Issue #77

Did you know…. In the UK, you could be fined for putting your dog on a vegetarian diet? According to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, you are required to feed your dog a “suitable diet”, which means technically you could be prosecuted if it’s deemed the diet you choose doesn’t fit that description.

Available until October 31st ONLY, here’s the current line up:

🐮Grass-fed Beef Green Tripe

🐷Pork Kidney

🐠Salmon

🐇Rabbit Feet

🦆Duck Wing

🐷Pig Ear

🐄Bull Pizzle (Super Chew)

Real Dog Box has a new membership program which offers FREE shipping on all boxes, including secret shop orders, early access to secret shop and free monthly dog nutrition consultations. Text us to learn more or add a membership to your account! 858-348-5954.

Dogs can catch their owners' emotions. Just as human toddlers look to their parents for cues about how to react to the people and world around them, dogs often look to humans for similar signs. Dogs also have “affective empathy” toward people who are important to them. When it comes to bonding, “oxytocin release is stimulated by eye contact or social touch such as petting, and it works both ways—from dog to human and from human to dog; it’s like a feedback loop. In order to have emotional contagion, dogs need to be able to recognize the emotions of their owner—that requires attention, which oxytocin facilitates. It causes the brain to focus on social cues.”

China Pet Foods acquires Pet Food NZ. The Chinese company China Pet Foods (owner of multiple brands and factories, including Wanpy) has acquired 70% of New Zealand’s largest OEM canned food factory for approximately $24M. Customers of Petfood NZ include the brands Ziwi and K9 Natural.

Hookworms, parasites that suck our dogs' blood, are now resisting drug treatments. New research from the University of Georgia confirmed what the university's veterinary school first reported in 2019: Hookworms are now seemingly resistant to the three primary drugs U.S. veterinarians use to eliminate them. The drug-resistant hookworms are now out there among the general population of pets, so the best way to keep your pet safe is to avoid exposure in the first place. Dog parks can be a great outlet for some dogs, but there are some dangers to them.

Are dogs the key to jump starting Oregon's truffle industry? When you use a dog, you get better truffles. The aesthetics are better, the prices are better, and it’s less work. Besides, working with a dog in the forest is part of the mystique. This canine corps has transformed the reputation of Northwest truffles, and chefs have noticed. Prices for dog-harvested truffles have risen to several hundred dollars per pound, and Oregon truffles are becoming a highlight of the terroir.

Detection dogs. Science for Wildlife is using new techniques to help find and save threatened species, by developing and applying survey methods like wildlife detection dogs. After devastating bushfires, sniffer dogs have become even more critical for helping us to find what is left of our koala populations.