Newsletters

One big issue people have is with their dogs are stomach upsets are symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, straining, inability to change diets successfully and the dog losing weight. All these issues cause the dog’s owners much stress, worry and anxiety. On visits to their veterinarian, they can get a variety…

If you dog is tested positive for Parvo, you must start treatment right away. Treatments include IV fluids, monoclonal antibodies and other medicines.

Dogs need muscle meat, organ meat and bone.

Essential amino acids must be consumed by carnivores, and these are found in animal sourced foods.

There are a few plant based food that contain essential amino acids, but the amounts dogs would need to consume make this not reliable in amount or balance.

Also missing from plant-based foods for dogs is zinc, calcium, B vitamins and especially B 12, Iron (dogs must have iron from animal-based products) retinal based vitamin A (they have difficulty using beta-carotene).

Green foods may brag they contain amino acids, but meat-based diets are far more complete and useful for dogs. Proteins are simply amino acids and there is no need to add more.

This month we bring you “Myths about Feeding Dogs”.

Feeding your dog, a healthy diet is not difficult. You just need to follow a few simple rules and apply some common sense.

As we mentioned last month, many feeding myths are discussed among dog fanciers. It is important for you to know what ‘myth’ is and what is ‘truth’ when it comes to canine nutrition.

Therefore, check and double check any nutritional information you find on the internet when it comes to feeding your dogs. Your dogs will certainly appreciate you knowing the truth and feeding them accordingly.

I have attempted to write this article several times but stopped. This is partly because in many cases, the causes of epilepsy cannot be determined and the treatment options available are not very good. It is probable that most causes of epilepsy are genetic, however to date; no genetic tests have been successful in determining the cause. Sometimes, seizures can be caused by medical conditions such as liver shunt issues or brain tumors, but even when treated, the seizures may continue. The prognosis is most frequently called ‘idiopathic epilepsy’, which means it comes from unknown causes.

We always want our dogs to look great and to perform at their very best. We want our working dogs to have steady endurance and drive. We want our tracking and search and rescue dogs to hold the scent and stay on the trail. We want our agility dogs to…

Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD, is a health condition that is very common and continues to raise the most questions on the K9Nutrition Facebook page and in private consults. I have written about this topic before – more than once – and yet it continues to be a plaguing disease among the canine community. IBD generally starts with the dog having diarrhea. Then it occurs more frequently and sometimes with urgency. Occasionally vomiting occurs and eventually weight loss accompanies IBD.

I see more and more recipes for cooked diets on the Internet. It seems meal preparations for dogs are popping up on cooking sites. I do think most of these people are sincere, but many have no idea about what dogs need, versus what people need.

I started breeding dogs in the late 1980’s and I have shown dogs in AKC conformation and performance since 1974. I did not get real interested in breeding dogs until I had learned a lot more about my breed at the time, which was Rottweilers. At that time, I was feeding a basic commercial kibble diet and added a few supplements such as vitamin C, B complex and vitamin E.

Wild game can have a large part in the dog’s diet. Hunting season is upon us and some caution on some meat choices is necessary information. Remember, wild game meat is far less fatty than the animals we raise for meat. If you switch to wild game, it is important to remember you may need to feed more of the wild game than usual of domestic beef, pork, chicken, and turkey.

I think we have all had the experience of ordering something online, only to discover it wasn’t as advertised, or worked as advertised. I don’t know how much money some of you have wasted, but let me tell you, through the years I have thrown away a lot of money.

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. One of the functions of the pancreas is to release enzymes to help digest food. When the pancreas becomes inflamed, it releases enzymes in excess and begins to digest its own tissue. This creates great trauma and pain to the dog. Symptoms of pancreatitis include loss of appetite, vomiting, arching of the back with stomach pain, diarrhea, dehydration, and in some cases jaundice.

I recommend a variety of protein sources in the diet for dogs. That includes beef, turkey, pork, lamb, venison, elk and fish and other animal protein sources. The reasoning for this, is to make sure the dog gets a variety of amino acid sources and to stop possible allergies. While food allergies in dogs is rare, dogs can be susceptible if fed the same one or two protein sources daily. It is the over exposure to one protein that can result in allergic reactions after time, usually after the age 2. See Protein and Variety in the Diet here.

On occasion, I come across some commercial cooked food for dogs as well as certain recipes and idea on how to feed dogs, that are baffling to me. Most have far too many carbohydrates and too little animal fat. I believe most of the inventors of these foods or recipes mean well, but what I see is many people using human nutrition needs mixed up with canine nutrition. What many forget (or even don’t know) is that dogs are carnivores and humans are omnivores.

An important factor to consider in meat has to do with Taurine. There has been much talk about this amino acid lately. It is only found in animal food sources. It is paramount for heart health. When meat is cooked, the taurine is leached out with the juices. It is important to put this liquid back into the meat mixture you will feed your dog. Because of taurine loss, I do not recommend over cooking the meat at high heats.

People ask me similar questions all the time. ‘What is the best food for my dogs?’ ‘How can I help my dog who seems to have a sensitive stomach?’ ‘What can I do for my dog’s itchy skin?’

Calcium levels have the ability to remain stable in the body because calcium is stored in the bones and teeth. If the diet is low in calcium, the body will use the resources stored in these areas until more calcium is introduced into the diet. While this stored supply helps keep other body functions running smoothly, shortages of calcium can affect bone and tooth health. That is why it is always a good idea to make sure your dog has a healthy supply of calcium in the diet.

Knowing blood value terms and their significance, when they are elevated or decreased, can be helpful in making treatment decisions for your dog. However, while dog owners are oftentimes given this information from their veterinarian, they are frequently uncertain or confused about what all the different levels mean. This month, we take another look at a few of the most common blood chemistry terms. Blood values and terms can vary by the test or the laboratory producing the results, but for the purpose of this newsletter, we will use the values and terms that are primarily the United States terms and values.

The history of commercial dog food is short in comparison to the length of time that dogs have been companion animals. The use of bagged and canned foods became popular in the United States after World War II. Most people born in the last fifty years do not have any memory of feeding dogs in any other manner. The notion of the term ‘dog food’ has become so entrenched in the vocabulary that most people state they would never feed their dog ‘people food’. The misunderstanding is that food is ‘food’, and that commercial dog foods are simply heavily processed ‘people food’ that is specifically made for shelf life and economy.

This month I asked for suggestions for the December B-Naturals newsletter and I received several. After receiving several responses, I realized many people may not be aware that I have been writing and distributing this newsletter since 1998. I think I have written a newsletter on almost every topic regarding canine diet, health and Nutrition, which is why I wanted some suggestions this month!

Most dog owners have experienced their dogs having issues with constipation (dry hard stools, or trouble passing the stool) and diarrhea (loose stools and/or with frequent bowel movements). Most of the time either of these issues are temporary. It may be due to stress or something they ate, and it tends to resolve itself. Just like us, dogs can experience temporary bowel upsets.

Most dog owners have experienced their dogs having issues with constipation (dry hard stools, or trouble passing the stool) and diarrhea (loose stools and/or with frequent bowel movements). Most of the time either of these issues are temporary. It may be due to stress or something they ate, and it tends to resolve itself. Just like us, dogs can experience temporary bowel upsets.

Most grocery meat on the meat shelves used to come fresh from local butchers or the store had their own butchers who cut and prepared meat from the back of the store, or behind the main meat counter. They would age the beef, which enhanced the flavor and made the meat tenderer. That isn’t done much anymore – hardly at all! Today, most grocery stores buy their meat pre-packaged. This, in turn, has caused some additives and/or solutions to be added to the meat. Let’s take a look.

People who are just learning about feeding a raw diet to their dogs are astounded to hear that feeding raw bones are actually part of the diet! Not only is feeding raw bones part of the raw natural food diet for dogs, it is an essential part of the diet!

The primary food ingredients needed to feed the weaning and growing puppies is essentially the same as feeding the adult dogs. I encourage feeding a variety of proteins to include at least 4 different mean protein sources. The proteins can include chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb or wild game meat, as well as plain non-flavored whole milk yogurt, cottage cheese and eggs. Canned sardines, mackerel or salmon can also be given twice a week. I also include SMALL amounts of liver or kidney – no more than 5% to 10% of the total daily diet. These protein sources should make up about 75% of the diet. Puppies need high bioavailable protein for growth, and the animal fat found in protein sources provides energy and helps them stay hydrated.

Summertime brings sunshine, beautiful flowers, and for all of us dog lovers, green lawns with regrettably, yellow and brown spots. How does this happen, and what can we do about it?

There is always the latest fad on dog’s health and remedies on the Internet. Some of these are marketing heavily and most often contain miraculous cures and ease in fixing skin conditions, allergies, gastric issues, cancer and more. All these fantastical ideas fall to the wayside sooner or later, and interestingly enough, some have been recycled years later! Ah well, people trying to make a buck just continually keep trying!

This month’s newsletter is more of a blog than a single topic newsletter. Somehow, I will magically tie all the above topics together! This will address some old husband’s tales I see often on the internet, along with some helpful tips to help you improve your dog’s diet.

Many people associate vitamin D with sunshine. While people can easily absorb vitamin D3 from the sun, this is not true for our canine friends. Because of the dog’s thick coat and the oil on their skin, their ability to absorb vitamin D from the sun is poor. Dogs need to get their source of vitamin D3 primarily through their diet.

Lew Olson started sharing her canine health information to her readers in the form of Newsletters in 1997 and over the past 23 years, she has shared 215 of them with her readers.  This month we compiled and organized Lew’s Newsletters into in alphabetized categories. We have done this a couple of times over the past two decades because it provides Lew’s readers an easy and convenient way to find their topics of interest quickly and easily.

Yeast is the most over-looked cause of itching in dogs. It can also cause brown discharge in the ears, chewing of the feet, itching by the tail, flanks, belly and feet.  It is often misdiagnosed as environmental allergies, flea bite dermatitis or food allergies. This article will discuss easy ways to get rid of pesky yeast!

That answer is easy enough! Just make sure to add 900 milligrams of calcium to the diet. You can use carbonate, calcium citrate or ½ teaspoon of ground eggshells per pound of food fed to your home-cooked meals. Design the recipes to be at least 75% animal-based protein and 25% low-sugar (low-glycemic) cooked and mashed carbohydrates.

Dog owner’s most common health concerns are about skin and coat problems, digestion problems and urinary issues including crystals, stones and infection. Once again, I am going to address questions about allergies, allergy testing and skin problems. My most immediate reason for this is that I am seeing more references by dog owners using saliva or hair testing to determine allergies in dogs, and these are completely bogus. I plan on offering several references to this in this month’s newsletter and a short discussion on how these tests have been debunked. I do hope you read the references here to gain better information and understanding on this issue.

Regardless of the diet choice you make for your dog — kibble, raw or home cooked — the vast amount of supplements on the market today, including vitamins, minerals, digestion aids, and anti-inflammatories can make choosing the right supplements for your dog very confusing. It seems just when we might be getting comfortable with our choices, new products pop up or we read an article that warns us to avoid the supplements we have already been giving to our dogs! We want to feed our dogs the best we can and we want to make sure what we are giving them enhances their health and gives us the best value for our dollar.

    Let’s start by talking about Kidney Disease. We will discuss what it is and what it isn’t. Recently I have had several people sending me questions about their dogs that were recently diagnosed with having kidney disease. They are scared, searching frantically for what to do next, what…

People love their dogs, but as our companions begin to age, we begin to worry. I get asked a lot of questions on what is the best nutrition for dogs as they enter into their senior years. Most people want to make sure their companions are comfortable and getting everything they need. In this month’s newsletter we take a look at an overview of diet considerations, common senior health problems, and suggested supplements for seniors.

Dog owners have a variety of ways in which to feed their dogs. Some use a Raw Diet. They make their own or buy pre-made raw diets. Others prefer to home cook for their dogs. They may make their own or order pre-made cooked diets. Some use dehydrated forms of raw dog food. And probably, the majority of people use commercial dog food, which is mainly dry dog food and also known as kibble.

I receive many calls and emails pertaining to dog health issues, but the two most common questions are about:

Suspected food allergies in their dogs or;
Their dog’s inability to eat certain foods because it has a ‘sensitive stomach’

This month I will give you some answers to these very common questions and health issues. Both food allergies and sensitive stomachs oftentimes get mislabeled and can send dog owners spinning down a rabbit hole of despair. Stop the despair and please read on!

In today’s dog food market, you not only find puppy and adult foods, but also senior foods and diet foods. Also on the shelves are bags of dog food specifically formulated for toy breeds, large breeds and giant breeds. This is quite a selection of food types and can be…

Introduction by Lew Olson In past years, we occasionally shared with you testimonial stories from folks who have seen amazing transformations after changing their dog’s diet from a commercial diet to a raw or home-cooked diet. Some of these dog owners were simply looking for a more nutritional diet to…

When a dog has ongoing symptoms of diarrhea, gas, and occasional vomiting, this is often diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). The best description of this is that the lining of the intestinal tract has become inflamed. This causes the food to shoot through the digestive tract, which in turn,…

This month we bring you part II of “Myths about Feeding Dogs”. Feeding your dog a healthy diet is not difficult. You just need to follow a few simple rules and apply some common sense. As we mentioned last month, many feeding myths are discussed among dog fanciers. It is important for you to know what is ‘myth’ and what is ‘truth’ when it comes to canine nutrition. Therefore, check and double check any nutritional information you find on the internet when it comes to feeding your dogs. Your dogs will certainly appreciate you knowing the truth and feeding them accordingly!

Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD, is a health condition that is very common and continues to raise the most questions on the K9Nutrition Facebook page and in private consults. I have written about this topic before – more than once – and yet it continues to be a plaguing disease among the canine community. IBD generally starts with the dog having diarrhea. Then it occurs more frequently and sometimes with urgency. Occasionally vomiting occurs and eventually weight loss accompanies IBD.

This month and next, we will be discuss and dispel some of the common myths about feeding dogs and proper nutrition. Many of these myths we will talk about include information that circulates on the Internet and is frequently discussed among dog fanciers when the topic of canine nutrition is discussed.

Please do not EVER feed any dog a vegetarian or vegan diet! Dogs are not humans! They do not digest food the same way humans do and they have different nutrient requirements needed to maintain their good health.

I started breeding dogs in the late 1980’s and I have shown dogs in AKC conformation and performance since 1974. I did not get real interested in breeding dogs until I had learned a lot more about my breed at the time, which was Rottweilers. At that time, I was…

A question that often comes up is whether or not blood values can determine the nutritional needs of dogs. For the most part, the answer is ‘No.’ Blood work results are described as a ‘snapshot’ of your dog’s blood values at the time the blood work is done, showing if…

A common complaint and frequent source of frustration for many dog owners is when their dogs experience symptoms of itching, scratching, face rubbing and ear shaking with a discharge. They often try bathing their dogs with special shampoos, they change their food, they check for fleas, and finally make an…

Of all the questions I am asked, one of the most common is “What supplements should I add to my dog’s diet?” This question is asked regardless of the type of diet the dog is being fed. Whether you are feeding a raw diet, a home-cooked diet, or a commercial…

I often get requests from people wanting digestive aids for their dogs. Based on the questions I receive, it seems folks either do not understand the differences between enzymes and probiotics or they get the two of them confused. This newsletter explains the differences and benefits of both so you…

I get a lot of questions on various canine health issues, but recently it seems a lot of questions have come in regarding kidney disease.  I have written on the subject in quite some time, so this month, I decided to address some of the common questions regarding this disease….

Need to Put Together a Special Diet for Your Dog’s Specific Health Issue? Want to Start Feeding a Raw or Home Cooked Diet but don’t know where to start?  Here is the SOLUTION!   For a limited time only, Lew Olson will provide you with a free 30-minute consult with…

This article is written to help you understand which supplements can best support your dog’s heart! Dogs are a bit different than humans when it comes to heart diet, but the supplements needed to support both the human and canine heart are very similar! It is important, however, to understand…

The title of this newsletter has become a common statement of mine over the past several years. Part of having a Facebook Page with over 13,000 members (K9Nutrition), means hearing about many of the new Internet dog food claims, supplement claims, feeding claims and even ‘cures’ for everything and anything,…

Most dog owners understand that their dog’s need omega 3 fatty acids in their diet, but the big question seems to be what is the best form of oil to use? To recap why Omega 3 fatty acids are important, let’s discuss what it does for your dog. It helps…

While it is not food related, let’s talk about yeast!  No, not candida! Dogs don’t get that. Dogs get the Malassezia strain of yeast. While this strain of yeast is normal on your dog’s skin, the problem occurs when the yeast growth goes into overdrive and ends up in an…

In Part 1, we discussed a little about the history of dog food and the process behind ‘approving’ dog food which suggests part of the approval and determination of the ingredients (maybe most) and how it is controlled by the pet food industry. In that light, it is important to…

Last month we examined the concerns dog owners have of feeling secure about feeding their dogs a balanced diet. I addressed the issue of commercial dog food and how the labeling can reveal just how uncertain the ingredients might be and to examine the quality of the protein contents. While…

Many people who want to feed their dog a better diet, worry about whether the diet is complete and has all the nutrients needed for their dog to be healthy and thrive. And most certainly this concern is normal, as most of these people are pursuing a new concept on…

There has been much written recently on canine brain function and cognition. I have even seen supplements on the market to ‘improve your dog’s brain function and memory’. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the ingredients in these products useful, nor have I seen good research behind the ingredients. It is difficult…

There has been a lot of articles, discussions and questions about taurine and dogs in the last year. Let’s take a look at taurine, what is it, what it does, what foods contain taurine, and is your dog getting enough its diet?

There are a host of products on the market used as additives or supplements to add to your dog’s food that claim to magically change your dog’s urine so it will not burn the grass. Unfortunately, this is impossible. It is not the pH or acidity of urine that kills the grass. Plus, you can’t change pH with diet effectively even if it was the cause – but it is NOT the cause).

I finally took the time to research Cannabidiol oil (CBD) as to its effectiveness, specific to dogs. I have seen numerous claims on the internet (and HEY, if you see it on the internet, it must be true, right?) that it helps with pain, arthritis, cancer, seizures, anxiety, inflammation pain,…

A confusing issue for many dog owners is the topic of high cholesterol in their dog’s blood panel results. This is an issue that cannot and should not be confused with the meaning of high cholesterol and its dangers in people. Today, people are concerned about reducing fat in their…

How can I be sure the diet is balanced?
That answer is easy enough! Just make sure to add 900 milligrams of calcium to the diet.  You can use carbonate, calcium citrate or ½ teaspoon of ground eggshells per pound of food fed to your home-cooked meals.  Design the recipes to be at least 75% animal-based protein and 25% low-sugar (low-glycemic) cooked and mashed carbohydrates.

For raw diets, feed half the diet in raw meaty bones and half in animal protein with a slight amount of liver or kidney added.

Want to Feed the Best Diet for Your Dog, But Don’t Know How? Now there is a fast and easy way to learn! Check out Lew Olson’s easy-to-follow, on-line course videos! Read on to learn about Canine Nutrition and preparing Raw and Home Cooked Diets!

A common complaint and frequent source of frustration for many dog owners is when their dogs experience symptoms of itching, scratching, face rubbing and ear shaking with a discharge. They often try bathing their dogs with special shampoos, they change their food, they check for fleas, and finally make an…

Want to Feed the Best Diet for Your Dog, But Don’t Know How?   Now there is a fast and easy way to learn! Check out Lew Olson’s easy-to-follow, on-line course videos! Read on to learn about Canine Nutrition Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs, Revised: The Definitive Guide to…