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Happy New Year!
Doesn't time just fly by?
We're feeling surprised at how quickly Walter kitten turned from a 2lb baby one year ago into such a big 12lb boy now. The floof accounts for a lot of his seemingly giant mass, but we're just hoping he won't keep growing. Anyway, we're so glad you all have been sticking by us. We appreciate you!
Covid is still a big pain in the butt. I've personally had Covid twice now, which has turned my once nimble brain into something like an old jalopy that drives along but backfires frequently. I don't like it. Again, we're so grateful to you for being understanding about our mask policy, but Mike and I and our staff are still a bit worried due to the repercussions of any of us being out sick. It's hard on the other employees when we're short staffed.
One piece of sad news for us is that our dear Calla is moving on to a new job. She and Melissa both joined us 12 years ago (Happy Anniversary Mel!). Calla has always been a super solid employee, always ready to help whoever needs it, making sure I know what the kids today are into these days, pushing me to be OK with moving store furniture and stuff around to new places, and reorganizing things in really interesting ways. She's usually right about it when a piece is moved somewhere new, but it feels weird to me like someone had swept into my living room and put the couch into the bedroom, and it of course turns out that it looks better there. She's always been able to tell customers what they seem to be doing "wrong", but in a way that they feel grateful and leave smiling and educated. That's a talent! We're all going to miss her but we're also happy for her. I know she'll miss all of you that have been so kind to her, and who have allowed her to have such long-term relationships with your pets. In related news, we'd like to welcome Vivian, who is a new full time employee. She is originally from Brazil, and she has a strong background in dog training and behavior. We're looking forward to getting to know her better!
OUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: MORE SECRET SALES! |
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| THREE GREAT RESOURCES FOR NUTRITION!Sorry this is long, but I think it's important for new customers to know where we're coming from!
When we first opened this store in 2004, we were strongly committed to carrying the best commercially made foods we could find. In my 12 year career as as a zookeeper, I had an intimate exposure to the importance of feeding the many species in our care the diets that their ancestors had evolved to eat over thousands of years. Feeding Species appropriate foods were the only reliable way to have the animals in our care thrive and live long comfortable lives.
We appreciated that we had access to meatier grain-free foods (sort of a new thing at the time), dogs seemed healthier, as the higher percentage of protein derived from meat was less troublesome for dogs compared to foods that leaned towards proteins that were plant-based. It made sense to us, as dogs have evolved as facultative scavenging carnivores (sort of like coyotes who are opportunistic and prefer to hunt small prey, but also can eat an apple that fell to the ground, or some berries here and there. They're flexible). Our dogs thrive on a similar diet: primarily meat for the amino acids that they really need to maintain healthy hearts, brains, and to support muscle mass, combined with some rotating variety of other appropriate foods (eggs in their shells, a bit of macerated greens, some goat's milk, etc)
Cats on the other hand are not designed to eat diets that are appropriate for dogs, as they are "obligate carnivores", designed to digest and live solely on a diet of animal meat. Unlike many other species, cats cannot manufacture certain amino acids in their bodies that are critical to their survival (ie: Taurine), and instead must get them from their foods. These amino acids are only found in meat proteins. Eating only dry foods like kibble with large amounts of carbohydrates does not support their long term health. Species-appropriate diets were and are important to us, as they are key to keeping our beloved pets healthy. We were so lucky at the time that three very important resources were becoming available to us to help us learn, created by some very smart and like-minded people. They're still around, and we think you might like to check them out:
1) We started reading the Whole Dog Journal, which at the time was very focused on holistic health and nutrition. They wrote amazing articles on common health problems (like pancreatitis and urinary stones, etc and how to best support animals with these conditions). They also wrote articles about behavior and sometimes gear. These days they have especially good articles about training, behavior, and great gear though the holistic health slant is less apparent. Recently, the big news was that The Whole Dog journal featured Trailblazing Tails' long lines, made by our friend Tricia who lives just down the road. These very unique TBT leashes and long lines are some of our very favorite products in the whole store!
2)We also tuned into Dr Karen Becker, a holistic veterinarian that always hits it right on the head with every article she writes, in my opinion. We relied heavily (and still do) on her teachings, many of them about common health conditions and many about the sad state of traditional veterinary doctors who aren't exposed to the concept of nutrition supporting health, and who instead rely mainly on suppressing symptoms of disease. Unfortunately there was a time when she joined up with Dr Mercola, who started out with really sound health advice for humans, but unfortunately when Covid came around he slipped into the realm of whack-job and conspiracy theories. I had to stop sharing her advice columns, which was a bit tragic for me. She now has a great website of her own calledBark and Whiskers and she's also written an amazing book called THE FOREVER DOG with another nutrition expert, Rodney Habib. It's amazing. I hope we can carry it in the store.
3) A new site at the time called "The Truth About Pet Food" Susan Thixton is a tenacious woman who has dedicated her life to improving the safety of the cesspool that is commercial dog and cat food. She is a big proponent of Food grade vs. Feed grade ingredients. You wouldn't believe what is still allowed by the FDA in terms of ingredient quality (imagine the worst things you can think of and you'll be right.) The big big companies can get away with some crazy stuff, and are able to use their power to influence the FDA to go after smaller companies making foods with carefully chosen, safely made and tested whole food ingredients. These kind of foods are a threat to them as they don't want you to switch off of their commercial foods and they'll say and do outrageous things to influence the public in ways that distract them from the very real grossness and politics behind the scenes.
FOR EXAMPLE: Based on historical recall records, kibble from some of these giant companies is 75 times more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella than raw pet food, and three times more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella than raw meat purchased in your grocery store (and I wouldn't ever feed grocery store raw meat to our pets as it can and does have allowable amounts of samonella as it's expected to be cooked before it's eaten), yet the smaller companies that specialize in whole food raw formulas and who focus so much on ingredient safety are constantly held to much different standards than big kibble companies, even though the only known cases of illness in humans handling pet food were from big-named kibble.
Note: the kibbles we carry are have very strict safety measures.Some of the giant companies use "feed grade" ingredients in their kibble, which unfortunately can include animals that died from other reasons than slaughter, and even worse. This is why we choose our brands so carefully, and we rely on The Truth About Pet Food site to keep up with what's happening in the industry. I would probably pop a nugget of any of the raw foods we carry into my mouth to prove to someone that I believe they are very very safe (There is a zero tolerance policy for salmonella in raw foods and raw food companies know how scrutinized they are and that any raw food company could be shut down, though big manufacturers are not penalized.) Luckily, no one has taken me up on that, as I don't think I'd find it yummy, and I'm not suggesting you do it. ;)
We and Susan became allies back in the days, and if I remember correctly, Green Dog was the first (or very close to it) pet supply store to be added to her "Truth About Pet Food" list of Pet Supply stores that held nutrition and safety first when it came to carrying pet food.
I encourage you to check out her site if you want to know the down and dirty details about what the differences are between human grade and Feed grade foods and why it's so important for the health of our pets. Susan attends AAFCO and FDA meetings to press the industry to do the right things for our pets. We're in a time now in this confusing arena where there is indeed a need for excellent oversight and these three resources above can be extremely educational. |
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A NUMBER OF FOODS WE CARRY HAVE MADE THE LIST!
Each year, Susan Thixton, the force behind pet food safety awareness, puts out a carefully curated list on her website, "THE TRUTH ABOUT PET FOOD" of the best pet foods in the industry each year. These are the brands we carry that made her list: - A Pup Above is a yummy looking lightly cooked food, especially great for picky dogs, elderly animals, and for folks that wish they could make their dog's food but don't have the time. - My Perfect Pet makes a similar style lightly cooked foods for dogs and cats. They have a few formulas for certain health issues, such as a low phosphorus blend. We only stock a few of their formulas, but we can order what you might want to try. - Open Farm makes dry kibble for dogs and cats as well as frozen cooked dog foods. They've based their formulas with an unusually amazing list of sustainable and ethical practices, from ingredient sourcing that focuses on things like certified humanely-raised animals, to recyclable packaging (bring those bags back to us and we'll take care of it!) - Small Batch - one of the the owners of this ethical company actually used to live right in our neighborhood before they moved back to northern California to have access to a larger manufacturing facility. All of their ingredients are carefully selected to meet the standards they feel every dog and cat deserves: organic herbs and vegetables, hormone and antibiotic free meats, humanely raised and harvested and even organic whenever possible. Beef Pork and Lamb are always pasture raised and poultry and rabbit are always free-range. Only pure honest supplements are used such as organic kelp and bee pollen. They specialize in frozen raw, lightly cooked and freeze dried foods, and they make some great freeze dried treats and jerky treats. - Solutions Pet Products are a wonderful line of whole food supplements and more. We carry many of their amazing products that focus on regenerative, eco-friendly Humane farming made by people who think fresh whole foods are best. We can always order products that we don't stock. Try adding some of their lovely ethical products as toppers for your dry kibbles to provide delicious and healing whole food nutrients. - Savage Cat specializes in raw prey-based diets for cats. We can order their turkey and chicken raw cat food, and we currently carry their "Walkers and Squawkers" which are raw duck heads and feet that many dog owners seem to like (though they're marketed for cats)
- Wild Coast Raw is a Washington based raw food manufacturer with high standards, overseen by a veterinarian. Safety is their #1 priority and their recipes are excellent, based on pasture-raised meats and organic veggies. The food itself is beautiful when you thaw it! We carry both dog and cat varieties.
NOTE All of the raw foods in this list make excellent toppers for a processed food diet! |
| | | | | NEW! REAL MEAT TURKEY AND LAMB TRAINING TREATS! I've long loved real meat treats as training treats, as they are very high value, easily broken into smaller pieces but surprisingly they don't tend to crumble or stink in your pocket. They've come out with a turkey treat and a lamb treat that are designed specifically for training. They're very small treats cut into thin round pieces.
NEWSLETTER SPECIAL! MENTION THIS NEWSLETTER AT THE REGISTER AND TAKE 15% OFF OF ONE 16oz BAG OF TURKEY OR LAMB TRAINING TREATS!
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| | | NEW! ENRICHMENT COINS! Sometimes you just need the dog to settle for a little bit so you can get stuff done. These neat "Coins" made of Nylon are sturdier than Licky Mats, and just the right size to turn a snack into a project. Not too much. Not too little. They're great for dogs with some separation anxiety, or those that are learning how to enjoy their crate. Made from nylon for extra durability! Did you know that licking projects are good for their teeth? Licking increases the production of saliva that can help clean the tongue, teeth, and gums. These coins are designed and manufactured in the USA, and are meant for dogs 15 - 65lbs NEWSLETTER SPECIAL! MENTION THIS NEWSLETTER AT THE REGISTER AND TAKE 15% OFF OF ONE ENRICHMENT COIN! |
| | | NANDI TREATS
Behind Nandi is a team of animal-loving social entrepreneurs. They only source their novel proteins (such as Ostrich, lamb, and Venison) from African farmers who share their values and who follow the highest standards of food safety, quality and ethics. Nandi freeze dried pet treats are naturally healthy and nutritious organ meats, raised sustainably without hormones or the use of routine antibiotics on local game farms by people who share our commitment to quality and animal welfare. NEWSLETTER SPECIAL! MENTION THIS NEWSLETTER AT THE REGISTER AND TAKE 15% OFF OF ONE BAG OF NANDI TREATS! |
| | | NEW CHICKEN NECKS FOR CATS AND DOGS!
These new chicken necks (on the left) are from RAWR, which is a great company making great foods. RAWR was founded with the goal of changing the way we feed our cats. They realized what cats and their humans need is a diet that offers transparency, integrity and ingredients specific to the needs of the modern feline. All ingredients in their foods are carefully sourced from farms and producers that they have built strong relationships with over the years. They do not add anything your cat doesn’t need and rely on clean and wholesome meat as the basis for all of their meals. Each ingredient serves a purpose and They never compromise on quality, so we're happy to carry their chicken necks. BUT AREN'T ALL CHICKEN BONES DANGEROUS? Not necessarily - Cats and dogs are designed to eat whole prey like mice and rats and birds. Of course elderly animals or those with tooth problems might need to skip any chewing challenges. Feel weird about giving them? We did too a bit at first, but as long as poultry bones are raw, they can be fed to pets – never EVER cook poultry bones (or other kind of bone) and give them to pets – cooking makes bones brittle and very dangerous. Raw poultry necks have smaller more pliable bones and lots of collagen. One of our favorite holistic vets told us that he recommends feeding 3 raw poultry parts per week for dogs in place of commercial joint supplements, due to the high levels of natural glucosamine and chondroitin and other joint supporting nutrients in the collagen and connective tissues of necks in a highly bio-available state. They're also good at keeping teeth clean.
Big dogs can eat things like turkey or duck necks, and little dogs and cats can eat chicken necks. Poultry necks can also be helpful for dogs that have anal gland troubles. Check out this article I wrote that explains it all in more detail, including a video of one of my cats eating pieces of chicken neck. NOTE: I wouldn't feel as comfortable about feeding any raw chicken parts from a grocery store, as there is a lot of allowable bacteria, as there is the expectation that people will be cooking it and killing that bacteria. The FDA says there is no allowable amount of salmonella in raw foods for pets. NEWSLETTER SPECIAL! MENTION THIS NEWSLETTER AT THE REGISTER AND TAKE 15% OFF OF ONE PACKAGE OF CHICKEN, DUCK OR TURKEY NECKS! |
| | | Thank You So Much For Supporting Independently Owned Pet Supply Stores over Big Chain Stores! |
| | | | Located in Beaumont Village 4327 NE Fremont Street, Portland, Oregon 97213
Telephone: 503-528-1800
© 2007 - 2015 Green Dog Pet Supply. Green Dog Pet Supply® is a Registered Trademark. |
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