Hello this is Krista with episode #126 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. Have you checked out all of the amazing partner products that I highly recommend? These are products that I have tried and put through the paces, and that can help your dog to thrive. Just go to WagOutLoud.com and check out the Partner Products section. And notice that I've negotiated discounts for most of the products, so why not see what can make a difference in your dog's life? Check them out!

You and I have two eyelids per eye, an upper and a lower, but our dogs have three eyelids. And this third eyelid is called the nictitating membrane, also called a haw. And these third eyelids serve four purposes: they protect the eye from injury, they keep the cornea clean, act is a lymph node which produces antibodies to protect against infection, and they produce additional tears. Here's another fun fact… Dogs have two tear glands in each eye. But us humans only have one. Fascinating stuff right?

Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition and overall well being. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on WagOutLoud.com. I'm your host Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.

Erin Scott admits she was somewhat of a reluctant dog owner but her husband’s insistence that they adopt a dog transformed her into a “dog person” and changed her life in all the best ways. Erin’s dogs have become teachers, healers and inspirations in her life. After experiencing cancer, allergies and mystery illnesses with her dogs, Erin was inspired to create the Dog Health Journal to bring peace of mind to pet parents struggling with their dog’s health. Erin is the founder of HugsAndBellyRubs.com and the host of the Believe in Dog Podcast featuring heart-centered conversations with pet parents about how the love of a dog can impact our lives and the world. Erin lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband Tim, and adopted pit bulls Penny and Neno.

Welcome dog lovers to another informative episode of the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. I am joined by fellow dog freak and podcaster Erin Scott, and she's going to be sharing proactive pet parenting for your dog's health. Erin, thank you so much for being with us today. Please introduce yourself and tell us why are you on a mission to help other pet parents struggling with their dog's health?

Hi, Krista. Thanks so much for having me. Yes, I am…what's funny is I'm a bit of a reluctant dog owner. It was never my idea to have dogs and my husband really pushed the issue. And guess what, I'm a dog person. And, you know, over the years, our dogs have suffered with all kinds of strange illnesses and allergies and autoimmune and cancer and mystery illnesses that we couldn't get diagnosed properly. And I would have these notes to myself everywhere. And we would constantly be changing our you know, regimen and supplements and trying all these different things. And so I started trying to get myself organized and created what I'm calling the Dog Health Journal. And I was realizing that oh, this is really helpful to me, I want to help other pet parents also, who might be struggling, who might have a dog with a complicated diet or regimen or medications. And if this can help somebody else, then I always want to do it. So that's why I'm here today.

Wonderful. Well, I can't wait to learn more. I know you've put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this Dog Health Journal. So why don't you tell us how it all started to where it is today?

Well, the original sort of drawings were actually back in 2014. I had my old girls, Lucy and Kahlua who were our original dogs. And they were both suffering with cancer. Lucy has this sort of rare illness that we had a hard time getting diagnosed. Kahlua had mass cell cancer, that we had a hard time getting diagnosed. A