Non Pruimum Dog Food Is Bad?
Image via WikipediaFrom our friend…
Have you ever made the assumption that because a product is on the market it is safe? This unfortunately is not true. There are lawsuits before the courts on a weekly basis because of some of the poor quality things that are on the market. My husband had a very bad experience with a poor product that almost cost him the life of his dog.
About seven months prior to our marriage my husband bought a black lab puppy. My husband is a duck hunter and he was raised in a family that always owned a lab. The puppy was very smart and so his training went quite smoothly. We did not have very much money when we were first married and we were saving for a home. We were always looking for ways to save money. When the puppy got to be a year old we switched it from puppy chow to adult dog food. We were feeding him food that we bought from a large farm supplier. When the dog was about eighteen months old we noticed that his coat was getting very thin. When we would pet him there were clumps of hair that would fall out. He seemed to have no energy. We took him to the vet. The vet’s first question is what have you been feeding the dog. We told him the name of the food and where we were buying it. We found out that our dog was starving. The food we were feeding him was mostly fillers. He was not getting the nutrients needed to maintain a healthy coat or to sustain activity. We felt awful. The vet suggested buying science diet dog food to help get him back on track. The vet explained to us that the science diet dog food might seem expensive; however it is so concentrated with protein and nutrients that you only feed the dog a small amount.
We bought a bag of the science diet dog food from the vet and took the dog home. Within two weeks the dog was filled with energy and you could see that his coat was getting its sheen back. We also noticed that we had much smaller feces to up. When he had been eating the cheap filler food he would have large piles of feces. We went to the farm supplier and told them our experience with using the dog food that they were selling. They told us that the ingredients are listed on the bag as well as the percentages based on weight. They told us that the percentages meet the minimum requirements of the food and drug administration. We could not believe that they could have something on the market that will starve a dog no matter how much was fed to it. We have tried to spread the word as much as possible to let people know the importance of feeding high quality food to their animals such as science diet dog food.
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Holistic Dog Food
It is a natural progression for people who are concerned about their health to look carefully at the foods they are giving their pets.
The quality of food eaten by both humans and dogs affects their everyday lives and has long-term benefits to their health. A holistic dog food regime will ensure a dog receives a balanced nutritional mix of high quality ingredients.
Holistic dog food recipes are designed to include a blend of ingredients including bones, meat, vegetables and supplements to meet a dog’s nutritional needs. When you think about it, isn’t this the type of diet dogs consumed before humans, tinned food and supermarkets began to control their lives?
Nearly all commercially manufactured dog foods contain fillers, and artificial flavors and colors. The meat component is often poor quality and of dubious origin. Pet food recalls evidence that the filler components are easily tainted.
Before dramatically changing a dog’s diet to a more holistic dog food diet, it is recommended that pet owners consult with their veterinarian to ensure what supplements, if any, will be required to benefit the pet. The type of supplements could vary according to the dog’s breed, age and weight.
There is a huge range of holistic dog food recipes available on the internet, and applying variations of them is easy. It is not necessarily a more expensive option to commercially made dog food, and cooking up a supply and freezing it in portions is often the most economical system used.
By making your own dog food you can be sure of the ingredients, and modify them to suit your dog’s changing needs. Supplementing with natural ingredients can assist with canine health issues like shedding, fleas and halitosis. Indeed by consuming holistic dog food, a dog will avoid having any of these conditions at all.
Dogs who suffer from health problems like allergies that cause itching and rashes will often benefit from home made dog food, which by its very nature will not contain any preservatives – a common cause of allergies.
Apart from the health benefit to dogs, their owners can also benefit in a variety of ways from giving their dog a natural diet. Firstly, they will notice a reduction in flatulence from their pet (yes please!), and they will no longer have to haul all of those tins of dog food home from the supermarket (yes again!).
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Diabetic Dog Food Recipes
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition where the body cannot regulate the levels of blood sugar. Approximately one in 400-500 dogs develop DM, and most when they are between 7 and 9 years old, with unspayed females more susceptible.If your pet exhibits signs such as excessive urination, excessive thirsts, weight loss or lethargy, it could mean that it has developed DM, and a visit to your veterinarian is warranted.
Most dogs with DM will require insulin injections, but research into management through diet is continuing. Most vets recommend that diabetic dog food contains a higher soluble fiber content that commercially available dog food. It is generally believed that soluble fiber affects the digestive system by slowing the absorption rate of glucose.
If the diabetic dog is obese, it will require a diet even more specialized because it is important for the diabetic dog to lose excess weight gradually. Veterinarians will be best equipped to advise on the best diabetic dog food for individual pets as this will vary according to age, breed, size, and other health issues that may be present.
Often home cooking is not recommended for diabetic pets, but in consultation with your vet, it is possible to prepare meals at home for dogs with this condition. The main thing is to keep the food well balanced, healthy and consistent at each meal to maintain a stable glucose level.
For those contemplating home cooking for their diabetic dog, the basic recipe is 50% complex carbohydrates, 25% vegetables, and 25% protein (chicken, lean beef or fish). For a large dog, a sample recipe would be:
6 pounds of chicken
4 cups of uncooked brown rice
3 cups of carrots
2 cups of chopped celery
10 ounces of fresh spinach
3 cloves of crushed garlic
3 cups of rye
80 ounces of chicken stock
80 ounces of water
Simmer the chicken and garlic in the stock for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and add the rye to the liquid and simmer for 40 minutes before adding the rice and simmering for a further 15 minutes. Combine the rye and rice mixture with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You do not need to cook the vegetables as the heat from the rye/rice mixture will soften them enough.
Follow your vets directions as to how much to give your dog at each serve, but 3 feeds per day is best for diabetic dogs.
Many of the commercially available high-quality dog foods are able to be consumed by diabetic dogs. Maintaining the consistency of timing of meals and serving size is the key. As well, several manufacturer’s of premium dog foods, for instance Purina and Eukanuba make prescription diets.
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