Ultimate Dog Food Secrets

Archive for the ‘Dog Diets’ Category

With concerns over dog food safety, many pet owners are turning to a natural dog diet that they can serve their dogs. These types of diets allow the pet owner to control what is added to the pet’s meals and guarantee they won’t be harming their pet with their food.

The other advantage of a natural dog diet is that many of the ingredients used are foods that you may be buying already for your family and this can help lower the cost of these meals.

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Many people that read about a natural dog diet plan are initially confused because the prevailing trend over the years has been to use commercial mass-produced dog food. While this type of dog food is convenient, it is really not the best diet for your pet.

Many of these commercial dog foods contain a large amount of fillers and preservatives that are not something you really want your dog to eat. Also, many of the commercial foods use very little meat products or vegetables which are essential to your dog getting the nutrients they require.

Another problem with many of these commercial dog foods, especially the dry brands, are their preparation can rob them of many of their natural nutrients and benefits. To create these dry food pellets the ingredients in the food have to be heated to very high temperatures as part of the manufacturing process.

This high heat kills many of the enzymes that occur naturally in the food. While this may seem like a good thing, your pet relies on ingesting these very enzymes to help their digestive system break down the food. If they don’t get them along with the food, their digestive system must work harder to break down and process the food they are eating.

This taxes their system and can lead to problems as they age. By feeding your dog a natural dog diet you can ensure that they get these essential nutrients and enzymes along with their food for the best health they can have.

Because you are preparing the food at home, you can also make adjustments for any allergies or other health issues that need to be addressed with your dog. You can easily correct for certain illnesses that your dog is suffering through by adding a particular food to their diet to help them through it.

You veterinarian can suggest the best natural dog diet for a particular dog illness and then you can prepare the meal for your dog with this in mind.

There are a wide variety of recipes available on the web for a natural dog diet and they provide a good mix of meals for your pet. All of them are easy to prepare and can usually be made with ingredients you are already buying as part of your weekly trip to the food store. You can even choose to buy some of the ingredients in bulk and make a few of these meals at the same time and freeze them for use later.

This way you can simply take one out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave and serve it to your pet. This gives you the benefit of a natural dog diet with the convenience of a commercial dog food.

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As your dog ages some weight loss is normal over the course of their lives. If this weight loss is sudden or occurs when they are younger it should be checked by your veterinarian. While there are many simple reasons for mild dog weight loss if it is more than 10% of their body weight over a short period of time, it should be addressed quickly.

Weight loss can occur for a wide variety of reasons. Many dogs are more active in the warmer months than in the colder ones so if their diet remains the same they will naturally weigh less when they are active. The reason for the dog weight loss is a result of the calories they consume during the day.

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When dogs eats their food, their bodies convert the calories in the food into sugars and other chemical that they use to generate movement. If they don’t burn as many calories as they ingest they will gain weight. Conversely if they burn more calories than they take in they will lose weight and this is what happens when they are active.

If you are concerned about your dog’s normal weight loss in the warmer months you could increase their calorie count in the food to compensate for their increased activity.

When the dog weight loss occurs for no apparent reason, the cause can be more serious and will need the attention of your veterinarian. Some of the more serious causes still come down to calories and are usually a result of the dogs body not being able to absorb the required calories from the food they eat to offset the calories they burn off during the day.

The number one cause of dog weight loss is parasites. These can be contracted from food or other things consumed by the dog and can cause a sudden and serious dog weight loss as a result. These parasites need to be treated by a physician and your dog will not recover on their own.

As with many of the causes for rapid dog weight loss, the veterinarian will take a stool sample and a blood test to try and determine the cause of the problem. In the case of parasites they may show up in the stool or the blood sample and both of these can be treated with medications. The key is to seek treatment early before the condition becomes too advanced.

Another more serious condition is when something is preventing the dog’s intestinal tract from absorbing the nutrients they require from the food they are eating. Most often this type of problem can be treated with medication unless if it one of the dog’s internal organs causing the problem then it becomes more serious. This is a pretty rare cause for dog weight loss and will be one of the last diagnoses a veterinarian will consider.

Another serious reason for dog weight loss is an obstruction in the dog’s intestinal tract. This happens quite often when a dog swallows a sock or small object that becomes lodged in their intestines or stomach. This prevents the clear passage of food through their system and cam lead to weight loss. This can be life threatening and needs to be addresses immediately and may involve surgery to remove the blockage.

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Every species of animal on the planet has a weak spot in their body’s organs or metabolism that eventually wears down to the point of becoming a serious health risk for the animal. In humans this is typically the heart or lungs and in dogs it is usually the kidneys.

Kidney failure in our pets is slow process that happens over the complete span of their lives and can become a chronic problem in their older years. There are many things that can accelerate this declining kidney function and cause more rapid kidney failure, but these conditions are small in number and usually related to injury or heredity.

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The kidney is an amazing organ and is responsible for cleaning byproducts of the digestive process out of the body with the urine. The organ itself is a collection of a large number of individual filters that trap these containments and then are flushed clean with fluids from the body. Over time more and more of these filters become clogged and stop doing their job.

This is not really noticeable in a pet until the level reaches 70% – 80% and then symptoms begin to appear. This is a natural degeneration of the kidney and will happen eventually to all pets if they live long enough. Treatment for this disease can vary and many pet owners will put their pet on a dog kidney failure diet to try to counteract some of the symptoms.

There is a large body of debate about what causes this decay in the kidneys functions over time and many experts point to the ingredients of some commercial dog food products.

These commercial formulations contain a large number of chemicals, fillers and byproducts that some experts contend leads to health issues like kidney failure earlier in pets that consume this food. They suggest that transitioning a pet to a more natural diet will help them avoid being affected by kidney failure until much later in their lives.

The treatment for chronic kidney failure can vary depending on the severity and the age of the dog, but a dog kidney failure diet is a good first step. This usually involves modifying what the dog eats to accommodate for the diminished kidney functions.

This dog kidney failure diet will reduce the amount of salt in the dog’s diet and may increase the amount of high quality protein the dog eats. Fats are also important to a dog kidney failure diet and selecting a meat with a high fat content such as lamb is a good way to give your dog what they need.

Another key component of the dog kidney failure diet is having water available at all times since the dog will naturally want to drink more to help flush out the kidneys more frequently.

This dog kidney failure diet is usually prepared by the owner from natural ingredients and may also be augmented with supplements or vitamins as well. There are also several commercial dog foods that have been formulated to provide similar benefits as a dog kidney failure diet and can be recommended by your veterinarian.

The key is a quick diagnosis and controlling your dog’s diet to help them with this ailment.

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When a pet is diagnosed with cancer, their diet becomes incredibly important in their recovery. Certain ingredients in their food are essential in helping beat this illness and many doctors will suggest a specific dog cancer diet to help them recover during treatment. This diet may require certain supplements be added to their normal food and may even involve changing their diet completely.

When a dog is battling cancer it is really important that their bodies have the raw ingredients to help it fight the disease and build new tissue. The only way a dog’s system can obtain these raw materials is through the dog’s diet. Feeding a dog a modified regiment of certain foods can sometimes make the difference in surviving the disease.

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Many doctors have a standard dog cancer diet that they may suggest for you to try with your dog at various stages in their treatment. This diet will usually focus on minimizing the amount of grain your dog eats and increasing their intake of meats. Even though dogs are omnivores, their digestive systems are not accustomed to large amounts of grain.

They don’t really have the stomach enzymes required to process this grain and as a result they don’t derive much benefit from it. On the other hand dogs are natural meat eaters and supplying them larger portions of meat while they are battling cancer may help speed their recovery.

Another important ingredient for dogs that are fighting cancer are fatty acids such as Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9. These can be added as a supplement or are found naturally in fish products. Many veterinarians will suggest that sardines be added as part of a dog cancer diet program and these can be included in many homemade dog meals easily.

Another way to do this is to use fish oil directly and mix it into whatever meal you are preparing for your dog. This fish oil is normally given in softgels but these can be opened and the oil mixed into the dog’s food to make it easier to ingest.

The challenge with adhering to this modified dog cancer diet for some families is that many commercial dog foods contain large portions of grain in their food. This is less expensive than meat products and act as filler in the food. While this may be an acceptable ingredient when a dog is healthy, it needs to be avoided when they are sick and trying to recover.

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To do this, some families have started to prepare their own dog cancer diet meals for their pets themselves. This allows the pet owner to add whatever ingredients the veterinarian suggests to the meal and provides a more nutritionally sound meal than the commercial dog foods.

If you cannot prepare these foods for your dog, there are number of natural dog foods that are specifically geared to dogs that are recovering from cancer. These specialty foods are prepared to help give your dog the nutrition and supplements they need both during treatment and as they recover. Many veterinarians can suggest the proper brand and type of natural dog food for your pet to help them through this terrible disease.

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