Q: I read your column every week and really enjoy it. I have never been in your store as I am on a fixed income. What is the best food I can buy at Walmart?

A:  You may read my column but you must not retain anything you read or I am not getting my point across. It is less expensive to feed just about anything we carry than anything purchased at Walmart and all the foods we carry contain better ingredients and more nutrition. Look at the ingredients list on the bag or you can purchase "anywhere you shop".  If it contains

brewers rice (Brewer's rice is the small milled fragments (5/164ths of an inch) of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.  "Dust" and "floor sweepings" from rice.  Cheap with very low nutritional value & used as a filler.)

corn gluten meal (Corn gluten feed is that part of the commercial shelled corn that remains after the extraction of the larger portion of the starch, gluten, and germ by the processes employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup. Inexpensive by-product of human food processing and contains some protein but is mainly used to bind food together.  Hard to digest and a common cause of skin issues.)

soybean meal 

soy protein concentrate (Soy protein concentrate is the clean dehulled soybean seeds that have had most of the oil and water soluble non-protein constituents removed.  A lower quality protein source.  Soy has been linked to allergic reactions and itchy skin.)

BHA/BHT (BHA/BHT is short for Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), both of which are chemical preservatives.  Chemical preservatives banned in human use in many countries.  Often associated with dry/itchy skin and associated with liver disease.)

dyes,

beef and bone meal (Beef & bone meal is the rendered product from beef tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. By-product made from beef parts not suitable for human consumption.  This is an inexpensive, low-quality ingredient used to boos the protein percentage.)

chicken by-product meal (Chicken by-product meal consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines - exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.  Cheap and of inconsistent quality with poor nutritional value.)

poultry by-product meal,

wheat mill run, wheat middlings (Wheat Mill Run and Middlings consist of coarse and fine particles of wheat bran and fine particles of wheat shorts, wheat germ, wheat flour and offal from the "tail of the mill".  "Floor sweepings", a cheap filler ingredient.)

wheat flour

and/or animal fat (Animal Fat is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".  Any kind of animal can be included such as 4D animals (dead, diseased, dying or disabled), goats, pigs, horses, rats, road kill, euthanized pets, restuarant and supermarket refuse and used grease.  Inferior to chicken fat and/or vegetable oil.)

it is not a bargain, it is just cheap.  I mean the ingredients, not the cost.  We do not carry any foods with these left-over ingredients from the human processing industry. They are there not for the health of your dog, but for "excessive" manufacturers profit. Our least expensive food is Diamond Naturals Beef Meal and Rice: Beef meal, barley, rice, peas, egg product, chicken fat. $20.98 for 40lbs and feed 2 3/4 cups per 50lb dog.  Old Roy Complete Nutrition: Corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, chicken by-product meal, wheat middlings, animal fat, brewers rice and dyes.  Cost approximately $15.50 for 40lbs and you feed 3 1/4 cups per 50lb dog. 

What that boils down to is that even though the Walmart food is "cheaper" to buy, it is NOT cheaper to feed.  It will cost you the same or more to feed Ole Roy than Diamond Naturals. "Cheap" doesn't always mean inexpensive.  Sometimes it is just plain cheap.

Great summer savings on a variety of items.  Print out our sale flyer below for more information or come by the store to pick one up.  Coupons and instant savings, and even free items, but hurry!  These offers end August 1, 2009.

Also, we now have a youtube channel!  Check it out here.

Today we had a puppy field trip for Jag & Audi.  I can't take all the pups home at once, as fun as that would be, but I can take 2 home for a few hours to get them "out". 

As I said in the previous blog entry, at this time in their lives puppies are very impressionable.  It's vital that they see new things and meet new people every single day.  And it's very important to get them out of their comfort zone (our shop) and into the world while they are still in this breathlessly fearless stage.  Of course, you have to be VERY careful about where you take your puppy.  Not fully vaccinated, their introduction to the world at large should be in a safe environment, free from heavy dog-traffic.  That's why I took them home to my yard.  

In 4 hours, Jag & Audi had these new experiences:  they touched grass for the first time, and also walked on gravel, concrete, hard wood, carpet, and pool decking.  They learned to walk up and down a metal wheelchair ramp, and learned to maneuver steps.  They met 7 new people and 1 new dog (our own, fully vaccinated).  The boys that returned to their litter mates were not the same puppies that left.  Loud and obnoxious, and pushy they returned incredibly worn out and content.  The world is bigger than their ex-pen, and they are a little bit wiser to have experienced it. ;)

New puppies are blank slates, just soaking up everything around them.  The first 10 weeks of a dog's life make the greatest impact on his development of any other time, and it's SO important to make sure pups are started right. 

First, mom is instrumental in teaching puppies manners and good citizenship.  She will teach puppies how to bite gently, and that getting a mild correction is not the end of the world.  However, at some point mom will move out of the picture and it's up to the two-leggeds to take on the task of teaching puppies.  

Our foster pups will be 7 weeks old tomorrow.  Besides learning valuable, life-altering lessons from mommy, they are also beginning their basic obedience training.  For puppies this age, learning should be through play with the goal of teaching your dog to understand what commands mean.  In that respect it is not "obedience" persay, but helping them to figure out what it is you're asking.  Making the training positive, fun, and rewarding is KEY to teaching your puppy.  

When these pups go to their foster and/or forever homes, we are including free obedience classes so that they can continue their education.  But here they are, 1 day shy of their 7 week birthday, already doing "sit", "down" and some basic "heel".  Think of what they will know in another handful of weeks!

An excellent video on dog-friendly dog training. 

Here is a great video for those of you wondering about a mama dog's role in a puppy's social development.  At 5 - 7 weeks of age, Mama is the source of many important lessons, all of which will mean a great deal to how your puppy acclimates to his new home and new family.

We now have a Youtube channel to share vids of our puppies, classes etc.  Check out our first video!

New items from Doggles!  Perfect for summer travel, the Swim Vest & Mutt Gear step-in harness help to make your dog safe on vacation.

	Swim Vest Provides just enough flotation to let your dog learn how to swim and to help prevent fatigue.  Made of strong nylon and with a reflective strip, it also has a D-ring to easily attach to a leash.  Adjustable strap makes it easy to fit.  Intended for teacup/tiny/small dogs only. TC - $20.98 XXS - $20.98 XS - $22.98 Sm - $24.98
	Step-In Comfort Harness & Car Restraint Easy step-in style harness made of recycled water bottles is tough and comfortable.  It has a padded, extra wide chest panel for comfort.  A car restraint loop is included, making it perfect for travelling safely with your pet.  Available in black, pink, grown or blue. XS - $18.49 Sm - $18.98 Md - $21.49 Lg - $23.49

It's back!  We are once again carrying Taste of the Wild, a grain-free food made by Diamond.  With no corn, no wheat, no soy and made with potato, Taste of the Wild is available in three protein sources for dogs and 1 for cats. 

	Pacific Stream Canine Formula Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries... 5lb - $10.29 15lb - $23.49 30lb - $43.79
	Wetlands Canine Formula Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, roasted quail, roasted duck, smoked turkey, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries 5lb - $10.29 15lb - $23.49 30lb - $43.79
	High Prairie Canine Formula Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries 5lb - $10.29 15lb - $23.49 30lb - $43.79
	Rocky Mountain Feline Formula Chicken meal, peas, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potato protein, roasted venison, smoked salmon, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, methionine, taurine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries 5lb - $10.29 15lb - $25.39