There are so many different choices available for us today when it comes to feeding our dogs. More and more people are looking for a safer, healthier and better nutrition for their extended “family member.”

The easy and convenient grocery store kibble has become less attractive as the way to feed our dogs as we learn more information about what has gone into the cheaper commercial dog food. These foods were the status quo for so long until their unsafe and dangerous production processes were brought to our attention during the massive recalls recently.

Dog food has gone through several stages starting with the pre commercial days when dogs were feed whatever we ate. Dogs ate what we ate at the time before store bought kibble was available, as in leftovers and scraps. People didn’t worry about dog nutrition, or even consider it as something that could increase the pet’s life.

With the advent of commercial dog kibble, this new generation of pet owners were told and assured this was the best way to feed your pet. Table scraps were not good for your dog (as we all now know), and this new, important revolutionary way of convenient healthy food was available at the local grocers. This became and still is to a lot of consumers the one and only acceptable way to nourish your dog. We were told and warned the never ever feed people food to your dog. It was dangerous, fool hardy and deficient in the proper mix of necessary and essential daily dietary intake.

With the ease and assurance from the big companies that we were making the best choice for our dogs we all became brainwashed into believing everything we were told. That is until the recently.

After the recalls of toxic and tainted dog foods, more and more information became available and this was shocking.

An elite few had already started producing highly nutritious, organic or all natural dog food years before. Dog’s health was suddenly the main concern of several small independant dog food companies.

Now our choices for feeding our precious dogs (and cats) are increasing at a speedy rate. More and more companies started to manufacture organic dog food, devoid of chemicals, preservatives, deadly additives, and disgusting mystery ingredients.

These premium organic dog foods are slowly now becoming the new, easy and extremely nutritious way to feed our pampered dogs. They promote and increase the health of our dogs and are proud of their production processes.

One other way of feeding our dogs has now gone back to the “people food” way of thinking. Although this is not the “table scrap” method of feeding. This is a safe and hightly nutritious diet for your dog as long as you research and learn your dogs essential nutritional needs. That is homemade dog food, using the same foods we eat. Mixed with the proper ingredients and vitamins, this is the best way to know exactly what your dog eats. You can easily find excellent nutritious homemade dog food recipes for free on the internet, or through books written by animal nutritionists and vets, that this choice is now becoming mainstream.

Educating yourself for the sake of your pet is a small way to pay back all the unconditional love they give you, and in the end you will ultimately have your dog around for many extra years when they receive a proper nutritious and healthier diet

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Animal and pet lovers will find important information to extend their pet life along with ellipticals, tips and recipes here: http://www.recipes4gourmetdogs.com

It becomes our responsibility to take proper care for the pets when we bring them into our house. The guidance and help of veterans is a must to provide them a safe, loving and healthy environment to live in. They are best possible pals and become a part of our lives with growing years. But on a sad note, there are a large number of pets that suffer or even die every year due to poisonous substances present within our households.

Here are few precautions that we should take to make our home poison-free for our loving pets:

- Beware of the plants present in the house and in the pet’s yard. Ingestion of oleander, azalea, sago palm, mistletoe, Easter lily and yew plant by a pet can prove to be fatal sometimes.
- Never let your pets reach the area where you have stored your cleansing agents of your house. These cleansing agents have chemical properties that may cause some mild upsetting in the stomach while some severe ones may even cause burns in the tongue, stomach and mouth of the pets.
- If you are using mouse or rat baits, roach or ant traps, slug or snail baits, place them in the areas that are not accessible by your pets. Most of these baits contain inert ingredients that are sweet smelling such as sugars, peanut butter and jelly which can really attract your pet to eat.
- Never give any medication to your pet unless a qualified veteran recommended it.

Some people tend to use human drugs on pets but they must understand that the medications that can be safely used on humans can prove to be deadly for animals if used improperly. For example, a 500 mg acetaminophen tablet can really kill a 7 pound cat. Keep all the medicines and prescription drugs out of the reach of your pets, possibly in the closed cabinets.

Cold medicines, pain killers, anti-depressants, anti-cancer drugs, diet pills and vitamins are the human medications that can even kill a pet even if taken in small dosage. For example, a 200 mg ibuprofen can be a cause of stomach ulcer in a 10-pound dog.

Unattended chocolates can also be harmful for the pets as even small amounts can be a cause of pancreatic problems in animals. Think whetehr your favourite recipes contain excessive theobromine (cocoa) – toxic to dogs. Some other household items that can be poisonous for certain species of pets include pennies, mothballs, fabric softening sheets, potpourri oils, dish detergents, batteries, cigarettes, alcoholic drinks and coffee grounds.

All the automotive products like gasoline, oil and anti-freeze should be kept away from pets. For example, a tea-spoon of anti-freeze can kill a 7-pound cat and a table spoon of it can be fatal for a 20 pounds dog. While applying a house spray or a fogger in the home, remember to remove all the pets from there.

While treating your garden or lawn with herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers, keep the pets away until it completely dries. Always take these points into consideration and provide your pets a healthy environment to live.

This is the pets lovers blog http://www.petsworldblog.com/
To see some tips for your favorite pets.

Nutritionalert : Dog Patch – scoring your dog’s food

How to grade your dog’s food: Start with a score of 100:
1) For every listing of ‘by-product’, subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source (‘meat’ or ‘poultry’, meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain ‘mill run’ or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. ‘ground brown rice’, ‘brewer’s rice’, ‘rice flour’ are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn’t allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein source but “chicken” and “eggs” as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food scores:
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables /
Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

From The Vitamin Lady Website

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