As we make New Year's Resolutions for ourselves, why not include our four-legged family? Here are our Top 5 Resolutions for Pets- let's make the new year a great year!

Dogs are often categorized as senior dogs by a combination of their breed and age, with small breeds considered "senior" at 10-11 years, medium-sized breeds at 8-10 years, and giant breeds at 5-6 years. Genetics and lifestyle are also significant factors in how fast a dog ages, with fit, healthy dogs adding years to their lives. The appearance of gray on a dog's face and muzzle is often the first reminder a dog owner will be caring for a senior dog soon.

Finding a quality diet appropriate for your pets body condition and life stage can be a challenge, and basing your choice on the pretty pictures on the front of the bag of food wont help. Neither will be basing your choices on flashy advertising copy splashed across the front of the bag.

Misleading Advertising Terms

Im not picking on this diet, its just the first one I found when I googled natural pet food.

Here are the first four things I see wrong with one of the bags I found, right off the bat:

Itchy skin is one of the most common presenting symptoms at our animal hospitals around the county.

Having treated many hundreds of these dogs over the years, weve developed an 8 week plan for you and your pet, that has had a very good success rate in managing even chronic cases of itchy skin.

Why Is My Dog or Cat Itching?

Most dogs and cats itch for one (or more!) of these six reasons:

As one of the hottest months of the year, July is a time when you need to stay hydrated. The media blasts messages at this time of year reminding us to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and heat-related illnesses. Unfortunately, there is not as much information on how important proper hydration is for optimal health in cat and dog nutrition.

According to the AVMA, more than 48 million dogs and 31 million cats live in U.S. households. As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, those numbers put into perspective the impact that eco-friendly pet ownership can have on the world. People have gone green in so many aspects of their lives, and there are several ways they can be environmentally friendly when it comes to pet ownership as well.

With all the talk of pet food recalls in the last few years, pet parents ask us what we recommend for “treating” their cat or dog. We love our canine and cat companions and want to make them happy, and as we all know, the way to just about every cat and dog’s heart is through their stomachs! But you also likely know that pet obesity is at epidemic proportions, so we don’t want to turn a beautiful act into something that could harm our fur friends.

From choosing the right food to making sure you’re not offering up too many treats, you need to keep several things in mind when it comes to meeting your dog’s nutritional needs. To make things even more complicated, much of what you think you know about canine nutrition could be completely wrong. There are a lot of dog nutrition myths out there, and following inaccurate information could put your four-legged best friend’s health at risk.