June marks the start of hurricane here in Florida. While Central Florida has been relatively lucky in avoiding major hurricane damage over the last few years, we know from past experience that pets often get left behind when disaster strikes. That’s why June has been decreed National Pet Preparedness Month, in hopes that animal abandonment in serious emergencies declines thanks to education and preparation.

When you’re getting your home and family ready for the hurricanes, don’t forget to have a plan in place for your dog, as well! Here are three things to keep in mind as you create your emergency preparedness plan for your pets:

1. Make sure your pets are microchipped. This should be a given in any season, not just during hurricane season! If you haven’t already microchipped your dogs, now is the time. In the event that your dog gets spooked and runs away in the middle of the storm, their microchip will allow whoever finds them to identify you as their owner and return them safely home. It’s also a good idea to give them an ID tag with your name and contact info.

2. Find a pet-friendly shelter or hotel ahead of time. Your dog is your family - make sure he has a place to stay when you leave your home in the case of an evacuation. Some evacuation shelters don’t accept dogs for safety or other reasons, but leaving your dog behind isn’t an option. Visit www.pet-friendly-hotels.net to find some of the best pet friendly spots in your area, and book in advance if it looks like an evacuation is required.

3. The buddy system works. Make sure you share your pet’s information with a neighbor, family member, or friend who lives nearby. Doing so will help you ensure that someone will be able to carry out your pet evacuation plan in the unfortunate case that you’re caught outside evacuation lines when the order is issued. You’ll want to give your buddy a copy of your house key, a copy of your evac plan, and detailed notes on where your pet’s necessary supplies are kept.

Hurricanes can make anyone nervous, including your dogs! But helping your pet stay safe and happy during a natural disaster doesn’t have to be difficult when you come prepared. Red Rover has a handy checklist so you can make sure you’ve taken care of the most important pet evacuation tasks before the storm rolls through.

This month, we’re offering 10% off all orders over $50 so you can stock up on food and broth ahead of time. There’s no code required at checkout, so get shopping! Click here to view our current products.

Have you found yourself begging your dog to swallow their pills? Have they outsmarted you and picked their meds right out of a glob of peanut butter or cheese? Veteran dog owners know that medication time is not always the easiest of tasks. However, the experts at CompoundingRX USA have smart and easy tricks to try the next time your furry friend needs to take their meds:

Your pet’s immune system is surprisingly susceptible to environmental factors. Think of all the different allergies and itch-causers they experience in a given day: their immune systems are on overdrive as their bodies work to keep them safe and fully functioning amidst a slew of allergens. While a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to combat these allergens, sometimes your dog’s immune system needs a little help.

Here are a few more Mercola products we use on a regular basis to help our dogs’ immune systems stay healthy and strong:

Immune Balance for Pets

Immune Balance for Pets harmonizes immune function, boosts cell, tissue, and organ repair to help slow cellular aging, supports liver and digestive health, helps restore a healthy gut microbiome, and much more.

• Arabinogalactan from Western larch trees, a prebiotic fiber that ferments in your pet’s gut, supporting colon health, protecting your pet’s intestinal lining, and promoting a healthy normal inflammatory response

• Bovine Colostrum with standardized IgG (150 mg/serving) from American dairy cows not fed synthetic hormones or routine antibiotics; contains important immune factors, growth hormone, and probiotics

• Certified Organic Moringa leaf powder contains abundant vitamins and minerals as well as valuable antioxidants to promote a normal healthy inflammatory response, helpful for flexible and comfortable joint movement

• Yeast Fermentate grown, harvested and manufactured in the U.S. (contains no active yeast!), increases Natural Killer (NK) cell activity and antioxidant protection within only hours of consumption

Juggling four different supplements on your own can be challenging, especially getting them in the right proportions for your pet. Pet Immune Balance offers a simple option for providing ideal immune support for dogs and cats.

Organic Mushroom Complex

This proprietary blend of 8 mushroom mycelium…

• Contains 100% Certified Organic, biologically active, whole food mushroom and mycelium (not isolated extracts) to optimize the life cycle of the mushroom

• Is an excellent source of fermented foods for digestive and immune health

• Contains protein and high levels of natural whole food vitamin D2, B6, B12, beta glucans, chelated minerals, fiber, antioxidants (including L-ergothioneine) and natural glucosamine

• Is grown and produced entirely in the U.S.

• Uses oats instead of rice for its substrate, adding valuable plant beta glucans and enhancing the mycelia's bioactivity

• Retains its bioactivity through carefully controlled processing methods

• Contains an array of beta glucans, each with its own beta glucan structure

• Does not contain additives, fillers, gluten, and unhealthy levels of heavy metals

Spirugreen

Spirulina is one of the richest beta-carotene ingredients, with ten mixed carotenoids. Including orange carotenes, alpha, beta, gamma, and yellow xanthophylls, these powerful antioxidants work synergistically in different sites in your pet's body.

Studies on both cats and dogs show that spirulina supports good health in several ways:

• Helps support a strong, healthy normal immune system

• Helps promote a healthy coat and skin

• May help promote comfortable movement and flexibility

Healthy Pets SpiruGreen truly packs a one-two punch with all the nutrient value of spirulina, including carotenoids, phycocyanins and enzymes, plus all the goodness of microalgae astaxanthin, one of the world's most powerful fat-soluble antioxidant carotenoids.

Whole Food Digestive Probiotics

 Whole Food Digestive Probiotic provides general nutritional maintenance support for your healthy pet’s immune health, digestion and gut health, normal cell growth and development, and overall vitality.

This “all-in-one” nutritional supplement contains four key blends:

• Probiotic blend of 8 valuable strains of gut-friendly probiotics to help promote a healthy nutritional balance of gastrointestinal bacteria for healthy normal immune function, brain health, digestion and utilization of nutrients

• Digestive nutrition enzyme blend from papaya, pineapple and porcine pancreas to help break down protein, fats, fiber and carbohydrates into usable components

• Superfood and green food blend, including spirulina, fermented chlorella, broccoli sprouts and turmeric root to provide valuable nutritional antioxidant support for cellular, detox, gut, joint and immune health

• Mushroom blend of highly-valued Reishi and Chaga mushrooms to help maintain your pet’s nutrition through healthy normal immune function, healthy blood flow and circulation, and a healthy liver

Did you know that October is National Pet Wellness Month? After the excitement of the summer, the fall is the perfect time to slow down and give your pet an overall health and wellness checkup. Here at Pawsitively Pure, we like to treat Pet Wellness month as a new beginning for our pets’ health goals and find new ways to improve quality of life for Jackson and Finley as they grow older together.

This year, we want to take it back to the basics and make sure our pups are living their best lives when it comes to their everyday needs. Here are the 3 ways we’re celebrating National Pet Wellness Month:

• Make sure your pups are following healthy, balanced diets.  The number one thing you can do to keep your pup happy is to ensure the food they eat is fresh and free from unnecessary fillers and sugars. The best way to do this is with whole, human-grade foods. Your dog wasn’t designed to live on kibble; make the switch to natural food and you’ll see increased energy levels and much more alertness in your pup.

• Give your dog an enriching environment. No matter how often you try to give your dog outdoor playtime, they’re still spending most of their lives inside the house. Make sure your dog isn’t bored and provide him with a variety of toys and puzzles. Also, as often as possible, take your dog on different routes for your daily walk. Any training sessions are also great opportunities for both enrichment and bonding.

• Give your dog an at-home wellness checkup. Your dog can’t tell you when he’s experiencing a health issue; instead, you have to rely on your own observations to discern that your pup is under the weather. Usually, by the time symptoms get serious, the issue has been present for a while. This is why it’s so important to regularly give your pet a simple at-home examination from tip to tail. Here’s a great guide from Healthy Pets by Mercola.

Give your pup a little extra love for National Pet Wellness month! If you’re not sure where to start, your pet’s diet is the biggest factor in their overall health and wellness. Review your food and treat choices and determine what areas might need a little extra healthy nutrition. When you’re ready to switch your dog to natural, human-grade food, click here to shop Pawsitively Pure’s products.