Our Passion & Our Love

Our Passion & Our Love

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A SPECIAL FOR THE K-9 WHO LOVES THE TASTE OF APPLES

Visit our Web Store to purchase your K-9 the Taste of Vermont with our Vermont Apple K-9 Crisp Stix at 
http://www.housewolfk-9dogbiscuits.com/
This biscuit treat is made with Oats, Carrots, Organic Applesauce, Brown rice flour, Molasses, Ground ginger & Cinnamon...

Once you open a bag of Our Vermont Apple K-9 Crisp Stix, you will want to try one yourself.  We eat them all the time..

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

ANIMAL DIGEST- REALLY ?

Have you ever taken the time to read what is in the ingredients on your K-9's favorite treats?  You will find in most lower quality dog foods and the majority of dog treats one ingredient labeled as "Animal Digest."  Not the most palliative word to read when you are pouring kibble or handing a treat to your BFF (Best Fur Friend), is it ?  Animal digest is seen to some as a practical and inexpensive ingredient included in pet foods and treats, used especially for "flavoring."  The ironic issue with this is, our K-9's have less taste buds than humans do, they rely more on their nose verses their taste buds so why add an ingredient to "enhance" flavor. Would our K-9's sense something isn't right had their treat or food not been masked by a "flavoring?  Makes one wonder.  Haven't you ever scooped out your K-9's kibble with your hands or handed them a treat and felt as if your hands were slightly oily?  Guess what that is... animal digest.

 You will find no animal digest in House Wolf K-9 Dog Biscuit Treats. Our biscuit treats are made with natural and organic products for we feel there is no need to have any additives in the treats we give to those who we love and care about.

The definition of Animal Digest according to the  Association of American Feed Control Officials  (AAFCO) is "  material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and un-decomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed. "


Within that definition you will see a phrases that stand out... "might occur unavoidably in good factory practice"  When the  former President of the AAFCO once made a statement that "even Fluffy" can be in your K-9's dog food, how reassuring is it when they use the word "might" in any statement and for you to feel good about what you are feeding your K-9. If the AAFCO admits our "pets" could even be in the dog foods they are processing, what is stopping them from putting similar ingredients into the treats they are making.  




Another expert defines the word Animal Digest as "a cooked-down broth which can be made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals.” The animals can be collected from almost any source. There is no control set in place over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying before slaughter), goats, pigs,sheep, horses, rats, euthanized at animal shelters, restaurant and supermarket waste, road kill, etc."

There has been criticism over the use of animal digest where some feel there is little control set in place over quality or contamination.  If in fact they do use the "4-D's" in processing dog foods, what prevents them from using the same guidelines in making our dogs their treats?

We at House Wolf K-9 Dog Biscuits understands the concerns regarding the processes used in making dog foods / treats and choose to take the approach of  "if in doubt, leave it out".  This is why we never use Wheat, Corn, Salt, Artificial coloring, Artificial Flavors, Preservatives, Refined Sugars.  We always make our biscuit treats in small batches, sourcing our own ingredients so your K-9 is guaranteed the healthiest and most nutritious biscuit treat we can provide for them. We also guarantee their biscuit treats will not be sitting on a shelf for months on end.

If you choose not to have your K-9 ingesting "animal digests" you can then feel safe knowing you are handing them a biscuit treat from House Wolf K-9 Dog Biscuits where our Passion is in our Biscuit Treats because Our Love is for the Dog.....

Sunday, July 13, 2014

GIBBIE SNACK

   Gibbie Snacks for the K-9 Living with Epilepsy
Live Strong & Fight the Fight

For those who are curious as to why they are called "Gibbie Snacks", Gibson is one of Dorothy's 5 Sibes of "FiveSibes Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews and from the book "What's Wrong with Gibson?" written by Dorothy Wills-Raftery.  This biscuit treat came about after having an in depth conversation with Dorothy about Gibson and other K-9s who live with Epilepsy.  





Their treats are limited due to the ingredients within some treats that could trigger seizures.  So, we at House Wolf researched ingredients that were appropriate, healthy and nutritious  for the 
K-9 living with Epilepsy.  We made a small test batch, shipped them to Dorothy and Gibson to get their approval and thus the Gibbie Snack was born.  Through Dorothy and Gibson, our knowledge of K-9 epilepsy grew and we learned of The Wally Foundation-canine epilepsy where we now donate $1.00 to The Wally Foundation for every bag of Gibbie Snacks purchased from our Web Site.








Saturday, July 12, 2014

PATRIOT SIBERIAN HUSKY RESCUE OF NEW ENGLAND

If you are looking to find your BFF (Best Fur Friend) in the 
New England Area, 
contact Patriot Siberian Husky Rescue at:





We are proud to be a sponsor of Patriot Siberian Husky Rescue where our Keysha is an Alumni... 

An assorted 14 ounce bag of all three flavors of our Biscuits... Paw-nut Butter, Growlnola Bark Bars and Fish sticks. This blend was created especially for Patriot Siberian Husky Rescue of New England. 

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FOR OUR K-9'S




Looking for a remedy with multiple uses?  Apple Cider Vinegar has been shown to alleviate allergies, arthritis and even helps correct ph imbalances

If your dog has itchy skin, the beginnings of a hot spot, incessantly washes its feet, has smelly ears, or is picky about his food, the application of ACV may change things around. For poor appetite, use it in the food - 1 tablespoon, two times a day for a 50 lb. dog. For itchy skin or beginning hot spots, put ACV into a spray bottle, part the hair and spray on. Any skin eruption will dry up in 24 hours and will save you having to shave the dog. If the skin is already broken, dilute ACV with an equal amount of water and spray on.  Apple cider vinegar can be sponged onto a dog’s coat after bathing to remove soap residues and improve hair condition. Vinegar’s acidity and live enzymes are said to kill bacteria that cause flaking skin conditions. Soak the coat to the skin and let it air-dry. This same treatment is said to repel fleas and ticks.

If you have a dog that has clear, watery discharge from the eyes, a runny nose, or coughs with a liquid sound, use ACV in his or her food. One teaspoon twice a day for a 50 lb. dog will do the job.

Preventatives in using Apple Cider Vinegar
 Relieves or prevents arthritis, Improves digestion, Acts as a urinary system tonic, clears urinary tract infections, and prevents the formation of kidney and bladder stones, Improves the growth and condition of fur and hair, Clears the skin of bacterial and fungal infections
 Reduces skin flaking and dander, Makes one less attractive to biting insects
 Helps prevent food poisoning,  Acts as a natural antibiotic by interrupting  the development of infectious bacterial and viral diseases, Relieves muscle fatigue, Alleviates itching
 Improves ability to adapt to cold temperatures, Reduces hock and elbow calluses
 When applied to the ears, clears and prevents ear infections.

Because it has a distinctive taste Apple cider vinegar can be used as a flavoring agent.  When dogs travel they are sometimes will refuse to drink water that smells and tastes different from what they are used to at home.  Most dogs readily adapt to the taste of apple cider vinegar and will drink any water to which small amounts have been added.   Cider vinegar is inexpensive insurance against dehydration.”

Friday, July 11, 2014

HELPING OR HARMFUL COMMERCIAL TREATS


Is your K-9's favorite treat one of above pictures?  Do you really know what it in the treat you loving give to your BFF (Best Fur Friend) or do you just open the bag and hand them one because they have always like them.  What exactly do all these commercial treats have in common? Although not all the ingredients pose a threat to our K-9's, over a period of time they could cause potential health issues if given on a daily basis.

We are becoming more of a health conscience society, we check the labels on the foods we feed our families, but how many people check the ingredients of the treats they give their K-9's.  Watch the people in the markets, how many do you see reading the backs of food for family consumption.  Go into the pet aisle and you will see people looking at the front of the treats they are thinking of purchasing, how many do you see turning the package around to read what the ingredients are...

Here are three of the above treats to show you what they are made of, and the ingredients in RED are ingredients to avoid...


Ingredients:

Wheat flour, beef meal and beef bone meal, corn flour, sugar, dried digest of poultry by-products, cooked bone marrow preserved with BHA, BHT and citric acid, beef fat preserved with tocopherols, salt, brewers dried yeast, artificial color (includes red 40), iron oxide, sodium metabisulfite (dough conditioner), natural flavor.


Ingredients: 

Wheat Flour, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), Chicken, Wheat Gluten, Brewers Rice, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Lecithin,Potassium ChlorideSalt, Whole Grain Corn, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Sodium Metabisulfite, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper SulfateCalcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K Activity), Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite.


Ingredients:

Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, water,ground yellow corn, sugar, glycerin, soybean meal, hydrogenated corn syrup, bacon (preserved with sodium nitrite), salt, bacon fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), meat, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), natural and artificial peanut butter flavor, natural and artificial vanilla flavor, added color, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1.



You will notice the first ingredient in most commercial dog treats are wheat based..  Corn and Soy are full of GMO's as well as some wheat products.  Non-GMO wheats are also processed in the same factories and may contain traces of GMO's.  Another caution about corn is the risk of it containing Aflatoxin.  Aflatoxin is a fungal growth on corn which produces a toxin that can damage the liver and may lead to liver cancer.  Not only do our K-9's lack the enzyme to properly break these grains down, they all turn into sugars potentially causing obesity.   

"Natural Flavors" can contain artificial flavors and MSG and almost always do.


Most ALL vitamins included in commercial pet treats  are synthetic vitamins.  Our K-9's  bodies do not recognize them and they are of no use nutritionally. The majority of Vitamins that go into our K-9's treats are sourced from China.

Vitamin A supplement (preserved with BHT, includes processing aids of gelatin, sucrose, modified starch, and uses    sodium aluminum as in anti-caking agent).
Vitamin C should not be mixed with iron or copper supplements. Most added Vit C comes from China.
Vitamin E Supplements are preserved with BHT.
Niacin (B3-Made in China)
Vitamin B12 Supplement (Made in China)
Vitamin D3 Supplement (preserved with BHT, includes processing aids of gelatin, sucrose, modified starch, and uses sodium aluminum as an anti-caking agent)
Riboflavin Supplement (B2, Made in China)

Food Coloring:

Titanium Dioxide: Potentially carcinogenic artificial color used as white pigment and dough conditioner and it has been shown to cause autoimmune disorders


CARAMEL COLORINGCaramel coloring is a mix of sugars, ammonia, and, in some cases, sulfite. When heated at high temperatures, this combination turns into 2-methylimidazole (2-MEI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) – proven cancer inducers.

Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue): In 2003, the U.S. FDA issued a public health advisory to warn health care providers of the potential toxicity of this synthetic dye in enteral feeding solutions. Potential problem:  Irritation, itching, gastrointestinal upset, possible mutagenic and tumor igenic effects, nausea . Toxicity, including death, has been reported only in association with FD&C Blue No. 1 tinting of enteral feedings, intended as a means of visually detecting pulmonary aspiration, although causality has not been established.

Blue 2 (artificial color): 
The largest study suggested, but did not prove, that this dye caused brain tumors in male mice. The FDA concluded that there is "reasonable certainty of no harm", but personally I'd rather avoid this ingredient and err on the side of caution. 

Citrus Red #2:
It's toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs.

Red #3 (Erythrosine)(artificial color): 
Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. 

Red 40 (Allura Red)(artificial color): 
The most widely used food dye. While this is one of the most-tested food dyes, the key mouse tests were flawed and inconclusive. An FDA review committee acknowledged problems, but said evidence of harm was not "consistent" or "substantial." Like other dyes, Red 40 is used mainly in junk foods. You should just avoid this ingredient and err on the side of caution. 

Yellow 5 (Tartrazine)(artificial color):
The second most widely used coloring can cause mild allergic reactions, primarily in aspirin-sensitive persons. 
Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children.

Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow)(artificial color): 
Industry-sponsored animal tests indicated that this dye, the third most widely used, causes tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. In addition, small amounts of several carcinogens contaminate Yellow 6. However, the FDA reviewed those data and found reasons to conclude that Yellow 6 does not pose a significant cancer risk to humans. Yellow 6 may also cause occasional allergic reactions. Another ingredient I would rather avoid and err on the side of caution rather than risking my pet's health. 

Green #3 (Fast Green): 
Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats.


Sweeteners 
Even our K-9's have a sweet tooth and can be addicted to the taste of sugars, and trying to change this addiction can be difficult if you are trying to get them to eat a healthier biscuit treat .  Continuous intake can promote hypoglycemia, obesity, nervousness, cataracts, tooth decay, arthritis and allergies.

Cane Molasses 
AAFCO: A by-product of the manufacture of sucrose from sugar cane. It must contain not less than 43% total sugars expressed as invert. 
Corn Syrup 
A syrup prepared from cornstarch, used in industry and in numerous food products as a sweetener. 
Fructose
A very sweet sugar,  occurring in many fruits and honey and used as a preservative for food and as an intravenous nutrient. 
A monosaccharide found naturally in fresh fruit and honey. It is obtained by the inversion of sucrose by means of the enzyme invertase. Used in small quantities it serves as a nutrient for probiotics, specifically bifidobacteria, which ferment it and produce beneficial enzymes. 

High Fructose Corn SyrupHFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body. High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks.    The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin–our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, and more.
    HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
 
An FDA researcher asked corn producers to ship a barrel of high fructose corn syrup in order to test for contaminants. Her repeated requests were refused until she claimed she represented a newly created soft drink company. She was then promptly shipped a big vat of HFCS that was used as part of the study that showed that HFCS often contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing. Poisoned sugar is certainly not “natural”.
Sorbitol 
A white, sweetish, crystalline alcohol, found in various berries and fruits or prepared synthetically and used as a flavoring agent, a sugar substitute for people with diabetes, and a moisturizer in cosmetics and other products. 
Sugar 
Our K-9's also get addicted to foods that contain sugars, so it can be a tough piece of work to make them eat something healthier. 

Sugar, cane molasses, caramel, corn syrup in any form, sorbitol, sucrose, fructose, glucose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin. 
Useless, unnecessary and adds empty calories. Bad ingredients used by companies to make food more palatable to our K-9's/Pet. Used to cover up rotten and rancid foods, and is known to cause hyperglycemia, obesity, nervousness, cataracts, tooth decay, arthritis and allergies.

Unfiltered Water: Unfiltered water contain chemicals, pesticides, fluorides, metals and many other contaminants including bacteria.  The water going into pet foods is of unknown source. 

Make yourself a coffee or pour yourself a beverage, this video is 42 minutes and worth while to watch.  If the pet food manufactures are allowed to do this with our K-9's  / Pet's Kibble, why would they treat our K-9's treats any different or better? 



Visit our Web Page and see the biscuit treats we offer for your K-9 for our Ingredients are straight forward, simple, pure & healthy.  We use NO fillers, additives, flavoring, coloring or preservatives, and we NEVER use Wheat, Corn, Salt or refined sugars.  Look at our ingredients... you will not need a dictionary to understand what they are... 

http://www.housewolfk-9dogbiscuits.com/






HEALTH BENEFITS OF BERRIES FOR OUR K-9'S