The Possible Canine’s Blog
On being an herbalist; here’s the secret
Today is a typical weekday here at my house- parrot is screaming, three senior dogs snoring away after breakfast, exercise and playtime; cats - well, all cats sleeping as they all do every day. I'm at my desk, working with clients, answering emails, getting some class...
Do the Math Monday
A little offering from me (and this may well be the shortest blog entry ever, in the history of The Possible Canine) over at the Facebook Page (which you can access here): https://www.facebook.com/ThePossibleCanine/ What we'll do, every Monday, is look at nutrient...
Five Things Friday
This new feature will consist of five random things I want to share with readers, every Friday. They might pertain to a specific nutrient, to a food, a health condition, an individual herb, a method of herbal preparation, or even a quick recipe. I've been inspired to...
Meat Loaf for Dogs! One recipe, many variations
As promised; a fun, easy and healthy treat for dogs, with some serious benefits, and a few variations so you can make it to suit your own dog's unique tendencies. I made this for my three, not as a meal (it's not a balanced diet!) but to use as topper for some of...
One last Freezie – Omega3s, Antioxidants, Probiotics…
...and that's just the start. This very simple, but powerfully nutritious frozen treat can be used in a couple of ways, so again, I am hoping to give you options. It can be very nutrient-dense, all on its own, or diluted with some liquid (bone broth is good, but you...
Frozen Dog Treats Part Two – Savoury!
So, it's the weekend and I am having a little fun with recipes - a thread on my Facebook group convinced me to develop more frozen treats for the warm summer months, and since not all dogs love fruit, I thought I'd do a few savoury, but still very healthy versions....
Frozen Herbal Dog Treats – Part One
Every summer, a few frozen treat recipes start to appear around the internet, usually yogurt based, with additions like sardines and salmon and blueberries - all good stuff. I started to wonder if I might not concoct a few such treats myself, maybe with a twist...
Three Old Dogs
So, last week on my Facebook Page, I asked readers a simple question: who here has a senior dog? And the response was overwhelming. I suspect that thread might just be the liveliest one in the history of my Page. Seems a lot of people have senior dogs, and are...
Midsummer Sale on Nutrition Courses
Hello, all! I am posting today to share a flash sale with my readers - I generally try to do two sales per year, one approximately around each of the Solstices. A bit late this summer, but here we go. From today until Friday June 30, the following (major) discounts...
Canine Cancer – a few thoughts on diet
This morning I made a comment - accidentally - on a post I saw on Facebook, sharing a highly sensational trailer regarding the power of nutrition with canine cancer. (When I say "accidentally" I mean I thought my comment was on a Friend's post, but it was actually on...
Ten Herbs series: expanding the familiar
Those of you who follow my Page on Facebook might've seen today, my post about finding the herbal solution for my dog Amara's rather challenging issue - and finding it by using one herb , which I had selected as a test, a diagnostic, but that turned out to be all we...
Yeasty dog? It may not be the carbs
This morning I am compelled, finally, to get this brief but important article up for all those who are dealing with yeast infections in their dogs. On my Facebook group and elsewhere around the net, I frequently hear about people struggling with yeast infections in...
Beautiful Dandelion – for you and your dog
Spring is dandelion time! While I use dried root and tincture in my clinical practise all year long, there is just nothing like the fresh, whole plant - flowers like bursts of sunshine, young leaves not yet too bitter - to inspire creativity and get us all out into...
The Raw and the Cooked, or why I sometimes delete links on Facebook
Spring has finally arrived here in the Gatineau Hills and I have been having a very busy year so far. I can't believe it has been months since my last post! Today I am sharing some thoughts, briefly, on my position regarding raw and cooked diets for dogs; I often...
Carob/quinoa treat recipe
I’m not sure when I actually bought Todd Caldecott’s lovely and informative book Food as Medicine, it might be about 5 years ago. Although I practise as a Western Herbalist, I have a long standing interest in Ayurveda, and Todd is a great herbalist, someone to be...
Slippery Elm and Marshmallow – a little differential
Yesterday, a member of my Facebook group asked a simple question, and it prompted this post. In keeping with my commitment to adding shorter but still detailed articles, I thought I'd elaborate my answer here for those who need it. And since digestive issues in dogs...
Pet Blogger Challenge 2017
When did you start your blog and, for anyone who is just seeing it for first time, please provide a description of your site. Would you say your blog focuses more on sharing stories with your readers, or providing a resource for your audience? Answer: This version of...
Kelp for Dogs- the Good, the Bad, and the Mumbo Jumbo
Happy New Year to my friends and readers, I am looking forward to a great year ahead, after what many described as an Annus Horribilus -- 2016! One of the comments I've received a lot, about this blog, in email and on my Facebook group, is that my entries are...
Paw Wax for Dogs – my version, and a few little pointers
So, this time of year always brings out a few recipes for home made "wax" that can be applied to a dog's paws and act as a barrier against cold, salt and gritty stuff during walks in the cold wintertime. I make this stuff every year too, with a few of my own twists,...
Holiday Recipes Part Two – Gingerbread cookies
Hello all, and a very happy Holiday to everyone! Whatever you celebrate (and tonight is Christmas Eve) I hope this season finds you well, hopeful, healthy and at peace. I and my little zoo here in the Gatineau Hills are enjoying a respite from the extreme cold, and...
Calendula for dogs
Over the past week I have had a flood of emails asking about calendula, a wonderful and easy-to-grow herb that I utilize in many ways, for both topical and internal issues, for humans, canines, and other species.. The biggest question in my Inbox right now- is it...
Holiday Recipes Part One – Turkey loaf, many ways!
Seems that everywhere I look, people are baking and starting shopping lists for holiday food - and many are asking me what's safe to give their dogs, for a special meal, too. Everyone knows I'm a great supporter of feeding a fresh food diet, whether raw or cooked; at...
Herbal Help for Canine Hot Spots
...Excerpted from a Plant Healer Magazine article last fall. Hot spots It’s possible that hot spots are THE single most asked-about canine issue I encounter on the net, over 20 years of yahoo, AllExperts, various forums and now Facebook. Hot spots are very nasty to...
End of the Year Sale
... because I do this every year - for the next ten days I am offering a special price on the two nutrition courses. (The Herbalism course already is at a rockbottom price, until the New year when it will be going up - so it's staying as is). If you take one of the...
Remember “Cookie of the Week?”
...well, that fell by the wayside with all the other stuff I have to get done all the time. However - I do bake cookies and other treats for dogs, and once in a while I hit on a tasty and healthy delight I have to share. Today is one of those days. Fiddling around...
Herbs for the Urinary Tract
Common Conditions – Lower Urinary Tract Disorders of the Dog Overview To start with, conditions of the urinary system in both dogs and cats are very common, and form a significant percentage of my own clinical cases. Diseases of the bladder and urethra are related...
I Can’t Stress it Enough…
Response this morning to a few emails I've received - friendly questions, so I'm glad to respond. The jist of it all is, my recipes may be balanced and cover the essentials, but where are the Superfoods? Isn't it boring to feed just sweet potato or quinoa, chicken,...
Herbs for Rescue Issues
Rescued animals of all species, ages, and backgrounds can present with a range of physical and emotional issues –which are very often, if not always obviously, deeply connected. Some of these problems are apparent immediately, while others will emerge over...
Thirty Day Herb Challenge
This was an idea I put forth to my student group, and it was met with so much enthusiasm, I decided to go ahead and set it up. The only questions were, how hard to make this? I have students of all levels in my course, from total beginners to a couple of veterinarians...
Update on the Practical Herbalism course
Good morning all - my Inbox and PMs are full of inquiries so I thought I'd put the answers all in one place today. With regard to the course progress and launch date or any news pertaining to the course: 1) Check my website – right here! the latest blog entry...
The Possible Canine’s Blog
Message to my Clients, and Anyone Feeding Home Made Diet
This message is first and foremost directed to my clients, both current and recent (last few years) who are too numerous to reach individually, whose dogs are eating one or more of my therapeutic recipes. First let me say that anyone who needs specific advice, whose...
Cooking Course Starts Next Week
Hello, Readers! This is just a quick reminder that the Cooking Course starts next week- the most comprehensive course of its type you will find anywhere - with information far beyond using the NRC values, and including food science,wet vs dry methods of cooking,...
Orange Veggies Part Two
As promised, this entry will evaluate three other commonly used orange veggies that may or may not be a good fit in your individual dog's diet. We looked at sweet potato versus yams in the last article, and now let's take a peel at the every popular pumpkin, at...
Orange Veggie Differential
Good day readers - I'm just dropping in quickly today to offer you a little information, something I had promised for a while, but seems extra important now we are launching the Home Cooking Tutorial in March. It's a little series on some foods we home feeders use...
Home Cooking for your Dog – an Online Tutorial
Following a couple of previous, highly successful home cooking tutorials – I am running another session this Spring. It is a course that has been requested many times, and for which I see a real need. Homecooking for dogs is increasing in popularity, as many dog...
2020 Herb Tutorial and a Special Offer for You
I've been intending for a couple of weeks to get a new entry up, regarding my back injury, which is both healing well and more complicated than we initially thought - lots of sympathy email from fellow sufferers! but as soon as I was able to get working, I had to...
Update on my Injury/Return to Work
Hello readers, this will be a very short post as I am typing lying down and that is one slow process. Many, but not all of you follow my Page and/or Timeline on Facebook, and are aware I suffered an excruciating back injury two weeks ago, that resulted first in...
Herbal Consultation for your Dog or Cat
A brief entry today to announce the extension of my Sale on Herbal Consultations - I did not have a chance to promote it as I hoped, so in fairness to those who might want to take advantage of this offer, I'm extending it for the whole month of July. Further to the...
Top Twelve Herbs for Dogs – Updated
As I sit down to write this, it is the day we set our clocks forward "for spring" and I am gazing out my ground floor window at snow that comes higher than my ledge, and more coming down. It is hardly springtime in my part of the world - yet! but I am thinking ahead...
Astragalus
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) Family: Fabaceae (legume family) Part used: root The roots are harvested from three- or four-year-old plants for maximum potency and sliced thinly. Once dry, they look like cream-colored tongue depressors. Also available in...