Open Farm: Ethically Raised & Sourced Pet Food

 Most of us love to keep dogs in our home to provide us with genuine friendship and company, among other emotional gains. In most case you will hear people telling stories about how their dogs love them, and how special they are in their own ways. There’s no question about dog’s love to their owners. But, does your dog respect you? How do you know this? When your dog shows some cheeky behavior like chewing the sofa, barking loudly, or bad table manners, it could mean that it doesn’t show you respect. Fortunately, you can easily learn how to make your dog respect you at authentic dogs by becoming the pack leader.
Surprisingly, the way and what you feed your dog plays a critical role on how it acts and treats you. If you give your dog enough food and the right diet, it tends to trust and respect you more. Therefore, an ethical and healthy feeding practice is important for your dog’s wellness and discipline. In this article, we discuss on how you can feed you lovely 4-legged buddy with Open Farm’s ethically raised and sourced pet food.

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Can Puppies Go Vegan?

Many vegetarians have at some point been confronted with this question when it comes to giving their puppies meat when they do not consume it.

The answer is yes.

Puppies like humans can be omnivorous. This means they can convert certain foods into amino acids. Some of the proteins you can try include beans, milk, eggs, soy, corn, or whole grain.

Your puppy may take some time to adjust to a non-meat diet. You may find your puppy peeping through its diet with that look of “Where is the meat?”

The decision to change to a vegan diet is an important one for humans. You avoid slaughtering animals in an inhumane way; you also lower your risks of obesity, heart disease, and many other diseases that are associated with meat products. Puppies have various omnivorous characteristics that enable them to adapt to a vegan diet. These include:

  • Their small intestines have the necessary gastrointestinal juices necessary for the conversion of amino acids in the proteins they consume.
  • Their molars are flat like humans, and this helps them chew hard vegetables like carrots
  • They also can also convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A

While the decision to provide a vegan diet for your puppy is a personal one, their cases where you find your puppy is allergic to proteins. According to Dr. Fox of US Humane Society, puppies can thrive on a purely vegan diet but is important that you supplement their diet with meat occasionally.

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The Unconventional Friendship Between A Cat And A Dog

With more than 17% of all households in the USA owning both a dog and a cat according to the ASPCA, it is safe to say that the age-old saying of “fight like cats and dogs” (implying that canines and felines are natural enemies) has been debunked.  Despite their inherent differences, cats and dogs also have a lot in common. It is due to these similarities, which includes frequent grooming and sniffing, that cats and dogs living in the same household are more than capable of forming strong bonds, especially when introduced to each other as youngsters. Through intense observation and a bit of experimentation with regards to pushing each other’s boundaries, you may find your pets drinking from each other’s bowls, playing together & even sharing a bed.

Promoting domestic harmony between your cat and dog

While many cats and dogs will figure each other out and live in harmony without your interference, others are more stubborn and might require a little coaxing. It is important to take both animals’ personalities into account: an older, timid cat might not, for example, get on particularly well with an overly-energetic, bouncing puppy. If you find that your animals have a distinct personality clash it might be best to set up your household in such a way to allow each to have their own private space.

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Seasonal Workouts Your Dog Will Love

Dog Walking With Owner

Eighty percent of Americans don’t get enough daily exercise, but dog owners are more likely to get the physical exercise they need. In fact, people with dogs have 69% more chance of fitting in physical activity during their leisure time. It can be incredibly difficult to find the time to fit a workout into your schedule, especially if you have a dog to take care of. However, it’s more than possible to get fit with your pet. Around 35 million dogs in the US are considered overweight, so here are some ways to make sure yours isn’t one of them. While you focus on your dogs needs, such as long walks or fun activities, you’ll find yourself also spending more time outdoors and getting more fit.
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The Source Of Your Dog’s Allergies May Be Closer Than You Think

Cute Dog On CouchA total of 89.7 million dogs are kept as pets in the United States and for good reason. Dogs are loyal, friendly and can even contribute positively to our overall health and well-being. We of course, in turn, want to give them the best life possible and protect them from any kind of danger. However, what many pet owners do not know is how dog food can oftentimes be the source of a dog’s allergies. By paying attention to the symptoms and being proactive, we can make sure our furry companions live their best possible life.

Signs and symptoms of a food allergy

While your dog cannot communicate with you directly, there are many telltale signs of a food allergy that you should pay attention to. While some of these symptoms can be associated with seasonal allergies, keep track of them to see if they are actually year-round. The most common symptoms include excessive itching and sneezing, hair loss, skin rashes, pigmented skin and itchy paws. If your dog constantly has one or a combination of these symptoms, a food allergy is a likely root cause and something to investigate further.
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How A Dog May Improve Your Child’s Health And Wellbeing

Dog and Child in Wagon

There’s something about a dog that children love, which explains why 2017 saw almost 90 million dogs sharing the country’s homes. Some parents may worry about bringing a dog into the family home, however, a well trained pooch will show your child much love, affection and can improve their overall general health. Kids and dogs have great fun together and little ones will enjoy dressing their pet up in fashionable accessories and getting them to perform tricks so that they can feed them some tasty treats. After all, what parent doesn’t want to see their child healthy and happy?
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Dogs Need Treadmills Too

Cute Dog Running

Dog obesity in the US is on the rise with 54% of all dogs clinically overweight. This can lead to many diseases e.g respiratory disorders and orthopedic disease as well as reduced life expectancy and quality of life. These much loved canine pets are adored by their owners and pampered with gorgeous gifts like designer clothing, from bling dog collars to entire outfits. But just like their human owners, these body image conscious pooches also need to run the treadmill to look great and stay healthy.
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Tips on How to Boost Your Canine Companion’s IQ

Dog

Despite a rise in popularity of exotic pets the humble canine remains America’s favourite. As of March 2017, a total of 89.7 million dogs were estimated to be living in households across the USA as pets. It is no surprise that the dog has earned the title of ‘man’s best friend’ as they are not only intelligent, affectionate and loyal but have known to improve our physical and mental health as well. One way we can repay our beloved companions for enriching our lives is to help them be the very best versions of their doggy selves that they can possibly be.

Did you know that by boosting your dog’s IQ through training and stimulation you will help him age better? By ensuring that your dog is mentally stimulated you not only help prolong his lifespan but also reduce boredom and relieve stress. Dogs need frequent mental stimulation to help them develop their neurological muscles and reduce the risk of developing the dog equivalent to human Alzheimer’s known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Although dogs are not able to take online IQ tests the way humans do, there are countless ways in which you can provide your dog with the necessary stimulation needed to successfully boost his IQ.
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Indoor Air Pollution and Pets: The Dangers

Cute DogPampering our fur babies matters. Devoted owners would do anything to ensure their ‘best friend’ is content, and more importantly, healthy. However, there is one aspect that many pet owners overlook – the air quality inside their home. According to the World Health Organization, 4.3 million people die from indoor air pollution per year. Granted, many of these people live in developing countries where the practice of cooking over open fires, for example, is common, but even in the US indoor, air pollution has become a significant problem. Let’s take a look at indoor air pollution and how it can affect you and your furry friends.

Indoor Air Pollution: Causes and Impact

Indoor air pollution can impact your health significantly. Short term effects include irritated eyes and sinuses and similar symptoms to allergies or the common cold. If you live or work in an environment with low air quality long term however, the results can be more serious including chronic and dangerous conditions. Although the main causes of indoor air pollution are smoke (including tobacco), household products and poor ventilation, unfortunately pets can cause indoor air pollution as well. This is mostly due to pet dander. Dander is similar to humans but for pets and millions of animal owners are allergic to it without even realizing. To limit the harm, ensure your home is adequately ventilated and cleaned regularly and keep pets away from beds and soft furnishings.
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Can Dogs Smell Cancer?

Dog Licking Owner's Face

What is all this hype about dogs smelling and detecting cancer? And even at its earliest stage? Is it true? Yes, dogs can smell cancer because of their excellent sense of smell.

Olfactory cortex dominates a dog’s mind in opposition to our dominant visual cortex. Dogs are guided by the scent rather than the sight of their targets, for example, dogs cannot distinguish between green and red objects but can smell the target object.

Studies show that dogs can smell the missing amino acids in their foods; and may skip meals1. Then, how can we doubt their cancer smelling abilities?
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