Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Kennel Cough - Treatments Available

Find out more about natural Kennel Cough treatments and relieve your dog or cat's Kennel Cough symptoms today.

A friend of mine recently found what she raves about as an effective, safe natural Kennel Cough remedy that she reckons will have your pets back on their feet in full spirits again after a few treatments of easy drops that you add to your pet's water or food.

There are various kennel cough treatments available, but make sure you find out if they are chemical-based drugs - if that is what they are, then don't be surprised to see side-effects that can seriously compromise your pet's immune system in the long term, which could just make matters worse as your pet could then experience other types of health problems as a result of his/her comprised immunity.

So what is kennel cough exactly?

Kennel Cough is brought on by a virus.

It is an upper respiratory problem that will have your dog or cat below par for quite a few days, although kennel cough symptoms can last up to six weeks.

In most situations when animals are close together and one has it, then pretty much the others will develop the symptoms too, as it is highly contagious. This is why most boarding kennels insist on your pet having been immunized against kennel cough as part of its annual vaccinations. (This is a whole other topic, but annual vaccinations are definitely NOT needed, and can cause other health problems).

Anyway, pets can pick up Kennel Cough in public places such as the doggie day care, dog parks, puppy mills, grooming salon, boarding facilities, and catteries etc.

The problem is, as with most viruses, you won't know anything is wrong until your dog or cat becomes ill since you can't see the virus with the naked eye; and with the incubation period being anywhere from two days up two weeks, it may be very difficult re-tracing your foot steps to figure out exactly where your dog or cat may have contracted the virus.

The Kennel Cough symptoms that you should be on the look-out for include the following:

* A constant, dry hacking cough that sounds as though something is caught in the animal's throat
* Vomiting or gagging after any excitement or even after light physical activities
* Vomiting or gagging after any slight amount of pressure to the trachea
* You might also see sneezing, retching and snorting
* In most cases, you will not see a runny discharge from the eyes or nose unless you are dealing with something like the Canine Flu
* In some cases a fever can be present - but not in every one

Kennel cough is very rarely fatal, or even particularly serious.

Consider treating it with a herbal kennel cough treatment if your pet happens to contract this illness.

Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, October 4, 2010

Best Ranked Dog Food

It cannot be denied that dog food is one of the primary needs of our dog pets. In fact, it is probably the most important requirement for our pets to live healthy. There are different varieties of canine food products; there are natural canine food brands, commercial canine food, and premium canine food brands. Despite these varieties however, these products are all developed upon the three general types of pet food which are canned, semi moist and dry canine food.

Canned dog food is probably the most expensive dog edible product brought per pound but is highly palatable and has the best shelf life. This type of canine food contains about 60% of water, and some brands even have high content of preservatives, which if often fed to your pets could expose them to urinary frequency that often result to renal failure. Often the meat contained in canned canine products is not high in quality. In some cases, canned canine food products do not have any meat at all.

Meanwhile, semi moist dog food is considered as the most appealing canine food product among unknowing dog owners, and this is the primary selling point of this canine food type. If you might have observed, most semi moist canine food products have attention-grabbing packages that often appear like their meals are manufactured from real ground meat, when in fact they rarely contain any perceptible amount of protein ingredients. Regular feeding of semi moist food to your pet may lead to greater water consumption which often leads to frequent urination and development of allergies.

The last of the three is the dry canine food or more popularly referred to as kibble. It has several advantages over the other two types if cost is your main criteria. However, when it comes to health benefits, kibble products are also parallel with canned and semi-moist as they usually lack the right amount of nutrients that your dog needs. Often, the ingredients contained in kibbles are substandard in quality, and it has been observed that pets fed with kibbles are subject to skin allergies and other health problems.

However, there is a fourth choice! Sojos food is one of the top makers of dry canine food, but by dry it does not necessarily mean that their meals are kibbles. Sojos is a dry non-processed food mix that allows you to add your own fresh protein source. More than just offering your pets with their daily nutritional needs, the best thing about Sojos dry canine edible products is that they are made from all natural ingredients that are human-grade in quality. They don't have preservatives and synthetic ingredients that could be detrimental to your pet's health.

Sojos food has a wide variety of dry food mixes that could complement any dog breed. They have wholesome pre-mix, which owners can combine with meat and vegetables in order to create homemade meals for their pets. They also offer dry and grain free canine food mix that is especially developed for canines that have allergic reactions to grains, while their complete canine food mix contain real meat and vegetables that is appropriate for working canines. All of these canine food products are guaranteed high in quality, are easy to prepare and can be purchased at a fraction of the costs of commercial canine food products.

Solid gold pet food is another pet food line that is acknowledged for their award winning dry canine food products. Just like Sojos, every pack of Solid gold dry canine food contains natural ingredients without any chemical preservatives that provide holistic nutrients for your pets. It is also one of the first canine food lines in the US that advocated natural canine food. To date, Solid gold remains as one of the leading authorities in natural canine food in the US.

There are three basic types of dog food products: canned, semi moist, and kibble. Each of these food products varies from one another; however, not all of them could provide all the necessary nutrients that your dog needs. In order to provide your dog the best meals of his life Sojos food and Solid gold pet food are two canine food products that offer high quality meals with which you could add your own fresh protein source.

-Melinda Smith

Labels:

Dog Food: How Safe is the Dry Kind?

Owning a pet is a rewarding experience. Days are easier to bear thanks to your dog greeting you at home. These undeniable moments go by longer with proper dog care. You can give your dog a longer life by giving them healthy dog food. Commercially available dog food is usually available in wet canned form or dry form.

Dry dog food is the cheaper alternative, and is convenient for long-term buyers since it doesn't easily spoil. Their moisture is just about six to 10 percent. Though the dry food is a practical alternative budget-wise, many of its ingredients are unhealthy fillers.

How your dog absorbs nutrients will depend on the filler used by the food brand. White rice gives some nutrients while oats and beans give nothing. Carbohydrates from corn and potatoes have less nutritional value than rice. Most brands include unnecessary ingredients such as corn meal, ground corn, and the like since they are much cheaper to include. These cheap ingredients can cause unfortunate side effects like appetite loss and diarrhea.

Brands will list their ingredients according to amount, with the first having the highest quantity. The unhealthy options place barley, rice, or corn first. You are better off buying brands that list beef first. It is worth noting that The American Feed Control Officials report meats being weighed for brand labelling prior to cooking.

Concerned dog owners can look to sojos food as a healthy alternative. Ingredients such as grains, herbs, and vegetables ensure healthy eating. Ingredients stick to the basics, leaving out any fillers and preservatives. It is a long-term health guarantee for you and your dog.

Wellness pet food such as sojos provides dog owners less worries and a better money investment. Buying dry dog food brands may be cheaper for now, but paying for vet visits and spending on medicines will cost much more on the long run. It is better to spend on more now and less later.

Choosing the right dog food for your pet guarantees easy and hassle-free canine care. Look for brands that use wholesome and safe ingredients. Most commercial brands use fillers such as corn meal that can damage your dog's health. To avoid this, look for preservative-free alternatives in brands such as sojos food. This is a wellness pet food that every dog will enjoy eating.

-Melinda Smith

Labels: