The Dog Advertiser

Mark Pagaduan-Iha is a pet health and longevity blogger who lives in Hawaii. He started a website talking about dog health. and he is writing a book on how pet parents can get their dogs to live better and be healthier. We have conducted an interview with him.

What interests you the most about pet health and their longevity?

That’s a great question. There isn’t a day that goes by when you don’t see talk about some revolutionary discovery that has the potential to improve one’s health, and increase their longevity. When doing research I discovered that pets, or specifically dogs are very similar to us. We share many of the same ailments with them. For example, they get cancer roughly the same rate as humans do and just like us, as they age, inflammation sets in and causes arthritis.

Now what I found interesting about this is that many of these afflictions that dogs suffer from can be naturally managed or treated with the same types of foods, herbs, vitamins and supplements that are recommended for humans. Take something like omega 3 fish oil. Studies show that it can help reduce inflammation that causes arthritis, many people (including myself) benefit from taking it. So it’s no surprise that our canine friends also benefit from it as well.

There are several theories of aging and I tend to follow a couple of them very closely. If you research these theories you’ll see that they also apply to dogs. So not only are dogs our best friends, but we have so much more in common than we realize.

How long have you been blogging for the website 'www.DogAdvertiser.com'? Why did you start it?

I’ve been writing articles since early last year for The Dog Advertiser. I started it for personal reasons, the main reason being that our little Chiweenie was diagnosed with heart disease. We were told that there was essentially nothing we could do, except to take a “wait and see” approach. I don’t know about anyone else, but our pups are our children, and when your child is hurting you do anything and everything to help them.

I went to work and started doing research. I poured over scientific studies and journals. I reached out to medical professionals and got their opinions. Basically, I tried to gain as much knowledge about heart disease and its cause.

During that time I stumbled upon other pet parents who had the same concerns as I did. Not just about heart disease but about their pets health and longevity in general. They didn’t know where to turn or what to do. Many times they would get a particular prognosis from their veterinarian and leave it at that. Honestly, when you’re given information that is less than stellar, you feel really defeated. The reason is because we put all our trust in these veterinarians, but we have to understand that just like human doctors, they don’t have all the answers. Sometimes you just need to search a little deeper.

That’s when I realized that there is a whole entire world that exists with experts who focus on alternative forms of treatment and healing. I wanted to bridge that gap and relay the information and findings to other pet parents. So that’s sort of how The Dog Advertiser got started.

Which are the most interesting columns or interesting posts that dog parents like in your website?

What seems to elicit the most emotion from pet parents are posts and articles that showcase some kind of imminent danger to their pets. We wrote one post about a drug called Sileo, that would basically help quell pets anxiety. There was a lot of talk in the news of its benefits, especially because it was coming out right before the 4th of July weekend. Statistically, a vast number of pets go missing on July 4th and the shelters are the busiest on July 5. So the drug company was doing a big media blitz to promote the drug and its benefits. I didn’t see anything outlining the con’s, so I did some research and wrote a little post on it, because I felt that pet parents weren’t getting the full story. In the end, I got quite a few emails, some good and some not so good. But the point here is that it touched the reader emotionally.

Other posts that seem to connect well with readers are stories that don’t respect the bond that pet parents have with their pups. You’ll have a researcher or some professional try to discredit it by telling the public to not hug their dog (because they don’t like it) or not to kiss their dog (for fear of catching some disease). These people get a lot of flack and a lot of hate. While they might be doing their job, they get no love or respect from pet parents.

Will you consider looking into other kind of pets health? If no, why / if yes, which pets?

That’s a possibility. I’ve thought of looking into cat/feline health, but if I’m honest, cat owners are a different breed. Haha. I love them, but they don’t respond the same as dog owners. I remember someone telling me that cat parents are similar to cats, they take awhile to warm up to you. But all joking aside, The Dog Advertiser hasn’t even scratched the surface of what we can do. We’re still in our infancy and launch stage so to speak, trying to figure out what works best and deciding how to best serve our customers. So yes, in the future we definitely will be looking into offering information other categories of pet health. At the end of the day, no matter what the species of your pet is, we all want the same thing and that is to have them live the best and most healthy life possible.

When will your book on how pet parents can get their dogs to live better and be healthier be launched? Without spilling everything, can you tell us a little more about it?

I’m currently working on several information products, including a few books. The particular book you are referring to will hopefully be out by the end of the year. I’m really excited about that one and trying to take my time with it. It’s going to be more of a guide or starting point for pet parents. When I first started to research dog health I had moments of information overload. Sifting through different opinions, articles and studies can be overwhelming for the average person. Many times a person will throw in the towel, but we don’t want that. We want to empower and educate pet parents and lay the foundation for them in easy to understand terms.

With that said, I really enjoyed this interview and appreciate you and your readers for taking the time to learn a little more about The Dog Advertiser. Wishing you all much love and prosperity.