Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Must-Know Facts On Dog Food

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Many dog owners pay scant attention to what they feed their dogs. Often, they base their decision solely on price, rather than taking the time to find out what the food actually contains. If they did they’d be shocked to find that these cheap dog food products often contain ingredients that are harmful to their dogs.

Not only that, but cheap dog food may not be the bargain it appears to be (more on this later).For now, let’s focus on some simple tips to help you choose a healthy kibble for your dog.

Dogs need an omnivorous diet, with both meat and vegetables at a ratio of about 50/50. What is not needed is the grain based fillers in most commercial dog chow. Want to know if your favorite dog food brand meets this requirement? Simple, just read the label.

Unfortunately, labels sometimes appear to be written in a foreign language, so here’s a short-cut to finding out what you need to know. Just look at the first five listed ingredients, and if they are meat based products, the food will probably meet your dog’s nutritional needs.

It’s not that grains are bad for your dog, just that they are better fed whole. Grains like rice, millet, oats and barley are actually a rich source of fiber, but the grains contained in dry dog food are primarily there as filler, and contain minimal nutritional value.

You should also take note of artificial colorings, flavorings and preservaties. Many of these are chemical based and may be harmful to your dog. In fact, some chemical preservatives have been shown to be a contributing factor to various cancers. Preferably, you should choose a product that uses natural preservatives, like Vitamin C and E.

All this checking of labels can be a bit of a bind after a while though, so why not just cut to the chase. Buy a premium or super premium dog food brand and you can be almost certain that it will give your dog the optimum level of nutrition he needs.

Now you’ll probably look at the price of these products and wince. They do seem very expensive but as with most things in life, quality costs more. You may recall that at the beginning of the article I suggested that buying cheap was not the way to go. Here’s why that is.

Cheap dog food brands use sub-standard ingredients that are low in nutritional value. This means you have to give your dog more food to meet his nutritional needs. Feeding more inevitably leads to obesity, obesity leads to disease, disease leads to expensive visits to the vet, and your dog living a shorter, less fulfilling life.

A premium brand which optimizes nutrition means you’ll have to feed less, the “expensive” bag of kibble will last longer, and your dog will also be healthier, which means no expensive trips to the vet. Your dog also won’t pass as much waste, so there’s less for you to pick up – a benefit all of it’s own!

Hopefully this article has illustrated why you should always feed your dog the best dog food you can afford. But quite aside from the health benefits, your dog deserves it.

There’s lots more about dog food tips, dog care, facts about dogs and other interesting dog info at http://www.dogsanddogtraining.com

Is Buying Fancy Dog Food Necessary?

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Dog-sports enthusiasts are often much more up on trends in nutrition than many veterinarians. That’s because they demand more of their dogs than do most of the clients a veterinarian will see. They want glossy coats on their show dogs, and energy to burn from their field, agility, or obedience dogs. They are always looking for an edge, and that makes them good people to talk to when it comes to choosing a food.

Another reason: They usually aren’t dealing with the conflict of interest many veterinarians have: Recommending a food sold in the veterinary hospital or clinic.

Bear in mind, however, that dog-sport competitors can be a little too trendy when it comes to food. They’re often big on supplementing, prepared formulas as well as vitamins, vegetables, raw meat, or herbal concoctions. And that’s just flat-out not necessary for the normal nutritional demands of a dog whose primary job is companion.

Some supplements may even be dangerous, depending on what’s being added. So here’s a little advice: If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it. Buy a top-quality food and leave it at that. And if you have questions, ask your veterinarian.

Don’t Worry About Getting Too Fancy

Don’t think it’s too dull if your pet’s food is just plain brown: Fancy shapes and chunks of meat or cheese – or bits made to look like meat or cheese – are put there for your benefit. As long as it smells good, your dog doesn’t care what it looks like. (There’s even a saying, “looks like the dog’s dinner,” that pretty much sums up the fact that our idea of unappetizing is not the same as our dogs.)

There’s no evidence these people-pleasing touches will hurt your pet unless they’re too high in sugar, fat, or salt for your dog – but they’re nothing you need to seek out, and you certainly shouldn’t pay extra for them.

Some people just can’t believe a dog can be happy with plain kibble, even of a top-quality variety. If it makes you happy, add some canned food, maybe a little water and microwave it briefly. You’ll likely get the enthusiastic response you’re looking for. (Don’t forget to cover the leftover canned food and refrigerate.)

Before you start feeding this way, however, consider this: Should you ever want to travel with your dog, or need to leave him with your veterinarian, at a boarding kennel, or with a house-sitter or friend, he’ll do better if he’s used to eating kibble.

3 Ways To Keep Dogs From Throwing Up After They Eat

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The passion that dogs put into eating can be a little off-putting to the people who feed them – and who have to watch their terrible manners. There’s the drooling and whining. The unseemly snorting as they bury their faces in their food. And, worst of all, the regurgitation that may occur afterward. This, too, is part of nature’s plan.

When wolves stuffed themselves with 40 pounds of meat, their bodies couldn’t actually process that much at once. So they would waddle away from the table, throw up a little bit, then eat it to get the nutrients.

Dogs are a lot smaller than wolves, and it doesn’t take 40 pounds of meat to turn their stomachs. That’s why the kibble you pour in the bowl occasionally gets deposited in the corner a few minutes later. This has nothing to do with physical health or social graces. Their brains and stomachs are telling them that dogs who waste not, want not, and so they follow orders.

Given a chance to raid the food bag, most dogs will instantly revert to their old habits. Even when they don’t eat a lot, they do eat fast, and eating fast means that what goes in is going to try to come out.

Here are a few ways to protect the floors and keep their stomachs calm.

1. Give them more time: Dogs learn from experience. If you always pick up the food bowl the minute they’re done, they’ll figure that they’d better eat faster just in case you pick it up early. Leaving the bowl on the floor for 10 to 15 minutes after it’s empty will help them understand that they don’t have to rush.

2. Wet the food: Most dogs like a little gravy with their meals, and moistening dry food with warm water makes it more appealing. More important, it makes it easier to digest. Dogs are less likely to toss up their food when it’s not in hard chunks.

3. Give them less food, more often: Even though dogs are designed to handle very large meals, it’s better for their digestion to eat smaller amounts, more often. Veterinarians often recommend feeding dogs at least twice a day. Some say it’s better to feed them three, four, or even five times a day. The total amount of food will be the same, but the leisurely pace will help ensure that it stays where it’s supposed to.

Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair (3)

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Dog’s do not come into the world knowing polite manners, so don’t expect your own family pet to abide by rules that it doesn’t know yet. Dog training is a process that takes time and repetition. Both management and training will be necessary to keep your dog out of trouble while it’s learning how to behave properly.

While teaching your dog good manners, you’ll also need to find ways to prevent it from engaging in undesirable behaviors that might turn into bad habits.

If you let your untrained dog have free run of the house it will potty in all the wrong places, chew your belongings, steal unwatched food from tables and counters, pull curtains down, dig holes in the flower garden, and maybe run into the road. Dogs don’t know any better than to do these things – until they’re taught more appropriate actions.

Begin by limiting your dog’s access to places where it might secretly misbehave. Don’t allow him to have the full run of your home until it’s completely housetrained and has learned what’s appropriate to chew and what isn’t. Keep the dog in the same room you’re in, so you can watch it carefully and prevent messy, dangerous, costly mistakes.

One Labrador owner that I know came from a successful day of fishing, dropped a dozen mackerel she’d caught on the counter, then fed her young Lab and left the room to change her clothes. She returned five minutes later to discover that not only had her dog finished its kibble, it had also gobbled down all 12 fish!

A proactive approach will give your dog the opportunity to get used to your general household routine and to practice the good behaviors you are teaching it. If the dog tries to slip away when you get distracted, either block the room’s doorways with baby gates or leash your dog to your belt to keep it with you. During times when no one is available to keep an eye on the dog, confine it in an enclosed puppy-proofed area either indoors or outdoors.

Keep Training Consistent

Training can be fun and fulfilling for the entire family or it can be fraught with frustration. Which way it goes depends upon how consistently you and your family keep the dog on track. The best way to be consistent is to decide on a set of rules everyone in the family can follow and get the family positively involved in your dog’s training.

Raising a great canine family companion isn’t a job for just one person. Dog training takes a village – or at least a cooperative family – to raise and train a well-behaved dog.

Pet Food Recall: Are These Pet Food Manufacturers Purposely Killing Your Animals?

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We all want the best for our beloved dogs, especially when it comes to the foods they eat. We want to give them only the healthiest food available to make sure that they will live a long and healthy life. But what if the so-called “healthy pet foods” that are being sold in the market today are not reliable anymore?

What do we do when we can no longer trust the food manufacturers who is supposed to provide us with safe and healthy foods for our animals?

When The Food Is Killing Your Pets, Something Has To Change

The widespread recall of pet food has created a scare to all dog and cat owners who rely on commercial brands to feed their pets. All over the country, contaminated pet food has caused many dogs to become severely sick, while a large number of them have died.

In March alone of this year, Menu foods, an Ontario based manufacturing company, recalled more than 90 brands of “cuts and gravy” moist foods (both dog food and cat food) after more than 14 animals died from eating them. A few weeks later, the same company added 20 more varieties of their brand to be taken off store shelves.

It was later discovered that wheat gluten, an ingredient found in the said pet foods, was contaminated with rat poison. The risk of Salmonella contamination has also been the cause of a recall for two brands of pig ear dog treats.

Cases of toxic pet foods go back to December of 2005, when several dogs died and dozens fell ill after eating kibble manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. It was later found out that the food was contaminated with aflatoxin; a naturally occurring chemical produced from fungus and can be found on crops such as wheat, corn, rice, and beans. This chemical is also toxic to domestic animals, livestock, and even humans. Other pet food recalls during this past decade also involve the risk for Salmonella contamination.

Are These Pet Food Companies Breaking The Law?

FDA regulations state that pet foods should be manufactured similar to the way human foods are manufactured. They should be processed under a sanitary environment, do not contain any harmful ingredients, accurately labeled, and safe to eat.

All pet food manufacturers are expected to comply with these regulations to ensure that the food is safe and healthy. However, due to limited resources, the FDA can only inspect pet food issues after consumer complaints are made or if the FDA has a reason to believe that there is a threat to animal health. A recall is then announced by the FDA or the manufacturer if a defective product is found.

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