Kaia's Picks
Kaia's Overnight Camp
Whenever I have to go away for courses, holidays or just a weekend, I always send Kaia here.
Why? Kaia is an active dog and needs a place where she is allowed outside most of the day. She loves their outdoor run as well as her forest walks and the pond on their 100 acre property. She always has lots of dogs to play with and gets quiet time when she needs it.
The staff are very friendly and are excited to see her when I drop her off. She gets so excited as soon as we get to the parking lot, that doesn't seem to notice when I leave because she just wants to play with her friends!
She always comes home happy and tuckered out that it gives me another few days of peace so I can catch up with my work.
Kaia's Raw Food
When I switched Kaia to raw food, I wanted one that had everything she needed, so I didn't have multiple additives to add at every meal.
So why Back2Raw? Their meat is antibiotic and hormone free and all their ingredients are Canadian and human-grade. They contain 70% muscle meats, 10% organ meats, 10% ground bone, and 10% fruits and vegetables. For example, the Complete Turkey contains "Beef with bones, green beef tripe, beef spleen, beef lung, beef heart, beef kidney, beef liver, plus a HealthyLife blend of: kale, celery, broccoli, blueberries, cranberries, Atlantic kelp, avocado and coconut oil, turmeric, oregano, cayenne and cinnamon."
I alternate Kaia between the Beef and the Turkey/Duck because she isn't as fond of the chicken. It also comes in Pork, Chicken, Lamb, and Rabbit. We used to have to coax her to eat her high-end kibble, but now her food is gone in less than 2 minutes! Her coat is shinier, her teeth are whiter and she has no health issues!
Each 1lb package lasts a day (2 meals per day), so I buy boxes of the 12lb complete packages one of each protein source. They also have just the meat (without all the extra nutritious additives).
Kaia's Raw Food Store
Those who know me know how long Kaia has struggled with her digestive issues. To have someone who talks me through how I can best help her, regardless how difficult the situation may be is very reassuring.
Thrive4Life is a wonderful place with incredibly knowledgeable staff. The owner Lucy is well versed in holistic nutrition and even hand makes many of the products in the store.
This store in the middle of nature also hosts talks and seminars to educate pet parents about various aspects of pet wellness.
Kaia's Bones
Kaia is a heavy, power chewer. One of her favourite activities (other than hiking and eating) is chewing. When she was younger we could get away with soft toys, but she soon started shredding those.
As her adult teeth came in, we upped her to harder toys. Unfortunately the more research I did, the less I wanted her playing with plastic toys so I opted for marrow bones.
For suggestions on how to find the right bone for your dog, check out the Bone Safety section of my Diet page.
Available at most local pet stores, although Kaia's favourites are from the many pet festivals we attend in the summer.
Kaia's Organic Treats
The problem with most treats is that they have so many ingredients, you don't really know what you're giving your dog. The easiest way I've found to get around that is buy single-ingredient treats, which allows you to accommodate for pets with allergies or sensitivities. If the treats have more than 5 ingredients, don't buy it.
Kaia loves sweet potato, but realistically she'd eat just about any treat. These are some of her favourites, but don't forget to support the independent businesses that make healthy, organic treats! See some of our favourites below!
Don't forget to add a dental treat of some kind! These typically have more ingredients but if they are all organic then there shouldn't be a problem.
If your pet needs to lose weight, the easiest thing to do it cut up fruits and veggies into chips or strips and bake them! Then you can share with them!
