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Dog Food
Too Much Dog Food Can Be A Bad Thing
A common cause of disease of excess food is the unwise use of vitamin and mineral supplements. A dog's cells use most vitamins and minerals at only so fast a rate. Once the cells are using them at the maximum rate, the cells cannot use these Vitamins or minerals any faster, regardless of how much of them is present.
Dogs Can Look Good An A Bad Diet
The definition of a dog looking good is easy to agree upon. Shiny coat, clear skin, clean teeth, no tear stains unless the breed is predisposed due to the structure of the eye, and a generally happy, active dog. The definition of a good diet is debatable. Some people say that the obvious choice is a prey model diet while others claim that following the National Research Council Guidelines (NRC) works best. By the way, don't confuse NRC with the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). NRC is an independent body, not affiliated with AAFCO.
Blood Test Results Do not Show Nutrient Levels
I often come across mineral deficiencies when analyzing diets. In some cases the dog shows a problem such as poor skin or coat, some have orthopedic problems but sometimes the dog looks just fine. Many of my clients are surprised that the diet lacks any mineral whatsoever much less something as basic as calcium or phosphorus. They often point me to blood tests results showing normal calcium and phosphorus levels as proof that the diet cannot be unbalanced in the way I claim. However, blood test results rarely point to these deficiencies with much clarity
Preparing Proper Nutrition For The Senior Dog
It is only common sense that our pet dogs should be put on a steady diet of high quality dog nutrition. Many dog owners seem to think that just because they are animals and not people, that "anything goes" when it comes to feeding them. These dog owners are missing the importance of solid healthy dog nutrition.
Animal Fats And Carbohydrates For Dogs
Animal Fats: While most animal fats contain just as many calories as vegetable oils, only two contain essential fatty acids in amounts sufficient to supply a dog's needs. These are the fat of the pig, commonly called lard, and horse fat. The tallow of beef and mutton should never be used as the sole source of energy for a dog because of their low content of essential fatty acids. Animal fats contain about 126 calories in every tablespoonful.
Energy Sources
Originally, dog owners who fed their pets natural ingredients were attempting to replace the natural diet of the dog. Natural ingredients used today are no longer the foods eaten by an animal ''naturally'' in the wild, but have become modifications of those original foodstuffs to more confinement or longer-lasting forms.
Understanding The Benefits Of Fat - Protein - and Carbohydrate
In the hopes that your older dog can enjoy a golden age that you never thought possible, it is wise to look into the evolvement of a nutritionally wholesome, additive-free, all-natural dog food. The rewards would be a constant improvement in the overall health of animals fed on such a natural diet. Such rewards include the improvement of almost every disease and condition affected by nutritional deficiencies.
Feeding Your Dog Table Scraps
Until about 20 years ago most dogs could still eke out a living on table scraps. With the advent of modern merchandising methods, both the quality and the quantity of the usable scraps has declined. Meats are sold already trimmed and boned, carefully wrapped in cellophane and cardboard, and ready for cooking without additional alterations. Frozen foods have eliminated trimmings from vegetables, and dairy and poultry products come from cartons and coolers, not cows and chickens. Everything is prepackaged in convenient quantities so that purchases can be adjusted to family appetites with almost no leftovers.
Non-Commercial Dog Foods
As a dog owner you have two options on the type of food that you can provide for your dog: Commercial foods and non-commercial foods.
Nutritional Needs For Different Dogs
While the first dogs were undoubtedly kept as companions, it probably did not take long to realize the working value of this newly-made friend. Even before the history of dogs was recorded, these pets were helping man for a variety of purposes, mainly to hunt for food. In those days, however, hunting was not a sport, but serious hard work.
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