Keep Your Pet Safe In The Sun

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By Leigh Adams

With warm weather upon us, it's a great time of year for your pet too! Swimming, sunning and just hanging around outdoors can be an excellent time for you and your pet to bond. However, things such as heat, bugs, allergies and general protection must all be taken into consideration.

Never, ever leave your pet in your car for any period of time whatsoever. Cars can reach dangerous temperatures in a matter of minutes. Dogs cannot sweat the same way as humans. They regulate their temperature (barely) through the bottoms of their feet and by panting. Heat stroke can affect a dog rapidly; just as it can a child or elderly person. Obese pets are also more susceptible to heat stroke. Here are some signs to look for: excessive salivating, panting, unusual hyper excitement and increased rectal temperature. If you suspect heat stroke, immediately seek medical attention.

If you and your dog are outdoors, make certain he has access to water and shade. Collapsible water bowls or dog hydration systems are excellent for insuring your pet has water. There are many types of portable dog bowls. There are collapsible bowls and no spill bowls that dual as a container for your pet's food. If you bring your dog on long excursions, consider a portable water pack. Water packs are made from durable nylon and are constructed like a harness for big dogs. There are many products on the market today that may help cool your pet in warm weather. Try a cool dog bed for him to lounge on while outdoors. Mats such as these are so versatile; they even insulate dogs from cold floors in the winter! Water-activated crystals keep the mat cool for days with one 30-minute soaking in cold water. Portable pet tents are even available these days to protect your dog from the sun!!

Your pet will love being outside after being cooped up all winter, but just follow some simple safety guidelines listed above. Both, you and your pet will be much happier


Leigh Adams is an avid dog owner and trainer. She is a frequent contributor to this Online Pet Supply Store. When not outside with her dogs Mimmi and SoSo, she enjoys painting and raising Koi fish in her backyard pond.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leigh_Adams

Commercial Dog Food Myth Busters-The First Ingredient (Part 2)

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By Amanda K. Jones

In Part 1 we talked about some of the tricks that pet manufacturers use to make their products look more appealing to consumers. After all, protein should make up the majority of the dog's diet, right? We don't want any of those nasty carbohydrate fillers do we? Do we???

Nutritional Common Sense

If you think about it, the dog’s diet must add up to be 100%. There are five nutrients to take into consideration here (not including water): protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins.

According to accredited veterinary nutritionists, the average adult neutered house dog only needs about 20% protein, 15% fat, and all the necessary vitamins and minerals can fit into 5% of the diet. So what makes up the remaining 60%?

It only makes sense that if the diet is formulated properly and the list ACCURATELY reflects the relative weight of the ingredients, low calorie carbohydrates should make up the balance of the diet. Therefore, the list should have a grain as the first ingredient.

Rebecca Remillard, PhD, DVM, accredited veterinary nutritionist, and staff nutritionist at the Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, MA, states, “If a diet has the proper protein to calorie ratio and is properly formulated for the average adult dog, the meat source would not be first in the list.”

Despite this, many self-proclaimed pet food experts will try to tell you that carbohydrates are nothing but junk. While there is no minimum dietary requirement for carbohydrates in pet foods, the body does have a minimum glucose requirement to supply energy for critical organs such as the brain. In addition, most cells use glucose as their primary fuel.

Have you ever seen an animal or person who is hypoglycemic (lacking glucose)? Scary!

This glucose CAN come from protein or fats. However, the liver must manufacture the glucose from these sources in order to dump the nitrogen. Carbohydrates don’t contain nitrogen and don’t need to be metabolized by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. This makes carbohydrates an extremely important energy source because they basically allow the body to do less work.

According to Dr. Remillard, "Some pet foods do contain very little or no carbohydrates but overfeed protein and fat. This would most likely be no problem for the feral dog or cat not expected to live past 2-3 years of age. I suggest this is not the ideal diet when one expects your pet to live 10-20 years. It's much like smoking in people--rarely are the effects noted before 20 or 30 years--so it seems OK at first.

I find it interesting when pet owners are concerned about the large carbohydrate fraction comprising pet foods but think feeding vegetables and fruit is more 'healthy' and/or 'natural'. These same pet owners fail to realize that vegetables and fruits are primarily comprised of water and carbohydrates in the form of sugar, starch and fiber. You cannot get away from those carbohydrates."

It's OK--you don't have to avoid a pet food just because it has a carbohydrate listed as the first ingredient.

Also keep in mind that the ingredient list in general cannot and should not be used as a way to assess the "quality" of a pet food. There are just too many factors to consider. We only wish it was so simple. While the list of ingredients may be helpful, it has certain shortcomings that limit its usefulness for evaluating the nutritive value of pet foods.

For better or worse, the consumer must rely on the reputation or word of the manufacturer to assess the nutritive value and safety of the ingredients appearing on the list. If you have any questions about your pet's food just pick up the phone. All you have to do is look a little past the ingredient list to find the toll-free number.

They're waiting for your call!

Amanda K. Jones is a licensed veterinary technician and e-book author. She has had several articles published in professional veterinary journals and is a Tails, Inc. Magazine Furry Forum Expert.

If you're a pet owner interested in learning more about pet food ingredients, or are looking for more information on basic pet food nutrition, you may be interested in Amanda's FREE 8-Week Course on Dog and Cat Nutrition. For more information or to sign-up please visit http://www.petfoodbible.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_K._Jones

Commercial Dog Food Myth Busters - The First Ingredient (Part 1)

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By Amanda K. Jones

The ingredient list is of special interest to dog owners. Many look at the first ingredient and if it’s not a protein source like “beef” or “chicken” they assume that the food is “low-quality.”

They do this because it’s exactly what some pet food marketers and self-proclaimed pet food experts have taught them to do, even though it goes against all nutritional common sense.

In fact, one popular pet publication teaches dog owners how to select “quality” pet foods by comparing ingredient lists.

However, when tested, 23 out of 24 “Top Dry Dog Foods” had levels of calcium that exceeded the maximum recommended level for an adult dog and 19 out of 24 “Top Dry Dog Foods” had levels of phosphorus that exceeded the maximum level for an adult dog.

When these and other nutrients are supplied in excess for an extended period of time they could potentially initiate or complicate certain medical conditions. These conditions include obesity, bladder stones, kidney failure, skeletal disease, heart failure, hypertension, and skin disease.

Rebecca Remillard, PhD, DVM, accredited veterinary nutritionist, and staff nutritionist at the Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, MA, offers some advice for pet owners.

She says, “I use the placement of the meat source in the list of ingredients as an indication of whether the diet is formulated correctly and that the ingredient list has not been ‘rigged’ to meet current consumer thinking. Current consumer rhetoric about ‘fillers’ and that ‘meat’ should be first in the list is nutritionally erroneous. The logic is flawed.”

The Ingredient List Game

So, pet food manufacturers know that the consumer wants to see a real “meat” source listed as the first ingredient (we’ll talk about by-products and meat-meal some other time). Because there are loop holes in the regulations associated with pet food labels, pet food manufacturers can manipulate the list to make it appear more “appealing” to consumers. Some people associated with pet nutrition refer to this as “the ingredient list game.”

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. A protein source like “beef” or “chicken” will appear first in the list of ingredients because the water weight of the protein source simply outweighs the other ingredients. (Whole meat is very high in moisture and actually contains about 75% water.) So in some cases, the first ingredient may contribute a ton of water to the diet and very little nutrition.

Manufacturers can also list several different forms of the same ingredient separately to make certain ingredients appear lower in the list. For example, to make wheat-based ingredients appear lower on the list, they can be listed individually as wheat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, etc.

Veterinary nutritionists do recommend that an animal protein source should be in the first 3 ingredients listed for commercial dog food.

So what should be the first ingredient listed? You'll have to read Part 2 to find out!

Amanda K. Jones is a licensed veterinary technician and e-book author. She has had several articles published in professional veterinary journals and is a Tails, Inc. Magazine Furry Forum Expert.

If you're a pet owner interested in learning more about pet food ingredients or are looking for more information on basic pet food nutrition, you may be interested in Amanda's FREE 8-Week Course on Dog and Cat Nutrition. For more information or to sign-up please visit http://www.petfoodbible.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_K._Jones