Dog Food Conspiracy

Posts Tagged ‘Shih Tzu’

Here is what you need to do to ensure a smooth transition to a new dog food:

Day One: Start by mixing your old brand with the new brand in a ratio of 3/4 to 1/4 – the smaller amount representing the new brand. Do this for three days.

Day Four: After your dog has eaten the 3/4 to 1/4 mixture for three days, graduate to half and half for another three days.

Day Eight: For the last three days, go to a 3/4 to 1/4 mixture, only this time the smaller amount is the old brand of food.

By the end of the 12 days, your dog should be ready to eat the new food on its own.

If your dog is currently on a special diet, consult with your vet first before switching to a different brand of dog food.

One of the most important parts of keeping your dog healthy is to make sure his mouth and teeth are cared for. Proper oral hygiene is critical for dogs of all ages. And the older your dog gets, the more important it is to keep plaque and tartar off the teeth. In fact, not caring for your dog’s teeth is a much bigger deal than just yellow teeth or bad breath. It can lead to serious health problems. A positive step toward this very important aspect of maintaining your dog’s dental health is feeding healthy treats such as Gourment Dental Treats from HealthyPetNet.

Oral Problems

Plaque: Dogs usually don’t get cavities. They are more prone to plaque and tartar build-up on the teeth.

Tartar: If plaque is not removed, tartar forms. Tartar irritates the gums and can lead to damage of the gums called gingivitis. Gingivitis manifests itself as reddening of the gums closest to the teeth.

Periodontitis: If tartar is not removed, it builds up under the gums. It separates the gums from the teeth to form pockets leading to more bacterial growth. If left untreated, this could lead to damage of the teeth called periodontitis. Veterinarians can slow or stop this process.

Home care for your dog’s teeth:

Routinely examine your dog’s mouth. Warning signs of tartar build-up are bad breath, red and swollen gums, a yellow-brown crust of tartar around the gum line, pain or bleeding when you touch the gums or brush the teeth.

Use chew toys specifically designed for dental health. Brush your dog’s teeth according to your vet’s instructions.

Proper diet: Feed your dog healthy food and treats. HealthyPetNet distributes some excellent products. They have a dental treat that contains Microdent, a patented plaque fighting ingredient used in human oral hygiene products that is clinically proven to reduce plaque and freshen breath. Microdent helps reduce plaque buildup by forming a coating in the mouth that helps make mouth surfaces to slick that plaque won’t stick. This triple action formula also contains calcium for strong bones and teeth and parsley for fresh breath. The dental treats are made in a small bakery especially for HealthyPetNet.

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Current available puppies. Sign up at www.stainglassshihtzus.com

One method of determining whether the food you feed your shih tzu is affecting its health or producing problem symptoms is to keep a health journal.

It is time consuming, but will be invaluable for determining whether there is a link between his diet and his condition. You can diagnose or better yet help your vet diagnose your shih tzu’s itchy skin, whereas otherwise, it might be impossible and cost you a lot more money in vet bills after your vet has to run test after test based upon the only symptom you report being “itchy skin.” You may even still end up with a shih tzu with itchy skin. You can do a little homework on your own and put your money into your own investigations. Then take the entire journal to your vet and show him what you have done so far to determine what is causing your shih tzu’s problems, or better yet, solve it yourself and never visit the vet.

In your journal, list the foods you give your shih tzu and their major ingredients, note outbreaks of increased or renewed itching, ear infections or paw-licking, whatever problem you think his diet might be causing. Change the food. Note symptoms. After about six months into your project, go back over your notes to see if symptoms increase when certain ingredients are fed, or do symptoms decrease.

Keep the date, your shih tzu’s health problems and assets, results of veterinary exams or tests, the type of food or foods you feed him and the food’s major ingredients (this would be the percentage of protein and fat). The major ingredients in any dog food are always listed first.

Periodically look through the data for trends such as: Did your shih tzu’s itchy skin or coat problems go down or up when you switched to that “food.” Did some foods trigger diarrhea and only go away when you switched to another food?

My tests were simple. I merely changed all my dogs to HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance Dog Food and Treats. The diarrhea problems and loose stool problems disappeared. The dogs I had that were itching because of their diet, stopped itching. I had a few that did have other skin problems (minor) in which I sought the help of a vet for resolution. Other than that, my shih tzu are thriving better than ever before since we switched to HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance Dog Food.

Your tests may not reveal the same. Not every shih tzu is alike. I do have several different bloodlines, however, and the food has agreed with them all, which is kind of unusual. Which food to feed my shih tzu has always been a huge problem for me at Stain Glass Shih Tzu. Based upon my experiences and observations with the shih tzu I presently own, HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance has proved to be the best of all. It could be your tests prove differently. Just keep your journal. Read the dog food labels. Know that the main ingredients are listed first. Then make your decision of whether or not it is the diet of your shih tzu causing the problems you seek to solve.

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Current available puppies. Sign up at www.stainglassshihtzus.com