Your pet might suffer from Travel, separation anxiety, a new pet or baby in the home, maybe they are newly adopted, etc. Here are some calming options we sell at Firehouse:

• Our best seller for pets with anxiety is CBD. Our best selling brand is Healthy Roots Hemp Full spectrum Oils. All of our CBD, regardless of brand, are free of THC (or under .03%) so they are pet safe. We sell Healthy Roots, Pawse, Austin & Kat, Green Element, Pet Releaf and more.
• Calming supplements with Melatonin or other ingredients like Chamomile and L-Theanine are also popular, such as NaturVet Quiet Moments, Nootie Progility Calming, Homeo Pet, Earth Animal Calmness, and Heavenly Hound.
• Thundershirts and pheromones can also help calm pets. We sell Thundershirts and Feliway Pheromone diffusers, sprays or collars for dogs and cats.

We carry several options for pets with joint pain. Here are a few types and why you might use them:

• CBD: Great for inflammation and pain relief. This is THC free so pet safe. Its important you verify any CBD you give your pet is THC free (or less then .03%) Available in treat form or tinctures.
• Glucosamine: Aids in the renewal and restoration of cartilage in joints. This is generally in conjunction with Chondroitin, MSM and Hyaluronic Acid. Available in treat form, powder, and liquid form. There are also several natural chews that are high in glucosamine like necks and feet.
• Collagen: Main building block for cartilage, reducing joint pain and lowering swelling. Available in powder form, Bone Broth (we sell frozen broth, shelf stable broth, powdered broth mix, or you can make your own), and there are several natural chews that are high in collagen.

We sell several great options for ear infections, and several options for daily maintenance to prevent future infections. Its important to understand why your pet might be getting them to identify and fix the root cause.

Some of our favorites are Zymox, Liquid Health, Nootie, and Skouts Honor but we have several other brands as well.

Environmental allergies are more common than food allergies but both do exist. You can ask your vet to have an allergy (blood) test done, or we sell the Glacier Peak Sensitivities Test. (You mail in a cheek swab) Both will test food and environmental triggers. You can find all of our tests under the wellness menu on our site.

Symptoms can include hair loss, itchy skin, red bumps, yeast, licking, and ear infections.

We also recommend a rotational diet so you can avoid building up an intolerance. This also keeps your pet interested in their food. This refers to rotating brands as well as proteins. You can also add different fresh toppers each day to keep them interested.

If you believe its food related, an elimination diet is one way to try to identify it. They can be a challenge to do with Kibble, but possible with limited ingredient foods like Zignature. Trying out a raw food diet is a great way to do an elimination diet.

If you are local, you can also sign up for a free personal nutrition consult if you wish to come in and talk to someone about your pet. We are certified in Nutrition and have several great options to help you in your journey.

How you deal with allergies can depend on a few things and you will want to treat them differently. There are several questions we ask people to determine the best action. If you are local, we recommend scheduling a free nutritional consult so you can spend some time with a certified nutritionist in finding the best path forward.

A few things to consider are:

• Environmental Allergies: These would typically pop up seasonally. If you notice your pet shows symptoms on and off and seasonally, it might be trees, grass, or other plant allergies. There are several ways to combat seasonal allergies.

1. For immediate relief, you can use anti-fungal and anti bacterial sprays, wipes and shampoos to help relieve symptoms. We sell several options such as Nootie Medicated, Swederma Keto, Concentrated Chlorhexadine, and Duoxo. For our full assortment search our wellness menu under allergy and itch relief.
2. Building your pets immune system is vital and will help them naturally fight allergens. Since their immune systems stems from the gut, adding Pre/Probiotics will help build up their immunity. Some of our favorites are raw goat milk, Flora4, Vital Planet, Total Biotics, and Nootie.
3. There are several Supplements to add to their diet that can help as well. Herbal tinctures such as Earth Animal Allergy and Homeo pet Skin & Itch can help. We also have several treat formats such as Nootie's Aller-Immune. These are formulated for seasonal allergies. Mushrooms can also build the immune system and we offer several mushroom options in both tincture and powders such as Myco Dog, Super Snouts and Austin and Kat.

• Food Allergies: These are typically from proteins or grains and you might be able to tell just from when they started, and if you switched foods. Some things we recommend:

1. Same as above, for immediate relief, use a topical treatment.
2. Same as above, build their immune system as it starts in the gut.
3. Then we recommend either taking an allergy or intolerance test, or trying an elimination diet.

• If you want to try an allergy test, either ask your vet to do a blood test, or you can try the Glacier Peak Sensitivities test under our wellness menu/tests. Once you get the results, schedule a free nutritional consult and we can put together several options for you to try, broken down by food, canned food and treats.
• If you prefer to try an elimination diet first, start with as limited a food as you can find or afford. If you feed kibble, Zignature is a good starting point. Then you can eventually swap in other Zignature proteins. A raw diet is the easiest, but might cost a bit more. But remember its only for the next 8 weeks. Once you determine a starting point, you should stick to it for at least 6-8 weeks. Grab a notebook, and track what ingredients are "good" and which ones cause a flare up. As you start to introduce new foods, this will be important. Try to introduce one new thing at a time and wait 6-8 weeks. If things are still good, then you can introduce one more thing. We recommend first rotating proteins. Once you identify the proteins then you can start changing the starches, etc. This can be difficult with kibble as they have so many ingredients, including synthetic vitamins and minerals, so again, a raw diet really simplifies an elimination diet.

itchy skin can be a few different things, so we generally require more information and specifics to help. But a few things we can recommend are:

• Adding an Omega 3 supplement to the diet. We carry several options. Our favorites are Ultra Oil and Nordic Naturals. Omega 3's are an anti-inflammatory and are great for skin and coat and also joint health. They are also great for reducing shedding!
• Sometimes just changing to a Fish based protein adds additional Omegas to the pets diet.
• Coconut Oil is a great Medium Chain Fatty Acid and can be massaged into the coat.
• If you think it is caused by a fungus or yeast, we recommend using a medicated spray or shampoo with chlorhexidine such as Nootie Medicated, or Swederma Keto.
• It would also be beneficial to reduce the carbs in the diet. Carbs turn to sugar and sugar feeds the yeast. So low carb diets such as raw, or some gently cooked, freeze dried, air-dried, all are good choices. For Kibble, look at options such as Square Pets PowerHound or Powercat, or Farmina Prime or Pumpkin. See the FAQ on determining Carb percent if you need help.

If you need to find a food, look under our food menu and select the filter "shop by health condition" and select Skin & Coat.

Moisture is key! A raw, gently cooked, or canned diet is your best option. Kibble lacks the necessary moisture for optimal health. If your pet already suffers from urinary issues, we have some foods with the proper magnesium levels for urinary health.

We also have several supplements you can add to improve and maintain your pets urinary health. We have tinctures, treats, and powders, so several options for the pickiest pets and busiest schedules. Some of our favorites are Herbsmith, Nootie, Earth Animal, Homeopet, and Pet Naturals of Vermont.

If you need to find a food, look under our food menu and select the filter "shop by health condition" and select kidney & urinary. For supplements, look under wellness then Urinary & Kidney.

Moisture is so important for the kidneys. We recommend a wet, or fresh diet for any pet with kidney issues. Lower protein and phosphorous levels are also important, so we recommend a diet formulated for Kidney health. We have several brands with special formulas, such as Raised Right, My Perfect Pet, Square Pet, Now Fresh, Weruva Wx, N&D, Evangers Ex, Rawz, and TikiCat.

If you need to find a food, look under our food menu and select the filter "shop by health condition" and select kidney & urinary.

We sell several great food options for pets with sensitive stomachs, pancreatitis, IBD/IBS, or other ailments. Several are very low in fat (great for pancreatitis) and we a have options with hydrolyzed proteins as well, great for food sensitivities and intestinal issues where dogs have a hard time breaking down the proteins. Several are comparable to a standard prescription diet (only better ingredients) without a prescription, and often at a lower price.

Some of our favorites are Fromm, Square Pet and N&D.

If you need to find a food, look under our food menu and select the filter "shop by health condition" and select Digestive.

For Supplements, we recommend a good pre/probiotic such as raw goat milk. If you are looking for something less perishable, then we love vital planet, nootie, NCW Naturals, Inclover Optagest, Flora4, and Naturvet. We have options in treat form, powder form, or liquid form.

For soft stool, adding a fiber source like Nummy Tum Tum Pumpkin or Sweet potato can help. We love Diggin's Firm up and Pumpkin Latte, Weruvas Pumpkin Patch, or Dr Martys and OC Raws Pumpkin. Sometimes this is enough to bulk up soft stool. If adding fiber isn't enough, then you need something extra like we mentioned above.

If your pet suffers from leaky gut, the collagen in bone broth can help.

If you need to test your pet, we offer several tests from innovative that can help you identlfy what the cause is and help you taget the right area. Look under our Wellness menu/tests.

There are several things to consider in regards to your pets weight.

• Are you feeding the recommended amount per the food you are feeding? All pet food ranges widely in calories and fat and the feeding guidelines need to match. Be sure you are feeding the amount recommended on your current food bag and measuring correctly. Feed to the weight they should be, not the weight they are.
• Who is feeding them? Are they maybe feeding more then they should be? Ask and reiterate measuring.
• Are you feeding treats? Is anyone in the family? Treats can add a lot of calories and fat so be diligent about what kind of treats they get and how often. Fresh treats like blueberries, carrots, broccoli, are great options. Just be sure everyone in the house knows which fresh treats are toxic- like grapes, chocolate and onions.
• Are you adding toppers? Fresh toppers are great, and we recommend using them, but you might need to cut back the food a bit to offset the added calories. Try to keep toppers at 10% of their diet.
• What are you currently feeding? If you are on a weight management food, following all these points, and it isn't helping you achieve your pets goal weight then your pet might do better on a high protein, low carb diet such as raw, or a low carb kibble such as Square Pets Power Hound.

If you need to find a food, look under our food menu and select the filter "shop by health condition" and select weight control.

There are so many wonderful benefits to feeding raw. Here are some:

• Improved Digestion (no fillers, just the good stuff in a whole food diet)
• Improved breath and dental health (it contains live enzymes and not all the starches that cause plaque)
• Healthier Weight and Balanced Energy Levels (low carb diet since it doesn't require starches and not all the fillers)
• Reduced Stool Quantity/Smell (Less to pick up as their bodies are utilizing all the nutrients) and no gas
• No Body Odor
• Silky and Shiny Coat

Feeding Raw is safe to feed your pets as their stomach PH is made to burn through any possible pathogens (just like their wild ancestors). The commercial raw food we sell is designed to be fed raw- so extra care is considered, unlike raw meat in the grocery store, which is intented to be cooked, where there are no extra kill steps to eliminate bacteria.

Any possibility of bacteria left after processing is more of a concern for the pet parents/children in the household so we recommend handling it just as you would any other raw meat you prepare (cleaning counters/utensils).

DCM stands for Dilated Cardiomyopathy and is a common heart disease in dogs. It is historically an inherited disease and prone to be more prevalent in certain breeds. In 2018 some veterinarians asserted that grain free diets were to blame. They got the FDA involved who then published a report. The report stated they had no evidence and did not recommend a diet change. After several years of testing by several universities, they have published studies and have been unable to link feeding grain free foods to an increased instance of DCM.

If you are concerned about feeding a grain-free diet, there are several other options out there. We have always recommended rotational feeding between brands, and proteins. We also recommend feeding as much fresh, unprocessed food as possible.

Most people are not familiar with TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine and the different food energies. TCM believes that each animal protein or plant based ingredient has an energy that can interact with your pets natural energy.

Imbalances can cause itchiness, food sensitivities, skin irritation and even excessive panting. Feeding the right proteins for your pets energy (Hot, Cold, Warm or Neutral) might help balance and resolve symptoms.

If your pet runs cool, always trying to snuggle up or have arthritis, they may do better on warm or hot proteins.

If they run hot and are always looking for a place to cool down, they may do better on cooling proteins. The goal is to be neutral.

Cool proteins: Rabbit, Duck, Pollock

Neutral proteins: Beef, Pork, Salmon

Warming proteins: Chicken, Turkey

Hot proteins: Venison, Lamb