Dogs are wonderful additions to any family home and serve as friendly and loyal companions that you can count on.

From the dog’s point of view of course they are counting on you as their master in taking good care of them, giving the attention they deserve, and most importantly – feeding them.

No matter the breed all dogs seem to have incredible appetites and will pretty much demolish anything even half edible that you put in front of them.

Because of this you need to make sure that the dog food you provide gives your dog the proper nutrition that it needs to live long and stay healthy.

Commercially made dog food products may boast all of the vitamins, minerals, taste, and other nutritious ingredients that your dog rightfully needs.

But they aren’t the best solutions as they are filled with unhealthy additives and preservatives that can greatly affect your dog’s lifespan if your dog relies on them too much.

It is because of this that many dog owners decide to go down the route of trying to make their own home made dog food.

It may not be absolutely perfect for your dog, but it is the closest thing in ensuring a balanced and healthy diet which is required if you wish for your dog to live a long life.

If you are going to ditch your old dog feeding habits and join the many others who are feeding their dogs with home made dog recipes, know first the advantages and disadvantages in serving these meals to your dogs.

Advantages

• You decide the ingredients in preparing the meals so you know exactly what goes into your dog’s diet.

• Just like ordinary recipes for people, they have all natural ingredients that cost significantly less than pre-packaged commercial products.

• Many ‘do it yourself’ recipes for dogs are easy to make with the ingredients readily available in local markets.

Creating your own recipes means you have full control over the ingredients used and can avoid the harmful additives that can be found in most factory produced dog food.

• The nutritional content found in well-prepared meals can be enough to make your dog more active and live healthier for a greater span of time.

• Meals can be immediately prepared from the leftovers of family meals. Nothing is wasted this way.

Disadvantages

• Deciding and preparing what your dog should eat can be time consuming as opposed to easily acquiring canned dog food that is ready to eat.

• Preparing the right meals takes a lot of knowledge in figuring out what is best for your dog and how to keep their diets balanced. Getting the right balance in your dog’s diet can be very difficult and will need some serious research into the best ingredients to use and which foods to avoid.

You need to be careful with the ingredients you use as certain foodstuffs can be very harmful to your dog.

The Verdict

With the so many benefits of home made dog food to your pet, it is an excellent way to help keep your pet in top condition.

While there are a few disadvantages, these can be worked around if you spend some time and research on how to correctly prepare the best meals for your dog, especially if a weight loss diet is necessary.

It isn’t difficult to do and, after all, you want what is best for your pet and to do what you can to ensure your dog stays fit and healthy.

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Craig Ellyard writes for the http://www.labrador-retriever-guide.com the one stop information shop for owners of Labrador Retrievers

I knew when I began to research the types of ingredients in commercial pet foods that I would probably be shocked, but it really is a lot worse than that. In many cases it is down right disgusting, not to mention harmful and unhealthy to our pets. Many foods that have been declared unfit for human consumption are trucked off to pet food companies.

Here are 10 common ingredients that could very well be in your pet’s dinner tonight if you are feeding them a commercial pet food product.

1) Euthanized cats and dogs (including collars, I.D. tags and flea collars, the fur is not removed)
2) Diseased animals
3) Hydrolized poultry feathers – pressure treated feathers from slaughtered poultry
4) Hydrolyzed hair – pressure treated hair from cattle, horses, pigs, and other slaughtered animals
5) Animal blood
6) Dried poultry waste
7) Dried swine waste
Ground almond and peanut shells
9) Various leftover parts from slaughter houses such as lungs, spleen and brain, just to name a few
10) Stick marks – the chunk of flesh cut from an animal for human consumption that has been injected with hormones, antibiotics and other drugs

The scary thing is there is a lot more that I have not even listed. Even some commonly added vitamins and minerals have been proven harmful. Quite often the ingredient list is misleading, but can easily be checked by DNA testing. It’s hard to know what we should feed our dogs if we can not trust what we read on the label.

Do you know what a rendering plant is? According to Ann N. Martin author of Food Pets Die For, “Renderers accept the waste and leftovers from our society. This includes animals picked up by dead stock removal companies; dead zoo animals, road kill to large to be buried at the side of the road; restaurant and grocery store garbage, including the styrofoam trays and plastic wrap; and hundreds of thousands of euthanized cats and dogs.” Rendered product is quite common in pet foods. In fact the rendering facilities are often located near the pet food companies. Did you really ever expect it to be that bad? This is truly, truly disgusting.

But you know what? That’s not all. In order to have an almost limitless shelf life, commercial pet food is quite heavily laden with harmful preservatives. Many of these preservatives have been banned from use in human food because they were found to be unhealthy.

A wonderful alternative to commercial pet food is making your own pet food at home. There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes for pet foods and snacks that you can make in your own kitchen. Many of these homemade pet foods can be made in bulk, frozen and stored for ease of use.

Considering all the unconditional love we receive from our pets don’t we, at the very least, owe them a healthy dinner? They’ll be happier, healthier and live longer. Besides we’ll save all kinds of money on vet bills.

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About the author:
Anita Hamasaki is first and foremost a mother. She has three fabulous children to her credit. In addition to the kids, she also has a blue heeler by the name of Darwin and a beagle who goes by Bartley. Each are happy and healthy. For an outstanding recipe book for homemade pet foods, please visit http://www.HealthyDogFoodHomeMadeRecipes.com

Is healthy dog food a myth? You’ve probably wondered, since hearing about the recent dog food recalls. Pet lovers like you fear that their dogs will suffer like so many others that ate food containing dangerous ingredients – wheat gluten and a product used in the production of plastics.

If you’re like other dog owners, you’re taking a much closer look at those dog food labels. They claim to offer the top quality, balanced diet for your pet, but how can you know if it’s true? How do you guarantee that your dog eats only healthy food? Is it even possible to get healthy dog food from manufacturers now?

It has become tougher to find inexpensive healthy dog food. They use high levels of preservatives and take a lot of processing that destroys nutrients. Many use filler to make up the quantity but it does nothing for quality. The most common fillers are wheat and corn. Dogs don’t need corn. In fact, it can be slow to digest, giving your dog no nutrients whatsoever.

Corn and wheat can also trigger allergies in some dogs. Any grain product should include the entire grain so your dog gets all the benefits including fiber, vitamins and minerals. Look for rolled oats, barley, millet and brown rice as these will provide the best nutritional value.

When you read the dog food label, look for those with the best ingredient ratio, which is 40% meat, 50% vegetables and 10% grains. The items are listed in order of quantity. You’ll want to make sure meat is at the top of the list.

Watch out for meat by-products as this can include indigestible parts of the animals such as feet and beaks. Also, be aware of manufacturers who list meat as the main product, and then follow it with meat by-products. This alters the nutritional ratio significantly.

Did you know that Vitamins A and B make good preservatives? Look for labels and slipcovers that list these instead of the cancer-causing chemical preservatives BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin.

Choose a good quality, reputable dog food rather than economy brands as the premium food will contain ingredients of higher nutritional value.

Keep in mind that your dog might benefit more from a specific type of dog food, rather than a one-for-all brand. While both types of food offer value, some dogs have additional needs. Factors include your breed’s inherited health risks, your dog’s activity levels and any other underlying conditions that require certain dog food nutrients.

If you want to ensure your dog receives only healthy dog food, you can make it yourself. There are many recipes available online and in dog recipe books. Run an Internet search and you’re sure to find a wealth of choices. Look for dog-related forums. People love to go online and chat about their favorite subject – their pets – and share recipes.

Knowing how to read dog food labels will help you to identify the best product for your pet, but you can’t beat homemade for your peace of mind and to provide the best nutritional and healthy dog food to your beloved best friend.

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Sylvia Dickens is an award-winning journalist who is also a lifelong dog owner. You can read more dog training tips at http://ebook-haven.com/dogtraining.htm . Don’t forget to pick up your free copy of her latest booklet, “Unveiling the Myths & Mysteries of Owning a Puppy” at http://ebook-haven.com/PuppyGuide1.php

Poor diet in dogs could mean many things. Dogs with a poor diet don’t have high energy levels, they may develop health problems down the line, they can be overweight or underweight. They can have teeth problems, bad breath, infections… As a general rule, an unbalanced diet for your dog means a shorter lifespan for him.

It is better to never fed your dog leftovers from the dinner table, unless they are dog healthy choices. Some of the food we eat can be toxic for dogs, and greasy foods, or fried food, will make dogs fat and sick. As a general rule, leftovers do not constitute a healthy dog diet.

Many dog owners do not give a second thought to what they feed their dog, until they notice that their dog’s coat isn’t looking as shiny as it once did, or until their dog began scratching himself badly or not have much energy. Yet, other dog owners wait for their dog to be so overweight before they realize that there might have been a problem with their dog diet. Don’t wait for your dog to show signs of illnesses to put him on a healthy diet.

Dogs get overweight and have diseases if they eat unhealthy dog foods. A healthy diet will ensure optimal health for your dog.

Dogs are mammals, just like us. If dogs eat too much food and don’t exercise enough they are going to get fat. If dogs eat dog food that is not good for them, they will feel tired, and depressed. Eating unhealthy for a dog can cause a whole slew of problems.

Dog food affects dogs’ coat and skin. Dogs can get most of the same diseases we do. Dogs can get cancer, heart disease, and have heart attacks. Dogs can even get diabetes.

Dogs need a healthy diet. If a dog eats too much and do not get enough exercise, it will become an overweight dog and have many health problems.

This is why you should understand why your dog’s diet is so important to his health. Just like with us, dogs are what they eat. Unfortunately, a dog can’t tell you when something does not feel right on him, or when he has a stomach ache from the food he eats. Oftentimes, dog owners wait until something is wrong with their dogs to make any adjustments in their dog’s diet. Do not wait something goes wrong with your dog, get him on a healthy dog diet today! The cost difference is not really that much – certainly not enough to get the debt collection agencies round.

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Ron Smith is an expert in dog and puppy health.
Visit http://www.dogdieter.com for more information on healthy dog diet, dog food labels, dog food recalls.

“Milk and cheese are probably the only important sources of calcium and phosphorus among the foods that are not fed as much as they should to dogs, especially as sources of these minerals. Magnesium is found in nuts and beans, potassium in almost any natural ingredient. Most trace minerals in a natural diet are derived from natural ingredients.

Liver: Newborn puppies, dying from the ‘failing puppy syndrome’, have a tablespoonful of chopped liver added to their mother’s diet. Overnight, the pups snap out of it and start gaining again. Orphan puppies, stunted because their formula is inadequate, have a little liver puree added to that formula and those same puppies suddenly begin to grow and gain weight. A dog struck by an automobile fails to respond even though surgery has successfully corrected its injuries. About a week after the operation a tablespoonful of liver is prescribed three times weekly. By the end of the third week all of the dog’s lost weight has been regained and healing of the external wounds appears complete.

All of the dogs described above had one thing in common; liver was added to their diet. Perhaps liver should be called a ‘miracle’ food rather than a mystery food. But whatever you call it, the recoveries described were the results of liver, and whatever it is that enables liver to produce such ‘miracles’ remains a mystery.

For years veterinary nutritionists have referred to the ‘unidentified liver fractions’ and their seemingly miraculous effects. Whatever it is in liver, known or unknown, few canine nutritionists deny that liver does something special when it comes to a dog’s diet. If there is one single food that every dog should have in its diet, that food would have to be liver.”
Aboutdogs.info

“This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls has shaken consumers’ confidence in the pet food industry’s adherence to food safety standards,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States.

The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said. The FDA has there is no evidence so far to suggest any of the rice protein went to companies that make human food, said Michael Rogers, director of the agency’s division of field investigations. But the FDA, which is continuing to update its list of pet food recalls, has not yet accounted for all of the imported ingredients.

Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers.

Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers.

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