Dog Food - Site Catalog - Tiny Toy Poodle

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Poodle Diet Food
Contributor
By Michelle Wishhart,

A poodle is a purebred dog, known around the world as an icon of France. The poodle is popular for its intelligence and its extravagant, fluffy coat, which is often groomed by dog owners into eccentric patterns. A nutritious diet is a necessary part of keeping this elegant animal's mind active, and its fur soft and full.

"Real" Food
All animals, be they human or dog, will be healthier with fresh "people" food than they will be with dry, heavily processed food. Commercial dog food tends to have very low grade meat and is high in soy and corn, both products that dogs don't digest well. You can make your own nutritious food by using a food processor to blend unseasoned or low seasoned leftover vegetables with raw turkey meat and low sodium chicken broth. Add flax or fish oil to support a healthy heart and temperament. Avoid giving your poodle onions, as they can be toxic. Add a dash of raw apple cider vinegar to your poodle's drinking water to give him live enzymes. You can give your poodle a treat and clean his teeth at the same time by giving him raw beef knuckle bones. As always, keep your poodle away from chocolate in any form.

If your poodle is overweight, you may be leaving its food out for too long and letting it eat for flavor rather than nutrients. Take the bowl away after your pet has had a chance to eat for five to ten minutes. You can save leftovers for up to 24 hours. Keep in mind that a fresh, unprocessed meal is less fattening than dry dog food. Your poodle will also have more energy to burn off calories through exercise and play.

Dog Food

If you can't feed your poodle home cooked meals all the time, be sure to buy high quality dry food. When purchasing dog food, check to see if the first two ingredients are meat, and try to avoid an excess of artificial preservatives. There are diet brands of dog food available if your poodle is struggling with weight issues. You can make any dry food more nutritious by adding a little bit of fresh food. Mix a tablespoon or two of unsweetened organic yogurt or cottage cheese to the dry food. You can also garnish food with pumpkin seeds or a piece of raw fruit or vegetable for added nutrition.

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Dog Food | Transitions: 963 | Added by: Michelle Wishhart | Date: 2010-05-02

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How to Make Your Own Dog Food
Suggested Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
Mar 20, 2007 Sandra Williams

Many popular dog foods have recently been recalled because of food poisoning which in some cases has been fatal. North American stores have been pulling up to 48 brands off the shelves that Menu foods supplies. (Source: Animal Owners Frantic on Pet Food Recall, Matthew Verrinder, March 18th, 2007)
If you are concerned about the health and well being of your dog and wish to ensure they are getting uncontaminated foods there are ways of making your own healthy dog food. A suggested formula is 75% carbohydrates to 25% meat. A simple dog food recipe is to combine and cook brown rice, ground meat, vegetables, water and a small amount of brewers yeast. Dogs can’t digest vegetables very well, so they need to go through the food processor thoroughly before adding. Amounts of water vary depending on whether you want dry or wet food. Your dog food should be served at room temperature. Ingredient ideas for dog food:
Rice is a good carbohydrate for dogs. Brown rice is preferable as it has more nutrients.

Brewers yeast which can be found in some grocers and health stores.
Flour, such as corn flour, soy flour or whole wheat flour.
Codliver oil or flaxseed in small amounts adds omega 3 and helps keep their coats shiny.
Meats suggested to use are liver, beef, tuna, lamb or chicken. It’s easier to add to food if the meat is ground.
Dogs also enjoy peanut butter and biscuits can be made with them by adding flour, bone meal and/or powdered milk, brewers yeast and even carrots. Peanuts are one of the few nuts that are safe for your dog. (Dog Biscuit Recipe)

Some vegetables are ok such as carrots, broccoli and spinach, but they need to be put through a food processor first to aid in digestion. (Broccoli is not good in large amounts.)
Bonemeal may need to be added to ensure they are getting calcium. Raw meaty bones are a good source of calcium. Powdered milk is also a popular ingredient in dog food. Some foods to avoid which may be dangerous to dogs:
Chocolate which can cause seizures in dogs.
Coffee and tea can cause similar problems as chocolate.
Raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure.
Nutmeg can also cause seizures.
Raw eggs could contain salmonella, so they’re not worth the risk.
Onions are not advised as they can interfere with blood circulation.
Macadamia nuts can cause dogs to have tremors and lead to paralysis.
There's much controversy as to how much garlic (if any) is safe for dogs to ingest.
Other food cautions include moldy foods, yeast dough and fruit pits. Many fruit pits contain cyanide.

Source: http://dogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_make_your_own_dog_food

Dog Food | Transitions: 540 | Added by: Sandra Williams | Date: 2010-05-02

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Natural Dog Food Ingredients
Owners Consult Veterinarians, Websites & Toll-Free Consumer Hotlines
Sep 5, 2008 Daniel Workman

Deciding the best dog food requires asking the right questions to reliable sources and reading pet food labels to verify an appropriate balance of natural food sources.

What is the best dog food for ensuring a pet pooch’s health? That’s one of the most common questions posed by pet owners.
Consumers should first check with a trusted veterinarian regarding the optimal dog food diet.
Asking neighbours or friends who are also pet pooch owners can result in some useful background information. However, people often feed their pets scraps from the dinner table in addition to a specific brand of dog food. Despite the dog food manufacturer’s marketing claims, some dog foods do not provide complete and balanced nutrition.
So, a better question to ask neighbours or friends is whether they know a trusted veterinarian with proven expertise analysing pet dietary requirements and recommending the most nutritious dog food. Online Veterinarian Dog Food Writer

T.J. Dunn, Jr. is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and is an experienced veterinarian licensed to practice in Wisconsin and Florida. Also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America, Dr. Dunn writes educational articles on dog food nutrition

Meat-Based Dog Food Diets

Drawing on his 37 years of clinical experience, Dr. Dunn concludes that: Nutritious and well-balanced dog food diets are meat-based with chicken, turkey, lamb, beef or fish appearing first on their list of ingredients. Under-nourishing dog foods with excessive calories have grains like corn, barley, oats or wheat listed as their first ingredient.
According to Dr. Dunn, dogs or puppies fed grain-based meals often have itchy skin, ear infections and are overweight. In contrast, canines fed dog food with meat as the primary ingredient are mostly in excellent health.
However, Dr. Dunn doesn’t recommend all-meat dog food diets. Meat is high in phosphorous but lower in calcium, a combination that can lead to health problems if a dog eats only meat over long periods of time. Reading Dog Food Labels

Consumers should also study the Guaranteed Analysis on the back label of commercial dog food. Ideally, Dr. Dunn recommends dog food products with at least: 30% protein content 18% fat content Vitamin E or C instead of artificial preservatives Omega fatty acid present.
Healthy dog food has no artificial coloring or flavoring. Dr. Dunn also advises that a complete, balanced and nutritious dog food mustn’t require any dietary supplements. As is the case for humans, consumers shouldn’t feed dog food to their pets if the best-before date on the label has expired. Canine Food For Dogs With Special Needs

The above analysis examines healthy diets for normal dogs. But even the highest-quality dog food made with all natural ingredients may not be appropriate for canines with abnormal conditions such as heart, thyroid or kidney problems. This also includes adult dogs or puppies that are obese, have sensitive stomachs or skin conditions.
Similarly, adverse reactions to foods or food allergies should be considered as disease conditions. In these cases, pet owners should take any dog with such a suspected illness to a veterinarian as soon as possible. After examining the pet, the veterinarian will formulate a proper diagnosis and treatment plan including pet food recommendations. Which Is The Best Dog Food?

Even after 37 years of clinical experience, veterinarian Dr. Dunn admits that the answer can vary by individual dog or puppy. Owners need to gather as much credible information as possible, starting with their veterinarians.
Most pet food manufacturers put a toll-free (1-800) number on their packages that consumers can call with specific questions, like whether the dog food ingredients are sourced from U.S. farms and are processed in North America. Pet owners should create a checklist of questions based on this article, and if the answers are unsatisfactory, ask to speak with a more experienced product representative.
At promotional events, dog owners should ask to speak with the product specialist or manager on duty if promotional staff don’t know specific answers to questions about proper canine nutrition.
Websites like ThePetCenter.com allow visitors to ask dog care questions to experts online, including queries about natural dog food ingredients.

Source: http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/natural_dog_food_ingredients

Dog Food | Transitions: 665 | Added by: Daniel Workman | Date: 2010-05-02

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Pet Food Ingredients: Choosing the Right Bag
How Do You Choose the Right Food for Your Dog or Cat?

With the recent pet food recalls still fresh in the minds of consumers, people are now asking more questions about what goes in to a bag of cat or dog food. Understanding the ingredients listed on a bag of pet food is essential when choosing a diet that is right for your pet.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, is the institution that defines the ingredients and terms listed on pet food labels. AAFCO standards state that the first ingredient listed on a bag of food has to be the ingredient that there is the most of in the food. The second ingredient listed has to be the second largest constituent of the diet, and so on down the list.

This means that the first three ingredients in a bag of pet food are very important, as these ingredients will make up the bulk of the diet.

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must eat meat to survive. Dogs have evolved to be opportunistic feeders, meaning that they may eat some vegetable matter, but still need lots of meat in their diet to stay healthy.

Many experts agree that pet foods should not have grains listed as a first ingredient, such as corn. Cats and dogs have not evolved eating grain based diets. Feeding pet foods too high in grain content can cause health problems for your pet, such as obesity and allergic reactions.

The first ingredient should be a meat protein, for example, chicken, or chicken meal.
Many people feel that when the word "meal" comes after a meat protein, it means that this is an inferior ingredient. This is not true. As a pet food is cooked down into kibble, much of the original moisture weight of the meat evaporates, making it necessary to use fillers such as corn or wheat to compensate for this loss of protein. A meat meal has already been dehydrated, so that when it is added to the food, very little of it escapes as moisture.
Not all meat meals are created equal, though. By-product meals are inferior ingredients. By-products are the left over pieces of animals after they have been processed, such as the heads and feet. Though there is some nutritional value to by-product meals, using real meat in a pet food diet is preferable.
Ingredient splitting is another method pet food companies use to avoid the expense of adding lots of meat to their diets. For example, the first three ingredients listed on a bag of food may be chicken, corn, and corn gluten. Though there is more chicken than each of the corn products products listed, the two corn products together may, in total, outweigh the meat protein.
A quality pet food often has a meat listed as a first ingredient, a meat meal as the second, and a grain as the third.
Natural preservatives, such as vitamin E and mixed tocopherals should be used in a pet food diet, not chemicals.
There should never be any coloring or dyes in a bag of dog or cat food. These are added to appeal to the consumer, but can be harmful to pets.
Quality pet foods usually cost more than grocery brands, but your dog or cat will have to eat less of a premium food, because they are absorbing more nutrients. Most premium foods cost less than a dollar a day to feed. This is a small price to pay for a decrease in visits to the vet, less stool clean up, and a long and happy life for your pet.

Dog Food | Transitions: 655 | Added by: Ian Shoust | Date: 2010-04-30