You are here: Home / Archives for Feeding/Diet

Tips for Choosing Pet Food

SAN FRANCISCO - MAY 22: Bags of Nutro Max Cat... 

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Many families consider their pets part of the family, so feeding the family pet healthy food should be part of the family dynamic. But how do you choose the best food for your pet to keep them healthy and active?

Here are a few tips to help you choose the food that will best suit your pet.

Read the ingredients in the food and the purchase the healthiest type of food that you can afford.

Choose a food that has the proper amount of protein for your pet. Age, activity and other factors will determine how much protein your pet will need. For instance, younger animals will need less protein than adults. Look for food choices that are labeled by age. For instance, choose one labeled puppy for your young canine companion. However, any food you choose should include protein sources such as lamb, beef or chicken. The protein should be the first ingredient on the list of ingredients.

Avoid animal byproducts such as chicken feet and bones that may be included in pet foods. Less expensive foods usually include these types of byproducts. More expensive food generally do not include byproducts. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations about higher-quality byproducts.

Check for and learn about preservatives. Almost every brand of dry pet food has preservatives. These preservatives can include artificial preservatives like BHT or ethoxyquin.

Choose whether to feed your pet dry or canned food, or even a mixture. Take into account that canned food is generally more expensive. However, both will provide your pet with a good nutritional balance, provided you have examined the ingredients.

Filed Under: Feeding/Diet, Pets Tagged With: , ,

Reasons For Panting Of Dogs

If you have dogs as pets, one of the most characteristic that will be noted about them is that they pant a lot. There are some dogs that pant too much and there are some other dogs that do not pant much. So, many have wondered as to the reason for the panting of the dogs. There are three major reasons for dogs to pant and these are normal in many pets. If the pet dog pants even without the presence of these three reasons, then the dog needs to have a veterinary consultation to rule out any disease.

The main reason for dogs to pant is that they may be thirsty. The dogs are very active and it may be very rare to find any dog that is inactive. So, if the dog is active, then there may be a chance that the dog has been running for a long time and so it may be panting to get its breath. Other than this, there are many dogs that may have lost a lot of water from the body because of the heat of the sun. This can also cause the dogs to pant.
Many pets are seen to pant when they are thirsty. So, the dog can be given some water to drink as this may decrease the panting of the dog.

The other common reasons for dog to pant are the anxiety that they may have. There are some dogs that are depressed because of various reasons. If there is no one spending time with the dog, then it can become anxious. This can also lead to panting in the dog. Dogs that are excited may also pant. There are many reasons for a dog to get excited. The dog may be excited when it sees something interesting or when it sees its master. So, this may be the reason for panting.

Filed Under: Feeding/Diet, Pets Tagged With: ,

Is it Safe to Artificially Feed Deer in the Winter?

The Marsh Deer.
Image via Wikipedia

If you live in a rural or wooded area chance are, from time to time, you’ve seen deer in your yard. Deer are more prevalent to coming into residential areas during the winter months when looking for food; especially if you live in an area that sees snow on a regular basis. While it is really neat to see deer in your back yard, it is not in the best interest of the deer to begin artificially feeding them.

Naturally fed deer if not fed on a regular basis can destroy a yard or garden looking for food. If you are going to feed a deer, this is not going to be something to do when you feel like it. Feeding deer can cost hundreds of dollars a year for one deer and when there’s one deer many more will more than likely show up to eat; making the cost of feeding deer cost hundreds more. If are going to feed deer always use food specifically formulated for a deers diet. No table scraps or human food.

When deer congregate in one area to feed without the protection of the woods or wilderness they are especially vulnerable to attack from both domestic and wild dogs, such as wolves. Feeding deer will also attract other rodents like skunks and raccoons that are prone to diseases like rabies that can be transferred to other animals and humans if bitten.

Deer are also prevalent to contracting diseases themselves when congregating and feeding in the same area. The saliva and mucus from a deer infected with tuberculosis or salmonella will be transferred to other deer eating in that area.

If you are wanting to feed deer in your yard or are concerned about deer in your area contact a local wild life agency. A wildlife will answer your questions and concerns pertaining to deer and other wild life in your area.

Filed Under: Feeding/Diet, Species Tagged With: , , ,

Keeping Your Dog Healthy Around the Holidays.

Chocolate is harmful to your dogs health and around the holidays, with candy and baking good left out, dogs are more likely to ingest an unhealthy amount. Chocolate poisoning is the most common poisoning that the animal poison control center is called about — and the calls rise around the holiday season. Sign that a dog has eaten too much chocolate are vomiting and diarrhea; along with hyper-activity a restlessness. The hyper-activity is the result of a speeded heart beat. If too much chocolate is ingested and the dog’s heart rate is continually raised that dog has a greater chance of having seizures; causing serious complications and even death in your furry friend.

Semi-sweet chocolate, commonly used in baking, is the most deadly form of chocolate. Baking chocolate is a more pure and concentrated form. The best example of semi-sweet chocolate are chocolate chips used for baking cookies. It only takes four to six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate to kill a dog that is under 15 pounds. That isn’t much. Remember to always keep any kind of chocolate out of your dogs reach. Just because it’s on top of a counter doesn’t mean a bigger dog won’t try to jump up and grab it.

If your dog does accidentally ingest chocolate call a pet poison control hotline or contact your local veterinarian. Be ready to tell your veterinarian or poison control how long it has been since the dog has eaten the chocolate, the type of chocolate he/she ate, the amount and the weight and age of the dog. You will probably be asked make the dog vomit or poison control may tell you to rush to your veterinarians office so that the dog can get proper care and medicine that will reduce the effects of the chocolate in your dogs system.

Filed Under: Feeding/Diet, Health/Medical Tagged With: , ,

Understanding Your Dogs Unusual Eating Habits.

Cayenne peppers used during the marination of ...
Image via Wikipedia

Dogs, especially young puppies, tend to chew and eat very unusual items indoors and outdoors. There are two specific eating habits that dogs tend to experience at on time or another; pica and coporphagy. No one really knows exactly why dogs tend to eat odd things, but there are speculations that it could be because of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in your pets diet. Pica is the term used when dogs are eating non-food objects, such as toilet paper,grass and other non food items. One form of pica in particular coprophagy or when your dog eats his feces or the feces of another animal. This is gross. Many veterinarians and scientist have tried to figure out what causes coporphagy, but no one knows what causes an animal to eat fecal matter; although many scientist seem to think it has something to do with attention or a vitamin defficiency your pooch may be lacking. There may be some ways to keep your dog from eating poop, but it won’t be easy. If you have a cat, keep the litter box cleaned as often as possible and pick up any dog poop that may be lying around the yard. If you have a baby gate, you can place this near the litter box. A furry feline can jump over the gate, but dogs aren’t able to jump as high as cats do. If you don’t have time to pick up your dog’s poopie everyday, when you walk your dog you can put something on the poop to keep them from eating it. Many people have had success placing cayenne pepper on their dog’s poop. When the dogs come back in the yard and smell the fecal matter the cayenne pepper will keep them from eating it because of the spicy smell. If you are concerned about your dog eating poop, contact a local veterinarian to discuss the problem.

Filed Under: Feeding/Diet Tagged With: ,