Choose Wisely....

Choosing pet food is a very personal decision for you and your pet, and no one formula is ideal for every breed. High protein, meat-based diets are not simply for pets with kidney/urinary issues or high metabolism pets, they are ideal for many because of the fact that dogs and cats are carnivores, not meant to eat cheap grains or fillers. Cheap grains are fillers metabolize into sugar, causing a host of problems including allergies, behavior issues and also poor muscle building. Food companies add corn/wheat etc to keep the price down and an important factor to keep in mind is that when you feed a higher quality food, you don't pay more in the long run because your pet will eat less in order to receive the optimal nutrition from the food. Not to mention the money saved on vet bills resulting from the problems caused by the poor quality nutrition. Foods full of fillers equal garbage in and garbage out. Meaning more of the inferior food is required in order to attempt to receive the necessary nutrition, which is never achieved. Resulting in increased stool output to rid the body of the cheap grains and fillers that are unnecessary and un-digestible (such as corn). Shouldn’t you spend your money on your pet, not your vet?

The most important thing for a pet owner considering a new food is to read, read, and read the label. Make certain you understand the needs of your pet’s nutrition and just as importantly, how to define good ingredients from bad. The first ingredient should be a human grade and specific (i.e: Lamb, Chicken, etc.) meat meal because it means the water has been removed prior to weighing. Corn, Wheat, Glutens, BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, By-products, Animal Digest and chemicals, preservatives are all ingredients you want to avoid!
BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin are KNOWN carcinogens, yet many unknowingly feed them to their pet every day.

We can't begin to tell you how many clients ask us to decipher the current label of their pet food and are appalled when they understand, exactly what is in the food they are feeding. Mostly because they didn't read the label, or more commonly, simply didn’t understand what the ingredients were.

It’s important to be informed about what your pet requires for ultimate health, and to be informed about the toxic effects of many ingredients that are in grocery store, big box and mass produced brands. At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro we offer frequent buyer incentives and we will take the time to share all we know about the proper nutrition for your pet with you.

Be informed and knowledgeable about the food choices for your pet and about the ingredients in each of the healthy formulas available.

At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being!

"Cooking" For Your Dog

Lately we have had several customers with smaller breed dogs relate that they are “cooking for their dog.” The most common explanation is that their dog is “finicky.” We have had this conversation countless times and try desperately to educate these pet owners on the detriment and risk that they are placing their beloved pet in by cooking. These unsuspecting owners truly believe that they are doing the right thing by their dog. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing that happens is a full stomach and the loss of proper nutrition. A dog “requires” 38 different vitamins, minerals and trace elements that they simply cannot obtain from “cooked people food.” The dog’s digestive system is not that of a human! Dogs must eat appropriately. It is possible to “prepare” an appropriate meal for your dog, but cooking is not part of the preparation. Additionally, all of the required nutrients do need to be added as well. It is possible, but very labor intensive.

Cooking renders the food biologically inappropriate in a fundamental way for dogs. Cooked food loses nearly all of its nutritional value, including enzymes and biologically active essential fatty acids. The latter, being damaged by heat and oxygen, become slow poisons, doing irreparable damage. Cooking causes complexes to form between proteins and starches, between vitamins and trace minerals, and between minerals and minerals. Cooking produces carcinogens and anti-immunogens. Many minerals, essential amino acids and vitamins also become indigestible.

Your dog is not finicky; he’s just learned to manipulate your good conscience. Feeding should be in-line with a part of your dog’s obedience. Do not let your dog graze all day. Allow a maximum of 15 minutes for mealtime and then remove any remaining food. Your dog will respond to mealtime in a more enthusiastic manner when this method is followed.

All of the pet foods that we supply at Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro are complete and contain every essential nutrient your dog requires on a daily basis.

At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being!

B.A.R.F. (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food)

Does the BARF diet return our pets to nature?

No. It’s not possible and also unnecessary. Instead, the BARF diet mimics the natural or evolutionary diet by using appropriate foods. The natural environment is disastrous. It includes lack of shelter, starvation and attack by potential food, attack by other predators and the complete lack of medical and surgical intervention. This is not what we want for our pets. We want an environment that maximizes health. That includes a Biologically Appropriate Raw Food Diet. A BARF diet.

Should I cook the patties or medallions?

Cooking would render the food biologically inappropriate in a fundamental way. Cooked food loses much nutritional value, including enzymes and biologically active essential fatty acids. The latter, being damaged by heat and oxygen, become slow poisons, doing irreparable damage. Cooking causes complexes to form between proteins and starches, between vitamins and trace minerals, and between minerals and minerals. Cooking produces carcinogens and anti-immunogens. Many minerals, essential amino acids and vitamins also become indigestible.

How much should I feed my adult dog?

Adult dogs can be fed between 2-3% of their body weight. We recommend starting with 1/2 pound of food per 25 lbs of body weight daily and make adjustments according to your dog's age and activity. Remember that a healthy dog is not overweight.

How much do I feed my puppy?

Nature's Variety recommends feeding puppies up to 10 % of their body weight. Therefore, if your pup weighs 10 lbs you should feed 1 lb of food divided between 3 or 4 feedings per day. Growing puppies, especially the large breeds, should be kept lean so adjustments to feeding amounts will have to be monitored closely.

Do I need to supplement the Raw Diet?

Nature's Variety looks to whole raw foods to supply nutrients. Nature's Variety sources and uses evolutionary foods. That is why we insist that a wide variety of foodstuffs make up the components of this diet.

Can I feed processed foods with the Raw Diet?

Yes. Even though raw leaves the stomach and is digested more quickly than kibble, it is no different from adding canned food to kibble. In fact, the added moisture from the raw helps to speed the gastric emptying (the stomach will empty when the contents have been liquefied).

What about bacteria in raw foods?

The presence of bacteria in raw food often worries pet owners and vets. They assume these bacteria will make pets sick. However, dogs, being scavengers, have evolved to eat and thrive on bacteria laden food, requiring them for immune system maturity. Wild dogs eat the gut contents of their prey, and the feces of many different animals. They eat soil, contaminated meat, buried bones, and infected meat and so on. These are all a source of microbes and any toxins they might produce. That is why the bacteria in raw meat are of no consequence to ninety-nine plus percent of dogs. This does not mean we recommend bacteria laden food for our pets. What it does mean is that pets that have eaten commercial pet food for most of their life are safe eating raw food from clean sources.

Are there safe handling procedures for the Raw Diet?

Common sense must prevail when handling raw meat. You do this all the time when you prepare a meal for the family. After handling raw meat for your pets, do wash your hands before eating your own food. Sterilize any knives, surfaces or utensils used in the preparation or handling of your pets' food. We recommend using a stainless steel dish which is washed thoroughly with soap and hot water after every meal. Discard any uneaten food and store raw pet food in such a way it does not contaminate human food. After thawing the food, we recommend it is only kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It's that simple!

How is Nature's Variety packaged?

In patties weighing 8 oz each, 12 per bag. One ounce Medallions have 48 to a bag, and there are 2 lb. Chubs. They use sturdy, freezer-friendly poly packaging that reduces environmental waste. Packages are date coded to comply with our extensive trace back system which allows complete tracking of all raw materials from sourcing to finished product.

Are there bones in the Raw Diet?

It is natural for both dogs and cats to eat bones. Both a dog's body and a cat's body are designed to use bones as its main source of minerals - including calcium and phosphorus. Our pets' bodies have been doing this for millions of years. Your pet won’t suffer mineral deficiencies, imbalances or excesses, when raw meaty bones make up the bulk of its diet. This applies to all ages, and all breeds, including puppies and kittens. Because bones are the storehouse of all the minerals your pet requires in perfect balance, and in the perfect form for optimal absorption. The bones in Natures Variety products are very finely minced making them very safe to feed to your pets.

Why so many green leafy vegetables?

Domestic pets should be getting their carbohydrate in a similar manner and balance to their wild ancestors. That means feeding fresh, raw (non starchy-low glycemic) vegetables (and some fruit). The green vegetables contain only small amounts of starch and some simple sugars. More importantly they are chock full of enzymes, nutraceuticals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

With no grains or starchy vegetables, where does my dog get it's energy requirements from?

When our pets eat a poor quality dry pet food, most of their energy comes from carbohydrates. That is, from starch, and also, from added sugar. Both sugar and starch are damaging forms of carbohydrate that are biologically inappropriate for pet animals. Together, these two carbohydrates make an enormous contribution to the degenerative diseases in our pets. When pet animals eat their evolutionary diet (the BARF diet) their energy comes principally from protein and fat and very little from carbohydrates. Deriving their energy principally from fats and proteins is health promoting for our pets. Grains can cause sugar levels to rise and then quickly fall causing highs and lows in insulin levels. Grains contain very few vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in comparison to vegetables.

Will Nature's Variety keep my dog's teeth clean?

The results are in and it's obvious that dogs fed a raw diet have much cleaner teeth. The processed or cooked foods eaten by dogs today are high in two substances; soluble carbohydrates and soluble calcium. These two nutrients attack a dog's mouth at every meal. In addition, processed foods do not contain the naturally occurring enzymes found in raw foods so necessary for clean teeth. Through the use of raw bones and a healthy BARF diet, your dog can have a sparkling smile!

Can I expect a change in stool volume?

Depending on what your dog has presently been eating, stool size ins generally much more compact and odorless than when a dog has been fed processed pet foods. This is because our BARF diet contains no extra or unnecessary fillers or grains. The stool color may vary somewhat depending on which protein source is being fed.

At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro, we embrace a mission that places your dog’s health and well-being at the forefront of all we do. This is the driving vision behind the raw dog food diets that we endorse and feed our dogs!

The Raw Diet:

Increasing the health, well-being, longevity, and reproductive capacity are the four most important reasons for feeding your dogs a raw dog food diet. A raw dog food diet may also minimize trips to the vet, something your pet and wallet will thank you for.

What constitutes a raw dog food diet? Feeding your dogs what they are designed to eat. Dogs are designed to eat what they’ve been eating for millions of years: raw, fresh foods. A raw dog food diet resembles what their ancestors ate. This closely resembles what wolves eat today. Though dogs are omnivores, they are hunters and scavengers, requiring a diet heavily based on meat and bone. Notice how happy your dogs gets when you give him a bone? Your dogs are simply reacting according to their instincts and genetic programming. This is the basic philosophy behind feeding your dogs a raw dog food diet. You’re simply providing your dogs a diet that they’re supposed to be eating. Of course, you won’t hear any of the major dog food corporations embrace this philosophy. Major dog food corporations are similar to most corporations today, where their utmost concern is their bottom line, not the health and well-being of their clients.

Major dog food corporations make their food out of a slew of rejected grains and meat, not to mention the addition of preservatives and other harmful chemical agents. What’s happening in the major dog food suppliers is paralleled in the fast food industry today. Both are providing sub-standard food that is cheap to make, filled with preservatives and toxic chemicals, but convenient to buy and eat. We all know the dangers we face as humans if we were to eat nothing but fast food. Why would you treat your dogs any different? Eating a raw dog food diet is just as important for your dogs as eating a well balanced diet is for you.

A raw dog food diet consists of many natural, uncooked foods of both animal and plant origin. A raw dog food diet will include such things as muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat, and vegetable materials. Modern dogs are not only capable of eating the same food their wild ancestors ate, but they actually require such a raw dog food diet to ensure optimal health. The canine’s basic physiology has changed very little with domestication, despite the obvious differences in their modern physical appearances and behaviors. Many zoologists embrace this rationale and follow such a regimen to preserve an animal species.

A raw dog food diet must be, above all things, biologically appropriate. It is with this philosophy in mind that we at Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro carry Nature’s Variety brand dog foods.

For example, Natures Variety Raw Beef Ingredients are:
Beef, Beef Liver, Raw Ground Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Kidney, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove. Nature’s Variety brand dog food includes many different varieties such as beef, chicken, lamb, venison and bison medallions, patties or chubs and more.

At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro, we embrace a mission that places your dog’s health and well-being at the forefront of all we do. This is the driving vision behind the raw dog food diets that we endorse and feed our dogs!

Dog Separation Anxiety:

Some people equate it to a baby being separated from their mother so dog separation anxiety is not unlike that very situation. When a puppy is sold, essentially it’s being separated from its mother, siblings, and surroundings. This results in a state of anxiety.

During this period of dog separation anxiety, the puppy yearns for something tranquil, someone who is always available to nurture. It’s a delicate balancing act: as the responsible pet owner you want to provide your pup with the love and attention it needs. On the other hand, you need to create an environment which fosters independence to reduce dog separation anxiety.

In fact, the “wrong” amounts of dog separation anxiety, meaning an unhealthy balance such as dogs which give birth to a large amount of offspring tend to generate an environment where dogs are awake a lot, sleep very little, they don’t get along well with other dogs and may end up biting. As such, when they’re scolded, they don’t necessarily know what they’ve done wrong.

Eighty percent of a dog’s adult behavior has been learned when it was an infant. The beginning years are crucial to developing a healthy adult dog as well as reducing dog separation anxiety. Consider this: dogs with separation anxiety need your help. You can help them during the initial adjustment period. Be in command and ensure he responds to your commands such as for food, attention, etc. This will calm him down but be sure to positively reinforce the behavior and let Fido know that you’re the one in charge.

Dog separation anxiety also references space. Sure, it’s nice to feel loved and your dog will want to be close to you, touching you, sitting on you or near you at every waking moment. This is too much. You’ll need to create the separation yourself: your dog needs his own space. Whether it’s a dog bed or his own blanket and toys, it’s important to give him meals and treats in his space, not yours. Let him enjoy his peaceful dog bed and realize that you may be inadvertently contributing to dog separation anxiety. Create space for him to be independent.

Trust us: this doesn’t mean you love him any less!
Another way to reduce dog separation anxiety is to teach your dog. Find new ways to spend valuable time with your dog; time that doesn’t involve you at his side. In fact, developing a confident dog entails daily, interactive training sessions which will only strengthen the communication you have with your dog.

At Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being.

Spring is here. Lawn and garden dangers are too!

As the weather warms up, neighborhoods seem to spring into lawn and garden care, as well. Many common fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides can be toxic to animals if inhaled, absorbed or ingested. There is some indication from recent studies that the rising rate of certain cancers in dogs and children may be linked to herbicides and pesticides. To be safe, make sure you read and follow the directions carefully and be conscience of these possibilities while on your daily walks. During and after treatment of your own yard, be sure to keep your pets away from the lawn or garden until the area is completely dry. In some cases, this could mean an entire day. If your pet is accidentally exposed to any lawn or garden treatment, act quickly. Wash your pet immediately with liquid dish soap and call your veterinarian.
Want a safer alternative?

Go organic. In general, these kinds of lawn and garden treatments are safer. However, again, please read and follow the instructions carefully.

Ben’s Bark Ave. Bistro wishes you and your pet a happy and safe Spring!