When Canine Caviar holistic pet food joined Instagram a few weeks ago we were welcomed by an enthusiastic fellow Instagramer who raved about the life changing experiences that her pack of four rescued dogs had experienced with our alkaline PH based dog food. We immediately followed her Instagram account and have loved interacting with her and getting to see photos of dogs whose daily lives are improved each and every day.
Deweysmom, better known as Kim, is a lifelong dog lover and owner. In fact, Kim, a former special education paraprofessional, told us that as she approached a milestone birthday in her life she realized that it was time to finally take the leap of pursuing her dream of working with animals. She took several online classes in animal science and began working in a veterinary hospital shortly after. In the last few weeks she left her job in a veterinary hospital in order of focus entirely on working at Dogology, an incredible pet product store and training facility in Connecticut.
Working at Dogology provides Kim the ability to work with other dog professionals and help fellow dog owners with the nutritional needs of their pets. Her schedule also allows her plenty of time to take her dogs hiking and canoeing, some of their favorite activities. “We take them everywhere, we go hiking a lot, go kayaking, canoeing, “Kim said of her pack. “They all have their spot in the car, all have car seats. Lately we take two at a time, walk two in the neighborhood, then mix it up and take two to the reservoir, same thing with canoeing or kayaking and leave two at home.” Kim’s husband of 24 years was not a dog person before they were married but he definitely is now. And who wouldn’t be with this beautiful pack of rescued pups?
Dewey who just turned five was the first of Kim’s pack of four. He was more of a rehoming situation rather than an official rescue. The product of an “oops” litter, Dewey is a mixed breed between a Poodle and perhaps a Bichon Frise. Kim adopted him when he was just three or four months old because the prior owner had too many dogs to care for. He is the smallest of the pack at just thirteen pounds. “He was pretty sick, had a lot of vomiting and a very very thin coat, “ Kim said, “You could see his skin and he was scratching himself bald even at three or four months old” Kim’s veterinarian suggested steroids and a prescription diet. Dewey also suffered from pancreatitis.
Fortunately Kim did a lot of research and now has Dewey on Canine Caviar Wild Ocean. “You have to comb through his fur to see his skin, his coat is so thick and nice, “ she said, “He was pretty scrappy looking, he’s come along way.” Although Dewey used to throw up once a week he has not vomited for at least six months. Kim says, “He’s just so healthy, he feels good, he looks good, his coat is fantastic. You don’t normally see a poodle without yucky eye discharge; it’s all because of his diet, it makes such a good difference.”
Fortunately Dash ended up with Connecticut Greyhound Rescue. “He was so, so skinny, “ Kim said of Dash when she picked him up. Since then he has gained 20 pounds. “He’s just blossomed, he was very very timid and shy. Now he is the most gentle and affectionate dog. People hang on him.”
“He’s the one who Canine Caviar saved, “ Kim said, “Every food he’s had he’s experienced blowout diarrhea. We finally gave up and put him on a prescription diet. He had to eat six cups of food a day and we would poop four huge poops a day.” When Dogology opened a little over a year ago the employees there urged Kim to switch Dash to Canine Caviar. Kim was nervous since other brands had meant getting up three to four times a night to let Dash out to have explosive bowel movements. Kim also had difficulty believing that there was no switchover or transition period going onto Canine Caviar natural dog food.
It was a major leap of faith but Kim switched Dash to Canine Caviar. “He went from eating six cups of food a day to two, he’s maintained weight, no loose stool, has two little poops a day, his coat his amazing and he seems perkier, “ she raves, “I think he just feels better, not having to eat so much, not feeling so bloated from all of the fiber, he’s like a new dog. I literally honestly did not believe it could happen”
Dash eats Canine Caviar Chicken & Pearl Millet and Lamb and Pearl Millet. Sometimes Kim rotates Wild Ocean into his diet. Dash’s incredible success with Canine Caviar often serves as a personal testimonial to clients who Kim helps at Dogology. She frequently tells clients of the huge transformation that Dash experienced.
Misty the Sheltie came into the pack at a time when Kim’s family had been through some hard times. Her teenagers had been in a bad car accident and they decided to adopt another dog to do something positive for the family. She had never had a female dog before and they wanted a Sheltie, as they previously had a Sheltie who had since passed away. Misty was listed on an EBay pet classified ad by someone who had found Misty’s mother with her young puppy. The person who had found them had them living outside, infested with fleas, tapeworm and whipworm.
As soon as Misty came home to her forever family she immediately curled up with Dewey and were instant best friends. Misty is just three years old and has early onset arthritis and combines Canine Caviar with a joint mobility formula of another brand. “Her coat on Canine Caviar and her skin are just perfect. There’s so much in Canine Caviar that you don’t really need to do a lot of supplements,” Kim says.
Bruce the Staffordshire terrier mix was the most recent addition to Kim’s pack. Bruce was a foster failure; Kim was fostering him from a local rescue group but knew that he was meant to be hers and adopted him permanently. Bruce recently turned two, has no health issues and has been raised completely holistically. Prior to being rescued Bruce was found in a box with his four littermates in South Carolina. He spent a few days in a kill shelter before the rescue group pulled them out. They were transported to Connecticut and Bruce was erroneously listed as a girl and slated to go to a different home. Fortunately those potential owners were adamant about adopting a girl and Bruce has been with Kim ever since.
At first “he was so scared looking, he always had a hunched over terrified look,” Kim said, “Now he’s so confident, strong and muscular. I call him my ‘beefcake’” Bruce has also bonded with Kim’s son and his birthday was estimated to be the one-year anniversary of her kids’ car accident. “He definitely gives a lot more than I’ve ever had a dog give. He’s loyal and amazing, I tear up every time I talk about him. He’s the family’s healing dog.”
Kim talked to us about the hierarchy within her pack. Dash is the leader of the boys and Dewey is at the bottom of the pack. Kim talked about Dewey feeling safe standing behind the others and liking the protection of his pack. Misty is the leader of the entire pack and can take a treat right out of Dash’s mouth without any pushback or argument.
With so much experience with dogs at home it’s no wonder that Kim has been a great addition to the team at Dogology. Kim works primarily in the retail store and loves her job. “Working with other dog professionals we can all pull from each other’s knowledge, everyone pulls together if there is a customer with a problem,” Kim said. About Canine Caviar she added, “We have had a lot of clients who have been helped a lot with Canine Caviar. We just absolutely love it.” Kim enjoys helping customers whose dogs have skin issues or intestinal issues and relying on her firsthand experience. She told us, “I can say ‘I’ve been through that’ and that makes it much more meaningful to the customers. I wouldn’t feed my own dogs anything that I don’t have complete confidence in.”
Watch for an upcoming blog on Dogology as a future Featured Merchant of the Month.