Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Educating Yourself on a Raw Food Diet for Dogs

If electing to become a dog owner, then you are assuming a very tiring, but enthralling responsibility, and truly ushering in a new era of your life. One must be prepared for a non-stop runaround experience. There is no off button on a new dog, especially a puppy. That being the case, there are also few downsides to the company a dog brings. It is a relationship you will want for a long time, and that is why you should be serving the best raw food diet for dogs possible.

That sounds sort of bizarre though. When is a dog's food raw? Isn't it just food from a can or bag?

Well, raw food, just to clarify is the same as what is more popularly called dry food. Really, there's no difference other than the term. As long as it is not the wet food you get from a can, then it is raw food.

A diet called the raw food diet for dogs is clearly quite self-explanatory then isn't it? Of course, that's what one should look for in a healthy diet. You don't want decisions weighing you down. Although, why is a raw food diet better than a wet food diet? What difference does it actually make?

To be honest, the difference is fairly significant. However, we get that people are always looking to understand more, and when the subject matter is your own dog, it is important you hear the extended details of that specific difference in food.

Now, the biggest advantage of making the deliberate change from moist food to dry food, to a raw food diet for dogs, is cutting down on the endless price of dog food, which is always, in addition to everything else, going to be your biggest price point.

To be particularly basic about the issue of cost revolving around the feeding of your dog, there are essentially three methods to the madness. The first situation one can undertake is by far the most expensive of them all and that is to buy only wet cans of food. This is not only cumbersome to your wallet, but cabinet space and your trash can, in less you get excited about cleaning out the residue well enough to not attract the fruit flies. Next in line is a combination platter. It is half moist food and half dry or raw food. While that is certainly a better situation, it is certainly still a pricer situation. By cutting down on dry food, you do not cut down on the price of moist. You only improve it. What's our last scenario then? You guessed it, those heavy bulk bags catering to the raw food diet for dogs. They are not only the cheapest, but not the healthiest.

Should you still need more convincing about their health value though, feel free to get into contact with your veterinarian. They will gladly point you in the right direction, which will no doubt be the raw food diet for dogs.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Understanding the Raw Dog Food Diet

There has been a lot of popularity surrounding raw dog food. This is not something that is unlikely because a lot of pet owners who made the switch to feeding pets with raw dog food reports positive health benefits. Also, it should be noted that feeding raw only includes fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, lamb, and fish.

There are some concerns though that dogs seem to be drinking less when they finally get into the raw dog food diet. This is something that shouldn't really be alarming because dogs are finally getting the right amount of moisture from the raw food that they eat. When they were still eating kibble, they are more prone to seek water because this type of food is typically dry.

As part of the raw dog food diet, fish like mackerel is an essential source of nutrients. Fish is known to contain omega 3 as well as iodine. But some dogs may not fancy the thought of eating fish. In this case you can try cold water fish on them or using marine oil mixed in with their food.

There's also the concern that dogs would eat less when they feed on raw dog food. This is also quite normal because they already get the nutrition they need from one full meal. Keep in mind that dogs have a different digestive system than that of humans, so they really don't need to eat thrice daily as we do.

The important thing to remember though is to have a specific time when they would be fed. This would help train them and their digestive system to just eat at the exact same time every day. Doing this can also help them develop the necessary enzymes that would help digest food properly.

The raw dog food diet also dispels the notion that dogs cannot be fed with actual bones. Contrary to popular belief, it's not cooked bones that are healthy for them. It is the raw kind. You should also just give them raw chicken bones as well as lamb bones because these are the ones soft enough to be chewed thoroughly.

Veggies are also good for your dogs' health. But just like kids, some dogs may be fickle about eating vegetables. What you can do instead is mix some bits of vegetables in the meals that you prepare for them. This way they would eat it unconsciously.

Also, keep in mind that your dog still needs to be de-wormed so you can avoid parasites from living in their intestines. You should also clean up the food you serve them to avoid any cause for salmonella growth.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Purchasing Grain Free Dog Food

As unexpected as it sounds, pet owners can often be completely uninformed or misinformed about the sort of diet they create for the beloved pet. Granted, it is difficult to actually lay any blame to them. After all, our judgements of pet food, specifically dog food, are usually based on two factors. Either how much the food costs or whether the recommended purchase came from a vet. Neither basis is unreasonable, especially when you think about the sheer number of bags of dog food one buys. What we are here to inform you correctly about, though, is how to buy the best dog food, for the affordable price and the doctor recommended approval. That said, we want to talk about grain free dog food.

You see, there are essentially two schools of thought when considering pet food, and, in particular, dog food. They are wet food and dry food.

With this being the case, we want to speak in terms of raw food, and we want to speak in clear terms. While moist food can be all well and good, we are more interested in the health options based around grain free dog food, as well as the simple cost difference in raw food over moist food, which is often much more expensive. Not to cause any offense, it is simply our focus right now.

For a long time, moist food was seen as the expensive, fancier quality food. While its price has still remained more, its quality has lost some ground.

This is a new generation of grain free dog food, and it should be celebrated. After all, someone has finally found a recipe that processes food in a much different way, one that isn't reliant of preservatives or unhealthy syndromes that were so often found in mainstream dry food and in wet food in particular.

What this means for moist and wet food is, for right now in the situation, we must discount it as a conversation topic. It doesn't mean it isn't a good source, it just means that grain free dog food has reached a new level and, for now, it is important we discuss it and its cost-effectivenss.

Secondly, let's talk about health benefits. Grain free dog food can provide your adored pet with a less processed diet, a better coat, and with the right nutrients to help fight off the spread and production of arthritis that will slow down their way of life. Does that sound like enough of a draw to get you in? If not, then throw in the more affordable pricing, and let's get you over to your local pet store.

What is most important to note though, is that ultimately one needs to have their animal in their best interest. That means they need to provide their dog with a food they are going to want to eat, and a food that is going to make them healthier, revitalizing their lifestyle. This is much the same way we would not fill our diet eating something we didn't like to, or only eating things that could cause us health problems. The best recommendation we can make then, is to go out and find the right grain free dog food brand for your pet that you are able.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Raw Food Diet for Dogs is the Way to Go

After three days, proceed with replacing a fourth of the meal with raw food diet for dogs and so on until such time that the meal your dogs would eat are entirely made of raw food already.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Raw Dog Food Diet 101

Raw dog food diet has been clouded over in so much controversy these days. Experts on both sides of the coin seem to either support or aim to discourage this method of feeding pets. But what is it about raw dog food diet that people see and disapprove of?

Knowing the Effects of Raw Diet

Experts who swear by the positive effects of feeding raw dog food say that canines are meant to be fed this way based from their natural instincts. They say that dogs used to feed like other carnivorous animals in the wild, preying upon their meal and then eating them raw soon as they catch the said prey.

Meanwhile, the other side of the fence refute this by saying that pet dogs these days do not have the capacity to feed on raw food because they no longer have the enzymes necessary to digest such kind of food. It should be noted that most of the pet dogs these days are newer breeds and are largely different from wild dogs like wolves. Plus, it's also been noted that uncooked food may have parasites that would end up being harmful to pets' health.

Also, raw food diet seems to be discouraged among those who prefer giving kibble due to the fact that raw food such as bones can be harmful in the digestive tract. If dogs are allowed to munch on bones and crack them as they are, splinters might run their course into the digestive tract and eventually cause more problems that nutritive value.

Implementing Raw Diet

As experts take into consideration the many attacks being thrown the raw dog food diet, a number of pointers are now being introduced. Among them is the transition into eating raw. Since dogs who have been used to eating processed food might find the taste and texture of raw different, transition should happen within 5 to 7 days. The age of the dog is also taken into consideration, keeping the older dogs free to keep their current diet and puppies as the most promising litter to feed raw food to.

When it comes to meat, pork is also highly discouraged. It is also advised that dog owners who would like to try feeding raw meat to their dogs should keep the said meat in the freezer and should also by meats that are actually human grade. This way, owners can be sure that they are feeding healthy stuff to their canines.

Fruits are also highly encouraged to be fed among dogs. Fruits are easily digested anyway and are really healthy eaten raw than cooked. Meanwhile, a bit more care must be implemented when feeding dogs with raw vegetables. They should either be pureed or chopped into tinier bits so that the pets would find it easier to digest them. Dogs are generally carnivores and in the raw dog food diet regimen, they should be taken cared special care of when eating herbivorously.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Consider The Raw Dog Food Diet for Your Pet

Much talk has been done these days when it comes to giving raw dog food to pets. There is still much debate surrounding this seemingly growing fad. Though if you come to think of it, feeding raw dog food to pets is not really that different from how it's like in the wild. Dogs such as sled dogs ads well as greyhounds used for racing are known to feed of a raw diet. However, the idea of extending such kind of diet to other types of dogs was only created in 1993 by Ian Billinghurst-an Australian veterinarian.

The main idea behind this kind of pet diet is that dogs are brought back into the old ways in which canines would be able to evolve within natural circumstances. Through feeding dogs with raw food, the proponents of this type of diet say that domesticated pets would be able to function much better and become stronger overall. The idea is that commercialized food is not that nutritious as compared with actual raw food. Billinghurst even states that in the long run, feeding dogs with commercialized food may actually be bad for their health.

So what does eating raw food actually do to dogs? There are several benefits reportedly stemming out from this new approach to feeding canines. Among them are the noticeable physical changes. Dogs that eat raw food are seen to exhibit a shinier coat and also have healthier skin. There were also observations that they seem to have a stronger and cleaner set of teeth.

Their stools are observed to be smaller when they eat raw food and they also have higher energy levels when it comes to being at play or going out with the family. It was also said that the quality of the food's freshness greatly contributes to the nutrition the dogs will get out of it. Highly-nutritious raw food would eventually mean strong immunity from diseases as well as easily becoming healed from certain illnesses.

Despite its many benefits, feeding raw food dog diets should not be done in a hasty fashion. It should be done carefully through a span of two weeks. This is very important especially for adult dogs that may have already been used to eating processed meals even home cooked ones. The first thing you ought to do is to figure out how often you give meals to your dog. If they get twice a day of a full processed dog food meal, you should exchange one of those for raw dog food instead. This would not just allow your pet to get used to the process but also allow his digestive system to create the necessary enzymes to process that raw diet.

In addition to slowly easing pets into the raw dog food diet, it's also important to note the food items that you will feed to them. This diet does promote the inclusion of bones into the dog's diet however you should restrict it to chicken bones. Chicken bones are easier to crunch and as the dog does chew on it, it effectively breaks down and does not become splintered. Thus, they are able to exercise their mouth and get their fill without any danger.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Get Grain Free Dog Food for Your Pet

Make sure you feed your dog wit grain free dog food. Grains are thought to be dangerous and should not be considered a part of a dog's diet. The reason is mainly because dogs are not wired to eat grains as they are naturally born as carnivores. Unlike humans who are omnivores and other animals considered to be herbivores, dogs lack the capacity to chew and digest plant food products. You will notice this right from the teeth area of dogs. They do not have the capacity to chew on vegetables nor grains because they are made for tearing meat.

Although grains, when cooked, are generally fit for dogs to eat there are still some limits to how it would be best suited for canines. Rice is the most common type of cooked grain food that can be fed among dogs, next are wheat and corn. Dogs can only absorb up to 20% of the other grains mentioned than these. If you dog cannot digest the carbohydrates or the sugar extracts contained in these types of food, they would likely cause intestinal problems for your pet dog. Carnivores do not have the enzyme called salivary amylase which is found among herbivores and omnivores.

With all these information about grains and their likely effects on dogs, you should definitely take time ensuring that you feed your pet only grain free dog food. While cooking does turn grains more dog-friendly, that's still not a hundred percent sure to be safe. You can easily check on the food your dogs consume especially if you buy them dog food because the nutritional value would be printed on the label-whether the food's in a pack or a can. Make sure you read through the ingredients thoroughly. It would also be wise if you would eventually decide to stick with just a particular brand of dog food.

You should also consider becoming a member of an online forum. There are plenty of these online that freely discuss pet care tips such as grain free dog food and other stuff you would like to know. The great thing about these online forums is that they are websites which you can go to for free. You only need to become a member to be able to post your own threads or reply to existing ones. It can also be a great way to meet fellow dog-lovers like you and get together for some pet-related events to which your dog can also be a part of.

There's a lot of grain free dog food that you can buy these days especially among commercial stores. You can also try creating a recipe for your pet to ensure the safety of what they eat. More than just protecting their digestive system, allowing them a diet that's free from grains can also help prevent them from having allergies.