A blog for dog lovers and pet lovers of India l Friends of Lana Blog

Did you know a dog’s hearing ability is almost seven times that of a human? That would be like your younger brother shouting into your ear with a microphone outside the engine of an aircraft.  Now imagine your dog’s plight during Diwali when loud firecrackers would go off constantly and without warning. Not surprisingly, this is the time when most pets (dogs and cats, in this case) go missing trying to seek a hideout to get away from the loud sounds and people.

This sparkling festival of lights and happiness can easily turn into a time of tremendous stress and horror for our four-legged children. Alleviating their suffering at this time of the year should be one of your key priorities as a pet parent. Here are some tips to help you to be more mindful and careful about your pet’s needs during this difficult period for them.

Almost three months ago, pet parents and their dogs first adjusted to a whole new normal - we were home all through the day and many of us had to cut down on walks with our dogs too. Now, as the lockdown is lifted across various places, more and more of us have been stepping out of our work-from-home routines. This means we must gradually get ourselves and our buddies ready and prepared for the way things were before.

In this changing context, separation anxiety could be a major issue that some dogs and pet parents might have to confront once again. We catch up with canine behaviour expert 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹, 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗦, to give us her invaluable guidance on what exactly separation anxiety is, how it relates to generalised anxiety, and how to prepare every dog to deal with the human closest to their heart getting out of the house.

Today is Father's Day and if you think it's a day reserved just for dads of humans, we're here to remind you that dads of dogs deserve every bit of love, celebration and adoration too!

In this article dedicated to all the dog dads out there, we've rounded up three of the best super dog-dads we know - very much heroes in their own right. So along with celebrating the dog dads in our own lives, we'd like you to say hello to these doggie heroes and share their inspiring stories!

For most of us, the Indian summer is symbolised by flush yellow Amaltas trees, plump, juicy mangoes and iced glasses of roohafza. But for us pet parents, summer is also synonymous with something else – dog hair just about everywhere!

Many of us face the frustrating problem of dog shedding every year. We run from pillar to post trying to figure out at what point we’re supposed to intervene because honestly, THIS huge a furball every single day just can’t be normal right?!

We spoke to three canine experts – Gurugram-based senior veterinarian Dr Shelly Mattoo, canine nutritionist and founder of  Doggiliciouus,  Manssi SK Saha, and President – Professional Pet Groomer’s association, India and Business Owner - Petsburgh, Mumbai, Andrea Cyrill Khurana, to get the lowdown on whether summer dog shedding is normal, how to manage all this shedding, when to seek expert care and diet tips for excessive shedding in dogs.

Holistic healing and alternative therapies have seen a meteoric rise in popularity in the last few years, as more and more people discover the healing power of nature. Rightly so, this openness towards natural medicine has seeped into the life of dogs and pet parents too. Bach Flower Remedies is one such holistic, safe and gentle system of natural healing, derived from wildflowers.

To understand what this system of healing is all about, we caught up with Nisha Jaggi, miracle-worker Bowen therapist and Level 2 certified Bach Flower Remedy expert.

What a strange time this is for the world. Most of us are adjusting to working from home while juggling the work at home. Some of us have kids too – be it a human, a dog or both! No longer being able to enjoy their routine walks outdoors and having to deal with noisy humans in the house all the time, dogs have been having a rough time too.

We caught up with canine behaviour expert Sindhoor Pangal, Principal and Director of BHARCS, to understand how these new changes in the social dynamics of the world are affecting our pets, and what to do to help dogs lead better lives during quarantine and isolation.

How much you feed your dog would normally depend on multiple factors such as, if you are feeding your dog dry food like pedigree? In which case it is calorie-dense food as it is dehydrated and the quantity to be fed will be much lower as it is devoid of moisture. Canned food is wet and has an appropriate amount of moisture in it and the quantity will be considerably more than dry food. And with Freshly cooked or Raw diets, the quantity is based on your dog's current body condition score, age and current body weight. 

This is a frequently asked question and perhaps correctly so. There aren't any clear answers available anywhere that helps you determine how much to feed your dog depending on the type of food you are feeding. Let's look at all of them one by one and learn how to calculate the quantity of food and how to make adjustments.

With Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 being dubbed a global pandemic by the WHO, there has been panic and misinformation all around. Pet parents have been wondering if their dogs and cats can be infected with (and transmit) COVID-19. 

It may come as a surprise to you, but the word “Superfood" is not an official term for any kind of food. It's a marketing term coined to express the idea that some foods are more superior in nature than others. All foods offer nutrition and benefits to the body. However, the reason behind the term “super”  is that these particular foods are deemed to have extraordinary nutrient density. This means that these foods will offer more nutrients packed gram to gram compared with other foods.

Foods that offer maximum health impact in the minimum amount of calories or quantity required naturally tend to be a bang for your buck, so to speak! You share a lot of the superfoods with your dog, that could be included in the diet on a regular basis that are nutritionally dense and pack in health benefits immediately and in the long run. These foods help you fight disease, build immunity and provide good energy. Like you, your dog has a daily requirement of a variety of nutrients for the complex job of keeping their body functioning at a healthy optimal level.