The Beginning: A Love Story with Four Paws

Hello, and welcome! We’re Lola and Marko, the people behind this website, but the true hero of our story is Ricco, a fluffy, adventurous German Spitz. Our time with Ricco has been filled with fun, adventures, and a few culinary mishaps that led us down the path of dog nutrition.

Ricco isn’t just a pet; he’s our constant companion, our little kitchen helper, always ready to snag any dropped food during mealtimes. But our story is about more than just the bonds we’ve formed—it’s also about the valuable lessons we’ve learned about truly nourishing those we love.

The Wake-Up Call: Realizing Our Mistakes

Like any pet parents, we wanted to share everything with Ricco—even our meals. But in our eagerness to include him, we made some mistakes. From giving him processed meats to not knowing certain human foods were dangerous, our lack of knowledge could have been costly. The wake-up call came when Ricco had an allergic reaction to fish, making us rethink everything we knew about dog nutrition.

One night, we gave him a super thoroughly cooked fish head to munch on, just like before. But this time, it was a new type of fish. He started coughing, wheezing, and sneezing. We had a rough, sleepless night, worried sick about him, while he somehow managed to sleep through it.

The next morning, we rushed to the vet. Ricco got two antihistamine shots, and we got a stern lecture. Turns out, some fish can cause allergic reactions. Lesson learned, right?

That got us thinking about other foods we give Ricco. We used to hide his pills in raw beef meatballs because that was the only way he’d take them. But one day, he had a terrible “bathroom” incident from the raw beef. It made us wonder, can dogs even eat raw beef?

And that’s how our journey began—figuring out what dogs can really eat beyond just kibble and treats.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

We were determined not to make the same mistakes again, so we decided to really educate ourselves. Talking with our vet opened up a ton of resources about dog nutrition. We jumped right into courses, seminars, and webinars, soaking up everything we could from canine nutrition specialists.

Along the way, we attended seminars, joined trainings, and met with experts who taught us how to read labels, understand grains, fats, and proteins, and even how to cook for our dogs. It’s been an amazing journey of learning and growing!

• We’re attaching the certificates we got so far, and we’re continuing our education and sharing it with you here. Here’s Lola’s Level 3 Certificate in Canine Nutrition.
• Lola’s July 2024 update! I’ve got another one: a Level 4 certificate in Pet Nutrition. However, this one wasn’t really in my style. It contained a lot of (unchecked) information about alternative medicine that I simply do not support. I follow science and official veterinary books and read studies to find the best and most objective answers. Still, I loved the learning journey and will continue to learn and study more!

Sharing Our Learnings: From Our Kitchen to Yours

As we kept learning, we saw just how important it is to share this information with others. This website is the result of our journey—packed with articles, research summaries, and expert insights. It shows our dedication to dog nutrition and our love for Ricco and all dogs whose well-being relies on knowledgeable and caring owners.

Join Our Community: Together Towards Healthier, Happier Dogs

We invite you to explore our website, where each article, reference, and piece of advice is shared with the hope of nurturing healthier, happier dogs. Whether you’re a seasoned dog owner or new to the world of dog nutrition, our story is a reminder that it’s never too late to learn and make positive changes for our dogs.

Feel free to get in touch with us, leave us comments, critiques, opinions, anecdotes, or just say hi!

Thank you for being part of our journey. Let’s embark on this path of learning and love, one paw print at a time.

Love, life, and fur forever.