The Benefits of Freeze Dried Raw Diets, Toppers and Treats For Pets

While raw frozen diets may be the gold standard of pet nutrition, not everyone can use them all the time due to a variety of factors such as cost, travel and refrigeration requirements.   Some pets may not like the taste or texture of raw frozen diets and their high fat and protein content may not be appropriate for certain pets.  As a convenient alternative to raw frozen diets, some manufacturers have introduced freeze-dried raw food which retains many of the benefits of raw but is more convenient and doesn't require freezing or refrigeration.   Freeze dried diets, treats and toppers seem to be especially tasty!  Some pets that won't eat raw frozen food will gobble up the freeze dried version from the same manufacturer which contains the identical ingredients! 

Freeze dried food is more nutritious than dry kibble or dehydrated food as the freeze-drying process retains much of the nutrient value since the food is not exposed to high temperatures.    Freeze dried foods use pressure to remove moisture.  This is in contrast to dehydrated foods which use low heat for an extended period of time to removed moisture and dry kibble which is cooked at high temperatures, resulting  in the loss of many nutrients.  Freeze dried raw and raw frozen food are also highly digestible as they contain a minimum of carbohydrates and contain food in its most natural state.  This means better nutrition for your pet and less pooh pickup for you!  While there are many brands of freeze dried raw food and treats, our favorites include Instinct, Stella and Chewys, Primal and Halo (treats).     

AHA Hero Dog Awards Voting Opens Soon!

The American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards nominees will be introduced on March 29th when voting opens.  Visit them at herodogawards.org to vote for your favorite hero. We would like to share the story of last year's winner Hooch.

Hooch American Humane Hero of the Year for 2016

"Hooch is a French Mastiff with badly cropped ears, a broken tail, no tongue and the brightest spirit you’ll ever encounter. Zach Skow, of Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, was alerted about him by a shelter in Bakersfield, and was told that the dog wouldn’t eat or drink, and would instead thrash his food and water bowls around like a maniac. By the time he was pulled to freedom, he was 35 pounds underweight – starving, dehydrated and severely malnourished. Never thinking to check for a missing tongue, they thought he might have a broken or dislocated jaw that was causing his behavior. When taken to the vet, he was sedated to ready him for x-rays, and the gruesome discovery was made… Hooch’s tongue had been savagely removed at its base, likely in an attempt to prime him for the role of a bait dog.  After using a feeding tube (Hooch kept yanking it out) it was discovered that Hooch could be hand-fed!  He tilts his head back while Zach has a handful of food and places it in the back of Hooch’s throat and they let gravity do the rest. Hooch stands for overcoming adversity, bravery and living in the moment. He spends many hours with Marley’s Mutts Miracle Mutts division, as a therapy dog.  He works with autistic, abused and special needs children.  Hooch is known for showing patience and kindness and is proof that anything can be overcome. He is our hero and the best mascot for bravery around." from American Humane Hero Dog Awards site

Brown Rice--Is It Healthy For Your Cat or Dog?

Rice is one of the world’s most popular foods, is a major component of many people’s diet and often considered a “comfort” food, but should it be for your pet? It is important for us to remember that what is considered a “healthy” diet for humans does not always translate to be the same for our canine and feline companions.  Brown Rice is less processed than white rice and is produced by harvesting the seeds running the rice through a rice huller that removes the outer grain husk.  White rice has the added step of removing the germ and the inner husk which then removes even more nutrients and fiber.

Why Is Rice An Ingredient Dog and Cat Food?
Many pet food companies use rice as a “healthy” inexpensive carbohydrate that has less incident of being an allergen then other grains such as corn. It is a filler that can bring up the protein percentage on the label INSTEAD of using the more costly real meat, fish or poultry.   “Premium” brands may market the fact they use brown rice or even organic brown rice as a benefit, but the fact is, the rice is still a replacement for the real nutrition a pet needs.   Feeding brown rice and starchy carbohydrates can affect the pet's overall nutritional balance contributing to obesity, yeast overgrowth, diabetes and a weakened immune system.  Most pet nutritionists agree that dogs (and cats) were originally meat-eaters and although they have become more “domesticated”, this still holds true. Cats are carnivores and do not need carbohydrates while dogs thrive when their diet consists of minimal carbohydrates.

Effects of Rice on Your Pet's Health
If your pet is showing signs of itching, licking, chewing, digestive problems, urinary tract infections, hypothyroidism (dogs), hyperthyroidism (cats), upper respiratiory infections and so on (the list goes on and on), grains such as rice, no matter how wonderful they sound for you to eat, should not be a part of your pet's.  The ONLY time rice may be helpful (and even then our preference would be to feed sweet potatoes instead) is when the pet requires a low protein diet due to kidney failure or liver disease. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions where some pets seem to do just fine on diets with plenty of grains, but as a general rule, grains such as rice contribute to inflammation and an increased carbohydrate load.

Avoid Rice AND Grains In Your Pet's Food and Treats

We do not recommend feeding your pets treats or pet foods containing brown rice or any rice. Just a few examples of cat and dog food brands that contain rice:  Rachael Ray Nutrish,  Canidae Life Stages, Blue Buffalo Life Protection,  Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets, Nature's Recipe Limited Ingredient,  Nutro Wholesome Essentials, California Naturals Dry,  Simply Nourish, Royal Canin and Hills Prescription Diets, Purina ProPlan and many, many more.

Have A Question About Your Pet's Well Being? Read our articles about pet nutrition or email us at support@askariel.com  Please be sure to include your pet's diet on the order form at checkout and our nutritionist will include a diet suggestion for your pet on the order packing slip that comes with your product directions.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Rescue dog Wrangler (a special needs dog) wanted to make sure you smile today! Wishing you and your pets a Happy St. Patrick's Day with a pot o' gold of good health!  Wrangler is featured her with the AskAriel.com supplements he takes.  Wrangler has a feeding tube and many health issues, but is loved and cherished by all!

Jack Russell Terrier With Kidney Disease Lives To 16 1/2 Years

Puck with his girl Kinzie

Puck the Jack Russell Terrier suffered with Kidney Disease and other age related conditions. He was helped with the use of Ask Ariel's supplements, which enabled him to spend more time with his girl Kinzie! Here are the kind words his family shared with us:

"We found Susan Davis and Askariel.com after our dog (Puck the Jack Russell Terrier) was diagnosed with renal failure when he was around 8. We were devastated. A friend sent us to Susan, who not only gave us hope, but was by our side, helping us with diet and supplements and everything we could do to support his body. If we ran out of Renelix I would see a change in him within a few days. I got to the point where I always had an extra one on hand.  We are so grateful that Susan's knowledge and expertise helped Puck live to the ripe old age of 16 1/2. Thank you Susan - for all you do!"

Sue, Mike, Kinzie, (and especially) Puck  - California 

Some of the products that helped Puck were:

Renelix- detox formula that flushes out toxins accumulated in the kidneys.

Power Probiotic for Pets-supports digestion and overall good health (great for all pets!)

Soothing Digestive Relief for Pets- provides a calming, healing effect to your pet's intestinal tract

Purrfect Pet CoQ10- powerful antioxidant, scientifically proven to slow the progression of kidney disease

Lypozyme- Digestive enzymes that helps with the digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates

5 Pet Safety Tips As Winter Ends

Spring is almost here and we have all enjoyed some unseasonably warm, beautiful weather.  But the cold weather and potential for a few last storms is still projected.  Keeping your pet safe and warm will help avoid accidents.  Here are a few safety tips:

• Carefully assess ice conditions for thin ice when walking your dog near waterways. Even at offleash parks there are often ponds with opportunities for a dog to fall in.  Thin ice can be hard to detect so if you do let your dog run offleash, especially in wilderness areas, be vigilant to monitor your pet at all times.  Sadly, every year dogs die because of falling through thin ice and often there just isn't the time or resources readily available to save them.

• If the weather starts to warm up and you are enjoying a little fresh air with the windows open, be sure to put screens on if you have cats.  Your cat may see the open window as a wonderful new opportunity and could fall or jump out.

• If there is another snowstorm, watch out for ice melts which can be toxic to dogs.  Dogs can lick their paws after a wintry walk and expose themselves to chemicals.  Be sure to clean your dog's paws with a moist towel after a walk.

• Bathe your pet as little as possible if there is another cold spell. Overbathing can dry up the essential oils on your pet's coat.

• Keep your dog on a leash if there is heavy snowfall.

Blind Kitty With UTIs and Kidney Problems Feels Better!

Zinky

Meet Zinky! Zinky is a blind 10 year old kitty who was rescued from a shelter when she was kitten.  She developed an infection at 6 months which caused her to go blind.  Her Mom Carole takes amazing care of her and says that Zinky is so sweet and follows her everywhere.  Zinky was having some health issues but her Mom just reported the following:

"Zinky was having UTIs and Kidney problems until I found Ask Ariel and give her Power Probiotic, Renelix, and Oxicell. Now she is doing great!!  Carole-Connecticut, 2017

We are so happy our products could help Zinky feel better and grateful for the wonderful pet parents such as Carole who rescue pets from the shelters.