My dog Lottie loves raw frozen marrow bones.  And I love how healthy they are for her!  These bones clean your dog’s teeth in addition to providing them with a nice oral workout – not to mention a healthy dose of natural calcium.

It takes Lottie about 3 or 4 hours to scrape all the marrow out of one of these frozen bones – she’s working on a Nature’s Variety raw beef bone in these photos.   Lottie stays quietly in one place, completely entertained, allowing my husband and I to enjoy a few uninterrupted hours when we have dinner guests or just want to watch some TV.  On Sundays, a raw frozen bone is the perfect dog occupier while we watch the Bears game! 

Plaque and tartar can build up on a dog’s teeth offsetting the balance of good bacteria in the mouth which leaves way for infection and disease to spread. Whether you brush your dog’s teeth or let them chew on raw bones, what’s important is removing that plaque and tartar regularly.   Proper tooth and gum health also prevents bad breath!   When given raw bones, dogs will scrape food and tartar from their teeth as their ancestors did in the wild.  The small amounts of meat tissue typically left on raw bones allows for a separate type of chewing, which is natural and necessary for your dog.  This nibbling and pulling action really cleans a dog’s front teeth. 

Raw bones can definitely be a little messy. You will want to keep your dog on a doggy blanket or towel that can be easily washed (see Lottie above on her doggy towel).  They’re obviously great treats outside and also work well in a crate that can be easily washed out. Once the bone has been chewed down, it is actually quite clean.  As with most chews, supervising your dogs while they enjoy a bone is the way to go.

When you’re ready to give your dog a raw frozen bone, give it to them frozen, right out of the freezer.  Dogs love an ice cold bone on a summer day!  Never heat or cook a raw frozen bone prior to serving.  At my house, once the bone is completely clean (about 3 or 4 hours after giving it to Lottie) I throw the bone away.  Especially when I’m giving it to her indoors.  Lottie really has no interest in them once they are hollowed out and clean.  Bravo! brand recommends discarding the cleaned bone after 1 or 2 days stating that these bones are not to be completely consumed. 

Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Bones are made in the USA, and are an excellent source of minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and enzymes. They are also a natural, balanced source of calcium and phosphorus. Feed a raw bone as a natural source of chondroitin for joint health or a natural source of fiber.  If you’re feeding a raw bone for the first time, Nature’s Variety recommends starting with a Raw Beef Bone.

Bravo! offers both a buffalo and a beef marrow and knuckle bones. Bravo! Bones are uncooked, fresh cut, individually wrapped and flash frozen to preserve their natural goodness. Bravo! Bones are made from human grade beef bones and premium grade, ranch raised, grass-fed, buffalo from Montana. The same bones sold fresh in the grocery store for human consumption. 

We recommend raw bones versus cooked or sterilized bones. Cooked bones are more likely to splinter and both cooked bones and white sterilized bones are deprived of beneficial nutrients which raw bones are full of.   

One of our regular, furry customers, Westley, came in to see Edie for his grooming appointment when his mom surprised us with their newest addition to their family… 9 week old baby brother, Elliot.  Welcome to Hungry Hound Elliot!!  What a perfect opportunity to do a double makeover Monday.  At nine weeks, this Malti-Poo only needed a little trim up around the eyes and his very first nail trim.  Elliot was such a good boy!  Westley, a seasoned veteran in the grooming salon, enjoyed his day to get all cleaned up and is one of the most handsome Cava-Poos!  Not to mention a great role model for his baby brother.  We are already looking forward to seeing both of these cuties again! 

Elliot Before…

and Elliot after!

 Westley before…

and  Westley all fresh and cleaned up!

Recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers, Thundershirts are great for dogs that have fears of loud noises such as thunderstorms or fireworks. The Thundershirt uses gentle, constant pressure to calm your dog, effectively aiding anxiety, fearfulness, barking and more. Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using a Thundershirt.

As for WHY Thundershirt’s gentle pressure works to calm a dog, experts such as Dr. Temple Grandin believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years. For example:

• TTouch dog trainers use pressure to address a wide variety of anxieties.
• Veterinarians use pressure to relax cattle when they are administering vaccinations.
• People with autism use pressure to relieve their persistent anxiety.
• Children with certain behavioral problems use pressure shirts and weighted vests to relax and focus.
• Parents use swaddling to calm an inconsolable newborn infant

The Thundershirt can help to relax dogs with separation or travel anxiety and is also a very useful tool for managing excitability or hyperactivity with strangers.  In a training environment Thundershirt’s calming effect helps dogs to focus (or refocus) their energies in a more constructive direction, allowing training to be more effective.

Check out Thundershirt’s website for more information including testimonials and an easy to use on-line training center.

Does your dog need a Thundershirt?   Stop by Hungry Hound anytime and we can fit your dog with the correct size shirt. 

Say hello to Jackie!
Part of the Hungry Hound family since April 2012

My favorite thing about working at Hungry Hound is all the people I get to meet.  I enjoy hearing all the funny stories about how wild and crazy their dogs can be.  I also love the staff and am excited to join a team so willing to help our customers when they have questions or problems regarding their pets.

My husband and I share our home with Dexter (1½ year old Pit Bull/Lab mix), Twilight (1 year old Lab mix), and Baxter (our almost 4 year old cat).  Dexter is such a little monster!  He loves to run around the house, play tug, and give lots of hugs and kisses. When Dexter is not being crazy and playing, he would prefer to just fall asleep on your lap.  Twilight is such a little princess.  She loves to be held and have her belly rubbed.  But don’t fall for her cute face!  Twilight loves to beat up Dexter and Baxter.  Baxter is our ninja kitty.  He loves to do flips in the air and run sideways on the back of our couch.  He also loves to tease Dexter and Twilight by jumping on top of them while they are sleeping… Baxter is the instigator.

When I’m not at Hungry Hound, I love to take the dogs for walks and play fetch with them.  In my free time, I love to sew which is great for Dexter and Twilight since my sewing projects often include dog toys, dog beds, and t-shirt quilts.  I also enjoy going on bicycle rides and spending time with friends and family around our fire pit.

Hungry Hound is proud to carry Orijen and Acana! 

We have chosen  3 Orijen and 3 Acana varieties to add to our already fantastic selection of healthy and nutritious foods.  Starting this week, you will find Orijen Adult, Orijen 6 Fish, and Orijen Senior on our shelves as well as Acana Ranchlands, Acana Wild Prairie, and Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear.  Both Orijen and Acana are made by the Canadian manufacturer Champion Pet Foods, a company proud to stand apart as an independent and authentic pet food maker that does not outsource any part of the manufacturing process.  All Orijen and Acana formulas are produced in Champion’s own award-winning facility using special low temperature processing so more nutrients remain intact. 

GRAIN FREE FORMULAS:

Orijen Adult  contains 80% meat, 20% fruits and vegetables, and Zero Grain. Protein-packed ingredients include free-run chicken and turkey, whole eggs and wild-caught fish that are ‘fit for human consumption’ and delivered FRESH EACH DAY so they’re never frozen and preservative-free.

Orijen Senior contains the same free-run chicken and turkey, whole eggs and wild-caught fish as in Orijen Adult  but addresses the fact that as dogs age, they also become less efficient at metabolizing the very proteins vital to their well being.  With a lower animal protein percentage ( 75% ), this formula is also preservative-free, Carbohydrate-limited and grain-free. 

Orijen 6 Fish is made with Salmon, Herring and Flounder from Vancouver’s cool Pacific Northwest waters, plus wild-caught Whitefish, Walleye and Northern Pike from cold, northern Canadian lakes — all delivered FRESH and Preservative-free.  Carbohydrate-limited and Grain-free!

Acana Ranchlands is a Grain-Free and Carbohydrate limited kibble containing 60% meat and fish, made with 3 red meats: Beef, Bison, and Lamb (all raised free-range) and generous infusions of Omega-3 from wild caught Herring.

Acana Wild Prairie   Each Grain-Free kibble is infused with Omega-3 from fresh fish and contains 60% meat and fish: free-run Chicken, whole eggs (delivered fresh from local farms), Northern Walleye, and wild-caught Lake Whitefish.

LIMITED INGREDIENT FORMULA:

Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear is a Limited Ingredient Formula featuring 50% Duck as a single source of animal protein and low glycemic Alberta Oats as a single source of grain.  Completely FREE of chicken, eggs, dairy, wheat, and corn, this kibble is perfect for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Instead of bringing in the entire lines of both brands, we have carefully selected these 6 fantastic formulas for the Hungry Hound.  We have a great rapport with our customers who often tell us of their pets’ dietary needs and trust our recommendations regarding canine nutrition.  We are excited about the ingredients and think these 6 varieties of Orijen and Acana will bring something unique and fulfilling to our current dry food selection. 

Our knowledgeable staff is always available to answer your questions about any of the foods sold at Hungry Hound.  After all, we are feeding these same foods to our own pets! 

To our Hungry Hound customers:

Amongst several brands that we do not carry, the current dog food recall is affecting: Taste of the Wild (all varieties) and Natural Balance Bison and Sweet Potato. Both are manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.

Diamond Pet Foods, the maker of Taste of the Wild, has expanded their recent recall to include more of their products manufactured in their South Carolina plant.  Hungry Hound has been assured that none of the product we carry came from that plant but if you have purchased Taste of the Wild from Hungry Hound and are uncomfortable feeding it, please return it.  You can read more about this recall here:  http://www.diamondpet.com/information/

Please note:  After careful consideration, I have decided not to carry Taste of the Wild at Hungry Hound any longer.  Diamond Pet Foods has been the source of too many recalls in my opinion. I am much more concerned for your pet’s health and safety than carrying a food because of its low price tag. All of the food on our shelves is selected not only for their healthy ingredients but also for how carefully they are manufactured.  If you are interested in changing foods, please come in to talk to any one of us here.  We are all trained in nutrition and can help you make the right decision for your pet.

Natural Balance has just been notified by Diamond Pet Foods, one of their co-manufacturers, that certain Natural Balance dry food formulas produced in their Gaston, SC facility should be voluntarily recalled.  Although there have been no animal illnesses reported and no Natural Balance products included in the recall have tested positive for Salmonella, they have voluntarily initiated this recall as a precautionary measure.  More about this recall can be found here: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/home/NB_recall.html

If you have purchased Natural Balance Bison and Sweet Potato from Hungry Hound, and are uncomfortable feeding this product to your pets, please bring it back for a refund or exchange.   Once again, these products were produced in their South Carolina plant and I have been assured that the Hungry Hound has not received any product produced from this plant.  

We will keep all of you informed with any news as soon as we receive it, on Facebook and here on our website. 

Sincerely,

Shelley Becker

Hungry Hound

Have you always wanted to get your pet micro-chipped but haven’t had the time to make the trip to the vet?  Well, wait no longer!  

Come to the Hungry Hound on Saturday, May 12th from 12 Noon – 3 PM and get your pet micro-chipped by the South Suburban Humane Society for only $20!  

No appointment is necessary.  It takes approx. 5-10 minutes and will give you the peace of mind that if your pet is ever lost, someone will be able to bring them home.

We want you to walk with us again!! Join Team Hungry Hound and walk for the pets waiting for their forever homes at the Humane Society Calumet Area.

Register to join our team and walk with us on Saturday, June 16th starting at 8am at Wicker Park in Highland. You and your dog will receive Hungry Hound team attire AND will be eligible for prizes based on the amount of pledges raised. Registration envelopes can be picked up at Hungry Hound thru Saturday, June 1st. See a sales associate for more details.

Hungry Hound is sponsoring their own walker’s prizes. Raise the following dollar amounts and receive:

$25 – free goodie bag

$75 – free nail trim

$150 – free blueberry facial

$250 – gourmet cookie collection

$500 – an Ultimate Spa Day at Hungry Hound!

**no substitutions on prizes, please

Pick up your envelopes today and start raising money for the animals in need!

Want to donate online? Here’s the link… Hungry Hound’s donation page for Paws in the Park

100% of pledges and donations will go to HSCA. Paws in the Park is an HSCA event, Hungry Hound is only supporting it. Hungry Hound is not associated with the HSCA.

Say hello to Debbie!
Part of the Hungry Hound family since March 2008

Just like the rest of the gals, seeing all the sweet dogs that visit us is my favorite thing about working at the Hungry Hound.  They are all angels!

My family and I have three smart and loving Shih Tzus at home.  Emmie, our four-year-old, is so playful and happy all ther time.  Ginger, our 7 year old, had a hard life until she joined my family.  Now she is one happy lady who is very loved. Ruby, my 9 year old grandbaby, is the little one that started our love for Shih Tzus.  She’s the best dog ever and still very playful for her age.  You should see her play with her duckie! 

Obviously I love to groom Shih Tzus.  The majority of my furry clients are small to medium sized breeds that require frequent grooming as well as some care at home in between grooming appointments.  Making sure that the dogs have a stress-free, positive grooming experience is very important to me.  As a groomer, I advise all of my customers to brush and keep their dogs as mat-free as possible so their pets can have the pleasant experience they all deserve when they come in for their grooms. 

When I’m not pampering your dogs and making them beautiful, I love to fish and enjoy being outdoors.  I also love to go antiquing and to flea markets.  

Pick up a box of Sojos Good Dog treats now and get them for 20% off!  Available in four different flavors – all are Wheat and Corn FREE.  Look for them on the front counter.  On sale thru May 12th or while quantities last.