Feline and Pet News

The phrase, “putting on the dog” refers to individuals who try to appear either rich or more important than they truly are. If you were to walk down the dog food aisle in a supermarket or pet store, the front of the bags would sound very impressive, assuring you of total nutrition for every stage of a dog’s life. Yet in reality, many of these particular dog food firms are grossly guilty of “putting on the dog”. Before you put anything “in” your dog, flip those bags of dog food over to read the label a little more carefully.

Do you wish your dog to be well, obedient and live to a ripe old age? Researchers concluded that dogs have the potential to live to twenty years, but really, the vast majority of dog companions struggle to get past the ten-year point. As a matter of fact, Vets are seeing an increasing amount of heart and respiratory disease, joint problems and other ailments. These particular shelters are chock full of dogs that left their “forever homes” since they exhibited hostile and even violent behavior.

All of these specific wellness issues may have a strong basis in the type and quality of food these dogs have been given. Premium is of course better than the more mainstream type brands, as the pet food recall confirmed. It is not enough to simply fill up a bowl with any kind of dog food so your pet does not get hungry. Dog owners should really evaluate what is going into the dog’s dish as those ingredients may mean a better life or one that is filled with health and wellness issues. Purchase a premium dog food. Usually, this type of food is not sold in supermarkets and not even at your veterinarian’s office.

Before making a selection of dog food, turn the bags over and read the list of ingredients. If more than 2 of them contain grain products, like corn or wheat, the food is mostly vegetable protein, which provides less in the way of nutritional value.

In addition, if the bag lists “by-products” it’s best to simplyleave it on the shelf. By-products of animals can mean the head, feet and intestines. There is practically zero nutritional value in this ingredient. Look for chicken “meal” or lamb “meal” which does indeed provide a much greater degree of animal protein. Also, avoid foods that contain preservatives, like BHT or BHA. They can be harmful to your pet’s health. Canned food very often has more preservatives because they are needed to keep the food fresh. Furthermore, canned food has a much high water content and that should be considered in your dog food buying decision, especially if you live in the more humid climates like Florida, Georgia or Alabama. Dogs often do very well on dry dog food alone, and the crunching action helps keep their teeth cleaner.

If you want to give your dogs treats, the same rules apply. Check the list of ingredients. Try not to get your dog “hooked” on cheap treats with no nutritional value because that may make it difficult to offer a premium dog food that is not artificially enhanced with flavor additives.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. You may click here if you would like more information on premium dog food There is also a lot of additional useful information there such as an FAQ and dog food comparision chart as well.

If you are purchasing dog food from your local grocery store, you may be in for a big surprise. The one who ultimately pays for this is your canine. You may save some money upfront but the cost might be to your dog’s health. It is important that we are aware what we are feeding our animals. Their wellbeing definitely depends on it.
Popular and well known dog food manufacturers cover up brains, beaks, bowels and eyes with the all too familiar nick name of bi-products. Do you know what your pet is really eating?

Artificial ingredients are also used by well known dog food brands. This may be harmful to their health. Kibble shouldn’t be “colored” with artificial dyes like yellow # or red # or any of the dye “numbers”.
Chemical preservatives are often used in popular kibble for dogs. BHT, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), also known as Butylhydroxytoluene and BHA, Butylated hydroxyanisole and Ethoxoquin are used as a preservative to keep the foods from going rancid. These are chemical compounds that may wreak havoc on your canine’s immune system A natural alternative like tocopherols is what you should be looking for.

Unfortunately wheat and corn are used as cheap fillers in dog food. Some manufactures actually use these as protein sources. They are often very hard for the animal to digest and can cause such allergies leaving your canine suffering with itching their ears, licking paws, hot spots, skin and coat issues and just plain old misery. These ingredients can be found in treats as well.

Large manufactures also make food in such large batched that you may never really know when the food was made or worse how fresh the food is you just purchased.
Like humans dogs are what they eat. Artificial ingredients, poor protein sources, lack of fruits and vegetables all play a part in the immune system of you canine to fight off free radicals. When food is made of poor ingredients a whole list of things can affect your dog from allergies to disease.  Try to obtain a premium dog food

At first when you feed your dog inferior foods there may or may not be visible reasons to think there are issues. As time goes on scratching may appear or constant ear infections or something of that nature. Luckily you will have the choice to search for a better nutritional food in order to alleviate these issues. If left untreated your pet’s immune system could be compromised and a host of issues like kidney problems, urinary tract issues, and joint issues, lack of energy and behavior changes could start to manifest.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please click here if you would like more information on Life’s Abundance healthy dog food There you will find a wealth of related information and tips.

WOOF WOOF!! BOW WOW!! Oops sorry! I did not realize I was talking to you guys and not my friend Rusty. Hi, I am Bruno, the

Labrador. I am 5 years old. It seems my dad and mom are quite busy these days with work and things that seem to never get done.  Initially the whole family was crazy about me. They used to take me for walks and runs. They used to show me off to neighbors and friends. More details about this as well as premium grade dog food may be found at healthy weight loss food for dogs

As I grew older and they got busier, all this stopped. Now they hardly even have the time to take me for a walk. They fill my plate with fattening treats and stuff from the table that they eat.  I’ve started putting on weight in my waist and hips. Earlier, I could sit back on my legs. Now, due to my weight, I slouch to the side. My chest hurts now and I have a hard time breathing too. My owners no longer take care of the quality of my food. They just get any dog food and pay no attention to the nutrients. Most of the dog foods are laden with fat and as a result I have developed lots of fatty tissues in my body.  It is harder to walk these days as my legs ache from the extra pounds.  I get out of breathe so easily now.  My chances for disease are now increased as a result of the obesity.  I wanted to help you learn to take care of your pets so that they will remain healthy, agile and have long lives.  

Although fat dogs may seem cute, there could be a host of issues going on.  Joint or locomotion difficulties, extra pounds put added stress on joints, bones, ligaments and muscles.  Heart and respiratory disease, heart and lungs have to work harder to provide adequate oxygen and circulation. Also, extra fat in the chest cavity and around the heart muscle can decrease the efficiency of the heart and lungs.  Diabetes, just like people, diabetes is much more common in obese dogs and cats.   Liver disease, obese animals are prone to liver disease. Heat intolerance, excessive fat has insulating properties that makes obese animals uncomfortable and unable to tolerate heat.  Skin problems, overweight animals often have trouble grooming themselves. The rolls of skin built up by fat deposits can often harbor dirt, bacteria and other harmful organisms.  Gastrointestinal disorder, Pancreatitis is seen all too often in obese dogs. This condition is painful and life threatening.

 Here are a few ways in which you can care for your dog so that they have a longer and better life:

1. Do not allow let your pet become a couch potato. Take him out for a run everyday at least for 20 minutes otherwise he will put on weight.

2. Pay attention to the diet: Sometimes the printed dog food labels do not tell the entire story.  Make sure that your canine friend has a diet rich in meat, vegetables and healthy ingredients.  If you have started a weight loss food for dogs, make sure it is healthy.  Don’t sacrifice nutrition at a time when the dog needs it the most as the weight comes off.

3. Exercise: If you find that you can’t take your dog out for a walk, then get a ball to throw a ball so that he can run and retrieve it.

4. Play: Dog love to play and enjoy your attention. Play games like racing, wrestling or fetch to burn calories.

5. Winter months: In the winter months if it becomes quite difficult to exercise with your dog, try to find indoor games.

. Obesity, whether in humans or dogs can lead to a decreased life span.

 Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit her site for more information

As a dog-owner, have you ever thought twice about the actual nutritional value of the food and treats you are feeding your dog? If you are concerned about the health of your pet and loyal companion, you should be more aware of what the ingredients are in the dog food and products that you buy. Sadly, the labels of most commercial dog foods don’t tell the whole truth about what they contain and unfortunately some can contain what I like to call useless fillers. Yes, many people feed their dog not so healthy food and they don’t even realize it.

Dog food production has ‘developed’ in the past few decades but the life-span of these beloved animals have gotten shorter in contrast. Additional details may be found over at Premium Dog Food from Life’s Abundance brand The reason: because these ‘developments’ actually benefit commercial dog food manufacturers more than they do the dogs. It means using poor-quality and even toxic ingredients to ensure cheaper costs of production and longer shelf life. It means very poor nutrition for your pet so that these companies can make higher profits.

The truth about most available dog products is that they are made from low-grade grains, unthinkable meat by-products and artificial preservatives that are not fit for humans and pets to eat. For instance, substitution for meat protein and good carbohydrates are often done with poor-quality grain meals using soybean, corn, gluten, and wheat. These ingredients in fact commonly cause allergies in pets. Meanwhile, the meat ingredients typically used can include unwanted body parts of animals like the neck, head, guts, feet, lungs, and bones. Even harder to the stomach is that these can come from animals that are diseased, dying or already dead and decaying. All of these are mercilessly dumped, ground and mixed into a more acceptable form called ‘meal’ and made into dog food.

To add to this already unhealthy mix, chemical ingredients used by dog food manufacturers have been found to cause early dog deaths due to heart disease, kidney failure and certain cancers. So why pay for junk that will eventually kill your dog?

Dogs age much faster than humans and they require the same quality of nutrition as ours. Naturally, like any other kind of animal, a dog needs fresh and healthy food too. The ideal diet for your pet should consist of high-quality protein, carbohydrates, natural fats, fiber, and even antioxidants. Chicken and fish are good sources of protein that you can look for in dog food. Eggs also provide protein, amino acids, biotin, sulfur, as well as vitamins A, B, E, and K. For carbohydrates, brown rice is an easily digestible carb-source that is now being used as a dog food ingredient.

A new advancement in health food for dogs now includes antioxidants in the ingredients, specifically from whole foods like apples, carrots, celery, spinach, alfalfa leaf, and garlic. Grape seed extract is also being used for its antioxidants that may help slow down your dog’s aging and to keep its immune system strong. This new kind of dog food likewise has beet pulp, which is a source of fiber and the short chain fatty acids needed by good bacteria in the digestive tract. Lactobacillus acidophilus in this dog food similarly aids digestion by encouraging the growth of helpful bacteria.

By providing this kind of nutritious dog food, you can ensure that your pet will live healthier and stay by your side longer.

During the recent wave of fires that engulfed huge swathes of California’s forests and neighborhoods, thousands of animals were displaced.  One organization took the lead in protecting the surviving animals, including cows, donkeys, horses, sheep, chickens and goats.  They provided veterinary care and food, not only for these animals, but also for the dogs and cats that escaped with their families to temporary shelters.  This same organization provided care for thousands of animals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

While we have focused on cat and dog rescue groups thus far, we plan to expand our funding to organizations providing care for a wide range of animals as well, including horses, cows, goats, ferrets, monkeys and others.  We’re committed to giving much needed help to the small rescues, as they do so much with so few resources.

And best of all, every time you purchase a HealthyPetNet product, a portion of the profits are contributed to a fund that supports the operations of this organization.  So, thank you so much for your continued business!  Together, we’re making a positive difference in the world, one animal at a time. More information can be found at Healthy Pet Net