Issue #41

Did you know… “ground scratching” is when your pup kicks dirt into the air after peeing? “It appears to occur equally in males and females, but only around 10% of dogs do it.” It isn't exclusive to dogs; wolves, coyotes and other mammals, like lions, do it, too. Ground scratching in domestic dogs is often accompanied by urine marking on a nearby tree or clump of grass, which mirrors the territorial marking behavior seen in coyotes and wolves. Moreover, dogs also appear to secrete special marking fluids from their paws.

Did someone say pupcicles? Available until August 12th, here’s the lineup of the current box: 🦃Turkey Gizzard, 🐄Beef Spleen, 🐟Salmon, 🐣Duck Feet, 🐖Pig Skin, 🐄Beef Trachea 🐶 Super Chew this box: 🐄 Spiral bull pizzle 🔥 Duck feet make the perfect handle for those pupcicles. Peep the unboxing!

That's #realcrafty! Last week, we aired another episode of Real Crafty… featuring this month's duck feet to make our own pupcicles! Check out the recipe!

Bronx man files $5 Million lawsuit against Rachael Ray's dog food brand. In the $5 million class action lawsuit, Bronx resident Markeith Parks argues that it is deceiving for Nutrish to market its food as natural because it contains the “potentially harmful” herbicide: glyphosate. “The Products at issue are not ‘Natural.’ Instead, the Products contain the unnatural chemical glyphosate, a potent biocide and endocrine disruptor, with detrimental health effects that are still becoming known,” the complainant alleges. The chemical, which is often used in weed killers such as Roundup, was found by tests done by an independent lab.

"Bad" dogs more likely to die young. Conducted by investigators at the VetCompass Programme at the University of London Royal Veterinary College, the study analyzed 250,000 dogs that died under the age of 3. From the data, the investigators were able to estimate that dogs that possess undesirable behaviors, such as aggression, running away, fighting, over-excitability, or barking, are more likely to die at a younger age compared with dogs considered to be more well behaved.

High-tech heart surgery helps dogs live a longer life. Misty, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees mix with a congenital heart defect, was saved by minimally invasive surgery at Colorado State University. The procedure is similar to human heart valve replacement surgeries performed in some of the country’s top hospitals. Colorado State's vet hospital is the one of the few surgical centers in the world that performs this type of surgery. "We're able to give them treatment that either cures or dramatically improves their heart condition. And that means they have more energy, they have more time with their family."

Why this fish is the new dog food craz. Because the Asian carp is an invasive species, Chicago has been struggling with ways to fight the rapidly breeding and destructive fish for years. There doesn’t seem to be much interest on the side of humans and popular seafood restaurants, but carp will be the main source of protein for the year-old startup BareItAll Petfoods.

Instant Pot teams up with YaDoggie. Called YaDoggie Fresh, it’s “human-grade” fresh dog food that is specifically designed to be cooked in an Instant Pot. The fresh product comes in turkey and salmon, takes 20 minutes to cook using the Instant Pot. YaDoggie says their food formulas were designed by a licensed veterinary nutritionist and are 100 % grain free, but their fresh food formula does contain rice and baking powder.

Virtual reality treatment for dog phobia in children. Aimed at children aged 8-12 years, the virtual therapy entails assessments and an intensive three hour treatment whereby participants are exposed to multiple types of dogs wearing a virtual reality headset. “A fear of dogs is one of the most common phobias among the 10% of children who suffer from them… There are effective treatments for this phobia but unfortunately they can be difficult to deliver for clinicians given that the live stimuli – dogs – are needed.” Using virtual reality is an innovative alternative treatment for older children to be exposed to a range of several different breeds of virtual dog at once.