SENIOR DOG FOOD
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This is my Lady girl and if you want you can read her whole bio and watch
her grown up HERE. When dogs become older, their nutritional needs change.
They b...
3 months ago
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Homemade Dog Food
Recalls and poisonings aside, there are plenty of other reasons to be aware of what’s in your animal’s food. A good diet keeps your pet’s coat healthy and keeps his digestive system running smoothly. Also, you pay for what you get. Foods with a lot of fillers are cheaper but less nutritious. Just as with human food, good ingredients will go a long way toward giving your pet a long, healthy life. There is a list of the best premium natural and organic dog foods with the highest review ratings on my main site: http://recipes4gourmetdogs.com
Learn to decipher labels on commercial pet foods. The most important parts of the label are the nutritional adequacy statement and ingredients list. The former tells you whether a food is suitable as the sole nourishment for a healthy pet. The label will specify that the product “provides a complete and balanced nutrition.” This is an excellent resource book with extremely important info on what not to feed your pet: Click Here!
A well formulated cat or dog food will list chicken, beef, lamb, poultry, or fish meal first. Check out my dog food rating scale HERE. Just for fun use this scale to check out the real nutrition and safety of your dog food that you presently use. I bet if you are still buying grocery store kibble you will be surprised at how bad the food really is for your dog.
Cats are carnivores and dogs are omnivores, so both need their meat. Bone meal and other meat by-products are poor sources of protein. The first ingredient should be a specific meat and not a by-product or a meal. Organic meat is the best choice, and ususally you will find two or more listed on the premium brands. Soy, rice, oats, yeast, wheat, corn, and other fillers provide protein but aren’t as digestible, and can cause allergies in dogs. Corn, soy, wheat and peanut shells are often used simply to increase the manufactueres profits, and this is definitely not in your dog's best interest.
Manufacturers sometimes try to mask the amount of fillers in pet foods by breaking them into components. For example, corn may be listed as cornmeal, corn gluten and ground corn. If all three were grouped together, corn would become a main ingredient, rather than meat. At the end of the list you’ll find preservatives in the cheap dog food brands. Ethoxyquin is one of the most controversial, because it may affect a dog’s liver. Premium dog foods don't use chemical preservatives. Look for foods preserved with Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (listed as tocopherol) instead.
A better alternative is to buy organic pet food. An organic pet food marked 95% organic meets the same guidelines as organic food produced for humans. The food won’t contain pesticides or antibiotics, and it’s preserved with natural substances like Vitamins C and E. As with any food, the organic option will be more expensive, but it’s healthier for your pet, and the way it is produced is definitely better for the environment.
The best choice by far is making your own healthy home made pet food so you know exactly what you’re feeding your animals. Ensure you’re preparing nutritionally balanced food, or your pet may suffer from malnutrition. Consult your veterinarian before starting your pet on home made pet food, or buy a few good dog cook books, written by vets (DVM) or animal nutritionists. HERE. I have several books about nutrition for dogs and cats, and also several cookbooks for dogs that I use just as I do my own cookbooks.
Home made pet food tends to be the most expensive option, but may be worth your peace of mind. While some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a vet who thinks it’s a good idea. There is always a chance that you or your pet could be exposed to E.coli or salmonella.
I have spent a lot of hours reading books, talking to professionals, and comparing information and reviews, and you can find more information on my main website at: Recipes 4 Gourmet Dogs.
Learn to decipher labels on commercial pet foods. The most important parts of the label are the nutritional adequacy statement and ingredients list. The former tells you whether a food is suitable as the sole nourishment for a healthy pet. The label will specify that the product “provides a complete and balanced nutrition.” This is an excellent resource book with extremely important info on what not to feed your pet: Click Here!
A well formulated cat or dog food will list chicken, beef, lamb, poultry, or fish meal first. Check out my dog food rating scale HERE. Just for fun use this scale to check out the real nutrition and safety of your dog food that you presently use. I bet if you are still buying grocery store kibble you will be surprised at how bad the food really is for your dog.
Cats are carnivores and dogs are omnivores, so both need their meat. Bone meal and other meat by-products are poor sources of protein. The first ingredient should be a specific meat and not a by-product or a meal. Organic meat is the best choice, and ususally you will find two or more listed on the premium brands. Soy, rice, oats, yeast, wheat, corn, and other fillers provide protein but aren’t as digestible, and can cause allergies in dogs. Corn, soy, wheat and peanut shells are often used simply to increase the manufactueres profits, and this is definitely not in your dog's best interest.
Manufacturers sometimes try to mask the amount of fillers in pet foods by breaking them into components. For example, corn may be listed as cornmeal, corn gluten and ground corn. If all three were grouped together, corn would become a main ingredient, rather than meat. At the end of the list you’ll find preservatives in the cheap dog food brands. Ethoxyquin is one of the most controversial, because it may affect a dog’s liver. Premium dog foods don't use chemical preservatives. Look for foods preserved with Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (listed as tocopherol) instead.
A better alternative is to buy organic pet food. An organic pet food marked 95% organic meets the same guidelines as organic food produced for humans. The food won’t contain pesticides or antibiotics, and it’s preserved with natural substances like Vitamins C and E. As with any food, the organic option will be more expensive, but it’s healthier for your pet, and the way it is produced is definitely better for the environment.
The best choice by far is making your own healthy home made pet food so you know exactly what you’re feeding your animals. Ensure you’re preparing nutritionally balanced food, or your pet may suffer from malnutrition. Consult your veterinarian before starting your pet on home made pet food, or buy a few good dog cook books, written by vets (DVM) or animal nutritionists. HERE. I have several books about nutrition for dogs and cats, and also several cookbooks for dogs that I use just as I do my own cookbooks.
Home made pet food tends to be the most expensive option, but may be worth your peace of mind. While some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a vet who thinks it’s a good idea. There is always a chance that you or your pet could be exposed to E.coli or salmonella.
I have spent a lot of hours reading books, talking to professionals, and comparing information and reviews, and you can find more information on my main website at: Recipes 4 Gourmet Dogs.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Home Made Dog Food
The only way to really know what you are feeding your dog is to feed them home made dog food that you make yourself.
Today with so many recalls and alerts aimed at the commercial pet food industry, making home made dog food is easier, healthier and organic. Preparing home made dog food is the safest way to avoid feeding poisons found in commercial pet food. This way you know that your home made dog food is chemical free, preservative free and safe. To see a good home made dog food recipe book available online Click Here!
Use the same nutritious fresh food that your buy for yourself. It is no more expensive than premium commercial dog food and can extend the life of your pet. Then you will know what your are feeding your pampered dog at all times.
To keep your pet healthy, fit and active they need three main wholesome ingredients daily in their home made dog food. As most of us know, meat is the most important food for dogs. Make sure to include vegetables and a starch in your pet's daily diet. Rice is a good wholesome choice for your starch, but also consider using pasta. Cooked, mashed carrots are a natural way to sweeten the meal.
Click Here for the best basic starter recipe for homemade dog food.
A healthy nutritious mix of 40% meat, 30% starch, and 30% vegetables is the best way to get premium quality meals to your pets. I use the same natural foods that I buy at the grocery store for myself and my dogs.
Never give your dog raw garlic or onions, as this could be potentially fatal. Be aware of these other foods that can cause illness or death in your dog, such as chocolate, raisins and grapes.
Home made treats are simple to prepare and you can control the amount of sugar and fat, so this will help with weight control also. Your dog will love you all the more when receiving home made treats that are yummy, healthy and good for them. No unhealthy fattening sugar, fat or fillers, onlypurenutritious ingredients.
Knowing what goes in your dog's home made food is the first step in making a healthy happy pet. There are documented reports showing that a lot of commercial food has unhealthy, inedible fillers and toxins in them. Commercial dog food manufactures use ground bone and road kill, and they call this meat.
Click Here! to find out what they really put in dry dog food - it will make you sick. If you love your animals as I do you will truly be upset, as I was, and this is the reason I am promoting home made dog food.
Consider the bonus of increased life span. That alone is worth switching your dog's diet to home made. Extra years to enjoy the love and companionship of your best friend are the big payoff in the end.
Check out my main site at: http://www.recipes4gourmetdogs.com for home made dog food recipes and home made treat recipes.
Today with so many recalls and alerts aimed at the commercial pet food industry, making home made dog food is easier, healthier and organic. Preparing home made dog food is the safest way to avoid feeding poisons found in commercial pet food. This way you know that your home made dog food is chemical free, preservative free and safe. To see a good home made dog food recipe book available online Click Here!
Use the same nutritious fresh food that your buy for yourself. It is no more expensive than premium commercial dog food and can extend the life of your pet. Then you will know what your are feeding your pampered dog at all times.
To keep your pet healthy, fit and active they need three main wholesome ingredients daily in their home made dog food. As most of us know, meat is the most important food for dogs. Make sure to include vegetables and a starch in your pet's daily diet. Rice is a good wholesome choice for your starch, but also consider using pasta. Cooked, mashed carrots are a natural way to sweeten the meal.
Click Here for the best basic starter recipe for homemade dog food.
A healthy nutritious mix of 40% meat, 30% starch, and 30% vegetables is the best way to get premium quality meals to your pets. I use the same natural foods that I buy at the grocery store for myself and my dogs.
Never give your dog raw garlic or onions, as this could be potentially fatal. Be aware of these other foods that can cause illness or death in your dog, such as chocolate, raisins and grapes.
Home made treats are simple to prepare and you can control the amount of sugar and fat, so this will help with weight control also. Your dog will love you all the more when receiving home made treats that are yummy, healthy and good for them. No unhealthy fattening sugar, fat or fillers, onlypurenutritious ingredients.
Knowing what goes in your dog's home made food is the first step in making a healthy happy pet. There are documented reports showing that a lot of commercial food has unhealthy, inedible fillers and toxins in them. Commercial dog food manufactures use ground bone and road kill, and they call this meat.
Click Here! to find out what they really put in dry dog food - it will make you sick. If you love your animals as I do you will truly be upset, as I was, and this is the reason I am promoting home made dog food.
Consider the bonus of increased life span. That alone is worth switching your dog's diet to home made. Extra years to enjoy the love and companionship of your best friend are the big payoff in the end.
Check out my main site at: http://www.recipes4gourmetdogs.com for home made dog food recipes and home made treat recipes.
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