Bella Luca Dog Grooming and Spa

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

I love my dogs 🐶 and my scissors ✂️

05/09/2026

Love my dogs 🐶 and my scissors ✂️ Mickleton Notice BoardHoneybourne VillageWelford, Long Marston, Lower Quinton & Meon Vale Business ForumUpper and Lower Quinton PeepsStratford-upon-Avon ForumChipping Campden Notice BoardMeon Vale Forum ForumGroomers Uplifting Groomers 2.0International Professional Groomers Artero Pet Care - UK

05/09/2026

🫛 Green Beans: A Surprisingly Powerful Snack for Dogs 🐶 (and cats, if they’ll eat ‘em).

Looking for a simple, crunchy, low-calorie treat for your dog? Open the refrigerator. Green beans are one of my favorite whole-food snacks—and there’s a lot more packed into these little green pods than most people realize.

🫛 Low in calories, big on nutrition:
Green beans provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and an impressive collection of naturally occurring plant compounds, making them a great alternative to many highly processed treats.

🌿 Packed with protective polyphenols:
Green beans contain rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, catechins, and phenolic acids such as chlorogenic, caffeic, and ferulic acid. These compounds help combat oxidative stress and have demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

👀 Naturally rich in carotenoids:
Lutein, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin add another layer of antioxidant protection and help support cellular and eye health.

🦠 Fiber + plant compounds = gut support:
Green beans provide dietary fiber that can help support healthy digestion and the gut microbiome. They also contain saponins, phytosterols, chlorophyll, polyamines, plant peptides, and other bioactive compounds researchers continue to investigate for their metabolic and cellular benefits.

🩸 Interesting metabolic research:
Compounds in green beans have demonstrated alpha-glucosidase-inhibiting activity in laboratory research—a mechanism that can slow carbohydrate digestion and moderate post-meal glucose responses. There are no published studies that beans are harmful

🐾 How I serve them:
Plain! Raw or lightly steamed, depending on your dog’s chewing ability and preference. Skip the butter, salt, sauces, and seasonings.

Green beans shouldn’t replace a nutritionally complete diet, but as a treat or topper, they’re a wonderful example of why I love using real food whenever possible. There are no published studies showing beans are in any way harmful for dogs or cats 🥳.

Sometimes one of the healthiest treats you can give your dog is already sitting in your refrigerator. 💚🫛

01/09/2026

🐾 Did You Know Dogs Can Develop Breast Cancer Too?
Canine mammary cancer has remarkable similarities to human breast cancer. Dogs share many of the same genes, hormones, molecular pathways, and even tumor characteristics involved in human breast cancer.
Genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in mammary cancer in both species, while mutations such as PIK3CA have been identified in both canine and human breast tumors. Many canine mammary tumors are also influenced by estrogen and can be classified into molecular subtypes that closely resemble those seen in women.
For years, we’ve been told that spaying early is one of the best ways to prevent mammary cancer in female dogs. But when we look more closely at the evidence, newer research is challenging some long-standing assumptions. Most importantly,quick at -home exams for all female dogs should be a part of their regular body scans.
Understanding what contributes to mammary cancer in dogs helps us better understand the complex relationship between hormones, genetics, environmental exposures, nutrition, and cancer in both species.
In my newest article, I take a closer look at these fascinating connections and what the latest research means for your dog’s health. Link in comments. 🐶💗

29/08/2026

🥕 Why Carrots Are a Smart Snack for Your Pet — The Science 🐾:

That crunchy orange treat is actually a little pharmacy of plant compounds. Here’s what the research says:

🌈 Color = Different Superpowers
Carrot color isn’t just pretty — it signals different nutrients:
• Orange = alpha- & beta-carotene
• Purple/black = anthocyanins + the highest polyphenol/antioxidant load
• Red = lycopene
• Yellow = lutein (an eye-supporting nutrient)

🛡️ A Real Immune Boost (Proven in Dogs)
In controlled studies, dogs fed beta-carotene had stronger immune responses ; higher helper-immune cells and more antibodies. Dogs genuinely absorb beta-carotene into their blood and immune cells.

🔥 Nature’s Anti-Inflammatories
Carrots contain unusual compounds called falcarinol and falcarindiol. In lab studies these calmed inflammatory signals in cells (lowering IL-6, TNF-alpha, and nitric oxide).

🦠 Happy Gut Bacteria
Carrots’ soluble fiber (pectin) is food for the good bugs in your pet’s gut. Pets need fiber for a healthy microbiome. Bacteria ferment it into short-chain fatty acids that support the gut barrier, calm inflammation, and help regulate metabolism.

🍬 Low in Sugar — and No, They Don’t “Feed Yeast”
Carrots taste a little sweet, but the actual sugar per serving is small. A carrot has a low “glycemic load,” meaning a normal treat-sized portion does not spike blood sugar. The yeast overgrowth people worry about is driven by refined/free glucose in the gut, not by the modest natural sugars in a whole, fiber-rich vegetable — in lab models it’s concentrated glucose that fuels yeast growth. Bonus: carrots’ fiber actually feeds the good bacteria instead.

👀 Eye Support
Lutein and beta-carotene are antioxidants that help protect the eye from oxidative stress.

✅ Pet-Parent Tips
Offer carrots raw for a satisfying crunch (great for teething puppies, too!) or lightly cooked, depending on your dog (and what kitties prefer). Steamed, mashed carrots (mixed with bone broth) work great on a lick mat, and slicing mini carrots into thin rings makes great low-calorie training treats for dieting dogs 🥕
➡️ 1 inch of carrot for every 3 pounds of body weight per day.

29/08/2026

Ah … these legs 👌 my new Windare and Artero Pet Care - UK scissors gave them a magical touch. .petcare.uk

29/08/2026

Ah … these legs 👌 my new Windare and Artero Pet Care - UK scissors gave them a magical touch. Mickleton Notice BoardChipping Campden Notice BoardHoneybourne VillageWelford, Long Marston, Lower Quinton & Meon Vale Business ForumUpper and Lower Quinton PeepsStratford-upon-Avon ForumMeon Vale Forum ForumInternational Professional Groomers