Top Customer Questions
2. Why doesn't my vet know about the foods you carry? 4. Is it true that my vet bills will decrease if I change my pet's diet? Why is this? 5. How do I know if my pet is allergic to food? 6. What foods should I avoid giving my pet if I think they have food allergies or intolerences? 8. What does natural food mean? 9. What is a raw diet? Is it safe? 10. Is it o.k. to feed grains to dogs? 11. What should I expect when switching to a higher quality food? 12. I've switched to a healthier diet but my dog is vomiting and has diarrhea. Is this normal? 13. My cat isn't using the litter box, what should I do? 14. My cat is throwing up, is this normal? 15. Oh no! I think my pets have fleas. What can I do? 16. My pet's joints and hips are hurting. What can I do?
The first thing new customers say is that they don’t recognize any of our pet foods. The pet food we offer our customers is high quality pet food that does not contain cheap fillers or additives that can harm dogs or cats. We carry foods with unusual proteins, better grains, no grains and natural preservatives. All the foods we carry are human-grade, and all-natural . These foods are not always available in the big box stores and are not recognized commercial brands. Your vet may not even know about the brands we carry. That's because the companies that we carry spend their money on the quality of their ingredients instead of on advertising. They also may be smaller companies in relation to the big commercial brands. All of our food products are quality products that offer your pet an excellent healthy and nutritious food option. The foods we carry focus on pet nutrition and health. The way the ingredients are cooked or not cooked to the ingredient list is all carefully researched and controlled. Most of the times high quality foods are cooked at far lower heats so that vitamins are preserved. Some foods like Fromme cook their ingredients separately so that some ingredients like vegetables and fruits are not cooked as long as the meats to preserve their nutritional elements. We believe in quality over quantity. The human grade foods are mainly meat which means your pet is getting more nutrition.
Why doesn't my vet know about the foods you carry? Many times your vet will not be familiar with the brands we carry. This is because they are not trained as nutritionists and do not focus on learning about the foods available. Most often they prescribe "vet food" which they sell in their clinic. But the pet food industry has grown and the quality nutritional foods available have increased dramatically. You have many excellent food choices for your pet. Most vets do not keep up to date on the nutritional options available because they do not have the time. Vets also may not know about the brands we carry because they are not commercial brands and may not be available in larger stores.
Do I need a supplement if I am feeding my pet a high quality food or a brand sold at A Village Tail? You don’t need to supplement, but it is a really good idea. Our dry and canned foods are good quality, but they're still processed! If someone handed you a bag of little hard pellets and told you it contained everything you needed to eat and that you should just have 2 cups a day of it for the rest of your life, would you believe them? Pet food is made for our convenience and often times the manufacturing process that turns fresh food into little pellets or a can of food destroys a lot of the fragile nutrients. Using a supplement makes sure that your pets are getting the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, good bacteria and nutrients that they need to be optimally healthy. A lot of times, using a supplement can also help many skin, joint and digestive issues as they restore the body to its natural balance.
Is it true that my vet bills will decrease if I change my pet's diet? Why is this? You may find that your vet trips will decrease once you switch your pet to a healthier diet. Like humans, the food our pets eat affects their health. It may take time to notice the change but your pet will be affected by a healthier diet and their bodies will benefit. The main reason for the benefits is that all the toxins from commercial food have been removed from your pet's body and their immune system becomes stronger. This helps eliminate many common ailments that you might normally make a vet appointment for such as: dry and itchy skin, joint problems, weepy eyes, gooey ears, hot spots, teeth cleaning and flea remedies.
How do I know if my dog is allergic to food? Allergies to food ingredients are a rising concern because more pets are starting to suffer from one type of food allergy or another. Many dogs are allergic to grains and yeast products such as wheat, corn, soy. Chicken and lamb are also becoming a problem for allergies. Food allergies are somewhat misnamed as they are not the same kinds of allergies as afflict people, say with peanut butter. Consider them more extreme food intolerances, more like people with lactose intolerance. Food allergies show themselves in pets through their paws and skin. If your dog or cat is scratching a lot (check for fleas first) and is chewing or licking its paws then the odds are that your pet has allergies. Other common signs are chewing and licking at the base of the tail, red feet, red belly, 'gunky' ears, hot spots (usually located on the paws, legs and base of the tail) or kidney problems . There is no established explanation as to why an allergy will crop up. However, at A Village Tail we have seen the number of food allergies rise every year. We don’t think it's a coincidence that the most troublesome ingredients (grains and yeast products such as wheat, corn) are also the most common ingredients in major commercial pet food brands and have been for the past 30 years. Since the advent of pet food as we know it today, major food companies have grown quite large and the bottom line has overtaken the consumer and their pets in terms of importance. What this means is that low quality ingredients and cheap fillers have become the norm. Feed this to generations upon generations of pets and you get pets that have become unable to digest/recognize these overused, cheap ingredients. They become allergic to these ingredients because their food is unbalanced or nutritionally deficient. A pet's system becomes increasingly finicky and just plain rejects the food. So, your pet’s body tries to get rid of the food and if not through digestion, then through skin detox. The skin, as the body’s biggest detox organ, is always the biggest indicator of food problems. Some vets will diagnose this incorrectly or subscribe steroids, which don’t address the real issue and just suppress the symptoms while causing long-term detrimental effects to your pet’s health. An elimination diet will help determine the cause of the allergies. If an allergy is determined then alter the diet to eliminate the allergic foods. This most often means switching to a higher quality nutritional product that has a more balanced ingredient list.
What foods should I avoid giving my pet if I think they have food allergies or intolerences? The major foods to avoid are Chicken, Corn, Wheat and Soy. If you suspect a food allergy, read the ingredients on everything, food and treats, that you are giving your pet. Eliminate these ingredients for at least a week to 2 weeks and looking for symptoms to stabilize or decrease. If you are switching from Chicken, your best bet is to try more unusual proteins like lamb, duck, venison or a fish. Better grains to have are brown rice, barley, quinoa, and oatmeal. For some dogs, switching off grains entirely also can be beneficial.
Many of our customers ask the same thing. Human-grade means that everything that goes into these foods is actual food that you could eat-most major pet foods are not like that! This food uses parts of animals that have passed inspection and are fit for human consumption. This is especially important when it comes to the meat quality. Most grocery pet foods contain meat by-products which are parts of whatever meat source (let’s say chicken) that has been determined not fit for human consumption. This means that diseased tissue, tumors, blood, beaks, feet, the skin could all be the “meat” that your pet is eating. Because human grade foods are mainly meat it also means your pets are getting more nutrition and protein. When 85% of your pet’s health is determined by what they are eating, their food quality deserves a second-look!
"Natural" generally means that there are no chemicals, which is usually what major companies use to preserve their food to extent the life of the product. The most common culprits used in food preservation are ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT. Many of these chemical preservatives are considered very suspicious and likely the source of many pet’s lowered immune systems and have been accused of being carcinogenic. The food companies we buy use mixed tocopherols, which is Vitamin E, as a preservative and some use Vitamin C as well. Companies that use meals claim that this means that there is more meat protein in their foods compared to a company that uses fresh meat because fresh contains so much moisture. On the flip side, companies that use fresh meat say that it is better because it is the way we would eat meat. Not being rendered means their meat is less processed and therefore more natural and nutritious.
What is a Raw Diet? Is it safe? Raw feeding is the practice of feeding dogs and cats a diet primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs. A raw diet mimics the diet a dog or cat would have eaten in the wild. This is a diet that they have evolved to consume and are most adapted to. A balanced raw diet has the benefits of giving the animal a healthier coat, cleaner teeth and breath, reduced stool volume and odor, and better overall health. Some people believe this is the healthiest approach to pet diets because it goes back to nature and is the diet that a pet's system is designed for. However raw feeding isn't for everyone. If you have small children in the house having raw ingredients in your dog's bowl can be harmful to a child who may touch them. But if you can monitor the situation feeding your pet a raw diet has many health benefits.
Is it o.k. to feed dogs grains? Grains are not a natural food for dogs. It is not something they would eat in the wild in large quantities yet today grains are often the first ingredient in their foods. Grains are also full of carbohydrates which can be easily converted to sugars. Cancer cells feed on sugars and it is believed that by decreasing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, we may greatly reduce the risk of cancer. When feeding grains to dogs please keep the following in mind: grains are not a natural food for dogs; dogs do not, in fact, need carbohydrates; carbohydrates are easily converted into sugars which feed cancer.
What should I expect when switching to a higher quality food? Most people know to mix dogs foods when changing foods. However, when switching to higher foods, we generally find people aren’t prepared for some of the results. If you switch your pets from a low quality food to a high quality food, you should have enough food to mix with for at least 2-3 weeks. When changing from a low quality food, your pet’s system has to start to learn the new food and begin producing the proper enzymes to break it down. If you ate fast food everyday and then decided to go natural, it doesn’t matter how good the diet is, if your body isn’t use to it, it is just going to make you sick! This is why you shouldn’t switch food cold turkey. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t switch. Major pet foods and their advertising have capitalized on the symptoms of changing by telling consumers that their pets will get sick if they change. What you need to remember is this is not an unhealthy sick, consider it more of a cleanse or detox. In fact, most low quality foods have chemical preservatives, so if you switch to a high quality food, the body will also detox these chemicals. Expect loose, soft stinky, mucous-coated stools as this happens. These symptoms can happen for up to month depending on the severity of difference between the previous diet and the new natural, high quality diet.
I've switched to a healthier diet but my dog is vomiting and has diarrhea. Is this normal? When switching a dog over from commercial dog food to a higher quality natural dog food or raw diet, the pet's body will begin the process of ridding itself of toxins and impurities as it adjusts to the intake of proper nutrients. This process is called detox. Depending on the overall health of your pet, detox may last one week, one month or even several weeks...or not even at all. Go slow on introducing new foods to your pet, to make sure there are no allergies. Mix their current food with the new foods for several days or weeks. In this way slowly introduce your pet to the new food. The most common symptoms of detox include vomiting, diarrhea, bad breath and itchy skin. It is normal for any of these detox symptoms to get worse before they get better...just don't give up and hang in there. Keep your dog as comfortable as possible during this process.
My cat isn't using the litter box, what should I do? There are usually two major reasons a cat stops using the litter box. The first reason is their health. Sometimes cats develop urinary issues that make it hard for them to control urination or make it too the litter box. They might also feel ill and don’t enjoy straining in the litter box. Usually, bladder infections can be tested for and a round of antibiotics will clear this up. If you see your cat straining at the litter box, or their genitals look irritated, get this checked out with a urine test. If you do go the antibiotic route, don’t forget to give them pro-biotics after because antibiotics eat good bacteria(which they need for proper digestion!) as well as bad. The second reason is one of a behavioral nature. Usually, there is a catalyst that turns off a cat from good litter box behavior. Something has changed in their life, the routine has been altered, maybe your pet if feeling neglected, or there is a new addition to the house, the litter has changed, this list could go on and on! Many things can be the catalyst for them acting out. If you are finding pee in areas that are personal to you, such as your bed, your clothes, shoes, etc., consider this a message. Your cat is upset and wants you to know. Our best advice is figure it out and fix it, you don’t want them getting into this habit! However, some things just change and you can’t do anything about it. If they are peeing in one particular area, put a litter box there as well as keeping one where it usually is. Clean the area thoroughly. Use a specific cleaner meant for cat urine. Cat urine contains pheremones, which are smells we can’t smell but cat and dogs can. Urine pheremones are basically sign posts that say pee here. Regular cleaners will not remove these! You can even use a black light to find cat/dog urine (think CSI) if you are not sure where exactly the smell is coming from. If these don’t work and your cat is still upset, you can try natural calmers that can be hidden in food or water. Another product that has been successful is using diffusers or sprays with happy pheremones in them. These are smells you can’t smell but that turn on the happy switch in your cat’s brain, which hopefully will elevate their disgruntlement and they will stop acting out.
My cat is throwing up, is this normal? No! Here at A Village Tail, we're always stunned with the number of people who think that cats just naturally up-chuck occasionally. 9 out of 10 times this is a hairball. Many of you are saying, oh but my cat doesn’t have hairballs. Exactly. Your cat cleans itself, it ingests hair. If it hasn’t thrown up a hairball but is throwing up, then your cat has hairball build-up. Try using a malt or switching to a hairball and/or a high-fibre food. You will be surprised! This works because most hairball foods are high in fibre which is bulk. This bulk helps push the hair through their digestive system, so if there is a hairball forming then the fibre will help break it up. If your cat is throwing up and you try this, you might find the hairball will actually come up. Our store cat, Polly, is a short-haired female and she has never thrown up a hairball. However, if we find bile or soft but mostly undigested food lying around, we know it is time to give Polly her malt because she has a hairball and refuses to let it come up. We have actually witnessed her choking with the effort of swallowing a hairball! Malts work by “lubing” their throat muscles, which makes throwing up hurt a lot less and malts are also designed to permeate a hairball, so it will break down. Some cats love the taste of malt, some don’t. If your cat falls into the “don’t” category, just smear on their face and/or paws, they will be forced to lick it off and thus ingest it through cleaning.
Oh no! I think my pets have fleas. What can I do? There are many options, most of them are not natural. 1. Flea killing chemicals from your vets. You can make a vet appointment and have your animal treated there. This most certainly will get rid of them. The highest concentrations of flea killing chemicals are only available at Veterinarians. If you really just want fleas gone and don’t want any hassle, this is the way to go. How flea killing chemicals work -the chemicals enter the blood stream and when any pest (internal or external) bites your pet, it will die. There can be side effects because of the high dosage of pest killers, some pets find it incredibly irritating to their skin and will sctratch and scratch. If they have internal parasites or don’t, they can also experience looser stools for a couple of days after the treatment. Many pets don’t experience any symptoms. 2. Buy flea spot drops at our store. You can buy flea spot drops at our store and at other pets stores. These are lower concentrations of chemicals and do not treat internal parasites. The results with these can vary. Many find them completely successful. However, some complain that the results are not 100%. Generally, having used them ourselves, we have complete satisfaction with these products but you cannot rely on the drops alone! Vacuum everything and get whatever you vacuum up out of the house. While fleas lay their eggs on your pets, many of these will fall off and wait a few weeks to hatch out of your carpet. Wash anything your pets touches, repeatedly in the hottest water you can stand (and the material can take) to get rid of flea eggs left on sheets, blankets and beds. We recommend washing your pet along with using the drops. This cleans up a lot of the detached dander that is lying on your pet that won’t be affected by the drops, cleans off eggs and generally leaves you pet’s coat a lot less ripe for a flea feast. Our best shampoo for this isn’t actually a flea shampoo, it is a citrus shampoo that kills the fleas. Fleas hate citrus smells, so it also makes your pet undesirable to munch on. There are also fleas sprays that you can buy to spray the house with that are stronger then what you can put on your animal. 3. Use natural flea killers. If you are interested in natural flea killers, we carry diatomaceous earth. This can be used on the pets directly and also in your house area. However, it is messy and requires putting up with dust everywhere for at least 3-4 days. This stuff works by contact. The fleas have to walk through it and it doesn’t kill the eggs, only the adults. It is completely safe, and the only thing we recommend for puppies and kittens. It can be used around children. Diatomaceous earth is a white powder that is microscopic fossils with spiky bodies that when ingested will kill anything with an exoskeleton (basically most pests). Humans, felines and canines have internal skeletons. As well, it also will cling to the soft tissue between a pest’s exoskeleton and will dehydrate them leading to death. We have also successfully used this on ear mites, worms and ants! 4. Flea collars. We also carry flea collars. These are mainly beneficial for prevention, as the chemicals on the collar are centered around their necks and don’t provide a complete no flea zone. Generally. fleas that jump onto your pets will be deterred if not killed by a collar. However, if there is already an infestation collars are seldom effective alone.
My pet's joints and hips are hurting. What can I do? There are many things you can do! The first and most important is to make sure your pet is on a good, healthy diet. This will help in so many ways. You don’t want your pet putting any weight on by being on a poor, indigestible diet. A good diet also makes sure your pet is getting everything they need to be able to help with joint deterioration. Supplementation for joints is only truly useful if the body can absorb it completely-this requires a healthy body with active enzymes and proper digestion. Got that? When it comes to joints, the first and best option is Glucosamine. You will usually find this with chondroitin. Used together, these are both more effective. These supplements basically reduce inflammation of the joints and help to rebuild joint fluid. Joint fluid is important because it is what cushions the joints against each other and provides support. Shark cartilage is one of the more common sources of glucosamine and chondroiton; sea cucumber is also a good source. MSM is also great for reducing inflammation and is often included with glucosamine and chondroiton because it also helps the body use these supplements more effectively. |
