stick eating is harmful behavior and if you have any suggestions for how I could stop her. Giving her a filled kong or another edible chew while she is playing in the yard is really not an option because it causes fights between my dog and my parents dogs. Thanks!

Answer: Although anything non-digestible can be a foreign body and cause obstructions, in our experience a lot of dogs chew on sticks without an issue. It depends on how fine the pieces are chewed and how many pieces are swallowed. Risk of perforation is a possibility if there is a sharp enough splinter but the intestinal tract has a thick fibrous layer that resists puncture.

How to prevent the behavior? We hate to state the obvious but stick removal (at least the tempting big ones) and/or preventing access to the sticks are the sure fixes for the problem. Maybe another boarding or house-sitter option will suite your little one better (we can recommend both). Since your pup is so young it still might outgrow the chewing phase but that doesn’t help much in the interim. Will the dogs still have issues if the toys offered are not edible ones? There are some great hunting training toys that chewers tend to love (the ducks seem to be a favorite). Could your parents split the time outside so your dog could have its own chewing toy? Maybe your parents could have supervised group playtime at some point during the day.

So, in short, the vast majority of our stick chewers have no issue passing the pieces they ingest but there is always a risk with ingestion of foreign material. We still have time that your little one might outgrow the stick chewing behavior so try some of the above options in the meantime. And as always contact us again with your questions!

The Raw Facts on Your Pet’s Food

If you’ve been watching pet food ads, you’ve heard a lot of stuff. You’ve been serenaded by a singing chorus of cats whose only desire is one certain brand of cat food. Or maybe you’ve been cajoled into buying one particular dog food because serving them this food is the perfect way “to love them back.”

Somehow a logical person has to stop and think. Are we really offering the nutrition that nature intended when we give a pet factory-produced brown and/or pink bits in a can or bag?

A Raw Diet: an Ancient, Natural Idea. Dogs and cats are instinctively meat eaters. Think of the “dead bird” offering that your cat so proudly left on your front porch or kitchen rug. Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diets are scientifically formulated with 95% meat, organs and raw ground bone, 5% fruits and vegetables and 0% grain. This diet is very similar to what your pet’s ancestors ate and what your pet would eat if she returned to her natural habitat.

New and Improved vs. Tried and True. While many commercial pet food products may boast “New and Improved,” a tried and true raw diet can markedly improve your pet’s overall health and immune system. Benefits of optimal nutrition include a lush, glossy coat, healthy skin, lean muscle tone, a robust immune system, strong bones and teeth, healthy heart, and increased energy and vitality. For testimonials of folks who have seen a true turn-around after feeding Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diets Raw to their pets, click here.

Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diets are the first and only raw diets to be scientifically substantiated as complete and balanced for all canine life stages through AAFCO Protocol Feeding Trials.

You can rest assured with Nature’s Variety’s commitment to quality. Each patty, medallion or chub is individually flash frozen to preserve freshness, flavor and optimal vitamins and minerals for your pet. In the heart of the USA, Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets Raw are packaged in an EU approved and USDA Certified Organic Processing Facility. Ingredients are simple and good. There are no synthetic fillers or chemical sounding words on the listing of ingredients.

Take a look at the complete ingredient list here:

Chicken, Raw Ground Chicken Bone, Turkey, Turkey Liver, Turkey Heart, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove. Visit the Ingredient Glossary to learn about each ingredient.

From Freezer to Refrigerator to Bowl. The most common question we get about Instinct’s RAW is – how do you store it? We store it in a freezer, and when you purchase it, you take it home and do the same. The food comes two ways – in little ‘medalions’ that are about the same size as a chicken nugget, and in ‘chubs’ – about the same size as a hamburger pattie. They’re frozen separately, so it’s easy to take out just what your pet will eat. One day before serving, you put a portion in the refrigerator to thaw. Once it is thawed, you can feed it to your pet. It’s neat. It’s not messy. So no, you don’t end up with raw meat all over your hands.

The Freezer Section at Town ‘N’ Country. The idea of feeding your pet raw meat may be a new concept for you, and you may still have questions. We’d be happy to discuss your pet’s nutritional needs. We also invite you to register for a free seminar about RAW at www.tncvet.com/raw-seminar.

And yes, we have RAW. We’re one of the few places in Alamance County that carries it, and we have a wider variety of flavors and types than anyone else in the area.

Give RAW a try. We’re making it easy this month by giving a free sample with any $5 Town ‘N’ Country purchase. Here’s the coupon. We think you’ll like it. And we think your pet will, too!

Lions and Winners and RAW – Oh My!

“In like a lion…out like a lamb” sounds like something a veterinarian would think, but it doesn’t look very lion-ish in Alamance County today, does it? Don’t let the beautiful weather keep you from remembering your pet’s prevention meds. The weather aside, March is an exciting month at Town N Country. But before we tell you why…

CONGRATULATIONS are in order! We announced our contest winners on Facebook today! We had five treat bags full of dental products that we gave away. Sunshine, Emily, Katherine, and Monroe were trivia contest winners. And “Brindle” won for having a dental cleaning scheduled. We’ll be in touch with all of you with details on claiming your gift.

But everyone is a winner in March, because you are all invited to a…RAW SEMINAR! Last month during the contest we mentioned a pet food that we’re really excited about. It’s called Instinct RAW by Nature’s Variety, and it seriously is one of the very best foods you can give your pets. Raw food is the most natural way to feed your pet. We hear stories all the time of the difference it makes in pets. Reduced allergies, weight loss, shinier coats and healthier skin are just some of the ways Instinct’s RAW is improving pet’s health.

Town N Country is one of the few places in this area where you can purchase RAW, and we could talk about it forever. But instead of us doing it, we’d like to invite you to join a live, interactive ‘webinar’ on the benefits of feeding a RAW diet to your dog and cat. The seminar is next Thursday, March 10 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. It’s a free seminar, and we think you’ll enjoy it – and learn a lot! Register for the webinar here . Oh – and Dr. Bolynn will be Tweeting and updating the Facebook page LIVE with her comments throughout the hour. (Follow us on Twitter.)

FREEBIE! But that is not all! We’d like to give you a sample of RAW. Bring in the coupon at the bottom of this post or on our website and when you spend $5 for anything at Town N Country, we’ll give you a free sample.

You know, March really is roaring in for us at Town N Country. Stay tuned for more!

*A webinar is an online class. You register for the webinar, and before it starts, you are emailed a link. Click on the link, put in the password, and you’ll be connected to the discussion.

Archives for March 2011

Testimonials