Farringford Boarding Kennels & Cattery

05/06/2026

A new peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science followed 858 senior dogs and found that dogs who regularly played, trained, hiked, swam, or participated in other activities with their owners showed fewer signs of age-related cognitive decline. The benefits appeared to go beyond exercise alone, with activities that challenged the brain and strengthened the dog-owner bond linked to healthier brain aging. Dogs that participated at least weekly tended to stay mentally sharper, while lifelong sports dogs had the lowest cognitive decline scores.
That’s important because doggy dementia is one of the most common quality-of-life issues affecting senior dogs. The takeaway? Regular play, training, enrichment, and shared adventures may help keep your dog’s mind younger for longer.

Supporting healthy aging also means protecting the joints that keep dogs active. That’s why Dr. Karen Becker formulated Mobility Matrix™ with science-backed ingredients like UC-II® undenatured type II collagen and eggshell membrane to support mobility and comfort.

If you’d like to explore a science-backed mobility solution for your dog or cat, comment MATRIX and we’ll DM you the link. 🐾✨

31/05/2026

Dogs🐾 benefit from something as simple as an apple🍎. A new peer-reviewed systematic review published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science highlighted quercetin, a powerful flavonoid✨ found in apples, as one of the most promising natural compounds for supporting long-term health.

Research suggests quercetin helps reduce inflammation, protect cells from oxidative damage, support beneficial gut bacteria, strengthen the gut barrier, and promote healthy metabolism, all of which are closely linked to healthier aging.

Choose organic apples🍏 or spray free apples when possible, as conventionally grown apples are among the fruits most commonly found to contain pesticide residues. Remove the seeds and core, but leave the skin on (that’s where the quercetin is) before sharing a few bites with your dog. If you’re choosing a variety, Red Delicious🍎 apples are considered one of the richest sources of quercetin among commonly available apples.

This is also one of the reasons Dr. Karen Becker chose hypoallergenic organic apple fiber as the carrier in the Proactive Paws™ formulas instead of ingredients like beef liver or cellulose. Apple fiber helps make her human grade formulas suitable for pets with food sensitivities, while also acting as a prebiotic that nourishes beneficial gut bacteria and supports the production of health-promoting short-chain fatty acids.

28/05/2026

Not sure if any dogs on this harmful medication, may be helpful to know.
Dogs raw fed have a lot less inflammation, our 14 year old whippet still loves to sprint like he’s 4.

25/05/2026

The joys of leaves, sunshine and just being a dog. 🥰 Apologies lost him in the shadows for a bit!

24/05/2026

Keep the dogs cool they say…..forgot to mention the staff 🥵😂

24/05/2026

Some breeds like cooking themselves on hot days 🤦‍♀️
But our lucky dogs get to choose to regulate their own temperature, indoors or outdoors!
Unlike some poor dogs this weekend who’ll be
*Walked when the temperatures are too high
* on hot pavements
*taken to the beach without shade ( I’ve seen dogs digging to get down to wet sand because they’re too uncomfortable) don’t worry though it’s a dog friendly beach! Then afterwards
*put into a hot car for the journey home.
Dogs are meant to sleep for 18 hours a day, leave them at home in the cool or stay at home yourself putting their needs first.

24/05/2026

Morning fly by 🥰

21/05/2026

This week (finally) we’re going to have lots of beneficial sunshine, filling us and our pets with highly beneficial vitamin D. However due to not having a natural increase of temperature, giving time to acclimatise it may be a shock for our pets.

🤔Think first-what would dogs naturally do when it’s hot?
Dogs should naturally sleep around 18 hours a day. Think hunting times, early morning and dusk is the active time for predators. So……

*plan walk times during early morning or late evening’s.
*Take water with you (many years ago I got caught out with a very active dog even on a cloudy day. Luckily a damp, cool copse returned the dogs core temperature.)
*Do not be one of those idiots who take their dog with them into towns/cities walking on hot pavements during the heat of the day. Instead arrange for someone to let the dog out at home.
*obviously DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG IN THE CAR, EVEN ON CLOUDY DAYS

Enjoy the life giving 🌞

10/02/2026

18/01/2026

We’ve fed raw long before owning Farringford, I wouldn’t feed kibble, no more than I would have taken our children to McDonald’s!