About three years ago I noticed that my Maltese was limping. She was only one at the time, so I thought it was strange for her to have these problems at such a young age. I took her to the vet and it turns out she had a luxating patella which is a problem with her knee, and apparently is common in small dogs.

The vet gave me some powder to put into her food and in about a month I really started to see results. I was amazed as you normally don’t expect for those things to really work so fast! What the vet gave her was collagen and ever since I have been looking for an application in which to offer collagen in a happytails product.

And so it comes to pass we launch Joint Resolution an all natural herbal elixir that lubricates sore, aching joints through our blend of BioCell Collagen II, herbal extracts, and chondroitin. It’s perfect for dogs suffering from degenerative effects of old age, arthritis or hip dysplasia

Some history on arthritis and joint inflammation:

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis in dogs. Weight bearing joints in hips, elbows and knees are most often affected and the result in often painful inflammation.

Inflammation is the body’s response to tissue injury, irritation or infection. It’s the rush of blood and immune cells to a site of injury for the sake of repair and to signal the need for help. Related symptoms include pain, stiffness, heat tenderness, swelling, fatigue, muscle aches and spasms, and loss of function.

The most common inflammation is joint inflammation and an underlying concern is the impact of inflammation on collagen. This connective tissue helps support blood vessel walls and forms the cartilage, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is diminished with inflammation. A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacological and Therapeutics showed that collagen had reduced pain and lameness in arthritic dogs and improved the overall activity of the dogs. Collagen Type II is the most abundant protein found in joint cartilage that helps promote new cartilage synthesis and reduces oxidative damage to the joints.

The formula contains a generous amount of Hyaluronic Acid which is an important joint and skin nourishing element which promotes healing and skin tissue rejuvenation. HA is essential in reducing joint friction caused by the joint’s degradation of its natural lubrication.

We’ve also included a blend of herbs in Joint Resolution to work synergistically with BioCell Collagen II including boswellia, devils claw and licorice which all work to reduce inflammation and pain while dandelion is a diuretic to eliminate toxins from the body.

Benefits of Joint Resolution

• Promotes healthy active joints*

• Helps improve joint mobility and flexibility*

• Promotes healthy strong connective tissue*

• Easy to administer

• Liquid absorbs faster into the body than tablets or pills

• All natural- herbs are organic or wild crafted

• A side benefit of collagen is that it promotes healthy skin so

  • A dog may grow a more luxurious coats*
  • healing of skin diseases may be faster*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease.

To learn more about Joint Resolution, click here

BioCell Collagen II® is a registered trademark of BioCell Technology and is the only Hydrolyzed Collagen Type II preparation supported by US Patents # 6,025,327 and 6,323,319 that cover the use and manufacturing of this ingredient. Companies or individuals using any Hydrolyzed Collagen Type II preparation within patented claims other than BioCell Collagen II® in their respective product formulations are infringing on BioCell Technology’s intellectual property.

It’s the perfect time to promote first aid products in your store so your customers can be prepared in case of an emergency.

Of course pet first aid came into the spot light during Hurricane Katrina when thousands of dogs had no access to medical care. While Katrina was an extreme case, we should still be prepared for the smaller, more common mishaps like dog park injuries, scratches, flea bites, ticks, thorns in paws, hot spots etc.

Walk around your store and identify the items that could be categorized as health and first aid and put together a display. You can also merchandise these packs as pet sitting packs- everything a dog owner would need to give their pet sitter.

You can purchase preassembled packs or you can create your own first aid kits by assembling the following items:

- Tweezers (to remove ticks)

- Antibacterial Ointment

- Bandages

- Dry Dog Instant Clean -a spray to use after the dog park to keep your dog clean and sanitized

- Flea the Scene- an all natural insect repellant and sunscreen. (yes, dog’s can get sunburned too!)

- Cotton Swabs

-Emergency Phone number list (As basic as it sounds, how many people really know where the nearest animal emergency hospital is? Or what about those customers who may not drive- do they know the number for the animal emergency vehicle?

- Assemble everything into a cute bag. Or you could purchase pre-assembled first aid kits like the ones from VSI

The Red Cross is also offering a pet first aid class. To find the Red Cross chapter in your area click here. You can let your customers know about this, or even organize a group and go together, make it a fun social group event!

In addition, the Red Cross assembled a skilled team of animal, emeregency and safety professionals to develop a guide which covers many aspects of pets’ physical and mental well-being.

Pet owners will learn other great tips, such as:

• Paying attention to what is normal for your pet so you can detect signals when something is wrong;
• Learning how to build a pet first aid kit;
• Labor and delivery – and what to do if there is a problem;
• Making your pet part of a Family Disaster Plan, including identifying hotels and shelters that accept pets before a disaster situation; and
• How to spot signs of depression in pets.

You can purchase the “Pet First Aid” guide at your local Red Cross chapter or by visiting www.redcross.org/store. Each purchase made through the Red Cross online store will help benefit the Red Cross chapter in your area.

When it comes to innovative personal care products you no longer have to look to L’Oreal or Shiseido for the latest ingredients and cutting edge concepts. Today the hottest trends are often spotted first in high-end dog products! Whether it’s the use of micro-encapsulated ingredients, new formulas based on state-of-the-art research or just 100% organic food that would be the envy of even the most militant Vegan, these days it’s likely that your dog’s products are more advanced than yours. 

Take InFuzion Shampoo & Conditioner by happytails, a new formula that contains a unique blend of 14 amino acids which were formulated to resemble cell membrane proteins in the hair. They penetrate the follicle, replenish lost moisture and help condition, repair and strengthen. InFuzion also features a swirl of blue beads with micro-encapsulated vitamins right in the formula. 

Kevin Fisher, owner of happytails said, “Dogs usually have much thicker hair than humans, and of course they usually have more of it. In the past you could add any number of great conditioners to your products but they would have a hard time penetrating thick fur, they’d just get rinsed down the drain. InFuzion’s micro beads work their way through the coat and then as you rub they release against the skin delivering the vitamins and conditioners right where they’re needed- to dry and irritated skin.” 
 

Happytails is not the only one leading the way. VivoAnimals of Seattle have introduced several formulas designed to stimulate the production of Nitric Oxide in the dog’s body. Why? Well, research shows that Nitric Oxide regulates blood flow and improved blood flow improves a dog’s health. You may have heard of a drug in the human arena that emerged form the same research; Viagra. 

Even something as basic as food has seen a massive change in the last few years. The distinction between pet food and human food is rapidly evaporating.  In fact you have to look no further than a company called the Honest Kitchen that produces completely organic,  human quality food, in fact the company motto is People Food - Formulated for Pets!  Their foods contains no by-products, added salt or sugar, chemical preservatives, artificial colors or flavors and NO beet pulp, rice, wheat, corn, or soy.  “I wish my diet was this healthy,” Fisher said.

Fisher added, “Today’s pet product creators and formulators are not reacting to the trends in human personal care they’re leading the way forward.”

If this isn’t a case of the tail wagging the dog then it might be a case of the dog wagging the human.

One of the toughest problems to solve are tear stains. You know, those brownish/red streaks down a dog’s face. It’s normal that a dog’s eyes produce tears– clear ones. But some breeds are susceptible to the brown tearstains which are not only unsightly, but sometimes smelly!

The problem is only made worse when all of that moisture around the eyes becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and red yeast develops.The problem is three fold. One is physiology. Some dogs have tear ducts that are too short and there’s not much we can do about that, short of surgery.  

The other parts of the problem are environmental and systemic. And we do have control over these. Many times tear stains are brought on by environmental toxins and pollutants. That’s why if you want to get rid of tear stains wiping the eyes is just the first step.  You have to boost the dog’s immune system or the bacteria will persist and so will the stains.

Some dog owners use bleach, hydrogen peroxide or even pharmaceutical grade antibiotics everyday to cure the problem, but I certainly don’t recommend these options!

I give my dog’s Eyemunity everyday. It’s s an all natural powder that you sprinkle into your dog’s food 1-2 times per day. It helps to boost the dog’s immune system to fight the bacteria that cause the tearstains. It is all natural so it will take a little longer than other “quick fix” solutions but give it about 3 weeks to kick in. The best thing is there are no side-effects except for a healthier dog!  That being said these tear stains are persistant!

I’ve been traveling for a couple of weeks and left the duty of feeding the dogs to my husband who forgot to give them the Eyemunity… so now my maltese, RiQui, has some minor tear stains.  She’s been on the Eyemunity a couple of days and it might take a couple of weeks to kick in.   But when it does, as long as I keep giving it to her, the tear stains do not persist. And I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but she’s much healthier and happier than she used to be.

The main ingredient is called Epicor, which is a high metabolite immunogen. If you don’t know what that means, watch this video. But in nut shell Epicor is helping the body to fight against bacteria and is quite remarkable.

I have been taking Epicor (I skipped the Eyemunity as I don’t really like the taste of desiccated liver) and have not been sick once in months!

Eyemunity also includes an enzyme blend that helps with swelling and inflammation. Many times when the dog produces tears it causes a bit of inflammation in the eyes which only makes the problem worse. For a list of complete ingredients click here.

If your dog has tear stains there is hope and you don’t have to compromise your dog’s health with harmful drugs or chemicals.

Here’s another amazing video about Epicor, the main ingredient in Eyemunity. It’s a news segment that gives the history of how the product is made, research, benefits and more.

For more information on Eyemunity click here.

And if you’d like to find out if your dog is happy and healthy or plagued by fleas take this short questionnaire.