Friday, September 8, 2017

Homemade Dog Food For Kidney Disease



Kidney diseases are now quite a common issue with dogs. It is a serious matter though. If your dog is diagnosed with a kidney diseases, you will have to make changes to his diet so that everything balances out.

One of the common cause of diseases in dogs in the increasing usage of commercial dog food. As I have also mentioned in my earlier posts. Commercial dog foods have a lot of chemicals, preservatives and flavors added to them. All this is not a natural diet of dogs. Such kind of a food over a couple of years can lead to many diseases and this can easily be one of them.

So How Do You Know If Your Dog Has A Kidney Disease? 


It is tough to just look at a symptom and just conclude that it is some kind of a diseases. Proper tests will tell you the true picture of a dog’s health. However there are a few symptoms which you should be looking for, if you find 2 or more of these symptoms, just get your pet checked for his renal health.
·         Increased or decreased urine

  • ·         Urination while sleeping
  • ·         Blood in urine
  • ·         Reduced appetite
  • ·         Vomiting
  • ·         Diarrhea
  • ·         Weight loss

Diet Plays A Vital Role In Treatment Of Disease


Your dog’s health status, his size, breed, activity level, age all play an important role in defining the diet. Its best to consult a vet to find out exactly what the health status of your dog is. It is very likely that he recommends low protein homemade dog food for this. Homemade food for kidney disease has to be low on protein, as a high protein diet will put more stress on kidneys.
A diet with high quality protein, low phosphorus and nutritious whole foods is highly recommended. Avoid anything with synthetic nutrients and processed ingredients.


Why High Protein Diet Is Bad For Your Dog


There are many types of proteins, there can be good quality as well as bad quality proteins. Good proteins are broken down and digested more easily and efficiently. When it is digested, there are some waste products like Nitrogen. One of the kidney’s functions is to remove this waste from the body. When kidney are not functioning properly or when the animal suffers from kidney disease, this waste is not removed effectively and builds up in the blood stream known as Blood Urean Nitrogen (BUN).

Higher quality protein will leave less of nitrogen as waste. When it comes to dogs, two of the best quality sources of proteins are raw meat and eggs. This protein is essential for a dog’s diet and meet his protein requirements 

Many people believe that dogs with kidney problems should not have any proteins at all. This is not true. They need high quality protein for healthy tissue, bones and muscle growth.


No Commercial Dog Foods


Even if some commercial dog food is specially formulated for kidney disease, it is better to avoid it. Most of these foods are refined, processed and made from poor quality ingredients. They lack good quality nutrition.

Cheap Easy and Quality Meals Are Prepared At Home


Its easy and cheaper to make homemade meals for your dog. This way you know what exactly are you feeding your dog. You can easily make decent quantity of such meals and freeze them up for later use. This will also save your time.

You can add things like rice, eggs, lean meat, oatmeal, fruits, veggies (except onions, grapes and raisins), sweet potato etc to your dog’s diet. A mix of these things can be really good for his health.


Monday, May 8, 2017

Easy To Digest Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Some dogs have sensitive stomachs and you have to give them easy to digest dog foods. Sometimes the sensitivity increases because of any stomach disorders. But you won’t find something like this easily on any commercial dog food aisle in market. Why?

A dog’s digestive system is different than ours.


Digestive systems in dogs are very different from our own digestive systems and if you expect them to have same kind of digestion, you are wrong. With wrong food choices, a dog can develop many food intolerances.  A large number of dogs suffer from irritated stomachs because of the additional ingredients and preservatives which are present in most of the commercial dog foods.
homemade dog food

Dogs can eat anything to satisfy hunger pang. Some dogs have sensitive tummies which shows as lose stools, vomiting or excessive gas. They need foods which helps them with their sensitivity.  If left unchecked, this can also be the cause of other diseases and painful conditions.

A dog can not tell what exactly his problem is, you as a pet owner will have to find the symptoms like vomiting, indigestion, nausea etc. He will just be less active and sit in a corner when he is unwell.


Whats wrong with commercial dog foods?

There are many chemicals, preservatives, food dyes, artificial flavors and other ingredients present in commercial dog foods which a dog' sensitive stomach just can not handle. Most of these ingredients are added to increase the shelf life of the product and make it taste better, But dog's digestive systems were never meant for such things.  

So basically its full of junk most of the times. There are studies which show that such a diet over a long period of time will only affect the health of your pet.

Only you can improve his diet


You are the one responsible for giving food to your dog so you are the only one who can fix the diet your dog ingests.  You are the only one who can care for his sensitive gut. If you take time for knowing what works best for him, it will really help him out with his problem.  Addition or removal of food from your dog’s diet can help to a good extent.
 

Homemade meals can work best


You can cook homemade meals for your pet with all the essential nutrients with ingredients which are easily available at your home. You can change your dog’s diet and habits as per your requirement if you know what makes for a good balanced meal for dogs.

The best dog food for a sensitive tummy is to choose whole grains, foods and natural protein meals which are well balanced. You also need to give your dog, foods which are entirely new to his pallet. As you introduce new foods to your dog, you present his stomach with newer and fitter protein carbs that may relieve your dog’s tummy trouble.

Here are some of the things which will be easy on his stomach

  • Rice
  • Oatmeal
  • Chicken
  • Cottage cheese
  • Sweet potato

One amazing homemade food which will actually help is of course rice, which can work wonders for your dog. You can simply steam it and use brown rice for its higher nutritional yield.

Another superb food for the dog's belly is really to introduce bone meal or perhaps add an all-natural powdered milk. Not only will this settle your dog's abdomen but it is also a great method to acquire some necessary calcium into her or his diet.


The best dog food for a sensitive gut is not on some commercial pet store ledge. The best food for dogs with a sensitive stomach is right in your own kitchen and that's just where you can also treat his tummy problems beginning now.




Sunday, May 8, 2016

Dog Food Secrets and Recipes

We all love our dogs but are we feeding them the right food or a good diet which is needed for their proper growth and health? Or are we putting their health at risk just because it is easy for us!

Know About Dog's Nutrition


Most of us give the same old dog food to our dogs without knowing about the problems it may be causing him. Be it commercial dog food or the home cooked dog food, you should know the essentials for a dog diet.

Dog's Health Is Dependent On His Diet


A dog which doesn't has a good immunity will have infections and health disorders more often and a lot depends on the diet. A good diet can take care of most of such problems. We don’t really tend to get to the root cause of such issues.

A good diet can help in allergies, weight issues, skin disorders and keep your dog in a good health.

About Dog Food Secrets eBook

 


If you know the importance of homemade dog food and all the benefits it provides, you will love this book by Andrew Lewis. The book has all the information nicely complied for easy reading. There are two main things which are discussed in this book
dog food secrets

1.    Information on diet requirements of your dog – This is very important as most people get it wrong.

2.    Recipes for dog food – There are dozens of healthy recipes for your dog which you can make in no time. This again will save you a lot of time and money.

Most important of them all, you will be able to take care of the health of your dog with the help of dog food secrets book

The recipes also has information on different requirements of different breeds of dogs. You may have a large, medium or small dog, you will find the nutritional requirements and all the combinations in this book. You will exactly know how much carbohydrates, fats and proteins will be needed by your dog.

Commercial food is bad for your dog’s health


Commercial dog food may save you some time but you will definitely be putting the health of your dog at risk with these foods. You may get better quality food with some of the premium brands but then they are expensive and not everyone can afford them. Even with them you are never sure about the quality of ingredients used.

Homemade food is the key


How much we know about the dog food available in the market? Not much I guess. It can be the cause of allergies and other health related issues.

The next best alternative is to feed your dog home cooked food but then you should know about the balanced diet of a dog. It is a lot different than what we have as humans. With a well prepared dog food, you will know exactly what your dog is eating.

Unlike commercial foods, this homemade food is free from any preservatives and chemicals. If your dog requires any special diet, you can easily make the required changes. Some of the special diets can be high fiber dog food, low fat dog food, vegetarian dog food, dog food for sensitive stomachs, low sodium food, hypoallergenic dog food etc. You won’t find the such diets with commercially made dog foods even if they claim so.


Can we give human diet to dogs, instead of making their own recipes? 


Although a lot of people give the same diet to dogs, when talking about homemade food, a dog’s diet and nutritional requirements are very different from humans. You have to be sure of the ingredients or your dog always has the risk of falling sick. Some of us give the same food to our dog as we eat which is not the right approach and is also the number one reason for malnutrition in dogs.

Also, you should always be aware of certain ingredients which are not good for dogs. Garlic, onions and chocolates can be some of these ingredients which you should avoid.

So what should be a dog's diet


Well, you can add good quality proteins like meat, eggs, fruits and veggies to the diet.  If you want to know everything in good detail.Dog Food Secrets by Andrew Lewis is the answer. Not only you get in depth information about dog food but you also get a lot of step by step recipes which can be cooked at home. Most of them are quick easy to make recipes and the best part is that they are healthy as well.

Some of us even remember that in 2007, melamine contaminated pet food was recalled. A lot of pet owners treat their pets as a part of their family and they want them to have the best diet which can keep them health and fit. Dog food secrets will give you insights about the essentials in the dog’s diet.

Most of the commercial dog food is more or less a generic kind of food not suitable for dog which has specific needs. Learn about the food and take some time for your pet to give him a better and healthier life.

Dog Food Secrets Book has a lot of information packed in it – A must for every dog owner


This is one book that has all the information at one place including recipes and treats for dogs. You will find information on diet requirement of specific breeds and dogs of all ages. As a buyer of this book, you also get an opportunity to be a part of a community – Dog Owner’s Club. This is where the members discuss everything about dogs including their diets.

You also get all the updated versions of the book in future for no extra cost, when you buy the gold package.

Here are some recipes from the book -





You will find loads of these recipes in the book

Common Issues with homemade dog food


As compared to buying it from the store or ordering it online, it takes time and some effort to make dog food at home.
If you are buying a cheaper brand, preparing dog food at home may be a bit more expensive.

The book has all these issues covered already. It has strategies which will help you in saving time and money.  Something like buying all the needed ingredients in bulk and freezing up the food can be considered. Refrigerated food is absolutely fine for a week.

Sometimes you have to introduce homemade food to your dog slowly especially with adult dogs who are not used to it. The book covers all such topic in good detail.

Here are some of the benefits of having dog food prepared at home and giving him a proper diet

1.    It will keep your dog healthy and free of diseases.
2.    Well balanced diet will increase the life span of your dog by years.
3.    Your dog will have a healthy coat, skin and teeth.
4.    It will also mean less of bad breath
5.    You will not be serving a pot full of food with chemicals to your dog
6.    It takes same ingredients to make dog food, which means that you don’t have to buy anything extra. If you have a domestic help, they can easily make this at home.

The canned and dried commercial dog foods have only come into existence for the past 50 - 60 years or so. Whereas, dogs have been a part of human existence for centuries. They were fed same things as humans.

Conclusion –


If you really care about your pet and want him to be a part of your life for years to come, you should be giving him a balanced diet. Such diets are very simple to make if you really know what is exactly is required. A lot of pet owners buy readymade food because of lack of knowledge about approaching homemade diets.

Dog Food Secrets Ebook is a very good place to start with this. It covers all the aspects of making dog food at home so nothing is left untouched. No matter which breed you have, this is going to benefit you.

 >>Get Your Copy Of eBook Here <<












Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Dog Food And Allergies - Symptoms and Diagnosis

A food allergy occurs when a dog's immune system mistakenly identifies a special food fixing as dangerous.

Allergies are related to your pet's own immune system and aren't due to some problem with the ingredients itself. Allergies are commonly noticed after 5 months of age and may also happen in a dog of 12 years.

The indications of food intolerance comprise largely digestive distress... gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Food allergic reactions tend to be more widespread than initially thought, and it is now understood that foods allergic reaction and atopy often occur collectively. Food allergy can strike at any age and allergic reactions can develop to any protein or carbohydrate in the food. Allergic reactions to wheat, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, soy, corn and beef are pretty common

 Common symptoms of dog food allergy comprise itching of anal region, feet, sides of the body, legs and the face.  Some dogs with food allergy will even have raised bowel movements and soft fecal matter. Food allergies must not be mistaken with food intolerances which ordinarily cause more acute vomiting and diarrhea.

Cure from food allergic reaction entails feeding your dog a diet plan that does not comprise the allergen. A commercially produced hypo-allergenic diet plan fed or home made dog food is given for 8 to 12 weeks.

Your veterinarian can advise you on just how to continue, if your positive response is seen following this trial.


Dog food allergies are difficult to evaluate

There are things that the dog's veterinarian can perform to help your dog but before you strive with all that expensive evaluations make an effort to do it yourself. Even your dog's vet could have troubles to diagnose dog food allergies because symptoms can readily be symptoms of another sort of allergies, mostly inhalant allergies. Also dogs often endure from more than one issue so it'd be shrewd to eliminate all other causes, to cope with one difficulty at the time and when it's merely food allergies left, the food trial can start.

There is nothing you're able to do because what causes dog food allergies are unknown, even if you need to prevent such a allergy. It is the same kind of food which were causing the problems to people like steak, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products that are mostly in charge of dog food allergies, at the same time. So you really have to test things out.

The treatment for dog food allergies is about eliminating the food your dog had formerly have. His meals should be replaced with a high carbohydrate and rich in proteins diet with water and nothing else for twelve weeks.

It is often easier to find the cause of allergy with homemade food as you can control the ingredients in it. 

New food should be something your dog has never had before like bunny, duck, salmon and if you see any development after that span it is possible to begin adding the old food but one per time, like chicken for example and, after two weeks, if nothing awful happens you'll be able to try another one. That is how you're going to locate the food he isn't sensitive to.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Dog Food Vs Homecooked Food - Which Is Better

Dog lovers around the world are beginning to prepare the food they serve their dogs rather than purchasing it. This home cooked dog food can conserve the owner cash too and helps their pet in several manners.

This tendency of preparing meals for the dog has grown substantially recently and an increasing number of sites are seeming regular with recipes and interesting tricks.

Are you still buying dog food? if yes, you have to know the truth.

Home Cooked Dog Food vs Commercial Brands


Purchasing dog food commercially is a comparatively recent phenomenon and up until about 1900 dogs were fed with meat and grain bits by their owners. The modern pet food sector started as a method for owners to conserve time with bagged and canned food to serve their pets. These commercial pet foods were not always better for their pets; they were faster and simply more economical than home cooked dog foods.

With the increasing cost of the recalls of tainted merchandises and modern commercial pet food, many pet owners are preparing meals at home because of their pets and have began taking issues into their own hands.

 This home cooked meal is truly better due to their dogs since they are using actual fixings and avoiding all preservatives and the chemical flavorings uncovered in commercial foods. They could even fix these meals to adapt for specific dietary limitations including allergies.

Are Home Cooked Meals Higher Priced?


If this is something that bothers you, dont worry at all. There are ways to lower the costs for homemade meals. while most folks believe commercial dog food is more economical than home cooked dog food. Purchase enough ingredients in bulk to make a couple of these meals, if you know a recipe that the dog enjoys, just make it and freeze it for later use.

You can just warm it later and give it to your dog. It will help in reducing both the expenses and time.

Another important point in favour of home cooked dog food is that one can cook the meals for your dog dog that better align with your own eating food habits. For instance, if you're a vegetarian you'll be able to find some recipes that don't use much chicken and meat when compared to a commercial brand and remain true to your food preferences.

You can be really flexible with the diet of your pet.

Simpler Control Over Your Dog's Diet


This home cooked dog food additionally lets you modify and change the diet according to the requirements. You reduce the calories in winter months when they can be more sedentary and might give them a higher caloric meal in the summertime months when they can be more active. This prevents obesity.

You can even add additions to these meals to help ensure they get all minerals and the vitamins every day.

Just make sure that you make this transition slowly so that your dog adapts to this new diet slowly.

Dog Food | Obesity Management and Prevention

Dog obesity continues to be on the rise for years but new research reveals that our best friends' weight issue is quickly reaching catastrophe stage.

The research, conducted by the PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers Association), shows that nearly half the pets seen by vets are heavy. As a percentage of the absolute UK dog citizenry, that would equate to over 5 million British dogs which might be carrying an excessive amount of weight and living briefer lives because of this.

In reality, obesity can reduce a dogs life by up to two years with massively increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Overweight dogs are additionally much more likely to have problems with high blood pressure, combined problems and respiration difficulties.
Why are dogs becoming heavier?

Ironically, the largest cause of extra weight in dogs is our own kindness. We all desire our dogs to be joyful and a big part in their happiness comes from appreciating their food. The trouble is the foods they love the most tend to be the worst for them. Dogs, like people, find sugars and fats certainly irresistible. All of the most famous dog foods, treats, table- tidbits and scraps all around the world are high in fat and/or sugar.
Many people dont even know that they have an obese dog. Based on the studies, a fifth of owners of weighty dogs don't realise their pet is overly hefty and 9 out of 10 don't see creature obesity as a life-threatening danger. We Are all so used to seeing heavy dogs that their physique has become the conventional, while healthy, trim dogs are increasingly being reported to the RSPCA as malnourished.

The shape and size of a dog is largely dependent on the breed. Some breeds like Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Saluki and Whippet are so thin and skinny that they will seem malnourished to many people.

As a rough guide, have a look at the below scale to see if your dog might be heavy. Ideally, when looking down from above, there should be a clear waistline and the tummy should be tucked upward towards the hind legs, when looking from the side. You should be able to readily feel the last two ribs. You can consistently ask your vet, if in uncertainty.


Overweight dogs help!


 Hence, to stop weight gain, or achieve weight-loss, your dog has two choices: to eat fewer calories or to burn off more - or ideally, both.

Step one is to reduce treats and tidbits and to remove high fat treats in the diet completely. Any dietary additions should be compensated by a similar reduction at meal times. For example, if you give your dog a 50g chew each day and 30 grams of treat biscuits, the number fed during meal times should be reduced by around 80g to cancel the treats.

The easiest method to ensure your dog takes in less calories would be to simply feed less, after treats have been cut back. Begin away by cutting down the daily feeding number by 10%. If you are not seeing any weight loss after 2-3 weeks, reduce the number by an additional 10% and so on until a slow weight reduction is attained.

You could additionally consider altering to a lesser calorie diet. Some good research on dog food should help you.

Light diets feature fewer calories to help with weight loss. An option would be to feed a lower amount of a normal adult food and top up with home-cooked vegetables or good-cooked grains like brown rice or porridge oats.

 Exercise burns a lot of calories and also helps to keep your dog happy and healthy. All dogs benefit from exercise, needing at least 30-60 minutes per day, with high energy breeds requiring substantially more and younger dogs. To achieve healthy weight reduction, consistently strive to combine healthy eating with plenty of exercise. For dogs which are unused to a lot of exercise, take attention to build up their action slowly.

Consistently purpose for gradual weight reduction as too much overly quickly can lead to issues - about 1% of the dogs body weight per week is an excellent target.

Once your dog is back to his ideal weight, gradually raise the feeding numbers and/or re-introduce treats and table -bits until the weight levels out. The diet may need certainly to be always tweaked to keep the equilibrium but stick at it - your dog will probably be worth it!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

What are meat by products in dog food


All of us love our dogs, right. So why do we give them a diet which we don’t really know much about. Well most of us assume that dog food available in the market is perfect for our pet dogs and that is the best thing we can get for them even if that means getting paying a big bill for all that food. Now we all should be aware of that food and there are quite a few things that we all should know.

First of all dog food can be responsible for many health problems mainly because of the ingredients they have.

Most common ingredients are meat and meat products, fillers like wheat, soy corn and barley and even preservatives and additives to keep them from getting spoiled. Now I wonder, do you know about the meat by products in dog food which are used in the making.

Which meat it is?


Dogs being carnivore or omnivores should have a good portion of proteins in their diet, just as their natural members do. Dogs are the same family as wolves and wolves always eat meat which is one of the best sources of protein. So our pet dogs should have a similar diet or food.

When you are giving dry kibble to our dogs, you should know the ingredients it has. It should always be clearly mentioned on the label.

Unidentified meat or by products can mean meat of dead, slaughtered, uncared animals which can include meat of any animal including horses!

Although adding horse meat is not allowed in USA but it does finds its way in USA pet food market through some routes.

By products can also mean parts of animals which do not find a better use.

For example – chicken feet and necks. You just cannot know about the quality of such things. A lot of such food is too low quality even for consumption of dogs. The best thing you can do is to keep a check on what kind of a meat is added to your dog food.