Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Protein-Rich Pet Food: A Valuable Part Of Pregnant Dog Care

Pregnant dogs require a highly specialized diet to ensure that their pups will develop properly. If you are a dog breeder, pregnant dog care should be on the top of your priorities, and you must understand that the food you are giving to your pet will play a significant role on her fetal and overall health. Although the best meals you can feed to your pooch are probably the homemade recipes for dog food you personally concoct, there are also a few dog food brands that you could use to meet the nutritional needs of your pet. The only thing that you have to remember is to choose the right food for your pregnant dog in order for her to properly nourish and deliver her pups.

About sixty-three days is the expected duration of dog pregnancy, and during that period it is essential that your pet receives complete nutrition from the food she consumes which would contribute to the development of her puppies, would safeguard her health and would help her produce milk for her litter. You have to put in mind that protein is an essential compound for the dietary plan of pregnant canines. Although most pet food brands contain essential nutrients, you have to choose a canine food that list meat as its primary ingredient as meat is the main source of protein that would help your pooch to heighten her energy and immunity levels. You should also seek for a brand that has a natural balance and is void of meat-by products, artificial colors, preservatives and other synthetic ingredients as all these items could negatively affect the health and fetal development of your pregnant dog.

The dog food products manufactured by Flint River Ranch dog food could meet all the requirements set for pregnant dog care. Flint River Ranch foods are composed of human-quality ingredients that are free from meat and grain-by products, chemical preservatives and color additives that could negatively affect your pet's pregnancy. To further strengthen their claim of creating premium dog meals, they combine their dog formulas with a preparation process that, according to them, no other dog food company utilizes. That is, they carefully examine every ingredient they put in their products by consulting with chief American industry experts and they only purchase their ingredients from reliable suppliers so as to produce premium quality and one-of-a-kind formulas.

As mentioned earlier, high concentration of protein is what your pregnant dog needs, which requires you to choose a food brand that list meat its primary ingredient, and Flint River Ranch dog food could offer that to your pet. Contrary to most dog meals that make use of only one protein source, Flint River offers a variety of healthy and nutritious meat proteins in each pack of their products. The meat they utilize in the production of their meals is pure muscle and skin flesh only, with little or no bone content. All that being said, their meats share the same quality as those store-brand meats sold for human consumption, which means their products are warranted safe for your pregnant dog.

Accordingly, the combination of meat that Flint River uses in their pet food products includes chicken, lamb and fish. The chickens are directly purchased from reputable American suppliers and are warranted free from antibiotics and hormone. Their lambs are imported from New Zealand and are free-range fed, while their fishes are farm raised and are caught directly from the oceans. Hence, all of their meat ingredients could provide your pregnant dog with enough proteins, essential fats and strong immune system. Aside from meat, the grain sources they use are void of molds and natural toxins and they assure you that the combination of grains and proteins would provide your dog a wide range of minerals and vitamins that would help sustain her overall nutritional and health needs.

Always bear in mind that in any pregnant dog care routine the amount of pet food that your dog consumes will significantly increase by 20 percent on the fifth week of her pregnancy, which is why it is necessary that you add an extra cup of food from the normal servings of food you feed to her. It is also important that you break-up her feedings everyday in order for her to avoid dealing with morning sickness on the same level and maintain the balance of her blood sugar level that would stabilize her energy. During labor, your dog may not want to consume any type of food so don't force her to do so because she has to follow her own body signals. After giving birth, talk with your veterinarian about you dog's post-nutritional and health needs as well as her puppies' dietary requirements so that you would be able to give them proper care while they are still in a vulnerable state.

If your dog is pregnant, you have to carefully choose the right pet food that would befit her nutritional and fetal needs. As much as possible make homemade recipes for dog food that is rich in protein. If you can't attend to this task however, you could choose Flint River Ranch dog food products that contain a variety of healthy meat proteins that would suffice to the nutritional requirements of your pregnant pooch.

-Melinda Smith

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Healthy Dog Treats For Your Pooch

Dog treats play an essential role in maintaining the balance of your pets' diet and something that they anticipate everyday because they differ in taste than the common meals you provide to them. But, you should understand that not all treats are equal in all aspects and not all of them are healthy for your pets. With these factors in mind, it is vital that you attentively choose the treats you pamper your pets with to ensure that they are benefiting from them, or if you are to formulate your dog's treats right in your own kitchen, it would be wise to know the healthiest ingredients to include in your recipes. Below are some helpful guidelines that you could use to pick the right treats for your four-footed friends.

In choosing dog treats, the first things that you would have to consider are the personality and health of you pets. Think about how active your pooches are and if they have allergies or health issues that you have to attend to. There are some dog food lines that make treats for specific dog breeds, life stages and weight and frequently these specifically formulated treats are composed of ingredients that are warranted safe for the type of dog you have. Though they often carry a premium price tag, you could surely get the worth of your money from these products as they are safe and suitable for the dietary needs of your pets.

Suppose that your pets are active and participate in dog competitions, it would be wiser to opt for dog treats that have higher levels of protein and fat than normal canine pets would eat. This is because the additional fat and protein in such treats would fuel your pets' energy that would allow them to accomplish their routines. But, if your pets have sensitive stomachs, making them prone to bloating, gas and diarrhea, you must pick treats that have low allergen contents and are made from pure vegetables, meat and poultry that contains vitamin E and devoid of grain ingredients. Avoid purchasing treats that are flavor based because frequently such treats have chemical flavoring that could upset your pets' stomachs.

As much as possible settle for natural treats just to be sure about your pets' health. Natural treats are high in antioxidants and fiber that could help balance your pets' diet especially if given in right amounts. There are lots of canine food brands out there that offer natural treats, but it would be advisable to settle for companies that have been known to specialize in natural dog products such as Wysong. Wysong dog food is one of the pioneers in natural and holistic canine food products, established in 1979 by Dr. R. Wysong, a health professional. They offer an assortment of treats and nutritionally complete dog meals that complement all dog breeds and life stages and are made from chicken, beef, venison, fish and vegetables that are all human-grade in quality.

As an approximate principle in choosing treats, table scraps have no place in a holistic canine food diet and should not be considered as treats. No matter how appealing it appears to share food from your table with your pooches, refrain from this practice because aside from throwing away the balance of your pets' diet, you are also encouraging them to beg for food scraps, which could lead to other bad habits. Instead of doing this activity, try concocting the treats of your pets in your kitchen--a cost efficient option that you and your pet will definitely enjoy. Homemade dog food treats are perhaps the best treats you could spoil your pets with because you can decide which ingredients are appropriate for their diet and you could monitor that quantity of servings that you will feed to them.

When going for homemade dog food and treats, avoid using ingredients like fast food leftovers, chocolates, macadamia nuts and walnuts, onions and garlic, cheese and milk, potato parts, raisins and grapes, salt and any forms of sweeteners and other low quality grains because these items could be detrimental to the health of your pets. Beyond the aforesaid ingredients you could use brown or whole wheat flour, regular oatmeal and not the instant ones; broth from boiled poultry, meat and vegetables; meat, chicken and fish; and other optional ingredients like wheat germ, flax seed, beaten eggs and cod liver oil among others. You could always change the treats you give to your pets, but try to make sure that you properly store them so that they won't easily decompose. Allow treats to cool before you pack them and store them in airtight containers to retain their freshness and moisture. For treats and biscuits that have meat ingredients, keep them in airtight containers in the refrigerator to prevent premature spoilage. Of course, before you serve your pets with homemade meals, it is advised to consult first with your pets' veterinarian to know the right ingredients to include in your pets' treats or you could also refer to canine food cookbooks written by animal professionals for healthier recipes.

When purchasing dog treats, consider the personality and health of your pet to make the right choice. As much as possible settle for a reliable dog food brand acknowledged for healthy treats like Wysong dog food. If you have some time to spare, why not concoct your pet's treats in your kitchen? Homemade dog food treats are the best snacks you can provide to your dog as you could personally select the ingredients that you would include in your recipe.

-Brigitte Smith

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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Factors To Consider When Choosing The Right Dog Food Formula For Puppies

It is usually desirable to have a special dog food for puppies especially during their formative years. Unlike adult dogs, puppies have unique nutritional needs that can often only be met by certain meals that are especially formulated for them. In fact, in most cases food for puppies contain more proteins than adult canine maintenance food because these proteins would aid them properly on their growth and development. By now, you're probably thinking: 'how do I choose the right pet food for my puppies?'

A walk down the aisle of local grocery stores and you will find yourself face to face with hundreds of varieties of dog food products intentionally made for puppies. But, as a pet owner, you must bear in mind that not all of these edible products are ideal for your pets' health. It is vital that you choose a special formula that would suffice the health needs of your pups so that they would grow properly and will enable them to sustain their energy levels. As a rule of thumb, it is advised to go for puppy meals that have no more than 25 percent of protein, does not contain fillers, especially formulated for puppies and for their breed size, contains digestible protein instead of bone meals, passed the quality standards set by AAFCO and are specifically recommended by your pets' veterinarian.

The products offered by Honest Kitchen dog meals can fulfill the nutritional and health needs of your puppies. This canine food company uses an innovative approach when it comes to dog health and nutrition--all natural, delicious and raw dog meals that your puppies will surely enjoy. All their dog food formulas integrate the wholesomeness of homemade diet packed with scientifically balanced blend of nutritious ingredients in easy-to-prepare packages, all approved by AAFCO. Because they are devoted to providing dog owners with the healthiest meal selections for their pooches, they made sure that all the ingredients and manufacturing processes they utilize are 100% human-grade in quality.

It is worth acknowledging that two of the dehydrated canine food formulas of Honest Kitchen complement well with puppies: Embark and Thrive dog meals. These formulas are intentionally designed to work for canine pets of different life stages including puppies, active adults, pregnancy and nursing. Embark is made up of low carbohydrate recipe that is full of vegetables, fruits and cage-free turkey and free from grains, making it one of the most referred meals by veterinarians as an addition to cancer recovery program for dogs. Meanwhile, their Thrive dog meal also has low carbohydrate content and is free from gluten, which makes it appropriate for dogs with sensitivities.

Other than their holistic dog food products, Honest Kitchen also has this revolutionary treat they call 'ice pups,' especially developed for young canines. Rather than the shaped gourmet treats that we usually see in the market, the people behind Honest Kitchen products made ice pups as a powdered mix that can be combined with water to create a liquid treat for puppies. This treat can be served as a warm broth during winter months, as a chilled refreshing beverage or freeze sorbet during the summer. Ice pups contain dehydrated chicken, whey, Turkey, asparagus, watercress, parsley, dandelion and honey, making it a refreshing, nourishing and delicious treats for pups. Accordingly, this Honest Kitchen treat is not only beneficial for puppies, it is also highly recommended for canines with kidney problems, low appetite and are recovering from surgery. It is also recommended to increase palatability if you would like to transition your pet to a new diet.

Of course, Honest Kitchen isn't the only canine food line that specialize in high quality meals for puppies and adult pets. There are several other companies out there that provide dog owners with highly nutritious and healthy meals to reinforce the wellness and dog health of their pets. Before you hit the market for your puppies' meals, it is always best to discuss your pups' dietary needs with your veterinarian as he or she is the most qualified person to give you an advice about the type, serving amount and sometimes the brand that would befit your puppies. Nevertheless, it pays to do your own homework first in order to get educated about your pets' health requirements so that you could provide them the very best meals that would prolong their life.

A nutritionally-balanced dog food is integral during the formative years of puppies. Hence, as a dog owner, you should carefully choose the meals that you would give to your puppies. As much as possible choose a canine food that is especially formulated for their life stage and would support their rapid growth and inferior dog health. The products offered by Honest Kitchen, specifically their Embark and Thrive dog meals, are ideal meals that could suffice to the needs of puppies.

-Brigitte Smith

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