It often feels like our beloved dogs are plagued with more health conditions than ever before. We’re seeing more canine cancers, skin allergies, arthritis, metabolic and diet-related illnesses, as well as recurring ear, kidney, and urinary tract infections. On top of this, the rising vet bills can be overwhelming for many families.

At McDowells, we see these concerns every day with clients and their pets. The good news is, there’s a lot we can do to improve resilience, reduce risk, and support long-term health naturally.

It’s one thing to use caffeine in one-off situations, competing in a marathon perhaps, or to improve your concentration when sitting an important exam. But because of its impact on the acute stress response, in combination with its addictive quality, few people reserve coffee drinking for only these rare occasions. With persistent overuse, caffeine has a number of serious negative health impacts that need to be considered.

Vitality is a state of continuous wellbeing.  Being vital provides a positive, strong and energetic state of living and a feeling of total wellness. Low Vitality may appear at times signalling the need for cleansing.

Stress is often associated with negativity, however, this negativity is often linked with long term exposure.
In a normal physiological response to an incoming ‘stressor’ our body protects us by triggering the ‘fight and flight’ response so we can take action. 

We rarely consider our kidney health as priority, but these small organs contribute greatly to vital functions in the body and are worthy of prioritising. Kidney dysfunction may be associated with illness or contribute to the acceleration of other conditions, such as Hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.

Whilst we don't advocate giving pets black tea with milk, there are plenty of herbal teas you can make and share with your animal family members! In small amounts steeped herbs are great way to help your pets enjoy the health benefits of different herbs and spices. 

Oxalates are compounds that bind to calcium and other essential minerals, locking them up in forms that horses cannot absorb. Because calcium is critical for so many vital body functions—bone strength, muscle contraction, nerve signalling, cardiovascular function - this binding process can quickly lead to deficiency. When dietary calcium is not available, the horse’s body pulls calcium from its own skeleton, leading to weakness, pain, and in severe cases, the bone disease known as Bighead.

Laminitis is one of the most serious and painful conditions a horse can experience. Early detection and supportive care are essential, as the sooner laminitis is identified, the better the chance of preventing long-term damage.

Processed dog food is like processed human food - usually full of additives, preservatives and designed to last on the shelf of a store for long periods. Your dog needs protein to survive, and thrive. The meat in dry dog food only has to meet ‘feed grade quality’. That’s the absolute lowest quality of meat. Up until 2019, dry dog food manufacturers sourced its meat from the 4D’s - dead, dying, diseased and disabled animals.

Trigger looked like hell.....skinny, not much mane or tail, chronic diarrhoea and face filthy from where his eye had oozed out for who knows how long. I'll never get another horse as good as him. He was the toughest, most honest, loyal, fastest and safest horse I've ever known.

It is important to realise that these skin conditions are not a problem which can be fixed by putting products on the outside of your skin. Nor should it be treated with antibiotics.