"A happy border collie named Reign is the youngest dog to compete in the National Obedience Championship last year and the current number one border collie in the country. Reign began showing at 16 months old, earning his "Novice Title" with a near  perfect score of 199. Reign's accomplishments including earning his OTCH title at 22 months old, and 5  perfect scores of 200. He was the youngest dog to compete in the 2012 National Obedience Competition  in Orlando Florida and he is the number one border collie going to the 2013  National Obedience Championship. And he is on Dr. Tim’s…...

Ash Factoid Moment; Why use “low ash” protein ingredients? Ash is the true filler in a dog food. Dogs have a requirement of about 2% ash (the non burnable/combustible minerals left over after food is burned) as in that 2% will be the calcium/phos/trace minerals they need. Above that is the useless part of a dog food as a rule. Of course, you can have a lot more useless ingredients in dog food if it isn’t produced so it is digestible. For instance starches do need to be cooked for dogs to utilize them as they are not a ruminant...

The immune system. Many consider the starting point of a healthy immune system the gastrointestinal tract and we look at it the same way. A healthy GI tract starts with proper digestion and proper reaction of the cells that line the gastrointestinal tract to a potential pathogen, or a undesirable invader. This pathogen could be a virus, bacteria or parasite, for instance. Typically, the cells that line the GI tract react in a way to defend themselves similar to setting off a grenade to kill the invader. In doing so, they do destroy that one invader but leave a hole...

eam Momentum’s “Seeker” wins World Championship in Dock Diving!! Last weekend at the World Championships, “Seeker”, owned by Danie Arnt of Georgia, won the World Championship in Lap Dog (17″ and under) Big Air (distance) with a jump of 20ft 7 inches. He beat the top-ranked Lap Dog in the world and had the biggest jump in the Lap Dog division all weekend. This is the very first time DockDogs has included the Lap Dog division in the world championship.

I would like to share a link to a very thorough article on hunting dog hypoglycemia. Hats off to the author, Dr.Hjerpe, for this excellent and informative article.

Much information has been circulating around the web about rice and recently detected levels of arsenic when tested.Dr. Tim’s is pleased to inform you that our rice source has been tested twice in the last year and a not trace of arsenic was detected. A link to a recent story of arsenic detected in rice.

Why do we include the prebiotics Inulin(chicory root) & Beet Pulp in our diets? Colon health is the answer as good health all starts there. Inulin (Chicory Root Extract),is also known as endive and used in salads, stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria and contributes to a healthy digestive tract by driving out pathogens like E coli. It is a starch that escapes digestion until it reaches the colon, or large intestine. There, it is a food source for the “good” bacteria that live in that part of the gastrointestinal tract. It also aids in the reduction of gas, which...

Why is Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free different than the rest on the market? Let’s compare a few things. Look at the amount of omega 3 fatty acids sourced from fish versus plant origin, for instance. Nearly all of the 0.98% Omega 3 fatty acids in Kinesis Grain Free originates from ocean fish, specifically menhaden oil. Omega 3 fatty acids from plants work a completely different route in animals than does their marine fish based counterpart. Marine fish oil exerts a much greater anti-inflammatory effect as compared to plant origin omega 3’s. Also, our protein is 84% derived from animal sources,...

Animal based proteins in our diets are what we are about. The amount of the protein that is derived from animal sources averages between 85-90% of the total protein that is in our foods. So, if you choose Pursuit, for example, 90% of the protein present in the kibble comes from other animals such as salmon, chicken or herring. We believe dogs and cats are meant to eat protein from other animals to promote exceptional health and well being. Highly concentrated plant proteins such as gluten meals or pea protein are not part of our diets. Those are better suited for...

What is a functional ingredient in pet food? Read below and learn more about what has been in Dr. Tim’s diets for years now. The functional ingredients in Dr. Tim’s Pet Foods include porcine plasma(anti inflammatory and immune system stimulant), beet pulp(moderately fermentable prebiotic and fiber source), chicory root(prebiotic) and probiotics that are applied after the heat of extrusion(healthy bacteria to help prevent disease). To learn more, please read this article http://petfoodindustry.com/Default.aspx?pageid=5306&id=46136&terms=limited+ingredient+kore

We have been looking for a website where actual ratings by users are posted and the best we can find is on Dog Food Chat. Below are the ratings for some of the popular brands. We were quite surprised that in most cases the marketing and cost just don’t translate into a happy consumer.   We put these up as a reference, so consumers have an idea of what other consumers think. We are not expressing an opinion on these formulas. These are ratings out of a possible 10. As of this morning the Dr. Tim’s line is rated 9.1/10.Acana...

The itchy animal-how to understand what is going on and how to try to fix it. This is an article by Dr. Tim that many may find interesting and helpful. Share it with others, please. The itchy dog or cat. By far the most common issue I’ve seen over the years as a veterinarian. Let’s take a look at the reasons behind the itching, and how we can best treat these animals. First, consider all of the reasons why your dog or cat could be itchy: Atopy (pollen allergy that is seasonal and makes them itch at their ears, face,...