Posts Tagged ‘Kidney Damage’
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
18 Household Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog.
Does your dog eat table scraps? Does he sit or lie near the table while you are eating, waiting for scraps to be slipped to him? Do you let your dog finish any food left after you’ve eaten your meal?
Some of these foods can kill your dog!
NOTE: You will see that many of these foods cause similar symptoms, so it can be difficult to identify which ingredient is the culprit, especially if you feed your dog assorted table scraps or servings of meals which you eat yourself. Many of these foods cause damage to the liver and kidneys and may also affect the heart.
Chocolate: Most dogs love chocolate. It’s so easy, when you’re eating a chocolate bar, to give the dog a piece, just as a reward for being your friend. I’ll bet the kids do the same.
Chocolate contains caffeine and bromethalin, both of which are poisonous to your dog. Dark chocolate is more dangerous, because it is more concentrated. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous. The darker and more concentrated the chocolate, the more dangerous it is.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include difficulty in breathing, vomiting, arrythmia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, tremors, staggering, fever, increased heart rate, and can result in seizures, coma and death.
Grapes and Raisins can cause acute renal failure in dogs. Just one serving of raisins can kill a dog. Symptoms to look out for are stomach pain, diarrheoa and a general tiredness an loos of energy.
Mushrooms can be deadly. Never feed your dog pizza or any other food containing mushrooms or let your dog chew on mushrooms found in your yard. Mushrooms can cause a wide range of damage, including abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhoea, convulsions, coma and even death.
Coffee, Cocoa and Tea and indeed, anything containing caffeine (like chocolate). Symptoms are similar to those for chocolate and include staggering, laboured breathing, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrythmia, seizures, coma and death
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener even a small amount can cause liver failure and death. Dr. Eric Dunayer, who specializes in toxicology at The Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said that dogs ingesting substantial amounts of items sweetened with xylitol could develop a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of co-ordination, and seizures.
“These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than 30 minutes after ingestion of the product. Therefore, it is crucial that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately,” Dr. Dunayer said. He also said that there appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and the development of liver failure in dogs.
Pips and kernels of various fruits can contain cyanide! Whilst the fruit itself is perfectly good for dogs, care should be taken that they do not consume the pips and seeds. Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips all contain cyanogenic glycosides, which cause cyanide poisoning.
Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmia. Tomato plants are the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also unsafe.
Onions and Garlic can be dangerous or even fatal, causing damage to red blood cells and to the liver and resulting in diarrhoea, vomiting and laboured breathing. Although garlic has the stronger taste and smell, onions are much more toxic but both are very dangerous.
Pizzas can be potentially dangerous because most of them contain either onions, or tomatoes or mushrooms, or a combination of all three.
The dangers of excessive salt in the diet of humans are well recognized and documented. With a much smaller body mass, dogs are particularly vulnerable to the same sort of cardiovascular problems and also to kidney damage.
In the same way that excessive salt is harmful to both dogs and humans, animal fat and fried foods are hazardous. Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.
Macadamia Nuts and Walnuts: Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. Limit all other nuts as they are not good for dogs in general, their high phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones.
Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death
Avocados: The fruit, pit and plant are all toxic. They can cause difficulty in breathing and fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart.
Antifreeze is certainly not a food but it has a smell and a sweet taste which is palatable to dogs. It is very toxic to dogs and just a small amount can cause renal failure. When in any locality where vehicles are stored or serviced, it is safer to keep your dog on a leash.
Some Commercial Dog Foods contain toxins and poisons which are not neutralized in the rendering process and which are prohibited from human foods. A full report, from vets and other authoritive sources can be found from the link below;
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
Ken runs www.allabout-dogs.co.uk where you can find all you need to know about dogs. Click Here for details of the full report o Commercial Dog Food.