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Dog Food Review

Your dog’s food directly impacts her health and happiness. Therefore, it’s important to provide your pup with various nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It’s important to note that dogs are omnivores, which means they can eat both meat and vegetables in order to satisfy their nutritional needs. As a result, make sure you provide a balanced diet which includes the correct amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and supplements for best health. Additionally, make sure your dog always has access to clean water at all times; this is critical to proper mental activity (for both humans and dogs).

Select the Proper Food for Your Dog

Consider Size and Lifestyle

Your dog should be fed according to her age, size, shape, and lifestyle. For example, a herding dog who works for 8 hours per day on a farm will have a drastically different diet than a Maltese who spends her days on the sofa (or on your lap). Similarly, a pregnant pooch has different dietary needs than a male dog, and newborn puppies require more nutrients for proper physical growth and neurological development. As dogs move into the golden years, they will also require a different diet.

Understand the Various Types of Food

You must know not only what you’re feeding your pet, but also how much you should feed on a daily basis. Again, this is also derived from the size and activity level of your pup. Many owners think they’re scoring points by providing enormous servings and loads of delicious snacks throughout the day. You may actually cause significant harm to your pup by giving the dog more food than her body requires. You could be encouraging obesity and paving the way for illness and high vet bills down the road.

From Table Scraps to Gourmet

In the good ol’ days, feeding the family dog was a straight-forward proposition. You’d go to the grocery store, find the biggest bag at the cheapest price, toss it in the cart, and keep on moving. Or, forget the official “dog food”; maybe the dog’s dinner was whatever the family had for dinner…meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas…okay, kids, scrape your leftovers into the dog’s bowl and get ready for bed!

Ah, those were the days…Your dog led a happy life and lived well into his mid-teens without contracting any serious illness or disease. Maybe the reason it was all so easy back then was because there were only a handful of foods to choose from. Also, all of these foods had basically the same ingredients, only varying in color, flavor, and price.

But now, we have countless varieties to choose from. Also, the scientific research of dog nutrition has advance which coincided nicely with the explosive growth of disposable household income which is now earmarked for our beloved pets.

5 Types of Dog Food You Should Consider

1. Organic Dog Food
Most dog food at your local supermarket contains pesticides, fillers, and other less-healthy additives. If you want to give your dog food that is free of these ingredients, then think about going the organic route. But remember the term “organic” is often very misleading, so make sure you read the ingredients carefully before buying.

2. No Preservative (or Natural Preservative) Dog Food
Most dog foods contain preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA. These are typically added to prevent the food from spoiling while maintaining taste. In efforts to eliminate these harmful ingredients, some foods now have “natural preservatives” such as vitamin C (often listed as ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (often listed as tocopherols).

But—just as with organic food–be sure to check the ingredients to ensure the preservatives are actually derived from nature. I’ve seen many “natural preservative” foods which, after inspecting the ingredients list, are actually artificial.

While we’re on this note, you can also purchase dog food that is 100% free of all preservatives. These products must be properly sealed in a cool, dry, bug-free place and used promptly to assure freshness.

3. Vegetarian Dog Food
Vegetarian dog owners should be able to exercise their dietary beliefs with their dogs. With adequate planning, vegetarian meals can contain all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs, as long as they are properly prepared. A veggie diet is also beneficial for dogs with meat allergies, although you may need to supplement the diet with vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

4. Raw Dog Food (BARF Diet)
Many dog owners believe that a diet of raw food is the healthiest way to feed a dog since this most closely resembles the way wild dog species & wolves ate before human domestication. And even though this belief has little scientific fact to substantiate its accuracy, the raw food diet is immensely popular. Many owners report significant savings in the cost of food, although you will need adequate space to keep all food refrigerated (or frozen). Also, be very careful when handling raw animal parts as you may be exposed to dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.

5. Therapeutic Dog Food
In conjunction with the necessary medical care, therapeutic dog foods are flourishing. These diets are available through your veterinarian and are typically prescribed after surgery diet or for acute health problems such as food allergies.

What do you feed your dog? Does your pup require a special diet?

Spay and Neuter 101: The Basics

According to the Humane Society, more than three million dogs are euthanized every year. Abandoned in shelters, our nation’s chronic over-population of dogs has reached epic proportions. This is why animal advocates continue to remind the general population to spay and neuter our dogs. But aside from the population issues, there are also health-related reasons why getting your dog “fixed” comes so highly recommended.

Please Spay and Neuter Your Dog

Reduce Injury and Disease

Spaying and neutering can prevent cancer. In addition, neutered male dogs will less likely want to run away (read: get hit by cars) or engage in rough-housing with other male dogs. Also, male dogs are inherently territorial and if not neutered will use dominance over other dogs, particularly when a female is involved. Just visit any dog park in America to see an unneutered, hump-anything-in-sight male doing his thing.

Dismiss the Myths

Dogs have an innate desire to breed. It’s just a fact. And contrary to popular lore, spaying and neutering your dog does not make them lazy, gain weight, or change personality type. All the spay and neuter procedure does is prevent your dog from seeking out other dogs to mate with.

Reduce the Population

As described in the opening, a major reason to spay and neuter your dog is to control the animal population. The reasons are threefold:

Minimize the number of homeless dogs in shelters
Reduce the number of pups roaming our city’s streets for scraps
Eliminate the likelihood that dogs will attack pets

The Humane Society reports that a single female dog (and her offspring) can give birth to hundreds of puppies within 6 years. So, unless you’re a breeder, there is no reason to not have your dog spayed or neutered.

Dog Ownership Equals Collective Responsibility

Your primary job is to ensure the safety, happiness, and security of your dog. To that end, we as the greater dog-owning community should be dedicated to providing a welcoming, caring environment for all of our nation’s pups. It’s up to everyone to spay and neuter our dogs…and to also care for, rehabilitate, and adopt the shelter and rescue group dogs in our communities.

Did we miss anything? What are your opinions on spaying and neutering?

Is My Dog Sick?

Dogs are naturally curious creatures. Fearless and ready for adventure, our pups experience the world with heightened senses of sound, smell, and taste. So it’s not unusual to catch your pooch counter-surfing for chicken wings or trying to leap out of the car window (to chase the traffic whizzing by). Back on the home front, our dogs are often lured to the citrus scents of toxic household chemicals and can easily follow their natural instincts into hazardous situations. So how can you tell when your dog actually does hurt herself? What are the symptoms? And is it serious enough for a visit to the veterinarian?

Take Your Dog to the Vet Annually

Symptoms of Sickness

You should get in the habit of checking your dog on a daily basis. Lift her ears and look for ticks, part her hair until you can see the skin and search for fleas. How’s her skin looking? Is it dry? Lift her lips and have a close look at the teeth and gums. Do you see any inflammation or bleeding?

These 5 physical symptoms, in particular, are red flags that require immediate medical attention:

Continuous nasal discharge – Indicates the possible presence of a virus or bacteria. By the way, your dog can get a cold, the flu, and even pneumonia.
Vomiting – Once or twice isn’t bad—in fact it may be desired if food is indigestible. But if it occurs more than that, talk to your vet immediately. This could be a symptom of a greater illness.
Constant scratching – If your dog just sits on the floor and scratches herself nonstop, then begin with a close examination of her skin. Separate the hair and look at the skin. Do you notice dandruff, lice (looks like blotches of dirt), or fleas on skin? What about redness or swelling? Skin issues are prevalent in dogs and may be address with a {healthier diet}, topical treatment, or medication.
Irregular stool – As with vomiting, one or two loose bowel movements is not a cause for major concern. But if your pup continues passing loose stool over a period of days, then she may have an infection or other bowel disorder. On the other end of the scale, constipation over a period of two to three days is also cause for concern. A good vet will help you get to the root of these digestive problems and to prescribe treatment.
Limping – Observe your dog’s walk. Is she favoring certain legs over others? If she’s hobbling a bit, then first check her feet. Gently squeeze her paw in your hand and watch for any reaction. If she quickly jerks away, then perhaps she’s injured her paw. Many older dog are reluctant to walk around at all, so be sure to get your aged pooch plenty of exercise to ensure proper circulation and nerve activity.

The Role of Your Vet

First of all, make sure your dog receives an annual check-up with the veterinarian. Even though you can check her teeth, paws, and skin at home, a professional doctor can examine your beloved pup for many other problems that you’d likely overlook. On that same note, keep in mind that even a “minor” injury deserves a call to your veterinarian. Just check in, explain what happened, and ask if it’s necessary to have your dog professionally examined. The goal here is to ensure that you don’t miss a more serious problem…Better safe than sorry.

Keep a Lid on the Garbage

Prevention is Key

The most common household dog injuries include: choking, electrical shock, chemical poisoning, puncture wounds, and fractures. However, with proper planning around the home, you can prevent many of these injuries before they ever happen.

Here are some simple tips:

Electrical Hazards – Many dogs are drawn to electrical cords and some love nothing more than to chew on the plastic insulation which protects the high-voltage wires. Of course, once punctured, the live wires can cause severe burns inside your dogs’ mouth. As a result, make sure all cords are out of reach, better yet, out of sight. And if they are within striking distance, then cover the cords with duct tape or CritterCord protector so your pooch can’t gnaw at it.
Food And Exercise – You knew this was coming…don’t give your dog table scraps! Leftovers are loaded with fat and sodium (which are not exactly healthy for humans either) and should not be given to the dog. The best diet for your pooch is either a homemade meal recommended by your vet or a premium commercial dog food. Also, make sure the water bowl is always freshly filled. Oh, and please take your dog out for exercise. Depending on the breed, this may be as simple as a 15 minute walk each day. And let’s face it, we owners need to get outside and walk around the neighbor more anyway…right? Talk to the vet if you’re unsure of how much exercise your pup needs.
Toxic Chemicals And Poisons – Keep your dog away from bleaches, detergents, cleaners, polishers, and all other household chemicals. Surprisingly, houseplants should also be out of reach. Most people don’t realize that many varieties of common plants are toxic and can make your dog severely ill, in some cases even leading to death. And here’s a no-brainer: Keep all medicines secured and out of reach.
Traveling In The Car – If your dog is a leaper—you know, the type that would soar out of an open car window at the sight of a postal worker—then invest in a high-quality travel carrier, kennel, or seat belt. Be careful when allowing your dog to stick her head out of the window, and never allow your dog to ride in the bed of a pickup truck.
Trash – Keep the garbage tightly closed both inside and outside your house. If possible, keep the kitchen trash behind a closed door or secured in a cabinet under the sink.

The Banned-Foods List

While we’re discussing the kitchen, here’s a quick list of foods that you should never feed your dog:

Caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, and chocolate
Dairy products such as milk and cheese
Raisins and grapes
Human vitamin s &supplements which contain iron or liver
Mushrooms, onions, garlic, and potatoes

Dog Dental Care: Tools & Toys for Healthy Teeth

Dental care experts report that without proper oral hygiene, 75% of dogs show signs of dental disease by three years old. As a result, your dog’s dental care should be emphasized now more than ever; with the ever-growing selection of foods, treats, other delectables comes an even higher prevalence of dental disease in dogs. Canine Gingivitis, gum infections, and other periodontal problems create harmful bacteria which can get into your pup’s bloodstream and damage her heart, lungs, liver, intestinal tract, and kidneys. Familiarizing your pooch with home dental care is the best way to ensure long-term oral health. Coupled with regular veterinary check-ups, most irritation and tartar formation can be treated in the early, preventable stages.

Dog Dental Care is Critical

Understanding Your Dog’s Mouth

Before you can successfully care for your pooch’s pearly whites, you should first learn how the teeth develop and operate. Let’s start from the beginning. Dogs are born without any teeth and then grow them two to three weeks later. At two months, puppies have about 28 temporary teeth, including incisors, pre-molars and cuspids (“canines”). But these temporary teeth are short-lasting; dogs begin losing them 1 month later. By the time they reach six months, a dog has roughly 42 permanent teeth. As with human infants, this period of a dog’s life is marked by severe discomfort and pain. Most dogs—like human babies—will chew relentlessly and mouth anything in sight to ease the irritation. An adult dog’s mouth typically includes 12 incisors (the small front teeth) which are used for personal grooming and picking up small objects. Alongside those, four long, pointed cuspids allow your pooch to puncture food and other large pieces. These edible chunks are then passed to the middle of the mouth where 16 premolars begin slicing; finally, 10 molars in the very back grind and crush the remaining fragments into digestible portions for easy swallowing.

Proper Dog Dental Care

First and foremost, you must remain aware of what your dog eats and plays with. Compressed rawhide bones, knobby rubber toys, and dental chews are critical components of dental hygiene; these products aren’t hard enough to damage teeth and actually assist in the tartar-removal process. On the other hand, small toys and most real bones should be closely monitored, since they can pose significant problems if they’re broken into pieces and then swallowed.

How to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth

Ongoing oral hygiene for your dog is actually quite simple. There are just a few basic steps to learn. In fact, the most important factor is not so much the length or duration of each individual brushing or grooming session, but rather in the consistency with which you do it. It’s far better to clean your dog’s teeth a couple of minutes every other day than to have a single marathon brushing once per week. There are several toothpastes and toothbrushes designed especially for dogs at the pet store. Oh, this is a great time to advise you not to use any toothpaste or other oral hygiene product designed for people (i.e. Crest, Colgate, etc.) with your pooch. People ‘paste contains irritants, bleaches, and fluoride, which is not good for the stomach. Of course, we humans typically spit and rinse out most toothpaste residue, but our four-legged pups aren’t likely to follow our lead. They only know two actions: chew and swallow.

Starting the Oral Care Regimen

If you’re just starting out, we recommend the finger brush, a small hood worn over your finger with soft rubber bristles on one side. A similar product is used for human infants, and the principle is the same. You’re using a familiar object (your finger) to introduce the dog to an unfamiliar experience (teeth brushing). Oh, and while you’re inside the mouth, be sure to massage the gums and check for any signs of tartar, which appears as a dark yellow film typically where the tooth meets the gum line. Once your pooch adjusts to the finger brush, you can later upgrade to a regular dog toothbrush. The actual brushing method is also important. To insure maximum effectiveness, try to keep the brush at a 45-degree angle, and be sure to spend time cleaning each tooth and gum line. Spend 1 minute making small circular motions, followed by an additional minute of vertical strokes. This two-minute, two-step process should dislodge those pesky food particles and discourage the formation of plaque. Ideally, try to brush your dog’s teeth several times a week.

Recognize the Red Flags

Due in part to their non-acidic saliva, cone-shaped teeth, and natural chewing habits, dogs rarely have tooth decay. However, if you notice chronic bad breath, oral bleeding, or other unusual periodontal activity, seek immediate veterinary attention. Infection is likely present, and professional help is necessary.

What have your dog’s teeth-brushing experiences been like? We’d love to hear your stories!