Posts Tagged ‘Canned Food’
Dog food is essential to your dog’s health care. You have several choices on the shelves in pet stores as well as feeding them with natural foods. The choice of what to feed them is going to be determined partly by the health problems they can exhibit in life. You will also want to determine the dog food you feed your dog on the nutritional value of the ingredients. There are four types of dog food you can give your pet. These include dry food, canned food, semi moist, and raw food. Your vet or dog breeder can tell you what they prefer to use and help you find a brand that has the essential ingredients for both puppies and adults.
Dry food is one of the best choices you will have. Some of the dry food may be high in carbohydrates and processed foods, but you will find overall they contain the most nutrients you will need to provide your dog. Dry food only contains 10% of water in the ingredients making it hard to chew for some older dogs. However the nutrients provided in the dry food is best even for older dogs. You can wet the food down just a little to make it easier. You will also find that the many types of dog foods available include all natural from several vendors like Purina. They have a cheaper line that is not as healthy, but cost effective for the consumer and then they have the all natural ingredients. You will be the deciding factor for health in your pet so keep that in mind.
Semi moist food tends to taste better to your dog, but it would take twice the amount of food you supply with dry food to find the proper ingredients. Semi moist food contains about 30% water along with turkey, chicken, other meat, and vegetables in the processing. The semi food, though not as nutrient rich is often easier for older dogs to eat. It provides a soft material they don’t have to chew as much. You will also find the semi moist dog food is a little more expensive, but not outrageous.
Canned food is the worst food you can supply your dog. It is made with 75% water and the rest is natural ingredients. Like semi moist it takes at least a double dose of the food to provide proper nutrition. You may find your dog prefers the taste and texture, but you are holding back essential nutrients and vitamins they need to be healthy. You can always supply one can of food or semi moist food for a special treat, but for over all healthiness in a dog you should head towards dry food or raw foods.
Raw foods need to be handled with special care. They need to be checked just like our food for problems before feeding it to the dog. Keep in mind that raw food is not going to be cooked like we do to kill some of the bacteria. So you can also be harming the dog if not supplied with top quality raw products. You will need to incorporate vegetables and raw meat in the food dish. You can grind the food into a paste for wet food or just serve the meat. If you are choosing the raw meat option you should talk it over with a vet before doing so. They will be able to help you determine what potential dangers exist from raw meat and vegetables regarding diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Some times your vet will even ask that you change to raw foods for their health.
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Gerry Ronson is a writer for the websites Dog Collars. Dog Treats and Dog Accessories.
Commercial dog foods come in a variety of forms. The most common types are dry, semi-moist, and canned. The moisture content of these foods ranges from 6 to 10% for dry, 15 to 30% for semi-moist, and 75% for canned. Most canned food has relatively more fat and protein and fewer carbohydrates than does dry and semi-moist food, and generally contains much higher levels of animal products.
Most commercial dog foods today lack the nutrients most growing and active dogs require. That is why it is important to consult with your veterinarian to determine if dog nutritional supplements would benefit your dog.
PET FOOD ADDITIVES
Some other substances that might be found in pet foods, which are not required nutrients. This is why it is important that dog owners understand what nutrients are in their dog’s food and how dogs use the various nutrients in food and dog nutritional supplements so they can choose a health diet and supplement program.
Some common yet not required nutrients you might find in your dog’s food are:
Chondroprotective agents are used by the body to make cartilage and joint tissues.
Antioxidants work to prevent oxidative damage to nutrients and other compounds in the body and inhibit or quench the formation of free radicals.
Herbs and botanicals are used in pet foods either to provide flavor or, more often, to have a medicinal effect on the body. This is especially true in the case of extracts, where the classical nutritive components of the plant may be separated from the extract in the process.
Flavors and extracts derived from animal tissues such as poultry or fish are considered “natural” flavors. A wide variety of flavors can be derived from other animal and plant materials, including dairy products, eggs, herbs, and spices. Acceptable processing methods include roasting, extraction, and fermentation. Except for artificial smoke and bacon flavors, synthetic substances are rarely used in most dog and cat foods.
Colors are synthetic compounds used to replace or accentuate the inherent color of the food. Only certified colors approved for use in human foods are allowed in pet foods. Iron oxide is a synthetic but non-certified color that can be used at levels not to exceed 0.25% of the pet food product to give dog food a red, meaty appearance. Titanium dioxide is another common color additive in human and pet foods because it can induce a “brightness” in foods by complementing other color additives. Its use is limited to 1% of the food by weight.
Dog food labels must list the percentage of protein, fat, fiber, and water in the food. When reading labels, it is important to understand the nutritional needs of your dog and determine if dog nutritional supplements should be added to the diet.
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Recently we looked at some of the physical differences between dogs vs humans and the effect on nutritional requirements. The number of teeth, the ability of the dogs jaw to only work up and down and perhaps most importantly the short digestive system of the dog when compared to humans. As a result we concluded that a dog needed to be fed a healthy natural dog food. Taking this one step further we might go so far as to say that they should also be fed a human grade dog food. While this may seem extreme so many health issues that manifest themselves in dogs are a direct result of poor nutrition.
Certain additives that we take for granted, can create liver and kidney damage. Liver and kidney diseases are amongst the leading causes of illness in dogs. For example, our water contains fluoride. Dogs definitely do not need flouride in their water as they do not get cavities. Although generally considered safe for humans 10 European countries have banned flourination of water. In dogs, fluoride alters serum calcium/phosphorous balance and can damage bones and kidneys. Because of the high amount of flourinated water in canned food, dogs should definitely drink filtered water and avoid canned dog food whenever possible. These contain high levels of concentrated fluoride.
Are you aware that dogs actually produce their own Vitamin C? Dogs use trace minerals in the liver to produce their own supply of this vitamin. Humans cannot do this. Supplementing Vitamin C for dogs can create pH imbalances in the kidney. Adding Vit C can also damage the liver. Many manufacturers use vitamin C because it is a cheap preservative that prevents discoloration, not because it benefits the dog.
There are many differences between dogs and humans and we can take a look at them in later articles, dog’s sense of smell, sight and hearing is all dramatically different and bears looking into. What you may not realize is that a dog not only can see motion better than humans but they have a third eyelid as well? It helps to remove debris from the eye and protect it as well. Dogs have flatter lenses and larger pupils so you see that when you delve a little deeper into your four-legged friends physiology that you need to learn more about how dogs are built in order to understand the “why” of what they might need.
Despite highlighting the nutrional and digestive aspects of your dog’s needs we also need to know as much as we can about our dog’s physiology in order to insure they will be around and healthy for as long as possible. I hope you have enjoyed this comparison and that it helps you make informed decisions about how and what to feed your best friend. We all need whole, natural, unprocessed food. You can see that dogs need high quality, human grade dog food for healthy absorption and digestion.
Amongst other things we will be covering how to read labels in future articles.
Dr. Janice Elenbaas
Always remember, Health comes from the inside out!
Recently we looked at some of the physical differences between dogs vs humans and the effect on nutritional requirements. The number of teeth, the ability of the dogs jaw to only work up and down and perhaps most importantly the short digestive system of the dog when compared to humans. As a result we concluded that a dog needed to be fed a healthy natural dog food. Taking this one step further we might go so far as to say that they should also be fed a human grade dog food. While this may seem extreme so many health issues that manifest themselves in dogs are a direct result of poor nutrition.
Certain additives that we take for granted, can create liver and kidney damage. Liver and kidney diseases are amongst the leading causes of illness in dogs. For example, our water contains fluoride. Dogs definitely do not need flouride in their water as they do not get cavities. Although generally considered safe for humans 10 European countries have banned flourination of water. In dogs, fluoride alters serum calcium/phosphorous balance and can damage bones and kidneys. Because of the high amount of flourinated water in canned food, dogs should definitely drink filtered water and avoid canned dog food whenever possible. These contain high levels of concentrated fluoride.
Are you aware that dogs actually produce their own Vitamin C? Dogs use trace minerals in the liver to produce their own supply of this vitamin. Humans cannot do this. Supplementing Vitamin C for dogs can create pH imbalances in the kidney. Adding Vit C can also damage the liver. Many manufacturers use vitamin C because it is a cheap preservative that prevents discoloration, not because it benefits the dog.
There are many differences between dogs and humans and we can take a look at them in later articles, dog’s sense of smell, sight and hearing is all dramatically different and bears looking into. What you may not realize is that a dog not only can see motion better than humans but they have a third eyelid as well? It helps to remove debris from the eye and protect it as well. Dogs have flatter lenses and larger pupils so you see that when you delve a little deeper into your four-legged friends physiology that you need to learn more about how dogs are built in order to understand the “why” of what they might need.
Despite highlighting the nutrional and digestive aspects of your dog’s needs we also need to know as much as we can about our dog’s physiology in order to insure they will be around and healthy for as long as possible. I hope you have enjoyed this comparison and that it helps you make informed decisions about how and what to feed your best friend. We all need whole, natural, unprocessed food. You can see that dogs need high quality, human grade dog food for healthy absorption and digestion.
Amongst other things we will be covering how to read labels in future articles.
Dr. Janice Elenbaas
Always remember, Health comes from the inside out!
Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com
Dr. Janice Elenbaas has had a long and successful career as a Doctor of Chiropractic. She was the first woman in Canada certified to adjust animals and was instrumental in bringing animal adjusting to Canada. As founder of Lucky Dog Cuisine she continues her passion for animals by advocating human grade food for all dogs. Follow her FREE INFOSERIES Toxic Soup ‘ Truth about Commercial Dog Food here => www.luckydogcuisine.com
Keeping your golden retriever healthy is of primary concern to all dog owners. As a dog owner, you need to ensure that your dog’s immune system is doing well. You need to keep your dog healthy and happy. It is your duty as an owner to make sure that your dogs constitution is strong and can ward off any disease or sickness easily.
There are many ways of keeping your golden retriever healthy. The most important aspect of keeping your dog healthy is to give him a home-made food diet. Home-made food is far better than canned food. In fact, it has been known that most commercial dog food is made up of waste animal fat content or unusable grains, not fit for consumption by humans.
Hence, it makes a lot of sense to give your dog fresh food consisting of fruits and vegetables and fresh meat like chicken, mutton and beef. For water, you should ideally use spring water or filtered water instead of tap water. This is because tap water may contain traces of Lead and Mercury. Giving your dog fresh food will ensure that he gets the nutrition he deserves.
Bones by themselves are very good for your golden retriever, and will help them develop a strong set of teeth. Get him used to chewing on bones and make it a treat for him by leaving some meat on the bone. Golden retrievers are gifted with a great set of teeth. Chewing on a bone will really help in developing jaw strength.
Alternatively, you can also give him chew toys to chew upon. Either way, make sure that he doesn’t end up chewing on your slippers or your curtains!
Anticipating health problems in your golden retriever are an essential part of keeping your golden retriever healthy. If you’re careful, you will not need to go to the vet much. Lay special emphasis on any reproductive disorders, which you think your golden retriever may have.
Don’t neglect these, as they can sometimes be fatal. Neutering your male golden retriever is a good idea if you don’t want him to have too much contact with female Golden retrievers or are not trying to breed. Besides breeding, this will also help reduce any other problems related to tumors and tracked diseases your dog may have later on in life.
Keeping your golden retriever healthy also means having him around for a longer period of time. It is sad when your dog is old and falls sick. If you look after his health well, he will have a healthier life when he grows older.
Make sure your golden retriever has an excellent exercise regime. Keep your dog active and take it for walks, three to four times a day. If you have a yard let it run around as much as it can. This is the best exercise it can get. Taking him out will also get you some exercise. The better health he has, the longer he is going to stay by you
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Don’t get ripped off. If you are looking for information on golden retrievers? or advice on buying a golden retriever or house breaking your golden retriever, visit us now. GoldenRetrieverAdvice.org is a goldmine for information on everything related to golden retrievers.
Older dogs are more common today than ever before due to better vaccines, better nutrition, and better health care; however, despite these advantages, older dogs have specific needs that must be met to insure continued health. As a dog ages he begins to experience hearing, vision, and dental problems.
He may undergo behavioral changes associated with arthritis and cognitive dysfunction. He may experience periods of disorientation, have accidents, and lose his tolerance. He may become less active and lose muscle and his organs could begin to fail. Although we can’t prevent these maladies all together, we can be ready for them and address the issues as they come.
Everybody would rather see a fat dog rather than a skinny one, unfortunately fat is unhealthy. The best thing you can do for your older dog is to watch his diet. If your pet has a tendency to be overweight, weight loss will be difficult, but you should continue trying. Make sure he’s eating a low calorie, low protein and high fiber diet.
What Other Types of Things Happen to Older Dogs?
While some people struggle with obesity in their elderly pets others struggle with the opposite. Many older dogs have trouble holding weight. Dental problems often make eating painful; changing to a softer food such as canned food or softening the food with broth helps tremendously.
Older dogs can experience trouble with their vision, along with their hearing. In this way, they can be quite similar to humans as they get older. It’s always a good idea to bring your dog to a vet every year so these items can be watched and monitored.
Also, an older dog who has become less active will have often developed arthritis. This can make it very painful to run as they once did. This can make it tough to do something as basic as going to the bathroom. Because of this, it is vital that you are patient and kind, in order to help them as it isn’ their fault. Your beloved dog is simply getting older as we all must.
Many elderly animals simply don’t have an appetite. In cases such as this a change in diet is recommended. A home made diet of milk, eggs, rice potatoes, hamburger, chicken and vegetable fortified with the correct vitamin and mineral supplements usually tweaks the dog’s appetite. People have found changing from canned dog food to canned cat food also helps.
The day to day aches and pains older dogs must endure can usually be controlled by supplements. Glucosamine and Chondroitin lubricate joints easing the pain of arthritis. A diet high in fiber controls constipation. Without these nagging pains older dogs are able to get the exercise they need in order to stay healthy.
The most important part of maintaining the health of your older dog is regular veterinary care. With regular visits many of these problems can be diverted before compromising your pet’s health.
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
Mike Long runs a dog training website that focuses on educating people about the different ways of training your dog or puppy. If you would like to learn more, including additional articles, and training tips, tricks, and ideas, check out his site at dogtraininginfo.wordpress.com.