Foster Cats at The Happy Beast
Natalie Soonthornswad

Why We Love Fostering Felines

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There are many reasons why we foster cats here at The Happy Beast. The first is we simply love cats and will make any excuse to spend the entire day in their company. We also use the opportunity of fostering cats to indirectly help our customers. For instance, our experience in helping our IBS foster cats reinforced our drive to help get our cat customers off of kibble, and to eliminate it from the store completely by July 2016. (You can read more about that decision in this blog post.)  Now for the update you’ve all been waiting for…

The Happy Beast foster cat Dottie

Dottie with her new friend.

We are happy to announce that Dottie was adopted in the beginning of April and is doing really well in her new home! Dottie was originally rescued from a cat hoarder by Almost Home Adoptions and had been living at the shelter for several years. She is missing her right hind paw and has IBS, so it took just the right family to come around and give her a home. Like most cats, she was a bit scared the first few days, but gradually came out of her shell and is now quite comfortable ruling the roost! Her new family is in love with her, which is exactly what she deserves, after many years of waiting for a home. We miss her dearly, but know that a quiet home environment is what is best for her and what will allow her to reach her highest potential.

Around the same time that Dottie was adopted, we acquired a new foster whose family needed a temporary guardian of their beloved cat, Carlos. He is a welcome addition to The Happy Beast family, very social and playful, and has really become the perfect companion for Fancy (who really enjoys the company of other cats). Carlos is a hardcore kibble addict and we have gone to great lengths to keep him from tearing open our bags of dog food. He is a high energy cat and his drive to break into dog food is likely due to boredom and his natural instinct to hunt. He just happens to be hunting dog food, instead of mice. A cat with this personality would really do best with safe outdoor access so he can climb trees and run around a yard. In the meantime, I take whatever down time I have to play with him, and his absolute favorite toy is the Go Cat Da Bird! Even Fancy likes to get in on the action. I try to play with the cats for 20 min 3 times per day in an effort to curb his naughty behaviors.

Cat snuggle ball

Carlos and Fancy cat fur ball.

Fancy (our other IBS kitty) is doing great! Her stools finally began to solidify after 4 months of an exclusive raw diet. Quite frankly this is a miracle I thought we would never see. We think that she really likes having another cat to cuddle with. Fancy’s inclination for the company of other cats is nothing like I’ve ever seen in the 30 cats I’ve had in my life! Initially, she played hard to get with Carlos and would hiss at him when he would get too close. After a couple of weeks they were sleeping next to each other and next thing we knew, they were cleaning each other and spooning. However, Carlos’ kibble habits did have a negative effect on Fancy. Carlos tore open a bag and Fancy must have decided to take a couple of bites because the next day she had bad diarrhea and we had to give her a bath, which is basically like bathing a wild animal. She’s small but incredibly feisty and doesn’t like to be messed with. It took about a week to recover from this “kibble episode” but she’s back on track and continues to have nicely formed stool as long as she is on an exclusively raw diet.

Stop by the store to see them for yourself and let us know if you have any success stories of your own. For example, we just received a some great news from customers Melinda & Jon about their newest family member. These are the kinds of stories we live for. 🙂

We adopted a new kitten as a rescue who was under-nourished and neglected. At The Happy Beast we were supplied with information about the best foods for her. It has only been a few weeks and already we see much improvement in her temperament, her coat and her eyes. She is gaining weight and obviously feels much better.

Claire Martin

Taking Care of Senior Dogs

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Claire Martin, CCMT (that’s Certified Canine Massage Therapist), CVT, shares advice on taking care of senior dogs and how massage can improve their physical and mental state of health. Check out our event calendar for Claire’s massage days at The Happy Beast and read more about her services at Peak Animal Wellness and Massage.

AGE IS NOT A DISEASE.

“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.” – Sydney Jeanne Seward

As my practice continues to grow, over 50% of my patients are animals in their golden years.  It is with deep gratitude and honor that I work on these animals, and with some amazing results.  While almost any dog can benefit from massage therapy, it’s especially true for senior dogs.

Our dogs grow and age similarly to us.  The once overly rambunctious and naughty puppy will eventually begin to slow down.  Age is not a disease, and it’s really important to remember to embrace this process with an open mind and an open heart.  It can be scary when you suddenly realize you are caring for a senior animal, but use this time to empower yourself with the knowledge and understanding of how to prepare for this inevitable,  AND wonderful, experience.

boxerCommon Conditions in Older Dogs:

Arthritis – Almost every old dog will experience this, no matter what.  It’s just a part of the romping and galavanting that goes on in the puppy years.  Would we have it any other way!?  My arthritic and senior patients who receive regular massage see MAJOR benefits.  The list of massage benefits goes on and on, and soon I’ll have a blog on just that!  Adding in Omega fatty acids can be incredibly helpful too!

Dental disease – Dental disease can depend greatly on the breed and size of your pup, but no matter what, it’s really important to address.  Dogs are absolutely incredible at hiding pain, and so you may never know this is going on without a thorough oral exam by a veterinarian.  Once this is taken care of, your senior dog can munch down — and pain free!

Kidney disease – Pay attention to water intake, change in eating, or bowel habits.

Cancer – Sadly, many of our older dogs suffer from cancer.  My best advice, if available, is to create a team for your animal.  If there’s an integrative veterinarian near you, this is optimal.  Continue feeding your senior pup a high quality diet, and continue letting them do the activities that they love!

Depression – This is a really important piece that I don’t want to skip.  Older dogs really can feel a sense of sadness, as they are not physically and mentally able to what they did when they were younger.  Massage therapy is a blood-pumping activity that can feel similar to exercise, and can act as a tremendous emotional support as well.

cute goldenHow Can You Help?

Movement – Sometimes we want to protect our senior dogs so much, that we forget that they still need to be dogs!  Controlled exercise (multiple, short, leash walks) can be emotionally supportive and also good on overall joint health and flexibility.

Fish Oils – Fish Oils act as a natural anti-inflammatory and help lubricate the joints.  If your senior dog (or any dog!) isn’t on these yet, it’s definitely something to consider.

Body Work – Consider massage therapy, for all of the benefits – the physical and emotional benefits, and the detoxifying qualities as well.

Emotional Support – Remember your old pup is still a dog!  This is really important for BOTH of you.  Be there during the process . . . I know it can be hard.


SO CUTEHere’s the truth:

If you’re really super lucky, your dog will grow old.  Every dog and person’s experience will be unique, and it is never easy to lose a best friend.  My goal is to keep you feeling prepared and empowered.  Let me know what questions you have, or how you are helping your best friend during their golden years.

 

 

 

 

Love & Light,

Claire

Chelsea Niekelski

Fresh Food: The Cost to Feed and Why It’s Worth It

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This is why I feed my dog fresh food (and exactly how much I spent on dog food last month.)

At The Happy Beast, we believe in feeding minimally processed, whole foods and species-appropriate diets for our dogs and cats. We promote nutrition plans that benefit healthy animals and ones that compliment veterinary care in animals with health complications.

The role of diet and nutrition is powerful. We believe that what we feed our animals greatly affects their ability to maintain health, fight off disease, recover from illness and can influence the development of certain conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Many pet food companies use inexpensive ingredients like corn, wheat and animal by-products and flavor enhancers like artificial flavorings and sugar. Kibble (dry dog food) is processed with pressure and extreme heat (a process called extrusion). Sure, dogs have been surviving on these diets for years, but they certainly aren’t thriving. At The Happy Beast, we routinely see dogs suffering from food allergies, obesity and cancer.

Fortunately the fresh food market is rising to meet the need for convenient and affordable foods. These are available in both frozen food or shelf-stable options. Some require more prep- defrosting or rehydrating with water, and others offer the same “scoop and go” convenience of kibble dog food.

Pirate - The Happy Beast

Pi in a furry hat.

My dog, Pi, has been raw-fed since the day I brought her home. In the last five years, I’ve fed her most of the prepared raw foods on the market: every kind of frozen raw, air-dried, freeze-dried and dehydrated. For a six-month stint, I spent every Sunday afternoon preparing a homemade diet by chopping vegetables and weighing chunks of meat. Now we’ve settled in on a combination of prepared frozen raw, some air-dried meat and raw meaty bones.

Feeding Pi fresh food is important to me for two key reasons:

  • Daily Health: Pi has a soft shiny coat, her teeth are clean and white, she stays at a healthy weight, her urine doesn’t kill the grass and her stools are small and don’t stink.
  • Long Term Health: Her diet is her health insurance. She stays healthy, so we don’t go to the vet except for wellness exams and vaccinations.

Pi is a 48lb, fairly active, 5 year old super-mutt.

   Last month she ate:

2 – 6lb Bags SmallBatch Frozen Raw $60

3 – 2lb Chubs SmallBatch Frozen Raw $25

1 – 2lb Bag RealMeat Air-Dried Food $23

1 – 6pack Raw Marrow Bones $16

TOTAL: $124

   Last year, our vet bills total $72.

I attribute my dog’s health and low vet bills partly to genetics (lucky mutt!), partly to ample exercise, but primarily to a healthy diet.

See this chart to get an idea of what it would cost to feed your dog fresh food.

*Remember that every dog has a different metabolism. For example, growing puppies require more calories than an older dog and a super active working breed typically needs more food than a couch dwelling bulldog.

Calories Per Day Frozen Raw 2lb Chubs Frozen Raw

8oz patties

6lb Bag

 Air-Dried 10lb Bag Freeze-Dried 8lb Bag
20lb Dog 400 $42 $60 $60 $65
50lb Dog 1000 $110 $150 $150 $162
80lb Dog 1600 $170 $240 $240 $262
100lb Dog 2000 $220 $300 $300 $325