Category: Healthy Pet Products (Page 1 of 2)

6 Types of Healthy Whole Food Toppers

August 22, 2020 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

What Are Pet Food Toppers & Why Use Them?

Pet food toppers are additional foods that you can add to your pet’s bowl to increase palatability, health and variety. Pet food toppers can be a valuable tool for digestion and weight loss and can offer many other advantages, such as aiding with hydration, regulating diarrhea and constipation and adding nutrients to the diet. Besides the endless health benefits, they can bring a little surprise and delicious variation to your pet’s meals!

Toppers do not have to be expensive or complicated. However, don’t forget each dog and cat is different, and their individual needs may change.

#1 – Toppers Found in the Kitchen

Easy to add toppers from around the kitchen include apple cider vinegar, which can be used as a digestive aid, yogurt, which contain probiotics for gut health, as well as fruit and vegetables such as bananas, zucchini and apples. Here is an article that focuses on which veggies to use most, which to use in moderation and which to avoid. Puree vegetables to help your dog more easily digest them!

Other kitchen toppers can include coconut oil for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties or pumpkin which is perfect for helping with upset tummies and supporting the digestive system. Even raw chicken eggs or raw quail eggs can be a great addition a few times a week!

Tis’ the season for fleas and ticks!

May 8, 2020 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

Your pets are most at risk of ticks during the warmer months. However, they are susceptible any time the temperature goes above zero degrees Celsius. As a pet owner we should know about some of the risks associated with common treatments. There are many different kinds of flea and tick treatments and preventions. There are chemical oral pesticides, chemical topical pesticides, chemical flea collars, natural scent-based flea prevention, natural pesticides, and diatomaceous earth.

Probiotics & Your Pets’ Health

February 7, 2020 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

Probiotics, related to digestive health, is a topic that has been near and dear to my heart due to an experience I had with my dog, Jax. Jax is a Belgian Malinois with boundless energy and a look that will melt your heart! When Jax was about eight months old, he started to experience some pretty significant health issues. He started to lose weight, to the point where he was actually looking malnourished.

Wash Your Dog – Without Harmful Ingredients

June 27, 2019 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

Your pooch is smelly and dirty! Time for a bath. It’s easy to pick up any bottle of pet shampoo and wash your dog with it. But have you stopped and read the ingredients on the bottle? Do you know what those ingredients are? Does the bottle even list ANY ingredients on it?

At Tail Blazers we take our product selections very seriously, including shampoos and coat care products. We analyze the ingredients in all the shampoos and conditioners we stock to ensure it meets our strict safety standards.

Tail Blazers – Our Research and Screening Process – Part 1 of 3

April 25, 2018 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

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!

CBD (Cannabidiol) Oil for Pets – Its Benefits and the Confusion Around Its Legality in Canada

October 27, 2017 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

There is a new wave of pet products hitting the market in Canada. Treats, supplements, and oils, all containing hemp CBD (cannabidiol) oil, are flooding the marketplace. Some made in Canada, and others made in the USA.

What is CBD oil?
Cannabidiol (a cannabinoid) is found in Cannabis sativa, the botanical Latin name for both marijuana and hemp. Hemp is higher in CBD oil and contains negligible amounts of THC (approx. 0.5%), which is known for its psychoactive properties producing the “high”. Marijuana contains high (10-30% approx.) THC content and only small amounts of CBD. Despite both plants being Cannabis sativa, marijuana and hemp are different cultivars and are grown in different conditions. The products we are seeing on the market containing CBD oil are hemp products containing CBD oil or CBD extracted from hemp.

10 Steps to Whole Health for Your Pet

February 9, 2015 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

At Tail Blazers we recognize that although diet is one of the most important choices you can make for your pets, we also know that there are many other factors that contribute to a healthy and happy pet. Here are 10 of them!
1. Healthy Diet – Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make for your pets is what to feed them. It’s important to choose a diet free of species inappropriate ingredients like wheat, corn and soy. Their diet should also be free of chemicals; artificial preservatives, flavours, and colours; by-products, BHA and BHT, and more.

There are so many healthy options available now in the form of dry, canned, dehydrated, cooked, and raw foods (listed from most processed to least) the choices can be overwhelming. Variety is so important so why not mix and match your options? Continue reading

The Big Bite On Dog Chews

February 9, 2015 / Tail_Blazers_Pets

Why are there SOOO many choices out there when it comes to chew treats? Well, that’s because dogs like to CHEW! And, they need to chew.

Chewing releases endorphins, which helps relax them and bring about a sense of calm; much like exercise does. Most chew treats help strengthen gums and remove plaque from the teeth. Some chews are even hard enough to remove tartar which clings to teeth like a barnacle – a barnacle filled with bacteria and hair. Tartar is a major cause of bad breath.

So, with so many options, how do you choose? One thing that ALL chews have in common is that your dog should ALWAYS be supervised when chewing. Appropriately sized treats must also be carefully selected. If your dog swallows treats in large pieces without chewing, you must choose an over-sized treat for them. If you are unsure, bring your dog into your nearest Tail Blazers and let them help you choose. Continue reading