Taurine is an amino acid that both dogs and cats require for health. For cats, it is an essential amino acid because their bodies cannot synthesize it, so it must be acquired from the diet. Dogs however, can synthesize taurine from two other amino acids, methionine and cysteine (which are found in meat). For cats, taurine is necessary for brain, nerves, eyes, heart, digestion, immune function and fetal development. For dogs, taurine is needed for eyes, reproduction, bile acid (for fat digestion) and for healthy heart. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and cats is associated with inadequate taurine levels.
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Tail Blazers was founded on sourcing and offering the most species appropriate diets available in the market. We have always heavily promoted raw (meat/bone/organ-based) diets as the most species appropriate – what do wild canines and felines eat if not raw animal prey-based diets? These are the most species appropriate for our domesticated dogs and cats as well.
One of the most common arguments against raw food diets is, you guessed it, BACTERIA and the dangers that those bugs can potentially pose to our pets and ourselves. But, how harmful is bacteria in raw pet food, and food in general? Is raw more dangerous? Are humans really at risk? Continue reading
With marijuana (pot) now being legal in Canada, the potential for pets to be exposed to this plant is much higher. For example, in the US, the Pet Poison Helpline has seen a 448% increase in marijuana cases in the last 6 years as more and more states legalize. (source: petpoisonhelpline.com) Let’s discuss the effects of ingestion and what we can do as pet parents to avoid exposure.
Many of you have probably heard about the recent “trendy” ketogenic (keto) weight loss diet for humans (a variation of this diet popped up in the last few decades as the Atkins Diet). It is otherwise known as a Low Carbohydrate/High Fat/Adequate Protein diet or lifestyle. The ketogenic diet, as it is known today, was developed in the 1920s at the Mayo Clinic to treat epilepsy. However, fasting, which mimics ketogenic-type diets, has been used by humans in attempts to treat illness since 500 B.C.
What is a ketogenic or “keto” diet?
The mammalian body (be it human, canine, feline, etc.) has two major metabolic pathways involved in energy production. The body’s main two pathways use either glucose (sugar derived from carbohydrates, and in some cases protein/amino acids through a process called gluconeogenesis) or ketones (derived from fat) to power its cells. We generally think of the glucose pathway as the “standard” pathway for bodies to derive energy.
Part 3 of 3
Part 1 focuses on Tail Blazers’ product research and screening processes…Read it here
Part 2 focuses on why we felt a need to create a health food store for pets…Read it here
In the previous two blogs, I have explained a bit about how Tail Blazers came to be, and our motivation and mission behind creating a health food store for dogs and cats. Now to analyze the question, “what makes Tail Blazers unique in the pet industry and what sets us apart from the rest?”
We are 100% completely and totally committed to providing THE healthiest, cleanest selection of food, treats and supplements available…this is what you can expect when you walk into a Tail Blazers store. Many pet food stores might offer healthy options, yet these options are interspersed amongst foods that contain harmful, toxic and unhealthy ingredients. This might be confusing to the consumer! Continue reading
Part 1 focuses on Tail Blazers’ product research and screening processes…Read it here
Why did we feel the need to create a “Health Food Store for Pets”?
We opened our first store in Inglewood, Calgary in Nov of 2000. Our background was in the human health food industry and being animal lovers, opening up a health food store for dogs and cats was an extremely natural extension/passion for us. This was an extremely new concept at that time.
But why a store completely dedicated to pet health?
The overwhelming majority of commercial food options available for pets before 2000, were incredibly undesirable. It’s my opinion that the commercial pet food industry was banking on us staying uneducated and uninformed about this, Continue reading
Our Beginnings
Tamara Low and Brent Hauberg (with Skyla) in front of the 1st Tail Blazers in Inglewood in Calgary (2000).
Health and wellness is of utmost importance to us (as well as a healthy planet), and this naturally extends to all beings, including our animal companions. Our background, amongst many things, was in the human health food industry. In 2000, for numerous reasons, I set out to create a Health Food Store for Dogs and Cats.
It was so much fun and exciting to research products and create our first store! No one else that I knew of was doing what we were doing at that time. Our message and offerings were so out of the ordinary that people deeply wondered what we were doing, and why. I assure you, there were so few truly healthy, species appropriate foods for dogs and cats on the market in the year 2000. I searched high and low. So as you can imagine, the store, was a little bit sparse right at the beginning. We laugh about that now. How things have changed. This certainly is not the case, 18 years later….the stores are absolutely bursting at the seams with amazing, vibrant, life enhancing, creative and innovative products for dogs and cats!
DEHYDRATION
Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Dehydrated dog and cat food is generally processed at low heat for a long time to draw out or evaporate any moisture out of the food. Each of the dehydrated food companies that we carry use different methods and temperatures to achieve this. I outline this below. In my research there definitely seems to be more variation and uniqueness in the processes used to dehydrate than to freeze- dry pet foods.
Foods dehydrated at higher temperatures are not considered completely raw, but very lightly cooked as the moisture is removed. Cooking denatures many of these nutrients including delicate enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids, affecting the nutrition of the product.
Dehydrated dog food is usually harder than freeze-dried food and takes longer to rehydrate.
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