Dog shedding occurs in nearly all dogs and is a natural process of eliminating (shedding) dead hair. There are a few natural reasons for this – It is a bit like a human sweating,  to allow a new coat to come in and for seasonal changes in temperature. There is no such thing as a non-shedding dog,  excepting of course the hairless varieties. That said,  shedding varies greatly between the breeds because of dogs differences in genetics, environment and of course , the dog food it is being fed.

As a point of interest the difference between dog breeds and how dogs shed hair  rests with  the growth rate of the dogs hair (3 cycles: anagen, catagen and telogen),

Dog shedding is influenced by these three dog coat characteristics:

• Different types of dog coats: hairless, presence of undercoat.
• Different degrees of curl & wave in dog coats: wavy, wirehaired, and straight.
• Different dog coat lengths: short, medium, and long.

Dog shedding can be problem  for two major reasons for dog owners: allergies and the time it takes to clean up hair that has shed.

“Very light shedders” are  breeds which  usually need to be clipped, stripped and/or cut with scissor’s.  Of course as mentioned earlier diet has also a major influence and those fed a very healthy natural dog food tend to shed very lightly except in the spring when dogs naturally shed all their hair so a new coat can grow. The phenomenon of seasonal shedding for some breeds occurs because the  dogs shed their winter coats in the spring and if you are the owner of one such breed, you will have to be prepared for large-scale shedding at these times of the year.

In addition to dog coat characteristics, many other factors influence dog shedding:

• Sunlight and temperature: The length of day may influence growth  of a new coat on the dog  and shedding of the old coat. Outdoor dogs usually shed their thick undercoat in the spring to prepare for warmer weather. Many indoor living dogs experience increased continuous dog shedding and decreased annual dog shedding.
• Health: deworm your dog regularly and treat skin infections properly to maintain healthy skin and coat and decrease shedding.
• Allergies: allergic dogs ( flea and tick infestation) shed more although a compromised immune system goes hand in hand with dogs allergies.
• Dog Nutrition: a high quality natural dog food should provide the conditions for  healthy skin and coat on your dog.
• Cleanliness; brush your dog regularly and use adapted shampoo (not for humans !).
• Hormones affect skin and coat health:  A healthy thyroid, adrenal glands etc are essential to a healthy dog coat
• Pregnancy and lactation: deplete calcium, minerals and energy stores so that many dogs shed heavily after the pups are born and are being nursed.

Excessive dog  shedding, should trigger questions about : skin diseases (Staphylococcus infection, ringworm, dog allergies (flea, tick and lice)), pyoderma), Cushing’s disease and autoimmune diseases as pemphigus complex, pemphigus vegetans, pemphigus foliaceous, pemphigus erythematosis and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome and of course the dogs diet – is it a premium dog food or a natural premium dog food.

What can you do to reduce shedding?

Grooming helps! Brushing your dog once a day will greatly reduce the unwanted hair all over your clothes, carpet and furniture, especially during shedding season. Feed a high quality dog food diet which should not require the use of supplements as a natural dog food will contain all essential nutrients for optimal skin and coat health (vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega 6/3 fatty acids).

Summary

Skin and coat health can be helped with natural premium dog food  of a complete formulation containing all essential vitamins, minerals, amino-acids and fatty acids.

Non or Low Shedding Dog Breeds – Hypoallergenic Dogs

Affenpinsher
Airedale Terrier
American Hairless Terrier
Australian Terrier
Basenji
Bedlington Terrier
Bergamasco
Bichon Frise
Black Russian Terrier
Bolognese
Border Terrier
Boston Terrier
Bouvier des Flandres
Brussels Griffon
Cairn Terrier
Cesky Terrier
Chacy Ranior
Chi-Poo
Chinese Crested
Cockapoo
Coton De Tulear
Dachshund
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Giant Schnauzer
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Greyhound
Hairless Khala
Havanese
Irish Terrier
Irish Water Spaniel
Italian Greyhound
Kerry Blue Terrier
Komondor
Lagotto Romagnolo
Lakeland Terrier
Lhasa Apso
Lowchen
Maltese
Malti-Poo
Manchester Terrier
Mi-Ki
Miniature Schnauzer
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Peruvian Inca Orchid
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Poodle (all types)
Poos
Portuguese Water Dog
Puli
Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
Shih Tzu
Silky Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Spanish Water Dog
Standard Schnauzer
Tibetan Terrier
Welsh Terrier
West Highland White Terrier
Whippet
Wire Haired Fox Terrier
Wire Haired Pointing Griffon
Xoloitzcuintli
Yorkshire Terrier

Heavy Shedding Dog Breeds

Alaskan Malamute
Akita
Australian Shepherd
Belgian Sheepdog
Collie
English Toy Spaniel
German Shepherd
Great Pyrenees
Keeshond
Newfoundlander

Norwegian Elkhound
Pomeranian
Saint Bernard
Samoyed
Siberian Husky
Shetland Sheepdog

At least five people were hospitalized because of the dog food, which was made by Diamond Pet Foods at its plant in Gaston, S.C., the Federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. “People who became ill, the thing that was common among them was that they had fed their pets Diamond Pet Foods,” said CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell.  The company have recalled not only their own natural dog food but a number of other brands they produce which claim to be natural dog food. People can get salmonella by handling infected dog food, then not washing their hands before eating or handling their own food, health officials said. The recall covers a number of pet food brands made at the Gaston plant, including Canidae, Natural Balance, Apex, Kirkland, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health and Taste of the Wild. Land Of Holistic Pets sister company in the United States, Burns Pet Health  which also has a range of natural dog foods is unaffected by this problem. Burns Pet Health and Land Of Holistic Pets have very strict health and safety protocols in place for their natural dog food ranges.

The South Carolina plant temporarily was shut down April 8. Diamond Pet Foods has issued four rounds of recalls for food made at the plant, located outside of Columbia, S.C., between Dec. 9 and April 7. The latest recalls were announced Friday April 27th. The same company had to recall their natural dog food ranges in 2005 when a toxic mould called aflatoxin ended up in food made at the same  plant in South Carolina and dozens of dogs died. The company offered a $3.1 million settlement. The Food and Drug Administration determined the deadly fungus likely got into the plant when it failed to test 12 shipments of corn which the company claim is an ingredient fit for natural dog food. Land Of Holistic Pets and Burns Pet Health in the USA do not use corn in any manner or form and would not advocate its use in natural dog food.

Here at Land of Holistic Pets we consider ourselves a ‘natural dog food company’, through and through.

Ever since we started making our own ‘natural dog food brands’ – Robbie’s and Luath’s – we’ve concentrated on making them natural and healthy. As a consequence we strive to maintain the highest standards and seek to always improve.

As a dog owner you are aware of all sorts of dog food brands and via the Internet there are unlimited ‘dog food reviews’ you can read through and consider. Not to mention all the expensive adverts aimed at getting you to buy mass-produced and mass-marketed products.

We are confident that our dog food (and our cat food for that matter) is among the best you can get, anywhere in the world. In the USA our dog food is rated number 1 in the ‘best dry dog food’ category of Whole Dog Journal.

But what practically can you do?

Should you choose frozen dog food, dried dog food, grain free dog food or what? What is the best dog food? And perhaps more importantly, what is the best dog food for your dog?

As mentioned already, Land of Holistic Pets are a natural dog food company. You only need to look at our food to see that none of it is artificial or chemical based. We only use fine quality ingredients in our quest to find the best natural balance dog food possible.

We have experience with our own pets along with lots of testimony from customers that our dog food is good for all dogs.

Young or old, healthy or not. Our natural dog foods, combined with carefully selected natural herbal supplements, have successfully helped countless animals.

Have you tried Robbie’s or Luath’s yet? It’s as natural a dog food as you’ll find anywhere.

I read an article recently which suggested that “an emerging trend in human healthcare is the focus on the link between diet and disease.”

The author of course missed the fact that Hippocrates (c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC) raised the issue. “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”.

Here we are in the 21st century and only wakening up to this simple fact, that diet not only influences health but can cause disease.

Another very interesting little snippet is that out of the 30,000 or so edible plants thought to exist on the planet, eleven of them account for 93% of human consumption – corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, millet, sorghum, beans, barley, rye, oats and cassava.

As far as human beings are concerned very little has changed since man first started to cultivate food. Also, the animals raised for food today are the same ones that were domesticated for that reason in Stone Age times.

What has this got to do with epilepsy in dogs you might ask, but the history of human and dogs diets are almost one and the same thing since dogs were domesticated.

Dogs are scavengers and when left to their own devices will find food in whatever available form.  This is how I believe they came to be domesticated in the first place. Looking for food, man recognized a need and a use – the bond was created and satisfied the needs of both – man and dog.

Dogs diet then started to mirror that of the provider – man.

Subsequently, dogs experienced similar health issues that man experienced simply because the diets of both were locked.

The real problem is that man and dog have stuck with the same or similar food products and as choice has increased it is only at the expense of quality.

The industrial revolutions brought highly refined foods to all but at a price.  Diligence is required to avoid certain foods and in particular, highly processed foods contain a variety of the basic food making them harder to detect and eliminate.

Nutritional Deficiencies and Seizures

It has been recognized that there  are a number of specific nutritional deficiencies in both humans and canines that are known to cause or aggravate seizures.

Until recently some proponents of the raw diet blamed the cooking of food and its ‘apparent’ destruction of the nutrients as being the problem.

Modern approaches are leading us to a better understanding and the cause appears to rests with the damage done to the digestive system by certain foods. Particularly the duodenum and jejunum- the first parts of small intestine after the stomach.

The villi are the tiny, finger-like projections that absorb nutrients and some foods destroy these rendering humans and dogs alike, unable to absorb vital nutrients which in turn  provokes the seizures.

Causes of Damage to the Villi

Four foods known to cause villi damage are corn/maize, soy, casien and gluten.

The gluten comes from the gluten grains- wheat, barley, and rye.

Casein comes from cow’s milk/ dairy  products.

Adhesives are made from these four foods. Powerful, industrial-strength glues are made from soy, casein, and gluten whereas corn is used for paper/cardboard products. The glycoproteins which make up these foods  adhere to tissues and damage it.

Glycoproteins that we derive from foods are now called ‘lectins’. There are good and bad lectins in food with the most damaging coming from the same four foods listed above.

We now know that these lectins are central to autoimmune disease like thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type-1 diabetes, lupus, and more.

Brain Stimulator

Glutamate is one of the principle neurotransmitters in our brain. Too much and we or our dogs get too excited.

Thus excessive glutamate can lead to over-stimulation of neurons and result in seizures, reduced pain threshold, sleep disorders, emotional disturbances and so on.

Glutamic acid is the parent protein in MSG (mono sodium glutamate).

MSG is used as a neuro-stimulator, acting to sensitize the open-ended nerves in our taste buds so that food will taste better. MSG is a known trigger of seizures, as is its sister amino acid, aspartic acid, the parent protein in the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet). Both amino acids are neurostimulators  stimulating our sense of taste.

Wheat gluten is 25% glutamic acid by weight. Casein protein in dairy products  is 20%  while soy protein has much more glutamate than either of these two. Corn contains the least amount but it can do more harm to the intestinal villi in susceptible individuals, leading to malaborption of essential nutrients and worsening food allergies.

The toxic effect of corn is now a hot topic with people interested in autism.

Conclusions – Diet and Supplements.

The first foods to eliminate are the gluten (wheat, barley, rye), casein ( dairy products), soy, and corn. This stops further damage to the intestinal villi. It may be advantageous to also cut out chicken since they are often fed on corn.

Eliminate the other sources  of glutamate like peanuts, soy’s closest cousin,  all beans  (except green beans) such as  garbanzo, lima, black, kidney, and navy. Lentils are another source of glutamate.

Consider supplementing with calcium, iron, iodine, B complex, vitamin C, and trace minerals but only once you have followed the above – the body should now be able to  properly absorb them.

Taurine  is an essential amino acid made by dogs but requires the essential amino acids of Cysteine  and Methionine in order to produce it.  It appears to be released by the hippocamous during seizure activity. It is not known exactly why this happens and some suggest as  protective measure by the body while others suggest that it just part of the process. As such taurine supplementation may be worthwhile for some dogs.

Magnesium – supplementation has been successful in some dogs but should not be used if renal failure is evident.

by George Burns (Article first appeared on Burns Pet Health US.)

Land of Holistic Pets is launching a new distributing programme in Japan. The new initiative aims to bring Luaths and Robbie’s products to the market of caring Japanese pet owners.

http://ideas4petretail.co.uk/news/land-holistic-pets-moves-japanese-market

Luath climbed upon the wall overlooking the city and the pack and shouted -

“Rejoice that we are not men but dogs”
And loud cheers went up from the Pack!

Luath started to speak and said “Say not, I have found the truth, rather I have found A truth”
There was murmurings from the pack but Luath raised his voice “ many of you have suffered many small irritating health problems and others more serious ones. The time is upon us my friends to take control and educate our owners”

A boxer dog in the pack shouted “Speak to us of teaching.”

And Luath said:
“No man can reveal that which already lies asleep in the dawning of his own knowledge.
The Vet may speak to you of His understanding of health but he cannot give you his understanding. If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind. – This is why we have the Land of Holistic Pets.

A Collie bitch said, “Speak to us of Self Knowledge”.

And Luath said:
Your heart knows in silence the secrets of the days and nights
You would know in words that which you have always know in thought.
Your body tells you that which is good and that which is bad – let your body tell you right from wrong.

A Young Labrador spoke, saying, Tell us about Pain.

And Luath said:

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Much of your pain has been chosen by your diet.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.

Then an old dog, bred not for looks but work, said, speak to us of Eating & Drinking.

And Luath said

Since we have to kill to eat, wither it be plant or animal, let it be an act of worship.
When you kill – say to it in your heart;
By the same power that slays you, I too am slain: and I too shall be consumed.
For that which delivered you unto my hand shall also deliver me into a mightier hand.

Make sure that what you deliver into a mightier hand is nourished well and able to nourish the soil – Eat the Land Of Holistic Dog Foods.

It defies the laws of nature for a dog to starve itself to death.

If left to their own devices dog would scavenge to satisfy not only their appetite but their nutritional requirements.

Dog training is remarkably easy and if your dog is a fussy eater you have probably inadvertently trained it that way.

Just think about this situation -  We sit a 4 year old child down at the table with a choice between a plate of vegetable broth or Ice cream and Jelly and left the child to make its own decision.  You know the answer and you also know which one  is the healthy option.  As responsible parents we do not allow the 4 year old child to make that kind of decision -  we naturally insist on the healthy choice first.

The Pink Floyd Album  - Another Brick in Wall – “If you can’t eat your meat, you cannot have any pudding” – it has been drummed into us down through the generations – responsible eating or no treats!  So why do so many dog owners ignore these basic rules of parenting with their dogs? Why do dog owners constantly try one food after another looking for something the dog will like? All the while , what owners do NOT realise is that they are encouraging,  training their dog  turn up their nose at food.  The dog learns that this behaviour results is some other form of food, hopefully tastier than the last.  . Often as not, and I  hear about them every other day – the dog  finishes up getting  fed nothing but chicken or turkey or mince.

One of the questions I ask in the Pet health questionnaire – “Does your dog eat all its food at one go?” Or ” Leave some for later? ” -  The later answer comes through time and time again and it is the first big indication that the dog is getting too much food and someday  will probably stop eating for a number of day and the owner starts to worry! The dog is not eating! An owner gets comfort from seeing the family pet eating and if it’s not eating, it’s a worry.

So how do we deal with the Fussy dog? How do we retrain the dog to eat naturally and to eat the healthy option and make both the owners life and the dog, much healthier and happy. Let us take a lesson from normal parenting  – What do we do with children?  - We exercise discipline!

Firstly, to prevent the problem developing we should be feeding enough that the dog eats all that is presented and is going round the bowl looking for more. So if your dog walks away leaving food then that needs to stop. Measure out the amount of food presented and if any is left measure that and deduct from the next meal plus a little more. Use this approach at every meal until all that is presented is eaten – At every meal!

With the fussy eater – put food down – if it does not eat- remove all food after 5 minutes – and do not give any food until the next meal .  At the next and subsequent meals follow the same procedure until the dog eats the food. Do not worry if it takes 1 , 2 or even 8 days – the dog is simply not hungry enough. By taking this approach you are exercising discipline and at the same time training your dog that there are no alternatives!

Here at Land Of Holistic Pets we know that dogs (and pets in general) love to play games. A healthy pet is usually enthusiastic to play and all of us can see that playing games together is a valuable way to deepen our relationship with our pets.

There are a huge variety of tastes amongst us humans as to what foods we like and what foods promote health. There is similar variety among our pets. So part of the process of giving our pets a healthy diet is to understand what exactly is healthy for them.

It may be that in carrying out dog food analysis we find that there are one or two ingredients that are ideal and others which may or may not promote health. As pet owners it is our responsibility to give our pets the right foods. They are harmless creatures who are easily led or misled and they rely on us completely.

So it doesn’t matter whether your dog is a pedigree animal or a cross-breed, health is still paramount for a happy and fulfilled life.

For years many of us have shopped in stores and pet supermarkets for our pet supplies, looking to buy the best dog food we can to promote wellness in our dogs.

We read dog food reviews and even ask the local pet shop owner their opinion.

After some time we find that actually we are seeking to find a natural, balanced dog food (or cat food for that matter). We may try different brands and combinations including homemade dog food.

There are various dog food ratings that we can consider in our pursuit of finding the ‘solid gold’ best dog food that suits our pets.

While some dog food recipes are surprisingly simple others are more complex and scientific. Here at Land Of Holistic Pets we like to promote natural dog food as a basis for pet health.

Sometimes we see on pet health forums that pet owners are discussing the ‘best dog food brand’ or the ‘best puppy food’. It often comes down to a combination of what the particular animal likes and also what the owner discerns as best for health.

Here at Land Of Holistic Pets our principle is to promote ‘holistic pet food’. As you can see elsewhere on our website we believe that holistic, natural food is best for health.

As pet owners we can undertake our own comparison and see for ourselves what foods our dogs thrive on and what foods seem to make them lethargic or un-healthy.

At Holistic Pets we enable you to buy dog food direct from the manufacturer or the pet shop of your choice if they will stock . It’s about trust and love.

Links:
Find out more about our products
Shop online at our pet food store

The pet food industry is a multimillion pound industry and it is of little surprise that some of the world’s leading marketers are employed by some of the biggest companies to get their message over about why their products are the best dogs foods and why you should buy this for Fido because it is rich in this and that and is the best dog food on the market.

On reading the dog food trade industry magazines you regularly see almost meaningless claims but ones which push the right buttons “New leader of the Grain Free Pack”  “Top performer in the food sensitivity category”  -  I even noticed a bill board the other day with the words – “voted best retailer of the year in fish and meat”.

The greatest claim of all in the best dog food stakes are the words “New and Improved”.  I always subconsciously ask myself the question – “was the product substandard before that they need to improve it” – but equally important is wither the potential customer in fact looks at the negative connotations of such claims.

Do we really ever ask what is the “Grain Free Pack and was there ever a leader?  Was there ever a food sensitivity category and who voted that company best retailer of the year?

Claims all being made to the pet owning public which are meaningless yet they influence consumer demand.

Another popular yet meaningless claim is “hypoallergenic dog food” which simply means not likely to produce an allergic reaction!  or to be more specific  – designed to reduce or minimize the possibility of an allergic response, as by containing relatively few or no potentially irritating substances.

This is dog food we are talking about and what company with any sense is going to try and sell a dog food, claim it is one of the best dog foods and include ingredients which are going to cause an allergic reaction and them tell potential customers – the ingredients could cause allergic reactions.

Of course the issue of “New and Improved” has a lot to do with consumer demand simply because dog and cat owners, or at least some of them, are in the business of learning about what is right for their dogs.

No New Leader in the Grain Free Pack or even the  Best Dog Foods stakes is  going to influence a consumer unless there is an improvement, even short term in their dogs or cats general condition.

The vast majority of dog food companies are simply creating niche’s in the ever competitive market place.  This is where Land Of Holistic Pets distinguishes itself in this extremely competitive market place and lifts its position in the Best Dog Food Stakes .

Land Of Holistic Pets products are formulated for Health!  Not some changing fad and to win attention but for the benefit of the dog.

The only shareholders at Land Of holistic Pets are George and Debi Burns – there are no hidden financiers investing money and demanding profits regardless of how it is done or what claims are being made.

In summary, many of the dog foods and cat foods and claims of best dog foods and best cat foods are simply marketing hype designed solely to grab the pet owning public’s attention with the simple intention of converting a doubtful mind to make of a purchase of a particular product.

Land Of Holistic Pets dog foods and intended for the health of the general population of dogs, to give them what we consider to the correct level of nutrients in the most available form for digesting.

Owners need to be very cautious about the origin of their pets toys and what it is made from.

Products are all around us in our home – doors, windows,  drainpipes  and dogs toys, dogs feeding bowls and water dishes.

Chlorine is one of the main chemical building blocks but under certain conditions it produces one of the most toxic pollutants humans have yet created – Dioxins.

Dioxins cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage and probably other that we have not yet found out!

These dioxins are the by-products of the manufacturing process of vinyl or if it is set on fire.

The story does not end there however because vinyl is usually a hard and brittle it requires the addition of other chemicals to make it soft, flexible, able to take colours and even scented.

To do this “phthalates” are added – pronounced with an “f” before “th” sound!

These chemicals do not actually bind to the PVC  and here is the rub – they move freely around it and also out of it!

Over the lifetime of the vinyl product, the phthalates will leach out of the product completely into, skin, mouth, water, air and earth – in fact anything which comes in contact with it. More so when heat or pressure is applied to the products.

Dogs just love chewing plastic, squeaky toys and in doing so, if they are vinyl, are probably ingesting these deadly chemicals as they go.

Not only do the phthalates affect the kidneys and liver, but they can seriously interfere with the reproductive system.

According to researcher Dr. Santillo at the Greenpeace Research facility these phthalates interfere with the chemical communication at the cellular level. He is of course referring to babies in the womb! Pups will no doubt be affected in the same manner.

A Danish report in 2006 looked at the health risks to pets from phthalates and the rate of transfer into and potential effects on dogs and cats. One observation they noted was that when swallowed, soft plastic toys very quickly became hard indication that the phthalates had leached out in a short space of time into the digestive tract.

China and India have become powerful players in manufacturing – hardly a day goes by that I do not get and email from some supplier offering dog toys, or cat feeding bowls, leads, packaging etc.  While EU legislation is place in for children’s toys, the same cannot be said for pet products.

Other additives in vinyl include:

• Lead – used as a softener. affects the nervous system, causing behavioural and cognitive problems. Often in coloured products as well originating from the above mentioned countries.
• Organotins – stabilisers that may affect the immune system and sexual development of cats or dogs.
• Alkyl-phenols – used in the preparation of phthalates are well know for their ability to mimic the hormone estrogen.
• Bisphenol-A – used as a stabiliser and helps to stop the vinyl breaking down. An estrogenic endocrine disrupter – linked to some cancers.