Does Your Dog Have Gas? Tips To Give Your Dog Fast Relief

Does your dog's gas have you gasping for air? While an occasional stink bomb might be funny, if your dog's gas is regularly clearing the room, it's time to re-evaluate your pet's diet and overall digestion.  Excessive gas and/or burping can be a sign of a health issue.

Normal digestion produces gases in the intestinal tract.  However, foul smelling gas is often caused by bacteria when undigested food (that should have been broken down in the stomach or small intestine) reaches the colon.  Pets with poor digestion may suffer from bloating, indigestion, distension and discomfort.   Consuming the wrong food or poor digestion are the most common culprits causing your pet to suffer from gas (flatulence), indigestion and stomach aches. 

Giving your pet probiotics and digestive enzymes with every meal can reduce gas and indigestion.   The most helpful supplements for digestive issues and support are Soothing Digestive Relief, Gastro ULC, Power Probiotic, K9 Digestive (bigger dogs), and Lypozyme (smaller pets both cats and dogs).  Diet changes are also essential.  Eliminating dry food which is high in starchy carbohydrates which can be hard to digest can help.  Avoiding food allergens can also bring a great deal of relief.

If your pet has gas, there is an easy solution:  change the diet and use a few enzyme and probiotics.  Please include your pet's diet on the order form at checkout  along with your  a pet's health issues and Ask Ariel will include a diet suggestion on the packing slip that comes with the product directions.

Have a question about your pet?  Please feel free to email us at support@askariel.com  Please know we cannot provide any veterinary consultative advice.

Natural Treatments For Dog Ear Infections and Yeast

Is your dog getting ear infections? Chewing on her groin? Smelly paws? Odor after a bath?  These can all be signs of yeast overgrowth.  Give K9 Yeast Defense a try.  K9 Yeast Defense kills Yeast overgrowth that causes doggie odor, ear infections, itching and hair loss. Use with NotaSAN and Power Probiotic   for best results. Please click on the link to learn more.  Diet is a huge issue when it comes to dogs getting smelly paws, yeasty ears and chewing on their groin and genitals.  Please include your dog's diet on the order form at checkout.  Our nutritionist will include a free diet suggestion on the packing slip that comes with the product directions.  Say goodbye to yeast, ear infections and doggie odor with K9 Yeast Defense.  This home remedy for dogs with chronic ear infections, chewing, licking and ear odor really works!

What To Look For When Selecting A Diet For Your Pet

So many brands - so many choices! Here are 3 tips to ensure you are giving your pet the best nutrition.

1) Fresh - Be sure to include something fresh in your pet’s diet every day. Examples: vegetables, defrosted raw diets, fresh ground flax seed, fresh baked fish or lean meat  

2) Low Carbohydrates - We all love carbs but they can be detrimental to our pets contributing to weakened immunity, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Cats are carnivores and dogs have minimal need for them yet carbs are abundant in pet foods. Examples of high carbohydrate foods: grains such as rice, biscuits, dry pet food (must be made with starchy carbs to form the kibble), sweet potatoes, pea flour, sweet fruits

3) Easily Digestible - Many foods may sound “healthy” or natural but they might not be right for your pet. Easily digestible means that there is normal poop, no digestive problems such as vomiting or tummy rumbling and that your pet isn’t displaying symptoms of itching, chewing and tearing his fur out. The pet’s diet is often the culprit in many health conditions. If your pet is itchy and miserable, there could be an issue with the diet.

When it comes to your pet's health, the adage "you are what you eat" rings true.  To learn more about diets for different health conditions, please click here. 

See Something? Say Something -- An Animal's Life Is Depending Upon You!

Kokito

By now, you may be familiar with the tragic story that occurred on a United Airlines flight where the owners of Kokito the puppy were forced to put the puppy in an overhead bin by a flight attendant.  The mother had a baby to attend to and in spite of their protests, were told that is where the puppy had to go.  Kokito's suffocation is only one story.  There are many, many stories of animal suffering.  It's easy to speculate about what "we might have done" had we been on that flight.  Even though there was rough turbulence, would we as  a fellow passenger have demanded the flight attendant check on the pet? 

Many of us are afraid of the repurcussions of causing a scene on an airplane just as we are afraid of causing a problem with a grumpy neighbor who leaves their dog outside in the bitter cold.  Animals depend on us to be their voice.  When you think you see something, even if it just your gut, SAY SOMETHING!    It is upon all of us to listen and speak up even when it is not "socially correct,"   Rest in piece Kokito.  We are so sorry for your loss and your family's grief.   Maybe your tragic death will help more animals because there are so many that are tied up, chained up and left outside with little provisions and help is just a phone call away......

Poor Compliance With Medication Is One Reason Pets Don't Get Better

Do you see the pill? Well.....neither did I!  One reason pets may not show improvement from a health condition is that the pet owner may forget to give a pill or the pet doesn’t take the pill.  In our case, Legend must take his Keppra antiseizure medicine exactly 8 hours apart 3x a day. We literally revolve our lifestyle and appointments as best we can around those pill times after the horrific cluster seizure episodes he went through. Well his last dose is 11 pm and I always check to make sure he ate the pill. The dim light and being half asleep made for a perfect storm! It shows that even when we schedule everything perfectly (phone alarms, wall notes, pill containers) things don’t always come out the way we planned...... We got lucky and since we have been sure to adminster the pill almost always, this was a rare exception.  But, when you have a busy schedule....it's not always easy.

Poor compliance with medication is one reason a pet may not show signs of improvement.  This could be anything from treating heart conditions to skin problems to seizures.  Here are a few tips to help ensure your pet gets the needed medication and/or supplements.

• Keep a schedule posted in at least one or two central locations such as the refrigerator or a place you are likely to see it
• Set up alarms on your phone BEFORE the scheduled pill time and AFTER just in case you got distracted
• Use a pill container with the allocated number of daily pills

Home Remedies For Dogs And Cats With Arthritis

Could your cat or dog be in pain from arthritis? Pets hide their pain for as long as possible. By the time a pet vocalizes discomfort (from for example a sudden movement), the pet has already been experiencing a considerable amount of pain.  Pets in pain may pant, pace, not want to eat, become suddenly shy or aggressive and just not act like themselves.    Don't wait for your pet to vocalize their pain from arthritis.  If you notice any of these subtle signs below, be sure to check with your veterinarian right away.  The following signs can be symptoms of arthritis:

• Difficulty or hesitation to sit down or get up
• Difficulty jumping up or reluctance to climb stairs
• Lameness in one or more limbs
• Stiffness in the morning that improves as the day progresses
• Subtle signs that the pet may not want to put weight on the limb
• Sensitivity when touched in certain areas

 AskAriel.com offers home remedies that contain well researched ingredients scientifically proven to help arthritis.  The products to use depend upon the size and progression of your pet's condition.

Amazing Omegas - A research-backed, powerful source of omega-3 nutrients (essential fatty acids) that can help reduce joint inflammation, which can be causing pain for your pet. Absolutely the best fish oil available.  

Special SAMe - Guaranteed Purity and Potency, Special SAMe contains cofactors such as Vitamin B6, B12 and Folate to improve absorption and efficacy.  Powerful antioxidant scientifically proven to help arthritis.  Can be used along with prescription NSAIDs (which can affect your pet's liver) to improve results and detox the liver.

Ultraflex--excellent for cats and small dogs.  A food based supplement (made from ground eggshells) is easy to administer once daily.  Contain collagen which helps repair and strengthen cartilage and connective tissue.  Especially helpful for pets with torn ligaments and collapsed trachea.

Remembering Ariel The Amazing Dog And Inspiration For AskAriel.com

Ariel’s amazing life is the inspiration behind Ask Ariel. Why? Because Ariel led a life of good health that all of us---both human and animal would be grateful to attain. In fact, until a week before her death at 14 years of age (old for a 54 pound dog), Ariel was still running through the meadows, playing with her ball and enjoying a zest for life that few have ever seen. Ariel NEVER appeared to be an “old dog”.

 

Ariel was the first pet I had in my adult life.  Today is the 13th anniversary of her death.  Ariel was the mascot for our 501(c)(3) public charity Ariel Rescue.   Every weekend she accompanied our volunteer group greeting customers even when she was 14 years old!  Ariel taught me so much about holistic pet health and nutrition too.  While I miss her and think of her every single day, I am  so grateful for all the wonderful years we spent together and the incredible gifts her beautiful soul left to all of us.

To learn more about the Ask Ariel Your Pet Nutritionist story and how we got started, please click here