The Myth of 100% Complete Processed Pet Foods

Every day, people by the millions pour food from a package into their pet's bowl. Day in and day out, meal after meal, pets get the same fare. This strange phenomenon is not only widely practiced, but done by loving owners who believe they are doing the right thing. Why? Certainly because it is convenient, but also because the labels state that the food is "complete and balanced," "100% complete," or that the food has passed various analytical and feeding test criteria.

Furthermore, manufacturers and even veterinarians counsel pet owners about not feeding other foods such as table scraps because of the danger of unbalancing these modern processed nutritional marvels. The power of the message is so great that pet owners en masse do every day to their pets what they would never do to themselves or their children -offer the same processed packaged food at every meal.

Think about it: Our world is complex beyond comprehension. It is not only largely unknown; it is unknowable in the "complete" sense. In order for nutritionists and manufacturers to produce a "100% complete and balanced" pet food, they must first know 100% about nutrition. However, nutrition is not a completed science. It is, in fact, an aggregate science, which is based upon other basic sciences, such as chemistry, physics, and biology. But since no scientist would argue that everything is known in chemistry or physics or biology, how can nutritionists claim to know everything there is to know about nutrition, which is based upon these sciences? This is the logical absurdity of the "100% complete and balanced" diet claim. It is the reason a similar venture to feed babies a "100% complete" formula has turned out to be a health disaster.

Claiming that anything is 100% is like claiming perfection, total knowledge, and absolute truth. Has pet nutrition really advanced that far? Does a chemist make such a claim? A physicist? Doctor? Professor? Did Einstein, Bohr, Pasteur, Aristotle, Plato, or any of the greatest minds in human history make such claims? No. Has the science of pet nutrition advanced to the point where everything is known about the physiology, digestion and biochemistry of animals, or that everything is known about their food?

Certainly not.

The fact of the matter is that the "100% complete" claim is actually "100% complete" guesswork. At best, one could say that such a claim is the firm possibility of a definite maybe.

Each time regulatory agencies convene to decide how much of which nutrients comprise "100% completeness," debate always ensues and standards usually change. This not only proves that what they claimed before was not "100% complete," but this should also make us highly suspicious about what they now claim to be "100% complete."

Additionally, consider that in order to determine the minimum requirement for a certain nutrient - say protein - all other nutrients used in the feeding trials must be adequate and standardized. Otherwise, if vitamin E, for example, is in excess or is deficient, how would you know if the results of the study were because of the effects of protein or due to something amiss with the level of vitamin E?

If the minimum requirements for all 26+ essential nutrients were all set and absolutely etched in stone, then there would be no problem. But they aren't. They are constantly changing. This means each time any nutrient requirement is changed, all test results for all other nutrients using the wrong minimum for this nutrient would then be invalid. Most nutritionists simply ignore this conundrum, feeling like cowboys trying to lasso an octopus - there are just too many loose ends. But they continue to perpetuate the "100% complete" myth, and excuse themselves by saying they make adjustments when necessary.

The point is, don't believe the claim on any commercially prepared pet (or human) food that it is "100% complete and balanced." It is a spurious unsupported boast, intended to build consumer trust and dependence on commercial products - not create optimal health.

Unfortunately most people think animal feeding is a mystery. It is not. Animal nutrition is not a special nutritional science to which common sense human nutrition principles cannot be applied. Use the same common sense in feeding your pets that you use for feeding your family. Nutrition is not about some special ingredient or the absence of some boogeyman ingredient. Fresh foods fed in variety are always superior to processed food artifacts.

If you feed processed foods, use discernment since just about anyone can create a commercial pet food. The pet food industry has hundreds of brands with officious and beguiling labels, all stamped with the approval of the FDA, USDA, State Feed Regulatory Agencies and the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Business profiteers and the occasional movie star are the most common force behind the labels. All one needs is a little money and they can go to any number of toll manufacturers and have them slightly modify a shelf formula. Dress it all up with a fancy package, a clever brochure and some advertising and voilà, another brand is added to the 20-billion-dollar pet food industry.

Nutrition is serious health business. The public is not well served by exclusively feeding products from companies without any real commitment to health ... or knowledge of how to even achieve that.

For the past 25 years I have been a lonely voice in the wilderness trying to get people to understand the deadly health consequences of feeding processed pet foods exclusively. People want convenience in a bag and the industry wants the flow of billions to continue uninterrupted. In the meantime the scientific literature offers compelling proof that millions of animals have been maimed and died as a result of feeding thoroughly tested "100% complete" foods with the full imprimatur of government regulation. (Exactly the same thing that abounds in the FDA-pharmaceutical industry.) Examples of pet food disasters include dilated cardiomyopathy from taurine deficiency, potassium imbalances, fatty acid and carnitine deficiencies and numerous other problems that would be expected on a steady diet of dead, devitalized, carbohydrate-based processed foods. Moreover, the whole panoply of human chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, obesity, arthritis, autoimmunities, dental deterioration and organ failure are at epidemic levels in the pet population ... as should be expected on such a diet.

Not only is feeding the same processed food day in and day out a formula for disease, it is a cruelty to our pets. We take them from their interesting and active wild setting and confine them. That is one thing, but to not even offer them interesting natural meal variety is really quite inexcusable. The answer, like everything else good in life, is a little attention and common sense. Knowledge is the best beginning point.

To learn more, obtain a copy of my book, The Truth About Pet Foods. I will also see to it that you get a free copy of my CD, "The Thinking Person's Master Key to Health," and the brochure, "How to Apologize to Your Pet," which will give you specific guidelines for how to prepare meals and treats to achieve Optimal Pet Health.

_____________________

Science, Volume 237, pages 764-8

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 199, pages 731-4

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 201, pages 267-74

Feline Practice, Volume 20, Number 1, page 30

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 202, pages 744-51

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 191, pages 1563-8

Journal of Nutrition, Volume 129, pages 1909-14

Journal of Nutrition, Volume 126, pages 984-8

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 203, pages 1395-1400

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 198, pages 647-50

Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice, Volume 19, pages 527-37

Veterinary Forum, Volume 9, pages 34-5

Veterinary Forum, Volume 9, pages 26-8

American Journal of Veterinary Research, Volume 62, pages 1616-23

Petfood Industry, May/June 1998, pages 4-14

Journal of Animal Science, Volume 75, pages 2980-5

Veterinary Business, Volume 2, page 1

Waltham International Focus, Volume 3, Number 1, page 9

Dr. Wysong is author of The Creation-Evolution Controversy, now in its eleventh printing, several books on nutrition, prevention and health for people and animals and over 15 years of monthly health newsletters. He may be contacted at Wysong@Wysong.net. A free subscription to his monthly newsletter is available at Wysong.net.

Lower Your Veterinarian Costs And Increase the Longevity of Your Pets Lives

What does doing natural preventative care mean? I thought vaccinating, prevention medicines, and premium kibble was natural preventative care. Hardly.

Unfortunately the pharmaceutical companies and the pet food industry have really pulled the wool over everyone's eyes -but the wool is coming off! People are frustrated with the way traditional care has let them down and are seeking alternatives to help them not only give their pets more quality of life but longer lives. It seems as though we barely get our pets to a "settled" place in our lives before they're gone. It doesn't have to be like this.

Please don't misunderstand, mainstream care does have its place but it should not be the only choice people and their pets have. In fact, I think it's the imbalanced lean towards allopathic medicine rather than including homeopathic and naturopathic and alternative therapies that is a big part of the problem. At some point where do we stop and say, what happened to "first do no harm"?

Okay, so let's start with what preventative, natural, holistic care means with a definition of the words holistic, preventative and natural which I obtained from my American Heritage Dictionary: 1. Holistic: ...2) emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. 2. Natural: 1) present in or produced by nature; not artificial or man-made; 3) pertaining to or produced solely by nature or the expected order of things 3. Preventive: 1) designed or used to prevent or hinder; acting as an obstacle; precautionary. 2) Thwarting or warding off illness or disease. When we put all these definitions together: the whole of the parts working interdependently, without artificial ingredients or synthetics, in the natural order of things you will then ward off illness or disease! Now that we have the definition of natural pet care in place, let's go deeper into the how to do this and thereby lowering the costs of your pet care and increase the longevity of your pets lives.

The first place to always start is with nutrition and that starts with what you are feeding your pets. My initial answer will be as species specific as you can get in a domestic setting. For dogs and cats that means that meat needs to be the primary ingredient of their food. Not kibble. Kibble isn't fit for anything or anyone to eat. There a couple I will recommend in the light of a very reluctant pet owner not being able to stomach the idea of feeding raw meat to their dog or cat, but I will say that as long as you adhere to kibble your pets will experience the problems associated with food that their bodies weren't designed to digest.

There are many different forms of feeding natural for example in dogs you can choose a B.A.R.F. diet which translates to Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and can also stand for Bones and Raw Food. This diet consists of all raw meats, veggies, dairy products, and nuts. Some adhere to strictly feeding raw meat. Some to a cooked diet of meat and vegetables. I think that you've got to decide what will work in your household and do that and any of these, including the cooked diet is far better than any form of a kibble diet. Think of animals in the wild - they do not get kibble or pellets. Our domestic pets don't need those things either!

I feed my dog a cooked meat diet along with a natural whole food liquid supplement. I also use essential oils to thwart parasites and help with the pain in his forelegs. He came to us as a very abused, starved, neglected nearly 5 month old puppy. Through trial and error we've found what keeps him healthy, strong and happy and he is completely natural. We do homeopathic for heartworm prevention. He actually runs with me and traditionally his breed is not a running breed - or so it's thought! So you also need to include some precautionary nutrition along with natural feeding. For horses you always need to be concerned with worms but there are natural ways like using food grade (ONLY use food grade) diatomaceous earth -this also works well in cats, dogs and other warm-blooded animals but I prefer to use essential oils in my dog.

Next I would consider why vaccinating seems to be so important to your pets health. Let me give you just a few examples of why that could be the very thing that is harming your pets rather than helping them (information from http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com):

"Routine" vaccination has adverse side-effects, either short or long term. With vaccines that are repeated year after year, the frequency and severity of these side-effects in our pets has increased dramatically. Most of the problems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is what vaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm and confuse the immune system." Donna Starita Mehan DVM. I believe that Dr. Mehan is saying here that while vaccinations stimulate the immune system and that is supposed to rev it up, the vaccine actually not only does this unnaturally as Dr. Mehan stated but it also causes so much confusion in the immune system that much more harm than good is done by vaccinating.

Dr. Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D..- "Annual revaccination provides no benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions. The percentage of vaccinated animals (those vaccinated only as puppies) protected from clinical disease after challenge with canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus and canine adenovirus in the study was greater than 95%." Current and Future Canine and Feline Vaccination Programs. Dr. Ronald Schultz is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison. Schultz, R.D. - Current & Future Canine & Feline Vaccination Programs. Vet Med 3: No. 3, 233-254, 1998 more. A chart provided in the report shows immunity levels for all vaccines currently given to dogs lasting a minimum of 5 years with most lasting 7-15 years! Don Hamilton, DVM -Yearly "boosters" are unnecessary, provide no benefit if given (will not increase immunity). Thus boosters are either a legal issue (Rabies) or a manipulation issue (inducing clients to come in for examination rather than directly suggesting an examination). Charles E Loops DVM - "Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintained for some time that vaccinations do more harm than they provide benefits. Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body's immune system.... Vaccine induced chronic diseases range from life-threatening conditions such as auto-immune crises to conditions destroying the quality of life of an animal as in chronic skin allergies."

These are just a few examples with veterinarians leading the way in sharing this information which I find interesting since vaccinations and surgeries are their bread and butter. A few of the holistic/homeopathic vets I know started in mainstream medicine and became frustrated and moved into the holistic arena so they could do their patients the most good. Feed correctly with proper back up supplementation and your pets will have natural immunities that protect them naturally from disease.

Another thing to do is to keep your pets stimulated mentally through exercise, play and training. Animals love to have a job and they love to be useful. The key to a good interaction here is training according to the natural interaction of the animal you own. What does that mean? For a dog it means approaching him or her using the "pack" mentality. For the horse it means approaching the horse the way another horse would. It all makes common sense really. Good practical common sense, do away with all these synthetics, using the natural order of things, and all the parts working together means you don't treat an illness, you treat the pet. I like what I saw Dr. Shawn Messonnier write recently to one of the groups I belong to, "I don't treat crystals in the urine, I treat the pet". That's what holistic means: all the parts working together interdependently. So not treating the symptoms but caring for the entire animal is the answer to lowering your veterinarian costs and increasing the longevity of your pets lives.

Article originally published on and for http://www.Suite101.com under the Holistic Pet Care topic.

Kim Bloomer is a preventative pet care consultant. She offers natural products and a business opportunity. She is partnered with a dog breeder and internationally known master dog trainer in their online audio pet care classes, All God?s Creatures. Visit her website for details Aspenbloom Pet Care and her dog's blog Bark 'n' Blog

Feeding a Leopard Gecko Can Involve Many Varieties of Food

Leopard geckos are fascinating reptiles which make excellent pets; however, they do need the same things as any other pet: plenty of love and care. This includes making sure that you provide them with a diet that keeps them happy, healthy members of your family.

In the wild geckos are insectivorous - their diet consists almost entirely of insects and bugs. You should feed your pet gecko the same sort of diet to keep them in good health. In fact, before you even adopt a gecko as a pet, you need to be certain that you can supply them with the food they need. If your local pet shop deals in reptiles, then they may carry the food your gecko needs. If not, you can also shop for insects to feed your gecko online.

To learn about the foods which you should feed your gecko, continue reading this article - we'll list some of the best foods (and one treat) for your new pet.

Before we begin, there's one important rule of thumb about feeding your pet gecko you should know about - you shouldn't feed your gecko anything which is longer than its body or more than half as wide as its head.

-Crickets: These are relatively easy to come by and inexpensive. Along with mealworms, crickets can form the basis of your gecko's regular diet. There are many different types of cricket available, but black crickets are usually the best. These insects are slower moving than some other species, so they're easier for your pet to catch and are also nutritious.

-Mealworms: These are also nutritious food for geckos. Along with crickets, this is one of the best things to feed your pet. It is believed by many experts that geckos who are fed primarily mealworms tend to have longer life spans. The most nutritious mealworms for your gecko and the easiest to digest are newly molted worms.

-Slkworms: These worms are more difficult to come by than are mealworms and are more expensive as well. However, they are a great addition to your gecko's diet if you can find them - they are a great source of protein and nutrients. Remember not to buy these worms in large quantities however, since they live at most two weeks.

-Locusts: These large insects are great food for a mature gecko, though generally too large for a young gecko to be able to eat safely. These are somewhat expensive insects to buy, but are very rich sources of protein which should be fed to your leopard gecko occasionally if you can find them.

-Wax Worms: These are meant as a treat for your gecko instead as a staple of their diet. These worms are very high in fat and your leopard gecko will love you for feeding these to them, but in order to keep your leopard gecko in good health, don't feed them more than one or two of these worms per week.

How frequently and how much you feed your pet leopard gecko will vary depending on their age. A mature leopard gecko should be fed between four and ten insects (depending on size) every two or three days. A hatchling or young gecko which is still growing, however will need more frequent meals; four to eight insects or worms daily.

You should feed your gecko its meals all at once instead of spreading them out and try to feed them after dusk whenever possible - this is when a gecko naturally hunts, so feed them when nature intended and you'll have a happier, healthier pet.

We are Leopard Gecko enthusiasts who were tired of finding incomplete information about our pet Geckos. We enlisted the help of some serious gecko enthusiasts,breeders,owners, and veterinarians who helped us compile information for people who just wanted to know how to take care of their Leopard Geckos knowledgeably and safely. Please visit our website Leopard Gecko Food to learn every thing you need to know.

Learn The Truth About The Price Of Pet Food Secrets To Comparing Pet Food Prices

I recently received an email asking my opinion about a couple of different types of pet foods - what I thought about the quality of the foods. Both of the pet foods he asked about (which he was feeding his family) were what I considered to be very inferior foods. I informed him of this and his response was that they probably couldn't afford a better food.

While I understand that better quality dog and cat foods can be two or even three times more expensive than some of the cheaper brands, folks who think they can't afford it, unfortunately, will 'pay' in the end. When a pet is sick with kidney or liver disease, when a pet must be treated for skin irritations and ear infections - vet bills to 'fix' the health concern cost pet owners far more than the 'few cents' a meal to feed them quality nutrition. And I'm often questioned about this 'few cents a meal' theory - but before you question me too, let me explain.

Many pet owners suffer 'sticker shock' when considering purchasing a better quality food. They look at the price tag and gasp when considering how fast Fido or Fluffy eats that bag of food. What they don't know is that with better quality pet foods, you don't feed as much - cheap foods have cheap 'filler' ingredients that do not satisfy the nutritional needs of the pet, thus they eat A LOT more attempting to get the nutrition that their body is telling them they need. Better quality foods/ingredients provide the animal with quality nutrition and they eat on average 1/3 less.

So let's break it down to cost per meal...

Let's say your pet currently eats 1 cup of food per day. A 20 pound bag of food will provide you with about 50 servings. If the food costs you $15.00 for a 20 pound bag - that equals about .30 per meal.

Now with a good quality pet food - feeding about 1/3 less - a 20 pound bag will provide you about 80 servings. If the better food costs $30.00 for a 20 pound bag - that breaks down to a little less than .38 cents a meal.

So even though the price tag of the food reads to be twice as expensive - it's actually far from the truth. Using the above example, at .30 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $18.00 per month to feed a pet with the inferior food. With the apparent twice as expensive higher quality pet food, at .38 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $22.80 per month. Less than $5.00 per month difference that can save you thousands of dollars in vet bills and add years to their life. You must look at the cost per meal to completely give the price of the food consideration.

Here is what has happened to us...for years and years we've watched the television commercials of pet food. They emphasize the words 'for your pet's health' or 'choice'. We've trusted them and we've followed their directions to feed our pet 2 or 3 cups of food per day. What we didn't know was that those recommended 2 or 3 cups of food was necessary because the pet food contained cheap inferior nutrition sources like by-products, meat and bone meal, and grains.

So, it has become our habit to feed more - which they do need more with inferior ingredients. Then someone like myself comes along and tells you how horrible ingredients like by-products and meat and bone meal are - and you learn that grains such as corn, wheat, and soy are inferior - and since this recent pet food recall, you learn that chemicals can actually be added to variations of these grains (glutens)...so then you look over your options at the pet store or online. And you think in terms of how much per 'bag' of food. After all, you've probably tried several different types of pet food in the past - maybe even one or two that cost a little more than the cheap brands - and you still ended up feeding the same 2 or 3 cups of food a day. Naturally, you look at the $30.00 for a 20 pound bag of pet food and gasp at the cost - you are thinking just the way they want you to think...in terms of the cost of the bag, not the cost of the serving.

The determining factor for your choice of pet food should not be cost or advertising. You must look at and understand those first five ingredients. Of course there is much more involved than the first five ingredients, but in my research...if the first five ingredients of a pet food are good, so are the rest of the ingredients. If a pet food manufacturer cares enough to make the first five ingredients quality - which is the majority of the food...they care enough to make all of the ingredients quality. Don't be mislead into any comfort zone of a pet food manufacturers advertising...do your homework and read and understand at least the first five ingredients of your pet's food.

With better, more nutritious pet foods - they do NOT need as much as with the cheaper foods. Don't let the old habit of feeding more sway you when you switch to a more nutritious pet food - again, with more quality ingredients they just don't need as much food as with inferior ingredients. If you switch your pet to a quality pet food and continue to feed the same amount as the lesser quality food you were feeding - your pet will gain weight.

The daily amount of food our pets require depends on many things such as activity level, age, breeding animals, or neutered animals. As an example, my 100 pound German Shepherd only eats two cups of food per day; 1 cup AM, 1 cup PM. My little guy (8 pound Papillion eats about 1/3 cup a day. Both dogs are active. However, my little guy is young and is fairly high energy level. My big guy is 12 years old and much more sedate. Considering his little size, the small dog eats far more for his size than the big dog. His energy and activity level requires it.

My cat on the other hand free feeds - he has access to a full bowl of food at all times and eats when he wants. He has never been an over eater and this works well for him. I could never do the same with my dogs.

So serving size for your pet is something you will need to experiment with. If your dog or cat has no 'figure' - shows no waist when looking at them from above - chances are they need to lose a few pounds. Cut back the serving size. If you can visibly see ribs - they probably need to gain a couple of pounds and you need to slightly increase the serving size. Please note too that a cup of food a day at 2 years old will more than likely be too much food when they are a little older. Keep a constant monitoring eye on them - a healthy weight is a healthier pet.

And please don't just look at the cost of the bag of food, look at (at least) the first five ingredients and consider the cost of the serving.

Wishing you and your pets good health

Susan Thixton has worked in the pet industry for over 20 years helping thousands of pet owners to enjoy their pets. She's produced an internationally distributed dog training video, authored the tell all book Truth About Pet Food, and recently has begun publication of a one-of-a-kind pet owning consumer report Petsumer Report. For more information please visit http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com
Susan Thixton
Truth About Pet Food
Petsumer Report
http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com

Your Pet Golden Retriever Deserves the Best in Care & Feeding

Learn the Best Ways to Feed & Care for Your Pet Golden Retriever

Because golden retrievers are relatively large dogs most people consider them outdoor dogs. While this works fine if you have a backyard it doesn't if you live in a apartment or condo. Golden retrievers love being around people and interacting with them but at times they like to have their privacy. Outdoors dogs will probably have their own house while the indoor pet will have more of a problem finding a private place.

The way to solve this problem is to crate train your pet golden retriever. After you train your pet to go into his crate to be alone, then when you need to leave or have guests you can fasten the pet in without any problem. Don't use the crate to punish the pet but reward them when training them to use it. Put their favorite toys and bedding in the crate to make them feel comfortable. In time this will be your pet's place of refuge from anything that may be bothering it. If you live in a harsh climate it may be good to have an indoor place as well as their outdoor one.

Frequent grooming is a must for your pet golden retriever especially if they come into the house. They have a double coat and shed throughout the year. Their undercoat is thick and helps protect them from cold weather. When winter ends they start shedding this coat so its good practice to brush them everyday.

Every other week or so, you need to groom and bath your pet to keep their coat and skin healthy. Start by brushing them all over while checking them for fleas, ticks and other skin problems. At the same time check your pet's ears and trim their nails. Unlike many dogs your pet golden retriever will like to be bathed. Only use a dog shampoo as human shampoo will dry your pet's skin out. If possible you should use a natural type of dog shampoo.

Feeding your Golden homemade food would be the ideal situation. It doesn't take much time to do this when you follow a recipe. The cost is normally not more than you would pay for a premium dog food. Choose recipes that feature different meats and vegetables so your pet doesn't get tired of them. If you can't prepare home made food for your pet then purchase the best you can afford. Make sure it doesn't contain artificial ingredients or cereal fillers.

Its recommended that you have a schedule to feed your golden retriever puppy. It should be three times a day for 20 minutes at a time. If they don't eat all the food at that time take the bowl away. It won't take long before they realize they need to eat all their food. At this point you can start increasing the food amount. After 12 to 20 weeks take the same amount of food and divide it into 2 feedings a day. Twice a day feedings are recommended for the rest of their life.

Here's an easy way to figure out how much you should feed your adult pet golden every day. Take their body weight and multiply it by 0.4. This number will correspond to the total number of ounces of food your pet should be eating in a day.

Don't over feed your pet golden retriever. If you can't feel their ribs without poking them they are probably over weight. If they are house pets rather than working dogs make sure they get plenty of exercise. If you don't have a large area for them to run in try to find a dog park or somewhere you can let them off their leash.

Always have clean fresh water for them. Make sure their bowl is always full. If they are both indoor and outdoor dogs it's a good idea to have 2 water sources. A doggy door will facilitate them getting to another source when one is dry. It's also a great thing to have if they like to go into the yard a lot especially at night.

Taking care of your pet golden retriever is not that difficult as they aren't really that picky about where they live. Still you need to make it as comfortable as you can. Make sure they have a private place. Try to feed your pet natural home made food if possible but if you can't get the best you can afford. Be sure they always have fresh water. Do these things for your pet and they will reward you by becoming your best friend.

If you are a pet owner or thinking about becoming one you should go to the website at Natural Pets Health to get more information on natural pets health foods, products & cures. You will also find general information such as the pros & cons of owning along with the caring for & feeding of all types of pets from dogs to snakes to fish to exotics.

Feeding Your Pet Ferret - What You Must Know

Learn How & What to Feed Your Pet Ferret

If you are thinking about getting a pet and would like something that's a little different from what everyone else has, you might want to think about a ferret. They are becoming more popular as family pets everyday and their playful antics will quickly win your heart. They are now one of the most popular pets in the world. In many areas they are no longer referred to as exotic, proving how popular they have become.

Ferrets do require a fairly specialized diet which you should know about before considering getting one. Ferrets only eat food which must be high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fiber. Before ferrets became so popular owners had to feed them cat food due to the fact there was no food made just for them. Nowadays many pet stores both on and off line carry ferret food. Its very important that a baby ferret has a good diet. Their early diet will likely determine if your pet ferret will live a long happy life and give its owner much joy and be a great companion for many years to come.

There are some guidelines you should use when putting a diet together for your ferret. They are basically meat eaters, requiring a diet high in meat protein. This should be 34% to 36% of their diet along with 20% to 30% fats. You should also make sure they get essential minerals like taurine and amino acids. Brewers yeast and rice flour are two additions that could be good for their diet. Ferrets are picky eaters and demand you feed them the best food you can. They will almost starve themselves rather than eat food they don't like. One good result of this is that they will be healthier which means they will require less medicine and trips to the vet. Ferrets do eat less food than other pets so you can afford the best quality food.

Even though your ferret will be awake only 4 hours a day you will need to feed them twice during that time as their metabolism is so high they burn calories at a very high rate. Ferret food comes in both wet and dry types. Although wet food is probably preferred by your pet as it easier for them to eat it does have drawbacks. The main one is that wet food freshness is lost a short time after it has been opened.

Dry food pellets do have many advantages as they are easier to store and manage while feeding your ferret. Another benefit of dry food is that it helps clean their teeth. Even if it sits out all day the nutrition value won't be lost.

Ferret's must have water available at all times especially if they are being fed dry food. Most of them like their water in a dish but a water bottle is probably preferable to make sure they always have clean water.

Even though ferrets like snacks you should avoid allowing them to have them. Like humans many health problems can be traced back to snacking. Some of the ones that affect ferrets are obesity, blockage of the intestines and diarrhea just to mention a few. One more consideration to avoiding snacks is that it can interrupt the ferrets diet schedule. If you must feed them a snack probably the best one would be a boiled egg.

A ferret is a great pet and by providing it with the best food you can find you will be making sure you have one of the most interesting four footed friends you can find. Along with that best food don't forget the clean water and your pet ferret will be healthy and happy making you the best friend they can have. Remember to consider their dietary needs when thinking about a ferret as your next pet.

If you are a pet owner or thinking about becoming one you should go to the website at Natural Pets Health to get more information on natural pets health foods, products & cures. You will also find general information such as the pros & cons of owning along with the caring for & feeding of all types of pets from dogs to snakes to fish to exotics.

Beginning Raw Feeding - Why Feed Raw?

There are only two ways that energy enters the body. The first is breathing, the second is through eating. Since we can't control the air we breathe, what we eat is our focus in attaining good long-term health. In all living beings, good health starts with an appropriate diet. I am a strong advocate of a healthy, species appropriate raw diet for dogs and have been feeding it for several years. I have dogs of various ages, all of whom are on a raw diet. They enjoy eating it, and their health is outstanding. Their waste is half as much, they go less often, and it's much less to pick up. I had tried intermittently feeding kibble to my dogs, and after continuous digestive problems I went back to raw, and wondered why I ever stopped.

WHAT DO PETS EAT?

"What should dogs and cats eat?" To most people, the simple answer is "dog food," or "cat food." Let's take a closer look into this, it is a notion that deserves to be questioned. How did this come about, and who exactly is telling us what is best for our pets? The processed, extruded "pet food" pellets that we are familiar with have only been around for about 55 years!

"Pet food" caught on in the early 1900's, before that, dogs existed on whatever foods their owners chose to give them, such as scraps of meat and bones... you know, "real" food. One of the first dog foods was introduced in 1922. It was canned horse meat and scraps. During and after WWII, dry pet food took off as a way to use cheap by-products and grains as a profitable source of income to sell to consumers, who now wanted the convenience of dry pet food. In the 60's, the now-gigantic pet food industry began a campaign to get people to stop feeding their dogs anything but packaged dog food, warning against real food like table scraps.

By that time, the first extruded pet foods were on store shelves. Extrusion is the process of cooking a mixture using pressure and steam-heat in an extruder to form a dry, hard kibble. Because these products are processed at a high temperature, heat-sensitive ingredients such as enzymes and vitamins can be damaged or destroyed. Pet food manufacturers add synthetic vitamin/mineral supplements to compensate for this deficiency. Do you eat processed junk food, then pop a multi-vitamin pill with every single meal you eat? Ideally, you (and your pet) should get your necessary vitamins from actual whole foods sources, and from varying your diet to be balanced over a certain period of time. I believe nutrition comes not from a bag or can, but from whole, real foods that I can see!

If you choose a raw diet, you will be joining a large following in the US and Europe, of pet-owners, animal nutritionists, trainers, holistic veterinarians, and breeders who have discovered the endless benefits a raw diet offers. Raw-feeders have reported everything from resolution of allergies, improved immune system, reduced stool volume, enhanced digestion, improved dental health, lean body mass, and fantastic health and vitality overall. There are certain diseases and conditions that can be eliminated, or at least improved, with a proper diet. It also provides a solution for animals who don't tolerate grains well. In essence, we are choosing to feed a diet that does not simply provide our pet to "survive," but to "thrive"!

DOGS, CATS, AND FERRETS ARE CARNIVORES

Look into your dog or cat's mouth. You will find these teeth are an indication of the diet they were meant to have. Their jaws have limited lateral movement (side to site) to chew like ours do. They have fang-like canines, and teeth meant to bite, tear, and scissor flesh. Even my little Yorkshire Terrier can tear through a chicken quarter and crush the soft bones with her teeth! This action also helps clean the teeth. Kibble does not clean teeth anymore than eating hard crackers would clean your teeth. Cats and dogs also have the digestive system of a carnivore- a short small intestine and a lack of enzymes (such as salivary amylase) that break down carbohydrates.

Dogs have been reclassified scientifically as Canis Lupus Familiaris, making them a sub-species of the wolf (Canis Lupus). I would like to be clear that dogs are not wolves, and are different in many ways. However, no matter how cute and fluffy your dog may seem, his internal physiology is similar to a prey-hunting wolf. So we look to the natural diet a wolf has evolved to thrive on to give us an idea of what dogs may eat. Their digestive systems, stomach acids, and short digestive tract are suited to a carnivorous predatory diet.

But dogs and cats aren't the only ones- I would also like to mention ferrets. Along with cats, they are "obligate carnivores", and both thrive on a raw, grain-free diet. Ferrets require a diet that is highly digestible and rich in animal protein. Many ferret owners have transitioned to raw to meet those needs, and to replicate the natural diet their ancestors would eat, rather than feed commercial cat or ferret food, which can contain fillers, chemical preservatives, and other less desirable additives.

CHOOSING RAW?

What you feed your pet is a personal choice, and by no means is raw your only option, as every animal has individual factors or health issues that may make other diets, such as kibble or homemade cooked, a better choice. Choosing and planning a raw diet for your pet requires self education, research, and common sense. Just because it is raw does not mean it is nutritionally balanced or healthy. You have several options, which are briefly reviewed below.

PREY-MODEL DIET

Also known as the Raw Meaty Bones diet, this is a true evolutionary diet! It consists of a wide variety of meaty bones, organs, and offal included in the meal plan. Feeding whole meaty bones provides the animal a chance to eat as nature intended, using their teeth and jaws, and providing mental stimulation. RMB feeders often buy in cost-effective bulk from butchers, co-ops, or meat suppliers. This type of diet is not new, but has been further popularized by veterinarian Dr. Tom Lonsdale, who has written comprehensive and peer-reviewed books, including "Raw Meaty Bones".

B.A.R.F. DIET

BARF diets, short for "Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods" or "Bones And Raw Foods". It consists of raw meaty bones, eggs, certain dairy products such as cottage cheese or yogurt, raw minced fruits and vegetables, some supplemental items, and occasionally some add a small amount of grains. The BARF diet was made popular by veterinarian Dr. Ian Billinghurst, who attests to the health promoting benefits of an evolutionary diet. He is also the author of several books on the subject, including "Give Your Dog a Bone" (published in 1993), and several others that are essential to read before beginning this diet.

PRE-MADE FROZEN RAW DIETS

For the person seeking convenience, or just starting out with raw, commercial pre-made diets are an increasingly popular option for dogs, cats, and ferrets of all ages. They are as easy as defrost and feed! They are usually ground up, looking much like frozen hamburger. They're available in forms such as patties, nuggets, and medallions. Some brands include meat, bones, organs, veggies, fruit, eggs, oils, and additional supplements. Look for one that is a complete balanced diet. The great thing is also the variety of proteins offered for rotation, including venison and rabbit for dogs with allergies. Some name brands include: Northwest Naturals, Nature's Variety, Companion, Bravo, Aunt Jennies, and Primal. You can contact these companies to find a distributor in your area.

WEIGHING RISKS IN RAW DIETS

With all the options you have in feeding your pet, there are risks in each one. Considering all the past pet food recalls, I would not consider a commercial diet to be 100% risk-free by any means, and I personally feel no "safer" when feeding kibble. I feel the health benefits of a raw diet outweigh any potential risks. The two main concerns with raw diets are bacteria and bone hazards.

While food-bourne bacteria like such as e-coli and salmonella can be existent in a raw diet (these bacteria can live anywhere, including vegetables), these risks are managed and often relatively small. You drastically lower any risks by choosing fresh meat from reliable quality sources to feed your pets, and by storing it appropriately. Dogs and cats are routinely exposed to many types of bacteria and pathogens in their daily lives, and can do just fine.

Things that dogs put in their mouths would be much different for us, as their bodies are differently equipped. Remember- this is an animal that can eat feces and show no ill-effects! If your pet, or someone in your household is immune-compromised, you may take that into consideration in your choice of diets, and discuss it with your veterinarian. When handling raw meat, you take the same commons-sense precautions you take when preparing it for yourself or your family at home, including washing your hands and sterilizing surfaces the raw meat comes into contact with.

Some may be worried that their dogs can choke on raw bones. On the flip-side, dogs have also choked on kibble and rawhide chews. Ask your vet how many dogs have come in with blockages from rawhides, yet they are still widely used and sold in pet stores. However, raw bones are vital to diets, providing calcium and minerals, as well as teeth and gum benefits to the animal. Bones such as chicken bones are considered digestible. Larger bones, such as beef bones, and should be selected and sized so that the dog cannot choke on them. Common sense comes into play. Bones must be fed in the appropriate size and type for the dog, and cooked bones should NEVER be fed, as they splinter.

WHAT IF MY VET DOESN'T RECOMMEND RAW DIETS FOR PETS?

The simple answer may be to find a vet who does! There are many veterinarians worldwide, and growing, who fully support raw diets and even feed it to their own animals. Some have been recommending it to their clients for 20 plus years and have seen the benefits clinically. Many are holistic vets with extensive knowledge of nutrition. Veterinarians may be concerned that an average person could be incapable of providing adequate balanced nutrition for their animals when doing it on their own- this is why it's essential for the pet owner to be informed and educated. Do your research and talk with other raw feeders.

There are veterinarians who choose to sell low-quality brands of kibble that contain animal by-products and high amounts of corn and other grains, rather than selling super-premium kibbles with human-grade ingredients. If they are advocating the former as the best diet choice, it calls into question how much they really know about nutrition. A pediatrician doesn't tell you to only feed your child pre-made, fully balanced food out of a box or bag, so why should your vet tell you to do that with your pet? There will always be people who have different opinions on nutrition, and some who are simply not educated on raw diets. Regardless of others' opinions, it is your pet's health, and it is ultimately your decision to make.

Starting a raw diet may seem overwhelming, but the benefits are your pet's to reap! Fortunately, there are many books available on the subject, as well as a wealth of information on the Internet. There are also message boards, and online raw-feeding groups that are there to offer you guidance and support.

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE: http://www.RawFed.com

BOOKS:
"Dr. Pitcarins's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats" revised edition, Richard Pitcarin DMV PhD
"WORK WONDERS: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones" Tom Lonsdale DMV
"Raising Cats Naturally: How to care for your cat the way nature intended" Michelle Bernard

For Dog Training in Chicago, trainer recommends raw: http://www.dynamicdogschicago.com