This article originally appeared in the June 2019 Pets in the City Magazine. 
Your fur baby will forever be a puppy in your eyes, but you are starting to notice your dog is slowing down, less energetic, maybe she has gained a few extra pounds (haven’t we all?), and instead of leaping to her feet when you say walk, she ponderously stretches and slowly walks towards the door, though still with an incorrigible smile. As your fur baby gets older, what can you do to ensure the best quality of life possible? How are her nutritional needs changing? What can you do to keep her joints and her mind active?

The first thing to know is that if your dog is starting to slow down, it may not be old age at all - it may be their food. That reality is actually part of my store’s origin story. I wanted a job where I could take my senior dog to work with me, because I felt guilty leaving him alone all day in his old age. So I got a job at a raw pet food company and when I switched my dog to their healthy food, it turned out I had been completely wrong - he hadn’t been old at all. He just was struggling with inflammation and digestive issues. He was six when I considered him a senior dog, and he is 12 now and acts nowhere near as old as he did back then. This truth was why I ended up opening my store - I saw the difference diet had made for my dog and genuinely believe it doubled his life expectancy, and I wanted to share that with others. So my first piece of advice for my customers is to make nutritional changes and feed your dog as healthy a diet as possible to delay old age and stay as spry as RBG. Add in raw - even a little bit every meal - to help improve digestion and give essential digestive enzymes.

My next piece of advice is going to go in all caps, so be prepared: YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOWER PROTEIN INTAKE IN YOUR SENIOR PET!!!! This is a myth, unless you have a specific health diagnosis that indicates doing so. The logic behind this myth is that protein is difficult on the kidneys, but in reality, the quality of the protein is much more important for kidney health than the quantity, along with the amount of moisture and digestive enzymes in the food to help the kidneys function properly. In fact, evidence suggests that reducing protein for your senior dog can lead to a host of health issues because they will begin pulling protein from their own muscles to function. If you would like more information and my sourcing for this (lower protein for seniors is such an entrenched belief I don’t blame you for needing more information) you can email me at desertrawholistic@gmail.com and I would be happy to send you some links.

However, It does make sense to lower the fat content of your dog’s food, because they aren’t burning as much energy and their metabolism is slowing down, so it is a healthy way to reduce calories. If your senior dog is starting to gain weight, a higher protein, lower carb diet is the place to start healthy weight management. In fact, if you cut carbs and slightly cut fat, you may be able to regulate your dog’s weight without cutting the amount you feed them. Only after you have moved to a healthy, high protein diet for a few months and you are still not seeing the weight loss they need for healthy joints would I be ready to advise feeding smaller portions.

Step three is too look at your supplements. Arthritis is, of course, is not something you are ever going to be able to completely avoid, but there is a lot you can do to support the joints and delay discomfort. Again with my Baxter, he started complaining about going up the stairs and showed other signs of pain at about 9 years old. I began supplementing his food with green lipped mussels - one of the most bioavailable sources of glucosamine in the world - and after I went through one bottle, he was back to racing up the stairs with his puppy sister - and those signs of pain did not come back for over a year! This is why I recommend supplementing with green lipped mussels or a good mushroom supplement for joints long before the signs begin. It is important to note that most dry dog foods that tout glucosamine for senior dogs do not include enough to make any sort of difference - it is a marketing strategy. And while there are tons of supplements out there, synthetic glucosamine is not going to be nearly as effective as the natural stuff found in green lipped mussel, because it is getting to your dog in a way that is harder for your dog’s body to synthesize.

As your dog gets along and that isn’t enough alone anymore, locally made Healthy Hemp Pet PCR-Hemp oil will continue to help your dog stay comfortable, as it acts both as pain management and an anti-inflammatory. In addition, a good turmeric supplement, digestive enzymes and a probiotic, especially if you are feeding dry food, an MCT oil, bone broth, and DHA for brain health are all wonderful ways to support your senior dog’s health.

It is sad to watch the aging process happen in seemingly the blink of an eye for our pets. But with the right tools in your toolbox, you can help extend your senior dog’s quality of life for literally years, giving you both more time together.

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In Utah, we have a strong community of animal advocates who are daily striving to serve the needs of the animals of our state, but despite our best efforts, we are still not to where we can “Save Them All.” When it isn’t possible to do so, it is important for our own mental health to know that in the end, the animal suffered as little as possible.
Especially when it comes to minimizing suffering, it is crucial for society to move forward with the times and employ the best techniques available to us. For many years, the most common way to euthanize an animal was the gas chamber. When you think of an animal being put in a gas chamber, the concept is that they will slowly go to sleep and just never wake up. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. A scared animal is put into a small, dark box, filled with strange smells (potentially including previous animals’ defecations). They cry out in fear for the several minutes it can take for them to fall asleep - but sleep may not come. If multiple animals are placed in at the same time they can fight. They may struggle for air. Their organs can start shutting down before they lose consciousness. They may even survive the process. Shelters that use gas chambers have much higher rates of compassion fatigue and no wonder. I tear up just thinking of their piteous cries.
So WHY is Utah one of only four states who has not fully moved to lethal injection, where animals lose consciousness in 3-5 seconds while being kindly handled by a shelter worker? At least 27 states have passed laws banning the use of gas chambers, and the rest have almost all voluntarily moved away from them. In Utah, there are about seven shelters that still use them, but until we have made the shift entirely, it just isn’t good enough.
For the past four years, the Utah Legislature has voted down legislation that would ban the use of gas chambers in our beloved state. Some of our representatives claim that there is no need for a law in place because the movement towards legal injection is already well underway. But if you are an animal lover, “underway” is not good enough. How can we move the process forward to end the suffering of animals and help support our shelter volunteers and workers who are still weighted down with the burden of compassion fatigue?
I spoke with District 17 Representative Peter C. Knudson, who has put forward the bill (SB50 in 2017) to ban gas chambers for the last two years, to see if he had any intention of bringing the bill forward again. Unfortunately, he explained that he was retiring before the next session of our legislature in January. Someone else is going to have to pick up the torch and carry on, and we need to be the squeaky wheel that ensures this happens. Animal Lovers Unite!
These are the legislators who voted YES to pass SB50 last year. If you are in their districts, CALL THEM and encourage them to put forward another bill for the 2019 session:
Sen. J. Iwamoto
Sen. B. Zehnder
These are the legislators who voted NO to pass SB50 last year. If you are in their districts, CALL THEM and let them know you are not happy with their vote and explain to them why a law banning the use of gas chambers is what their constituents want:
Sen. A. Christensen
Sen. M. Dayton
Sen. D. Hinkins
Sen. E. Vickers
You can find your districting information on Senate.utah.gov.
If you don’t live in these districts, call whoever does represent you and let them know animals are still suffering, and we won’t rest until they can have a truly peaceful walk over the rainbow bridge.
After you have called your Senators, take to social media! Let your friends and families know that you called and advocated for the end of gas chambers, and encourage them to do the same. It is likely a lot of them live in the same districts.
Then take to the streets! If you are volunteering at a local shelter, share information with other animal lovers. If you are at the dog park, tell your local fur-parents to call as well. Raise awareness any way you can, from a table outside your local shelter or grocery store to hiring a skywriter!
Our legislators want to hear from us. They listen to us. It is when we advocate loudly for change that they know our votes are at stake and they need to make us happy or we will find leaders who will!

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Here are some things that used to be a reality that have changed since1967:

• Women could not open a credit card without their husband’s permission.
  
• It was 100% legal to refuse to rent to a black family based solely on their race.
  
• Yale, Harvard, and other Ivy League Schools did not admit women.
  
• Marital rape was legal in most states.
  
• The EPA did not exist and the U.S. air and waterways were being polluted by manufacturing unchecked, causing irreparable damage.
  

So we have advanced a lot in the past fifty-odd years, in ways that positively protect individuals, animals, and the environment. But in our own back door, we have something that started in 1967 that desperately needs to go the way of these other violations of decency and community. That was the year Lagoon opened its Wild Kingdom Train Zoo.
One only need to watch a youtube video of the ride to see the absolutely disgusting way the animals are being penned in shockingly small cages without grass or amusement, (sometimes even without shelter from the elements) next to noisy amusement park rides. Lagoon has been cited multiple times by the Utah Department of Agriculture and do not meet the minimum standards of accreditation established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Plagued by rumors of intentional animal abuse and cruelty at the hands of young, untrained keepers, public opinion has been turning against Lagoon for a long time - but not enough to make them change. A bear once received second-degree burns in the face because a train conductor deliberately blew steam in its face.
Are you upset yet? Because there is more. Here are just a few of the incidents that have led the USDA to cite Lagoon for failing to comply with the ridiculously lax federal Animal Welfare Act:
In 2004, a USDA inspection found that animals that required hoof and nail trimming (without space to run, how would they get enough exercise to maintain them naturally?) were limping and almost unable to walk - one deer’s hooves were “at least 4 inches long.” Despite the inspector’s assessment and experience, the inadequately trained keeper simply “disagreed” that anything needed to be done, showing a shocking lack of interest in their job. Citations for failing to provide adequate veterinary care and keep proper records concerning how these animals were obtained or disposed of are coming as often as inspections occur. A deer enclosure was noted to have inadequate draining, leaving the deer standing in five inches of mud filled with their own feces. They have also been cited for selling animals for slaughter, improperly trained staff, lack of shelter for animals against the elements, and failing to recognize the seriousness of animal sickness and diseases. A rubber band around the toe of one animal and inadequate care of the subsequent infection led to its euthanization.
People have suffered, as well. In 1996, a 16-year-old girl working the train ride obviously wasn’t given adequate training regarding how to safely interact with the animals, and was severely bitten by a cougar after sticking her arm in the cage. In 2013 an animal keeper was hospitalized in serious condition after being gored in the leg by a wildebeest. Multiple social media posts from parents document what was supposed to be a fun, educational ride for their children left their children in tears after seeing how sad the animals were.
As a type-A, it absolutely floors me that an organization can take such repeat violations of state and federal laws without any remorse or attempts to avoid future issues. Public opinion has completely turned away from Lagoon on this issue, so maintaining this expensive but “boring” ride (as cited by multiple reviews) in the face of waning popularity and growing backlash and bad press is mind-boggling. If you Google “Lagoon Wild Animal Kingdom Ride” the first three page results are almost entirely bad press. Yet they stubbornly persist and continue to violate basic standards of decency and humanity.
Multiple petitions exist and protests have been taking place for years to fight for the well-being of these suffering animals. If you want to get involved, you can find information on the Facebook page “Stop Imprisoning Animals! Lagoon Amusement Park.” The petition on thepetitionsite.com is “Persuade Lagoon Amusement Park to close down its “Zoo.” There is another called “Demand for Relocation of Lagoon’s Park Animals.” The Utah Animal Right’s Coalition shares details on their website and Facebook page when there are updates (like the deer who was gored by a bison last year after crawling through a space in the poorly-kept fencing) and protests. Leave a bad review for Lagoon on TripAdvisor.com or other travel websites. Be sure if you are posting on social media about these abuses to tag Lagoon, and let them know that this is going to affect them where it hurts - in their pocketbook. And of course, don’t go to Lagoon and give them your money until they get rid of this ride - and make sure they know it!
Sadly, because the ride meets the minimum USDA standards that animals need cages big enough to turn around in (ugh - I’d like to put whoever made that law in a cage big enough to turn around in and see how they like it after ten years), it is unlikely the government could do anything to intervene. It is up to us, animal lovers in the court of public opinion, to put pressure on Lagoon ourselves.
Animal cruelty needs to go the way of other outdated and inhumane practices. Lagoon needs to leave this ride in the past and get with the times.

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Champion Pet Food, owner of Acana and Orijen, has recently had a lawsuit filed against them for heavy metal contamination. WHAT? GET THAT STUFF OFF THE SHELVES! But wait - there may be more to it than you may think. 
According to Pet Food Advocate and Goddess Susan Thixon, of Thetruthaboutpetfood.com, the scientific backing of the claim doesn't hold as much water as you would think. The levels in the food fall well below regulation standards for RODENTS, let alone dogs and cats, and the BPA found in the food tested well below that found in canned food. So why the lawsuit? One would have to look at the unforseen consequences of something called Prop 65, a law put in place in California that, while it had good intentions, has ended up being a cash-cow for lawyers making a career off the backs of small companies. You can read more about that here. 
The general consensus of concerned individuals in the pet food industry is that this lawsuit appears to be frivolous and potentially backed by big kibble. Champion is a fast-growing company that is quickly taking sales away from less-than-scrupulous companies, and like many raw pet food companies deal with regularly, they are facing a backlash from the industry. 
We will be closely watching for further information, but at the moment, we still very much support Champion Pet Food and their high-quality food that is so far above most of the pet food industry. 

Did you know that the pet food industry brings in almost 70 BILLION dollars a year in the U.S.? That means we love our pets! It also means that there are a LOT of choices out there for us as pet parents, and it is up to us to understand our options so we can make the best decision for our pets. Especially when it comes to food, this decision can have long-term consequences, so it is good to know what the differences are and their benefits and risks.
Pet food can be roughly divided into seven categories. Dry, wet, refrigerated, dehydrated, air dried, raw, and freeze dried. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each:

1. Dry pet food: Kibble is any food that is shelf stable, dry, and bite-sized. It is easy to transport and store, it is affordable, and quick and easy to feed. The cons are that it can also be low quality, the lack of moisture can leave your pet dehydrated, and it can be difficult to digest.
   
2. Wet food comes in cans. It is shelf stable, easy to feed, and usually tasty. You can buy in bulk and stock up for years at a time, but It can be more expensive and is cooked to a higher heat, which leads to more nutrient loss. But, it has that important moisture that dry food lacks.
   
3. Refrigerated food can be found in the cooler (not freezer) of your local grocery or pet store. It usually is slightly better quality than your average dry or wet food, it is easy to store, and the moisture content is good for your pet. The drawback is that it has preservatives to make it last for months in the refrigerator, and the few brands that sell this type of food are fraught with recalls due to mold, so I would caution against it.
   
4. Dehydrated foods combine the benefits of dry and wet foods. By cooking the food to a low heat (which helps preserve nutrients and reduces the need for synthetic vitamins and minerals) the products can be shelf stable, but you add water back in before feeding, allowing you the best of both worlds. Dehydrated brands are often smaller, use human-grade ingredients, and use less fillers. The drawback is they can be more expensive and less convenient, since you have to take that few minutes to add the water back in.
   
5. Air dried food is food that has been slowly dried to be shelf-stable without high levels of heat. Commercial brands of air dried are usually mostly meat and very bioavailable, making it so you can feed less while getting the same nutrition for your pet. It can be a very healthy option. The drawbacks is that it is slightly more expensive (though this is balanced when considering you feed less at a time), the best brands are from New Zealand so you have a higher carbon footprint, and it lacks moisture.
   
6. The raw category references food that is mostly meat, has never had any heat or pasteurization applied to it, and meets both AAFCO nutritional requirements and a generally accepted ratio of meat, organs, bones, and veggies and supplements. Commercially prepared raw comes in the freezer, and many people see much healthier pets because the food is so easy for pets to digest. The drawback is that it takes up room in the freezer, it is definitely more expensive than kibble, and you have to take the time to practice safe raw-meat practices such as thoroughly washing your hands and cleaning bowls and surface areas it comes into contact with.
   
7. Freeze-Dried is food that is raw but that has taken the extra step of freeze-drying to make it shelf stable. It has all the benefits of raw food but it is light and excellent for travelling or camping. However, the freeze-drying machines are expensive, making this raw option even more expensive than freezer raw.  It is crucial to rehydrate the food before feeding, or it can cause more dehydration than even dry food can. But as a quick option to keep for travel or if you run out of your regular food, it can’t be beat.
   

With all of these options, literally anyone can find the right fit for their lifestyle, budget, and the health of their pet.

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Owning a raw pet food store, every single day I am answering questions about why a raw food diet is superior to your average dry pet food. So I was thrilled when Pets in the City Magazine asked me to write a Q&A about the most common raw pet food questions I get from day to day. Here goes!
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Q: What is a raw diet?

1. A raw diet is a diet for cats or dogs that is primarily raw meat, including muscle, organ, and bone, that is nutritionally balanced and species appropriate. It may or may not have additional vegetables, fruits, and supplements.

Q. How is raw different from kibble?

1. Dry food was only invented about sixty years ago, and it does not fit well with the way dogs and cats digest food. Because of how hard it is to digest, a lot of health problems can follow. A raw diet is rich in moisture, is biologically appropriate, and it is easier to digest and has important nutrients and enzymes you can’t get naturally in dry food.

Q. Isn’t raw pet food filled with bacteria?

1. Not usually. If you are buying a commercially prepared raw diet, they have been tested thoroughly and are held to much higher standards than kibble or even the human meats you find at the grocery store. If you are mixing in your own raw meat, your pet’s extremely acidic digestive tract keeps them safe from bacteria. As long as you practice the same food-safety techniques you would when handling raw meat for yourself, there is virtually no risk.

Q. My vet says raw diets aren’t balanced.

1. It is possible when doing a home-prepared raw diet that you can miss crucial nutrients that can lead to health problems. But if you are doing at least half of a commercial diet, the work is done for you. All commercial diets say on their packaging whether they meet AAFCO standards, just like a kibble you would buy at the grocery store.

Q. Dogs aren’t wolves. Why would I feed them based on the idea that they are?

1. It is true, your basset hound would make a pretty sad wolf. But dogs share 99.5% of the same DNA and their digestive tracts are still virtually identical, so imitating the way wolves eat makes sense. The same for cats and their larger wild counterparts like lions and jaguars.

Q. Don’t we need the kibble to clean my pet’s teeth?

1. This is a common misconception. Actually, the high carbohydrate count in dry food is doing more damage than good, because dogs and cats don’t produce amylase (the digestive enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates) in their mouths, which means dry food actually sticks to teeth more than a raw diet does. A raw bone from the butcher will do more to keep your dog’s teeth clean than kibble. And dry food is why so many cats suffer from stomatitis and need expensive surgery to have their teeth removed. Cats on a raw diet have much lower rates of stomatitis (and renal failure, and cancer, and…)

Q. What differences will I see if I start feeding my pets a raw diet?

1. Many pet parents see weight loss, shinier, softer coats, cleaner teeth, smaller, less stinky poop, less diarrhea, more energy, lower rates of allergies, and less chronic illness.

Q. What illnesses can be avoided or improved with a raw diet?

1. Obesity, diabetes, allergies, pancreatitis, renal failure, cancer, IBD and gastric issues, and more can often be improved with a raw diet. I have seen dogs with severe allergies become healthy and happy, and fat, sick kitties lose half their body weight and start climbing trees. The number of things the right nutrition can help is simply staggering.

Q. What if I can’t afford a raw diet?

1. Cost is one of the main reasons people don’t do a raw diet, but there are things anyone can do to improve their pet’s diet. Adding water and a digestive enzyme supplement can go far in making kibble easier on your pet. Dehydrated brands are human-grade, rich in moisture, and better quality than most kibbles. They run about the same as higher-quality kibble brands and veterinary diets, but are much healthier. There are mixes that allow you to balance a meal just adding your own meat you can get cheap from Sam’s Club or Costco. Even just mixing in a little ground beef to your kibble or raw chicken when you are cooking for your own family can help your dog or cat stay healthier. Another thing to consider is that many dogs and cats on raw diets avoid numerous health problems that can lead to expensive veterinary bills. So consider what you could save on vet bills when considering whether you can afford it. Many people do dry or dehydrated diets and mix in whatever raw they can afford with good results.

There is a reason I have made it my career to spread the word about raw diets. I saw my own terrier Baxter go from a little old man at six to a young pup again, and at 11 today his whitening hair is the only evidence of his advancing age. There is a reason raw pet food is the fastest-growing segment of the pet food industry. Because it really does make a difference.

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While humans metabolize the theobromine in chocolate quickly, dogs have difficulty doing so and it can cause a buildup of toxicity in their systems. Size matters, of course, and a larger dog can handle more chocolate than a small dog without dangerous consequences, and there is a great online calculator at petmd.com you can use to determine if you need to take your dog to the emergency vet.  Warning signs of chocolate poisoning include GI upset, vomiting, restlessness or hyperactivity, increased heart rate, diarrhea, rapid breathing, muscle tension, and seizures. Dark chocolate contains more theobromine than other types of chocolate, and symptoms can begin to manifest within 2-24 hours after ingestion. 
Best thing to do is to keep those lovely chocolates in a closed cupboard, protecting your dog from risk. Easier to never have the problem at all than to have to try and deal with it and the expensive bills that can go along with it. 
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There is a reason I have made it my career to spread the word about raw diets. I saw my own terrier Baxter go from a little old man at six to a young pup again, and at 11 today his whitening hair is the only evidence of his advancing age. There is a reason raw pet food is the fastest-growing segment of the pet food industry. Because it really does make a difference. ​