Posts Tagged ‘Diets’
In many respects, dogs are very similar to humans. For example, one of their biggest health problems is obesity. To many owners, a tubby dog is extra cuddly, but the fact of the matter is that a fat dog is an unhealthy dog! In much the same way as obesity affects humans, dogs too can suffer from diabetes exacerbated by over weight, and their life expectancy can be seriously shortened.
Some pet owners do not know if their dog is overweight or not. A layer of blubber around the dogs midriff does not mean it has a comfortable weight. A simple way to find out is with a simple visual check. Your should be able to easily feel the ribs under the dog’s skin. If a dog is overweight then the will have a layer of fat over their ribs.
There are a number of factors that can effect a dogs weight. Over feeding is probably the most common, but lack of exercise can compound the problem of over eating dramatically. There are other factors too though, some not as obvious as those just outlined. For example, and depending on the age, breed and sex of the dog, conditions such as hyperthyroidism or hyperadrenocorticism can also play a part. If you suspect that you pet is overweight, then your first port of call should be to the vet, just in case something more serious is at play.
Once you have ruled out any serious health problems from the equation, you can start to deal with the other factors yourself. Make a plan of the quantity and quality of the food that you give your dog, and how many times you actually feed it. Many cheap brands of dog food are not fully nutritious, so one of the first things to do will be to get better quality food for your pet. If you have any doubts, talk to your veterinarian about the diet you give your dog, because they will be well placed to advise you with respect to the breed and age of the animal. If you do change your dog’s diet, do so over a period of time rather than all at once. Let your dog’s digestive system deal with the changes, especially if they are quite radical.
Treat your dog as you would treat yourself if you were on a diet. Cut out sweets for example, especially if they are high in calories. Make notes of exactly what you feed your dog, especially with respect to the calorific content. As with humans, losing weight is all about calorie deficit, and one of the first things to do is to check the dog’s calorie intake. Try and avoid feeding your dog leftovers as well, even if they are used to having them. Human food has not been prepared with dogs in mind, and will often have higher calorie content than a dog should have.
The other side of the weight loss coin is adequate exercise. Dogs need to have a huge amount of exercise to remain healthy, far more than you take yourself, no matter how fit you are. If your dog is overweight, they should go for at least two walks a day, of minimum duration of 30 to 45 minutes each. This will depend largely on the size of your dog. If you have such a thing as a dog park nearby, then take your dog there. Play lots of games which involve you throwing and the dog running. Less work for you and more for the dog, but that is the way that it should be. And it can be fun too!
Try to look at a long term plan for your dog’s weight loss, and not a crash diet. A gradual program will be more sustainable over the long term. Remember to record your dog’s weight too, a keep an eye on progress regularly.
By and large, dogs become overweight by overeating and inactivity, much as we do. Follow the feeding guidelines set by your vet, improve the quality of the food you give your dog, and increase the amount of exercise and activity your dog gets. Following these simple rules will get your dog back to being the way that nature intended. They will thank you for it!
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
Do you have an overweight dog? Discover how to find out if it is, and learn the best tips for getting your dog lose weight and look fit and trim.
Choosing a healthy dog diet can be perplexing and challenging if you let it. The attractive packaging and marketing can blur our assessment of a product. Your dog’s diet is the most fundamental way to keep your pet healthy and happy for the years to come. It is elemental that you find a diet that will provide critical nutrients to let your pet to thrive rather than merely survive.
Here are some easy guidelines to abide by when you are selecting a food for your dog’s diet. Realize that every dog is special. A dog diet that is terrific for your neighbor’s dog may not be exactly what your pet needs.
The first action when considering your dog’s diet, is to talk to your veterinarian. This trusted individual has your pet’s interest at heart, just like you. The vet’s recommendations can steer you in the right direction.
Find a reliable brand of dog food to be the key component of your dog’s diet. It is not impossible to stumble across a high-quality dog food that you have never heard of, but a well-known and major manufacturer provides an amount of safety and confidence about the decision to feed your dog a healthy diet. Recognized and trustworthy dog food manufacturers take the time to research the topic of animal nutrition. let your pet to benefit from the company’s wealth of information rather than going it alone.
Select a dog food that is age appropriate. If your dog is grown-up and shows signs of aging, contemplate a dog diet that is specially formulated for senior dogs. Puppies have different nutritional needs than do adult dogs. Find a mixture of food that meets your dog’s needs. Even the class and size of your pet can make a difference in the type of diet you should feed your pet. Diets formulated specially for small dogs and large breeds exist. You may want to keep this in mind when selecting your dog’s diet.
Activity level and weight are other factors to think about when making the determination of what to feed your dog. If your dog is very active or overweight, you may need to pick a type of dog diet that accommodates such situations.
When you decide on a specific diet for your dog, pay attention to the portion size. Obesity is a serious problem in pets. It can lead to hip troubles and take years off your pet’s life.
Table scraps are definitely out for a healthy diet. Your dog’s diet should consist of a high-quality food specially designed to meet your pet’s dietary needs. Begging is encouraged with table scraps and obesity is likely to result.
Only supplement a high-quality diet when recommended by a veterinarian. Giving your pet too many supplements in the dog’s diet can lead to a lower quality of health.
Always consult your vet for advice on what to feed your dog. Your dog’s diet will fuel his health, so pick your dog’s diet wisely. Select a brand of food that is reliable and suited to your dog. Finding the right diet for your pet will promote good health and permit your dog to succeed.
Choosing a healthy dog diet can be perplexing and challenging if you let it. The attractive packaging and marketing can blur our assessment of a product. Your dog’s diet is the most fundamental way to keep your pet healthy and happy for the years to come. It is elemental that you find a diet that will provide critical nutrients to let your pet to thrive rather than merely survive.
Here are some easy guidelines to abide by when you are selecting a food for your dog’s diet. Realize that every dog is special. A dog diet that is terrific for your neighbor’s dog may not be exactly what your pet needs.
The first action when considering your dog’s diet, is to talk to your veterinarian. This trusted individual has your pet’s interest at heart, just like you. The vet’s recommendations can steer you in the right direction.
Find a reliable brand of dog food to be the key component of your dog’s diet. It is not impossible to stumble across a high-quality dog food that you have never heard of, but a well-known and major manufacturer provides an amount of safety and confidence about the decision to feed your dog a healthy diet. Recognized and trustworthy dog food manufacturers take the time to research the topic of animal nutrition. let your pet to benefit from the company’s wealth of information rather than going it alone.
Select a dog food that is age appropriate. If your dog is grown-up and shows signs of aging, contemplate a dog diet that is specially formulated for senior dogs. Puppies have different nutritional needs than do adult dogs. Find a mixture of food that meets your dog’s needs. Even the class and size of your pet can make a difference in the type of diet you should feed your pet. Diets formulated specially for small dogs and large breeds exist. You may want to keep this in mind when selecting your dog’s diet.
Activity level and weight are other factors to think about when making the determination of what to feed your dog. If your dog is very active or overweight, you may need to pick a type of dog diet that accommodates such situations.
When you decide on a specific diet for your dog, pay attention to the portion size. Obesity is a serious problem in pets. It can lead to hip troubles and take years off your pet’s life.
Table scraps are definitely out for a healthy diet. Your dog’s diet should consist of a high-quality food specially designed to meet your pet’s dietary needs. Begging is encouraged with table scraps and obesity is likely to result.
Only supplement a high-quality diet when recommended by a veterinarian. Giving your pet too many supplements in the dog’s diet can lead to a lower quality of health.
Always consult your vet for advice on what to feed your dog. Your dog’s diet will fuel his health, so pick your dog’s diet wisely. Select a brand of food that is reliable and suited to your dog. Finding the right diet for your pet will promote good health and permit your dog to succeed.
Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com
I love my dogs and want to share how to take care of your dogs and pets. Dogs, Dogs and Dogs
There was a time that we thought as long as our dogs were fed daily they were getting everything they needed to live a long and happy life. But fortunately advancements have been made in the veterinarian world and research has proven that there is a lot more to feeding a dog than just providing food for him.
We now know that dogs – like humans, require specific diets and nutrients. The days are gone that one has to choose from only a few select brands of dog food in the grocery store. There are now stores that cater only to our pets and their needs. In those stores we can choose from dozens of brands of food that were carefully blended in order to provide a balanced and nutritious diet for our dogs. In some cases we can even have the diet custom blended for our special dog. As responsible pet owners we also know that water is essential to a dog’s health and that water consumption should always be encouraged.
In addition to learning about our pets’ nutritional needs we have also learned more about how to make their meals more relaxing and enjoyable for them. In very recent years we have learned about the advantages of using particular dog bowls or dog bowl styles. We’ve heard it said before that presentation is everything and when discussing our dog’s food that remains true. Although your dog, like mine, may be willing to eat off the floor at times, it is to his advantage as well as yours to provide him with an appropriate dog bowl.
The bowl should be big enough to hold a full feeding for your dog. If the bowl is oversized it is easy to give the dog more food than is required which can result in your dog becoming overweight. If a bowl is too small you will find that your workload is needlessly increased.
It’s important that the dog is able to reach the food without difficulty. This means that the diameter of the bowl must be appropriate to the size of the dog’s face and nose. If your dog has long floppy ears it is necessary to find a bowl that will allow his nose and mouth to reach the food, but at the same time one that does not allow the ears to fall into the food.
Buying a bowl that has rubber feet or a rubber rim around the bottom will minimize tipping, spilling and sliding. This makes eating more enjoyable for your pet and fewer clean-ups for you. Elevated dog bowls can make eating a more pleasurable experience for your dog because he will not need to bend his neck so far to reach the food. This aids in proper posture and digestion. If your dog has pain related to stiff joints or arthritis this may be something you will want to consider.
Although being a responsible pet owner is always our goal there may be times in which we simply cannot be available for our pets as often as he/we would like. For those times it might be wise to invest in an automatic or self-feeding system. These are simply bowls that have a large reservoir containing a substantial amount of food. As the dog eats more food will fall into the bowl. Similar bowls are available for water. These can be ideal if you will be away from your pet for an extended period of time.
As time passes we are sure to learn of other ways we can accommodate the needs of our pets. For now most are happy with the love and care provided by a responsible owner – perks include things like dog bowls that are right for the individual dog.
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Mike Brown
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Feeding your pet a high-quality dog or cat food is the best way to assure a long and healthy life. This article will help you make some of the choices involved in deciding on a dog food or cat food
How do you know what dog/cat food is right? For many the choice is a homemade diet. If you have the time and the resources, I agree that this is the preferred way to go. This is usually the best, and occasionally the only choice for animals with multiple food allergies. The choice is yours whether to go cooked or raw, with bones or without.
Basically, a homemade diet should consist of 40-60% meat for dogs, 60%-90% for cats, 20-50% vegetables (dogs, or 10%-40% for cats), and the rest, optionally, grains. The choice within each category is vast, and depends on your budget, availability, and what the dog or cat prefers. Often allergies to certain foods will determine the diet.
Each dog and cat is unique and what is best for one may not work well for another. Feeding a variety of foods is the best way to provide all or most of the nutrients that your pet needs.
A good quality multi-vitamin and calcium supplements will help make sure the diet is complete. Because it can be tricky to get the right balance of calcium and phosphorus when making your own pet food, you will need to add a calcium supplement.
If you like the idea of homemade pet food, but lack the time, there are pre-mixes available, or complete ready-to-serve meals. Pre-mixes come freeze-dried, dehydrated or frozen. Usually they are grain and vegetable mixes, along with some supplements such as calcium, to which you add the meat. Ground meats, sometimes with bone, are also available where pet foods are sold. You can then add your own vegetables and/or grains if you so desire.
Complete raw-foods diets are also sold as frozen, dry or freeze-dried. Some areas may have local entrepreneurs who make and sell these diets fresh. They may also custom make meals to your pets specifications.
If you prefer to feed a commercial product, choose one of the many premium dog foods now available. though the cost may be higher than grocery store brands, what you save in vet bills will more than make up for the difference.
Whether to feed canned or dry pet food will depend on you and your dog or cat. Canned food is usually more expensive, kibble is more convenient. Pets usually prefer canned foods and some need the softer, wetter consistency. Canned pet foods generally contain higher quality proteins than dry pet food, and a higher percentage of protein and fat. The higher moisture content of canned foods can be beneficial to dogs and cats with kidney or urinary tract problems. Dry pet foods contain more preservatives. Some people choose to use both.
The most important criteria in choosing a pet food is the list of ingredients. Whole meats are always better then meat meals, and meat meals are preferable to by-products. Single source meals, such as “beef meal” or “chicken meal” are more wholesome than those marked simple “meat” or “poultry” meals. Single source meals contain the muscle meat from that animal, along with accompanying tissues, such as nerves, blood vessels and skin. Generic meals may contain other organ tissues and fatty tissue. By-product meal is a catch-all term for anything that doesn’t fit the other meal definitions – avoid these at all costs!
Look for the meat source (or sources) to be listed first on the label. If grains are included (which they always are in kibbles), they should be whole grains, rather than fractions, such as wheat bran, brewer’s rice, etc. Watch out for multiple listings of grains, they may add up to be more than the meat portion!
Avoid artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. Colors are added for your benefit, not to appeal to dogs. Artificial flavors are added to enhance palatability or cover up off tastes of poorer quality ingredients. Most natural foods stores and holistic pet supply stores will carry premium brands of pet food. If you are unable to find a satisfactory dog food in stores near you, many of them can be found on the internet.
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
Elyse Grau founded The Original Dog Biscuit Company, a natural dog biscuit producer. She is a herbalist, preferring to treat her animals holistically. She has made it a point to learn as much about animal nutrition as possible. You can read more of her articles at: www.pethealthresource.com
If your pet dog has large, smelly stool, is gaseous, burps often, sheds constantly, is prone to ear and skin infections, has either no energy or is hyperactive and if his immune system is weak, something may be wrong with your pet’s diet. Although any or a combination of these symptoms may occur occasionally, having them recur often is a cause for concern and reviewing your pet’s diet is one of the first things you should look into.
First of all, your dog needs 45 nutrients to function properly. Major groups for these nutrients are protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals, as well as water. These nutrients have to be in the right amounts so that they are properly digested and absorbed by the body.
Remember that your dog, or any dog for that matter, is a carnivore, meaning his body mainly uses meat. That also means that vegetables and grains are not supposed to have a major contribution to your pet’s diet.
On dog food packages how much protein is in the food is indicated. But finding out how much protein is in the food is not as important as knowing what source the protein came from.
Dog food makers have a wide choice of protein sources to choose from. Aside from meats (beef, chicken, lamb, etc.), plants and grains like corn, wheat and soy are used as sources.
To find out what sources have been used most in the package you’re buying, look at the ingredients list. By law, the largest amount of ingredient used is listed first and others follow in decreasing amounts. You should see 3 meat sources on the first 5 items mentioned. Any less than that and you may not be giving your dog the proper protein for his diet.
Your dog will also need carbohydrates primarily for energy. But unlike their masters, dogs do not need a lot of carbohydrates to be healthy. A diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates is ideal for your pet.
Since dogs are meat-eaters, diets high in carbohydrates will take a long time for your pet to digest, not to mention resulting to large and smelly stool and gas. The gums can also grow sore due to excessive chewing and his breath can develop a bad smell. So only use a small amount of a carbohydrate source (such as grains) in your pet’s diet.
Two kinds of fat exist. One is saturated (animal fat) and the other is polyunsaturated (vegetable fat). Your dog will need both and taken together supply essential fatty acids (EFA) needed to maintain good health.
Not enough fat in the diet can cause low energy levels, heart problems and dry skin. However, too much fat can cause obesity. Tumors and cancers can also develop. In reading the label, look for a product that has a good balance between animal and vegetable fat in it.
Vitamins are necessary to release nutrients from the food that the body can use. There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Both types are needed by your dog. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble. Too much of these will not harm the body much since it is urinated out in 4 to 8 hours. This is the reason they need to be in each meal. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. They are stored in fatty tissues of the body and the liver.
It is important to remember that vitamins are easily lost in the making of manufactured dog food. And they break down as soon as you open the package and expose the food to light and air. Vitamins B and C are particularly sensitive.
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