Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct a spay/neuter and vaccination clinic in several Yup’ik villages along the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska. Funded by an USDA grant and working in conjunction 2 other people, one from the Alaska Native Rural Veterinary Corporation and the other from Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Health Corporation we left Bethel, Alaska via the “Kusko”, headed first for Napaskiak, a small village of Yup’ik. We arrived at Napaskiak and quickly set up our M.A.S.H. practice in a machine shop, though without my anesthetic machine; the airline didn’t know where it was! We used the downtime to walk...

Does your cat look like he might be a few pounds too big these days? How he/she got that way is the question of the day. So, cats get fat because: 1. They get fixed (not that they were broken) 2. They live indoors more these days 3. They eat a lot of food that has tons of carbohydrates. 4. The level of protein in their food is too low, plus it is not animal-based. 5. We have placed our eating schedule onto them - that is, 2-3 meals a day, versus a browsing- type schedule which they do in...

Salmonella and how we guard against it. With all the recent recalls out in the pet food world for this bacteria being detected in product we looked at how best to prevent it from being a concern. We have our product tested for salmonella each time we produce before releasing it for sale to assure it is safe for your pet. An added expense but it only makes sense! Never a recall for Dr. Tim’s Pet Foods.

Let’s look at the chicken meal we use in our diets. The low ash chicken meal we use is USA sourced and guaranteed not to have any antibiotics or added hormones present in the meat. Low ash means that most of the bone has been removed so we are feeding the cat or dog the protein that they need to thrive on. Highly digestible and palatable, it is a foundation of our formulas.

Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), commonly called bloat, is an emergency medical condition that is seen most commonly in large and giant breed dogs. This is a life-threatening situation that occurs when the stomach fills with gas and/or food, expands, and then rotates, trapping gas inside the stomach and cutting off blood supply to the stomach and spleen.     Signs the dog may demonstrate:   Distended (bloated) abdomen Unproductive retching / heaving Excess salivation Heavy panting Restlessness/pacing Many studies have been done to determine the causes of GDV, but researchers are still not completely certain why the condition occurs. However, most...

Dr Tim: I have been an avid NSTRA field trialer since 1989 and have fed almost all the premium brand dog foods so when I say your food is the best it is from experience. I have now switched all my sporting dogs to your food and am seeing fabulous results in base endurance , performance stamina and weight stabilization during training. I am preparing one of my dogs for the UKC NSTRA National Endurance Trial in Nebraska at the end of this month. I feel my dog is in the best shape of her life and more prepared for this...

“I wish to commend you on your kibble dog food. I have used most premium dry foods on the market over many, many years. Dr. Tim’s is the best I know of and will continue using and recommending your product. FYI, I have never before written anyone to let them know how much I think of their product. Keep up the good work,” Bill S.-owner of SeltzerHaus German Shepherds http://www.seltzerhauskennels.com/ Thank you, Bill, for your kind words

"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.