If you have taken a look around our Habibi Bears website, you’ll be familiar with how we feel about raising our dogs as naturally as possible, using holistic methods that we have had great success with over our long thirty year career. Let’s take a look at what we mean by the terms ‘natural’ and ‘holistic’ as we apply them in our day to day practice raising the cutest bunch of Teddy Bear puppies that you have ever seen. 

When we use the term ‘natural’ we use it in the way that many of you might do: a descriptive word to indicate something coming from nature as opposed to an item that is artificial and synthetic. We give preference to dog food without artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. We feed our puppies a mix of raw and high quality kibble and use supplements to support their developing immune system. We care for our dogs using products that are free from harmful or questionable ingredients that could have adverse effects on our Habibi Bear puppies. We also, when the need arises, treat our puppies holistically, which means that we consider the procedure or protocol and how it will impact our puppies on all levels (whole/holistic), then evaluate before proceeding. We do, whenever possible, give preference to more subtle medicines of homeopathic treatments, and we use titers to determine whether they need a vaccine rather than overtaxing our Habibi Bear puppies with unnecessary compound vaccines which could deliver larger loads of toxic chemicals than their livers can tolerate and process safely.

The liver is the organ that acts like a filter system for the body. The liver has many functions, but for the moment, we will focus on how it cleans and detoxifies the blood. It is responsible for breaking down toxins (including any type of medicine, including flea meds or vaccines), and converting the toxic substances into waste to be eliminated from the body via blood or bile. When the liver has too many toxins to filter, a puppy may develop elevated liver enzymes, which indicate that the liver is struggling to function properly. A liver that is struggling can result in dangerous seizures, comas and death. 

At the Habibi Bear Central Hub we try to limit or eliminate altogether the use of dangerous, everyday chemicals that are found all around us. In most homes and environments, there are many common chemical substances which may pose a problem to our health and the health of our puppies. Household cleaners, pesticides (which include topical canine flea and tick medicine), gasoline and petroleum products, and pool chemicals can all have a detrimental impact on the liver, in both humans and animals alike. Our puppies walk through yards, homes, and on sidewalks where these chemicals could be without our knowledge. We all know what puppies do–they explore with their mouths and lick all sorts of things, which could expose them to dangerous elements by accident. We believe that by controlling our own environment, we can reduce the amounts of exposure to these chemicals that could tip the balance in an unwanted direction. We are of the belief that we can support the healthy normal functioning of the livers in our Habibi Bear pups by using non-toxic cleaners, not using pesticides, and taking a common sense approach (Using Titer Testing, May 2024) vaccinations for our pets. Even one puppy that has an adverse reaction to flea meds or over-vaccination is one too many in our opinion. By attempting to control how many potentially toxic chemicals our puppies are exposed to, we seek to give them the support they need to be vigorously healthy pups, so they can live a long happy life with you! It is our way of expanding the love, one family at a time. Because at Habibi Bears, we are all about the love. Remember, we are always here for you, cheering you on!