Grooming by Roxie

07/29/2026

Come check out Sample Saturday!

07/15/2026

07/14/2026

This nail trim was so satisfying!

07/13/2026

Fresh cuts, wagging butts, and smiles all around!

Come check out my new place at Pet Wants Cleveland.
I still offer one on one appointments! Your pets wellbeing is my number one goal.

07/07/2026

My pups love sweet potatoes!

🍠 Sweet potatoes are a great add to your dog’s bowl. They’re packed with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that dogs convert into vitamin A to support healthy vision, skin, immune function, and overall cellular health.

And sweet potatoes are also great for your dog’s gut. They contain resistant starch, pectin, and other prebiotic fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria. As these fibers are fermented, they produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which help support the gut lining, immune system, and a healthy intestinal environment. Interestingly, a recent peer-reviewed study found that dogs with skin allergies had fewer gut bacteria that produce these beneficial compounds, highlighting the close connection between gut health and immune health.

One of my favorite nutrition tricks is to steam, cool, and serve sweet potatoes. Steaming helps preserve beta-carotene while making it more available. Refrigerating cooked sweet potatoes overnight converts some of the starch into gut-friendly resistant starch that feeds beneficial bacteria. Finally, serving sweet potatoes with plain full-fat yogurt, a hard-boiled egg, sardines, herring, or fish oil helps your dog absorb more beta-carotene.

Whenever possible, choose organic sweet potatoes and leave the peel on, as the skin contains extra fiber and polyphenols that help nourish beneficial gut bacteria while also reducing exposure to pesticide residues.

Sweet potatoes come packaged in a whole-food matrix rich in beta-carotene, vitamins, minerals, and prebiotic fibers. Cooling them overnight also helps reduce the blood sugar response by increasing resistant starch.

🍠 How much should you feed?

• Small dogs (under 20 lb / 9 kg): 1–2 teaspoons daily
• Medium dogs (20–50 lb / 9–23 kg): 1–2 tablespoons daily
• Large dogs (50–90 lb / 23–41 kg): 2–4 tablespoons daily
• Giant dogs (over 90 lb / 41 kg): Up to ¼–½ cup daily

Remember, healthy add ins can make up about 10% of your dog’s daily calories.

06/28/2026

06/27/2026

Before you kick off your weekend adventures, stop by Pet Wants for 20% off all healthy treats, fresh food, and all your furry friend’s favorites.

Because weekends are even better with happy, spoiled pets. 🦴✨

See you soon!

06/26/2026

🥦 RESEARCH SUGGESTS BROCCOLI MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL LONGEVITY FOODS YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR DOG’S BOWL.🐾

Broccoli is one of nature’s richest sources of sulforaphane, a remarkable plant compound that doesn’t just work as an antioxidant. It helps switch on your dog’s own built-in protective systems, supporting detoxification, cellular repair, healthy inflammation, and defense against oxidative stress.

In a peer-reviewed dog study, a single dose of sulforaphane activated natural anti-cancer defenses within just 24 hours. In longevity research, sulforaphane has also extended lifespan by more than 50% in animal models, making it one of the most exciting plant compounds being studied for healthy aging.

Broccoli is also rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and prebiotics that nourish the gut microbiome and support long-term health.

🥦 One simple trick: finely chop broccoli and let it sit for up to 90 minutes before serving it raw. This gives broccoli’s natural enzyme time to produce more sulforaphane, helping maximize one of its most valuable protective compounds.

Sometimes the most powerful longevity foods aren’t expensive supplements. They’re already sitting in your refrigerator.

06/24/2026

Finlays first visit 💚

Barks and Purrs Grooming by Ria is working on drying Finlay before I start his haircut.

Come visit us at Pet Wants Cleveland

06/24/2026

🐶 New Food Allergy Study

Researchers found that most food-allergic dogs required moderate-to-large exposures before symptoms appeared. On average, flare-ups didn’t show up until about 4 days after eating the offending ingredient.

Another important finding was that food reactions were often delayed, with symptoms appearing several days after exposure. Most dogs also did not react to tiny trace amounts of allergenic protein. Instead, the majority required larger exposures before clinical signs developed.

This study highlights why dietary diversity matters. Feeding only one food for an animal’s entire life is a recommendation often promoted by pet food companies to build brand loyalty, not by many nutrition-focused veterinarians and researchers.

That’s one reason I encourage healthy dogs to eat a variety of proteins and foods throughout life instead of the same protein or brand year after year. It helps maintain dietary flexibility and may support a more diverse gut microbiome.

If your animal can only tolerate one protein, it’s worth exploring why.

If you want to learn more about addressing microbiome imbalances and improving your pet’s gut health, grab my free Gut Health Guide to get started, link in comments: 🐾