Discover Winning Nutrition Tips For Better Canine & Feline Health

Pet food marketing spiel will generally seduce you with images and messages which strike an emotional chord, such as food which echoes the breakdown of the human diet, or one which appears to be based on natural ingredients but is still heavily processed.

We need to read between the lines and use plenty of common sense. If we take into account the suffering animal and the expense of vet treatment, supporting your dog's health is clearly an important matter. Dog nutrition is not just about selecting the right food for your dog.

Much like in humans, dogs' eyes are very sensitive and can get infected if the proper vitamins and minerals are not provided. A dog's eyes are an easy way to spot if they are not in good health. When you're telling your pet how much you love him, take this opportunity to take a good look at his eyes.

Additionally, your animals paws should be especially cared for by regularly inspecting the pads and claws, as well as checking their teeth. Your pet can experience good digestion starting with healthy teeth.

If your pet has specific medical needs your vet may deem it necessary to give you a dog food prescription diet, however if you feed raw to begin with, or at least no byproducts and gluten, you'll probably almost never need to go to the vet.

Raw Food & The Parasite Myth: The wrong-doings within the pet food industry which resulted in pets being fed toxic ingredients has caused many pet owners to turn to raw foods for their animals. The BARF diet is not harmful to your pet although many people who are not educated on this matter initially believe that the raw diet could be harmful due to parasitic infection.

Raw food can contain parasites and bacteria, like; Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, Trichinella - Trichinosis, Protozoa, Trematodes, Toxoplasma (cats only), and Salmon Poisoning Disease (dogs only).

When we discuss Bones and Raw Food (BARF) for dogs however, we are discussing meat and meaty bones that would be suitable for humans to eat. When non-raw aficionados discuss the risks of parasites, they fail to mention that the level of parasites is practically non-existent in human grade quality raw dog food.

Freezing raw meat and bones usually does kill most parasites and bacteria, like the parasite in salmon that can kill a dog. Deep freezing salmonids (which include trout) for a day or two takes care of that parasite very effectively.