Friday, 6 July 2007

Dog health food

How many dog owners know something about dog health food when they buy their pets? If they don’t get informed about dog’s nutritional needs, they are very likely to be confronted to all sorts of health problems that result from the improper food they feed their animals on. There are special dog health food tips that a vet can tell you about, since you may not know very much about the digestive needs of your pet. First of all, in order to meet the requirements for dog health food, you have to be sure there are minerals, calcium in particular and quality protein in the diet.

As it is very comfortable, we usually feed our four-legged friends on special dog meals, but this is not always dog health food. It is usually prepared by blending hemoglobin powder, with bones and meat, all processed at very high temperatures. Then, there are flavors and vitamins added, and this is the dog health food we find in the supermarket. For all dog owners I need to say that this is not great at all for your pet. Try to combine processed meals with dog health food you prepare at home.

What should real dog health food be like? First of all, have fresh meat and boil it for around ten minutes. Thus, you destroy the unfriendly bacteria while also preserving all the nutrients intact. Then, cut it into small pieces, it may seem natural that your dog should tear it alone, but you don’t want any mess around the house. For the calcium in dog health food, you may use a natural supplement such as ground egg shells or calcium powder available in drug stores. Try to mix the pieces of meat with a little water for a better hydration of your pet.

As for bones, I know all dogs like them, but research shows they don’t make the best dog health food at all; on the contrary there may be side effects and even ailments. Thus, never feed your dog chicken or pig bones. The only ones that are fully digested and make real dog health food are the leftovers from your cooking veal for instance. Another tip many people don’t know is that for dog health food, not only proteins are necessary, vitamins are also important. A little grated carrot added together will pass unnoticed but it’ll be of great help for the pet’s well-being.

Dog health care

Dog health care is such a vast domain that you would need really specific problems to focus on in order to cover the issues you’re interested in. Among the main dog health care problems we may say that the most frequent ones are fleas, worms and poisons. If these are not professionally taken care of, other very serious troubles may be expected. Worms and external parasites waste the dog’s body of nutrients and energy; plus dog health care providers insist that neglected dogs are full of toxins because of the parasite overgrowth.

Here are some dog health care tips to be used when dealing with worms, fleas or various poisons the dog comes into contact. Puppies need de-worming as early as two or three weeks with the procedure repeated at four or six weeks of age. Dog health care specialists claim that worm immunity in puppies doesn’t appear sooner than six months of age, and the worm larvae pass from mother to puppies. In order to meet the dog health care requirements you need to remove all stools from your garden, keep the lawn cut short and make sure you feed your dog on thoroughly cooked meat.

Fleas are the next dog health care problem under discussion here, and to a certain extent they are responsible for the possible tapeworms they may carry. Fleas and lice are easy to deal with; thanks to the many shampoos, collars or special drops, this dog health care issue has become piece of cake. Do not use human shampoo to wash your dog as it will completely degrease the fur and afterwards the dog’s skin would have to secret even more oil to compensate for the deficit. Anti-flea sprays, powders, collars or any other products can be purchased from any dog health care store. However, it’s good to ask the vet in the first place too.

Make sure that you keep your dog away from any potentially harmful substances that may lead to poisoning. Dog health care specialists point out that rapid intervention in the poisoning cases is crucial for saving the animal’s life. If you think your dog may have ingested some toxic chemical, try to give it some fresh milk as a first aid measure and call your vet immediately. For more dog health care tips you can visit www.dog-training-expert.com, a professional and resourceful site for dog owners and breeders.