Best Food For Dogs

Tag: Dog Food

  • Grain Free or Better Grain in Dog Food

    I have written on many occasions on the benefits of grain free dog food, and have learned some new information!  True, any grain filled dog food can create a full system allergy reaction, general poor health, and malaise in your dog.  The benefits of shelf food are only with the ability to have the food available at any time.  However, you can still be healthy, and feed off the shelf.  It isn’t about GRAIN FREE but more so, being a different kind of grain.

    Grain is not the same throughout the Globe

    If America wants to stay competitive, they could learn a few steps from the Canada and EU grain producers.  First they grow mostly organic grain produce.  Secondly, they move all their agriculture through a round-up free environment.  Alas, America is saturated with Glyphosate or Round-up.  Cleaner produce equals cleaner grain product.  With many long term plans toward excellent production in agriculture, the exported grain is far superior in health.

    Buy Grain Free in America | Buy Grain from Canada, EU or New Zealand

    Even protein can be impacted greatly by sketchy grain fed to animals during the livestock growth processes in America.  Each day, more and more pet parents become more aware of the benefits of sticking with American Grain Free, but also, finding good protein within that grain free food.  So, how do you know it is good protein?  If the protein is raised organically, within grass fed pastures until slaughter, you have a good food.  It is truly sad that we have to endure this kind of screening on our pet food, but if you are not doing the same for yourself as well, you are missing out on a lifetime of good health.

    Buy Kiwi for Joint and Good Protein Health-And other Recommendations

    Here are some great foods to consider, at the time of this writing:

    Purina Pro Plan

    All dog breeders are aware that Purina Pro Plan is not like the Purina options in the big box stores.  They are selective and have a wide range of protein, fiber and fats for your dog’s specific breed, size, and lifestyle.  What you can do, is visit their website for a quiz, and they will guide you towards your dog’s perfect variety of Purina Pro Plan.  If you have three dogs, chances are, all three will need to have three different food offers.  It is ok, as if you can bring them good nutrition, you can allow them to save you money by staying away from the vet.

    Here is the link for the quiz!  https://www.proplan.com/myplan

     

    Nutri Source Adult -Chicken & Rice

    We recently added a standard poodle to our family, and I was shocked to learn our very experienced poodle breeder was feeding this food, from puppy to adult.   Of course, puppy variety for puppy age, and the adult version for any dog older than a year.  She has had excellent results on this food!  We have added it to our regime, and have found the dogs love it.  It has grain, but, it has a good variety of probiotics and good lower protein levels.  I highly recommend this as your only food, if you are looking to buy from a big box, or are cutting costs.  It will be a very good option.  You can buy it on Amazon too.

    Royal Canin

    Our friends in France and our Vet recommends this brand of dog and cat food.  We have had excellent results with our older cat on this brand.  Take their advice, and buy to the breed, or to the health concern.  The grain is safe, the protein too.  An excellent food that our dogs and cats love.

    Earthborn Holistic Great Plains

    Another great recommendation comes from Chewy.com where you can find good options for cats and dogs alike.  Loved by our cats and dogs, it is a grain free option, that will stay fresh on your shelf, until you need to rebuy.  I find the primitive option has worked very well for our pets.

    Taste of the Wild 

    Both cats and dogs like the grain free option, and it is tasty and a good value!

    Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb Dog Food, 8.8-lb bag

    My favorite addition is expensive, however, the green mussels in the food and the fact it comes from New Zealand will allow you to look no further.  All dogs should be on this food.  Cats will not enjoy it, unless they are forced to try. Feed big dogs at least a cup a day, Feed little dogs this and this alone.  You will be saving life with this food!

     

    cheers to you and your furry herd!

  • Dog Allergies and Your Dog’s Food : Why It is Important to Remove Corn

    If you are experiencing dog allergies, and your dog’s skin is itchy, red, and sore, you can easily find a solution by feeding food that does not offer one main ingredient : Corn.  Dog allergies can result in a large amount of symptoms, but the main problem that you will experience is a lack of a resolution to these symptoms.  The problem is that often dog allergies are related to nutritional levels, and a lack of good nutrition.

    The Dog Food Industry and Dog Allergies

    The dog food industry began in the 1940s with Purina’s invention of Dog Chow.  The company began to create all kinds of animal and husbandry food for farmers, and when farmers started buying the food, it was great food for dogs.  The food was often dried protein based food, that was the scrap or end points of the meat industry.  The best part of this kind of food was that corn was not the main part of the food, but just a stabilizer.  Today, we have many people researching how to treat dog allergies, but the reason is the problem is growing is there is more and more dog food that has moved from nutrition.  The dog food that a majority of dogs are fed, has a key ingredient that supports a long shelf life, and is inexpensive.  This ingredient is corn, and it is not the same corn as a hundred years ago.  The kernel is mostly starch now, and is a white fluffy sugar that can be easily dried and mixed with a small amount of protein for consumption.

    The corn addition has added great profit for the dog food industry.  Dog food mixed with only a small fraction of protein, needs a stabilizer, and corn is the most inexpensive option.  Most grocery and big box super food stores offer only dog food that is shelf life resistant for 2 or 3 years.  It is important that they purchase large palates of the food, and then that they stay on the shelf until purchase, and stay fresh.  The problem with this idea, is that the vitamins and minerals that may have existed at the time of manufacture actually are now inert.  The vitamins and minerals do not last for the time frame that corn lasts, and the protein in this shelf stable product, is actually oxidized easily over a few months, which is a perfect storm to create dog allergies.

    Dog Allergies can Be Solved with Nutrition

    Buy a dog food that has a short shelf life, and one that has no corn, and your dog will find that dog allergies are a thing of the past.  The nutrition solution can be the real solution, but it takes time to see the results.  Over a dog’s life, eating bad and shelf stable dog food, can offer some solutions for stores to see a profit, but it creates a really toxic situation in your dog’s cells and tissues.  When you offer new nutrition, and remove the corn based food, you are going to see a change in your dog, and sometimes the dog allergies will actually get worse.  This is really common, and do not stop your new dog food regime.

    Dog Allergies can Get Worse With Good Nutrition

    The reason your dog may see better nutrition cause more dog allergies, is the fact that your dog’s body will now release all the toxic elements that it was storing over the years.  Often when a new nutrition is offered, new vitamins and minerals will be so welcome to your dog’s system, that it releases all the stored meager value it was storing for a rainy day, and this release, will send out toxic stored chemicals as well.  It is not unusual for a few months of dog allergies to erupt during a new nutrition program.

  • Dog Food & Nutrition : Adding Supplements to Dog Food

    Do research before adding supplements to a dog’s food. Learn about dog food additives and supplements, as well as tips on making sure a dog is eating a healthy diet in thisfree pet care video. Expert: Mark Siebel Contact: www.doggiestepsdogtraining.com/index.html Bio: has owned Doggie Steps Dog Training for four years and has worked with over 4000 dogs! Filmmaker: Dustin Daniels
    Video Rating: 3 / 5

  • Does Your Dog Need Hypoallergenic Dog Food?

    Would you be able to tell if your dog needed hypoallergenic dog food? The main reason to feed hypoallergenic food is when your dog is showing symptoms of allergies. Some of the most common symptoms of allergies caused by foods are loss of appetite, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, upset stomach, irritated skin, breathing problems and gastrointestinal difficulties.  Foods that are the most frequent offenders include dairy products, yeast, wheat, soy, chicken, beef and eggs. Less common but worth mention is lactose intolerance as an allergen.  

    If your dog is showing signs of allergic symptoms such as throwing up, diarrhea or constant scratching and inflamed red skin, it is recommended that you quickly start them on a diet of hypoallergenic dog food.

    How to Isolate the Allergen

    If your dog was showing allergic symptoms and you put them on a hypoallergenic food, did the symptoms improve?  Note: It can take up to 8-12 weeks for symptoms to disappear so be patient and give the hypoallergenic food a good trail period. If the symptoms disappear you can be certain there is an allergy involved and you will need to isolate it in order to avoid it in the future.

    Isolating an allergen is easier said than done. After all, man’s best friend doesn’t talk much and thus, it is hard sometimes to ascertain how they are feeling. However, though it may not be immediate to find the offending allergen, it is not really all that difficult.

    The method most commonly recommended is an “add-back” approach to your pet’s diet.
    After changing your dog’s diet to hypoallergenic food and eliminating all allergic symptoms, one at a time add back one ingredient of the allergy causing food.  For example, add corn, wheat or a specific type of meat. Then you simply wait and see if any allergic symptoms return. If so, you are safe in assuming that the allergen is in the food you returned to the diet.

    Never Ignore Altered Behavior

    Whenever your dog shows new behaviors such as obsessive scratching and licking or digging at their ears, pay attention! This type of behavior change is often indicative that your dog is under some form of stress and is very uncomfortable; commonly the source of the stress is an allergy. Just like people, dogs can “grow into” an allergy by becoming sensitized to an allergen over time. Just because your Goldendoodle puppy does not have an allergy now does not necessarily mean they will live their entire life allergy free. Always be in tune to your dogs behavior so that if it changes, you will notice it sooner rather than later.

    Testing for Allergies

    Your vet can run allergy tests and determine what your dog is allergic to. However, it is an expensive alternative for making the determination, especially when compared to simply changing their food.

    If your dog shows any of the classic symptoms of allergies, hypoallergenic dog food is the most highly recommended method to alleviate the problem.

    John Bolt, his wife and their much loved Goldendoodle, live in Ontario, Canada where John works retail by day and maintains his website by night. When not on the golf course with his golf range finder, he’s doing his dog training to learn how to stop barking dogs including his beloved Daly.

    Article from articlesbase.com

  • Dog Food Nutrition

    Dog food nutrition starts with ingredients that do not host any preservatives or chemicals.  The reason that chemicals, additives, and preservatives are added, is to preserve the dog food on the shelf, and keep it ready for you to buy, when you need it.  The problem with this remedy, is that the preservatives will be a major health issue in your dog’s life.

    Toxins and Your Dog’s Liver

    If you are looking to keep your dog’s life healthy and happy, be sure to understand the process that a chemical food will take on your dog’s body.  Your dog is a small and very susceptible organism to toxic and heavy chemicals.  The fact that dog cancer and other digestive illness has risen over the years, is due in part to the chemicals in dog food.  The unhealthy path you will follow, leads right back to a chemical filled dog food.

    The hardest part, is that the market place is often very easily deceptive, and can use the word natural or healthy whenever and wherever they choose.  Be sure to keep your eyes open, and read the ingredient list on your dog food bag with awareness.  No chemicals, no ingredients, you can not understand.  If you have a question, there should be a phone number on the bag, and you can call to see if the food is really a good choice.   If the reasons and description are enough for you, you may have found a good food to choose.  If you can not get a good feeling from the call, you should move on.

    The fact that chemicals and preservatives cause poor nutrition, are not limited to the fact that often chemically laden dog food has few nutrients to offer as well.  If a food sits on a shelf for long, all anti-oxidants are lost in the time they sit waiting to be consumed.  Nutrients added, are often slim to none in this case.  The reality of the situation is that the dog food nutrition needed is not really offered, and your dog could have a poor health outcome.

  • Prescription Dog Food

    Does your vet prescribe a dog food for your dog?  It is good advice to always follow your vet’s advice, but be sure to continue to find the right information as well.  Often, my vet would prescribe a dog food for our dog, and it would not be accepted by my dog, or it just didn’t seem to work for her digestive system.  If you are looking to have a good conversation with your vet about your dog’s food, be sure to arrive with some questions and information.

    Prescribed Dog Food Choices

    Sometimes, the dog food that is used for prescription, is very quietly full of corn, soybean, or rice.  Even white potatoes have been a main ingredient in this list.  The confusing part to this ingredient list is the fact that it is often hard to digest.  I have had good results with less carbohydrates in a time of stress, illness or injury, than the prescribed dog food choices offered.

    In most cases, a very lean protein, like venison or 100% organic chicken, will be better for your dog.  Even a green vegetable, like green beans, and some dried sweet potato, can be much better for the pancreas, the liver, the bladder and kidneys.  The dog in stress, should not be given any sugar or starch, as the glucose created can be hard to digest or manage.

    Be kind to your dog, and question your vet, so that you can bring the best results to your dog.  Clearly, in times of disease or illness, they may find the higher starches laden prescription foods, will be accepted by your dog more readily, so a mix could be considered, but working towards a holistic solution, will in the end assist your dog to actually solve the related problem, and be the great solution that you require.

    A genuine discussion with your vet, should be a way to actually try to find a solution, provide health and happiness, versus covering up the symptoms and problems that are occurring.  The keys to health all reside with appropriate levels of nutrition, interactivity with drugs and medicine, and great prescription dog food information.

  • Proper Dog Nutrition

    Dog nutrition is all about nutrients, or what your dog eats as food to keep him healthy. There are six families of nutrients:

    proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Dog nutrition is critical for the longevity of your dog. Proper

    balanced pet diets increase the life-span of your dog. Dog nutrition is one of the most essential subjects to learn. Since

    dogs are active animals, they do eat a lot and they need proper nutrition as well as humans do.

    Dog nutrition is just as important, if not more essential, than loving your dog. If you want to truly show how much you love

    and care about them it is essential that you keep them healthy with a proper diet. Dog nutrition is very crucial when

    preparing dog food. We all know that the ideal food to feed to newborn puppies is their mother’s milk.

    Pet foods are not regulated like our food is so it is critical to read the ingredient labels. General dog nutrition is the

    same as human nutrition; the more natural, the better. Pet owners were devastated to learn that the food the manufacturers

    passed off as safe was making their pets deathly ill. Some actually died before the food was withdrawn from store shelves.

    Choose several excellent brands and alternate between them every month or so. This will help you to avoid any dangers

    accidentally posed by one brand while ensuring that your pet receives the absolute best dog nutrition. Choosing a quality pet

    food for your dog should not be difficult. However, since the pet food recall, it’s hard to know who to trust.

    Pet Medical Recorder is a simple to use software tool which will generate a set of special forms to allow you to keep track

    of all your dog’s medical and treatment information. It will keep records of vaccinations, worming and flea control, so you

    can see at a glance when the treatment needs repeating.

    Naturally we want our dogs to live with us for as long as possible. Natural oils must also be included in dog’s nutrition

    because they are a source of energy and acids that provide your dog with the best skin and hair care.

    Andre Arnett is a Internet Marketer trying to spread a little knowledge online. For a free 10 lesson e-course on dog training be sure to stop by http://dogtrainingbasics4u.com and get started today.

    Article from articlesbase.com

    Find More Dog Nutrition Articles

  • Spotting Dog Skin Allergies

    Dog allergies of all kinds are just as common in dogs as they are in humans.  Dog skin allergies are one of the most common forms of allergies that you may experience.  Dog skin allergies are characterized by having your dog chew, lick and paw at her itchy skin, her eyes and nose may have some sort of discharge (usually a clear discharge) and there may be digestive upsets involved.  Skin lesions are another sign that your dog is probably suffering dog skin allergies.

    What Causes Dog Skin Allergies?

    All allergies are a result of our immune system being hypersensitive to some sort of substance (which is referred to as an antigen or allergen).  Dog skin allergies can show up at any point of your dog’s life, though they tend to come about during the first five years of your dog’s life.

    The most common of the dog skin allergies involves dog fleas.  The saliva of dog fleas will often cause the area of skin where the bite occurred to become incredibly itchy and irritating.

    There are also atopic dog skin allergies, which is the result of your dog inhaling some sort of substance that does not agree with their immune system.  These allergens are similar to the inhaled allergens that bother humans, such as dust, mold, dander, and pollen.  This type of allergy usually is noticeable when your pet is quite young (under 6 months in age)  The best way to try and stop atopic dog skin allergies is to keep your home and the area that the dog lives in very clean and well ventilated.

    How are Dog Skin Allergies Diagnosed?

    Where the skin lesions are present on the body will often help the veterinarian decide if your dog has a dog skin allergy or not.  Your veterinarian may also put your dog on some sort of a flea medication, and different foods may be tried so as to rule out whether or not your dog is having a dog food allergy rather than a dog skin allergy.  Blood tests and allergy testing may also be involved in more complex cases.

    How do you Treat Dog Skin Allergies?

    Unfortunately, allergies are very rarely “cured”; it’s more a matter of trying to control them and to keep them in check.  Antihistamines as well as corticosteroids are popular ways to treat allergies, though some pet owners are also choosing “immunotherapy”.  This type of therapy is a bit controversial as it is not guaranteed to work, though if it does, it will take up to 12 months to work properly.

     

    To know more on dog skin allergies, dog allergies or other dog health related information you’re welcome to visit Nil’s blog at Dog-Health-24.info.

     

    Article from articlesbase.com

    More Why Dogs Get Allergies Articles

  • Resources

    Useful Dog Food Resources

  • Bonus178

    The 10 Ingredients You Should Never Feed Your Dog

    1. Corn
    2. By-Products
    3. Fillers
    4. Chemicals
    5. Meat Meal
    6. Wheat
    7. Potatoes
    8. Rice
    9. BHA and BHT
    10. FD&C Red No. 5 and Yellow No. 7 Ethoxyquin

    This is a short list, but these are good things to look out for.  You should always check with your Veterinarian before beginning any new food program, and it is up to you to decide which organic, or natural homeopathic dog food will be best.

    It is shocking how dog food companies are out to disguise their un-healthy foods as natural or healthy choices.  They often have corn in them, and it is a red flag for any dog food parent.  If you see the words, corn, meat meal or meat by products, you are not bringing good nutrition to the bowl.  The meat meal is a clever word that describes, road-kill, bone, hair, hooves, and tails of beef and pigs.  The real injustice is some processing is dead animals that were pets,  and they often still have their collars on them!

    Do not be afraid of vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid, as it is often used in good pet food for a preservative. Another good and valuable list of ingredients is alpha-linolenic acid(ALA), or eicosapentaeonic acid(EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA).  Dogs can not digest ALA, but they can digest and effectively use, EPA and DHA.  Often companies do not know this fact, and stick it in there anyway, as it is a good essential fatty acid.

    Keep in mind, if your dog food is made in the USA, and is made in small batches, has a short time until expiration, and is often hard to find, you have found a good food.  I suggest you look for the smallest size you can buy, and test drive it for 2 months.   Do not buy more, until you are sure it is tasty for your dog, and they are experiencing good results.  By the end of 8 weeks, your dog should see positive changes, but at first, the extra nutrition could make your dog feel worse.  This has to do with an over active immunity system, and it takes time for this system to calm down, and show its balance and strength.

    Be sure to visit www.best-food-for-dogs.com for ratings and updates.  Your best friend will love you for it!