Osteoarthritis is the most common source of chronic pain in dogs, and arthritis and joint paint are unfortunately exceedingly common in senior dogs. It can be extremely difficult to watch our beloved canine companions slow down and start experiencing pain or discomfort. Fortunately, there are things we can do right at home to help soothe their aching joints. The following methods of natural treatment are completely safe and effective to do yourself right at home!

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You are what you eat! What you put into your body is what your body can use to either deteriorate, survive, or absolutely THRIVE! The body needs fuel to continue to exist, and that fuel is our food. What we eat, paired with physical activity, determines how healthy we are.

The exact same principal goes for every living creature on Planet Earth, including our beloved dogs! We love our four-legged family members dearly, and we want them to live as long as possible. We also want them to be free of disease and illness, and thriving with vibrancy and vigor. To achieve this, we need only look to what we are feeding our dogs.

Research provides an important role in helping us determine which food has the greatest health benefits, and which are nutritional powerhouses. From that research, I have compiled a list of what is known across the world to be excellent superfoods for our dogs!

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Parsley is not just an aromatic garnish to be ignored on the side of your plate! This flavorful herb is packed full of nutrition, antioxidants, chlorophyll and disease fighting oils. It is very easy to add to your dog's diet, and inexpensive too! Dogs like to eat grass - it is a well known fact! There is a reason why dogs like to munch on chlorophyll rich greens. Their basic instinct tells them it is good for them, especially for digestive issues!

Grass can be pull of chemical residue and pesticides, so it isn't the ideal source of greens for our dogs. Parsley, however, is a fantastic option!

Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse, containing Vitamins K, C, A, B3 and B1. It also is rich in folate, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and zinc! It is a highly nutritious green super food that is totally safe for dogs.

It also contains highly beneficial chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is known to support a healthy immune system, support healthy red blood cell production, help detox the body (especially from heavy metals), and help fight infection. Most importantly, chlorophyll can help soothe and heal the gut. This is primarily why dogs munch on grass and greens outside when they don't feel well.

Studies have shown that chlorophyll has anti-cancer properties, can help detoxify carcinogens and help reduce DNA damage.

Parsley also contains antioxidants which help prevent or slow damage within the body caused by free radicals!

Parsley is best fed fresh, but you can also feed it dried. Simply add it to your dog's bowl, either chopped up or whole, however your dog prefers it.

One teaspoon per 30lbs of weight is ideal for the majority of dogs - if your dog is picky you can blend the parsley with water and mix into their food OR water bowl.

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Fasting is the art of restricting food during an extended period of time in pursuit of optimal health and longevity. It may sound wrong, especially since the majority of pet owners are instructed by pet food companies to feed their dog two or three times a day, but it is actually healthy and natural for the majority of species on Earth.

Carnivores and omnivores across the planet do not normally eat two or three meals a day. They eat once a day, or once every two days, after they've hunted or scavenged for food. It is also not unusual for animals to hunt for days before they get a good meal. During this period of fasting, animals are either resting (healing the body and regenerating healthy cells) or actively hunting (burning calories, exercising the heart and muscles, stimulating the cells of the body).  These natural processes are written into the evolutionary code of many animals. Fasting is a way of life for the majority of mammals.

When an animal fasts, the body doesn't need to expend most of its energy converting food to energy through digestion. The body can then divert its focus towards healing and cell repair. This is exactly why veterinarians recommend fasting your dog for 24 hours when they have digestive upset. Fasting gives the body a chance to calm down and heal.

Please remember that fasting is NOT starvation. When you are fasting your dog, or if your dog tries to self fast by showing no interest in eating, you will make sure they get their daily caloric requirements met when fed their next meal.

A half day fast involves skipping breakfast. So your dog eats dinner the night before, skips breakfast the next morning, and then breaks the fast with dinner. Dinner that night should be a combination of breakfast and dinner in terms of the amount of food daily calorie requirement.

With intermittent fasting, your dog should go 18 hours without eating. It is easiest to have a large portion of their fasting hours occur overnight. You can also feed your dog twice a day as long as they first go the 18 hours of fasting, then break up the meals between the window of time after the 18 hour fast, and before they fast overnight again.

At this point in research and experience in the dog health community, dogs can see plenty of benefits from intermittent fasting once or twice a week.

Veterinarians and dog nutritionists do not recommend fasting puppies, because puppies need the appropriate amount of calories and nutrients through out the day for proper growth and development. A newborn or young animal needs plenty of calories coming in during the day.

Adults and healthy senior dogs are those that benefit from intermittent fasting, but elderly dogs that are experiencing severe decline in their health should not be fasted without approval and close monitoring by your veterinarian.

There are also several disease and conditions that can be aggravated or worsened by fasting (such as diabetes or  morbid obesity), so it is extremely important to involve your Veterinarian in your fasting plans so that they can help you determine if your dog is healthy enough for to be successful with it.

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There is nothing more rewarding than providing your four-legged family members with real, fresh, wholesome food! The benefits are outstanding. From better physical health, to improved resistance to disease and illness, and most importantly... a longer life!

Much like with people, dogs are healthiest when they are fed a wholesome diet with lots of variety. Fresh meat, raw edible bones, nutrient-rich vegetables and antioxidant packed fruit - that is the key to a diet on which they can thrive. There is a huge difference between surviving and truly thriving - only one of those things leads to a long, vibrant life!

For those who are unwilling or unable to feed their dogs a balanced and biologically appropriate raw food diet, there is still a lot you can do to improve your dog's health through food! The old adage about food being medicine is absolutely true!

Adding fresh food to your dog's diet is easier, and CHEAPER than you think! There are a wide variety of different foods you can add, and rotate for variety. The added benefits are worth the effort - you can extend your dog's lifespan just by providing him or her with nutrient dense, whole food.

From essential amino acids to antioxidants, there are plenty of options for any dog parent looking to boost their beloved canine companion's health and help them live a long and healthy life!

Here is a list of healthy foods you can add to your dog's food bowl immediately!

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 Omega Fatty Acids are a powerful component of true, vibrant health in all living creatures. There are so many incredible benefits your dog can derive from an omega fatty acid supplement that every pet nutrition professional recommends it enthusiastically!

Krill oil is an excellent alternative to fish, plant or seed sources of omega fatty acids. This is ideal for dogs that have a white fish allergy, but no shellfish allergy.

Krill oil contains high levels of a highly beneficial carotenoid called Astaxanthin, which is a powerful antioxidant. The Astaxanthin is responsible for the incredible red pigment in krill oil! It is such an amazing supplement that it is even able to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver its benefits where it counts the most.

Astaxanthin plays an important role in keeping the body's cells healthy, while helping support good immune system function. This powerful antioxidant is difficult to find in therapeutic amounts in foods, but it is abundant in krill oil.

This deeply pigmented super antioxidant helps the body fight free radicals, while protecting against harmful oxidation. It will help protect your dog's organs, it will help protect against oxidative stress in the body, and it will also help protect the brain and eyes!

This is a powerful tool you can utilize to help your dog achieve optimum health through all life stages!

Dogs LOVE to chew - some more than others. Chewing can sometimes become a destructive habit for dogs if they are not given appropriate exercise to burn off excess energy. Dogs with destructive chewing habits often have issues with separation anxiety, general anxiety, or lack of exercise. Some dogs chew because they are bored, and some dogs chew to relieve anxiety or stress. Whatever the cause, chewing on something like a raw meaty bone is like therapy for dogs!

Chewing on raw bones is an instinctual act that provides a tremendous amount of mental stimulation, and exercise for your dog's head, neck and jaw muscles. Chewing is a therapeutic, stress relieving activity you can provide your dog with.

It is important to make sure you provide the right size of bone, the right type of bone, and supervise your dog while they chew to make sure they do not develop bad chewing habits.

Dogs that try to eat the bone, bite it in half, bite off chunks, or swallow the bone should be supervised closely every single time and given softer bones. Be sure to provide big enough bones to prevent breaking and swallowing large chunks.

Bones should always be completely raw, NEVER cooked. Cooking changes the structure of bone, making it harder and prone to splintering and breaking off in sharp shards. Raw bones are safe, COOKED BONES ARE DANGEROUS!

Dogs should chew, grind away at, and shave small pieces off with their molars and eat away at the surface. The majority of recreational chewing bones are not meant to be 100% consumed. You can view a video of my dog Hunter below to see ideal chewing behavior with a raw meaty bone.

Ideal recreational chewing bones for large to giant breeds of dogs include (from large animals like cows, elk, venison, etc) knuckle bones, neck bones, rib bones, and marrow bones, femur bones.

For small dogs, you can feed things like beef knee cap bones, rib bones, turkey necks, turkey legs, lamb femurs and more.

Recreational bones are different from raw meaty bones in a raw food diet because recreational bones aren't meant to be completely consumed by your dog. Both bones are perfectly fine to provide for chewing, just be sure to make sure they are safely chewing the recreational bones they aren't meant to completely consume.

Kelp are large brown algae that live in cooler waters close to the shore. They grow in dense groups that look a lot like underwater forests. These towers of kelp provide food and shelter for thousands of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammal species.

Kelp is absolutely LOADED with nutrients, which is exactly why it is a superfood for our dogs. Kelp contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E, as well as minerals including zinc, iodine, magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and calcium.

This nutrient dense food is a highly beneficial addition to any diet - whether you feed raw, homemade, or kibble. Aside from providing a major nutritional boost, kelp also has several significant benefits when included in your dog's diet.

Kelp is a relatively inexpensive supplement, and very easy to add to your dog's food. It is very rare for dogs to turn their nose up at it, because it has a subtle taste and is low odor in the food.  With so many benefits to feeding kelp, I highly recommend adding it to your dog's diet as soon as possible!

Dogs are amazing. They are selfless, and they are so devoted to their beloved families. This well known fact was once again proven when a young pit bull literally saved her family from a devastating fire in their Stockton apartment complex!

A courageous dog named Sasha alerted her family, a mother and her baby daughter, to a fire rapidly spreading through their California apartment home. It was the incredible pit bull pup that physically pulled baby Masailah to safety!

7-month old baby Masailah was put to sleep by her mother Nana Chai, who then began getting ready for bed herself. Chai heard Sasha scratching and sounding absolutely frantic near the back of their home.

Trying to figure out what was going on, Chai looked outside to see thick, black smoke rising ominously from a neighboring apartment. Chai's maternal instincts were watered down by the sheer shock of the moment, unable to believe that what she was seeing was real!

The family's beloved 8-month old dog then raced upstairs towards baby Masailah's bedroom, with her frantic mother trailing behind their furry best friend, to rescue their baby girl from the impending danger.

Chai shared that her courageous puppy grabbed the bottom part of Masailah's diaper and began trying to pull her to safety. It was then that the mother grabbed both her baby daughter and Sasha the dog, and raced them outside. Once both dog and baby were safely away from the danger, Chai quickly called 911 then tried alerting her neighbors to the fire.

Before she could react, Sasha ran BACK INSIDE to confront danger once again in the name of heroism! Chai explained that she believes Sasha went searching for her other two children.

Firefighters arrived quite quickly to battle with the growing fire, fighting to extinguish it despite the fire raging out of control within the complex. Chai pleaded with the firefighters to find her dog, but Sasha was no where to be found.

When the fire was finally extinguished, Chai ran back into their home to find her beloved hero dog. She began to cry when she found Sasha hiding in their kid's favorite hide and seek hiding spot - a place they loved to hide out in. Chai hugged her beloved Sasha, kissing her beautiful face, so grateful Sasha was okay!

Unfortunately their apartment was heavily damaged, and they would be unable to return their for at least a year. On top of that, Sasha's littermate HP went missing. The family is still hoping someone will return him!

At the end of the day, the family is extremely grateful to their beautiful pit bull Sasha for saving them and protecting their precious baby Masailah.

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Source: Inside Edition

Mike Cantu and his amazing service dog Toli are not only best friends, they are an amazing team! These two are inseparable. Toli stays dutifully by his owner’s side. Service Dog Toli helps him with tasks around their home, and accompanies Mike wherever he goes. Toli provides life improving assistance that gives Mike more independence!

The impact Toli has on Mike’s life is incredible, and because of that Mike wanted to make Toli’s birthday extra special. Nothing says “thank you, my friend” quite like a brand new toy! Toli has a specific preference for the toys that he loves, so Mike decided to let him pick out his own birthday present!

When they arrived at the pet store, Mike let Toli browse the aisles until he found the perfect toy. A soft, fluffy rabbit toy they later named “Chungus”. Cantu revealed that Toli likes to bring Chungus everywhere he can!

This beautiful occasion was recorded on camera, and quickly went viral on reddit! Everyone loved watching this very special Service Dog’s cherished birthday moment!

Service Dogs are important, hard working animals that provide a vital service to their disabled handlers. Please remember to give a service dog team space when you see them in public. Distracting a service dog by touching, talking, or staring at the dog can impact their job – so let’s respect hard working service animals by admiring them quietly from a distance!

Toli is such an amazing service dog, he absolutely deserves his special birthday treat. If you want to see Toli’s awesome shopping spree, you can check out their video below!

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Source: Mike Cantu