Welcome to Dogs First!
The name Dogs First came from our desire to put dogs before profit. We use good science to help dog owners make better decisions regarding the health and well-being of their pets. The trick to most health concerns is not so much treating the symptoms but tackling the cause. Dr Conor Brady will show you how to do this quickly, easily and naturally, treating many of the maladies that plague our pets today, most of which can be linked to poor diet and over-use of nasty chemicals. So make a cup of tea and settle in, you’re about to change your dog’s life. Feel free to contact us anytime with your queries.
Latest from Dr. Conor Brady’s blog!
Ever Heard of a Pure Gatherer?!
What I Learned From the Chronicles of Frankenstein... New babies mean you get to watch more TV. This means you can stray into parts of teleworld you might not normally venture into. Case in point, the Frankenstein Chronicles starring Sean Bean. I like a bit of horror / zombie action so this was going to suit me, and it did the job to be fair. Two interesting bits leapt out [...]
Pearly White Profits
How Vets are Being Encouraged to Extract More Money From Pet Owners... I was contacted by a lady yesterday who was entirely exasperated with her vet who had been pushing a dry diet on her mother's dog as fresh food "is not good for the teeth". Of all topics to tackle, the vet is on to a MASSIVE loser with this one. My response to such a debate would be to [...]
I Just Tried Some Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food!
Meet Jenny Golsby of The Complete Pet Company, Maker of one of the First Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Foods... I have just been sent a few samples of what is possibly the world's first, truly-raw-but-freeze-dried raw dog food product. It is made by the wonderful Jenny Golsby in Australia. Jen is the owner of The Complete Pet Company, a company so ethical it puts the rest of us to shame. [...]
Like you I’m a dog nut. My background includes a doctorate studying the effects of diet on animal behaviour and five years in Guide Dogs (Ireland and Australia) as a trainer and Pup Supervisor. For the last six years I have been neck deep in canine nutrition, conducting international nutritional seminars for vets, canine professionals and public alike.
I’m a dedicated advocate and blogger on all things nutrition and natural health and I’m proud father to Dudley, a slightly odd black and white Cocker Spaniel. What he lacks in brains and grace he makes up for with determination (though to be fair this could apply to the both of us).
The veterinary focus of treating symptoms when they pop up instead of tackling the cause of all this illness is plain wrong. Dogs First’s mission is to have at least 25% of Irish vets recommending fresh ingredients for dogs by 2020.
While we’re at it a secondary mission would be these same born-again vets (those that have seen the light) would no longer be recommending dental sticks for tartar control, chemical flea and worm control for dogs with no fleas and worms, boosters for dogs already vaccinated and while we’re at it, kennel cough “vaccine”!
So far I think we have 7 on board. There’s only a 3000, or something.
That’s all for the moment.
Did you know that we used to pay doctors to keep us healthy and stop when we got sick. Why would you keep paying a plumber if your house kept leaking?! To only visit a doctor when you’re sick encourages the medicine man. We return to this simple philosophy. The name Dogs First stemmed from our promise to always put dogs before profit. Every thing we do is to benefit their health and your pocket, which often go hand-in-hand in today’s world.
The truth is chronic disease in pets today and drug sales are rocketing and dry dog food, poor quality treats and our pharmaceutical addiction to treat their non-existant parasites is the cause.
Our philosophy is to get off the “products”, just for a while, just to see. There is a perfectly good home remedy available for most ailments but the trick is to stop them getting sick in the first place.
Have Dr. Brady over to speak at your college!
Topics covered include:
If you were a zoo keeper the most important question you would want to know the answer to would be “what does this animal eat”, it being at the very heart of his health care. This section (60mins) covers:
- Carnivore or Omnivore: An Introduction.
- Evolution and ancestry of the dog
- The diet of wild and free roaming dogs
- The digestive machinery of the dog
- What is dry food? How’s it made? What’s it made with?
- Wheat gluten
- Protein, Carboyhdrates, Fats
- Salt & Mineral Content
- Chemicals
- Dietary sensitisation
- What does complete mean? Who patrols it?
- The best dry food
- What is raw dog food / BARF
- Benefits of fresh food
- Any risks and pitfalls?
- What is the ideal dog diet?
- How to make fresh dog food, how to introduce it and other FAQ
- Best products on the market, ones to avoid
- Power additions
- Foods to avoid
- Best treats
- Why I hate chemical flea and worm control
- Why kennel cough is pointless
- Vaccinations and boosters
- Food Allergy
- Anal Glands
- Arthritis
- Colitis
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Ears, Sore, Infected
- Eyes, Weepy
- Fat Dogs
- Gut Issues
- Hot Spots
- Hyperactivity
- Itch
- Kidney Disease
- Neutering & Alternatives
- Pancreatitis
- Skin Conditions
- Weepy Eyes
In a riveting and highly detailed presentation chock-full of references and spiced with Irish humour, Conor led us through the intricacies of dry dog food and how it affects the health of our dogs…In his opening statement Conor said, “It’s more important to remove some of the fear, folk are worried that feeding your dog yourself might mean he’s going to get rickets or that his bum’sis going to fall off…” By the end of the talk, he had certainly succeeded.
Turid Rugaas, Author of Calming Signals (Dog Symposium 2015, Norway)
A million thanks on behalf of the IADSA Committee for your talk at our 3 day event this year! Our members spoke very highly and enthusiastically about what they had learnt and were thrilled with their new approach (and samples and treats!). Thanks again!
Niamh Ashmore, Secretary of Irish Agility & Dog Sports Association, May 2016
We were delighted to have Conor over to our college to speak to our class. It was a brilliant talk, a real-eye opener and the students thought you were amazing! The fresh food message was a breath of fresh air. Sorry we didn’t have him for longer. We will definitely be making him a regular fixture!
Ana O’Donnell, Animal Care Course Coordinator, Ormonde College, Kilkenny
I invited Conor to give a talk to the Animal care students at B.I.F.E. They were fascinated by all the facts he gave them about canine nutrition. They went home determined to change what they had been feeding their dogs. He has a wealth of knowledge on allergies too.
Delma Rae, Tutor at Bray Institute of Further Education
