Is Pedigree Dog Food Good For My Dog?

Pedigree Dog food is another food to avoid feeding your dogs. They claim that their Mealtime With Lamb and Rice isnutritionally complete and highly digestible food formulated for the growth and maintenance of dogs. This product contains real lamb meat not lamb meal and has no artificial colors or soy.” Listed below are the ingredients for this particular flavor.

Ground Corn
Chicken By-Product Meal
Ground Wheat
Animal Fat(Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols, source of Vitamin E)
Lamb, Rice, Natural Poultry Flavour
Salt
Dried Egg Product
Potasium Chloride
Titanium Dioxide
Sunflower Oil (source of Linoleic Acid)

Take notice that the lamb and rice are the 5th ingredient, not the first. We already know that dogs have a very difficult time digesting corn and corn is the first ingredient. The second ingredient is chicken by-product meal which you already know if you have read “Are you Poisoning Your Dog?” can be anything from euthanized pets to bone, feathers, and beaks among a multitude of other grotesque animal parts.

I have discovered that many guide dog schools are recommending this food to their students because Pedigree is donating free food for the dogs in exchange for the recommendations. They also give discounts to the students. This again is another reason to read your labels before buying food for your dog, no matter who recommends it.

Keep in mind that no matter what commercial food you do decide on, it is important to supplement the diet with raw and homemade food.

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February 14, 2008. Tags: , , , . Know Your Ingredients, Latest News. 16 comments.

Glazed Chicken Treats

Giving our dogs healthy dog treats are just as vital as a healthy dog food diet. Here is a recipe for a healthy treat for you dogs that is easy to make at home.

Glazed Chicken Treats

Ingredients:

4 Cups Flour
1 1/4 Cup Cornmeal
1 small can Chicken soup
1 egg
2 tsp Vegetable oil

Glaze
1 egg
2 tbs milk
dash of garlic

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Lightly flour the bench and then knead mix ensuring it is not too sticky or too dry.
  4. Roll out so it is 1/8 inch thick.
  5. Grab your cookie cutters and start cutting.
  6. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
  7. Bake until brown – about 25 – 35 minutes.
  8. Pour into a greased small tray (10×15″)
  9. Bake for about 25 minutes.
  10. Allow to cool
  11. Mix glaze ingredients and brush over cookies lightly.

Courtesy of Justin Blake and his dog Fred


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February 3, 2008. Tags: , , , . Dog Treat Recipes, Latest News. Leave a comment.

Dog Health Care Questions

When adding a new pet to the family it is important to first take the dogDog-vet to a trusted veterinarian who can give your new dog a thorough examination to determine if it has any medical conditions that need immediate attention. This is essential no matter where you have gotten your pet from. You really have no idea where your pet has been or how it was treated before you got him.

Prior to going to the vet, make up a list of dog health care questions that you may have concerning the care of your new dog. Having a list of dog health care questions will assist you in remembering to ask your questions once you are at the vets office. While your pup is being examined, is a good time to ask your vet the questions that you have prepared. Some vets will allow you to sit and talk after the examination to discuss your concerns, others won’t. I prefer the ones that do.

It is very important to find a veterinarian that you can establish a rapport with as you will be seeing a lot of him through the life of your dog, which can be anywhere from 15 to 30 years, depending on the breed of dog you have selected.

If you have adopted an older dog that has not been spayed or neutered, you will want to have this done as soon as possible, unless you have specifically purchased a show dog for breeding purposes. If you have adopted a puppy, follow the vets advise as to what age the procedure can be done.

If you are aware of any pre-condition of your new dog, inform the vet, and then after the initial examination, if you notice any change in your dog’s condition at home, you will be able to direct your dog health care questions more readily and that will help to resolve the problems much quicker. Quite often, you as the owner, will be able to add additional valuable input that will help the veterinarian be more efficient in the care of your dog’s health.

If you are unsatisfied with the answers you get to your dog health care questions don’t be afraid to question your veterinarian’s decisions because the life of your dog could depend on your perseverance with some of these matters. If you are still not satisfied, look for another qualified veterinarian.

Personally, I would find a new vet immediately if your vet starts recommending either Iams or Eukanuba as the choice of dog foods to feed your new dogs. These two brands are owned by Procter and Gambol who pay vets a high incentive to recommend their inferior, yet pricey dog food. Science Diet is another one to avoid. Keep in mind that any dog food that has corn listed as the first two (2) ingredients should be avoided

Dog-VetSecrets A book that I highly recommend for your dogs health care is

Veterinary Secrets Revealed or even better Veterinary Secrets Multi-Media Home Study Course


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January 29, 2008. Dog Health Care, Latest News. 2 comments.

Dog Breed Directory

A Dog Breed Directory is a good place to start when you are considering getting a new dog, because all dogs are not created equal and each breed has different personalities, characteristics and temperaments. Your quality of life can be affected by the dog breed you have selected because of the type of care that is necessary for each individual dog breed.

By conducting your own research of the information that a Dog Breed Directory will provide, you will be able to make a decision on which breed of dog is going to be the most compatible for your lifestyle and living situation. Keep in mind that many breeds can live to be 20 to 30 years old and that you will be living with your dog for a long time.

A Dog Breed Directory is a guide that can give you the following information:

* Dog breed behaviors
* Dog breed care
* Dog breed characteristics
* Dog breed descriptions
* Dog breed evaluations
* Dog breed food requirements
* Dog breed good with children
* Dog breed health problems
* Dog breed history
* Dog breed life expectancy
* Dog breed profile
* Dog breed standards

By researching several Dog Breed Directories you will be able to get a pretty good idea of what dog breed will be just right for your lifestyle. The Dog Breed Director can help you to narrow your search down to several suitable breeds. From the breeds you have chosens, you will then be able to weigh the pros and cons of each dog breed and the care that will be necessary for the life of that particular dog breed. Personal circumstances can change over the years and you will need to decide how these changes can effect your ability to care for the dog breed you have selected.

Knowing ahead of time what the health concerns of various dog breeds include will help you to determine if you will be financially able to care for the dog with the added expense the care of the dog will require. If you intend on getting Dog Health Insurance for the life of your dog, then you won’t have to be as concerned about this aspect of the dogs care as someone who hasn’t taken this into consideration.

My personal opinion, once you have made your choice of the dog breed that is suitable for your lifestyle, is to look for your new dog at a local animal shelter or the local pound. Stay away from the animals that are produced by the puppy mills for pet stores and adopt one of the thousands of homeless dogs in need of a loving home.


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January 25, 2008. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Dog Breeds, Latest News. 2 comments.

What Is A Healthy Dog Food Diet?

In order to provide your pet with a healthy dog food diet it is important to understand the nutritional needs of your dog . Every dog breed is different in the amount of feedings that are considered to be necessary. Your dogs lifestyle, age, medical condition and activity level are all factors to consider in the amount of food to feed, however, all dogs are basically the same when it comes to nutritional requirements.

Your dog’s body, just like your own, is made up of cells, and like all living creatures, these cells need nutrients to function properly. These nutrients include a combination of proteins, consisting of essential amino acids, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, vitamins, minerals and lots of water. A healthy dog food diet needs a combination of these nutrients, in balanced proportions, to provide the calories that are needed to fuel their daily energy needs for growth and activity.

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January 24, 2008. Tags: , , , , , . Know Your Ingredients, Latest News. 3 comments.

Dog Whisperer

The Dog Whisperer program that appears on the National Geographic Channel focuses on teaching the owner how to train the dog to behave according to the owner’s direction and lead rather than the other way around. Each episode of the Dog Whisperer documents the remarkable transformations that take place under Cesar’s guidance and teaching, helping dogs and their owners live happier lives together.

There are those that believe the techniques that are used could be doing long-term damage to the dog’s emotional state. These techniques do work, however, many people do not understand the canine way of thinking when it comes to the pack-mode mentality.

Cesar Millan is the Dog Whisperer, and has proven on numerous occasions, that his techniques teach aggressive behavior modification, which in turn allows the animals to live with one another and with humans in a civilized manner, rather than using their basic instinct of survival.

The Dog Whisperer helps people who have problem dogs by teaching them how to inter-act with their dogs. In some instances where the dog is particularly aggressive and will not respond to the owners direction, Cesar will take the dog home with him and work with him personally.

The Dog Whisperer certainly does show that he can deliver the results and whether people agree or not there is no doubt that the Dog Whisperer knows how to overcome dog behavioral problems with his skilled training.


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January 18, 2008. Tags: , , , , , , . Dog Training, Latest News. 2 comments.

Are Commercial Dog Food Manufacturers Wising Up?

First, let me tell you that I order my pet food for both my dogs and cats online and have it delivered to my door. I alternate the commercial food that I purchase with a raw and homemade diet. My pets diets vary with the different animals and their individual circumstances.

This weekend I went out to a local pet food store to see if anything had changed over the last year. With all of the media attention dog food has had, I wanted to find out if any of the manufacturers had wised up and changed their ingredients and/or formulas.

These are the results that I found in my area of upstate New York. Keep in mind that these results came from one national pet supply chain. I did not visit any of the local “pet health food stores”.

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January 17, 2008. Tags: , , , , , . Know Your Ingredients. Leave a comment.

Knowing Your Dog Food Ingredients

The first thing that you must be made aware of is that not all dog food is created equal. And I repeat, “Not All Dog Food Is Created Equal”. “Well, Duh! That’s pretty much obvious”, you think.

You are already aware of the multitude of choices when you walk into the Pet Store. There are bags and cans of dog food in every color, weight and size under the sun, all screaming, “Buy Me! Buy Me! Buy Me!”

There is food for puppies, food for senior dogs, food for working dogs, food for show dogs, pedigree food, food for indoor dogs and food for outdoor dogs. They have food for couch potato dogs and food for hyperactive dogs. There is diabetic food and kidney problem food, skin allergy food and gum disease food. There is organic food, holistic food and all natural food. There is chemical free, preservative free, there is 100% meat and 100 % meat free. Meat free? There is vegetarian and vegan, dairy free and lactose free. Are you confused enough? Well, it just gets worse.

Are You Poisoning Your Dog? No? Before we go any further, you must learn what the actual ingredients are in that huge bag of food that you just bought Bruno and that fancy little can of pedigree food you just purchased for FiFi.

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September 21, 2007. Tags: , , , , , . Know Your Ingredients. 1 comment.

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