Our Top 5 Natural Grain Free Dog Chews

We are permanently on the hunt for the perfect dog chew that lasts longer than a few minutes, that are healthy, nutritious and adds to our dogs enrichment. A lot of larger stores still stock dog treats that are either overbaked and therefore have little or no nutritional value, or its difficult to tell whats in them. It's a tall order to find something that doesn't have a long list of nasties in them, so we thought we would list our top 5 natural dog treats here for you, to help make your decision making progress a little easier.

All our treat boxes are postable but if you are one of our lucky daycare dawgies - we will deliver them to your door with your dog!

Chew Roots

Chew roots are our all time fave enrichment treat and our dogs love em.

They are perfect for keeping their pearly whites clean, good for gums and all round oral health. They are completely natural and free from chemicals and preservatives, 100% natural wood. These are sourced from the tuber root of the tree, which once cut - re-sprouts so they are also eco-sustainable! They last for ages and can also be used as part of your dogs enrichment - plaster the chew root in our pure gourmet goose or rabbit pate and your dog will have hours of fun!

Did you know that 15 mins of mental enrichment, like licking the pate off a chew root, is equivalent to 30 minutes of physical exercise! Brilliant for dogs that are serial chewers and will keep your dog occupied whilst you sneak off to the shops.

Beef Trachea

These are fab too, they are beef windpipe (gullet). Packed with flavour and scent that will set your dogs tails wagging. The cartilage that lines the outside of the trachea is rich in glucosamine and chondrotin and a great long lasting chew. They are hollow so can be filled with a variety of things, like your dogs normal food, a fabulous way of feeding your dogs if they are fast eaters, they will love this instead of a slow feeder. They are low in fat, improves joint health and good for oral hygiene. 100% cow, grain free, hypoallergenic.

Hooves

These are cow hooves, cleaned, trimmed and dried. Again a really fab long lasting treat and completely stuffable with a variety of things for a super enriching treat, our dogs go wild for these as do some of our daycare dawgies. Great for mental stimulation and enrichment, keep your pup satiated when you need to pop out.

They have no artificial preservatives or chemicals, 100% cow!. Hypoallergenic, grain free, strengthens teeth and gums and jaws. They are also suitable for pups from 12 weeks.

Fish Cubes

100% natural fish skin cubes, air dried, great source of omega 3 and 6 oils and full of protein. Dogs find these irresistible and they are very digestible. Supports a healthy immune system, they have natural anti-inflammatory properties, and are great for coats and skin. Small enough for a night-time treat, for use as training treats or just because you love your pooch!

As with all natural chews supervision is recommended and ensure that your dog always has plenty of drinking water available whilst chewing.

For a full list of contents of our treat boxes please email/whatsapp/call us, we'll be happy to help.

Understanding how to keep your dog cool during the hotter months

There seems to be a lot of confusion on how to keep dogs cool in the summer months, so hopefully this article will dispel some of the incorrect beliefs and help you to decide whats best for your dog.

From a groomers perspective, never shave your dog, apart from the risk of sunburn it can actually make them hotter, and of course the neighbourhood dogs will laugh at them. Taking your dogs fur really short, thinking your helping keeping them cool is a myth. A dogs fur actually helps keep them cool, providing it is free from dead undercoat, knots and mats.

Take a double coated dog for instance, providing you remove all the dead undercoat their fur acts like their own air conditioning system, breeze/air is allowed to freely flow through the hair thus cooling down their skin.

When a dog gets hot, apart from panting (their main source of temperature regulation) they rely on vasodilation - meaning their blood vessels expand to help them cool off, particularly on their faces and ears. Blood is brought closer to the surface area of the skin, so if there is dead undercoat or knots and mats preventing the air to getting to the dogs skin, this is when they can overheat.

Another way dogs rely on to regulate their body temperature is via their sweat glands - in their paws! Dogs are pretty cleaver and will seek out what they need in order to keep themselves cool. So ensure they have access to fresh water, paddling pools, cool mats, damp towels, cold tiles, the coolest part of your house etc

Never ever make your dogs wear cool coats - these should be banned, large pet stores, who shall remain nameless, still continue to plug way at selling their overpriced cool jackets and mats. Cool coats will cook your dog! Do Not Use Them. Putting anything on your dog that weighs down their fur is a really really bad idea. Cool jackets create a pocket of air, hot air, between your dogs coat and the jacket, it can't escape. Even some trainers, dog walkers etc still use them, they are dangerously misinformed. Even cool mats can be dangerous if the gel that makes them cool leaks out and the dog ingests it.

As a general rule never do physical exercise with your dog in temperatures above 20 degrees - mental stimulation/enrichment is the way to go in hot weather, tires them out just as much without getting hot.

The best things to do, if you don't have a cool tiled patio or tiled floor is to dampen an old towel with cool (never cold cold) water and lay it on the floor, erect a shady spot on some grass, access to paddling pools but with only enough water just to cover the bottom (majority of dogs don't like to submerge themselves, just wet their paws or tummy's)

Signs of overheating and in need of vet treatment

Excessive panting

Bright red gums

Excessive drooling

General discomfort

Rapid heart rate

Wide eyes

Anxiety

If your dog is overheating:

Cool your dog down with cool (never cold) water.

Pay particular attention to putting water on the backs of their ears, pads, stomachs, inner thighs, wherever their is naturally less hair.

Offer cool drinking water (if puppies, lukewarm water)

Seek vets advice, even if your dog seems better