Why is an All Natural and Holistic Approach to Pet Food Gaining Importance?
by: Fred Ege
Why is an All Natural and Holistic to Pet Food Gaining Importance?
There is a significant increase in the market share of Natural and Holistic Pet Food, and it is predicted to double over the next five years. But why the sudden increase in our pets health? It seems that as we become more concerned with our own family's health and what we eat, it's natural to also be more concerned about what our pets eat, as they have truly have become part of our families. Today, it is now easier to provide a complete healthy meal for our pets. In fact, our pets may be eating better than we are!
What to Expect from All Natural and Holistic Pet Food?
1. Switching to All Natural and Holistic Pet Food, produces substantial results over time. We all are accustomed to using synthetic drugs which can stop symptoms quickly. But, in many cases, the problem reoccurs because it was treating the symptons, not the problem. Holistic Pet Foods provide an environment that allows the body to health itself, not just treat the symptoms. This results in a more permanent cure and a healthier pet.
2. A good, high quality diet is the foundation of your pet's health. What we find in the market today for our pets, often contain chemical additives that can be detrimental to their health. Many commercial premium foods contain chemicals known to be toxic, as well as low quality meat that is not fit for human consumption. Many of the ingredients are hard to digest, so the nutritional value is diminished becuase it doesn't reach their bloodstream. An animal's immune system is worn down over time because of poor diet and the lack of a complete balanced diet doesn't foster a long life. There has been a significant increase in kidney and liver failures in young dogs and cats that has recently been linked to the amount of chemical preservatives. That's why the FDA recently recommended the manufactururers of pet food cut the amount of certain chemical preservatives in half. Our pets eat the same food everyday, so the food they eat will have a heightened effect over time on their health, that's why a good, high quality diet is best for your pet's health.
Domestic pets are descendents of animals that have been existing in the wild. Many vets feel that pets should eat natural and less processed food. They recommend feeding pets fresh food with some supplements, or choose an all natural or holistic pet food. Your choice is to select the healthiest food for your companion pets.
What is All Natural and Holistic Pet Food?
Of course, we know that the proper mix of protein, vegetables, carbohydrates, and fats are needed for a healthy diet for our pets. Along with the 23 essential amino acids, pets also need vitamins and minerals. But the types of proteins, vegetables, carbohydrates, and fats is what holistic pet food is all about. Holism is the theory that animals should be viewed as interacting, complete entities, that are more than the sum of their elementary particles. Holistic food is naturally balanced, and provides the pet's body with much more than just the sum of its ingredients. Each ingredient is chosen for not only it's nutritional value, but also for it's interaction with other ingredients. In selecting ingredients, manufacturer's must know how an ingredient aids digestion, and select the ones that provide the most health benefits. Many ingredients are known to be good anti-oxidants, so why not choose an ingredient that has that added value. Then the combination of ingredients as a whole can be evaluated to understand the total value of a complete and balanced diet.
Holistic pet food manufacturers choose the most digestible meats, vegetables and carbohydrates so that the nutrients are almost 100% bio-available, meaning that it actually gets into their bloodstream. If it is a meat that can't be easily digested, then it just passes through their digestive system, and less is really available. The sources of proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates are just as important as the amounts. We also know that certain meats, vegetables and carbohydrates are prone to produce food allergies, and therefore it makes sense to avoid using those ingredients which are known to have a high incidence of digestive problems or allergies.
Given that we can determine the proper mix of ingredients, it also makes sense that we should utilize the best available ingredients for your pet and avoid using questionable ingredients such as by-products or meat digest. The source of the ingredients should be held to the highest standard of human grade food, and as natural as it can be. That means meat that is free from contamination from animals that were not given steroids, antibiotics or hormones, and to avoid meat by-products or meat digest. Vegetables should be free from pesticides or herbicides. We should avoid known food allergenic ingredients (beef, wheat, or soy), and not use chemicals preservatives, dyes, or genetically modified organisms. Holistic pet foods come as close to organic in nature without any chemicals or drugs, or as we say, "The Very Best for Your Best Friend!"
About The Author
Fred Ege provides All Natural and Holistic Dog and Cat Food, the very best for your best friend. To learn more about our All Natural and Holistic Dog and Cat Food, go to: http://www.foxvalleypetfoods.com.
fred@foxvalleypetfoods.com
Showing posts with label dog food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog food. Show all posts
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
12 Golden Rules For Every Dog Owner
12 Golden Rules For Every Dog Owner
by: Ray Coleiro
Discipline and good behavior are not just for your Dog they apply to you, the pet-parent too. Buying a dog is not all “cochie coo” business -- it signals the beginning of a lifetime of commitment and responsibility.
1. Love your dog unquestioningly. Treat him like a friend. Never hurt, punish, beat or abandon him. Seek professional help if you are ever pushed against the wall – there are feasible solutions to everything.
2. Ensure good nutrition.
3. Take an informed decision about spaying/neutering.
4. Give him good veterinary care. Half yearly check ups, vaccinations, dental check ups, and more.
5. Ensure that all his papers are in order – get him an ID and license.
6. Training is a key to a long and fulfilled life.
7. Groom him everyday or as many times as necessary. Grooming is one way of bonding with your dog.
8. Socialize your dog from day one – this will help him be comfortable around other people and animals as well as in public places.
9. Devote at least 30 minutes everyday to play with your dog.
10. Ensure that you are a lawful dog owner-- obey all leash, vaccination, and noise pollution laws.
11. Always clean up after your dog – it prevents infections.
12. Exercise your dog for at least 30 minutes each day.
These golden rules will help you grant the boon of a good life to your dog and believe me a dog that leads a well balanced life hardly ever develops any behavioral problems.
Whether you are a first time dog owner or a seasoned veteran, your learning never stops as far as it comes to training your dog. Each and every dog presents different training challenges, and the more equipped you are to handle these training issues the more likely you are to prevent any permanent and long term future behavioral problems.
If you are serious about your dog, and want the very best for her/him, then you owe it to your best friend to get a copy of this FREE Dog Training Mini-Course. You can still get it from here:
http://dogtrainingmastery.com/Free_Dog_Training/dog-obedience-training.htm
About The Author
Ray Coleiro is the author of the popular book "Dog Training Mastery - An Owner's Manual!" His main interest lies in promoting effective Canine Communication using solid Dog Psychology principles. To learn more about his proven Dog Training methods and life's work, you can visit http://dogtrainingmastery.com/Dog_Training/dog-training.htm
Note: The author grants permission to you to re-print, pulish or broadcast this article so long as it is un-altered or not edited in any way, and that all links remain present and active.
by: Ray Coleiro
Discipline and good behavior are not just for your Dog they apply to you, the pet-parent too. Buying a dog is not all “cochie coo” business -- it signals the beginning of a lifetime of commitment and responsibility.
1. Love your dog unquestioningly. Treat him like a friend. Never hurt, punish, beat or abandon him. Seek professional help if you are ever pushed against the wall – there are feasible solutions to everything.
2. Ensure good nutrition.
3. Take an informed decision about spaying/neutering.
4. Give him good veterinary care. Half yearly check ups, vaccinations, dental check ups, and more.
5. Ensure that all his papers are in order – get him an ID and license.
6. Training is a key to a long and fulfilled life.
7. Groom him everyday or as many times as necessary. Grooming is one way of bonding with your dog.
8. Socialize your dog from day one – this will help him be comfortable around other people and animals as well as in public places.
9. Devote at least 30 minutes everyday to play with your dog.
10. Ensure that you are a lawful dog owner-- obey all leash, vaccination, and noise pollution laws.
11. Always clean up after your dog – it prevents infections.
12. Exercise your dog for at least 30 minutes each day.
These golden rules will help you grant the boon of a good life to your dog and believe me a dog that leads a well balanced life hardly ever develops any behavioral problems.
Whether you are a first time dog owner or a seasoned veteran, your learning never stops as far as it comes to training your dog. Each and every dog presents different training challenges, and the more equipped you are to handle these training issues the more likely you are to prevent any permanent and long term future behavioral problems.
If you are serious about your dog, and want the very best for her/him, then you owe it to your best friend to get a copy of this FREE Dog Training Mini-Course. You can still get it from here:
http://dogtrainingmastery.com/Free_Dog_Training/dog-obedience-training.htm
About The Author
Ray Coleiro is the author of the popular book "Dog Training Mastery - An Owner's Manual!" His main interest lies in promoting effective Canine Communication using solid Dog Psychology principles. To learn more about his proven Dog Training methods and life's work, you can visit http://dogtrainingmastery.com/Dog_Training/dog-training.htm
Note: The author grants permission to you to re-print, pulish or broadcast this article so long as it is un-altered or not edited in any way, and that all links remain present and active.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Dealing with a Dog Food Allergy?
Dealing with a Dog Food Allergy?
by: Blake Kritzberg
Just as humans allergies can show up as a sneeze or rash, your dog's allergies can manifest as itchiness -- or even ear infections. In fact, if your dog's allergic to his food, it can cause him to scratch himself constantly, even with no obvious parasite problem.
Dog allergies rarely get solved with medicine, so the best we can do for our four-footed friends is focus on prevention. Providing the right type of food is essential to stopping your dog's scratching habit.
Many people like to share their food with their dogs or let them help "clean up" the kitchen after a meal. Little do they know, their dogs just may not be able to take the tasty food we love so much, and some breeds (like the greyhound) are extremely sensitive. Even common foods like cheese, beef sausage and tuna may cause allergic reactions in some dogs. So it's best to let dogs enjoy dog food and not human food, even though they clearly adore and want what we're eating!
Narrowing Down the Problem
To determine the exact ingredients your dog is allergic to, try an elimination diet. Although powerful, it also requires patience. In fact, the elimination diet can call for eliminating specific food for up to 12 weeks before you'll notice the effects. And if you still haven't found the right (and wrong) ingredients, you'll have to repeat the process all over again.
So is there an alternative to the lengthy elimination diet? Yes -- give your dog a brand or type of food he's never eaten before. But simply changing to a new brand of dog food might not be enough to eliminate his food allergies, since many brands contain similar ingredients. Instead, study the existing ingredients your dog is eating to determine which types of protein source he hasn't been exposed to. Then, hunt for a dog food that doesn't contain any of the ingredients you saw listed. For example, there are many brands of dog food that contains unusual protein sources such as rabbit or venison -- great for testing allergic reactions to other, more common proteins.
Perhaps the best way for you to get control of dog's allergies is to whip up your own dog food. That way, you'll know exactly what he's getting and what he isn't -- something that's extremely hard to tell from reading the back of a dog food bag. Making your own food is especially helpful in elimination diets. To start, combine a portion of rice with baby food and lamb -- so long as your dog isn't already eating lamb and possibly displaying a reaction to it.
Dog food allergies are a special condition that can be frustrating and take patience to solve. Since allergic reactions don't disappear overnight, you'll need lots of time and thoughtfulness to help your dog overcome this problem -- but his goofy smile and those scratch-free days ahead will probably make it all worth it.
About The Author
Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog.
http://www.poodle-oo.com/
by: Blake Kritzberg
Just as humans allergies can show up as a sneeze or rash, your dog's allergies can manifest as itchiness -- or even ear infections. In fact, if your dog's allergic to his food, it can cause him to scratch himself constantly, even with no obvious parasite problem.
Dog allergies rarely get solved with medicine, so the best we can do for our four-footed friends is focus on prevention. Providing the right type of food is essential to stopping your dog's scratching habit.
Many people like to share their food with their dogs or let them help "clean up" the kitchen after a meal. Little do they know, their dogs just may not be able to take the tasty food we love so much, and some breeds (like the greyhound) are extremely sensitive. Even common foods like cheese, beef sausage and tuna may cause allergic reactions in some dogs. So it's best to let dogs enjoy dog food and not human food, even though they clearly adore and want what we're eating!
Narrowing Down the Problem
To determine the exact ingredients your dog is allergic to, try an elimination diet. Although powerful, it also requires patience. In fact, the elimination diet can call for eliminating specific food for up to 12 weeks before you'll notice the effects. And if you still haven't found the right (and wrong) ingredients, you'll have to repeat the process all over again.
So is there an alternative to the lengthy elimination diet? Yes -- give your dog a brand or type of food he's never eaten before. But simply changing to a new brand of dog food might not be enough to eliminate his food allergies, since many brands contain similar ingredients. Instead, study the existing ingredients your dog is eating to determine which types of protein source he hasn't been exposed to. Then, hunt for a dog food that doesn't contain any of the ingredients you saw listed. For example, there are many brands of dog food that contains unusual protein sources such as rabbit or venison -- great for testing allergic reactions to other, more common proteins.
Perhaps the best way for you to get control of dog's allergies is to whip up your own dog food. That way, you'll know exactly what he's getting and what he isn't -- something that's extremely hard to tell from reading the back of a dog food bag. Making your own food is especially helpful in elimination diets. To start, combine a portion of rice with baby food and lamb -- so long as your dog isn't already eating lamb and possibly displaying a reaction to it.
Dog food allergies are a special condition that can be frustrating and take patience to solve. Since allergic reactions don't disappear overnight, you'll need lots of time and thoughtfulness to help your dog overcome this problem -- but his goofy smile and those scratch-free days ahead will probably make it all worth it.
About The Author
Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog.
http://www.poodle-oo.com/
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