Hi there! This is Krista with Episode #148 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. It's common knowledge that a dog's sense of smell is legendary. But did you know that his nose has as many as 300 million receptors? In comparison, our human noses have only about 5 million. Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode. Judy Baker is the driving force behind Dr Baker's System Saver... the safe, natural, anti-inflammatory phenomenon that is changing the lives of pets with pain. For 20 years, Judy has made it her mission to make this amazing formulation, created by her husband Dr. Don Baker, available to animal lovers all over the world. To date she has received literally thousands of testimonials from delighted pet owners who have been overjoyed to shake off the worry of using harmful anti-inflammatories, while delivering results that have been truly life changing. Prevention: Your Dog's Life Depends on It Hi there dog lovers. Thank you so much for tuning in to another Wag Out Loud pawdcast episode. And today we are chatting with Judy Baker, who is here to cover Prevention: Your Dog's Life Depends on It. Judy, I want to welcome you to the show, and ask you to please introduce yourself and tell us why you think it's so important to think about prevention early on with our dogs. Well, first, thank you so much for having me on Krista. I truly appreciate the opportunity to speak to everybody. And I am the co founder of Dr. Baker's Canine System Saver, which has been around for almost 23 years. That's pretty amazing. And why do you take the stance about prevention? Why are you so passionate about it? I think because I've learned so much from the people that I've dealt with over the last 23 years. And from what I've seen in my own dogs. And what's reported back to me. So many things get taken for granted, because they're simple. They're things you wouldn't ordinarily think of. And it can make such a big difference in the quality of the dog's life, and the longevity and how they spend that time living their life from something as simple as having blood work done. So you have a baseline of what you're looking at whether you start with a very young dog, or you start with an older dog that you rescue, or you happen to be in a senior rescue, like my friend, Penny Miller, from Frankie and Andy's Place, who deals with tons of seniors. You have to know what you're dealing with, so you can make the best decisions possible. Yep. And that's what this show is all about, how to be the best advocate for our dog's health and wellness. And, Judy, you probably agree, we've all heard the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And I think it really holds true when it comes to the health of our dogs. So tell me if you agree. I absolutely agree. Okay. And, Judy, do you also think that the cost of prevention upfront is usually a fraction of the cost of treating a disease or problem once it's become more advanced? Absolutely, if you can stay ahead of something. And sometimes you can’t, an injury can happen that you never would have thought would be something that would be put in your path. And then you have to juggle a little bit and do the best you can with it. But it's going to save you time and angst over many years, if you can avoid things. I have so many people come to me all the time and say I wish I had thought of that sooner. I wish I had known that sooner. Even if it's something as simple as having hardwood floors, with a dog that's newly injured. You want to get something down on those floors so that your dog has traction, be it a yoga mat or be it anything that they have traction on. It's simple little things that you can add in. We all know about diet or I should say we're learning about it. We learn as we grow and I think that our dogs are some of our greatest teachers. Absolutely and Judy, you hit it on the head that it's all about education. We can't beat ourselves up you know once an issue does arise. Oh, I shoulda, coulda, woulda. That's what this show is all about. And that's why speaking to people like you, that educate people, what can we do for preventative measures, and we have a crisis going on, over 50% of our dogs, especially over the age of 10, are going to get cancer. And that is just awful statistics. And we should be thinking more, how do we prevent the cancer and the other diseases that we're seeing so much of? So I am so excited about this topic. And I wanted to ask you, Judy, what does dog preventative care mean to you? Knowledge is Key It means a scope of things. It's not just one thing, environment, environment plays into it, feeding your dog plays into it. And when you talk about feeding your dog, I never want people to feel like there's guilt involved in that. I think people who are becoming aware, are doing the very best they can. And sometimes you can't make a total change in a diet. But you can make small incremental changes. And I think everything you do even if it is tiny steps toward the ultimate goal of having quality of life. Because everybody strives for longevity. But without quality of life, it means nothing. And I think that everybody has that goal. But knowledge comes to people differently. And I think a lot of people in your audience are looking for options, they're looking for alternatives. And there are a lot of them out there. Some are better than others. And it's about doing a little bit of research. Well, to your point, Judy, nothing in the pet industry is regulated. So we do have to educate ourselves, we have to do the research. And as we said, we have to be the advocates for our dogs, you know, they can't talk. So on this show, our listeners know that we look at integrative or even holistic approaches to wellness. So things like as you mentioned, you know, a high quality diet is a great foundation to start with when it comes to prevention. And we're going to talk about this in a little while, but exercise for your dog, promoting a healthy gut, keeping your dog's teeth and gums healthy. So it's really a whole body approach when it comes to health and wellness and prevention. And that also includes diet, and exercise. And making sure that emotionally your pets feel safe, that you spend time with them. And you give them quality time. Taking the dog on a walk and spending that walk, unless it's an emergency, on your phone, isn't giving them the time that they deeply require. Because they're very emotional beings just like we are. And they know the difference. If you're paying attention to them, or if you're not. It's funny you say that. That is one of my pet peeves is going out for a walk and seeing people with their dogs and they're on the phone. Yeah, me too. I don't know about you, Judy. But my best thinking happens when I'm out for a walk with my dog out in nature, when my mind is free, and I'm breathing fresh air, and I am bonding with my dog. it's such an opportune moment to do that. And I wish more people would realize it. It's so true and one of my dogs loves to run. She ended up with an injury this summer that caused her to have to be on a leash and not run the way she loves to. And I felt guilty that I couldn't just let her go the way she wanted to. And I had to fight myself, to say to myself, No, you have to be very present with her and make sure that she doesn't reinjure something and that I can be her advocate give her the time she needs to heal and be very protective of her. When all I wanted to do was let her run and be happy. But I knew in the long run she'd be happier if I did what I was doing at the time. The Importance of a Baseline You're so right. And we also have to think about others. You know, it's another pet peeve of mine people think that letting their dog off leash when they do not have control over the dog, you know, that puts you and your dog in jeopardy. So I just I encourage people to be more respectful and cognizant, and I know our listeners are the good guys. So why don't we get into prevention. And you said this early on, and I love how you worded it that it's great to get a baseline early on. So whether you have a puppy or you adopt an adult dog, it's so important that during their wellness examinations, that you get the baseline of a urinalysis and a stool sample and the blood work. Do you agree? Absolutely. Because you can't know if something's changed. And you can't ever go back and wonder, well, is this normal for my dog, even if it looks off, it might not be off for your dog, it might be something that dog’s had all its life. So getting a baseline and knowing what you're dealing with, from whatever stage you start out with your dog is, a really good way of staying ahead of something. Yep, I agree. And to that point, a few episodes ago, #142, we talked about this amazing program called Pet Health 5, which is FREE. And it's monthly emails, just as a reminder to do a body scan, temperature check, weight check, dental exam, and a check on heart rate. So simple to just take a few minutes every month. So if anybody's interested again, that's free, it's just a monthly reminder, check out episode number 142. On the Pet Health 5. I actually just listened to that over the weekend. And I think it's a wonderful program and a wonderful idea. Because it takes such a short time to check in. And when a dog looks healthy and happy, you never think about them not being that way. But dogs are very stoic beings. And they don't show a lot of times when something doesn't feel quite right to them. They'll see a raccoon or a rabbit or a chipmunk, and they'll go after it anyway, just for fun, right? But if you have a baseline, and you can follow the progress of something, or know if whatever you're seeing is just the way your dog is because they're all individuals. It's just a safe way to check in. Absolutely. And I know a lot of people go as far as journaling, that in addition to visits to the vet and all of the records that they keep that a lot of dog parents journal, you know, okay, Winston has a lipoma on his chest. And then a month later, oh, there's another lipoma. I'm going to write that down, you know, has the other one grown.? So it's just a great way to keep your own records, in addition to the veterinary records. It's funny you said that because the other thing is measuring them. Because it's so easy for us. Because we love them so deeply. To kind of not want to know if they've changed. We want to know, and we don't want to know. So a little bit of denial plays in. So if you journal and you chart, you know what you were looking at a month before, and if something has changed a month later, and if it's down there in writing, you can't give yourself that little bit of denial that you want, even though in the big picture, you wouldn't want that at all. Great, great advice. Well, Judy, this is a great place for us to take a short commercial break, so hold on everybody. Thanks so much to the team at System Saver for being this month’s feature sponsor. Dr. Baker’s Canine System Saver is an outstanding all-natural supplement that promotes healthy aging.  Originally created by a veterinarian to help restore health and soundness to dogs suffering from chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions, this is one product that does so much! Perfect for: arthritis, hip dysplasia & joint support, chronic dermatitis, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and geriatric support for successful aging and quality of life extension. At 13 yrs old,my dog Winston has a better quality of life and has found so much more energy being on this amazing product!” Now with the start of allergy season, System Saver works wonders on canine allergies as well. Learn more by going to http://caninesystemsaver.com/ to relieve your dog’s discomfort naturally.  And as a bonus, Wag Out Loud listeners can take advantage of a 10% discount by using the code WOL10 at checkout! Hello, everyone, we are back speaking with Judy Baker about the importance of prevention. And Judy, does it all boil down to simply preventing inflammation? I think so many diseases start with inflammation. And I think so many issues with joints, start with the degradation of the tissue around cartilage. And that can cost a dog long term, even if it starts out very slowly. And if you have a dog that is very active, does agility, you're putting more stress on the body on the joints. It's something you want to try and take into consideration that maybe as the dog gets to a certain point or certain age, there's a way to intervene and get in front of it, rather than walking behind it. Because when you walk in behind it, it's a lot harder to get control of it. Right. Well, in a nutshell, you're you're telling us about how we can be proactive, to hold off the inevitable. Of course, we all want our dogs to live forever. And unfortunately, that is not the case. So for as long as we have them in our lives, we can make sure that they are happy and healthy. And when you and I chatted just a little while ago, you said such a great thing that yes, we go to the vet to address a certain issue, but that we need to go with our guts. Do you want to expand on that? You Know Your Dog the Best Sure. I think that there are a lot of wonderful veterinarians out there, my husband being one of them. But he's a large animal vet. And he comes from a very, very different frame of mind, he's open, always been very open minded. But a lot of vets are not. They’re old school, even if they've just graduated. And they're very cut and dry about the way they practice medicine. And a lot of people feel very intimidated by their vets laying out a plan, and then not feeling right to them. And when people come to me, it's usually in crisis. And their vet has told them this, that and the other thing and they don't want their dogs on Rimadyl, or Apoquel or things that can cause damage and makes things even worse than what they already went in for. And I don't know if the vets don’t have enough time to do the research to find out or it’s just the way they were trained in school. But I do know that nobody knows your dog better than yourself. Because you're with them every day. You watch them every day. You know, you look at them. And there's a connection that they might like your vet, but they don't have that connection with your vet. And if something doesn't feel right to you, go get another opinion. That doesn't mean go to Dr. Google, necessarily. But get another opinion. Try and find somebody else. Try and find a friend who knows somebody, who knows somebody and talk to people. Great, great advice. Well, when it comes to prevention, there's a balance, you know how much is too much because prevention could actually go in the wrong direction of paranoia. And we become overly protective. And we have our dogs on every supplement that we've heard about. And, you know, we give them all the vaccines and flea and tick medications and heartworm all for prevention. When we have to take a step back, are we giving toxic substances to our dogs for the what ifs. And you and I've talked about this at great length. There's other options and natural alternatives. So Judy, I would love for you to share your story about Pepsi and how System Saver came to be. The History of System Saver Thank you. Pepsi is really the reason that System Saver was formulated. He was a beautiful, beautiful Akita that we were lucky enough to take home as a “very healthy puppy”, who by the time he was six months old started losing his hair. And to make a very long and horrible story short, we took him to everywhere. And doors were open to us because Don was a vet and very well respected. We went to the University he went to, which was Cornell, we took him to all kinds of specialists. And the best advice we got was to euthanize him. And this was when he was less than a year old. It started when he was about six months old. And because Don had always been alternative, he was a certified acupuncturist for horses. Over 30, some odd years ago, he had started doing research on a number of different things that he felt would help Pepsi. And he really targeted in on reducing inflammation, and slowing down the degenerative process, and trying to cut into the overdrive, that Pepsi’s system had gone into. And this magnificent dog lost every piece of hair on his body. And he was very close to death. And for whatever reason, I remember looking at him at one point and saying, if we can save this dog, I want to be able to help one person. And I documented a lot of this. And it was horribly visual. And when we started System Saver, he was on more supplements than you could imagine. I could fill my own store with them. And everything had to stop. Because we had to know if this was going to work or not. Because we were not going to keep this dog alive for us. But if he was willing to fight, so were we. We started him on System Saver and Don and I actually started taking it along with him. And slowly, very slowly, it took about three weeks. And he started eating again. The light came back into his eyes. All his hair grew back over time. And I'll never say he was cured. But his health was restored and he was maintained on System Saver for the rest of his life. And he lived until he was almost 13 years old. And people would come to me and say that's not the same dog. And I would be like, it is the same dog. And I was hand making capsules for people 23 years ago. And you never got a diagnosis as to what was going on with Pepsi, right? Vaccinosis We never got a diagnosis back then. My belief is that it was Vaccinosis because I had asked the breeder not to vaccinate him, because he was way too young. And that was our feeling at the time that he. was just too young. And you vaccinate when you need to vaccinate when you have to or you titer. But he was such a young baby, he was coming home with us. We could deal with it a little bit later on let his body and his own immune system kick in. We found out much later that the breeder had vaccinated him and it destroyed his immune system. Yep, we've talked about that on the show many times. And Pepsi taught me an invaluable lesson. He really did. And, you know, all of my dogs have, you know, I'm gonna jump to Amber only because I never even thought to put this Rhodesian Ridgeback who was magnificent, athletic, two years old. She broke a digit in her paw. And the best advice we got from small animal vets was to take the digit off. And Dan said no. To resettling and cast it. He paid for that dearly because she chewed that cast off every single night. And he was up at two o'clock in the morning recasting her but as she healed, which took about four months, I was so paranoid about anything happening to her that I kept her on it. And I realized that it changed the way she lived her life, the quality of her life in the way she aged, and I just lost her last March, at the end of March today actually would have been her 15th birthday. And Rhodesian Ridgebacks don't live that long. And until the very end, she lived a very good life. So as heart sick as I am to have lost her, she taught me another piece of prevention. And I am grateful to her for that. And I pass that on to every dog that's out there. Because they're never with us long enough. And quality of life is everything. Absolutely. Well, Judy, can you tell us what is in System Saver and what issues besides joint problems does it address? System Saver is a proprietary blend of very special ingredients that Don chose. And he chose them because of what they could do. And inflammation was at the head of it. And degeneration of tissue was the other because he wanted to prevent whatever was going on with Pepsi at the time. And he also wanted to intervene in the overreaction of his immune system. And System Saver is all natural. It has human grade ingredients in it. It has the most bioavailable form of turmeric in it. It has mandarin orange in it, frankincense, green tea and Boswellia. And I have to let our listeners know that Winston is on System Saver. And I like to think that he is the healthiest dog on earth because of what I do. But I do have to say after I'd say about a week and a half, I noticed that he was playing with his toys again, that he had much more energy during the day. You know, he's almost 13 And he sleeps usually during the day while I'm working. And now he's up, he wants to go on more walks, longer walks. So just the energy that he has gained is amazing to me. I can only imagine if he did have other issues which System Saver is known to address. You know, not only inflammatory issues, but dermatitis and inflammatory issues with autoimmune diseases. And just joint Yep, the joints that you mentioned. So arthritis, hip dysplasia, and a perfect supplement for a dog that is just aging and to improve their quality of life, in your words, quality of life extension. I love that. So I love this product. Well, thank you. I was gonna say I so appreciate that, and I never get tired of hearing it. And if you really want to learn about seniors, as a group, look at Frankie and Andy's Place in Winder, Georgia. It's a sanctuary for senior dogs. Winston has had a good life, he's had a great life with you. The dogs at Frankie and Andy's Place have been badly abused. A lot of them were taken from kill shelters, and System Saver has brought them around. And whether they have a month left or it extends their life, which has happened more times than not, their quality of life changes. And Winston will continue on with his quality of life being good. And it really fills my heart to hear that. And thank you for sharing that. You bet. And just a reminder for everybody. System Saver comes in formulations for dogs, for horses, and for us humans. So Judy and her team are making an amazing offer that I wanted to share with all of you. If you go to caninesystemsaver.com and use the code WOL10, you get 10% off of your order. Whether you order for your dog, your horse or yourself, I highly encourage you to check out this amazing product that will change the lives of you and your animals. So Judy, as we wrap up, and I want to thank you so much. Prevention is so important. And we can start preventing at an early age. So where can everyone find out more information about you and System Saver? System Saver, the best place to go was the website, which is CanineSystemSaver.com Is anybody who wants to get in touch with me directly, is more than welcome to use my cell phone to contact me 516-860-5096. I've talked to people seven days a week. And if you want to put that up on your website, as well, you're more than welcome to. Because the truth is I pretty much live, eat and breathe this. I've been an animal lover my whole life. And I'm just like everybody in your audience. I love my animals, and I want to do whatever I can for them. And I feel the same way about the people's pets that come to me. Cell: 516.860.5096 https://caninesystemsaver.com https://www.facebook.com/DrBSystemSaver/ https://twitter.com/DrBSystemSaver https://www.instagram.com/DrBSystemSaver/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkK2RYgjzmYp9biq39lBwaw Well, I want to thank you and Don, for being so passionate and for making an amazing product. And I just want to thank you for your time today and all the information that you shared. Well, I thank you so much, Krista. And I'm so glad you're doing well. Winston, thank you for so much for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Thanks, Judy. Thanks again to our friends at System Saver for sponsoring this month’s episodes .  Check out this fantastic all-natural formula by going to http://caninesystemsaver.com/ and be sure to use the code WOL10 for 10% off! Thanks for listening. You'll find some helpful links in the show notes and if you enjoy the show, please be sure to follow and listen for free on your favorite podcast app. And please, please share your feedback. Visit WagOutLoud.com for great product recommendations with discounts, amazing online events and fantastic resources. That's also where to visit our Bark About It page where you can suggest topics, guests or products. Be advised that this show offers health and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. You're encouraged to do your own research and should not rely on this information as a substitute for nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your dog's health, you should always consult a veterinarian or a nutrition expert. Have a tail wagging day and we'll catch you next time. Hey Winston was that another tail wagging episode?