Sage & Hound Wellness

08/26/2026

08/05/2026

This is a helpful reminder that corn cobs are NOT suitable treats or chew toys for our dogs. It's also really important to dispose of them in places where curious noses (and mouths) can't get to them. Let's keep our furry friends safe!

It's corn season! 🌽

Although this is great news for us humans, just a friendly reminder that cobs of corn are NOT to be fed as a treat to your dogs.

Corn cobs can create intestinal blockages that need to be removed surgically or can ultimately be fatal.

Do your dogs a favor and ensure corn cobs are disposed of properly and please do not give them to your dogs to chew on, play with or potentially eat.

Take a class !! www.caninehealthcanada.com



🌽

07/15/2026

Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day, and it's a good prompt to think through how prepared your household actually is if an emergency happened.

A few practical steps:
If a fire breaks out, the priority is getting your dog leashed and moving toward the exit together. If you're ever in a situation where you can't reach your pet and have to get out, let firefighters know immediately — they're trained to check near entrances and exits first, because that's where animals naturally gravitate when they sense danger or smell smoke.

Pet alert window clings are inexpensive and let first responders know right away how many pets are inside and what kind. It's also worth making sure a trusted neighbour, pet sitter, or dog walker has a key and knows your evacuation plan if you're not home when something happens.

It's also worth putting together a small emergency kit: a few days of food, a leash, a recent photo of your dog, and copies of vaccine records, all in a bag you can grab quickly.

Emergency preparedness for pets goes hand in hand with first aid knowledge. Being ready before something happens is just as important as knowing what to do in the moment. If you don't already have a plan for your household, this is a good weekend to put one together.

07/14/2026

With the temperature hitting 31 degrees today in Orillia, this serves as a good reminder that if it’s hot outside, it’s definitely too hot inside a car for our pets.

It doesn't have to be 'that hot out' for your car to become deadly.

Every summer, dogs suffer heat stroke after being left in parked vehicles "for just a few minutes."

Here's the reality...

☀️ On a 22°C (72°F) day:
🚗 10 minutes → Inside the car can reach 32°C (90°F)
🚗 30 minutes → Around 40°C (104°F)
🚗 60 minutes → More than 46°C (115°F)

On even warmer days, temperatures climb much faster. But the temperature inside the car isn't the only danger.

Dogs cool themselves primarily by panting—not by sweating like we do.

As their body temperature rises:

🌡️ Around 40°C (104°F): Heat exhaustion begins. Heavy panting, drooling, weakness, and distress become obvious.

🌡️ Around 41°C (105.8°F): This becomes a life-threatening emergency. Cells begin to suffer heat injury, and organs may start to fail.

🌡️ Above 42°C (107.6°F): Permanent damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and other organs can occur. Without immediate veterinary treatment, survival becomes increasingly unlikely.

Heat stroke doesn't simply "go away" once a dog is removed from the car. Even dogs that appear to recover can develop delayed organ damage hours later.

💔 Cracking the windows isn't enough.
💔 Parking in the shade isn't enough.
💔 Running into the store "for just a minute" isn't worth the risk.

The safest place for your dog on a hot day is safely at home.

Please share this post. It could save a life.

M

07/12/2026

Ever wonder what the difference is between a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and a Certified Holistic Canine Nutritionist? 🐾

They're not the same thing, and knowing the difference helps you find the right support for your dog.

A board-certified vet nutritionist is a veterinarian with specialized residency training — they're essential for serious medical cases like kidney disease or cancer treatment.

A Certified Holistic Canine Nutritionist (that's me!) focuses on the everyday stuff: chronic itchy skin, touchy stomachs, stiff joints — and I can recommend more than just food. Supplements, herbs, and meal plans working together to actually get to the root of what's going on.

I'm never trying to replace your vet — I work alongside them. But if your dog has an ongoing complaint that's never quite been "solved," this might be the missing piece. Full breakdown on the blog, link in comments! 🌿

07/10/2026

With lake season in full swing, I wanted to share something a lot of dog owners haven't heard of: Swimmer's Tail (also called limber tail or cold tail).

It happens when a dog overworks the muscles at the base of their tail, usually from a long swim, especially in cold water, or an unusually active day. The tail goes limp, may stick straight out before drooping, and your dog may seem reluctant to sit, whimper when the tail is touched, or stop wagging entirely.

It can look alarming and is sometimes mistaken for a broken or dislocated tail, but in most cases it's a soft tissue strain that improves with a few days of rest. That said, it's always worth a vet visit to rule out anything more serious, especially if there's swelling or your dog seems to be in significant pain.

If your dog has a big swim day planned this summer, it's worth working up to longer swims gradually rather than all at once, and giving them a proper warm-up and rest breaks, just like you would for any athlete.

Knowing the difference between "concerning but manageable" and "get to the vet now" is exactly what I teach in my Pet First Aid & CPR course.

07/08/2026

Beat the heat with a treat your pup will go nuts for! 🫐🐾

These Blueberry Cool Bites are about as simple as it gets: just ½ cup blueberries blended with ½ cup plain unsweetened yogurt, poured into a mold, and popped in the freezer. That's it — blend, freeze, serve.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, and plain yogurt offers a gut-friendly dose of probiotics (just make sure it's plain and unsweetened — no xylitol, ever). On a hot summer day, a frozen bite like this isn't just a treat, it's a little bit of hydration and cooling relief rolled into one.

Perfect for dogs lounging on the porch, post-walk rewards, or just because they deserve it. Give them a try and let me know how your pup likes them! 💙

07/06/2026

Hydration becomes even more important once the summer heat sets in, and it's easy to underestimate how much water our dogs actually need. As a general rule, dogs need about 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily, and that number goes up with heat, humidity, and activity level.

Here's a simple way to check hydration at home: gently pinch the skin at the back of your dog's neck and let go. In a well-hydrated dog, it should snap back into place quickly. If it stays "tented" for a few seconds, that's a sign your dog needs fluids.
Other signs of dehydration include dry or sticky gums, sunken-looking eyes, lethargy, and heavy panting that doesn't ease up with rest.

A few easy habits help: bring water on every outing (even short ones), offer water before and after exercise, and add a splash of low-sodium broth to the bowl if your dog is a reluctant drinker.

Recognizing the early signs of dehydration is one of the first things I teach in my Pet First Aid & CPR course, because catching it early is what keeps a hot day from turning into an emergency vet visit.

07/03/2026

Did you know pavement can be up to 60 degrees hotter than the air temperature on a sunny day? An 30°C afternoon can mean 57°C pavement — easily hot enough to burn your dog's paw pads in under a minute.

The simple test: press the back of your hand to the pavement and hold it there for 7 seconds. If it's too hot for you to keep your hand there, it's too hot for your dog's paws.

Signs of paw pad burns to watch for include limping, refusing to walk, excessive licking of the paws, blisters, or visible redness. If you notice any of these, get your dog off the hot surface immediately, cool the paws with cool (not ice cold) water, and keep them off the area until it heals.

Early morning and evening walks are your best bet during the hottest stretch of summer. Grass, dirt trails, and shaded paths are much kinder to those paw pads than asphalt or concrete.

07/02/2026

July is Pet Hydration Awareness Month, and I couldn't think of a better time to talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention in the dog health world — water.

We spend a lot of time thinking about what our dogs eat, which supplements they take, and how much exercise they get. But water is quietly doing some of the heaviest lifting of all. It plays a role in nearly every function in your dog's body: digestion, nutrient absorption, joint lubrication, temperature regulation, kidney function, and even mood and energy.

And in the summer heat, the stakes get even higher. Throughout July I'll be sharing posts dedicated to dog hydration — how much they actually need, how to spot the early signs of dehydration before it becomes an emergency, what to do if you think your dog is dehydrated, and some simple ways to make sure your pup is drinking enough even on the hottest days.

Whether you're a client, a fellow dog lover, or just someone who wants to do right by their pup, I hope you'll follow along. There's more good info coming all month long. 🐾💧