| volume 5 |
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November 2004 |
New look, and Monthly Special
4lb New Look
Due to overwhelming request our 4lb buckets will now be replaced with 4lb stand up pouch. These pouches will save you some kitchen space and are much more environmentally friendly, doing our part to prevent landfill increases.
Monthly Special
Well, your dog friends in luck this holiday season. We have chosen to ease your shopping by offering our 'Smooches for Pooches', on special. The Honest Kitchen's dog treats are irresistable to dogs. You really have got to 'sniff'
these treats for yourself. These will make a great gifts for any dog or friends with dogs. Starting making your dog list!
For the month of November you may purchase a 12 oz jar of 'Smooches for Pooches' for $10.00. Order Here |
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On the Reseller's Front
The Honest Kitchen created quite a 'stir' introducing our products at two pet industry trade shows this past month. Our booth was buzzing with interests. Thanks to the hard efforts of THK staff you will now be able to find our products
in even more stores through out the country. This month has shown the addition of a two regional distributor for the North East. Preferred Pet will be distributing to local stores in the Conn., parts of NYC and lower New York
state, and Mike's Feed Farm will be distribution THK products for New Jersey and into NYC.
We have added three new San Francisco stores Jeffrey's Natural Pet will carry our diets at their 2 locations, Pawtrero Hill of Potrero Hill's San Francisco also picked up the line. The Natural Pet in Wisconsin now has
THK products on their shelves. The Honest Kitchen has now added two new states that carry our wholesome- natural diets, Missouri and Utah. Four Muddy Paws is offering our products at their brand new pet supply store for St. Louis,
Missouri. Ma & Paws is our first reseller in Salt Lake City, Utah. Illinois has 3 new stores, Chew on This Dog Bakery, Snip & Clip Salon, and It's a Dogs Life. South Bay Feed Company of Washington has added our
food. Also, just added today are 2 new New York stores, Animal Kingdom and Wags & Whiskers. Wholepetmarket.com is a new online store selling our foods.
Please visit our Store Directory to keep up to date with your local pet supply store carrying our delicious diets. click here |
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Canine Cushing's Disease
If you are receiving our newsletter, then you are probably well aware of the benefits of feeding a wholesome- gentle processed dog food verses commercial kibbles. Most of us have stumbled upon these benefits through the healing of a sick
animal and Cushing's disease is yet another growing illnessseen in dogs and the highly processed commercial pet foods play a large role in this.
Commercial diets play a direct and or indirect role in Canine Cushing's disease. Directly through metabolizing inferior processed ingredients and indirectly through the treatment of a skin allergies, GI tract upsets and other inflammatory
conditions, all of which could have possibly been brought on by processed poor quality kibbles. Sounds like a vicious circle! The treatment of these inflammatory conditions for some dogs has been prolonged or high dosed steroid
treatments (cortisone injections, prednisone, and other derivatives of steroids) all of which are a contributing factor in one of the three types of Cushing's/ Hyperadrenocorticism disease.
Cushing's disease or (Hyperadrenocorticism)- is noted as elevate cortisol circulating in the blood. Cortisol affects nearly every cell in the body, leaving Cushing's disease and its symptoms vast. Cortisol is a natural blood steroid,
responsible for the presence of glucose in the bloodstream; more directly, creating a balance of glucose in the bloodstream by breaking down muscle (catabolism) and fat (lipoysis) tissue. Insulin's job is to bring glucose into hungry cells
and cortisol pulls glucose out, quite a balancing act.
Cushing's disease and Hyperadrenocorticism have 3 types, pituitary- dependent (tumor either benign or malignant in brain) 80- 90% of case in dogs, adrenal- dependant, ( cortisol secreting tumor involving adrenal glands near kidney) 15- 20
%, and the last being iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism, the result of steroid treatment, creating adrenal gland atrophy.
For dogs with Cushing's disease symptoms vary extensively, a dog could start with one symptom and progress to multiple. The symptoms include muscle weakness, or wasting (created by the over production of cortisol breaking down muscles),
ravenous appetite, pot belly (large swollen belly), erradict blood glucose levels, depressed immune system (resulting in increase risk of infections), excessive urination and drinking (resulting in imbalances flushing of minerals), heat
intolerance, skin sores and arthritis (from improper use of calcium), liver disease, mood changes, abnormal sleep patterns, hair thinning (balding), as you can see quite an array of disturbances to a dog's whole body.
As you can imagine, this disease is very difficult to diagnosis as well, with the array of symptoms and types of causes for the excess cortisol the definitive testing is challenging for veterinarians. The disease generally first appears
in middle aged dogs, though in rear cases has been seen in as young as 1 yr.
As we mentioned at the beginning, having your dog on a wholesome diet is a first line of defense against diseases such as Cushing's. The book "Dogs, Diet, and Disease" by Caroline Levin has been a great guide for this information and we
would recommend for anyone with a dog with Cushing's or other metabolism disease.
For further readings visit our resource page. click here |
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Recipe's of the Month
This is an easy to make healthy goodie for your pet on the holiday!
Butternut Bites
1 cup boiled and mashed Butternut Squash
1 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup cranberries
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tblspoon Honey
Boil Butternut Squash- cool and mash, add oatmeal, cranberries, yeast, and honey mix well. Scoop spoonfuls (about 1 tsp) on to a buttered cookie sheet, bake 10- 12 min at 350.
Let cool and dress your dogs' HK meal with these Butternut Squash Bites!
One of our customers has sent in a yummy dog Cookie recipe with Force.
Force Treats
1/3 cup Force
1/2 cup very hot water
Combine to rehydrate in a mixing bowl for 15 min, then add the following ingredients mixing well.
1 egg
2 tblsps lowfat plain yogurt
2 tblsps canola oil ( or safflower)
Blend in
1 cup whole oat flour
Refridgerate batter for 30 min for best results, Line baking sheet with parchment paper, drop spoon size cookies or squeeze from pastry bag. Bake about 7 min. at 400 degrees, then to crisp up leave cookies in turned off oven for 45 min to
1hour ( dependant on crispness you want and your oven).
These treats are grain free treats crisp enough to put in you pocket for training.
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Homeopathy for Dogs
Homeopathy For Dogs
This month's ‘healing art' focus is Homeopathy. Homeopathic medicine is a complex and fascinating approach to health, which works on the law of similars; i.e. that ‘like cures like'.
One of the simplest ways to understand this principle is with the homeopathic remedy Apis, made from honeybees. Bee stings of course, result in extreme pain, redness and swelling. But the Apis remedy actually triggers a response in the
body that helps to combat the pain, redness and swelling that occur when an insect bite occurs. The principle of homeopathy is based on helping the body to heal itself.
It should be noted that a wide variety of homeopathic remedies exist for various ailments and disorders, and the signs of illness that an animal displays, along with its physical attributes, personality traits and other factors, (which all
contribute to its ‘constitutional type') play a role in determining which remedy is best suited to an individual animal's condition.
Although a selection of remedies is listed here, it is wise to consult with a qualified veterinary homeopathic practitioner, to ensure that the correct diagnosis is made and the appropriate remedy and potency is chosen. While homeopathic
remedies do not cause side effects, this approach to medicine should not be thought of as a substitute for expert veterinary care.
Homeopathic remedies are widely available at health stores and many stores have staff on hand who can also guide you in remedy and potency selection.
Following is a selection of useful remedies to consider or have on hand for everyday conditions:
Apis is a wonderful remedy for bee stings and other insect bites, flea bites too. It helps to alleviate pain and swelling and reduce reactions to insect bites.
Arsenicum is a useful choice for diarrhea and vomiting. Indications for this remedy are animals who seek warmth, and are restless and fearful.
Arnica is one of the best known homeopathic remedies and is indicated for muscle soreness as well as bruises and strains. It is also indicated immediately before and after surgery since it helps to heal damaged tissue.
Chamomila is useful for diarrhea as well as teething and irritability.
Ignatia is a good remedy for grief, shock or sadness and is useful in animals who are showing their upset by frequently sighing, swallowing or yawning.
Nux Vomica is recommended for nausea & vomiting especially caused by garbage poisoning.
Rhuta Graveolens is useful for sprains and spasms as well as tendon and ligament problems.
Rhus Toxidendron is chosen for bone and joint pain including rheumatism and arthritis. Especially for conditions that are worse in wet cold weather and improved by warms and movement.
Our favorite book on this subject is "Homeopathic Care for Dogs & Cats" by Don Hamilton, DVM. This is a detailed publication with in-depth information on homeopathy, constitutional types and remedies for those who are interested in
researching this topic in more detail.
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