Today on Take Paws we'll check out  the importance of feeding your pet  a healthy diet.  2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,310 You'll get some great tips for strolling around  the neighborhood with your canine companion.  3 00:00:13,940 --> 00:00:18,790 We'll connect with an innovative device designed to help with overly enthusiastic walkers  4 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,390 and we'll drop in on the Happy Paws Pet Expo.   5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,590 So stick with us and perhaps you'll decide  to take pause.  6 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,460 Welcome to Take Paws, I'm Mike Moscatello.  When choosing a type of food for your pet,  7 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:12,170 it's important consider size, age, and a number of other factors.  8 00:01:12,180 --> 00:01:16,270 So, how do you choose a food  that's right for your pet? How much and   9 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,810 how often should you feed them  and what about between meal snacks?   10 00:01:20,820 --> 00:01:21,180 The answers, well...  11 00:01:22,060 --> 00:01:23,140 they're right under your nose.  12 00:01:33,410 --> 00:01:38,130 My name is Dr. Sam Strauss and I'm a veterinarian at Weston Road Animal Hospital.  13 00:01:38,140 --> 00:01:42,650 Like to talk to you today about nutrition  in dogs and cats.   14 00:01:43,940 --> 00:01:45,920 Let's talk about dogs first.  15 00:01:47,070 --> 00:01:52,040 As anybody who has wandered up and down the aisles at pet stores have seen  16 00:01:52,050 --> 00:01:55,980 there are literally hundreds of choices  17 00:01:55,990 --> 00:01:57,200 in dog foods.   18 00:01:58,140 --> 00:02:02,810 The first choice you have to make is going to be based on the size of your dog.  19 00:02:02,820 --> 00:02:07,360 There are now bred-specific diets  that are meant for small,  20 00:02:07,370 --> 00:02:09,150 medium, and large dogs.  21 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:15,160 You should pick one that is based on the future adult size of your dog.  22 00:02:16,150 --> 00:02:20,270 Puppies, adults and older dogs  all have different nutritional needs.   23 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:28,160 So, in looking for dog food one should  select a diet that is based on the age  of your dog as well.  24 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:36,280 Dry foods in general are less expensive less smelly and have advantages in terms of  25 00:02:36,290 --> 00:02:40,310 providing some dental care  as dental disease can be one of   26 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,820 the most common problems in dogs later in life.  27 00:02:45,230 --> 00:02:49,960 The decision on the protein source  be it meats verses grains  28 00:02:49,970 --> 00:02:54,270 is an individual one and you should be a label reader.  29 00:02:55,190 --> 00:02:57,040 What's more important is how you feed your dog.  30 00:03:00,580 --> 00:03:04,880 Dogs should always be fed meals. Small breed dogs,  31 00:03:04,890 --> 00:03:11,400 especially in their first year of life should be fed at least 3 small meals a day.  32 00:03:12,570 --> 00:03:16,620 For adults, twice a day feeding is recommended for all dogs  33 00:03:16,630 --> 00:03:19,630 but especially large breeds dogs.  34 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:24,910 Many small dogs can do very well  while they're fed only once a day.  35 00:03:26,410 --> 00:03:34,350 It is important to measure your dog's intake  and a measuring cup is probably just as important  36 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,300 as the bag of dog food  that you should choose to select.  37 00:03:38,420 --> 00:03:43,220 Follow the guidelines on the product that you choose, but remember  38 00:03:43,230 --> 00:03:47,530 it's not important how much they're eating  but how much weight they're gaining.  39 00:03:47,530 --> 00:03:51,620 Look at your puppy, look at your dogs,  40 00:03:51,630 --> 00:03:56,880 if you see that pinch an inch of fat  you may want to reduce intake somewhat.  41 00:03:57,930 --> 00:04:02,030 Also, if you can see your dogs ribs  they're usually too thin  42 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,280 and an increase in the amount of food  would be highly recommend.  43 00:04:08,100 --> 00:04:12,360 Let's talk a little about feeding cats.  There's a lot of new information about  44 00:04:12,370 --> 00:04:15,670 feeding cats. It is not available to the general public.  45 00:04:18,570 --> 00:04:26,030 For example, most veterinarians and pet food stores advocate the use of dry cat food.   46 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,260 New information suggests that  dry cat foods which are very high  47 00:04:31,270 --> 00:04:38,030 in carbohydrates may be responsible for great increases in weight gain.  48 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:44,050 After all, cats don't eat carbohydrates  or sugars in the wild.  49 00:04:44,060 --> 00:04:48,850 There's not many carbohydrates in mice and birds that they would ordinarily eat.  50 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:54,950 At our office, we currently recommend the use of can cat foods.   51 00:04:54,960 --> 00:05:02,210 Many of these are lower carbohydrates and we also provide portion control.  52 00:05:03,190 --> 00:05:11,330 These advantages outweigh any disadvantages  that we may have in terms of  prevention of dental disease.  53 00:05:12,210 --> 00:05:16,280 Please contact your veterinarian  and speak with them about   54 00:05:16,290 --> 00:05:20,770 what carbohydrate content specific diets have  is sometimes difficult  55 00:05:20,780 --> 00:05:25,260 to tell just by reading the dog food  or cat food label.  56 00:05:25,270 --> 00:05:28,780 They're usually expressed in  minimums and maximums.  57 00:05:30,290 --> 00:05:34,480 Let's talk about treats.  Treats are just that.  58 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:37,990 They are the dog and cat equivalent of desert for us and should make up no more than 5 to 10%   59 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,580 of your pet's oral intake.  60 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,270 Many people love to feed our pets  from the table. When we see them  61 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:53,720 interested in our food, we want to please them.  62 00:05:54,300 --> 00:05:59,360 I would urge you as a veterinarian, never feed your dog directly from the table  63 00:06:03,550 --> 00:06:06,880 as long as your pet is around.  64 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:12,290 I'm not going to say that you should not feed any people food to  65 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:16,640 your pets because I do and virtually everyone I know does as well.   66 00:06:18,630 --> 00:06:25,040 The key is to remember that when we give a snack to us  67 00:06:25,110 --> 00:06:29,390 and when we give a snack to  a 10 or 15 pound dog  68 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:34,530 what is a snack to us is actually a full meal to them.  69 00:06:37,070 --> 00:06:41,310 There's an awful lot to learn about nutrition,  especially in dogs and cats.  70 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,280 Your veterinarian should be  71 00:06:44,290 --> 00:06:48,330 appropriately trained to give you  nutritional advice as well as  72 00:06:48,340 --> 00:06:51,140 any medical or behavioral advice as well.  73 00:06:53,530 --> 00:06:54,710 When in doubt contact your veterinarian.  74 00:06:57,260 --> 00:07:01,400 All of us have extensive education  and proper nutrition in dogs and cats   75 00:07:01,410 --> 00:07:05,620 and can point you in the right direction to make sure that your pet will not have  76 00:07:05,630 --> 00:07:09,150 any nutritionally related illnesses.  77 00:07:17,430 --> 00:07:20,710 If you're going to take your pet outdoors  for some fun and exploring,   78 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,090 an exceptional number of municipalities have leash laws that require pet  79 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:28,520 owners to keep their pets restrained. This is for the safety of other people  80 00:07:28,530 --> 00:07:32,850 and it's for the safety of your pet too. Most animals don't automatically know  81 00:07:32,860 --> 00:07:35,040 how to walk on a leash. It takes training  82 00:07:35,050 --> 00:07:41,240 and sometimes takes a little baggies to clean up any presents left behind  by your pet.  83 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:06,230 It's really important to walk your pet, it's great exercise for you and  84 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,690 great exercise for your dog.  It's a good cardiovascular workout.   85 00:08:08,690 --> 00:08:12,790 You're going want to make sure  that you talk to your vet  86 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,590 about the amount of exercise that your dog needs.  87 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:20,670 Not only does it give your dog exercise, but it also gives him mental stimulation.  88 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,540 There are all kinds of smells and sounds and different socialization aspects  89 00:08:25,550 --> 00:08:29,930 to walking your dog that make it so mentally stimulating  90 00:08:29,940 --> 00:08:34,070 for him. It's not just the exercise. Sometimes my clients find  91 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,330 it challenging to walk their dog on a leash  in a manner that is  92 00:08:38,340 --> 00:08:42,420 fun for the human and fun for the dog. Often the dog wants to pull forward  93 00:08:42,430 --> 00:08:46,440 and the human wants to take a nice leisurely walk. So, somewhere we need to find a nice  94 00:08:46,450 --> 00:08:50,530 balance. When you use a gentle leader like Bently has on  95 00:08:50,540 --> 00:08:54,760 you'll find that it makes it a lot easier  for you to kind of hold  96 00:08:54,770 --> 00:08:58,980 your ground as human so that your dog  is not pulling you down the street.  97 00:08:58,990 --> 00:09:03,160 This is really important when there are other people, cars, traffic and other  98 00:09:03,170 --> 00:09:07,180 dogs around that you keep a dog in control and that your dog is not  99 00:09:07,190 --> 00:09:13,160 necessarily having any contact with  any humans or dogs that are not socialized properly.  100 00:09:14,230 --> 00:09:18,390 Gentle leaders can provide leverage  as I said that you that you might need  101 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,700 to hold your dog from from pulling too hard  there also harnesses that clip  102 00:09:22,710 --> 00:09:26,280 on the front that also work very well and give you some leverage to hold them  103 00:09:26,290 --> 00:09:30,320 back. Um, the whole walk should be  some give and take.   104 00:09:30,330 --> 00:09:33,540 When you're walking on pavement and  through traffic and through other people  you definitely  105 00:09:33,550 --> 00:09:37,390 want your dog under control, but there are plenty of places where your dog is  106 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,580 going want to sniff lawns, sniff trees, sniff fire hydrants  107 00:09:41,590 --> 00:09:46,420 and that's also appropriate and you can do that by practicing at home  108 00:09:46,430 --> 00:09:48,490 on what a loose leash walk should be.  109 00:09:49,620 --> 00:09:52,920 If you find that your dog is getting tired during the walk,  110 00:09:53,810 --> 00:09:57,820 if he's lagging behind you're going want to take him  111 00:09:57,830 --> 00:09:58,680 to some shade.  112 00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:04,130 Signs of heat stroke are grey gums, lethargic behavior.  113 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,180 If that happens, you want to immediately get your dog cooled down and to a veterinarian.  114 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:16,620 Being a good pet investor is important for you and the dog. It teaches responsibility  115 00:10:16,630 --> 00:10:20,660 to kids too.  So, you want to make sure  that you're always prepared with a doggy  116 00:10:20,670 --> 00:10:24,370 bag for cleanups so that if your dog needs to use the bathroom that you're  117 00:10:24,380 --> 00:10:26,650 prepared to clean it up and dispose  of it properly.  118 00:10:28,390 --> 00:10:32,660 Daily walks are great for you and your dog. It's great cardiovascular exercise  119 00:10:32,670 --> 00:10:36,740 and it's great mental stimulation. Talk to you vet about how much exercise   120 00:10:36,750 --> 00:10:40,830 your dog actually does require and make sure the conditions are good and that you're not  121 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,470 walking in extreme heat or extreme weather.  122 00:10:45,180 --> 00:10:48,480 Be prepared on you walk and bring some treats with you, so that you can reward  123 00:10:48,490 --> 00:10:53,150 your dog when he walks well and nicely next to you. You also want to bring some  124 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:57,450 waters for yourself and for your dog so you can be comfortable and cool    125 00:10:57,460 --> 00:11:01,490 and well-hydrated. Walking is a lot of fun  for everybody.   126 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:06,720 It's fun for your dog to get socialization, mental stimulation, and a lot of exercise.  127 00:11:06,730 --> 00:11:10,270 They'll get to meet all kinds of people  in the neighborhood and possibly  some new friends.   128 00:11:35,420 --> 00:11:39,320 Some pets can be a little difficult  to walk on a leash.   129 00:11:39,330 --> 00:11:41,630 Luckily, there is help out there.  130 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,010 Hi, I'm Dr. Horgan. I'm a veterinarian surgeon critical list   131 00:11:50,020 --> 00:11:54,550 and this is my invention here, the Horgan harness. You wonder what the Horgan harness is,  132 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:59,150 it's a - the first back legged dog harness, no pull dog harness.  133 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:03,650 And, the way I came up with it,  essentially was that I noticed a lot of my clients  134 00:12:03,660 --> 00:12:07,830 and the people watching their dogs  were constantly being dragged around.  135 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,500 Looked like the dogs were walking them more than they were walking their dogs.   136 00:12:11,510 --> 00:12:14,850 And I started thinking, I said with all the products out there, why is that still happening.  137 00:12:14,860 --> 00:12:18,480 And I realized that in vetinary school  138 00:12:18,490 --> 00:12:22,650 you learn that 70% of a dogs power actually comes from the back legs  139 00:12:22,660 --> 00:12:26,680 not the front area. So a lot of products out there are focusing  140 00:12:26,690 --> 00:12:30,950 on the muzzle, and the neck, and the head, and the chest  141 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,020 as well as a lot of focus on pressure points to kind of control the  142 00:12:35,030 --> 00:12:39,900 animal by pressure, some harsh, negative reinforcement.  143 00:12:39,910 --> 00:12:43,510 And I started thinking and I realized  well, nothing's really been done with the back legs.  144 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,540 So, I might as well try it. And, I was walking my dog Maddie one day  145 00:12:47,550 --> 00:12:52,200 and she saw a cat and took off  and I almost lost a leash and  146 00:12:52,210 --> 00:12:56,550 I decided right then and there that's it, I'm going to try it and I rigged up some  147 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:00,670 leashes together and I put them around  the back legs, kind of adjusted some cords  148 00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:05,280 and realized that it actually seems to work.  So, a few years later here we are  149 00:13:05,290 --> 00:13:09,290 with the Horgen harness itself.   150 00:13:09,300 --> 00:13:13,860 The main benefits of the Horgan harness I find are one it's very easy to apply.  151 00:13:13,870 --> 00:13:18,130 A lot of dogs that pull tend to be very difficult to sit in one place or control  152 00:13:18,140 --> 00:13:22,240 them, so I knew that it had to be very easy apply for customers and it is.  153 00:13:22,250 --> 00:13:25,070 It's just simple - 3 simple steps.  154 00:13:25,410 --> 00:13:30,850 I also wanted to make sure that it was very safe as a as a critic list.  155 00:13:30,860 --> 00:13:35,880 Also very concerned about the safety  for the dog and I made sure that  156 00:13:35,890 --> 00:13:40,670 every product of of every part of the harness  is made of soft nylon.  157 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:44,790 There's no a sharp points are pressure points  or prongs or anything like that  158 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:49,610 to make sure there's no injury at all. And actually the way it functions  159 00:13:49,620 --> 00:13:53,670 is very safe as well. Most people look at it and they think well  160 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,950 is it going to constrict or pull  or apply a lot of pressure and it doesn't actually.  161 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,430 All it really does is when a dog tries to move  in a direction that the owner  162 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:05,640 really doesn't want them to go is  there's a little pull on these cords right here   163 00:14:05,650 --> 00:14:09,780 and what that does is  that slides the cords back here  164 00:14:09,790 --> 00:14:13,970 around the back legs and it doesn't constrict at all the back legs,  165 00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:18,230 it just creates this unique sensation there  around the powerful muscles that pull,  166 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,350 the quadriceps,  and I've noticed that when that happens  167 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,790 the dogs often turn to look at it. They don't show any signs of discomfort  168 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,390 or anything but they stop pulling. It basically takes their mind,   169 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,430 it distracts them from whatever  they're focused on pulling and takes their  170 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:35,860 attention back to where it belongs on the walk essentially.  171 00:14:37,820 --> 00:14:41,920 It seems to be working very well. We've had some dogs that have used it for   172 00:14:41,930 --> 00:14:45,880 5 or 6 months or so and have been able to actually come off the Horgan harness   173 00:14:45,890 --> 00:14:50,180 and go right back on to regular leash. So, it seems to be also an excellent training tool  174 00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:54,220 as well. And so, so far we have a lot of success.   175 00:14:54,230 --> 00:14:58,250 So just to reiterate basically the benefits  I think of the Horgan harness  176 00:14:58,260 --> 00:15:01,420 are that it focuses on the back end  177 00:15:01,430 --> 00:15:05,760 where the back legs where dogs get 70% of their power,  178 00:15:05,770 --> 00:15:10,030 it's very easy to apply,  3 simple steps,  and it's extremely safe  179 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:14,190 as I have made sure there's no, like I said, no sharp areas,  180 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:18,220 no pressure, no constriction,  it avoids the sensitive areas of the body.  181 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,820 And so, I think that if you have  182 00:15:21,830 --> 00:15:25,640 a dog that seems to be walking you  more than you are walking your dog  183 00:15:25,650 --> 00:15:29,870 Horgan harness may be for you. It comes in 3 different sizes;  184 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:34,150 large, medium, and small. So there's - no matter what size or dog is  185 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,180 there is a Horgan harness out there for you.  186 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:46,460 When you adopt a pet from a shelter it allows you to both give and receive.   187 00:15:46,470 --> 00:15:50,430 You give an orphaned animal a compassionate chance at life and you receive honest  188 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:54,560 love an unashamed affection, but you don't have to take it from me,   189 00:15:54,570 --> 00:15:55,600 let's hear it from some real experts.  190 00:16:09,540 --> 00:16:13,620 Happy Paws Pet Expo, we've got everything  from your major entertainment   191 00:16:13,630 --> 00:16:17,850 at Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comics, The Classic Canines,  192 00:16:17,860 --> 00:16:22,000 which does the agility course,  the high jumping dogs, and of course, the national frisbee dog.  193 00:16:22,010 --> 00:16:27,360 We have all of your rescues and all of your adoption centers here and they're all lined up.  194 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:32,260 We have one whole area exclusively for them. So, if you need a dog or a cat   195 00:16:32,270 --> 00:16:36,290 help rescue them that'd be great too. But this show is based on  196 00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:40,220 a number of different things. One, entertainment for the family.   197 00:16:40,230 --> 00:16:44,550 Rarely can you bring your dog, your kids,  and all hang out as a family unit and be together  198 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:49,180 and spend the day together and have fun, be entertained, possibly adopt a dog or a cat  199 00:16:50,190 --> 00:16:54,520 or if anything, find some pet supplies  or there's a number of things that   200 00:16:55,180 --> 00:16:57,670 We have everything from life abundance which is a dog food to  201 00:16:59,340 --> 00:17:03,520 we have dog vitamins here, we have all types of leashes,   202 00:17:03,530 --> 00:17:07,680 we have literally anything you can find  in the pet industry is here at the   203 00:17:07,690 --> 00:17:09,150 Happy Paws Pet Expo.   204 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,060 Thousands of people wandering around and they're all having a good time.  205 00:17:14,070 --> 00:17:18,760 They've got their dogs, their cats, and they're watching the stage show. Loads of fun.  206 00:17:19,090 --> 00:17:22,800 There's a pitbull kissing booth. We have the doggie fun zone over here. We've got the native village   207 00:17:22,810 --> 00:17:26,870 which is a reptile show. We've got the Larry's   208 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,910 amazing free flying birds which are parrots and all types of birds.  209 00:17:30,670 --> 00:17:34,700 We have Johnny Peers and the Muttville comics up on stage right now.  210 00:17:34,710 --> 00:17:38,760 We have Lucille Ball doing the talent contest. We have the exhibitors here,   211 00:17:38,770 --> 00:17:42,550 the rescues, so literally you can come here and spend a whole day and have just a great time.  212 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:50,630 Right now we have about 20 rescues. Literally we have dogs, cats,  independent rescues.  213 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,690 We're hoping our goal this year  is to try and get 100 adoptions   214 00:17:58,580 --> 00:18:03,480 because it's literally much much better  if you can adopt a dog because  215 00:18:03,490 --> 00:18:07,200 the bottom line is they know that they're sort of in trouble and if you  216 00:18:07,210 --> 00:18:11,160 can save their lives it'd be a great thing and they will be a loyal companion to you.  217 00:18:11,990 --> 00:18:14,020 Happy Paws Pet Expo. Share the love.  218 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,730 On behalf of myself and Roger, thanks for watching.  We hope you learned  219 00:18:25,740 --> 00:18:29,790 something new today. We also hope  you take some time to visit, volunteer  220 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,080 and of course adopt a new friend  from a local shelter.   221 00:18:33,090 --> 00:18:37,560 For Take Paws, I'm Mike Moscatello. Say good-bye, Roger.   222 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,130 when choosing a type of food for your pet.  223 00:18:53,190 --> 00:18:54,620 Is he sniffing the mic?   224 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:57,390 They're right under your nose.  225 00:19:01,940 --> 00:19:06,330 He wasn't quite as interested that time. We hope you learned something new today.  226 00:19:06,340 --> 00:19:06,890 We also told you  227 00:19:15,190 --> 00:19:20,220 It takes training and sometimes it  even takes little baggies to clean up   228 00:19:20,230 --> 00:19:22,980 presents left behind by your pet.