Supervisor leading to Store Manager – Independent, Growing Retail Business – Edmonton, AB

Barkers Dog Club seeks to engage a career-minded Supervisor to become the Store Manager.  The Supervisor must have a genuine passion for dogs, cats, retail, and customer service.  An individual interested in working for an independent growing company that is acknowledged by its employees to be people focused and results-driven.  Barkers Dog Club has experienced growth in recent years by diversification into manufacturing and thus, career opportunities are very good.  Promotion from within is a corporate strategy.

The Supervisor will be a hand’s on retail professional – responsible for store operations and bottom line.  The Supervisor will be an advocate of maintaining high company standards and believe in exemplary customer service.  Prior experience in the pet food industry would be preferred, but not required.  However, ownership and a passion for dogs and cats are essential, while having the privilege of bringing your dog to work.

Responsibilities:

The Supervisor/Store Manager is responsible for the performance and management of the store, including sales and other financial targets.  Also, responsible for hiring, mentoring and training of staff.

Focus is on:
Proper execution of customer service and merchandising standards, policies and procedures and staff development.

Salary Range:  $30,000 – $45,000/Yr.

Application:  Please apply by resume with references and salary expectations to info@barkersdogclub.com

A crash course in preservatives

You may or may not have heard about some potentially toxic substances in petfoods.  Some are fillers, some are unneccesary additives but what I’m going to focus on today is preservatives.

The reason we need some form of preservative in our pet foods is to prevent oxidative damage to fatty acids, vitamins and other fat-soluble substances in the food.  Each of the following preservatives does its job, but some are cheaper than other at the cost of the health of our pets.

(x) BHA (Butylated hydroxysanisole)/ BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene) – Banned from human use in many countries but still permitted in the US and are known carcinogens yet the FDA refuses to ban them from human or pet food.  These types of chemicals can cause harm to your pet in the long run, especially when they eat the same food day in and day out.

From a research study done on rats fed 0.5% of their diet in BHA:

The results suggest that BHA is not a potent behavioral toxin, although it is developmentally toxicusing non-behavioral measures

(x) Ethoxyquin – This preservative is primarily made by a company called Monsanto, check them out yourself – they produce and sell pesticides!  An antioxidant that has never been proven to be safe for the lifespan of a companion animal. It has been linked to thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune related illnesses as well as cancer, but so far no conclusive scientific research results either for the safety of this product or against it have been obtained.  Even so, I prefer to err on the side of caution and avoid this altogether.

Taken from the Wellness Pet Foods website, this is not surprising and likely one of the only reasons that ethoxyquin is still used in pet foods at all

One of the biggest pet food companies to still use ethoxyquin is Hill’s, makers of Science Diet.

Ethoxyquin was originally approved by the FDA as a grain preservative intended for animals raised to be killed for food, and it was to be used no longer than 2 years.

(+) Mixed tocopherols –

a series of organic compounds consisting of various methylated phenols derived from vitamin E.  It is extracted from plant sources and has the same antioxidant effect as the above chemicals.  Its only downfall is that it cannot preserve for as long as the chemicals, but this just means you have to ensure to properly store your pet’s food.

(+) Citric acid 

– useful and effective preservative, obtained from naturally occurring organic acids from fruits such as cranberries, blueberries, apples, and some other fruits.  Nothing wrong with fruit extracts! Again the downfall is that this cannot preserve for nearly as long.

(+) Rosemary extract – an extract from the plant Rosmarinus officinalis, an evergreen shrub which has anti-oxidant properties.  Another natural plant extract, nothing wrong with this.

The most ideal preservative would be a combination of the mixed tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.  For example, the Orijen Adult formula contains mixed tocopherols and rosemary and is a fantastic dry kibble to feed your dog 🙂

A more in-depth review of why cats are obligate carnivores

I came across an article in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine Association (JAVMA) to help emphasize the point that cats are obligate carnivores and NEED to eat animal matter.  The article is called “The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats” and it was written by a veterinarian.  I’ll highlight a few of the important parts:

Cats are strict carnivores that rely on nutrients in animal tissues to meet their specific and unique nutritional requirements

This is a straight-forward statement made by a veterinarian clearly acknowledging that fact that cats are true carnivores.

The natural diet of cats in the wild is a meat-based regimen (eg, rodents, birds) that contains little CHO; thus, cats are metabolically adapted to preferentially use protein and fat as energy sources.

As I’m sure many cat owners recognize, cats have retained their very powerful prey drive and will still eagerly hunt mice and birds.  They may not always eat them, but that’s because we feed them so well as caregivers.  But the emphasis here is on the fact that their natural diet contains little carbohydrates (CHO).

adult cats require 2 to 3 times more protein in their diet than adults of omnivorous species.

This is critical for cats, especially when it comes to feeding dry food.  Choose a grain-free kibble with no lower than 35% protein  for cats, but ideally choose a food such as Orijen with 40% or more protein with meat being the primary source of protein.

cats continue to use protein (eg, dispensable nitrogen in the form of gluconeogenic amino acids) for production of energy and in other metabolic pathways (eg, urea cycle), even in the face of low availability of proteins.

This is where there is a distinct difference between cats and dogs.  Dogs can adapt to low protein since they are omnivores but cats cannot, they must have high availability of protein in their diet.  The urea cycle is part of the production of urine – wonder why so many cats get urinary problems on low quality kibble diets?

cats also have need for increased amounts of specific amino acids in their diet: taurine, arginine, methionine, and cysteine. These specific amino acid requirements of cats have likely been determined on the basis that their natural diet contains an abundance of each of these specific amino acids

The physiology of cats is built such that it minimizes wasting energy by expecting an abundance of pre-made amino acids to be available through the diet.  Omnivores like dogs and humans have developed metabolic pathways to enable us to create these amino acids when we are in need of them and we don’t get them from our diet.

cats lack salivary amylase, the enzyme responsible for initiating CHO digestion. In addition, cats also have low activities of intestinal and pancreatic amylase and reduced activities of intestinal disaccharidases that break down CHOs in the small intestines.

More evidence that the physiological makeup of the cat is meant to take in foods that are easy to break down and readily bioavailable.  Proteins are relatively easy to breakdown compared to complex carbohydrates (CHOs).  Most omnivores have salivary amylase to start the breakdown of carbs early since they are more difficult to breakdown.

The water needs of cats reflect their early status as desert-dwelling animals and their development as strict carnivores that obtain most of their water requirements from consumption of prey. Cats have a less sensitive response to thirst and dehydration than dogs or other omnivores, and they adjust their water intake to the dry-matter content of their diet rather than the moisture content.

I don’t know about you, but I rarely see my cats drink water compared to my dog.  Kibble diets are unnaturally dry for cats and can lead to issues if your cat doesn’t make up for the lack of water in his diet.  You can avoid these issues by soaking the kibble before feeding, mixing kibble with wet food or feeding raw food that will have a high moisture content.

The following table was taken from the article as well, and demonstrates the nutritional makeup of the cat’s natural diet –  the rat carcass.  AAFCO determines the minimum nutritional requirements for commercial pet foods which clearly does not match the composition of the natural diet.  But nonetheless, as I already said, ideally try to choose a cat food that has 40% protein or higher.  This can be difficult with canned cat food since the moisture dilutes the as-fed protein content on the label.  But a canned food with about 9% as-fed protein will generally give your cat 40% dry-matter protein which is ideal.

Comparison of nutrients in selected diets consumed by cats

Nutrient	Rat carcass	Canned growth diet	Canned maintenance diet	AAFCO*
Protein (%)	55	45.2	49	26
Fat (%)	38.1	25.4	36.2	9.0
Carbohydrate(%)	9.1	19.9	6.9	–
Fiber (%)	1.2	2.9	0.6	–
Moisture (%)	63.6	75.6	69.6	–
Calcium (%)	1.15	.0.94	1.09	0.6
Phosphorus(%)	0.98	0.78	0.95	0.5
Vitamin A(U/kg)	84,800	–	–	5,000
Vitamin E(U/kg)	33	–	–	30
Thiamin(mg/kg)	5.8	–	–	5.0
Riboflavin(mg/kg)	10.7	–	–	4.0
Niacin(mg/kg)	156.6	–	–	60
Folic acid(mg/kg)	2.8	–	–	0.8
Pantothenic acid(mg/kg)	54.9	–	–	5.0
Cobalamin(µg/kg)	22.5	–	–	20
Iron (mg/kg)	288	–	–	80
Zinc (mg/kg)	71.4	–	–	75

*Nutrients are expressed on a dry-matter basis.

AAFCO = Association of American Feed Control Officials.

– = Not determined.

The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats

Debra L. Zoran

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, December 1, 2002, Vol. 221, No. 11, Pages 1559-1567

Where’s the science behind Science Diet?

Since we have so many veterinarians out there who recommend Science diet to us, I took the liberty of looking through all of their foods and picked Hill’s 6 favorite ingredients:  whole grain corn, whole grain wheat, brewer’s rice, corn gluten meal, soybean meal and powdered cellulose.

Science, history and logic tells me that dogs are omnivores that primarily eat meat while cats are obligate carnivores and ONLY eat meat.  Take the evidence from pre-commercial pet food history when dogs were fed meat from table scraps and cats had to survive off of the pesky mice that they were kept around to hunt.  Or perhaps look at the digestive physiology of dogs and cats – both have very short digestive tracts meant to digest food that is easy to break down – not food that is full of starch, complex carbohydrates and fibre.  Both dogs and cats have teeth meant for ripping and tearing meat, not molars for grinding grasses and grains like a horse or cow.  How about the logic behind the fact that dogs and cats lack salivary amylase (an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates) – they are not intentionally eating carbohydrate rich foods and therefore would not need to break down carbs before it reaches their digestive tract BUT they do produce pancreatic amylase to break down any carbs that would be found in their prey’s intestines.  We can also trace their lineage back to their ancestors – wolves and wildcats that hunt and eat other animals for meat.  Keeping these facts in mind, lets take a look at Hill’s favorite ingredients.

1. Whole grain corn:  “whole grain” does nothing but point out to us that they are in fact including grain.  Corn is only about 50% digestible for dogs (think about it… when you eat corn, don’t you usually see it come out the same way?) and when it’s one of the top ingredients, then nearly 50% of that food is wasted!  Corn is primarily carbohydrates and fibre – dogs are omnivores and though they primarily get energy from protein and fat, they do need some carbs.  But the amount of carbs in these foods is ridiculously high for a dog!  I already pointed out that our fuzzy companions do not have salivary amylase, so corn gets a late start in digestion and in combination with their short digestive tracts, our dogs and cats hardly get a chance to digest their food!  So all in all, save the corn for the chickens and cows or maybe as a future fuel source.
2. Whole grain wheat: Again, “whole grain” means nothing when it comes to dogs.  Just like in humans, there is strong suspicion that all dogs have some level of sensitivity to gluten.  Where does gluten come from?  Grains, and wheat is one of the worst.  I won’t go into all the details about gluten here (save that for a future post) but gluten causes inflammation in the intestines, which erodes the villi therefore harming your companion’s digestive system.  This erosion causes a whole host of problems from diarrhea, declining nutrient uptake, and bloat due to fermentation of undigested wheat. Again, let’s save this one for the chickens and cows.
3. Brewer’s rice: The small milled fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.  A by-product of rice milling that is missing many of the nutrients that whole rice contains. Yummy… rice hulls?  Yes, rice is much less inflammatory than other grains and whole grain brown rice is one of the better carbohydrate sources for cats and dogs, but rice hulls contain almost no nutrition and is primarily a filler.  Another terrible ingredient for cats and dogs.
4. Corn gluten meal: More corn?!?!  Corn gluten meal is the dried residue after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the manufacturing of corn starch/syrup.  An inexpensive by-product of human food processing which contains some protein but serves mainly to bind food together. When it is one of the first ingredients, they likely added it as filler and to bump up the protein content with low quality, unavailable corn protein.  I don’t know why Hill’s seems to think they’re feeding chickens… but this is a terrible ingredient for dogs or cats!
5. Soybean meal: The product obtained by grinding the flakes which remain after removal of most of the oil from soybeans.  A poor quality protein filler used to boost the protein content of low quality pet foods. It has a biologic value of less than 50% of chicken meal meaning that though it may increase the protein content of the food, it is not premium or balanced protein but rather low quality, unavailable protein.
6. Powdered cellulose: Ah, this is my favorite ingredient.  Purified, mechanically disintegrated cellulose prepared by processing pulp from fibrous plant materials. Dried wood is the most common source for cellulose and it is cleaned, processed into a fine powder and used to add bulk and consistency to cheap pet foods. Your dog or cat may be chowing down on some lovely sawdust.  All these fantastic fillers means your dog or cat has to eat more food than he should be eating to get a minimum balance of nutrients and minerals from the relatively small amount of meat products in the food.  What does this lead to?  Constipation, obesity, nutrient deficiencies, massive stools, and buying excessive amounts of this expensive Science Diet food because your companion has to eat so darn much of it!

So get your dog or cat off of Science Diet and onto a more biologically appropriate, healthy and beneficial diet such as raw food, home cooked or a high quality kibble such as Orijen or Acana.  You will save money in the long run from less veterinary visits and spending less money of premium food opposed to expensive chicken feed but the best part is how healthy and happy your furkid will be 🙂

Why we recommend a rotation of raw meats

Many people who feed their dogs or cats raw food tend to stick to one meat type that works for them.  This may be due to allergies, the lower cost of chicken or a fear to try something new for their companion.  We often try to encourage our customers to try to get a variety of meats in their dog’s or cat’s diet – chicken, bison, beef, turkey, duck, fish, and caballo.  Let me explain why 🙂

At the end of this post, there is a crude breakdown of the different meat sources.  This table is meant to demonstrate how there is a different amino acid, mineral and vitamin composition for different types of meats (NOTE: the values are general values and do not necessarily represent the composition of the raw foods that we offer).

For example, if you were feeding your dog strictly beef or chicken, then your dog would be missing out on the beneficial levels of vitamin K & E that duck meat contains.  Turkey meat offers a whole host of high levels of protein, vitamins and minerals, in particular vitamins B6, B12 and niacin, but rotating the raw food you feed your dog will ensure that he never gets an excess of any particular nutrient or lacks one.

So the bottom line is, if your dog or cat can and will eat a variety of meats, give her the variety!  Not only am I sure that she will enjoy the change, but you will be ensuring that she gets everything that she needs to lead an entirely healthy and happy life!

Protein Source Comparison
	CHICKEN	TURKEY	DUCK	BEEF	BISON	HORSE
Amino acid score	133	142	137	142	~	144
Nutrient score	39	45	20	28	36	45
Protein  (g)	192	1131	33	79.3	98	97
Vitamin A  (IU)	8064	18945	482	0	0	0
Vitamin C  (mg)	27.2	11.1	8	0	0	4.5
Vitamin D  (mg)	~	~	~	~	~	~
Vitamin E  (mg)	~	~	2	~	~	~
Vitamin K  (mg)	~	~	15.8	~	~	~
Thiamin (mg)	0.6	3.6	0.6	0.4	~	0.6
Riboflavin  (mg)	1.9	11.3	0.6	0.8	0.4	0.5
Niacin (mg)	69.4	230	11.3	16.1	8.7	20.9
Vitamin B6 (mcg)	3.6	22.8	0.5	1.5	~	1.7
Folate (mcg)	314	1278	37.3	31.7	~	~
Vitamin B12 (mg)	11.6	90	0.7	12.2	~	13.6
Pantothenic Acid (mg)	11.2	52.9	2.7	1.5	~	~
Choline (mg)	~	~	89	~	~	~
Betaine (mg)	~	~	12.3	~	~	~
Calcium (mg)	115	833	31.6	36.3	27.2	27.2
Iron (mg)	13.7	93.9	6.9	8.4	11.8	17.3
Magnesium (mg)	209	1222	43	77.1	113	109
Phosphorus (mg)	1558	9999	399	707	848	1002
Potassium  (mg)	1977	14939	600	1229	1556	1632
Sodium (mg)	732	3721	181	268	245	240
Zinc (mg)	15.5	128	3.9	16.3	12.7	13.1
Copper (mg)	0.7	6.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	0.7
Manganese (mg)	0.3	1.4	0	0.1	0	0.1
Selenium (mcg)	123	1294	35.6	72.1	122	45.8
Fluoride (mg)	~	~	~	102	~	~

What your dog should NOT eat

Here is a simple list of foods that you should avoid feeding to your dog:

Wheat

Corn

Soy

Gluten

By-products

Artificial dyes

Chemical preservatives

Alcoholic beverages

Avocado

 

Chocolate, coffee, tea and other caffeine products

Grapes, raisins and currants

Hops

Macadamia nuts

Mushrooms

Onions and garlic

Persimmons

Rhubarb leaves

Pits/seeds, leaves, or stems of apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, and avocados.

Feasting on raw bones!

Do you see people going around and brushing the teeth of all those wild coyotes and wolves to make sure their pearly whites stay pearly?  Not at all!  So what ARE the dental secrets of the ancestors of our favorite companion animals?  Raw bones!

Ditch the rawhide bones and try raw beef/bison necks, beef windpipes, beef tendons, beef/bison ribs, beef split legs, beef/bison marrow bones, beef dino bones, chicken necks, chicken backs, and turkey necks!  So much variety and its all good for your dog!  So whether you have the tiniest chihuahua or the biggest irish wolfhound, keep their teeth in tip-top shape with raw bones.

NOTE: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES.  Cooked bones splinter and can wreak havoc on your dogs digestive tract and on your wallet.  Raw bones only!

• Beef/Bison necks – the odds and ends and points on these bones are great for making your dog work harder at getting the meat, tendon and marrow around the bone.
• Beef windpipes – a low fat option with lots of readily available calcium in the cartilage that is great for dog’s joints.
• Beef tendons – the stringy nature of tendons are nature’s floss!  Make sure your dog cleans between his teeth with a daily tendon.  These supply dogs with calcium and minerals essential for good joint health as well!
• Beef/Bison ribs – if your dog is giving you the bored puppy dog eyes, toss him a rib as a low fat treat to keep him occupied.
• Beef split legs – split leg bones are thick enough that big dogs cannot immediately chomp through them and they give the dog access to the tasty marrow in the middle.
• Beef/Bison marrow bones – smaller than the split legs, these round pucks give access to the tasty marrow inside the bone and keeps your dog busy as he tries to get it all.
• Beef dino bones – are primarily meant for large dogs, but don’t hesitate to give it to a little guy.  They’ll just have to work at it all day!
• Chicken necks and backs – a great way to get some raw meat and bone in your dogs diet and for little dogs, this is a great way to encourage them to strengthen their jaws.
• Turkey necks – larger than chicken necks and so they last longer and can be used as a meal for small to medium dogs.

Here is a picture of my own dog, a shih-tzu/lhasa apso defending her bone from the cats!

A bright idea for sore hips – methylsulfonylmethane

Whether it’s due to misguided breed standards, the rapid growth that large breeds undergo, too much exercise or poor diet, the fact is that we keep seeing dogs with arthritis, hip problems and joint problems. For example, the prevalence of hip dysplasia in North American dogs has reached between 10-48% in different breeds. None of us want to watch our dogs as they struggle to continue with their lives as their joints worsen. So if you are searching for an option that may prevent joint problems, slow the progression of these issues or even help heal the joints of your canine companion, learn about methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM) here.

Many vets will prescribe some form of pain relief medication when your companion has joint problems, but that is only masking the problem and not getting to the root of the issue. MSM is an organic and dietarily available form of sulfur that is readily absorbed by the body.  MSM acts as a cell rejuvenator, an antioxidant and a joint healer.

As an cell rejuvenator:

• MSM causes a change in cell permeability that allows nutrients to flow in and toxins to flow out thus giving cells a chance to heal.
• MSM also gives flexibility to tissues and cells.

As an antioxidant:

• oxidants/free radicals are products of bodily processes that cause the breakdown of healthy cells and cause disease and aging – much like rust destroys a car
• MSM binds to free radicals and inactivates their destructive tendencies.

As a joint healer:

• MSM forms the flexible bond between cells, and without MSM the bond will become rigid leading to arthritis and other joint problems.  
• MSM’s ability to change cell permeability will help decrease swelling at joints which then gives the joints a chance to heal.

Barkers Dog Club carries MSM in powdered form either alone or in combination with other joint supplements.

For more information:

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/msm-for-dogs.html

http://www.recoverysa.com/recovery_sa.htm

http://www.yourdoghealth.com/dog_msm.htm

http://www.nutriteam.com/msm.htm

Kelfalfa – two supplements that can do wonders!

All the ARF raw food blends available at our store include kelp and alfalfa and we also sell kelp or kelfalfa in bags.  This post will help you to learn what exactly the kelp and alfalfa are doing for your dog or cat.  🙂

Together kelp and alfalfa are great to promote good thyroid health, to improve skin and coat health and to provide the necessary vitamins and elements that your companion needs.   A visible change in the coloration and shininess of the coat is often noticed.

Kelp  

Barker’s Norwegian Kelp is made from Ascophyllum nodosum; natural mature kelp harvested from deep cold-water fjords.  The benefits of kelp are as follows:

• Rich in iodine for proper functioning of the thyroid glands, which influences overall health, metabolism, skin and coat. Some breeds are particularly prone to thyroid problems (Golden retriever, Labrador retriever, Doberman pinscher, rottweiler, beagle, boxer and cocker spaniel.)

• Contains over 60 minerals and elements, including calcium, phosphorus, and potassuim as well as vitamins A, B, E and D. It also has 21 amino acids and simple and complex carbohydrates, which promotes glandular health, especially the pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands

• Contributes to good pigmentation; you should notice more vibrant coloration of nose, eyes and fur and produces a shinier coat.

Alfalfa

• Contains calcium, potassium, and all known vitamins, but is especially rich in vitamin K. The minerals are in a balanced form, which promotes absorption. These minerals are alkaline, but have a neutralizing effect on the intestinal tract.

• Contains all eight of the essential amino acids and the highest chlorophyll content of any plant. Chlorophyll may help decrease the smell of breath and feces.

• Especially rich in Vitamin K; a fat soluble vitamin that promotes healthy blood clotting and bone density in dogs.

• Can help resolve kidney problems, autoimmune problems, arthritis and other joint problems. It has also been shown to prevent strokes and lower cholesterol levels. It can boost immune systems, improve energy levels and liver function, control appetite and help with thyroid problems.

Kelp and alfalfa can even have great benefits for you!  Try it out and let us know your results for your dog, cat or even you!

Cats as carnivores

The history of cat food has primarily been founded on looking out for the convenience of the cat’s caretaker.  But in this day and age, people are beginning to realize that with things such as refrigerators and freezers, that we CAN easily make a shift from canned and dry cat food back to their natural diet.  Cat’s are considered obligate carnivores, meaning that they are made to eat meat and only meat.  Here are a few facts that emphasize this point:

• Their digestive system is only 4x their body length (compared to 6x in dogs).  The more carnivorous an animal is, the shorter its digestive tract is relative to its body length; for example a sheep’s digestive tract is 27 times its body length

• Relatively small stomachs with a very low pH make it acidic enough to destroy bacteria such as Salmonella and other food borne bacteria.

• Require smaller meals numerous times a day due to their fast digestive transit time of 12 to 14 hours (12 hours to 57 hours for dogs).

• Cannot produce the enzyme amylase from their salivary glands or from their pancreas.  Amylase is an enzyme produces by omnivores or herbivores that digests starch found in grains and other plant products..

• A cat’s skull has sharp carnivorous teeth with few molars making them excellent predators for shearing and tearing prey.

• Cats cannot taste sweetness.

• Metabolism control is mostly due to protein intake since their pancreas uses amino acid (from protein) triggers for insulin release, not glucose as with people and dogs.

At Barker’s Dog Club, we sell formulated raw food for cats in convenient portion sizes (4 oz patties) and you will definitely see some great improvements in the health of your cat on raw food.  A shinier, more vibrant coat, more energy, clear eyes and ears, clean teeth and firm stools are signs to look for that an appropriate carnivorous diet for your cat is doing its job!