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More Issues with Food and Family Pets

Train Your Dog — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:43:54 +0000

Recently, I went back to discussing food issues in some detail. It is important to understand that we do have ways of helping out pets not only with their diets, but with preventing things from happening long term.

Obesity in Pets and Ways to Deal with It
We have discussed this before. Obesity is an issue for both humans and pets when talking about arthritis. Overweight pets are not only more prone to developing arthritis, those who have joint related issues experience greater difficulties when obesity is present.

Simple Solutions
When pets are young, and I refer to those under the age of one, we put them at greater risk of obesity through our own actions. I think that most of us are likely to feed them more and to provide “treats” because this seems to satisfy both the pet and us. I mean, who can refuse food to a cute little dog or cat?

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Natural Food for Dogs and Cats

Train Your Dog — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:46:46 +0000

Just this side of Heaven is a place called The Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill or old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

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How To Help Your Dog With Food Allergies

Train Your Dog — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:45:17 +0000

Because every dog is unique, it’s sometimes very difficult to determine what causes food-related allergies and what doesn’t. Common pet food culprits include wheat, corn and soy. Various proteins also create their share of problems in certain dogs. I was shocked to learn that some dogs are allergic to chicken, while I know from first-hand experience that my Jack Russell Terrier Lucy used to be allergic to beef. Here’s an approach worth trying if your dog is exessively itching and scratching.

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Quickstart Guide to Making Your Own Pet Food at Home

Train Your Dog — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:44:28 +0000

As a pet owner, no doubt you want to give your dog or cat the best care possible. And caring for your pet means feeding him the best diet you can. By making your own pet foods, you’ll be saving money, up to 80%. And to top it off, it’s easy; making pet food at home is probably a lot less time-consuming than you may have thought. With hundreds of websites offering free pet food recipes online, it’s now easier than ever to make your own pet food.

To prepare healthy and nutritious food for your pet you should study your pet’s natural habitat and food sources, and then prepare foods that most closely resemble their own natural or original diet.

Animals, because they are color blind, choose their foods by smell. Most dogs like gamey flavors best, as well as liver, fat, garlic, onions, horsemeat, lamb, beef, cheese and fish. Cats enjoy chicken, liver, fish, turkey, lamb, and yeast, and prefer fresh to aged flavors.

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Dog Food - Which Diet is Best for Dogs?

Train Your Dog — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:43:34 +0000

Why The Food You Give Your Dog Matters!

If you’re like most dog owners, you probably assume that commerical dog foods with brand names that are easily identifiable - Purina, Iams, Pedigree, etc. - must be good for your pets, right? After all, millions of pet owners buy them and feed them to their beloved pets, and surely they wouldn’t all give their dogs something harmful. Unfortunately, this may just be the case.

Now, before I get any further along, let me make it clear that I am not a veterinarian. I do, however, have a science background and education, and I’ve had more dogs in my care in one year than most people will have in a lifetime. As an observant and naturally curious person, I’ve paid close attention in the past 20 years to the general health of my pets and those I’ve had in my care through a rescue shelter I was involved with for several of those years. I’ve also picked the brains of several top vets in my state in my quest to get to the heart of the matter concerning the best dog diet.

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Dog Food Secrets

Train Your Dog — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:43:49 +0000

from David the Dogman

The ten worst excuses not to spay or neuter a pet are:

Just one litter and then we’ll have Fluffy spayed.
(Studies show that virtually the entire pet overpopulation stems from the “just one litter mentality.)

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Dealing With A Dog Food Allergy?

Train Your Dog — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:43:26 +0000

Just as humans allergies can show up as a sneeze or rash, your dog’s allergies can manifest as itchiness — or even ear infections. In fact, if your dog’s allergic to his food, it can cause him to scratch himself constantly, even with no obvious parasite problem.

Dog allergies rarely get solved with medicine, so the best we can do for our four-footed friends is focus on prevention. Providing the right type of food is essential to stopping your dog’s scratching habit.

Many people like to share their food with their dogs or let them help “clean up” the kitchen after a meal. Little do they know, their dogs just may not be able to take the tasty food we love so much, and some breeds (like the greyhound) are extremely sensitive. Even common foods like cheese, beef sausage and tuna may cause allergic reactions in some dogs. So it’s best to let dogs enjoy dog food and not human food, even though they clearly adore and want what we’re eating!

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Where’s the Meat in my Pets Food?

Train Your Dog — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:43:58 +0000

Today we hear all the Whole-Health buzzwords like functional foods, nutraceutical, organic, natural and holistic ingredients. Every natural, holistic, and organic ingredient we use has been researched for safety and efficacy. Natural, Whole-Health Holistic ingredients in our formulas use meat as the first ingredient because cats and dogs are primarily carnevors. All meats have different grades depending on the source, look for the best sources for your pets.

Regular meat meals are cooked to almost burning temperatures at many manufacturers, which greatly reduces nutrient values. They do this to increase the production speed, and then add back nutrients near the end of their process. We use moderate temperatures to insure that the natural nutrients aren’t destroyed in the manufacturing process.

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The Myth Of 100% Complete Processed Pet Food

Train Your Dog — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:44:13 +0000

Every day, people by the millions pour food from a package into their petï¿½s bowl. Day in and day out, meal after meal, pets get the same fare. This strange phenomenon is not only widely practiced, but done by loving owners who believe they are doing the right thing. Why? Certainly because it is convenient, but also because the labels state that the food is ï¿½complete and balanced,ï¿½ ï¿½100% complete,ï¿½ or that the food has passed various analytical and feeding test criteria. Furthermore, manufacturers and even veterinarians counsel pet owners about not feeding other foods such as table scraps because of the danger of unbalancing these modern processed nutritional marvels. The power of the message is so great that pet owners en masse do every day to their pets what they would never do to themselves or their children -offer the same processed packaged food at every meal.

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Pet Retailing- Itï¿½s now more than dog food, itï¿½s fashion ret

Train Your Dog — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:44:02 +0000

In previous articles Iï¿½ve often written about the trend towards lifestyle retailing. This is reflected in trends in the garden and home improvement industries. But, one of the most dramatic shifts comes from the pet industry, which is going through dramatic changes.

Why Pets?
Pets arenï¿½t pets anymore, for many people, they are ï¿½childï¿½ substitutes. In countries such as China and Japan pets are actually replacing the child due to government directives to encourage smaller families.

In the west ï¿½Generation Xï¿½ are starting families later in life to enable them to develop their careers, whilst baby boomers are learning to cope with empty nests. The result is both the west and east is seeing the same, a pet boom to replace children. This means that the traditional pet store is finding itï¿½s increasingly difficult to understand the desires of the modern pet owner and, as in other retail sectors, traditional retailers are being squeezed out of the market place by global pet supermarkets and niche lifestyle pet stores who are reading the market differently. I recently conducted a retail workshop in Dubai, for retailers from around the Middle East. The Dubai retail scheme is always interesting, throwing up leading edge ideas for those interested in retail trends.

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More Issues with Food and Family Pets

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The Myth Of 100% Complete Processed Pet Food

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