We know that good health is dependent upon a healthy gut, both in people and animals. Unfortunately thousands of pets are facing a continual assault on their gastrointestinal system causing nagging symptoms to develop that diminish their quality of life and shorten their lifespan.

There is not a single kibble on the market today that is"healthy" to feed your dog or cat. 

No, I haven't evaluated every single kibble out there. But such a task is completely unnecessary in order to state that none of them offer optimal nutrition.  It's the way in which kibble is made that is the big problem. Even if you  start with the most nutritious ingredients - the kibble that you end up with is not providing the nourishment needed for your pet to thrive.

The first problem is that kibble cannot be made without including a high amount of starch. It won't form into pellets without starch. Of course "grain free" pet foods have become very popular because pet owners realize that their dogs and cats A do not require carbs and B they are being used as cheap fillers so the pet food companies can make more profits. Dogs and cats gain no benefits by eating carbs, quite the contrary actually.

Cat's and dogs may love their toys, but many are made using cheap materials that can be quite harmful to our pets health. Sadly there aren't any standards to keep toxins out of pet toys.

It's up to the consumer to investigate the safety of a toy before giving it to their animal to play with.

Think about how your pet might carry their toys around in their mouth, lick them, lay on them, chew them and even sometimes swallow them - or pieces they have chewed off. If that toy contained a toxic substance then they are certainly getting exposed to it.

Cleaning is supposed to be all about maintaining a healthy home by removing allergens & bacteria and preventing pests. Plus having a clean home just makes us feel good!

​But if the products you are using to clean with are full of toxic chemicals you are defeating the purpose altogether! You may have noticed hazard symbols on some of your cleaning products. These symbols warn of acute health hazards that can occur from a single exposure.But there are no requirements for warnings about long term health effects. Researchers in the U.S.identified 133 unique volatile organic compounds emitted from a small sample of consumer products, including six cleaning products.

Unfortunately even the products labelled "green" and "eco-friendly" cannot be assumed to be safe to use. There is little regulation of cleaning products and virtually no labelling requirements. The only way to avoid all these nasty chemicals is by using simple and effective natural products to keep your home clean! Another bonus is the cost savings you will see by making your own cleaning products.

Here are my favourite DIY cleaning products:

The cost of raw pet food can vary greatly. If you are buying pre-made small packages from a pet food store it will be a higher cost compared to sourcing food from butchers and buying in bulk. The cost you will pay depends a lot on the effort you put forth to locate affordable sources. In many instances raw food can actually cost less than a "premium" kibble.

But to gauge the true cost of a pet's diet there is more to measure than simply the price of the food. For a true picture the impact on the animal's health needs to be assessed and also how the animal's health affects their human family's: time, emotions, and financial resources.

Oh the joys of laundry! Do you know what is in your laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and stain removal products? Are you aware these products could be compromising your family’s health, including your pets? We should be concerned with what is used to clean our fabrics as they directly contact our skin all day. We provide our pets with comfy beds and blankets to lay on without maybe realizing that what we chose to clean them with could be harmful to them.

Unfortunately, few of the chemicals used in laundry products have been thoroughly tested, particularly in combination with other chemicals, and some chemicals that have been shown to be harmful are still widely used.