Firm Foundation Ranch

06/29/2026

4th of July is coming 🇺🇸🎆
So let’s talk about your dog… NOW 👇

If your pup struggles with fireworks by pacing, panting, hiding, or glued to your side, it’s not “bad behavior.”

It’s a nervous system that’s overwhelmed.

And here’s the mistake most people make…

They wait until the fireworks start to try to fix it.

But if your dog already struggles, we need to start supporting them before the 4th.

✔️ Create a safe, quiet space
✔️ Start nervous system support now
✔️ Reduce extra stress this week
✔️ Focus on real food + gut support

Because a stressed body creates a stressed dog.

We’re not just surviving fireworks night… we’re building dogs that can handle stress better long-term.

Blog post us up on our website if you want to dig deeper.

Start now. Your dog will thank you!

🎆 If you want help putting a simple, supportive plan together for your dog’s anxiety, gut health, or overall health, I offer free discovery calls where we map out what your dog actually needs.

06/08/2026

Farmers market haul for my next batch of dog food. 🥬 🥕

We choose high-quality, locally grown, nutrient dense ingredients because what goes into their food matters just as much as what we leave out.

Supporting local farmers. Supporting your pet’s health. 🐾

Curious what a fresh, whole-food diet could look like for your dog? Message me!

05/29/2026

Very excited and honored to have completed my Pet Whole Food Supplement Specialist Certification and be approved as a Standard Process Practitioner. 🤍✨

This is a line I deeply trust and often recommend to my clients, available exclusively through healthcare professionals. Rooted in organic, whole food nutrition and regenerative farming, it’s truly nutrition the way God intended. 🌿

Whether you’re looking to support overall wellness or target specific health needs, they offer support for dogs, cats, horses, and humans. Truly a full-spectrum approach to health! 🐾

Their e-commerce platform is currently being revamped, so while I work on getting my website set up, feel free to reach out to me directly if you need anything, I’d be more than happy to help you get what you’re looking for!

05/25/2026

Most people think dental disease is just about bad breath. When in fact, the oral microbiome impacts the whole body.

Bacteria from periodontal disease enters the bloodstream, directly impacting the heart, kidneys, and liver.

Oral health is part of every conversation I have about whole-body wellness. What your dog eats plays a direct role in oral microbiota and any build-up on their teeth.

I dropped the studies in the comments so you can read the research yourself. 👇

💬 Comment “CALL” to book a discovery call with me

05/15/2026

Hoof abscesses can be incredibly painful… and most approaches focus on forcing them open or managing them with constant soaking and wrapping.

But the body already knows how to heal, we just have to support it .✨

This is an example of a circulation + decompression taping using functional taping.

The goal here is to:
• Encourage circulation to the area
• Reduce pressure, inflammation and pain within the hoof
• Support the body’s natural drainage pathways
• Help move infection toward the lymphatic system

I’ve found this especially helpful when I want to support relief in a more gentle, non-invasive way. I went out the next morning to a cleared abscess and sound horse 🙌🏻

It’s not about replacing necessary care, but about giving the body the support it needs to do its job better. This has been such a powerful modality to add to my toolkit for supporting whole-body health 🤍

Holistic care is all about working with the body, not against it.

Curious if this could support your horse? Message me 💬

04/17/2026

Recent research is continuing to highlight something we talk about often, the 𝐠𝐮𝐭-𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

A new peer-reviewed study found that dogs with osteoarthritis had 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬, further supporting the link between gut dysbiosis and joint health.

This matters because the body doesn’t work in isolation. Inflammation in one area can influence others, meaning what’s happening in the gut can directly impact the joints, as this research suggests.

So when a dog comes to us with joint pain, we’re not just looking at the joint—we’re looking at the gut, the immune system, and the overall inflammatory picture.

Let’s get to the root of your pet’s pain.
Book a consultation with us today! 🐾

04/10/2026

🧠 Epilepsy and the gut in dogs

Dogs with epilepsy often show differences in their gut microbiome compared to healthy dogs. This imbalance, known as dysbiosis, may contribute to seizure activity.

How does the gut influence seizures? Gut bacteria can affect neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin, which regulate brain excitability. An imbalanced microbiome may also increase systemic inflammation, which is linked to a lower seizure threshold. In addition, beneficial gut bacteria produce short chain fatty acids that may help protect brain cells and stabilize neural signaling.

Early studies suggest that probiotics may help reduce seizure frequency or severity in some dogs. Diets that shift the microbiome, including ketogenic style approaches, may also support seizure control. Gut targeted therapies are being explored as potential add ons to standard epilepsy treatment.

In fact, a recent 2025 peer reviewed study in Research in Veterinary Science (Elsevier) found that probiotic supplementation was associated with lower seizure frequency in dogs, adding to growing evidence for this approach. Overall, benefits appear most promising with multi strain Lactobacillus blends rather than single strains, likely through broader gut–brain axis effects.

If you want to explore a science backed probiotic option for your dog, you can find more info here – www.proactivepaws.com

04/03/2026

Grateful for the opportunity to co-host this webinar!

In this workshop we will guide you through a fresh way of looking at your dog’s body: the joint, fascia, and skeletal muscle system as an organ system that deserves support just like any other part of the body. You’ll learn why joint issues are rarely just about the joint, how fascia influences movement and comfort, and how nutrition and daily habits can help support stronger, more confident movement.
This talk is especially helpful to pet parents who want to better understand stiffness, slowing down, compensation patterns, and practical ways to support their dog at home.

In this workshop you’ll learn:
- Why your dog’s movement system should be thought of as part of whole-body health
- How fascia, muscles, and joints influence comfort, posture, and mobility
- Simple nutrition and daily support strategies that can help protect joint health and movement confidence

Join Jennifer Holmes, BS, RVT, CCRP/FT, HTA3, CHPHC, founder of PAWer Pet Health Coach, and Anna Swanson, CHPHC, CPCN, CFC, CEMT, CCMT, founder of Firm Foundation Ranch, for a live National Canine Fitness Month workshop on whole-dog movement health, nu...

03/20/2026

Next week is National Tick Bite Prevention Week 🐾

As temperatures start rising, fleas and ticks are getting ready for the season, which means now is the time to get ahead of them.

At Firm Foundation Ranch, we focus on building pets that are resilient from the inside out. Parasites tend to thrive on animals whose systems are weakened or out of balance. When a dog’s gut, liver, immune system, and skin are supported, they naturally become less attractive hosts.

Some holistic strategies that can help include:

• Supportive herbs like parsley, nettle, and garlic
• Natural sprays with cedarwood or lemongrass
• Apple cider vinegar sprays
• Coconut oil
• Diatomaceous earth
• Yard management and beneficial nematodes
• Daily tick checks after outdoor time

The key is layering multiple approaches and starting early.

A strong foundation of nutrition, lifestyle, and whole-body health makes a big difference in how resilient our pets are.

If you’d like help creating a natural flea and tick prevention plan tailored to your dog, message me or visit my website to get started.