Little Bit's Mutt Cutts, LLC

Price increases for doodles are attributed to these factors. I'm no longer accepting new doodles and will only serve new clients who weigh less than 50 #.

“The Doodle Craze” and Its Effect on the Grooming Industry I may spend a little too much time reading grooming posts on social media, but something I recently read got me thinking. The post that...

Eyes on Every Inch: A Groomer’s Role in Saving Lives I have saved several dogs’ lives. I know this because their veterinarians told the dogs’ owners that I did and the owners called or came in to thank me.

Interesting read!

Have you had a beloved dog that suffered from cancer or a cruciate ligament tear? You might be surprised to know that several serious health problems like these are more common in dogs that have been spayed or neutered. It's called "spay-neuter syndrome," and the risk depends on your dog's size, breed, s*x, and age.

If you're making a sterilization decision for your pet, work with a knowledgeable veterinarian to discuss the risks and benefits of different methods of sterilization for your dog.

To learn more about spay-neuter syndrome and hormone-sparing sterilization options, visit: https://bit.ly/4aAhPgv

You asked for the image of Rodney Habib’s yard sign, here ya go 💚 (just forward to your community printer to duplicate, and start spreading the word in your community!).

My place of business is also my home. There is only one of me and I do all of the positions that accompany a business. I have decided to make some changes.

I will be open Monday-Thursday from 9 am-3 pm, working minimal hours. If there is not a dog scheduled, then I will be closed.

There will be new policies relating to calls, texts, drop-offs, and pick-ups.

Please arrive at most 5 minutes early for drop-off, unless otherwise arranged. I have morning chores and sometimes the unexpected happens.

Pick-ups need to be prompt and if they’re delayed more than 30 minutes there will be additional charges at $25 an hour, so please plan accordingly. I do not run a dog daycare at this time.
During the heat of the summer, I have to take care of my animals and make sure they’re comfortable.

I will not accept calls, or texts before or after business hours. Please do not call or text on weekends. If you text or leave a VM during the week, it will be returned within 48 hours of receiving it. If you leave a VM or text on a weekend, it will be returned during business hours.

Prices will be adjusted in July to accommodate inflation. If you’re currently receiving a reduced rate, those will go back to regular pricing in July.
New prices will reflect the size, coat type, temperament of the dog, and amount of time it takes to groom…i.e. a small short-coated dog vs. a small longer-coated dog with more scissor work…a large short-coated dog vs. a doodle or long-coated dog.

There will also be additional charges for a**l gland expression, extracting ear hair, and/or extensive matting between toes. These can also be taught to do at home. There is currently some conflicting info concerning ear plucking and a**l gland expression, please ask your veterinarian.

Any type of doodle that is a mix with long-coated dogs will be priced according to the maintenance of the coat before the groom.
***If your dog is matted it will be shaved.
Labradoodles will be priced according to their coat type.

I can also refer you to other groomers in and around the area that are cheaper or more convenient.

Thank you for your business. I enjoy all of my wonderful grooming clients.

Due to health reasons I will need to take a break from pet grooming. If you currently have an appointment scheduled, it will be honored. I will contact my regularly scheduled clients in person, and would like to apologize for any inconvenience. I have contact info for other groomers in the area. Thank you for your understanding at this time. 💜

It seems that the procedure of declawing is not widely talked about. Most of us know that means a cat doesn't have their claws, and then we move on. But what if we pause for a second and actually take a look at declawing. Maybe your opinion on it will change.

Declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting a humans fingertips off at the first knuckle. The declawing procedure is painful for animals, as most of the time it is not a clean cut. Sometimes they take too much of the bone, sometime they don't take enough of the bone. Bone spurs, calcium build up and arthritis can form as they age, causing pain. When they wake up, they are in pain, since you just had the vet mutate each one of their fingers, and they HAVE to walk around on those paws for the rest of their lives. A vet once told me "You know how you feel when you're walking around with a pebble in your shoe all day? That's what a declawed cat feels like for the rest of their lives." Cats hide pain and illness very well, it's part of their survival tactic in the wild, so you won't even know they're in pain until it's so bad they can't hide it anymore, and that's when most people with declawed cats start to see behavorial issues. Not using the litterbox (because the litter will hurt their paws), not jumping up on things or being able to jump down from things (because their paws hurt) or acting out towards their humans (become aggressive because being touched hurts them.) To be blunt- declawing is extremely painful and an inhumane procedure.

Most of the time, when I talk to people about the dangers of declawing, they say to me "Oh my goodness, why didn't my vet ever tell me this?! They told me it was just like clipping your fingernails and that it isn't painful!" And we agree. Vets should be educating owners before they do the procedure. Some vets have actually opted out of doing the procedures completely because it's inhumane. Some vets will only do it when its medically necessary (like a cat who's claw has grown incorrectly or had an accident and the claw is beyond repair.) Before COVID, michigan had a Bill that was approved and was in the next stages of becoming a law that was going to outlaw declawing in our state. But sadly, due to COVID, that bill is on hold... and who knows for how long. So, we want to educate as many people as we can on the dangers of declawing, and what you can do instead!!

There are MANY alternatives to declawing, and I actually spent a LOT of time building a whole page on our website all about what to do instead! Nail caps and scratching posts are a saving grace, and your cat can be trained to use the scratching posts instead of your furniture (yes EVERY cat is trainable in this! As long as you train them correctly! If my special needs cat can learn, so can yours! It's on YOU to use the correct training tactics! Don't worry- I explain how on the website!!) Check out this link to see my guide on declawing alternatives! And thank you for not declawing your cat!!

https://petangeladoption.com/declawing-alternatives

AmericanStandardK9 on TikTok What to Do If Your Dog or Puppy Is Choking

Goldendoodledoos on TikTok If you have a doodle puppy and want to avoid a shave down at all cost we can help you get there😊🐕🐕 goldendoodledoos.com ...

Yes!!

Will Atherton on TikTok The truth about crate training!

THE GIFT OF THE GROWL
Why growling should never be punished and also never be ignored
Not all growls are negative. Some growls are play growls, attention seeking growls, pleasure seeking growls or frustration growls. They may all sound a little different and may be unique to the particular dog. This post is not about different types of growls, but about warning or aggressive growls.
When a dog growls, maybe even at us, the natural human response is to feel offended and maybe even angry. Surely dogs need to learn not to growl, growling is bad, growling is unacceptable, growling is a problem and needs to be punished so a dog learns it’s wrong, disrespectful and not to do it again, right?
NO, this couldn’t be further from the truth! A dog that growls has just provided us with a very valuable communication signal. In their way, they have just communicated to us how they feel without resorting to a bite. Dogs use growling in an attempt to avoid having to resort to biting, not to initiate it. They could just as easily have not even bothered to growl and gone straight to a bite.
Growling is a dog's way of saying "please stop," "stay away from me," "go away," “I’m not comfortable with this and I’m feeling threatened”. A dog that growls is trying hard to communicate and punishment suppresses this ability to communicate. Punishment doesn’t change the level of the dog's discomfort; it creates more stress and the dog will feel more threatened.
Growling is not the problem. Growling is the result of and the symptom of a problem. A dog that bites without the warning of a growl is a far more serious problem than a dog that growls but doesn’t bite.
Look for any other early warning signals that may precede a growl. Recognize and take note of what makes your dog feel threatened and create distance between your dog and whatever is triggering them.
Be grateful for the gift of a growl - it provides us with an opportunity to address the cause & prevent the bite.

Foot Baths: From Itching to Comfort Real Quick! 🐾

Pesticides, herbicides, ragweed, grasses, pollen, mold and dust mites are just some examples of irritants that can accumulate on your dog’s paws, which can build up a surprisingly heavy allergen and chemical load. ❌ A medicated foot bath can help remove them!

Learn how to properly give your pet foot baths in today’s free wellness article: https://bit.ly/3blfZai

Is Your Pup a Grass Eater? 🐕

Most dogs munch on grass occasionally and some even do it more often — but why? Here are 4 possible reasons. 👇



Learn more about this canine behavior in today’s free pet article: https://bit.ly/3HxWKGH

THE BEST BONES TO KEEP YOUR PET’S TEETH CLEAN! 🪥🦴

There are three ways to clean your dog’s teeth🐶🦷: your vet can professionally clean them, you can brush them every night, or you can encourage your dog to chew a raw meaty bone.🍖

Gnawing a raw recreational bones, especially a meaty one with cartilage and soft tissue still attached, is a great way for your dog to naturally get the equivalent of a good brushing and flossing.

⚠️But not all bones are safe for your pet🐶🐱 and certain types of bones are better than others for keeping your their mouth healthy. So today in the Inside Scoop, Dr. Katie Woodley Dvm and Dr. Laurie Coger are joining us to go over all the different types of bones and help you choose the right one for your dogs, cats and puppies!

We'll also be discussing:
⚡️When you should (or shouldn’t) deworm your pet
⚡️Natural repellants for fleas & ticks this summer
…plus download our TWO free ebooks on naturally cleansing parasites plus a bone guide!

Join us today at noon ET for this lively discussion! We’re looking forward to seeing your questions in the chat! 🙌

👉If you haven’t joined our subscription group of 2.0 pet parents and want to learn more, just head over to the Planet Paws page and click the blue "Subscribe” button to join our weekly Livestreams + Archives! Or use the link: https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia/supporters/

⚠️ USE FLEA AND TICK CHEMICALS? ⚠️

Flea and tick insecticides applied or fed to pets are designed to kill pests, but they can also damage your pet’s health ❗ Fipronil (the insecticide found in Frontline, Sentry, Hartz and other flea/tick products) has been classified as a possible human carcinogen, and isoxazoline products (like Bravecto, Nexgard, Siparica, Credelio and other spot-on flea/tick products), have been linked to neurologic adverse events in pets.

“Hybrid” preventive protocols (adding natural repellents to reduce the amount of chemicals applied to pets) can reduce the overall number of chemical pesticide applications by up to 50%, not to mention adding in supplements that help your pet’s body deal and detoxify from recurrent pesticide application.



Read today’s free health article to learn how to make an all-natural homemade pest deterrent for your pet: https://bit.ly/39vaept

Tired of seeing infographs of foods your dog can't eat?

Here is a nifty printable infograph of some awesome foods found in your refrigerator that they CAN eat! :D

Created by Rodney Habib

I’m case you were wondering how I named my shop! 🤣

TikTok - Make Your Day TikTok - trends start here. On a device or on the web, viewers can watch and discover millions of personalized short videos. Download the app to get started.

EAT & FEED BLUEBERRIES!

In a study conducted on sled dogs, blueberry supplementation elicited significantly elevated antioxidant status in the dogs.

This suggests that dogs fed blueberries should be better protected against oxidative damage. -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16520073

Aside from being classified as antiangiogenic aka anti-cancer, blueberries contain a compound called pterostilbene, a derivative of resveratrol.

These little blue powerhouses are good antioxidants because they contain phenolics that preferentially react with free radicals.

So, offering your furry companion blueberries can help protect them against cancer!

- Rodney Habib

I am guilty of using similar products, but no more!

THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!

How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.

Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.

Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!

A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?

“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com

So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?

Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:

STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.

(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)

Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.

(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)

Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.

The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)

STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus!
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)

STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.

“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com

“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com

Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.

STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!

Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.

When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!

Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.

Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“

(Oh, how lovely…)

And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.

How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?

Here is world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker's take on the matter:

“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.

At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“

P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?

An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

One of the Best Foods to Slow Dog Aging: Spinach!🍃🐶

Folate is an essential B vitamin💊 found in food. It helps with the production of DNA and without folate new, healthy DNA cannot be created. Cell biologist and longevity researcher Rhonda Patrick, PhD, maintains that “a deficiency in folate is equivalent to standing under ionizing radiation due to the DNA damage it causes.” And DNA🧬 damage is a BIG contributor to aging.

More recently, folate has also been shown to play a role in protecting telomeres, those important structures at the end of chromosomes that are shortened with age and lifestyle choices; shorter telomeres are associated with shorter lifespan and higher incidence of disease. Being highly heat-sensitive🔥, folate is one of the first nutrients to be inactivated in processed pet food.

In addition to its many vitamins and minerals, spinach provides antioxidants tied to anti-inflammation and disease protection. These include kaempferol, a flavonoid shown to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as slow its growth and spread. Another, called quercetin, has been linked to possible protective effects on memory🧠 as well as heart disease🫀 and type 2 diabetes. Two of the lesser-known glycoglycerolipid components of spinach🍃 include sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) and monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG), which are known for their anti-cancer activity. Overall, spinach contains the second-largest quantity of total glycoglycerolipids among other popular vegetables!

How to prepare spinach🍃 for you and your dog?

Scientists say the best way to consume spinach for maximum lutein intake may be puréed. That’s because when spinach is chopped into small pieces, more lutein is released from the leaves. Older research found that cooking also impacts the folate content of spinach; boiling slashed this B vitamin level by nearly half. Steaming, however, resulted in no significant loss of folate! Cooking also diminishes the vitamin E levels in spinach (and reduces oxalates, if you want to reduce oxalate consumption) but actually increases the amount of beta carotene. So it can be served cooked or raw.

Looking for an easy recipe to get spinach into your dog? Try making our Spinach Longevity Cubes! 🍃🧊🐾

INGREDIENTS-

* 5 ounces of fresh or steamed spinach🍃 (preferably organic)
* 2/3 cup of water (even better, try bone🦴, beef🐮 or chicken🐔 broth, preferably organic)

INSTRUCTIONS-

* Add spinach and water (or broth) in a blender and puree. If the mixture seems too thick, add in extra broth.🍵
* Pour the puree into ice cube trays and freeze until solid.🧊
* Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Add 1 ice cube🧊 per 30lbs of body weight🐕 a day to your dog’s meal.

This is one simple and powerful way to add longevity benefits to your dog’s bowl! Looking for more ideas or recipes? Check out our new book The Forever Dog with dozens of other suggestions available here: www.foreverdog.com

THE DANGEROUS REALITY OF PET FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS

Whether in a pet shop, box store, or online, pet food storage containers are being offered everywhere. Heck, at expos and trade shows they are given away to market a company’s brand name! However, these storage containers can be deadly if used incorrectly!

We all grew up in the age of Tupperware and storing our food in plastic containers. I mean, storage containers were designed to preserve foods, help organize our kitchens, and make our lives easier. Right?

Well, with the amount of information made available to us today, this thought process has changed quickly! With all the research that has been published on eating food out of plastic, that era of using plastic awesomeness has officially died!

Today, more and more families are throwing out their plastic food storage containers (recycle!) and switching to safer alternatives.

But what about our furry companions? Are they receiving the same consideration when it comes to food storage?

Not according to research, they aren’t!

Today, retail shelves are littered with storage containers for dry and wet pet foods; from products like snap & seals and air-tight stackables, to plastic storage carts on wheels.

WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

Let’s start with the obvious:

Research has shown that certain plastic containers leach an assortment of chemicals into our foods and, of course, pet foods! Chemicals in plastic like BPA have been shown to have hormone mimicking, estrogenic and cancer properties.

“Ok. No problem,” you may say, because as we know BPA has been taken out of some plastic storage containers and replaced with a different chemical called bisphenol-S (BPS).

But according to science, BPS appears to be just as toxic (if not more so) than BPA.

“In 2013, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch discovered that even minute concentrations—less than one part per trillion—of BPS can disrupt cellular functioning. Metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, and even cancer, are potential ramifications of such disruptions.” – Mercola https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122191412.htm

TO KEEP RAINING ON THE STORAGE CONTAINER PARADE -

Pet food containers have phthalates & estrogenic activity going on!

In the Environmental Health Perspectives study, they found that out of 500 plastic products they tested, plastics leached when stressed, and 90 percent of them leached even without stress. In fact, the Environmental Health Perspectives study found that some BPA-free products had even more estrogenic activity than BPA-containing products! - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/

Here’s some more rain - Lest we forget phthalates!

Phthalates, which are used as plasticizers in everything, and especially pet food storage containers, have shown to be super-destructive!

“These chemicals have disrupted the endocrine systems of wildlife, causing testicular cancer, ge***al deformations, low s***m counts, and infertility in polar bears, deer, whales, and otters, just to name a few.” - Dr. Karen Becker

OK, NOW FOR THE WHOPPER OF A PROBLEM!

Are you washing your pet food container daily??

When the fats and oils of kibble hit the walls of pet food containers, they begin to oxidize (especially in the plastic ones).

Once the reaction starts, it is self propagating and unstoppable. The oxidation reaction creates free radicals that oxidize fat molecules. The inevitable result is an avalanche of oxidation, and like nearly all-chemical reactions in nature, the warmer the conditions the faster it goes.

In layman terms: over time, the residual fats and oils that have settled along the walls and bottom of the storage container start to grow rancid and develop the invisible molds that will aid in the destruction of your pet’s health. That greasiness along the walls of your container is not so awesome!

According to Pet food formulator (maker) Steve Brown:

“As soon as a food is manufactured, it begins to undergo a variety of chemical and physical changes. It’s a basic law of the universe that everything degrades over time. This includes the proteins and vitamins in dog foods, but it’s the fats I worry about the most. Fats are among the most chemically fragile nutrients in dog food; they are the limiting factor to the shelf life of most dog foods. Fats that have degraded – gone “rancid” – can cause all sorts of health problems for dogs.”

WHY DO YOU NEED TO WASH PET FOOD STORAGE BINS DAILY?

Answer: Because plastic containers have tiny little microscopic pores!

When these fats get trapped in the pores, over time, they too will also grow rancid and contaminate each new batch of food poured into the containers. (Pet parents unknowingly keep pouring new bags of food in the containers, over and over, without washing out the rancid-formed fats and molds!)

Moral of the story:

Try to avoid using a plastic container to store kibble. However, if you already purchased the container, keep the food in its original bag and place that bag into the plastic container. This will help keep oxygen away from degrading the kibble, and saves you the giant disaster that could occur. (Remember to wash that container periodically.)

OR

A BETTER ROUTE TO TAKE: CHOOSE GLASS OVER PLASTIC

To avoid chemical toxins leaching into your pet food, choose glass over plastic when choosing a storage method. Glass pet food storage containers don’t leach unwanted, poisonous chemicals when in contact with pet food. Glass containers are non-porous and won’t absorb rancid oils. However, you should still wash these containers regularly.

OR

Just buy smaller bags of pet food so there is no need for these toxic containers in the first place. :)

Rodney Habib

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

What's The Best Type of Yogurt🥛 to Feed Your Pet?🐾

Whether your dog has just finished a round of antibiotics💊, or you're looking to help combat diseases like allergies, digestive problems, obesity, diabetes, or liver disease, the consumption of fermented foods with probiotic properties, such as kefir, stands out due to its gut microbiota-modulating capacity and can be useful in the management of diseases like these.

Yogurt and kefir🥛 are both fermented foods, but according to the most recent veterinary science, Kefir, hands down, contains more beneficial bacteria. The study found dogs🐶 that were fed Kefir had a healthier gut within 2 weeks, and concluded Kefir may be used as a probiotic food supplement to improve a dog's quality of life!

Adding 1 tablespoon🥄 per 10 pounds of body weight of plain kefir to your dog's food is a great way to boost gut health, and is just one of our many suggestions in the "Mending the Microbiome🦠" section of our upcoming book called The Forever Dog!

Whether you have a canine companion with digestive issues or you're looking to help bulletproof your dog's gut, we offer up a series of ideas and tips that can really help your dog out! The book can be found here: foreverdog.com