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Happy Spring!!
(Finally)
We're so happy to see flowers (and happier faces) everywhere, now that there are a few windows of sunshine in between rainy days. We hope all of you are enjoying it - we know all the dogs love more time outside!
We're also feeling thankful for a few of the things you helped us do for our community since our last newsletter:
A Huge Thanks to all of YOU that donated to the Holiday Food Drive for the Pongo Fund! In March we were able to arrange delivery of 98 bags of Nutrisource Chicken and Rice dog food to The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank. That's more than 3,200lbs (more than one ton!) of dog food to help feed dogs that are deeply loved but whose owners sometimes cannot afford to feed them. We are especially happy to support this organization, as they have made a truly exciting expansion this year to their ability to help low income and homeless pet owners with emergency medical care for their pets. They've long offered help with Spay and Neuter services, in addition to cultivating a network of veterinarians willing to donate their time when emergencies arrive, but recently they have created, "The Pongo Fund Veterinary Response Team", a mobile medical hospital. With the slogan, "doing what needs to be done", they truly offer everything; information, education, medication, physical therapy, spay-neuter, food, surgery and more. This will provide essential care to hundreds of sick and medically fragile animals each year. Read this lovely post to learn more.
Fun fact: As a store, we were able
to donate more than 2,500lbs of food as well as misc. supplies stemming from either donations or returns from our store in the last year. We work with a variety of rescues and charities including Meals on
Wheels, (for seniors to be able to feed their pets), Safe Dogs by the
River, and Angel's Eyes Dog Rescue.
Thank You to the people that participated in our first Foot Traffic/Green Dog Spring Fun Run! When we mentioned in our newsletter that the storms had economically hit our business hard, Foot Traffic reached out to us with this great idea to team up and do something fun together to benefit a pet charity. We chose Dove Lewis' Emergency Stray and Wildlife Fund, which helps them cover the costs when a good samaritan finds injured wildlife and the Audubon Rehab facility is closed. The Fund will never turn these animals away, which means that costs add up. We got lucky with the weather and the 20 or so people who came and ran with their dogs said it was fun! (We sold raffle tickets and sold donated treats at the counter for $1 a piece for a month. Combined we raised $409!) We're already making plans for next year, and Doggie Business is liking our idea of setting up fun activity stations for the dogs in each of the 2 parks on the run. We'll keep you posted.
Check out Newsletter Only Deals in each section below!
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| Watch Out For This Common Parasite!
Friendly Reminder: Spring is Giardia season! It's important to try and prevent dogs from
drinking from puddles and slow moving water. Giardia, and other diseases
that can be transmitted through contact with animal feces, are prevalent
this time of year. (This is due to snow and ice melt releasing accumulated
deposits of fecal matter down into streams and
puddles). We've really noticed swampy spots at dog parks like Fern Hill
(lots of dog poop is being washed down the hills into the gullies!) and
we're seeing dogs playing in these little "ponds". We also have a handful of
customers who have recently reported their dogs have tested positive for
Giardia.
Giardia is tricky to eliminate and is unfortunately also
tricky to test for. Here are two tips: Tip #1: MSM (sulfur) is a
fantastic supplement for so many reasons, one of which is that it has
been proven to possess antimicrobial effects against Giardia, and
appears to bind with receptor sites, blocking the interaction of
parasite and host. We're not saying your shouldn't treat a Giardia infection with your vet's medications, but regular supplementation with MSM might help to make them more resistant to getting it in the first place or making sure it's gone for good. Most people know MSM as an ingredient found in many
joint supplements, as it's fantastic for inflammation and joint issues
as well. MSM has so many other benefits for all humans and pets, as we
mammals are all designed to need sulfur. It has been shown to help aches and pains, anything from headaches to fibromyalgia. It does this by reducing the inflammatory processes and acting as a
muscle relaxant. It’s a powerful antioxidant. It alleviates the symptoms
of a large number of allergies, including food allergies, contact
allergies, inhalation allergies, and others. MSM improves the
permeability of cell membranes, and improves the cellular uptake of nutrients such as vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10, all B-
vitamins, vitamin A, D en E, amino acids, selenium, calcium, magnesium
and many others.
We have several great whole
food “joint” supplements that contain MSM that would be very safe and
useful for all cats and dogs (as they contain other great things like
fatty acids, and other nutrient rich ingredients meant to support
overall health. (There is no harm in supplying things like glucosamine in joint products to any pet
even if they are not yet displaying symptoms of stiffness) - come and
talk to us about them! If you wanted to supplement with straight MSM you
could - The therapeutic dosage for dogs would be about 50 to 100 mg MSM per
10 pounds of body weight. Toxicity is not usually an issue with MSM; in
fact, it’s similar in toxicity to water. The lethal dose for humans is
more than three pounds. Here’s a neat discussion of the benefits of MSM
Tip #2 - Giardia medications can do a number on your dog's gut flora. Using a restorative product like Answer's cultured goat milk for several weeks after these medications can help to restock the good probiotics and other nutrients that help to restore and repair the delicate lining of the intestines- 80% of the immune system is located here, and supporting the immune system is very important when the body is faced with a parasitic organism that's hard to get rid of. (Bonus! The goat's milk is a natural source of MSM as well)
Newsletter Only Deal: Mention the newsletter this week and get 15% off of any Joint Supplement with MSM or any size of Answer's cultured goat's milk. Deal ends April 16th.
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Cozy Scratcher Den!
Check out these cute and sturdy new scratchers that double as a sleeping spot! Otis loves the scratching pads on top and inside (the whole bottom is a scratching area. The pads can be flipped and rotated for longer life). He sleeps both on top of it and inside it.
Newsletter Only Deal: Come in and mention the newsletter and take 15% off until April 16th.
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| | Not to Assault You With Parasite News But...
With warmer weather comes increased flea activity! There are some things you can do right now to get ahead of these pernicious pests!
Check out this recent blog post to get tips on natural ways to treat your yard (don't miss this one!), house and pets now to prevent getting an infestation later. If you've had a flea problem before, you know the misery!
Newsletter Only Deal: Come in to the store and mention the newsletter and get 15% off of any regularly priced flea product (Boric Acid, Diatomaceous Earth, Flea Combs, Flea Shampoos, Internal Powder, and Repellents)
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Salt Sox!
Salt Sox boots - This last winter showed us that we were badly needing a better variety of boots. We love the quality of Ruff Wear boots and they work well for some, but they’re very expensive (but perhaps better made than even my own hiking boots, and totally worth it for those dogs that take long hikes on muddy, rocky trails and hot desert rocks or those who love to tag along on snowshoeing trips). We knew we needed a brand that was made for neighborhood walks in inclement weather and for basic hikes in Forest Park. We sought out for something a bit more reasonably priced, easy to put on, that dogs would feel comfortable wearing. We also need more boots to protect dogs during winter from contact with road salt and other deicers. We totally get why salt was needed during our ice storms, but it was a little troubling as there are two big downsides to road salt: when salt migrates into lakes and streams, it can harm aquatic plants and animals and salt can hurt or even kill pets. With this seriousness, we hope we’ve found the perfect boots! Salt Sox have soft shell fleece laminates which are breathable, waterproof, salt-proof, warm, and keep paws dry and protected from the elements. 1000 Denier Cordura is extremely durable yet supple. It gives the boot a thin-soled natural feel which promotes balance and security. They have an anatomically engineered fit designed to be close-fitting, comfortable, and to stay on. This exclusive design resists rolling, moves with your pet's natural range of motion, are easy to put on and even easier to take off. Even better, they’re designed and made in the USA. Here’s a good thorough review from someone trying them for the first time We’re very interested in your feedback with any of our products!
We have them stocked in black and red, and we know they will still be handy this time of year to help keep your floors dry and clean when dogs come back in from a wet walk, as well as to protect their feet during hikes on your days off.
Double Newsletter Only Discounts: From now until April 16th, take 15% off of any pair of Salt Sox!
More info & size chart here: https://saltsox.com/.
While you're at it, you can also take 15% off of any rain coat - there's still lots of rain to come!
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Buffalo Horns!
We're always looking for new things for dogs to chew on! We found some neat water buffalo horns. Horns are made from keratin, the same as your fingernails, not bone. What we like: it's long lasting, doesn't stink (we've smelled some from other companies that were rank). Dogs trying them are really loving them. We really love the way this company raises their Buffalo. Here is what they have told us:
"The Water Buffalo in Northern India are extremely hardy animals. They basically live off of the natural grasslands and water. They are ranched in a very primitive manner... on the open range with "shepherds" that keep track of them. When it is time to harvest the Water Buffalo, they are literally walked across the land to the production plant. Since India is roughly 90% Hindu (a religion that customarily doesn't touch meat), there is a community of Muslims that co-exist with the Hindu people. The Muslims do the ranching and the slaughter. The Halal method of slaughter is used in India...which according to many is more humane than we do here in the West. The animal must be healthy to be considered Halal.
Once the animals are processed for meat (that is exported to Europe for people to eat) and the parts (normally processed for doggie treats), we import them with their Veterinary Services Import Permit through the USDA. Both a veterinarian at the Indian Government and a veterinarian here in the USA has to sign off on the certificates. They do not irradiate any body parts…and instead choose the heat method to kill the pathogens (must be heated to a minimum temperature of 80 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes). They have been working with their supplier families in India for over 4 years and absolutely LOVE working with them. They feel that this method of ranching and processing FAR exceeds any factory farming done here in the USA in quality, humaneness, and price. There are many small farms in the USA that "do the right thing", but they are limited which dictates a very high price.
We also have big long lasting water buffalo tendons (called Paddywacks)!
Newsletter Only Deal: Take 15% off of any water buffalo horn or tendon until April 16th!
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| | Can Specials!
We’ve brought in some new cans, and we have cool deals on both brands. We’ve brought in Koha brand dog and cat cans (check out the novel proteins: kangaroo for dogs and guinea fowl for cats). . We’ve also brought in some Bravo brand dog cans. More cans coming!
Bravo cans = Buy One Get One Free! (no limit!)
Take a dollar off of any Koha cans (no limit!) |
| | Happy Earth Month!
As a Green store, our favorite holiday is Earth Day of course! Earth Day is April 22nd this year, and from now until then we'll be posting Green Tips on Facebook. It's up to us to take steps both large and small to try to make the world around us a healthier place. The little things add up - pennies in a jar eventually add up to a great dinner on the town! If we all live a slightly more sustainable life and convince just a few others to do the same, there will be an impact. Check out this blog post about how to reduce your pet's carbon footprint, and maybe consider sharing it with a few friends.
Here's another relevant recent blog post about why you should never eat or feed farmed salmon - it's a very horrible practice for our environment and our health!
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Neighborhood News
Live Music Venue on NE Fremont - In the brick building across from Lucca restaurant is a neighborhood concert venue! It's called The Fremont Theater
"with a badass 22-foot-tall black cotton velvet stage curtain" that
offers thoughtfully curated live entertainment for all ages &
interests. They host a wide range of events, one of which
is a recurring, all-ages, Bluegrass Happy Hour on sundays, from 4-6.
It's all-ages, and free, but also very friendly towards kidless adults,
what with the bar and all. Go check it out!
New Bridgetown building - recent details learned: The ground-floor retail space on the east side of the building will be built to accommodate a 2450-square-foot restaurant (wow! Really?), and the western side will be partitioned to accommodate three businesses in roughly 1000- to 1200-square-foot spaces. They will offer a mix of 50 units from studios to three-bedrooms with eleven spaces for tenant parking.
New Restaurant in old Smallwares space - Despite what this website says, they are not open yet, but at least we know what it will be; South Fork
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| | | | 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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