Posts tagged as:

canine nutrition

dog in snowWinter has arrived, and with the cold weather we often experience the creaks and groans due to trauma, age, and wear and tear on our joints and bones. And this discomfort is in not only true for us. Our pets can be affected the same way. You may notice your dog’s reluctant to climb stairs, jump up on the couch or go to walks. You may discover that your cat has stopped jumping up on the counter. In fact, an elderly cat with [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

Share Healthy Thanksgiving Leftovers with Your Dog

by Dr Greg on November 25, 2009

20-dog-eating-people-food-smallMany veterinarians warn against feeding Thanksgiving leftovers because many dogs show up at clinics across America with diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation during the next few days from eating too much of a good thing or the wrong things. However, healthful ingredients, [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

“Dog Dish Diet” Is Hot Off the Presses!

by Dr Greg on November 13, 2009

Greg cracks open the first box of Dog Dish Diet books.

Greg cracks open the first box of Dog Dish Diet books.

Yes, I have books. Boxes and boxes of Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health in my “warehouse.” You’ll see why I put that in quotes when you look at the photos.

There’s nothing quite like holding your own book in your hands. And this one has been a long time coming…even elephant gestation has nothing on this process.

29 years as a veterinarian observing and treating a range of common ailments and chronic illnesses among [click to continue…]

{ 4 comments }

Dog Dish Diet May Prevent Some Tumors

by Dr Greg on October 29, 2009

With a title like that, I have to be selling something…right?  Do I want to draw people to my website to buy my book? You betcha! Can the info in the book prevent tumors? I believe so. Let’s talk about it.

Dogs have several classes or different types of “masses” or growths that grow on the skin or under it. The most

sucking cells out of tumor or mass

sucking cells out of tumor or mass

common type is a papilloma or warty growth that slowly grows on the skin in middle-aged to older dogs. Next is the lipoma, or fatty growth underneath the skin or between the muscle layers. The nastiest and most dangerous skin tumor spreads locally and internally (metastasis= Meta (change) + stasis (stays in one place)). Its name is the mast cell tumor. This is the skin tumor vets want to rule out by aspirating a suspicious lump or mass. Looking at the cells we suck out of the mass often lets us know what we need to do. I say often because [click to continue…]

{ 1 comment }

Hurtin’ Ears

by Dr Greg on October 23, 2009

ear infectionear infectionDoes your dog hold his or her head to one side? Scratch at his ears? Shake her head from side to side? Have a moist yeasty smell and grayish yellow gunk coming out of the ear? ear  infection

These symptoms are some of the most common ones that veterinarians see daily, and they can be the hardest to [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }

It’s National Pet Obesity Awareness Day

by Dr Greg on October 14, 2009

Here I am with the first copy of Dog Dish Diet. I'll soon have books for sale here on the site

Here I am with the first copy of Dog Dish Diet. I'll soon have books for sale here on the site

I suppose one doesn’t actually CELEBRATE National Pet Obesity Awareness Day. Overweight dogs and cats are becoming as common as overweight people. And that’s not a good thing. Furthermore, we’re seeing increases in diseases that are related to obesity–most particularly diabetes and joint injury/arthritis. [click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

As I wrote in my Thursday post, I’m recently returned from a trek up California’s Mt. Whitney. To my backpackingthinking, every day spent in nature is to be treasured. I told you too about the portly little marmot that’s a Poster Rodent for my fight to cut carbohydrates and calories in the diets of our pets–both dogs and cats. I lay out a path to better nutrition and dog [click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

10-for-a-Dollar Kipper Snacks for Your Dog

by Dr Greg on September 2, 2009

I was in the supermarket buying provisions for my hike to the top of Mount Whitney, located east of Bakersfield, California. This year we are taking a more leisurely trip to the top, so that my two buddies that had altitude–and attitude–problems won’t be affected. I love strolling through nature’s beauty and am glad we do not have to push through the remnants of a late August snowstorm or traverse icy, slippery rocks near the top at 14,000 feet.

"Fresh," smoked kippered herring

"Fresh," smoked kippered herring

So I’m in the store, and when I walked past the tunafish aisle, I spotted kipper snacks and remembered eating those as a kid. This produced an instant craving, and I bought a few for the trip up. Then I realized that these little oily sardines may make a pretty good and economical treat for my dogs…and cats. So I bought a few more [click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

Confessions of a Recovering Kibble-aholic

by Dr Greg on August 19, 2009

My name is Greg Martinez, DVM, and I am a recovering kibble-aholic. I assumed like so many of my colleagues that a dog’s health was assured if you fed a “complete kibbleand balanced” dog food. I thought that most kibbles were good as long as they contained the right percentages of recommended nutrients. I was proud, too, that I was able to recommend different kibble diets that were developed by a veterinarian (Mark Morris, PhD, DVM) in [click to continue…]

{ 4 comments }

Dog Dish Diet in the Azores

by Dr Greg on August 14, 2009

As Lonna and I wrap up a marvelous vacation in the Azores and enjoy the daysazoreswe’ve spent together with good friends, it’s time again to focus on the business of dogs and their diets.

Actually, the subject is never completely out of my mind. More than a week ago I went into a pet shop in Lisbon and saw that Royal Canin dry dog food was on display. One rabbit hunter here (that is the only thing to hunt) feeds his 13 dogs Purina dry dog food that he buys from the US military base here.

Here in Angra, a small town, on the island of Terceira there are French Briards, German Shepherds, Boxers and various crosses standing on every wall guarding their territory. They are the alarm [click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }