Din Dins natural pet nutrition for cats and dogs

It goes without saying that we love a good animal cause, especially if it’s about how to take the best care of your pet.

This month is (still) National Pet Month which promotes responsible ownership, the importance of pet care professionals and working companion animals and raises lots of money for pet care charities. 

Obviously for Din Dins taking care of your cat or dog by choosing the right foods is so important for great health and prevents lots of pet health issues, so we’re huge fans of the cause.

Showing our support. Posters up in all Revital Stores

If you’re buying an off the shelf  pet food (processed food) check the nutritional labels to make sure there are no nasty bi-products or artificial ingredients. For example anything that has meat derivitives is not good! We just discovered Pure Pet Food a fantastic new and healthy food for dogs made with natural ingredients but instead of being harshly processed it’s dehydrated and so holds the goodness – genius!

We’re huge supporters of preparing food for your pet yourself but we know it can be a bit daunting, so follow the BARF diet. Making things easier you can also find frozen raw pet foods in good pet stores now.  

There’s more on choosing a healthy pet diet and which foods to avoid if you go to the nutrition bit on our website .

Of course we’ll always recommend adding  Din Dins supplement, guaranteeing tasty natural and raw ingredients packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to support your pet’s immune system whilst sorting out things like digestions, nasty smells, bad breath and sore joints. 

National Pet Month doesn’t finish until 6th May so it’s not too late to get involved www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk

My mate Deborah’s cat Coco not only has the same drinking habits as my cat Mimi (dripping tap), also bares more than a slight resemblance.

Separated at birth, when Deborah first saw a picture of Mimi she screeched – “You stole my cat!!”.

Anyway I mentioned their uncanny (even for pets) resemblance to a work colleague who told me this amusing tale about his cat Oscar.

So, the story goes that my colleague had intrusted his sister with the task of feeding  Oscar while he went away for a few days with his family.

Pretty straight forward, especially as she lived just around the corner.

So for the next few days the routine followed that on the way to and from work my colleague’s sister would drop in to feed his cat. As soon as Oscar heard the turn of the front door key, he’d trot in through the cat flap for his meal, she’d fuss him and head off.

The "real" Oscar

On the day my work colleague was due to return his sister decided to feed the cat as she’s been doing for the last few days but then wait until he got back to catch up. Nothing strange about that.

While she waited, Oscar jumped on her lap, and made himself comfortabe while she flicked through Grazia.

“Everything alright?”  my colleague said as he dragged the bags through the front door and headed in to greet his sister.

“Yes all good”.

Then came the puzzled look as my colleague clocked the cat purring on his sister’s lap.

“Who’s that?”

“Oscar!”

“Er, no it’s not”

The inposter ‘lookalike Oscar’ knew his (or her) time was up and scurried for the cat flap.

The real Oscar appeared a few minutes later - after his stint at involuntary fat camp.

My cat Mimi can be finicky – even about drinking water.

You leave fresh water out for her, it’s not touched, but the minute you turn on the tap she comes rushing for a drink.

One day I mentioned it my friend Deborah, her cat Coco is the same.

 “Apparently it means she’s got Burmese in her” Deborah said.

Ooh pedigree!  Perhaps that explains why a couple of ice cubes in Mimi’s (china) bowl sometimes tempts her to drink.

You may recognise some of these odd Mimi behaviours in your cat too:

• Drinks from her bowl but insists on splashing the water with her paw.
• Tipping her bowl on the ground so she can drink from the floor.
• Caught balancing precariously on the toilet seat – you’ll never find the toilet seat up in my flat!
•  If you have an outdoor cat, she may even favour dirty rain water rather than the fresh supply you put out for it.

So what’s up pussycat?

No-one is really sure, but it may be down to an instinctual aversion to still water. In the wild, a cat will usually only drink flowing water as it suggests the water is fresh and clean. Or,  maybe your cat has learned that water tends to be cooler when it’s from a tap or rain water.

Another theory is flipping over its water bowl or trying to catch the falling drips from a tap might make a great cat game.

However, what we do know is cats are not naturally big drinkers and rely on getting most of their moisture from food, for this reason dry food is not often a good option.

If your cat’s instinct is not to drink water and its diet is predominantly dry food, things may not working as they should inside. Dried food is harder for your cat to digest then wet or a raw food, putting a strain on the kidney and without water this is harder still. This the most likely cause of kidney and renal issues in cats.

Coco enjoying water from the tap

A couple of tips to get your cat to drink up:

• Feed a raw food diet www.barfworld.com.
• Put ice cubes in the  bowl.
• Move your cat’s water bowl away from your cat’s food dish -  the smell of food might be putting them off.
• Give ceramic or stainless steel bowls a try.
• Let the tap drip occasionally.
• Consider bottled or filtered water.
• Try a water fountain that triggers when your cat gets near.

We’ve been hearing more and more that lots of dogs are suffering with joint, bone and back problems.

Large breeds like Rottweilers and German Shepherds are prone to hip dysplasia (the joint’s ball and socket don’t fit together properly, which causes pain, arthritis, and problems walking) and Dachshunds because of their long bodies are at higher risk for back injuries and spinal disk problems, however all types of poochs are experiencing all sorts of issues.

We’re proud to say that our Super Seniors Glucosamine is making a real difference and Din Dins customers  (thank you) are feeding back that it’s working fast!!

What we didn’t realise, is how many younger dogs have back, bone and joint pain too, but not to worry it’s perfectly OK to use Super Seniors Glucosamine for a dog of any age.

However to make that absolutely clear we’ve decided to change the name…

Watch this space!

Rebecca Goodyear a London based PR writes about natural beauty products, and things for the greater good at www.biteablebeauty.com Rebecca also has a gorgeous rescue dog Mimi.

We were really chuffed when Rebecca told us she was going to try Mimi on our Wickedly Raw Superfoods

And this is what she said:

“I’m a health conscious human and I also want Mimi my dog to be in the best possible health so I have fed her a raw food diet for some time now. When I discovered Din Dins I felt it the ideal way to supplement Mimi’s diet with some greens to ensure she was getting nutrients that she might not necessarily be obtaining in her diet. Mimi has always been a fairly healthy and happy dog but since including Din Dins in her diet, Mimi’s coat is even more glossy, she doesn’t suffer from the behind-the-ear bald patches any more and her energy levels are still that of when I first rescued her at one year old”

We’re now even more chuffed!

Hello pet loving peeps!

Meet Percy.

Percy is an eleven year old Dachshund who belongs to our friend Maxine.

Percy has had a bit of a rough time with his spine and a year ago he was couldn’t even walk. Dachshunds are susceptible to spinal problems because they have short legs and their joints and vertebrae tend to degenerate prematurely.

Regular chiropractic therapy has worked wonders on Percy, he’s now back on his feet and his mobility is great, however Maxine was recommended to give Percy a glucosamine supplement to help support and maintain his treatment.

Ta da!! Din Dins Super Seniors Glucosamine (see insert).

This blend of naturally occurring, sulphur-rich MSM working with glucosamine and chondroitin will help the integrity of all Percy’s tissues and prevent further degradation. The rosehips loaded with Vitamin C are powerful anti-flamatories. Whist the Seagreens will add trace vitamins and minerals for bone health.

Percy is now on day three and the glucosamine, which is a fine powder, is simply mixed into his everyday food and Percy doesn’t mind it at all.

Super Seniors Glucosamine can help with general to more chronic joint and bone issues like arthritis or hip dysplasia.

We’ll check in on Percy over the next few weeks to see how he’s getting on.

This post isn’t really about the fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A.A.Milne, Winnie the Pooh.

We’re going to talk about the other stuff (we didn’t think a picture of that was quite necessary). However dog (and cat) poo is a serious topic, as you can tell a lot about the health of your pet by the state of their poo.

Normal doggy “business” should be medium brown, firm and leave very little on the grass or ground. If you’re used to picking up sloppy ones, this might be a sign that your dog is under the weather or is simply not getting the right nutrition.

The same goes if your dog’s stool is solid with no texture, possibly causing some discomfort too.

Dogs and cats get a lot of their moisture from food, you may have a cat that doesn’t drink much at all – this is why wet food is always better than dry. Raw food is better still as the bowel can soak up the high water content and nutrients. 

Choose a good quality pet food with no fillers and cereals (these foods can aggravate the bowel) or you won’t regret switching to a raw food diet like Natural Instinct. And for that all important healthy bacteria for gut immunity add a natural food supplement with probiotic.

Our Wickedly Raw Superfoods supplement means your pet will be absorbing essential vitamins and minerals, the wholefoods help with natural expulsion and the probiotic in particular is for a healthy gut, sorting out flatulance, diarrhea, constipation and food intolerances.

A healthier, happier pet and for the pet owner, less mess, less smell and all round less poo.

Simple pleasures!

As much as we adore our feline friends they can be fussy eaters!

But apparently not these two gorgeous siblings, Shanti & Nula. Their owner Serena White Smile from Ashford, rescued them four years ago however they came with a few health issues. Shanti (the one with longer fur), was always itching and had dry skin around her eyes and Nula had wind that would clear the room and that’s saying a lot for a tiny cat!

Serena decided to give our Wickedly Raw Superfoods for cats a try- in fact Serena was one our our very first customers so we’re very grateful for that. The good news is that both cats liked the taste of the natural food supplement (loaded with cranberries, flaxseed, bilberry and prebiotic), and better still Shanti’s eyes cleared up and Nula is no longer bloated - so no more embarassing smells!! 

Serena sent us this picture and said that their coats used to be very matted and now they are super silky.

She said:

All my friends comment when they stroke the cats that they feel like pure silk.

She added,

This is a good sign for me as I know their internal health is good too!

We couldn’t be prouder!

We’ve whipped up this nutritious and easy recipe which uses all that left over turkey!

Make our simple and yummy left over turkey dog biscuits and keep doggy tails wagging all the way through to 2013 (keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks).

You need:

125 g Spelt flout (organic preferred)

2 free range eggs

100g Millet or Quinoi flakes (organic preferred)

100g Left over cooked turkey

100g Fresh or frozen cranberries

2tbs Sunflower or Olive Oil

Biscuit cutters

The Method:

Preheat oven 180C.

Mix the flour and the flakes and add in the turkey. Beat the eggs and add eggs and oil to the dry mix to make a dough. You may require a bit of water or some more flour to make the right consistency.

Lightly dust work surface with flour and roll out dough mixture to about 5mm thick. Use a cutter, to make biscuit shapes – should make about 30 biscuits.

Place on baking tray and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Et vola!!

No more turkey sandwiches, pies and stir fries until Easter for us, healthy and tasty treats for your pooch!!

Send your pictures to our Facebook dindinspets or Tweet @dindinspets.

Let us know if your dog likes them too – THE BEST PIC WILL WIN A DIN DINS PRODUCT.

Merry Christmas!!

Another box of Celebrations has just been scoffed in our office!

And like every year it can only end in tears, that all too familiar seasonal spread.

Oh well, we can always renew our gym membership in the New Year!

It’s really not so easy to resist all those Christmas goodies. What should be easier however, is to keep an eye on what your cat and dog are eating. It’s so important they’re not being fed too many extra tit bits and treats over Christmas.

The truth is our pets are getting fatter, shockingly between 60-80% of cats and dogs in the UK are in the danger zone.

Obesity is not always from overfeeding however, it’s often caused by poor foods that are laced with sugars, EU approved colourings and preservatives. The high sugar content in some pet foods can cause blood sugar irregularities and make pets hungry, begging for more.

So keep your pet trim by choosing food with high quality meat and bone content, and ideally in a form that is highly digestible, such as raw foods.

We all want to treat our pets at Christmas, but don’t overfeed them with left over Christmas dinner. Give them something healthy and tasty, for instance raw carrots and apples are great low calorie treats for dogs.

 Healthy doggy treat stocking www.bettymiller.com

There are also lots of seasonal healthy pet treats to buy too, that won’t ruin your pets waistline. Some of our favourites are Betty Miller, Pet Munchies and Kiwi Treats.

Or what’s better then baking your own! Next time a special recipe for Din Dins Christmas homemade treats.