Reptile Feeding - What's the Right Time and Frequency?

Reptiles encompass are large group of diverse animals. Lizards, snakes, and iguanas all fall into this category. Their feeding habits can be diverse as the variety of lizards. You'll often find that some reptiles only feed during the daytime, while others will only feed at night. Some eat once a day, while others eat only once or twice a week. You will need to address the specific needs of your pet.

Reptile owners need to learn as much about their pet as possible before and after taking ownership. If you do not learn the proper feeding habits you can be harming the health of your pet. If they are not eating the proper amounts of food they will be getting robbed of valuable nutrition that will help them grow happy and healthy.

One thing to consider is also the food sources that different reptiles eat. While some lizards may eat crickets, some snakes may love rodents, and tortoises like their vegetation. The snake may only eat twice a week, while the tortoises need to eat everyday to get the nutrients they need.

Trying to generalize a 'best time' or 'best frequency' for reptiles is not the best course of action. One sure thing is that if a reptile acts like it is hungry, it most likely is. Reptiles are pretty tough to overfeed. They are not like goldfish; they only eat when they are hungry. Owners should pay attention to this and look for signs that their pet may be hungry when they approach the enclosures. Although it is tough to overfeed a reptile, it is all too easy to underfeed one.

Proper research on your particular type of reptile is always the best decision. Not feeding your animal in the right amount, during the right times can cause malnutrition and maybe even worse.

There are plenty of resources online on reptile feeding based on each type of animal. Another option is to get a full care and health sheet from a breeder or animal store. We all want to raise a healthy pet, and doing a little extra research can go a long way.

If you want to find out more about frozen mice for reptiles, or where to find the best reptile food suppliers, check out the information on snakefoodking.

Concerned About What's in Your Commercial Pet Food? Try These Homemade Cat Food and Treats

Every day lately, it seems there is another pet food recall, warning dog and cat owners not to feed their pets different brands of foods. This is getting scary. Who knows which pet food will be recalled next. Though I am still using the kibble my cats normally eat, I am now supplementing my pets with a few homemade recipes. These are not meant for feeding your pets forever, since I"m not a vet or nutritionist but they are good for filling their furry tummies while we wait out the lowdown on the canned foods, which seem most affected by these pet food recalls. Here are the basic recipes I am using, don't add other ingredients unless you know for sure that they don't hurt your pets. We all know chocolate is off-limits to pets, as are other foods such as onions. Stick with these ingredients, which seem to be pet safe, according to pet experts I've read about.

Homemade Cat Food

2 cups ground chicken, lean beef or turkey, thoroughly cooked and diced;

4 cups rice, cooked in chicken or beef broth;

1/2 cup potatoes, ground;

1/4 cup spinach or carrots, ground;

1/4 cup green beans, ground;

2 tbsp melted butter;

dash of garlic powder

Mix everything together in large pot or bowl. Make sure it is completely cool before feeding to your cat. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Homemade Cat Treats

1 1/2 cup oats, ground;

1/4 cup butter;

1/2 cup flour;

1/2 cup chicken broth;

1/4 cup cubed or shredded American or mild cheddar cheese -or- shredded chicken

Mix all ingredients together, form small cookies and bake on greased cookie sheet until done at 350 degrees. Roughly 25 minutes but check as ovens vary. Do not overcook.

Our pets deserve food that is safe, so hopefully, this current pet food crisis will alert the authorities to make sure they buy quality products and be more careful of what they put in their pet food recipes. Cats have specific nutritional needs so don't feed them any of these recipes on a long term basis, as I do not know the breakdown of nutritional value for them. But, by using fresh, healthful ingredients, cooking the meat thoroughly and storing the food you make in the refrigerator, it can help to tie your kitty over until it is safe to go buy food at the store again. Enjoy.

Carolyn McFann is a scientific and nature illustrator, who owns Two Purring Cats Design Studio, which can be seen at: http://www.zazzle.com/twopurringcats. Educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carolyn is a seasoned, well-traveled artist, writer and photographer. She has lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico, among other interesting professional assignments in other countries. Clients include nature parks, museums, scientists, corporations and private owners. She has been the subject of tv interviews, articles for newspapers and other popular media venues.

Do You Know What's Really In Your Pets Food?

The pet food industry, a billion-dollar, unregulated operation, feeds on the garbage that otherwise would wind up in landfills or be transformed into fertilizer. The hidden ingredients in a can of commercial pet food may include road kill and the rendered remains of cats and dogs. The pet food industry claims that its products constitute a "complete and balanced diet" but, in reality, commercial pet food is unfit for human or animal consumption.

"Vegetable protein", the mainstay of dry dog foods, includes ground yellow corn, wheat shorts and middlings, soybean meal, rice husks, peanut meal and peanut shells (identified as "cellulose" on pet food labels). These often are little more than the sweepings from milling room floors. Stripped of their oil, germ and bran, these "proteins" are deficient in essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants. "Animal protein" in commercial pet foods can include diseased meat, road kill, contaminated material from slaughterhouses, fecal matter, rendered cats and dogs and poultry feathers. The major source of animal protein comes from dead-stock removal operations that supply so-called "4-D" animals-dead, diseased, dying or disabled-to "receiving plants" for hide, fat and meat removal. The meat (after being doused with charcoal and marked "unfit for human consumption") may then be sold for pet food.

Rendering plants process decomposing animal carcasses, large road kill and euthanized dogs and cats into a dry protein product that is sold to the pet food industry. One small plant in Quebec, Ontario, renders 10 tons (22,000 pounds) of dogs and cats per week. The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture states that "the fur is not removed from dogs and cats" and that "dead animals are cooked together with viscera, bones and fat at 115° C (235° F) for 20 minutes".

The US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is aware of the use of rendered dogs and cats in pet foods, but has stated: "CVM has not acted to specifically prohibit the rendering of pets. However, that is not to say that the practice of using this material in pet food is condoned by the CVM."

In both the US and Canada, the pet food industry is virtually self-regulated. In the US, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets guidelines and definitions for animal feed, including pet foods. In Canada, the most prominent control is the "Labeling Act", simply requiring product labels to state the name and address of the manufacturer, the weight of the product and whether it is dog or cat food. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and the Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC) are voluntary organizations that, for the most part, rely on the integrity of the companies they certify to assure that product ingredients do not fall below minimum standards.

The majority-85 to 90% the pet food sold in Canada is manufactured by US-based multinationals. Under the terms of the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, neither the CVMA nor PFAC exercises any control over the ingredients in cans of US pet food.

Pet food industry advertising promotes the idea that, to keep pets healthy, one must feed them commercially formulated pet foods. But such a diet contributes to cancer, fatal diseases, skin problems, allergies, hypertension, kidney and liver failure, heart disease and dental problems.

WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!!

This system was developed by DR. JANE BICKS, a nationally known and highly respected holistic veterinarian with over 30 years of experience. She has written several books on pet care. DR. BICKS was the PRESIDENT of the VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION in NYC, and was appointed by MAYOR RUDOLPH GUILIANI to help start the largest animal shelter in the United States.

Our Product?

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REAL meats, vegetables, vitamins, minerals and of course, the much needed anti-oxidants. YOU CAN REST ASSURED YOU WILL BE PROVIDED PET FOOD THAT HAS THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL STANDARDS IN THE INDUSTRY.

Please!!! If you care about your pet, you owe it to them to find out more. Visit us on-line at: http://www.Healthypetnet.com/DawnJ/

What's Really in Your Dog's Food? Top Reasons Why Your Pet's Food Could Be Slowly Killing Him

Your dog is 99.8 percent wolf. Whether he's a tiny Yorkie, a giant Great Dane or any mixture in between, it's true. In fact, the DNA of gray wolves and dogs is nearly identical -- their DNA differs by, at most, 0.2 percent.

How can this be? Because all dogs evolved from the gray wolf, and although their appearance has changed greatly over the 10,000 to 15,000 years they've been domesticated, their basic internal workings, their physiology, has not.

So to get an idea of what a dog would naturally be eating, and thrive on, one needs look no further than the diet of a gray wolf.

Gray wolves eat a varied diet ranging from bison, elk, deer and moose to smaller animals like beavers and rabbits. Of course, they consume nearly all parts of the animal -- organs, many bones, vegetation left over in the animal's stomach -- and they eat it all raw.

Contrast that with what most modern-day dogs eat: dry kibble or canned food. Most of which are primarily based on cooked grains and animal byproducts, not meat.

Three Major Ingredients of Commercial Dog Foods and Why Your Dog is Better Off Without Them

1. Meat or Poultry Byproducts: Meat byproducts are the part of an animal left over after all parts fits for human consumption are taken away. This leaves heads, blood, ligaments, lungs, intestines, unborn babies, spleens, feet, bones and other parts. What you'll notice is that these items lack one very important element: meat.

Further, it may surprise you to learn that "4D" animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled), which were (just recently) banned for human consumption, are completely legal to use in pet foods.

2. Meat Meals (Chicken Meal, Bone Meal, Byproduct Meal, etc.): "Meals" of any kind are materials that are rendered, which means, according to the Encarta® World English Dictionary, "to purify or extract something by melting, especially to heat solid fat slowly until as much liquid fat as possible has been extracted from it, leaving small crisp remains."

The boiling process separates fat, removes water and kills bacteria, viruses and parasites. However, the high temperatures also destroy enzymes, proteins and other nutrients that your dog needs.

3. Starches and Grains: Corn, wheat, potatoes and other grains and starchy vegetables make up a large portion of most commercial dog foods. Even corn gluten meal, which essentially a high-protein extract that has most of the carbohydrates removed, is used to boost protein percentages in foods without having to use an actual animal ingredient.

One of the biggest problems with most commercial dog foods is that they are made up, largely, of grain when what your dog will thrive on is meat (and preferably RAW meat).

Dogs have a hard time digesting grains, and eating grain-based foods will often cause gas, digestive upset, and potentially serious health problems down the line.

Have You Been Warned Not to Feed Your Dog "People Food"?

Many people have been told that feeding their dog people food will make them sick. Well, as with people, if you feed your dog junk food like white bread and potato chips they most likely will get sick indeed. Feeding your dog a diet of high-quality raw meats and veggies, supplemented with essential vitamins and minerals, on the other hand, would get you a different story entirely.

Dogs like real food and that is also what they thrive on.

Yet, why is it that so many of us still believe we are doing our pets a favor by feeding them only kibble or food that comes from a can? Heavy marketing on behalf of the pet food industry certainly plays a major role.

In reality, the best food for your dog is a fresh raw food diet, similar to the one they would find in the wild.

Fortunately, there are numerous high-quality brands of top-notch raw dog foods on the market, typically in frozen or freeze-dried form. These foods make it simple to give your dog the food he's meant to eat.

What About Treats?

To give your dog a special, healthy treat, try:

Dehydrated pure meat treats including freeze-dried chunks of fish, beef or chicken (cats also love these)
Dehydrated sweet potato treats. These provide excellent nutrition and a hard, grooved surface that promotes dental health.
Raw bones
Raw baby carrots
Sardines or a fresh shrimp (cats especially love these!)
Meat-based biscuit treats. If your dog loves biscuit-style treats, look for varieties with one very special difference: the first ingredient in them should be meat! 

Your Dog Will Thank You!

After feeding a high-quality, raw food diet, many pet owners report that their pets have softer, shiner fur, better breath and more energy than they've had in years. But don't take our word for it. Give it a try for yourself ... and your pet!

Copyright ©2009 Greener Wiener (This article may be reprinted with copyright, contact and information intact for not-for-profit purposes.)

Did you enjoy this article? Please pass it on to your friends and family, and visit us at http://www.greenerwiener.com/index.html to sign up for our free e-newsletter, full of facts and fun for you and your pets.

At Greener Wiener our mission is simple: to provide natural pet products that promote wellness for dogs and cats. Our inspiration is our own pet family (four mini dachshunds and three cats) along with our own desire to live a greener life. Because we understand how much your pets mean to you, we started this site -- to share knowledge about the nutrition and care that can give your pet the longest, healthiest, and happiest life possible.

Please do stop by http://www.greenerwiener.com/contact-us.html and say hello. We love to hear from you and your pets!

Rachael Bieschke is a natural health writer and editor with specialties in pet wellness, natural living, nutrition, spirituality and holistic medicine. She currently writes weekly for one of the largest natural health Web sites on the Internet and her works have appeared in numerous magazines, Web sites and newsletters. She is also the co-owner of GreenerWiener.com.

Do You Know What You're Feeding Your Cat? Learn The Shocking Truth About What's In Most Cat Foods

My own search to what's really inside most pet foods started with the love I have for my cat Charlie.

You see Charlie isn't just a cat to me, he's my best buddy and has been a constant companion to me since my divorce 2 years ago. Without Charlie being around I seriously think I would have went crazy from loneliness.

When there was a massive pet food recall in March of 2007, I started to look for alternatives to store brands of pet foods. What I found out was shocking to say the least. I had no idea what was being put into the cat food I was feeding Charlie and I realized I was literally killing him slowly with what I was feeding him.

I've owned cats and dogs all my life and in almost every case, my cats died of kidney failure with a maximum lifespan of 15 or 16. I learned that there are so many byproducts and harmful ingredients in most pet foods that are extremely hard on their digestive systems and this in turn causes great stress on their kidneys and they die prematurely.

There are five D's that make up the meat in most pet foods. Here's what they are and it's not pretty:

1. Dead

2. Diseased

3. Dying

4. Disabled

5. Drugged

None of the above is fit for human consumption, but most people don't think twice about feeding this to their pets. Why would you feed your cat something that isn't fit for humans?

Rejected animals of all kinds are still used in commercial pet foods. Ground up bones, feathers and heads are still used as a protein sources. Hard to digest grains and fillers are also still used as well as strong chemical preservatives to maintain long shelf life.

Well after doing a lot of research and checking into many different natural cat foods, I chose Life's Abundance Cat Food. This cat food was formulated, fed and tested according to the Nutritional profiles of the American Association for Feed Control Officials for all stages of life. It's a nutritious low ash cat food formula that will maintain your cats natural acidic balance for Urinary Tract Health.

Life's Abundance Premium Cat Food contains only fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients. It provides 100% complete nutrition in accordance with AAFCO feeding protocols.

This premium cat food is a high antioxidant formula and contains 5 sources of superior protein ... chicken meal, egg, chicken liver meal, fish meal and turkey meal. There is no corn, wheat, dairy, by-products, artificial colors or flavors in Lifes Abundance.

The manufacturing facility is a USDA certified APHIS (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service) plant. APHIS certification allows the sale a of finished product to the International market, including the European market, which has extremely high standards on ingredient sources.

If you really love your cat or dog, I urge you to watch these videos [http://www.HealthiestPetFoodDirect.com], but be prepared for some shocking information that may have you throwing out your regular pet food. And don't be fooled by some of the higher priced so called 'premium' pet foods being sold in major chains. They all originate from the same plants using the same harmful ingredients wrapped up in some clever packaging, marketing and advertising.

I hope you benefit from what I've learned and will use this information to help your cat live a much longer, happier and healthier life.

Greg Swift has been a pet owner his entire life and is always seeking out the best nutritional information for his own pets. Through his articles he hopes to share what he has learned so that our beloved pets can remain here with us for as long as possible.

To learn more about the only pet food Greg recommends, please click the following website link and watch the shocking videos on what's really in most pet foods. You can also request a free sample as well.

[http://www.HealthiestPetFoodDirect.com]

What's Really in Your Pet Food - The Top 12 Ingredients to Avoid

Many of us have been convinced that the healthy, natural, premium and recommended by labels on dog food and cat food must mean that the food inside the bag is good for our pets. Alongside these words are claims of 100% complete and balanced that leave us to assume we are providing the best we can for our pets, feeding the same dry cereal based diets day in and day out. Yet, most people do not fully appreciate what goes into these pet foods. The pet food companies place images of fresh cut chicken breast, fresh fruits and vegetables and wholesome grains on packages, however, that is rarely what is actually inside the bag.

Chances are you are feeding a pet food which contains more than one of the ingredients discussed below. The pet food industry has a broad range of unsavory options when it comes to what substances may be used in pet food and freedom to print enticing pictures, however misleading, on their packaging. It is only when our pet's health begins to degrade and eventually fail, that most people begin to question why. After all, a healthy body can only be as good as what is put into it.

To promote the best health you can in your companion, read and understand the uses of the common ingredients below and make sure to always read your labels!

Top 12 Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid

Corn, Corn Meal, or Corn Gluten Meal

Years ago pet food manufacturers discovered that pets adore the sweet taste of corn. Corn is one of the most heavily subsidized crops in agriculture, making its market price lower than the cost of producing the corn.

The gluten in corn is used as an inferior protein source in pet foods. Corn protein in itself is not a complete protein source and must be balanced with animal proteins to create a usable amino acid profile for pets.

Unfortunately corn is often abused as the single most abundant ingredient in many pet foods, contributing to the many diseases linked to high carbohydrate diets, including obesity, chronic inflammation, diabetes and cancer. The cob of the corn becomes filler with very little nutritional value. The quality of the corn is also a problem as many foods use low quality corn containing toxins such as mycotoxins and mold which cause damage to a pet's liver and kidneys.

Carnivores were never designed to obtain the majority of their energy requirements from carbohydrates. In fact they have zero nutritional requirements for carbohydrates or grains. Yet the majority of products on the market regularly consist of up to 50% carbohydrates, with some even higher.

Eons of evolution have designed carnivores to obtain energy from amino acids (protein) and fatty acids, fat from prey animals through the process of gluconeogenesis. Other than simple economics there is no reason to challenge the eons of evolution nature has put into place when it comes to feeding carnivores like dogs, cats & ferrets. When we force such a dramatic change in metabolism and utilize least cost ingredients, adverse effects over the long term become much more likely. The same effects of junk food on humans can be seen in today's companion animals.

Wheat

Wheat is another ingredient found in abundance in many foods. The repetitive and persistent exposure of wheat to pet animals has resulted in allergies and intolerances to wheat and wheat gluten. This is another starchy crop that should be avoided.

Wheat gluten is also utilized as an inexpensive protein source. Wheat gluten contamination was the cause of the massive 2007 Menu Foods pet food recall, which caused a countless numbers of companion animals to suffer from kidney failure, debilitation and death. Menu Foods manufactured food for hundred's of common brands. This ordeal would have been avoided if the pet food companies involved used quality ingredients such as human grade meat rather than lower cost cereal alternatives.

Soy

Along with corn and wheat, soy is one of the most common allergies in companion animals. Carnivores were never meant to eat soy, it is commonly used in pet food as an inexpensive substitute for meat protein. As an additional problem, is that it is estimated that some 89% of soy and 61% of corn crops are genetically engineered. Genetically modified foods are shown to adversely affect our pet's health, just as it does with us.

Cellulose

Cellulose is essentially nothing more than 100% filler. It can be purified and obtained from anything from plant material to saw dust.

By-Products

Cat and dog food routinely contains by-products. By-Products are left over wastes from human food production. By-Products come in two forms: named and un-named. Examples of named by-products include chicken by-products and pork by-products. By-products can include necks, feet, intestines and undeveloped eggs.

Un-named by-products include meat by-products. Meat by-products can include brain, blood, kidneys, lungs and stomachs.

By-products, in many cases, are derived from 4D meat sources - animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled.

Animal Fat

Unlike chicken fat (a named animal source), un-named animal fat is a rendered product from animals of unspecified origin.

Again in many cases animal fat includes meat sources from the 4D class.

Meat Meal

Meat Meal consists of rendered, unspecified sources of animal tissues.

What this definition does not mention is the 4D class of meat sources may still be legally used in meat meat.

Meat and Bone Meal

Meat and Bone Meal is a rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone.

Recently many cat and dog food companies and rendering plants have undergone scrutiny over their inclusion of euthanized pets in meat and bone meal. Ann Martin, in her book, "Food Pets Die For", exposed this revolting practice and the detection of sodium pentobarbital in pet foods, a veterinary drug used in the euthanasia of pet animals.

Chemical Preservativces: BHA, BHT, Propyl Gallate, Ethoxyquin or Sodium Nitrite/Nitrate

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) and BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) are petroleum derived preservatives used in food and hygiene products. TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) is another petroleum derived preservative.

Ethoxyquin is used as a food preservative and a pesticide. In pet foods it is typically found in meat and fish based ingredients. Ethoxyquin is banned for use in human products because it is believed to cause cancer. It is important to note that when a manufacturer obtains an ethoxyquin preserved ingredient from a supplier the manufacturer is not required to list ethoxyquin on the pet food ingredient panel.

Propyl Gallate is another preservative used in foods, cosmetics, hair products, adhesives, and lubricants

The use of these harsh chemicals are known to cause cancer and are considered neither inert nor safe, yet are widely used in pet foods.

Powerful preservatives provide an inexpensive means of providing long product shelf-life. Naturally preserved products may utilize tocopherols (Vitamin E), citric acid and rosemary extract to prevent rancidity.

These natural preservatives are common in truly healthy pet foods as the manufacturers realize that the small additional expense is worth it when it comes to our pets safety.

Sugar

Table sugar is often used to perk interest in the unsavory concoctions pet food manufacturers make. There is no reason for added sugar to be placed in pet food, other than the reason mentioned.

Propylene Glycol

Like sugar, propylene glycol is used as a flavour enhancer due to its sweet taste. It is another questionable ingredient in pet food. In human uses it is a common ingredient in stick deoderant and make-up as a humectant. It is interesting to note that propylene gycol is the less toxic chemical sister to ethylene glycol, "anti-freeze".

Artificial Colours

Coloured kibble bits are not for the benefit of the dog or cat, they are in fact to make them more appealing to you! Our pets could care less what colour their food is, this is simply another marketing trick to catch your attention in the meriad of pet food labels. Artificial colours are synthetic chemical dyes that have no place in pet food. There have been cases that link FD & C colours to cancer and other ill effects.

Conclusion

We can see that any pet food can claim healthy and natural when such is not the case. Recommended by statements also have little impact on the quality of these pet foods.

Quite simply quality pet foods do not use these ingredients. Clearly pet foods found in supermarkets and even pet chain stores do not have the best interests of your pets at heart.

So, what are the alternatives?

Fortunately there are plenty! Whether you are looking for alternative dry or canned foods, or would like to switch to a natural raw food diet, there are plenty of healthy options available for you.

Optimal Pet Foods is a pet store that specializes in healthy pet food options in Calgary, AB.

http://www.optimalpetfoods.com

Pet Food - What's in That Stuff Anyway?

Because we love our pets we are always trying to do what is the best for them much like we would do for our own children or ourselves. Let's face our pets are our family members.

But when it comes to choosing the best food for our pets the choices can get pretty confusing. There is premium pet food, natural pet food, holistic pet food and raw diet pet foods. Then of course we have all the namebrand commercial pet foods, all lying for our attention and screaming that their product is the best you can buy for your animal.

The quality of the food an animal consumes is extremely important. A truly healthy diet will help fend off many chronic diseases in animals acquire through their lifetime. But finding the right food for your pet's diet can be a daunting task.

First of all we have to learn to decipher the labels.

When it comes to our own diets were often told to constantly read the labels to avoid saturated fats, foods that are high in cholesterol and high in sodium. And most of us do read labels in an effort to eat healthier.

Unfortunately the way the labeling is used in the pet food industry can be more than a little misleading.

For your pet one of the main ingredients that you always want to check is the amount of protein in the food. Now this sounds simple enough just look at the amount of protein listed on the label and decide if that amount is good for your pet or not right?

Unfortunately no, there are two other factors that must be considered one is the biological value of that protein and a digestible value of the protein. But manufacturers are only required to list the amount of " crude protein "and not in its digestive and biological percentages.

Then there is the old standby, "meat byproducts."

What the heck are meat byproducts anyway? Unfortunately this term can refer to anything from bird feathers to other animals that have been ground up and added to the feed.

Some companies be clever and use the term "meal" instead of meat byproducts. I am sure you have seen labels that list lamb meal, chicken meal or some other type of meal, essentially this all means the same junk filler.

Some of the most expensive commercial pet feeds contain products or byproducts that were deemed unfit for human consumption. Things like moldy or rancid grains, discarded brewers yeast and rice and animal fats which have been deemed unsafe for humans.

So when considering food for your pet ask yourself a simple question, what I eat it? If the answer to that question is no then it's likely that your pet should not be consuming it either.

The ideal diet for any pet is much the same as it is for any human, natural foods along with a quality vitamin and mineral supplements.

Je Dunn has been in the newspaper business for 25 years and has been an online writer since 2001. Some of je's latest projects include Pet Life Preservers and Dog Life Vest thinking safety for your pets.