Just to say I hope you will support Naturally Happy Dogs a new online video magazine that has recently been launched. It is early days yet but they have endeared themselves to me because one of the first programmes they made was about raw feeding.

In rememberance of Freya Brian

We had the honour of feeding a very, very special dog for the last few months. Her name was Freya, her dates were 24/12/2003 - 25/03/2011 and she was a lovely, lovely mother. Tracey, who looked after her, said: 'She was always very photogenic, gleaming coat - we never used fancy coat preparations - it was all down to good food, healthy lifestyle, being a fit dog & lots of love & attention & of course, being a happy dog!' Anyway, as you can see from the shots she was stunningly beautiful and we were very sorry to hear (only a few days ago) that she had given up her fight with cancer. Our heartfelt condolences to her family.

Photo: Sam at Farlap

Swedegate! How a vegetable has nearly brought us to our knees.

They look innocent enough, don't they? Swedes. But they have been the bane of our existence for the last few days. In our enthusiasm to use only fresh, local, seasonal vegetables a few weeks ago we decided to include swede in some of our recipes.

The thing about swede is that it has a strong smell and flavour and although most of our canine customers have been fine with it, a few have said to us (in dog language, of course): �It may be good for me, but I still don�t like it.� Hopefully, you won�t have encountered this problem, but if you have (and we don�t yet know about it) please get in touch so that we can put things right for you.

We won�t, I hasten to add, be using swede again!

We are happy to recommend Pet Plus

If we had to recommend one all round food supplement it would be Pet Plus. I'll outline why we like this particular product so much in a moment. First, I want to just explain that a healthy dog on a raw food diet won't need supplements (although some owners might take the attitude that they are an aid to good health and can't do any harm). What about dogs that are ill, have recently been ill or lack energy? Here the story is very different. The right supplement can make a marked difference to a dog's wellbeing and vitality. There are plenty of products on the market but the one we have always favoured (initially because our Chief Veterinary Surgeon recommended it and later from personal experience) is Pet Plus. The reason is that it contains high quality, whole food based ingredients. These are:

Enzymes
Pet Plus contains Protease for protein digestion, Amylase for carbohydrate digestion, Lipase for fat digestion and ProCerelase for the digestion of vegetation.

Probiotics
Lactobacillus Acidophillus is one of the best probiotics for dogs. It colonizes the gut easily, creates an environment that discourages pathogens and does not transfer antibiotic resistance, unlike some other probiotics.

Prebiotics
Alfalfa, Kamut wheat grass and barley grass have been pulverized and juiced then carefully dried so that all those fabulous nutrients, which would otherwise be hidden inside the cells, are preserved without chemicals and readily available to your dog. The beet root fibre is also a great source of fibre. Together, these four ingredients are an essential support for the probiotics and provide an enormous number of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Safflower And Flax Seed
Excellent sources of essential fatty acids, safflower and flax seed supplies the perfect balance of omega 3 and 6 for your dog. They are also rich sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and support the probiotics.

Brewers Yeast and Garlic
Repelling parasites is the main role of the brewers yeast and garlic. They are also a source of B vitamins and many other important nutrients.

Another thing we like about Pet Plus is that it has been formulated by Susanna McIntyre a naturopathic vet based in South Wales and it is possible to buy it from her direct. Anyway, if you have been wondering whether your dog needs a bit of a boost then this could be the answer.

Crufts may be sponsored by other dog food companies but Darling's feeds the winners!

Heartiest congratulations to Banrigh for winning Best in Breed and also, of course, to Elise Cartmell and Rob Horsfield who are his - um - support team. Eukanuba may sponsor Crufts but - not wishing to brag or anything - we feed the winner! V.Holloway/The Kennel Club photograph.

Interested in Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Visit this site...

If you are keen on Staffordshire Bull Terriers then you'll find tons and tons of information on the Staffordshire Bull Terrier World site. Just thought I would let you know!

Why not enter the Rescue Remedies photo competition?

This is such a silly photo I couldn't resist using it even though its connection to this post's subject matter is exceedingly tenuous (when I googled for an image of a rescue dog this is what came up).

It is my proud boast that so far we haven't had to turn down a single request by a canine charity or welfare organisation looking for a fundraising prize. One such charity is Rescue Remedies - a small, effective, ethical rehoming organisation well deserving of support. At the moment they are running a photo competition and I hope that you will take time to enter.

Rescue Remedies has been rescuing dogs in the Surrey area since 2002 and is currently looking after around 60 or 70 dogs. They do not have a 'centre' but are internet based.This is what they say on their website: We are very small and don't have staff or a call centre, just a few dedicated volunteers processing applications and liaising with families.

You will find tons of information on their website or email enquiries@rescueremedies.co.uk