Suzanne Clothier

31/10/2026

The holiday season is approaching - can you hear the holiday music about to hit stores and radio stations? Decorations are already being sold and you have probably started to make plans for what you want to buy and for who - and we all know Black Friday sales are coming! Including ours.

Every year we spend a lot of time trying to plan what we think you want, what will be the most appreciated - and we drive ourselves a little nuts because we want to make everyone happy. So this year we decided to ask - what do you want?

What new items would you like to see? New courses? New shirt designs? We do have a new course we are waiting to launch - and it might have to do with leash skills . . .

What sales would you most enjoy? The RCT Reference Collection is guaranteed to go on sale - but do you want to see us offer other things on sale? Have you been hoping to see the Reactivity Repair Kit get discounted? Or maybe you really would appreciate a sale on some of the Relationship Centered Training Skills? Or a good old fashioned book sale?

We turn to you - the people who support us, inspire us, and remind us that what we do is valuable and important - what do you love, what you want more of, what you are looking forward to? It is very easy to get lost in the day to day of running a small business and lose track of what really matters - the relationship! The money you spend with us is not just a sale - it's letting us know that what we are doing matters, and makes a difference. And to thank you for that, we want to know what we can do for you this holiday season.

31/10/2026

RECALL: Wedgewood Pharmacy has initiated a voluntary recall of certain products.

If you use their products, please visit their website for a complete listing of affected products.

Note: Wedgewood has been a lifesaver for us and our animals for many, many years. I will continue to utilize their services but think the recall is important.

Please share!

31/10/2026

Hestaband by Christa Veinotte, Equine Massage Therapist

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇. 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒

A study published in the 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 (2026) provides encouraging evidence supporting the use of kinesiology taping to reduce postoperative swelling in dogs.

The prospective, randomized controlled study evaluated 31 canine stifle joints following tibial plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery.

Researchers compared dogs receiving kinesiology tape applied in a double-lymphatic pattern with those receiving no tape.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

✔ Significantly less soft tissue swelling at specific measurement locations in the taped group within the first 24 hours following surgery.

✔ Significant differences were observed as early as 3 hours postoperatively.

✔ Kinesiology taping was well tolerated, with 𝐍𝐎 adverse effects reported.

The researchers concluded that kinesiology taping using a double-lymphatic pattern offers a simple, low-cost, noninvasive approach to reducing soft tissue swelling during the immediate postoperative period.

While further research is needed, these findings represent an important contribution to the growing body of scientific literature on veterinary kinesiology taping.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

At Hestaband™, we believe research, education, and practical skills are essential to making informed decisions for the animals in our care.

Kinesiology taping is simple, cost-effective, and noninvasive. Knowing when and how to use it makes the difference.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
𝘓𝘶𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘨, 𝘉., 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2026). 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦-𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 4 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘶-𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺. American Journal of Veterinary Research.

https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.11.0398

Figure 1 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 from Dr. Brittany Ludwig, with attribution to the original publication.

30/10/2026

There are times when I despair of reaching old age with any hearing at all. Between a lifetime of German Shepherds and other dogs with, um, "vocal opinions", and a decade now with large birds, it can be good to step out of the house and into the peace of the farm.

But today, taking a walk in our woods, I realized that silence was just a hopeful thought, one dashed into tiny (and numerous) soundbites by Lynx. What photos cannot possibly capture is what it *sounds* like to walk these two dogs.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. And I have miles to go before I sleep. And thanks to Lynx's big mouth, all the wildlife within earshot also not asleep. On the plus side, I was able to set aside concerns about any encounters with wildlife, except perhaps a deaf porcupine.

23/10/2026

It's Alissa's birthday and she is taking control of the social media to celebrate!

Because what better way to celebrate your birthday than by making one of her favorite courses available at 45% off! Did she check with Suzanne - NOPE! Is this a well thought out marketing plan - NOPE! Did she just wake up and decide to do something fun - YES!

Let's hope it works because after she posts this Alissa is heading to Costco and then taking her dog to agility class before heading out to dinner - so do not make her come back to a lot of e-mails.

You can use the link in the comments or put the code AlissaBDay in at check out - only good on Really Real Relaxation PRO and sale is available on October 23, 2026!

23/10/2026

Warning: potentially fatal hazard for dogs. Please share.
Our experts at ASPCA Poison Control want to warn pet parents about severe signs reported after exposures to hot/cold packs migraine caps, eye masks, wraps and cooling pet pads commonly found in homes, first aid kits, lunchboxes and cooling pet beds. These wraps may be intended for various body regions such as fingers, hands, wrists, ankles or knees, and are often marketed for hot/cold compression therapy. Packaging may describe the gel as nontoxic or medical grade.
In cases of ingestion, ASPCA Poison Control has noted signs ofvomiting, muscle tremors, unsteadiness on the feet, sensitivity to sound or touch, low blood pressure and an increase in heart rate. Seizures and deaths have also been reported.
Although these products are said to contain nontoxic polymers such as polyacrylamide, some have been found to contain high levels of acrylamide, which is used to manufacture polyacrylamide. Acrylamide is a potent neurotoxin, reproductive toxin and possible carcinogen for both pets and humans and is suspected of causing the signs. In addition, some of these products may contain superabsorbent gel beads that can expand dramatically after swallowing, creating the risk of gastrointestinal obstruction in addition to potential toxicological concerns.
Actions to Take
Keep cold/hot packs, gel wraps and hydrogel products out of reach of pets and store securely in cabinets or containers. Avoid leaving pets unsupervised around pet cooling mats, to protect against attempted ingestion.
Immediately clean leaked gel contents and prevent pets from contacting the material. Wear nitrile gloves when handling spilled gel or damaged products.
Retain product packaging, labels and ingredient information whenever possible as this information can be extremely valuable for veterinarians during case evaluation.
Report adverse events and unusual reactions associated with these products to manufacturers and appropriate safety agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Increased reporting helps identify emerging hazards and supports product safety improvements.
If you suspect your pet may have chewed, punctured or ingested the contents of a cold/hot pack, cooling mat, therapeutic body wrap, hydrogel or gel bead product, please contact your veterinarian or our experts at ASPCA Poison Control at 888-426-4435. If your pet is showing neurologic signs, please take them to your closest veterinarian immediately.

Our experts at ASPCA Poison Control want to warn pet parents about severe and unexpected signs that are being reported following exposures to certain headache wraps and cooling pet pads that contain hydrogel. Read on to keep your pet safe.

20/10/2026

Love is not enough to make a motorcycle into a school bus . . . and it is not enough to guarantee well-being and welfare. And we have to be careful to stay tuned into what they need . . .

18/10/2026

Observation Skills opens today!

Are you ready to observe everything differently?

Sign up at SuzanneClothier .com or comment Observation Skills * to find out more.

*𝑊𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒. 𝑊𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚, 𝑤𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑡 𝑖𝑡, 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒.

16/10/2026

"𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠.

𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠. 𝐴𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔, ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑜𝑔-𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟-𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝐼 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒."
- 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑐𝐾𝑎𝑦

Will we be seeing you in Observation Skills? For those who have taken the course what was your favorite part?

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽.

We say should because sometimes the internet powers that be are not as powerful (or functional) as they think - and because sometimes the messages go into your unknown sender folder. We cannot explain it, we can only say they did not take our Observation Skills Course and maybe it would help their coding if they had.

14/10/2026

UPDATE: Ember has been found safe! Thank you to all who shared and supported - it is so appreciated.