Healthy Dogs

Dog Supplements - Harmful or Helpful?

2012-01-12T11:21:00.003-05:00

Along the lines of my last post about vitamins for dogs, I found an article talking about dog supplements in a more general way. It reminds pet owners that there are some problems that can occur with taking too much of a supplement. You need to not only know what you are giving your dog, but you need to pay attention to any possible reactions.

Are Dog Supplements Harmful to Your Pet?

REMEMBER: When in doubt, contact your veterinarian or a dog nutritionist for help.

The Harm Of Giving Vitamins To Dogs

2012-01-11T08:51:00.004-05:00

We know that we should be using vitamins, but do we really need to worry about giving vitamin supplements to our dogs? And if we do give supplements, are there any repercussions that we need to be aware of?

A good multi-vitamin specially formulated for our canine companions is almost always a good thing to give. Just like we don't get all the vitamins we need from the food we eat, neither do our dogs. And depending upon the quality of the dog food you provide, and how you store the dog food, not only may your dog not be getting enough, but by the time you get to the bottom of the bag of dog food, the quantities of nutrients is considerably less than when you first opened the bag.

A good dog supplement simply helps promote good health. You can also get supplements to help with other conditions your dog may be having, such as joint problems. With joint problems, you can find dog vitamins that also contain glucosamine which helps keep the joints lubricated.

If you are worrying about giving too much vitamins, the following post on vitamins for dogs has a section at the end that gives the signs of toxicity from vitamins.

A Dog's Simple Needs

2012-01-09T10:55:00.005-05:00

I saw this post on FoxNews, and wanted to share it.

Dogs are simple creatures with simple needs. And what they share in return is enormous for humans.

What Dogs Want:
1 - Love
2 - A Pack Leader
3 - Food
4 - Fun
5 - Exercise

Does it get any simpler? The unconditional love your dog gives back to you is priceless.
You can be mad and yell at them - they still love you.
You can get busy and ignore them - they still love you.
Everyone in the world can be mad at you - they still love you!!!!
And really ask for so little in return.

Go give your dog some love right now! Then take them outside for a nice walk or a game of fetch. You will be more relaxed and happier, and so will your dog.

Source: FoxNews

Hypoallergenic Dog Food – The Best Way to Tackle Dog Food Allergies

2010-08-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

While my dogs don't have any food allergies, my friend's dog has a 'very sensitive' stomach. By this I mean the dog, Roxy, has diarrhea often and lots of gas. When I asked my friend what she fed her dog, I found out it was a rather low grade supermarket dog food.

Of course I extolled on the praises of making your own dog food, to which she balked. So I then asked her to take a look at a hypoallergenic dog food. She didn't realize that the diarrhea and gas are symptoms of food sensitivities, and sometimes even dog food allergies.

So we took a look online at some hypoallergenic dog foods that she could try. And she bought a bag of Sojo's Complete cause she liked the ingredients and the company as a whole.

Well, she fed it for a month and couldn't believe the difference it made. At first, she was a little upset that everything didn't change in just a few days. Honestly, it took over a week before she noticed that there was less dog gas. After a month of absolutely no diarrhea, she was hooked. And Roxy looks so much healthier - she has more energy and her coat looks fantastic.

If your dog is showing signs of dog allergies, definitely try a hypoallergenic dog food. It not only helps with food allergies/sensitivities, but also makes your dog healthier by using quality ingredients, enabling your dog to better fight off whatever allergens are bothering them.

Commercial Dog Food Comparisons

2009-08-08T05:54:00.017-04:00

Wow, I can't believe my kids' summer vacation is over! The dogs have loved having more attention throughout the day and chasing the kids and soccer balls in the back yard.

The one thing the dogs didn't love about summer was when they had to be boarded while we were away. I found a great place and they allowed you to bring your own food - HOWEVER, they said my feeding process had too many parts (I keep all my ingredients separated to keep it all from just becoming a "mush".)

So began my mission in commercial dog food comparisons! The good news is there are many more healthy pet foods to choose from since the dog food contamination from a couple of years ago (where people's dogs were dying due to a component that was added to dog food to artificially boost the protein rate.)

I started online, going to different companies and looking at the ingredient list for each dog food. To say it got a little overwhelming would be an understatement!!! Trying to remember which preservatives are bad, and what order the ingredients should be in, etc.

Then I found a cool website that already had bunches of dog food comparisons. It red flags any foods that have harmful preservatives or questionable ingredients. It also tells you where the food is manufactured - different countries have different standards. I was able to narrow down my choices very quickly and finally found a dog food within my budget and nutritional requirements.

I started giving the dog food to my dogs a good two weeks before we left so they would be used to it when they were boarded - after all, being left for a week is traumatic enough for the dogs, you don't want to add completely new food to the mix.

And they liked the commercial dog food well enough - they lost a few pounds, but both could afford it. It served its purpose and I am glad that there are now healthy commercial dog foods out there for the public to choose from. As for me, I'll stick with making homemade, healthy dog food for my dogs. I just think it is best for them.

Homemade Dog Food Results in a Beautiful Coat

2009-05-04T05:45:00.007-04:00

So it's been a little over six months since I started my quest on making homemade, healthy dog food for our two dogs. I've really got it down to a pattern now and it does not take very long.

Besides the health benefits for my dogs, the one thing I really love about the homemade dog food is what it does for their coats. I love petting my dogs because they now have such beautiful, soft, luxurious coats. The dogs also love the food for what it does for their skin, that is, the fact that they don't spend all day and night itching and scratching anymore. I think the biggest contributor to their coats is the raw eggs I feed them every morning.

Now, I have a friend whose dog's coat is absolutely terrible, and has been for years. She feeds him a commercial dog food. I had tried and tried to get her to at least try some homemade dog food, but she wouldn't budge. My only hope was that she loved my dogs' beautiful coats. So I recommended an all-natural supplement for her dog's coat - something she could just add to the dog food she already uses.

She's been using the supplement, which contains essential fatty acids (EFAs), for about 2 weeks now and you can already tell a difference in her dog. Jack's (the dog) coat is already noticeably less coarse and looks fuller and healthier.

Hopefully, in another couple of weeks Jack's coat will become as beautiful and soft as my dogs. But I'm actually happier that I know Jack's body will finally be getting some of the nutrients it has been starving for - Jack will be healthier because of this supplement, not just have a soft coat.

My ultimate goal is to just educate my friend on what she is actually feeding her beloved pet and how it is affecting his body and his health. Even if she stays with commercial dog foods, perhaps she'll be a little more discriminating in her choices.

It all started with constant dog itchy skin for me. From there I tried supplements, and now I'm feeding my dogs homemade, healthy dog food. Just one step at a time, and as long as the dogs get healthier, that's all anyone really wants. Right?

What's With This Dog Gas??

2009-03-23T06:11:00.009-04:00

I started feeding my dogs homemade, healthy dog food a few months ago. Since then I've noticed so many great differences in my dogs - no more dog itchy skin, no more gas, smaller stools, and less 'dog' smell.

Then, all of a sudden, our mastiff started having BAD gas again!?! After looking at the foods I've been feeding, we decided that it was due to the carrots (the rather orange stools gave us a hint). Usually, when I give vegetables, it is a medley of at least 3 different kinds. But that night, all I had was carrots. So I gave the full portion of vegetables as just carrots. Now this had no impact on our Catahoula, only our mastiff.

Well, the really bad dog gas lasted about 2 days, with it gradually, finally, stopping after 5 to 6 days. I didn't feed her ANY vegetables for about 3 weeks, but am now back at giving vegetable medley again. I started without any carrots, but added small amounts back in and she is having no problems with it.

So I'm guessing it was just an overload for her system, but it helps point out why dogs will sometimes have bad gas. If your dog has consistent bad gas, look at what you are consistently feeding him. If it is commercial dog food you'll have a harder time figuring out which ingredient(s) is causing the problem. If you want to try homemade dog food, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the ease and results in your dog. I recommend the e-book Dog Food Dangers to help you learn what and how much to feed your dog. Good Luck.

Homemade Healthy Dog Food Means Less Waste

2009-02-22T07:10:00.003-05:00

Why do I say homemade dog food means less waste? Well, it actually has two meanings for me.

First, I'm able to use up food that might otherwise go to waste in my house. Leftover chicken or pasta that no one has eaten in a day or two (and therefore will probably not ever get eaten) now goes into our dog's homemade food. I feel better about not wasting food, and my dogs LOVE it. Just remember not to feed onions, grapes/raisins, chocolate, caffeine, macadamia nuts, and alcohol. There are other things on the list, but everything is debatable as to whether, and how much, is considered harmful for your dog. I have found that my Catahoula can eat about anything, whereas my Mastiff has a much more sensitive stomach. Better err on the side of caution with the debatable foods - that's my motto.

The second meaning for less waste? Well, basically, the dog's waste. I laugh when I go to my mom's house; she has a toy poodle. When I take him outside to go to the bathroom, I am always amused at how small his poop is! We use the small sandwich bags to clean up his stool! With my mastiff, it used to fill up about 1/3 to 1/2 of a plastic grocery bag. Now, after feeding homemade dog food, it fills up about 1/4 of a bag - and it doesn't stink!

Carbs for Homemade Healthy Dog Food

2009-01-27T07:01:00.007-05:00

So for the past few months I've been feeding my dogs brown rice as the main carb. I'd get a little bored eating only rice, so I tried instant (quick-cooking) oatmeal. I'm hooked! Two and a half minutes in the microwave and it's done! And warm. The dogs really seem to like it also.

The only bad thing about the oatmeal is I only like to use it fresh - it's not something I make ahead of time and portion out to use later. I tried it and, although it is probably edible for the dogs, it just does not look very appetizing - big clumps of goo.

But since oatmeal only takes a couple of minutes in the microwave to make, this has become a definite staple in my pantry, especially for when I am short on other carbs.

Another carb I've been using a lot of is split pea. I have been using split pea with either oatmeal or rice, not just in place of. Split pea is great because it actually has a pretty high protein count, around 8g protein per .5 cup. Compare that to brown rice which has 2.5g/.5 cup. The carb count for split pea is 20g/.5 cup; brown rice is 22g/.5 cup. This helps bring my overall protein percentage up for the meal and allows me to save a little bit on my meat - not a whole bunch - but I go through 2 - 3 cups meats a day with my dogs, so every little bit helps.

More Proof Homemade Healthy Dog Food is Best

2009-01-16T06:53:00.007-05:00

As if stopping the dog itching weren't enough, I now have more proof that homemade healthy dog food is the best thing for your dog!

I was on the floor the other day with our mastiff, Stella, petting her. She's such a goofball. She was on her back, just chillin', enjoying her massage - what a life!

When we got Stella, back at the end of October, she had a big knot (I guess it is a cyst) on one of her front elbows. It was just a little smaller than a golf ball. My friend said that it is common among mastiffs - nothing to worry about. OK - I didn't know anything about mastiffs, so I just took her word for it. It didn't appear to hurt her.

So I'm petting her all over and run my hands down her front legs when I notice there is no knot/cyst. I check her other leg, thinking I was mistaken about which leg it was on - nothing there either. I still don't know what caused it in the first place (I really should research that but there are only so many hours in the day).

My personal opinion is that it was a collection of toxins that her body could not get rid of while she was eating that vile commercial dog food. Now that she is relatively toxin-free on homemade healthy dog food, her immune system is in peak condition and she slowly eliminated whatever was in there!

Just more proof of the power of the body - if it's fed good, nutrient-filled food!

Please, Make My Dog Stop Itching!

2008-12-28T07:30:00.006-05:00

During my research, I have found that the actual percentage of dogs that have real food allergies is small! The majority of the displayed "allergy symptoms" is just the way the dog is trying to get the crap out of his body!

Do you want to get your dog to stop itching (assuming it is not from fleas/insect bites)? The best way is to start feeding him homemade, healthy dog food. If you don't think you can do that, then at least try to buy an all-natural dog food.

Start feeding your dog healthy, nutritious food and you'll finally see your dog stop itching. I did. Now it doesn't happen overnight - it takes a few weeks, but you'll notice the gradual decrease of itching and scratching, until it finally stops.

Other benefits to feeding your dog homemade dog food include reduced gas, smaller stools, less eye discharge, softer coat, and no more doggie breath! I'm not just quoting something here - this is what I've actually experienced with both of my dogs - in about 2 months of homemade dog food. There are more stated benefits that my dogs never had so I can't verify - like: fewer ear infections, less diarrhea, less nasal discharge, no more "dog smell".

Want to find out more about homemade, healthy dog food? Want to finally, once and for all, learn how to get your dog to stop itching? Try this e-book, Dog Food Dangers, and all of your questions will be answered.

Homemade Healthy Dog Food Tip #4

2008-12-22T06:17:00.004-05:00

Tip #4 - don't stress!

At first, I must admit, I was a little anal about making sure I had every component ready for my dogs' next meals. With the holidays and parties and all right now, I had used up all my veggies for the dogs at an evening meal and was just too tired to make up some more for the next morning meal that night.

The next morning I got up and went to feed the dogs and started stressing cause I had no veggies to give them! My husband looked at me like I was a little crazy. Then I remembered a tip I had read during all my research - "don't stress! If you don't have a component, add more of another. Then at the next feeding, double up on the missed component and half the component you added more of."

Really, it's pretty simple, isn't it. Kind of makes me feel a little silly that I even got worked up at all. I mean we, as humans, do it all the time. Eat a meal at a fast food place - do we get our veggies there? Usually not, at least not MY kids.

So don't stress over your homemade dog food. Trust me, what you are feeding them is so much better than the majority of the commercial dog food out there. There are a few - and the number is growing - of small dog food companies, like Sojos Dog Food, that are making natural, organic foods that are actually good for your dog.

Want to find out more about how to make homemade healthy dog food for your dog? Visit my website, Homemade Healthy Dog Food, and hopefully I can help you on your journey to make your dog healthy.

Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #3

2008-12-16T06:04:00.005-05:00

So I just told you about using finely crushed egg shells for a calcium supplement, but I forgot to put in there that the eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals for your dog.

So here's my shortcut/tip:

I boil some water, turn it down to a simmer and poach about a dozen eggs. If I can rinse off the egg shells right away, I'll do that. Otherwise I put them in a bowl of water and just let them soak until I can rinse them off. Then I use the egg shells as stated in Tip #2.

I tried hard boiling the eggs, hoping to make it easier, but sometimes (not sure why) it was just too hard getting the egg shells off the eggs without egg white sticking. Poaching just ends up being easier for me to "harvest" the egg shells.

After the eggs are poached/cooked, I put them in a container and put in the fridge. Cook only as many eggs as you can use within 3 to 4 days. Use the eggs as a protein source in your homemade dog food, either alone or with another meat.

Eggs are great to have around in case you run out of meat for your dog food. They only take a couple of minutes to cook, most dogs love them, and they are great for your dog.

If you want to find out more about foods that are good/bad for your dog, download this e-book, Dog Food Dangers.

Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #2

2008-12-15T14:07:00.002-05:00

Dogs need calcium! In the wild, they got their calcium from the blood and bones of their prey. Since our pets don't go out and hunt, we must provide them with the extra calcium needed. The best way to provide extra calcium for your dog with their homemade dog food is..... egg shells.

Rinse off the egg shells and let them air dry. Then place them in your oven at 275 for around 10 - 15 minutes (this makes it easier to crush the shells). Next you need to crush the shells into a fine powder form. The biggest thing is to make sure there are no sharp edges to the shells that could hurt your dog's insides. I went out and bought a marble mortar and pestle for around $15 to crush the shells. I then pass the powder through a small sifter to make sure I got it all.

You can also buy crushed egg shells online.

I use a ratio of 1/4 teaspoon of finely crushed egg shell to 1/4 lb of meat.

Learn more about vitamins, minerals, and supplements that are beneficial to your dog from Dog Food Secrets

Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #1

2008-12-15T14:04:00.003-05:00

OK. So here is one of the shortcuts I use for homemade healthy dog food:

Vegetables:
I buy precut frozen vegetables - usually, not always, the kinds that have a couple of different veggies in them. Just make sure there are NO onions! I also buy whatever brand/veggie mix is on sale!

Some will say the frozen veggies are not as nutritious as fresh - others say the "fresh" veggies aren't all THAT fresh and lose some of their nutrients just sitting out. My opinion, they are good enough, fresh or frozen! (I don't use canned - for one, most have a lot of sodium, and two, most are pre-cooked)

Now I whip out my blender and throw some veggies in with some water and a couple of tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (I'm a HUGE fan of Apple Cider Vinegar!!). My daughter calls this my dogs' veggie smoothies - they are a little more chunky than a regular smoothie, but about that consistency. I pour this into a container and it lasts for a few days.

And my dog's veggies are done! It's actually good to switch up the veggies that they get. My dogs have loved them all so far - they're not very picky eaters.

Here were some of my initial questions regarding veggies:

Why puree the veggies instead of just cutting them up or whole?

A dog's digestive system is not as long as ours. So they don't have the time in the digestive tract that is needed to digest the veggies. In the wild they got their veggies/grains from the intestines of the animals they killed and ate (naturally pureed, with enzymes thrown in also). You can cut them up, but they need to be small.

Don't you cook the veggies first?

You can, but you'll lose a lot of the nutrients (same with humans). And I like short-cuts.

Visit my website to find out more about the benefits of homemade healthy dog food. I highly recommend this e-book, Dog Food Secrets, to get you started. It gave me the confidence to make my own dog food.

My dog keeps itching, but it's not fleas.

2008-12-11T05:48:00.002-05:00

It's amazing how many people I talk to tell me about how their dog is itching and scratching, but they don't see any fleas. I remember with Shadow, just constantly checking him and bathing him to try to get the scratching to stop. But I never saw any fleas on him or in the bathwater.

Why do I scratch? Number one reason - bug bite. But my dog doesn't have bug bites. Why else do I scratch? Sometimes when my arms and legs get real dry, they'll itch. So I thought, maybe my dog has dry skin. So I started feeding him supplements to help with skin and coat. And it worked!

Now add in another dog - and she came to us scratching without any signs of fleas. The thought of buying more supplements and more dog food just got me mad. Why 2 dogs with skin problems?? Then I talked to my sister - she just got back from her vet where her dog was given antibiotics and medication to help with her dog itchy skin (she had been scratching so much she got open sores - at least mine weren't that bad!).

Then I found homemade healthy dog food (actually my main reason for researching this was the cost of commercial dog food). The added benefits of better health for my dogs was the clincher! If you're skeptical, just try it for 2 to 3 weeks. It's not like you have to buy a bunch of special equipment - just regular food. And don't worry, your commercial dog food won't spoil - for like 2 years (ever wonder why it can last that long???).

Want to find out more about what is in your commercial dog food (like why your food has a 2 year shelf-life)? Download this e-book, Dog Food Secrets, to learn about what the commercial dog food industry is really like. Visit my website to find out more about the benefits of homemade healthy dog food.

Easy Cure for Dog's Itchy Skin

2008-12-08T10:17:00.001-05:00

Wow, after only 1 post I got an e-mail!

The person wanted to know what the supplement was that I used with the regular dog food to stop my Catahoula's itchy skin.

I honestly don't remember that exact supplement, but I also did not use just one! Once I got it from the grocery store (which was one brand), other times I got them from pet stores and large retail stores (other brands). Not much help, but then again I tried many brands and I believe most worked fairly well.

There are several kinds:

pills - my dog DID NOT like - they smelled nasty and he'd leave them in his bowl. I had to put them in cheese so he would at least finish the bottle - which I never got again!! Although, they did still help with the itching - my dog just didn't like them.
liquids - this worked best for my dog. It looks like an oil and I just squirted some on his dog food at each feeding.
gravies - I did not like this option as it had to be refrigerated and so some times I forgot to add it. Plus, for some reason the one I got was kind of messy.

My choice - the liquid - Shadow liked the taste, it was easy to add, not messy, and could be stored with the dog food. Sorry I can't recommend an actual brand, but all three types worked well with my dog's itchy skin. For me it came down to ease-of-use more than brand name.

The thing about the supplement is that it's a little on the pricey side - not exorbitant, but not cheap either. Think about making your own homemade healthy dog food for your dog, where these nutrients that your dog needs so badly are naturally in his food. I started thinking, what else is my dog's body needing that he isn't able to show me!

Why Did I Choose Homemade Healthy Dog Food?

2008-12-06T06:31:00.002-05:00

So I've making been my own homemade healthy dog food now for about 1 month. My reasons for even trying it were two-fold. First, the cost of dog food. Second, our new dog's itching and scratching.

We had just adopted an 11 month old Mastiff, Stella. Some of our instructions were to feed her 8 cups of dog food a day! We already have a Catahoula Leopard dog (a herding dog) who got 1-1/2 cups of food a day. Needless to say we went through the normal 18 lb bag of puppy food in less than 2 weeks. And that was just from Stella.

Another of our instructions were to bath her regularly with a special shampoo because she had dog itchy skin. The problem with that - she doesn't really likes baths!

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Flashback......
Let's go back almost two years ago when we rescued the Catahoula, named Shadow. He had very bad itching also. Thinking back now, it was probably worse than Stella's. Not knowing then about the "evils" of commercial dog foods, I looked in the pet stores for something to help Shadow's itching. I found a liquid supplement to add to his food, which I did and the itching gradually stopped by around 3 weeks! As long as I added this supplement, no itching. I've run out a couple of times and thought "he's better now - he doesn't need this anymore". And the itching would come back within a week.

Now I just assumed the problem was within my dog - for some reason he just needed this "extra". I never made the connection in my mind that the reason I had to add this supplement was because it just wasn't provided in his commercial dog food. Now I wasn't buying the most or least expensive dog food - it was middle ground. And it was a name brand that I associated with "good health". I thought I was doing good for my dog.
-------------------------------

Back to the present.....
So I started researching on the web how to make your own dog food and got scared! I've got two kids already. How much time is it going to consume in my already busy day to make homemade healthy dog food?

I downloaded an e-book which helped with the millions of questions I had. I'll be honest, the first few weeks, I did spend quite a bit of prep time, but I've honed it down quite a bit and developed some of my own shortcuts. I'll post some of these later. A lot of them come from combining things I've watched and read about homemade healthy dog food - nothing in my mind as original, but when you are first starting, every little thing helps.