Happy 2012!
For all those who asked that i repost this info. You are what you eat applies to dogs too.

The Whole Dog Journal’s Dry Foods of 2011 in alphabetical order- not in order of best dog food. Some of these companies make several brands of dog food. Please check their websites for more info.
drum roll please…

Addiction Foods New Zealand addictionfoods.com

Annamaet petfoods Sellersville PA USAwww.accamaet.com”>

Artemis Pet Foods N. Hollywood CA www.artemiscompany.com

Back to Basics Meadville PA www.backtobasics.com

Bench & Field Pet Foods Grand Rapids Mi www.benchandfield.com

Blue Buffalo Company Wilton CT www.bluebuff.com

Blue Seal Feeds (By Nature )Londonery NH www.bynaturepetfoods.com

Breeders Choice (AvoDerm) Irwindale CA www.apdselectchoice.com

Burns Pet Health Val. IN www.burnshealthpet.com

Canidae Corp San Luis Obispo CA www.canidae.com

Canine Caviar Pet Foods (Organix) Costa Mesa CA www.caninecaviar.com

Castor & Pollux Pet Works www.castorpolluxpet.com

Champion Petfoods (Acana & Orijen) Alberta Canada www.championpetfoods.com

Della Natural Commodities (Wenawe) Bayside NY www.dellanaturalpet.com

Diamond Pet Products (Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover Soul, Taste of the Wild) Meta MO chickensoupforthepetloversoul.com

Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pacoima CA www.naturalbalance.net

Dogswell LA CA www.dogswell.com

Dr G’s Pet Food Company Sedona AZ www.drgsfreshpetfood.com

Dr Tim’s Pet Food Company Marquette MI www.drtims.com

Drs Foster & Smith WI www.drsfostersmith.com

Earthborn Holistic Evansville IN
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com

Since this list is very long i will not be posting the html for the rest of the websites. So sorry!

Evangers Dog & Cat Food www.evangersdogfood.com

FirstMate Pet Foods BC Canada www.firstmate.com

Fromm Family Foods Mequon WI www.frommfamily.com

Horizon Pet Nutrition Canada www.horizonpetnutrition.com

Laughing Dog INC Lodi CA www.laughingdogorganic.com

Linocoln Biotech East Bend NC www.lincolnbiotech.com

Lotus Natural Food Torrance CA www.lotuspetfoods.com

Merrick Pet Care (Before Grain, Whole Earth Farms) Armarillo TX www.merrickpetcare.com

Mulligan Stew Pet Food Jackson Wy www.mulliganstewpetfood.com

Natura Pet Products (California Naturals, Innova, Evo, Karma, Healthwise) Davis Ca www.naturalpet.com
From Four Paws Acupuncture : Please note that this company has been bought out by Proctor and Gamble which tests on animals. There is no guarantee that the quality or same ingredients will remain the same in the future.

Nature’s Variety (Instinct & Prairie )Lincoln N.E. wwwnaturesvariety.com

Omnipro Pet Foods Madison MS www.omnipropet.net

Perfect Health Diet Products Elmsford NY www.phdproducts.com

Pet Chef Express New Westminister Canada www.petchefexpress.com

Petcurean Pet Nutrition BC Canada www.petcurean.com

Pet Valu Ontario CA

Precise Pet Products TX USA www.precisepet.com

Smartpak Canine Plymouth MA www.smartpakcanine.com

Solid Gold Health Products. El Cajon CA www.solidgoldhealth.com

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc Perham MN www.nutrisourcedogfood.com

Verus Pet Foods Abingdon MD www.veruspetfoods.com

WellPet Tewsbury MA (Wellness) www.wellpet.com

Here they are folks, the top 8 dog foods that are claiming to be holistic and oh so healthy for your dog. This info comes from Whole Dog Journal.
Don’t you wish David Letterman would do a top ten worse dog food list?

And the losers are:

Eukanuba Nautrally Wild Turkey & Multigrain

Iams Healthy Chicken Naturals

Nature’s Best Science Diet Chicken & Brown Rice

Rachel Ray Nutrish Beef & Brown Rice
(Rachel please stick to cooking for people!)

Chef Michaels Purina Chicken

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice

Are you ready for this one?
Whole Foods 365 Performance
ingredients: chicken-by-product, rice, corn meal, corn GLUTEN, wheat, dried beet pulp, natural flavors, flaxseed and dried egg product
More proof that not everything you buy at Whole Foods is good for you or your pets!

And drum roll please.. the absolute worst dog food claiming to be holistic and nutritious is….
Beneful Purina Healthy Harvest
corn, corn gluten, whole wheat flour, animal fat, soy protein, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, and sugar
(Do you think you could add any more allergens or junk to this! No animal protein is in this food at all. Yet people buy this for their dogs because the healthy picture on the bag. I think the bag would be more nutritious for your dog than the ingredients.)

I would also like to include on the worst dog food list the following brands which contain wheat, corn ,soy, by-products and who knows what else!
IAMS
EUKANUBA
SCIENCE DIET
PURINA
ALPO
HILLS

Please note that wheat, corn, and soy can be the cause of allergies in dogs. Wheat and all gluten exacerbates all pain and arthritis and auto-immune disorders. It has also been proven to bring on seizures in dogs.

Please note that Four Paws Acupuncture has moved from MA to VA and are no longer making acupuncture house calls. However nutritional and herbal phone consultations are still available. www.fourpawsacupuncture.com

We posted this info back in the winter. Since then several people have asked for this information.

Top 10 Best Dog Foods by Whole Dog Journal:

We just received our last issue of the Whole Dog Journal. I am not sure if my pet human, Beta-chic will renew it. She has a love-hate relationship with the journal. But that is a blog post for another day. Right now i am very busy and important while chewing on my Lucky Antler Deer Horn so i will turn this blog post over to her. (Oh by the way- i ate her reading glasses so please excuse any html blips!)
xoxoox
Quan Yin

The Whole Dog Journal’s Dry Foods of 2011 in alphabetical order- not in order of best dog food. Some of these companies make several brands of dog food. Please check their websites for more info.
drum roll please…

Addiction Foods New Zealand addictionfoods.com

Annamaet petfoods Sellersville PA USAwww.accamaet.com”>

Artemis Pet Foods N. Hollywood CA www.artemiscompany.com

Back to Basics Meadville PA www.backtobasics.com

Bench & Field Pet Foods Grand Rapids Mi www.benchandfield.com

Blue Buffalo Company Wilton CT www.bluebuff.com

Blue Seal Feeds (By Nature )Londonery NH www.bynaturepetfoods.com

Breeders Choice (AvoDerm) Irwindale CA www.apdselectchoice.com

Burns Pet Health Val. IN www.burnshealthpet.com

Canidae Corp San Luis Obispo CA www.canidae.com

Canine Caviar Pet Foods (Organix) Costa Mesa CA www.caninecaviar.com

Castor & Pollux Pet Works www.castorpolluxpet.com

Champion Petfoods (Acana & Orijen) Alberta Canada www.championpetfoods.com

Della Natural Commodities (Wenawe) Bayside NY www.dellanaturalpet.com

Diamond Pet Products (Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover Soul, Taste of the Wild) Meta MO chickensoupforthepetloversoul.com

Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pacoima CA www.naturalbalance.net

Dogswell LA CA www.dogswell.com

Dr G’s Pet Food Company Sedona AZ www.drgsfreshpetfood.com

Dr Tim’s Pet Food Company Marquette MI www.drtims.com

Drs Foster & Smith WI www.drsfostersmith.com

Earthborn Holistic Evansville IN
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com

Since this list is very long i will not be posting the html for the rest of the websites. So sorry!

Evangers Dog & Cat Food www.evangersdogfood.com

FirstMate Pet Foods BC Canada www.firstmate.com

Fromm Family Foods Mequon WI www.frommfamily.com

Horizon Pet Nutrition Canada www.horizonpetnutrition.com

Laughing Dog INC Lodi CA www.laughingdogorganic.com

Linocoln Biotech East Bend NC www.lincolnbiotech.com

Lotus Natural Food Torrance CA www.lotuspetfoods.com

Merrick Pet Care (Before Grain, Whole Earth Farms) Armarillo TX www.merrickpetcare.com

Mulligan Stew Pet Food Jackson Wy www.mulliganstewpetfood.com

Natura Pet Products (California Naturals, Innova, Evo, Karma, Healthwise) Davis Ca www.naturalpet.com
From Four Paws Acupuncture : Please note that this company has been bought out by Proctor and Gamble which tests on animals. There is no guarantee that the quality will remain the same in the future.

Nature’s Variety (Instinct & Prairie )Lincoln N.E. wwwnaturesvariety.com

Omnipro Pet Foods Madison MS www.omnipropet.net

Perfect Health Diet Products Elmsford NY www.phdproducts.com

Pet Chef Express New Westminister Canada www.petchefexpress.com

Petcurean Pet Nutrition BC Canada www.petcurean.com

Pet Valu Ontario CA

Precise Pet Products TX USA www.precisepet.com

Smartpak Canine Plymouth MA www.smartpakcanine.com

Solid Gold Health Products. El Cajon CA www.solidgoldhealth.com

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc Perham MN www.nutrisourcedogfood.com

Verus Pet Foods Abingdon MD www.veruspetfoods.com

WellPet Tewsbury MA (Wellness) www.wellpet.com

Here they are folks, the top 8 dog foods that are claiming to be holistic and oh so healthy for your dog. This info comes from Whole Dog Journal.
Don’t you wish David Letterman would do a top ten worse dog food list?

And the losers are:

Eukanuba Nautrally Wild Turkey & Multigrain

Iams Healthy Chicken Naturals

Nature’s Best Science Diet Chicken & Brown Rice

Rachel Ray Nutrish Beef & Brown Rice

Chef Michaels Purina Chicken

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice

Are you ready for this one?
Whole Foods 365 Performance
ingredients: chicken-by-product, rice, corn meal, corn GLUTEN, wheat, dried beet pulp, natural flavors, flaxseed and dried egg product
More proof that not everything you buy at Whole Foods is good for you or your pets!

And drum roll please.. the absolute worst dog food claiming to be holistic and nutritious is….
Beneful Purina Healthy Harvest
corn, corn gluten, whole wheat flour, animal fat, soy protein, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, and sugar
(Do you think you could add any more allergens or junk to this! No animal protein is in this food at all. Yet people buy this for their dogs because the healthy picture on the bag. I think the bag would be more nutritious for your dog than the ingredients.)

I would also like to include on the worst dog food list the following brands which contain wheat, corn ,soy, by-products and who knows what else!
IAMS
EUKANUBA
SCIENCE DIET
PURINA
ALPO
HILLS

Please note that wheat, corn, and soy can be the cause of allergies in dogs. Wheat and all gluten exacerbates all pain and arthritis and auto-immune disorders. It has also been proven to bring on seizures in dogs.

Here they are folks, the top 8 dog foods that are claiming to be holistic and oh so healthy for your dog. This info comes from Whole Dog Journal.
Don’t you wish David Letterman would do a top ten worse dog food list?

And the losers are:

Eukanuba Nautrally Wild Turkey & Multigrain

Iams Healthy Chicken Naturals

Nature’s Best Science Diet Chicken & Brown Rice

Rachel Ray Nutrish Beef & Brown Rice

Chef Michaels Purina Chicken

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice

Are you ready for this one?
Whole Foods 365 Performance
ingredients: chicken-by-product, rice, corn meal, corn GLUTEN, wheat, dried beet pulp, natural flavors, flaxseed and dried egg product
More proof that not everything you buy at Whole Foods is good for you or your pets!

And drum roll please.. the absolute worst dog food claiming to be holistic and nutritious is….
Beneful Purina Healthy Harvest
corn, corn gluten, whole wheat flour, animal fat, soy protein, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, and sugar
(Do you think you could add any more allergens or junk to this! No animal protein is in this food at all. Yet people buy this for their dogs because the healthy picture on the bag. I think the bag would be more nutritious for your dog than the ingredients.)

Please note that wheat, corn, and soy can be the cause of allergies in dogs. Wheat and all gluten exacerbates all pain and arthritis and auto-immune disorders. It has also been proven to bring on seizures in dogs.

You are what you eat applies to us dogs too. We like variety and need both crunchie and moist food.

My pet humans have finally figured out a combination of foods that my delicate body likes. Being an abandoned dog and being fed unhealthy food for so long has had an odd effect on my intestines. I now enjoy the Artemis kibble along with a piece of baked chicken each meal. (Sometimes with pumpkin or potatoes on Monday since the trash trucks give me diarrhea.) I take my herbs and supplements in Greek yogurt. And if i am good there are healthy treats such as the Solid Gold cookies or an egg. Since i have been on this new diet i have gained 7 pounds and even grew a bit taller!

Here are a few dog food brands that we feel good about recommending. Every dog’s needs are different so do some research on the ingredients before feeding your dog anything new. It also takes time to adjust to a new brand.

Happy helthy meals to all!
Quan Yin

Artemis
“Whole Dog Journal” rated Artemis Pet Food as one of the best new dry dog foods in 2003. As of 2010, Artemis dog food no longer contains Ethoxyquin, nor does the food contain any by-products or harmful artificial additives. Artemis uses ingredients like potatoes, apples, spinach and cranberries.

Orijen
Orijen dog food contains a high meat content, meaning plenty of protein for your dog. Potatoes provide its primary source of carbohydrates instead of filler grains, and the food uses human-grade meats certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Solid Gold
Solid Gold uses no wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate, only whole, unprocessed grains and bran. Most ingredients come from the United States, with the only exceptions coming from New Zealand and Europe. The company designs its allergy-free food to contain no wheat, corn, soy or animal fat.

Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild uses a combination of bison, lamb meal, chicken meal and venison to provide high grade protein sources. Egg products and sweet potatoes, a renowned source of vitamins A, C and B6, and potassium, also appear on the ingredient list.

Merrick
Merrick manufactures all products in its own United States facility and uses only ingredients grown and processed the United States. Their food is tested on-site and contains human grade components, chelated minerals, probiotics, and omega three and omega six fatty acids while remaining free of chemical preservatives.

There are more excellent dog foods such as:
Timberwolf
Halo
Organix
and many more that we have not had the time to research.

Pet foods that we do NOT recommend include all foods that contain WHEAT, CORN, SOY and BY-PRODUCTS and come from companies such as Proctor & Gamble that allows testing on animals such as:
Purina
IAMS
Eukanuba
Beneful
Science Diet
Pedigree
Nutro (it has wheat and rye!)
Wysong (has wheat)
Rachel Ray
There are several more foods to add to this list!

Dear Quan Yin,
How do you stay so beautiful? Any beauty tips for summer? What’s your recommendation for curing bad breath? (not that we have it!)
Thanks,
Ella and Sally (Angel and Devil-dog)

Dear Ella and Sally,
You are so kind to compliment me! It is i who should ask you for beauty tips!

I think a healthy lifestyle is the key to beauty. My pet humans feed me good dog food, a brand that does not have wheat, corn, soy or by-products. Lately they have been cooking turkey, rice and veggies for me- as i have been such a delicate creature with the move, heat and the scary truck sounds of Salem.

I drink only filtered water- never tap! Several downward facing dog yoga poses each day help me to stay flexible and i insist on at least 3 to 4 walks per day. I recommend meditating on squirrels for at least a half hour each day. And my mantra is Om Take Me For A Walk Om…..

I cannot imagine either of you suffer from bad breath. My pet humans add parsley to my food and also give me the Dragon Teeth bones by Solid Gold. I did an entire blog post on those the other day so scroll down to read about them! I think they will be using the Leba dental spray soon on my pearly whites.

Let’s have lunch one day, a walk on the beach or a squirrel meditation. Perhaps we can have our pet humans contact one another. Would love to meet you both since you are so famous in Marblehead! (Of course my feline roomies are still talking about the day Sally came to visit… and they have never stopped playing with Ella’s red ribbon of peace!)
Kiss kiss
Quan Yin

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. ~Chinese Proverb

I would like to thank the oh so handsome Dewey for the lovely Kong gift. It was so sweet of him and his pet humans to think of me. These pics are not the best- i am camera shy. Actually i am terrified of the flash.
Soon there will be more pics of gifts from my Aunt Jean and her dog Guinness and cat Ethel who sent a lovely scarf from Texas. My Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Laura sent a beautiful handmade collar too. Thank you all for being so kind.

Opening the present! (Beta-chic would like me to remind everyone that this picture was taken during an extremely humid day which makes her hair turn into the Medusa.)

Chasing the Kong filled with turkey!
For all those who do not know what a Kong is visit their website at www.dogtoys.com/kongtoys.

The Handsome and oh so Debonaire Dewey!

“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.”
Tecumseh Shawnee Chief

Thank you!
Until next post remember- Gratitude is the best attitude!
Quan Yin

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

It’s the hot dog days of summer. It has been horribly hot here in Salem these past few days. Taking long walks without water can be dangerous for dogs, especially while wearing a black fur coat. So the pet humans bought me this oh so cool water bottle called the Gulpy Pet Water Dispenser. It is easy to carry. Beta-chic carries it in her purse and it has a cool little bowl attached so its easy to sip from. You can find them at most local pet stores.

Oh and please use filtered water not the tap water for your dogs!

Who wants to go for a walk…….
Happy Tails
Quan Yin

Humans are always complaining about stinky dog breath. Mine just bought me a bag of these new cookies. Check out the ingredients! I even liked them. (I can be fussy about treats- which is a good thing i am told!)

It is supposed to be another really hot day today. Guess i will be hiding out in the only room with AC with the cats again. If only the humans would provide squirrels for us to chase in the house.

Wishing everyone a happy weekend!
Quan Yin

Solid Gold Dragon Teeth Biscuits for stinky dog breath!
Ingredients

Oatmeal, Spelt, Krill, Canola Oil, Flax Meal, Dry Spinach, Perilla Oil, Olive Leaf Extract, Green Tea, Chlorophyll, Avocado, Peppermint, Lamb Gelatin, Vitamin E Tocopherols
www.solidgoldhealth.com

Quan Yin reporting for PR duty. I now have a new nickname…. Poopalina. (Apparently the Beta-Chick comes from an odd lineage of Italians with a warped sense of humor who have named their dogs Poopalus, Poopalina and Poosie.)

It’s been a strange since the 4th of July evening for everyone living here. I have had nonstop explosive diarrhea starting the night of the 4th, keeping the humans up a few nights in a row. I had one accident in the house too. Incense does not cover up THAT!

They tried everything to stop it…..including a really mean thing like stopping my regular food. I have been fed white rice with pumpkin. YUCK! Potato and chicken. Yogurt. Given probiotics, Eagle Pack holistic stuff, and Chinese herbal remedies – none of which really fixed it completely. I have gone through an entire box of biodegradable poop bags. I can only hope Al Gore calls to thank me.

And of course both of the humans had countless possible reasons of what caused the poopathon : The stress of the fireworks, the horrid heat, the water, the Salem water, the food, Beta-Chic’s singing (actually i like her singing because it’s so bad it’s funny, also it annoys the Alpha-Guy and especially, the cats!)

So fearing it may be a parasite or cootie they took me to the V-E-T. Beta-Chic was nervous that i would freak out there. I got to ride in her Barkmobile in the front seat with my new seat belt with the window open. Very cool. The real reason the window was down was because we were taking a poop sample in too that stunk up the car. Beta-chic gags a lot. She really needs to toughen up.

And ha ha ha.. i fooled her. I was brave and i actually liked the V-E-T. Everyone was so nice to me there. Dr Leslie Story at Atlantic Vet Hospital in Marblehead rocks! My feline roomies also go to Atlantic Vet hospital when they have too and all seem to like it too.

Dr Leslie got on the floor and talked to me and she did not torture me. How cool is that? So she gave me a check up and then some drug known as Flagyl® (metronidazole). See the link below for info on that.

So today i took my last Flagyl. (It taste best in provolone cheese.) We found out that most of the dogs in this neighborhood have had the same symptoms in the past few weeks. So perhaps it is the Salem water or the city of Salem sprayed some pesticide at the Salem Commons, or the city grass. Unfortunately the City of Salem is not environmentally conscience. .. but that is another topic for another day.
Hoping everything comes out OK … literally!
Happy Tails,
Quan YIn

From http://antibiotics.emedtv.com/flagyl/flagell.html

Flagyl® (metronidazole) is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of various infections caused by parasites and anaerobic bacteria. By entering a bacterial or parasite cell, the antibiotic creates a reaction that produces free radicals to kill the bacteria or parasite. Flagyl comes in the form of tablets (long-acting and short-acting) and capsules, and is also available as an injection. Some of the side effects that have been reported with Flagyl include a metallic taste in the mouth, nausea, and headaches.”

I’m clean thanks to the Halo Cloud Nine Shampoo for dogs!

Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo is a revitalizing infusion of botanical oils and extracts – turning grooming into a pleasurable experience

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba, Tea Tree Oil, Rosemary Oil, Sage Oil Cedarwood Oil, Peppermint Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Pine Needle Oil, Aloe Vera, Rosemary Extract (as a preservative)

There are several other great shampoo products for dogs on the market. My pet humans decided on the spur of the moment i needed a bath and bought this at Whole Foods. Now they are going to spray me with some stinky Neem oil to keep away the ticks and fleas.