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Your Questions About Dog Training Boulder

Sandra asks…

Dog Training. Need tips and/or tools?

I need some help with my dogs Ruby and Onyx, training. I just need some techniques that I can try. They are hyper mutts, Ruby is the oldest and she likes jumping the fence, Onyx the puppy like finding holes in the fence and getting out them. I’ve gone through drastic measures to keep them in, like blocking the holes with boulders, and chaining Ruby (which I am strongly against) so I need some tips so I can return my dogs’ freedoms.
Thanks for the tips, but I need more based on Ruby. Out fence is one of those wire diomond looking ones, and she can easily jump them. Tips for preventing jumping…

admin answers:

Simple- don’t leave them outside unsupervised for extended periods of time (or even short periods of time to start with.) Dogs escape and cause trouble when they are bored, so don’t let them be so bored. Hanging out with you, getting tired by playing with you, getting mentally tired by doing some training- all will help decrease the dogs’ need to use up energy by escaping. Additional things you can do included giving their meals in a tricky treat ball or Kong or similar tool so they don’t inhale their food in 20 seconds and are then bored for the rest of the day, and giving them some toys to play with. But most dogs don’t play much when left to their own devices, and if they do, it generally isn’t what we were hoping for!

Richard asks…

POLL: do u like pets?

A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person’s enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, and/or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits;[1] keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress to those who like having animals around. There is now a medically-approved class of “therapy animals,” mostly dogs, that are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction. The most popular pets are dogs and cats, but there are also rodent pets, such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, fancy rats, and guinea pigs, and avian pets, such as canaries, parakeets, or parrots.

Many cities and towns have local ordinances limiting the number of pets a person may have, and may also restrict or forbid certain pets, such as exotics. Certain breeds of dog, such as the Pit Bull and Rottweilers, are banned in some places. Dog/other canid/wolf mixes are also banned in some places.

In many locations, animals that are considered pets by their owners but are legally classified as livestock, including horses, pigs, camelids, and fowl may be banned from being kept within the city limits or restricted to property of a certain larger size.

The cities of Berkeley, California and Boulder, Colorado have passed laws stating that people who have pets do not “own” them; rather, they are the pet’s “guardian.”[citation needed]

Condominium associations and rental properties often ban all animals or animals that cannot be confined to a cage or aquarium because of the odors and noise associated with them
Pets have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with, and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past.[13] Having a pet may help people achieve health goals, such as lowered blood pressure, or mental goals, such as decreased stress.[14][15][16][17][18][19] There is evidence that having a pet can help a person lead a longer, healthier life. In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ailments, within a year 11 of the 29 without pets had died, compared to only 3 of the 52 who had pets.[13] Pet ownership was shown to significantly reduce triglycerides, and thus heart disease risk, in the elderly.[20]A recent study concluded that owning a pet can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 2% and that pets are better than medication in reducing blood pressure.[citation needed] Owning a pet can also prolong survival of a heart attack.[21] Dogs which are trained to be guide dogs can help people with disabilities. Dogs that are trained in the field of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) can also benefit people with disabilities.

[edit] Pets in long-term care institutionsEven pet owners residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, experience health benefits from pets. Pets for nursing homes are chosen based on the size of the pet, the amount of care that the breed needs, and the population and size of the care institution.[13] Appropriate pets go through a screening process and, if it is a dog, additional training programs to become a therapy dog.[22] Different pets require varying amounts of attention and care; for example, cats have lower maintenance requirements than dogs.[23]

admin answers:

Yes, I have 4 siamese cats and a greyhound…

Laura asks…

How do I turn down the volume on the TV without getting up?

Uh…
the remote is next to the TV..

admin answers:

Use a remote, throw a huge boulder at your tv, call your brother or sister saying its something important, then tell them to turn it down, call your mum or dad saying you want to tell them something, then get them to turn it town, wait till somebody enters the same room, then tell them to turn it down, train the dog/cat or whatever pet you have to turn it down, install a cat flap on your door, then train the neighbours pet to come into your house everytime you whistle, and turn the volume down, get one of those infra red watches,or even mobile phones, and use that to turn the volume down…..

See if you put your mind to it, there are many ways you can turn the volume down…your just too lazy to get up or even think!!!!!!!

🙂

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Coupons

Mandy asks…

Would you be able to tell the difference between dog food & liverwurst or duck liver mousse?!?

He he he…i’m wondering how many people are going to be tasting dog food for the first time after reading this…

Washington, May 2 (ANI): People might one day be eating dog food, for a new study has found that it tastes as good as liverwurst or duck liver mousse.

The researchers found that people can’t differentiate in the flavour of dog foods with that of normal human foods.

In the study involving 18 subjects, the research team separately put organic Canned Turkey and Chicken Formula for Puppies/Active Dogs, duck liver mousse, pork liver pete, liverwurst, and spam in a food processor.

Pete is a mixture of minced meat and fat in the form of spreadable paste, generally made from a finely ground or chunky mixture of meats and liver, and often with additional fat, vegetables, herbs, spices or wine.

The resulting product was put into five different bowls and garnished with parsley.

They found that although the volunteers didn’t exactly prefer the dog food, they couldn’t identify it either.

“Only 3 of 18 subjects correctly identified sample C as the dog food,” CBS News quoted the paper as stating.

“Although human beings do not enjoy eating dog food, they are also not able to distinguish its flavour profile from other meat-based products that are intended for human consumption,” the authors added.

admin answers:

I can’t stand the taste of liver so am not gonna worry about it. I did hear a woman on a talk show several years ago say that her drunk husband drank up their grocery money and one night brought home with of his drunk friends from the bowling alley, and wanted her to cook them something to eat. She had a pound of hamburger in the ice box and that was all the meat they had to feed the familyuntil payday a week later, she also had a package of Gainsburgers for dogs (I remember the same time getting a free pack of those with a coupon, they were something new) and she mixed an egg and some chopped onion and seasoning salt and made them into patties and fried them up. They all thought they were great and a couple of them ate 2 a piece.

Donna asks…

Top tips for lab puppy?

We’re getting our new addition (female black lab) in approx 3 weeks. We’ve done our research but wanted to hear any tips/stories you have of your labs…funny, cute stories all welcome 🙂

We’re really looking forward to embarking on our lab journey

admin answers:

I really wish people would adopt and not buy puppies, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of unwanted dogs out there, and breeding more puppies causes the suffering of so many dogs (people wouldn’t breed if no one bought the puppies) .

However, since you’ve already done this, I hope in your research you learned that labs can destroy your house and furniture, so if your dog is going to be alone for periods, you have to be careful.

I would adopt the Dog Whisperer’s advice and take your dog for very long walks to tire him or her out before you leave the house. I would also provide lots of nontoxic chew toys. If you only go out for short periods, I would consider a crate and crate training. Please don’t crate your dog for 9 hours at a time, though.

I have seen labs eat furniture, kitchen cupboards, a brick wall, and a back porch. And when I say eat, I mean eat, I don’t mean just a little bit of chewing.

Labs also jump up on people. The easiest way to discourage this behaviour is to be prepared and gently stick your knee out whenever he or she tries to do this. There is no punishment involved, it just prevents the dog from achieving what he’s trying to do.

Third, since labs are high energy dogs, an agility program would be great, and would keep both of you happy while keeping the destructive behaviour to a minimum. Most dogs love and even need jobs, this would be a way to provide him with exercise for his brain and body.

Swimming would be a great way to exercise your dog, too.

If at all possible, don’t feed commercial dog food. I’m not crazy about raw, myself, but a cooked diet of organic meat and vegetables keeps a dog healthy and young.

Supplements like wheat grass, bovine colostrum and natural forms of vitamin C are great too. I just read about a breeder who will only guarantee his dogs’ joints if the dogs are fed raw fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C and an additional vitamin C supplement made from whole foods (not corn, which most is derived from).

I buy a natural vitamin C powder at iherb.com that I sprinkle on my dogs’ food three times per day. It helped stop my little one’s hip problems. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-inflammatory and helps collagen regenerate.

Coupon code PEY561 will give you $5-$10 off your first order at iherb, they seem to have the lowest prices and free shipping, too.

Http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Alive-Vitamin-C-Powder-120-g/15056

http://www.iherb.com/Organic-by-Nature-Pure-Planet-Amla-C-Plus-Vitamin-C-Powder-4-oz-114-g/16060

James asks…

I’m trying to decide between Halo puppy food and Innova…advice?

I am adopting a puppy from a local rescue organization and I want to feed her food that is good for her. I have a $10 off coupon for Halo plus they sell it at petco and I have a 10% off coupon for petco. I was already going to go there to get supplies for the puppy. But my only concern with Halo is it doesn’t have enough meat..(Halo’s first 5 ingredients:Chicken, Whole Dried Eggs, Pea Protein, Oats, Vegetable Broth) whereas I have heard great things about Innova and they have more meat(Innova first 5 ingredients: turkey, chicken, chicken meal, barley, brown rice). Now Innova has more meat, but Halo has a higher protein content (Halo Crude Protein – 30.0% Min, Crude Fat – 20.0% Min, Crude Fiber – 6.5% Max, Moisture – 10.0% Max) (Innova Crude Protein – 28% Min, Crude Fat – 16% Min, Crude Fiber – 2.5% Max, Moisture – 10% Max). I just don’t know which one to choose! I was thinking of trying Halo and seeing how it works out.
If I want to switch foods though how do I go about doing it? Do I gradually work the new food in until it copletely replaces the old food? Any advice would be appreciated! Thank You!

admin answers:

I’d go with Innova out of the two of them. When considering protein content, remember that protein can come from both meat and plant sources. You want protein from meat based sources. I personally prefer completely grain free as I’ve had better results on those foods. Other good foods are Timberwolf Organics, Taste of the Wild, Orijen, Wellness CORE, and Fromm’s.

For switching, exchange about 25% of her regular food with the new food. Do that for a few days and if her stools look good you can give her 50/50. A few more days of good stools and you can go to 75% new food. If everything goes well, give her 100% of the new food. If she seems to be having trouble, go back and do the transition much slower. Some dogs just need a slower change and others can go through it pretty quickly. You’ll find out what is right for your new girl pretty quickly.

Congrats on the new addition to your family!

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Your Questions About Dog Training

Donald asks…

How can I obtain my dog training license?

I am currently looking to get my dog training license, and I don’t know if I just retarded but I can’t find any information on how get it anywhere.

I’m just trying to figure out where to get it, the cost, all that nonsense.
Sorry, I guess I meant my business license. I would like to start my own pet care/training business. I assume I need a license for that…

admin answers:

No such thing!

Mark asks…

What do you look for in a dog trainer or dog training class?

I haven’t really seen this question asked here before.

I’m interested in a trainer/class training for:
Pet/manners/CGC training:
Competition training for obedience/rally/agility: and
Working dog training for field/ service/ protection dogs.

I know that there’s a lot of good and bad infornation posted here. I’m just curious as to what people’s thoughts and experiences are in training.

admin answers:

I actually asked this at one point and got tons of great answers (i hope whoever answered mine answers this one as well):

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj.48WhgoxuxtBVsM_T9B_jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100224141029AAObz1a

Comes down to the basics:
– How many personal dogs are titled/trained
– How many did you HELP train/title
– How many mentors, how many years under said mentor(s)
– Number of dogs worked with, variety of breeds
– Knowledge of NUMEROUS methods (not just one)

I do NOT look for degrees form any colleges or schools because i have yet to find a school/class that does a good job in training multiple methods on multiple breeds/dogs. They can be good STARTER courses but you learn best from a mentor or several in real life situations.

Maria asks…

How do i get into dog training?

I am 25 and do voluntary work at a local animal shelter and have been there for 8 years and have unofficially re-trained a lot of rescue dogs and rehomed them successfully, but my friends believe i should do dog training professionally, how can i go about this?

admin answers:

* Offer in-home services for the adoptive families of dogs you’ve been working with. If you’re more comfortable, you can start by offering this for free and move up to charging an hourly rate for in-home visits

* Get out and meet local trainers in your area. Tell them that you’re interested in transitioning to being a professional trainer. Many trainers offer apprenticeship programs. Even if a trainer doesn’t offer apprenticeship, forming a relationship with lots of trainers gives you a chance that they will refer business opportunities to you. I’m currently building a part-time training business and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how many referrals I’m getting from my own trainers and instructors.

* Take classes locally, or watch classes. As part of the above bullet, talk to lots of trainers and tell them you’re looking for opportunities to be assistant trainer in Basic or other classes.

* Join APDT (American Pet Dog Trainers). They have a great email list network of trainers and a monthly training journal called “APDT Chronicle of the Dog” as well as annual conferences and discounts on training seminars (http://www.apdt.com). They will also list you in their directory of trainers.

* Don’t miss any opportunity to watch and learn from other trainers. Even if a trainer does not use a training style you particularly care for, pay a lot of attention to what works and what doesn’t work and why

* Read, read, read. There are a wealth of fabulous books out there on training, behaviorism, dog psychology, physiology, and more. Become as familiar as possible with behavioral terms and concepts and with various training styles and trends. Learn how behavior can be affected by physical factors. Read case studies of the many, many different causes (and therefore solutions) for nuisance barking or destructiveness or house training issues or reactive behavior, etc. Subscribe to training magazines and journals. Use the library if you don’t have the money to stock your own bookshelves, but don’t spare the written word.

* If you don’t currently participate in any dog sports like agility or obedience or Rally obedience (or a host of others), that can be a great way to hone your training skills while getting out to meet like-minded people. I have found that practice sessions and trials are a fantastic way to network, far more so than classes, because you have quite a bit of time to relax and socialize while waiting for your turn.

* Have a little resume of dog experience handy that you can share with prospective clients or trainers. This gives you a chance ahead of time to think about your strengths and perhaps also to notice some weak areas where you might want to try to get more experience.

Good luck! Training can be tough but also very rewarding!

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Grain Free

Michael asks…

Is Hairball control food supposed to make your cat throw up hairballs? Mine does?

I feed my cat Purina Hairball Control Dry food, and he often vomitts up the food with a big hairball.

Is it supposed to work like that? or is the food supposed to prevent hairballs?

admin answers:

Purina Hairball Control Dry food is a really poor choice for a cat with hairballs. It does nothing to improve the cats coat which is where the hairball cycle starts.

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cats.

Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.

In the wild, cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. So they do not drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone. :o)

I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .

If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!

Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.

If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.

You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.

I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new healthy food!

********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Htt

Nancy asks…

How do I get my kitten to eat hard food?

I have a kitten that is about 10 weeks old. She eats soft food like nothing but refuses to eat hard food. We tried mixing it with soft food, but she just eats around it. Then we tried force feeding it (thats how we got her to eat the soft food), but she just spits it out. What are some other ways?

admin answers:

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat.

Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o)

I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .

If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!

Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.

If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.

You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.

I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!

********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

Steven asks…

What is the best food to feed my 3 year old cats?

Price is no object. I have heard that if you can buy it in a department store or a grocery store the food isn’t good quality. So what is the best quality food that I can feed my cats?

admin answers:

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat.

Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o)

I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .

If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!

Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.

If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.

You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.

I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!

********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Petsmart

Sandy asks…

Has anyone here had experience with eukanuba dog food? Is this good food for dogs?

Is this good for dogs, how did your dogs like it?
thanks!

admin answers:

I haven’t had experience with it but I can tell right from the ingredients that it isn’t a good food for dogs. It’s a low quality dog food.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Seriously on a budget? Two of the most affordable of the high quality foods would be Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Canidae All Life Stages.

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Ziwipeak, and Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about week or so), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.rawfed.com/ (Excellent raw feeding information)
http://www.rawlearning.com/ (More excellent raw feeding information)
http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Even more!)
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths about raw feeding)

Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times based on the feeding instructions on your dog’s food.

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

Darksong~

Charles asks…

How do I get my dogs to stop eating puppy food?

I have 3 adult dogs, one Great Dane, one German Shepherd, and one Rottweiler. After we tried to change them to adult food, they wouldn’t eat it. They only ate their old puppy food. We’ve tried a lot of different brands too, and they won’t eat it.

admin answers:

Put it down and do not give them anything else. They will not starve themselves, they will eat it when they get hungry enough. It’s time to practice a little tough love.

Make sure you’re feeding a high quality brand of dog food.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Seriously on a budget? Two of the most affordable of the high quality foods would be Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Canidae All Life Stages.

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Ziwipeak, and Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about week or so), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.rawfed.com/ (Excellent raw feeding information)
http://www.rawlearning.com/ (More excellent raw feeding information)
http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Even more!)
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths about raw feeding)

Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times based on the feeding instructions on your dog’s food.

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

Darksong~

Chris asks…

What is the best puppy food for a pit bull?

When I got her at 7 weeks she was eating Iams smart puppy… I switched her a week ago to Purina puppy chow. She is now 19 weeks. What is the best out of these 2 or any other suggestions. She is a large breed so I want her to have the best food.

admin answers:

Oh gosh puppy chow..nooooooo. I just had the same questions and have had weeks of looking up sources for food for my 11 month old pit i too was giving purina puppychow look at the first ingrediant it is corn meal then by products nothing good at all!! This is the perfect response that i had when i asked the same thing… Hope this helps it did me!!

You’re right, Purina Puppy Chow is not good for her. You’re going to want to get her on a good, high quality dog food.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material and higher quality ingredients means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Seriously on a budget? Two of the most affordable of the higher quality foods would be Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Canidae All Life Stages.

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by… You guessed it, the crappy pet food companies! They also often get kickbacks from the companies for pushing their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grain-free diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grain-free formulas. Some good grain-free diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, GO Natural Grain Free, Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Ziwipeak, and Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain-free diet, Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo.

If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality dog food brands have websites with store locators on them that will help you find the store closest to you which supplies their products. Simply type the dog food brand’s name into Google, go to their website, and type your zip code into their store locator.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing the new slowly in with the old over the period of about week or so), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies. For example:
Days 1 & 2: 75% old food, 25% new food
Days 3 & 4: 50% old food, 50% new food
Days 5 & 6: 25% old food, 75% new food
Day 7: 0% old food, 100% new food

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.rawfed.com/ (RawFed)
http://www.rawlearning.com/ (Jane Anderson’s Raw Learning Site)
http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Raw Fed Dogs)
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ (Raw Meaty Bones)
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)
http://community.livejournal.com/rawdogs… (Raw Dogs Livejournal Community, excellent raw feeding information on the profile page and overall helpful community for raw feeding questions.)
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths About Raw Feeding)

Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times loosely based on the feeding guidelines on your dog’s food. Ad

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Your Questions About Dog Training Books

George asks…

Could someone recommend a book or video on drug detection dog training?

Havn’t found any useful websites or anything so was wondering if someone could recommend a book or video or website on drug detection dog training.

admin answers:

There are several, but, you will not be able to do it out of a book or video, I promise you. Look at leerburg.com see if he has any. Again, what you are trying to do has legal implications and you need actual drugs. I have been doing it for 27 years, I know. If you try to short circuit it, you will get in trouble. This is not a game.

Lizzie asks…

Where can I find good dog training e-books?

Hi,

I am a new dog owner. The name of my dog is “Tunnu” and he is not behaving very well as of now. He bites our bed sheets and tears them off .. will bark in the mid night to spoil our sleep. I am looking for some good dog training ebooks which can teach me how to make the dog understand my commands and other things like shake hand and jumps etc.

Any help will be appreciated.

admin answers:

You should check – http://www.schoolingdogs.com/ – It has a no. Of books which helps in dog training, agressive dog training, training dogs not to bark and more.

Better check this page which lists all the products –

http://www.schoolingdogs.com/shop.asp

Ken asks…

Can adult small dogs be taught to potty in a litter box or pee pad?

Is the success rate high for adult dogs? Which is the best training book or dvd for this?

admin answers:

I don’t think it’s a waste of time at all. I have a yorkie and trained her to potty on a pee-pad because I live on the third floor of an apartment and have a busy schedule. There’s no way I would have been able to take her down the stairs day and night every 2-3 hours to give her a potty break.

I don’t know about any training books or DVDs because I didn’t use any. But if your adult dog is already trained to go to the bathroom on grass then you could try some training spray that’s supposed to simulate the grass smell so that they know where to potty.

Also, make sure you use as much positive reinforcement as possible. When you see your dog inspecting the pad or circling it as if considering pottying on it, get ready with a favorite treat to reward them with. I used small liver treats for my dog and she loved learning where to pee in order to get the treats.

Good luck!

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes

James asks…

What is a good brand of food for my Pit?

I have a handsome 3 year old Pitbull. Being that he is a pit and mostly white is allergic to everything, even me i think;) I have tried lots of different brands of food, but when i find one that doesn’t turn him red as a cherry I find that he has BAD gas. Any suggestions on a brand of food that he might do well on minus the gas and red inflamation?

admin answers:

There are so many dog foods on the market right now and most people are totally oblivious to healthy and unhealthy dog food. I used to be, but after looking into dog food and researching it I have completely changed my ways when it comes to dog food. All of the food in Wal Mart and most foods from other stores such as Petsmart are unhealthy garbage. Why? Because they either carry:

“Artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives,” all of these can cause cancer and several other health problems. Cancer is the #1 killer of cats and dogs.

“By-products,” they are the junk in meat that are not approved for humans to eat. Road kill, cancerous, dead, and dying animals are allowed as well.

“Fillers,” are corn, wheat, and soy products that virtually don’t have any nutrition in them. They pass right through. Which also makes your dog have to eat more food to feel full.

Surely good dog foods such as Science diet, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, and Purina don’t have any of those and are great to feed my dogs right? Wrong. These foods have most if not all of these terrible things.

Here are the first ten ingredients of three of the so called best foods, which make up most of what your dogs eat and are the most important. The capitol words are the main things that are wrong in the ingredient lists.

Purina adult complete nutrition- WHOLE GRAIN CORN, POULTY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, brewers rice, soybean meal, barley, whole grain wheat, animal digest… (There is nothing good in that list at all)

Eukanuba-Chicken, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS MEAL, CORN MEAL, GROUND WHOLE GRAIN SORGUM, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Rice, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed)… (Most of what you see are either fillers or by-products)

Science Diet- GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, Soybean Meal, ANIMAL FAT (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Iodized Salt, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, … (first ingredient is a filler followed by by-products and more fillers)

Here is a list of both cat and dog well known foods and treats to stay away from-Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies,Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, Purina One, Purina ProPlan, DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina Veterinary Diets, MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles ’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s Recipe, Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages, Pounce, Pedigree, Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe, Sensible Choice, Excel, Hills Prescription Diets, Nature’s Best, Diamond, Ol’Roy, Iams, Nutro, Royal Canin.

Here are some foods that I recommend- Timberwolf organics, Innova, California Natural, Evo, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the wild, Wellness, Merrick Before grains, Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, Health Wise, Karma, Orijen. Plus there are many more great foods not listed. You have to look at the ingredients list of any food that you feed your dog. If it have any of the things listed as bad then immediately put it down.

To show what a good healthy dog food looks like, here is the ingredient list of Taste of the Wild High Prairie- Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Lizzie asks…

What are the best dry dog foods out of these to feed my Pitbulls?

-Timberwolf Organics
-Taste Of The Wild
-Canidae
-Blue BuffaloBlue Wilderness
-Diamond Extreme Athlete (Or another food by Diamond)
-Innova Evo
-Solid Gold

I want to feed them the best. Something that is going to give them glossy good looking coats, muscle, and just overall great health.

admin answers:

Honestly I have tried all of those above and they all have too high of protein for my dog, giving him the runs. Seriously though, its terrible. Every dog is different, especially when it comes to the sensitivity of a pit’s skin. I feed him Nature’s Recipe – Healthy Skin, Venison Meal & Rice. His coat is always flawless, and he is one beasty boy. Haha.

Ruth asks…

Does anyone have a suggestion for putting weight on a dog with a sensitive stomach?

I just adopted a pitbull from a rescue and he is very sweet but much too thin. He is eating organic food due to an extremely sensitive stomach (Nature’s Recipe). He seems to like the food but is only interested in eating about 1 cup per day. I don’t know what else to give him, but he definitely needs to gain some weight. I do give him peanut butter in Kong toy which he seems to like. Anyone have suggestions???

admin answers:

Organic or raw food is ALWAYS best for any dog. But I know it gets expensive. Feed him puppy food. Puppies have super sensitive stomachs, so the formula they use is gentle, high in fat, and nutritious. It will be easy to digest and the high fat content will put weight on him.

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Your Questions About Dog Training Classes Denver

Thomas asks…

What are my chances of getting into these Universities?

I would like to know, by just looking at the resume I will paste on here, my chances into getting into the following colleges. The top 4 colleges are the dream colleges so you don’t have to speak on behalf of them since I know they range for a 7%-10% acceptance rate. I will list the colleges first-

Dream Universities: Would love to go here but reality, hardly get accepted and I am aware of that.
1. George Washington University
2. Stanford
3. Yale
4. Georgetown University

Ideal Universities: This is where I mainly would like to know what my chances are to getting in these
1. University of Washington
2. Seattle University
3. Seattle Pacific University
4. Gonzaga University
5. University of Denver
6. Carroll College

Safe Universities: I am sure I could get into these colleges easily..right?
1. Washington State University
2. Northwest University

Here is my resume-(Dont mind the dashes, they are my school/state/county names that I crossed out)

Academics:

Cumulative GPA: 3.63
Academic Standing: Top 5% of Junior Class
Class Rank: 21/450
AP Courses: AP Biology, AP European History, AP 10 English, ADV 9 English,
AP US History, AP 11 English

Leadership:

2010 – 2012 (My State) State Board of Education Student Representative
2010 – 2012 (My State) Association of Student Councils Executive Board Member
2009 – 2011 —— High Public Relations Officer
2009 – 2011 ——- High ASB Executive Committee
2009 – 2011 ——– High Student Ambassador
2010 – 2011 ——– High Link Crew Leader
2009 – Present 4-H Camp Leadership Team
2009 4-H Camp Counselor in Training

Awards/Honors:

2010 State Board of Education, Junior Rep. Selectee
2010 State Farm Star Award
2010 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 State Farm Star Award
2009 — Golden Dog Nominee, Certificate of Academic Excellence
2009 — Rising Star Award, In Recognition of Academic Excellence
2009 Scholar Athlete Award
2009 21st Century Scholar
2007 – 2008 —– MS PE Student of the Year

Volunteer/Community Service

2010 Water Stargrass Removal Project, —– Conservation District
2010 Kid Care for Love and Logic Parent Class
2010 Kid Care for Association for Teachers and Parents
2009 – 2010 Youth Take Heart

Extra-Curricular Activities:

2010 —— High Varsity Boys Soccer
2010 —– High Cross Country
2010 Spanish Club
2010 Key Club
2010 Speech and Debate Club

So…how do things look? 🙂
Yes I am from Washington State
Yes I am from Washington State

admin answers:

Just from an initial view, your resume looks awesome. Congrats. 🙂

Now, onto U of Washington. On the website I use (which I will link too!) It says 58% of applicants are admitted. Good odds. The things they list as VERY important to admission are first, the essay. So make sure that is amazing, have five different people read it and give you their opinions and suggestions. Preferably ones who won’t sugar coat, like a guidance counselor/teacher. You want as many point of views that you can get, when everyone is in agreement that your essay is awesome, that’s the one you submit.

Second, the rigor of your classes. Your AP classes already have you secure for that. And then, your GPA. Under important, they list extracurricular activities. I would say you were golden for this school as long as your essay is good.

You can do this with the other ones and see where you stand, just search the college and click the admissions tab. Really helpful. As you probably already know, SAT is big for most schools, so make sure to do your best on those.

For George Washington, it definitely will be tough as GPA is under very important, but so is the rigor of your courses! With all those AP’s, you definitely have a good GPA. Apply Early decision!! That is such a big factor. Also, at the interview make sure to express that it’s your number one. You have a shot at all of these colleges, just some more than others. Good luck and I wish you the best!

Also, if you get rejected from one of your safeties, don’t panic! Sometimes they consider you a reach, they realize you probably won’t be attending. Other times, it’s because they don’t think your a right fit. Has nothing to do with getting accepted to any of your ideals. 🙂

Susan asks…

What are my chances of getting into these Universities?

I would like to know, by just looking at the resume I will paste on here, my chances into getting into the following colleges. The top 4 colleges are the dream colleges so you don’t have to speak on behalf of them since I know they range for a 7%-10% acceptance rate, but if you know information that could help me or you think that I would get accepted, please share! I will list the colleges first-

Dream Universities: Would love to go here but reality, hardly get accepted and I am aware of that.
1. George Washington University
2. Stanford
3. Yale
4. Georgetown University

Ideal Universities: This is where I mainly would like to know what my chances are to getting in these
1. University of Washington
2. Seattle University
3. Seattle Pacific University
4. Gonzaga University
5. University of Denver
6. Carroll College

Safe Universities: I am sure I could get into these colleges easily..right?
1. Washington State University
2. Northwest University

Here is my resume-(Dont mind the dashes, they are my school/state/county names that I crossed out)

Academics:

Cumulative GPA: 3.63 (unweighted)
Academic Standing: Top 6% of Junior Class
Class Rank: 23/380
AP Courses: AP Biology, AP European History, AP 10 English, ADV 9 English,
AP US History, AP 11 English

SAT & ACT: I have not taken them yet since I am still a Junior.

Leadership:

2010 – 2012 (My State) State Board of Education Student Representative
2010 – 2012 (My State) Association of Student Councils Executive Board Member
2009 – 2011 —— High Public Relations Officer
2009 – 2011 ——- High ASB Executive Committee
2009 – 2011 ——– High Student Ambassador
2010 – 2011 ——– High Link Crew Leader
2009 – Present 4-H Camp Leadership Team
2009 4-H Camp Counselor in Training

Awards/Honors:

2010 State Board of Education, Junior Rep. Selectee
2010 State Farm Star Award
2010 National Honors Society
2010 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 State Farm Star Award
2009 — Golden Dog Nominee, Certificate of Academic Excellence
2009 — Rising Star Award, In Recognition of Academic Excellence
2009 Scholar Athlete Award
2009 21st Century Scholar
2007 – 2008 —– MS PE Student of the Year

Volunteer/Community Service

2010 Water Stargrass Removal Project, —– Conservation District
2010 Kid Care for Love and Logic Parent Class
2010 Kid Care for Association for Teachers and Parents
2009 – 2010 Youth Take Heart

Extra-Curricular Activities:

2010 —— High Varsity Boys Soccer
2010 —– High Cross Country
2010 Spanish Club
2010 Key Club
2010 Speech and Debate Club

So…how do things look? 🙂

admin answers:

1. University of Washington 58% of applicants get accepted
2. Seattle University – 66% of applicants get accepted (private school, harder to go in)
3. Seattle Pacific University 93% of applicants get accepted (private school as well)
4. Gonzaga University 78% of applicants get accepted (private school as well)
5. University of Denver 70% of applicants get accepted (private as well)
6. Carroll College – % not reported..it’s private school.

You could probably get into all of these. However, you should look into them further to see if they have your major that you would like to study. Additionally, you should do a college visit in person and check out their campus and see what they have that you like, dislike, the types of dorms, off-campus housing, tuition and fees and all that other stuff.

Blessings

Lizzie asks…

What are my chances of getting into these Universities?

I would like to know, by just looking at the resume I will paste on here, my chances into getting into the following colleges. The top 4 colleges are the dream colleges so you don’t have to speak on behalf of them since I know they range for a 7%-10% acceptance rate, but if you know information that could help me or you think that I would get accepted, please share! I will list the colleges first-

Dream Universities: Would love to go here but reality, hardly get accepted and I am aware of that.
1. George Washington University
2. Stanford
3. Yale
4. Georgetown University

Ideal Universities: This is where I mainly would like to know what my chances are to getting in these
1. University of Washington
2. Seattle University
3. Seattle Pacific University
4. Gonzaga University
5. University of Denver
6. Carroll College

Safe Universities: I am sure I could get into these colleges easily..right?
1. Washington State University
2. Northwest University

Here is my resume-(Dont mind the dashes, they are my school/state/county names that I crossed out)

Academics:

Cumulative GPA: 3.63 (unweighted)
Academic Standing: Top 6% of Junior Class
Class Rank: 23/380
AP Courses: AP Biology, AP European History, AP 10 English, ADV 9 English,
AP US History, AP 11 English

SAT & ACT: I have not taken them yet since I am still a Junior.

Leadership:

2010 – 2012 (My State) State Board of Education Student Representative
2010 – 2012 (My State) Association of Student Councils Executive Board Member
2009 – 2011 —— High Public Relations Officer
2009 – 2011 ——- High ASB Executive Committee
2009 – 2011 ——– High Student Ambassador
2010 – 2011 ——– High Link Crew Leader
2009 – Present 4-H Camp Leadership Team
2009 4-H Camp Counselor in Training

Awards/Honors:

2010 State Board of Education, Junior Rep. Selectee
2010 State Farm Star Award
2010 National Honors Society
2010 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 WSSDA Annual Conference Selectee
2009 State Farm Star Award
2009 — Golden Dog Nominee, Certificate of Academic Excellence
2009 — Rising Star Award, In Recognition of Academic Excellence
2009 Scholar Athlete Award
2009 21st Century Scholar
2007 – 2008 —– MS PE Student of the Year

Volunteer/Community Service

2010 Water Stargrass Removal Project, —– Conservation District
2010 Kid Care for Love and Logic Parent Class
2010 Kid Care for Association for Teachers and Parents
2009 – 2010 Youth Take Heart

Extra-Curricular Activities:

2010 —— High Varsity Boys Soccer
2010 —– High Cross Country
2010 Spanish Club
2010 Key Club
2010 Speech and Debate Club

So…how do things look? 🙂

admin answers:

1. University of Washington 58% of applicants get accepted
2. Seattle University – 66% of applicants get accepted (private school, harder to go in)
3. Seattle Pacific University 93% of applicants get accepted (private school as well)
4. Gonzaga University 78% of applicants get accepted (private school as well)
5. University of Denver 70% of applicants get accepted (private as well)
6. Carroll College – % not reported..it’s private school.

You could probably get into all of these. However, you should look into them further to see if they have your major that you would like to study. Additionally, you should do a college visit in person and check out their campus and see what they have that you like, dislike, the types of dorms, off-campus housing, tuition and fees and all that other stuff.

Blessings

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food

Maria asks…

Does anyone know where I can buy PetGuard dog food in Ontario?

I live in the Niagara Region and I am looking for PetGuard Organics dry dog food. Thanks.
Sorry… I meant in Canada
I have checked the web and their website says to email them for retail locations but I was hoping to get a faster answer here. Thanks.

admin answers:

Ontario what Canada? Or California? Check the web.

Donald asks…

What is a good choice of high fiber dogfood that is also natural and possibly organic for a diabetic…..?

I have a diabetic miniature poodle who will no longer eat his prescription dog food. I’m looking to buy a high fiber natural or organic dog food for him. I’m looking for someone who really knows what they’re talking about and knows dogs, possibly a vet or vet tech. He’s been having diaherra and overall he is fairly skinny right now and we’re trying to help him gain weight while not making his blood sugar go crazy. Any thoughts?

admin answers:

Rather than switch his entire diet, you may actually be able to tweak it a bit so he’ll eat it – but also consider whether there is an underlying cause for his unwillingness to eat it.

Let the vet know what is happening, and ask them if there is anything they should check – this may just be a bad sense of taste in general, or perhaps he is having problems with his teeth – or is he on a medication such as antibiotics that could mess it up?

Whatever you do, keep in mind that raw meat can carry very bad illnesses that your dog can get in his compromised state, and can also pass on to you and your family. I would never feed any raw meat to an unwell dog.

If all else looks good, you can also speak to the vet about adding some fiber to his diet, but stay away from canned pumpkin pie filling that we usually use for this – it probably has too much sugar in it for him. You could add a small amount of fiber products made for humans after you discuss it with the vet and read the label – make absolutely sure it is only fiber, and no sweeteners, artificial or otherwise. You could also just give him some cooked green beans.

Speak to the vet about supporting his GI tract with probiotics – he may not have the right environment in his gut to support his own bacteria, and that is what breaks down his food so he can absorb it. That is why he is losing weight. Probiotics are usually in paste or powder form, and can be safely added to just about any dog’s diet – it’ll only help.

It may be that you need to add some fat to his diet, but disccus this with the vet before you do it – it may be that if you get the probiotics in him, he will absorb enough of his regular food to make the difference, and if it’s an absorption problem, the stuff in his bowl won’t translate into more weight, no matter what it is.

As for palatibility, or taste, you could store the food with some extra tasty stuff added, so it absorbs the new taste and makes it more interesting. Storing a cup of food overnight in the fridge with a teaspoon of tuna fish tossed around in it can make it much more intriguing!

A few drops of real cod liver oil will do the same thing, while adding virtually nothing to the food…you can also stick a strip of bacon in the plastic container overnight, as long as it is well drained, and discard it before feeding him the kibble.

You can always add some fat-free chicken or beef broth and soak the kibble overnight – anything to make it taste different. If you make up a few batches with different flavors, it may be more interesting than just doing one at a time.

It may be that a holistic vet can help you with his GI tract – there are many amino acids and other factors that can be balanced with supplements, and this particular problem can lend itself better to a vet who uses adjunct therapies rather than whatever a large manufacturer produces for XYZ problem – it isn’t the full picture. It’s amazing what they can do with a little glutamine and probiotic paste…

Anyway, it’s a tough problem you have and it will take some tweaking – good luck!

Linda asks…

Anybody know a type of Organic dog food I should buy?

Well my dog‘s vet said my dog needs Organic food
What type should I get??
Well my area has different types of Dog Food. But I can not have it shipped to my home. I actually don’t know very many types of the dog food.

admin answers:

That depends:
What kinds are available in your area?
Are you willing to pay to have it shipped?
Do you know what meat proteins your looking for in it?

Add:
I have yet to see a TRULY all organic dog food available in my area. Every single one I have looked at has had organic chicken as the first ingredient and chicken meal as the next – that’s not all organic…it’s really pretty much a marketing trick. Karma, as far as I know, is at least all organic meat – but I’m not willing to pay to have it shipped to my house.

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Brands

Sandra asks…

Question about pedigree dog food?

I have been reading alot of questions here about dog food and the majority of individuals recommend the organic dog foods. I.E. Innova, canidae, wellness, chicken soup for the dog lovers soul etc.. My question is…If my dog does well eating pedigree dog food is it necessary to switch her to one of these brands? She is a 6 year old border collie who does not have itchy skin, sensitive belly or anything else which would make me want to switch her food. In fact the only reason i bring this up is because of what i have read on yahoo answers. Thanks.

admin answers:

Well, the foods you listed are high quality foods but not organic. Pedigree is owned by Mars, Inc. Who make M & Ms and other foods. Pedigree is not on the recall list in the US. If your dog is happy and healthy on Pedigree, there is nothing wrong with it. There are some dogs who have allergies to corn, wheat, and soy. Some dogs are also allergic to beef. I happen to feed Canidae here but for many years I fed Pedigree with no problem.

The premium, holisitic and organic pet foods are gaining popularity but they account for less than 15% of the total market which means that 85 % of the dogs in this country eat grocery store dog food. There are two popular brands I would not feed. One is Ole Roy (the biggest seller in the country because it’s cheap!), and the other is Beneful which is junk despite their ads that make it sound so wonderful.

Sandy asks…

How do I get my dog to eat hard food ?

I have tryed everything… she turns her nose up at everything I try and dog food is much to expencive for that but I want her to get the nutition from hard food … plz help

admin answers:

A healthy dog will not starve itself to get something better. I know you’re worried that she’ll starve, but please do not give into her. You’re just showing her that once she doesn’t eat her dog food, you’ll give her something better. You’re going to end up with a very picky and spoiled eater on your hands. Get some high quality dry food such as Canidae, Timberwolf Organics, Flint River Ranch, Wellness, Solid Gold, Life’s Abundance, etc. Try to stay away from brands such as Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Science Diet, Ol’ Roy, Pedigree, Kibbles N Bits, etc. In my opinion, any dog food you can purchase at Wal-Mart/grocery stores/etc. Are all garbage including the ones listed above. Once you get a high quality dog food, set it down for her at meal time. If she doesn’t eat it in 10 minutes, try wetting it with some warm water. If she still doesn’t start eating in 10 minutes, pick it up and don’t feed her anything until the next meal. I know it sounds cruel, but you really do not want her to learn that you’ll give her what she wants if she doesn’t eat. At the next meal time, do the same. It may take a few days for her to figure out that dry food or dry food mixed with water is all she’s going to get, but if she’s healthy, she won’t starve herself. You could also try mixing a bit of wet food in with the dry to get her to eat. Just be patient and firm with her. Eventually, she’ll eat.

Mary asks…

Does anyone know of a commercially produced dog food that does not contain chicken, corn or beef?

Our dog has allergies resulting in constant ear infections and, after nothing else worked, the vet recommended changing her diet. I need to find a dog food that is available in USA grocery stores. Thanks for any help

admin answers:

As others have said, you probably won’t find a food like this in the grocery store. You will have to go to a petstore, dog boutique, or feed/farm store.

Here are some possible foods (I grouped them by brand to make it easier to read):

* Wellness Simple Solutions Venison
* Wellness Simple Solutions Duck
* Wellness Super5Mix Lamb
* Wellness Super5Mix Fish & Sweet Potato

* California Natural Lamb
* California Natural Herring

* Canidae Lamb & Rice

* Merrick Wilderness Blend
* Merrick Campfire Trout

* Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue
* Timberwolf Organics Lamb, Barley, and Apples
* Timberwolf Organics Dakota Bison
* Timberwolf Organics Wilderness Elk
* Timberwolf Organics Black Forrest

* Nature’s Variety Prairie Lamb & Oatmeal
* Nature’s Variety Prairie Venison & Millet
* Nature’s Variety Prairie Salmon & Brown
* Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit
* Nature’s Variety Instinct Duck & Turkey

* Eagle Pack Holistic Duck & Oatmeal
* Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon
* Eagle Pack Holistic Lamb & Rice

* Orijen 6 Fresh Fish

* Taste of the Wild High Prairie
* Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream

* Fromm Four Star Whitefish and Potato
* Fromm Four Star Salmon a la Veg
* Fromm Four Star Duck & Sweet Potato

* Evanger’s Pheasant & Brown Rice

* Solid Gold WolfKing
* Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken
* Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit

* Blue Buffalo Fish & Sweet Potato
* Blue Buffalo Lamb & Brown Rice

* Drs Foster & Smith Lamb Meal & Rice

* Natural Balance Potato & Duck
* Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish
* Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison

* Pinnacle Holistic Trout & Sweet Potato
* Pinnacle Holistic Duck & Potato
.

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Petsmart

Susan asks…

Is it true that most pet foods are terrible for pets?

I own two cats and have been doing research on pet foods, and apparently all dry food for cats is bad because of too many carbs and other unnecessary ingredients, given that cats are obligate carnivores. And apparently lots of wet food still contains things cats don’t need. Is it a healthier idea to go the extra mile to make my own cat food using ground meat and bonemeal? Are veterinarians in the pocket of pet food companies who market unhealthy food to save money?

admin answers:

Unfortunately it is true, most pet foods are not very good for our pets.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog/cat? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog and cat foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy, Whiskas, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Meow Mix.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages/Felidae, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timber Wolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet’s include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon (dogs)/Sold Gold Indigo Moon (cats), Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs and cats is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawfedcats.org/
http://www.rawlearning.com/

Now the question is, do you feed wet or dry? Wet is the correct answer. The reason is, in the wild, cats normally get most of their water content directly from their prey items and drink very little. Domestic cats are no different, and because of the fact that they are designed to take in water with their meal, they have a very low thirst drive. Cats often just don’t drink enough. This leads to urinary tract infections and crystals. The bit about dry food being better for teeth is a myth and has not been proven in the least (cats barely even chew their dry food and, really, does a pretzel clean /your/ teeth? Cats should have their teeth brushed with cat toothbrushes and cat toothpaste at least a few times a week as well as see the vet for dental cleanings when necessary /regardless/ of what they are being fed). Canned/wet food is better because it more closely mimics the cat’s natural diet. More on why canned food is best:
http://www.catinfo.org/ (Excellent cat nutrition information by a vet)
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood

Another option to get cats to drink more would be a cat fountain. Cats tend to like to drink from running water and cat fountains see to that need, encouraging cats to take in more water.

More on dog and cat food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. It’s for dogs, but most of the high quality brands also put out excellent cat foods. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

Darksong~

Laura asks…

What kind of cat food is really good and healthy for my cat.?

what kind of wet and dry cat food do you feed your cat, and what kinds are really healthy?

admin answers:

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to dump cheap leftovers in. Will it kill your cat? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent cat foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Whiskas, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Meow Mix.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: : Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timber Wolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Diets high in grain have been attributed to problems with diabetes in cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, so why should there be grain in their diet? Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet’s include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, and Sold Gold Indigo Moon, Taste of the Wild.

Some of the high end foods can be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Remember that foods should be switched gradually, especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding cats is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfedcats.org/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml

Now the question is, do you feed wet or dry? Wet is the correct answer. The reason is, in the wild, cats normally get most of their water content directly from their prey items and drink very little. Domestic cats are no different, and because of the fact that they are designed to take in water with their meal, they have a very low thirst drive. Cats often just don’t drink enough. This leads to urinary tract infections and crystals. The bit about dry food being better for teeth is a myth and has not been proven in the least. Canned/wet food is better because it more closely mimics the cat’s natural diet. More on why canned food is best:
http://www.catinfo.org/ (Excellent cat nutrition information by a vet)
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood

Another option to get cats to drink more would be a cat fountain. Cats tend to like to drink from running water and cat fountains see to that need, encouraging cats to take in more water.

More:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. It’s for dogs, but most of the high quality brands also put out excellent cat foods. Anything with five or six stars is a great food.)

Betty asks…

What is a cheap healthy and nutritious puppy food?

I am buying a puppy and need a puppy food that is cheap but good for a puppy and i am 14 so no rude comments.

admin answers:

Cheap, healthy, and nutritious do not belong in the same sentence. If it’s cheap, it isn’t going to be healthy or nutritious. Feed your puppy a high quality food. (I hope you’re acquiring your puppy through a reputable breeder.)

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material and higher quality ingredients means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Seriously on a budget? Two of the most affordable of the higher quality foods would be Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Canidae All Life Stages.

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by… You guessed it, the crappy pet food companies! They also often get kickbacks from the companies for pushing these products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grain-free diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grain-free formulas. Some good grain-free diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, GO Natural Grain Free, Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Ziwipeak, and Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain-free diet, Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo.

If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality dog food brands have websites with store locators on them that will help you find the store closest to you which supplies their products. Simply type the dog food brand’s name into Google, go to their website, and type your zip code into their store locator.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing the new slowly in with the old over the period of about week or so), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies. For example:
Days 1 & 2: 75% old food, 25% new food
Days 3 & 4: 50% old food, 50% new food
Days 5 & 6: 25% old food, 75% new food
Day 7: 0% old food, 100% new food
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.rawfed.com/ (RawFed)
http://www.rawlearning.com/ (Jane Anderson’s Raw Learning Site)
http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Raw Fed Dogs)
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ (Raw Meaty Bones)
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)
http://community.livejournal.com/rawdogs/profile/ (Raw Dogs Livejournal Community, excellent raw feeding information on the profile page and overall helpful community for raw feeding questions)
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths About Raw Feeding)

Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times loosely based on the feeding guidelines on your dog’s food. Adult dogs are typically fed two meals a day.

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

Darksong~

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Reviews

Maria asks…

my dog will only eat wet Cesar dog food is that good for her to eat?

hello i was wondering my dog will only eat cesar wet dog food i do mix it with the nutro natural choice small bites dog food but she only picks out the wet food what should i do to get her to eat the dry as well as the wet thnxs.

admin answers:

Cesar is a very low quality food. Nutro isn’t that great either, it’s more of a low medium. I’d recommend switching to a higher quality dry food. You need to wean her off of the wet. If you give her only dry, she won’t have much of a choice. She won’t starve herself and she’ll eat when she’s hungry enough.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to dump cheap leftovers in. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae, Fromm, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Logic.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet’s include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon.

Some of the high end foods can be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Remember that foods should be switched gradually, especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Anything with five or six stars is a great food.)

John asks…

What is the best food for my Doberman puppy?

I have a Doberman puppy he’s 7 weeks old and i wanted to know what would be the best food for him. I want him to be healthy, i know a lot of foods have by products in them and gluten. I need a dog food that is completely healthy for him. It would also help if it could be found in stores like petsmart…etc.

admin answers:

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to dump cheap leftovers in. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timber Wolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet’s include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.

Some of the high end foods can be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Remember that foods should be switched gradually, especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Anything with five or six stars is a great food.)

Edit: Victoria, please tell me you are a troll. Out of all the things you listed, you managed to suggest some of the crappiest as the best?

If I had to choose out of your list, the best would Wellness, Solid Gold, Castor & Pollux, Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo, Pinnacle, and AvoDerm.

The ones you listed as best out of it are absolute crap.

Mark asks…

A question about dog food and problems with it?

I adopted a Terrier a couple of weeks ago. He is three years old and roughly about 10 lbs. The problems started when I brought him home. I bought him Ia-ms dog food and that makes him sick. The place where he was, was feeding him Old Roy but from what I researched Old Roy causes loose stools in dogs. So Instead of the iams I bought him Purrina and now he has the runs. Should I mix the the 2 or just go get the old roy and hope he has gotten used to it. Any feed back would help.

admin answers:

I’d switch to a higher quality dog food. Ol’ Roy, Iams, and Purina are all poor quality dog foods (especially Ol’ Roy). What you have to remember is to switch foods /gradually/. Switching foods too fast will cause upset tummies.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml

Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times based on the feeding instructions on your dog’s food.

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

Darksong~

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Your Questions About Collie Man

Lisa asks…

What would happen if the wife of a man elected democrat president was Anti government?

but was quite conservative?
Wouldn’t that be weird?
Do you think the master minds behind the world would shoot her? or not allow the man to be president anyway?
This is just a hypothetical question I thought of and thought I’d sign on to my yahoo and ask, what do you think lol?
Oh and they very much ‘love’ each other.
I’ve said this is a hypothetical question already – nothing to do with michelle, obama, palin or whoever else.

admin answers:

If its democrat it dont matter… She could be a border collie and they wouldnt say sh*t.. As long as she barked liberal…

Maria asks…

Is Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness The Smashing Pumpkins at their best?

I just got into these guys and man is the album great.
I skimmed Adore and Siamese Dream but so far they dont have that same feel..
BQ: Favorite album by The Smashing Pumpkins?

admin answers:

Hell yeah. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is the most ambitious, beautiful, gorgeous, diverse album of the 90s, and quite possibly all time. From hard rock tracks such as ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ to the dreamy ‘1979’, it is by far their best. The problem with Adore, is that it sounded out of time and Siamese Dream is that it didn’t have the third demension Mellon Collie had. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness possesses such skill, diversity that it is an experience to look at and to listen to. The scope and ambition of it, just everything… It’s my 2nd favourite album. A masterpiece.

BA: Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness!!!!

James asks…

What is a good dog for a young man to own, for instance, to play fetch with and the like?

Im looking for a semi-small dog, but nothing that small, that has a good energy level and has the capability to be trained well. Nothing with extreme maintenance either, such as a collie with their coat’s.

admin answers:

Jack Russells are very high energy and very trainable. A roomate once had one and it was adorable, but way to high energy for me…but if it had been trained better, then I would probably like her better.

Even better idea…why not go to your local humane society to see what kind of dogs they have. The one I valunteer at will let you foster the dog for a weekend to see if you both are compatible.

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Coupons

Steven asks…

Best food for a Boxer (dog) puppy?

admin answers:

I would go for Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. That is what we recommend at the clinic I work at. If you are worried about the food recalls, stay away from cheap foods and canned foods.

There are some organic foods and more natural foods that you can try too. They are more expensive. Examples of these are Innova/California Natural, Blue, Eagle Pack. If you find a store that carries one of these brands then they will most likely carry other natural or organic products.

But we still recommend Pro Plan.

Check with your vet. They sometimes give you a free puppy food sample (at least a 4lb bag) at your 1st puppy visit or a few coupons.

Lisa asks…

Any Timberwolf Organics feeders here? Are alien food pieces common?

I recently decided to add TWO Ocean Blue to my dog‘s food rotation. In the bag, I’ve found several pieces of food that are different; lighter in color and shaped differently (smaller circumference and taller) than the rest.

This makes me question their quality control.
(And yes, I’m aware of the controversies they’ve had in the past.)

I really wanted TWO to work out, my other option I was looking at adding (Taste of the Wild – Pacific Stream) isn’t available locally.
And yes, I’m aware of other grain free fish-based foods, like CORE and Orijen, but I was looking to stick to a more moderate protein level (under 30%) due to the fact I know of several papillon owners reporting increased blood urea nitrogen levels. It could have been their individual dogs, but until I talk to more owners of my breed that have experience with high protein, I want to stick to moderate protein. (I may just end up just using another food that’s not grain-free for the fish protein rotation I wanted.)
Yes, a few months ago there were some concerns, though nothing really came of it.
I was giving them a chance since I also read they are finally saying who is going to be making their food. I like the ingredients, but was trying to weigh out the pros & cons of the controversies against the food
… Looks like the controversies win this battle.

admin answers:

I recall not to long ago that there was a concern about this particular Timber wolf product. I don’t feed it because I cant find any Timber wolf dog foods near me! I know several people who used to but have since stopped and switched to Natures Variety dog foods and they are very happy with it.
If your considering it then I do have this for you to consider:

naturesvariety.com/tryit It is a printable coupon for a buy one get one free of any of their dog foods.

I have been feeding this to my dogs now along with Canidae for about 4 months now and find it very easy to rotate food sources with in their brands.

Hope this helps.

Chris asks…

Canidae or Wellness CORE?

I’ve been doing research on the different dog foods. On the dogfoodanalysis website, there are a number of 6-star foods that are available to me at my local food store:
Solid Gold Barking at the Moon
Timberwolf Organics wild and Natural
Taste of the Wild High Prairie
TOTW Pacific Stream
TOTW Wetlands
Wellness CORE
They also have Canidae which is a 5-star.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these specific foods and what they reccommend? I’m sort of torn between Canidae and Wellness Core right now. I’ve heard so much about Canidae being great, but Wellness Core is higher rated.

My dog is almost 2 year-old lab, 65 pounds. She’s been on Pro Plan because the breeder reccommended it. She’s done fine on it, no problems.

What would you look for when changing dog foods and have a number of great choices? How should I choose between them?
Good tip about the samples Liz! I was thinking of buying small bags, but some brands don’t make a small bag. I’ll ask for a sample.

I was thinking of giving new food as treats for a few days, to see how it went. Is that how you would test it, or would you mix some into meals?
Goldengal, the protein in CORE sounded high to me too. It’s actually 34%, but that’s still pretty high!

admin answers:

We feed our dogs the Canidae. Dogs ages from 16 weeks to almost 9 years of age. They all like it, they all do well on it. They eat far less than they used to eat of other foods. They poop far less, and it’s very easy to pick up. As long as you feed what the bag recommends, you don’t have a problem with them gaining weight.. The dogs are so shiny and soft, that I have one heck of a time taking flash pictures of them due to the glare with their shiny coats.

I looked at the Wellness Core when I saw it in the store.. The ingredient listing looks great, and I put in the back of my mind, if I needed for whatever reason to switch from Canidae in the future, I would go to the Core..
I don’t like that the protein is so high, and I would have to try the dogs on it to see how they would do with that.. Also I have a dog that is under 1, and rather than buying 2 foods, I decided not to bother trying it til she was at very least 1 year of age..
I did tho, pick up several of the trial packs, and MOST of the dogs loved it and I used it for treats.. But I had 2 dogs that didn’t seem at all impressed with it..
I find the Wellness to be a rich food.. For Dobermans I think it’s a bit much.. Even if I were to switch to something like the Core, I would want to mix it with maybe something that wasn’t so rich.

I like the Canidae because it’s a basic food, with out a bunch of fancy stuff to try and get me to buy it.. It has no fillers, it’s human grade and it’s not a rich high fat high protein food.. I can easily still give the dogs fruit, veggies, meat and yogurt without feeling like I am over doing it..

I have sold dogs to people who have fed the Timber Wolf and they have found it to be a bit much for the Doberman..
The Solid Gold Barking at the Moon was $80 for the smaller bag ( Canidae is 40lb bags ) and I am not going to pay that for a name, when the quality and ingredients are not better than the Canidae.

The Canidae also has a good breeder program. For every 5 bags you buy, and send in your UPC codes and reciept, they’ll send you a coupon for a free 40lb bag.. With the quality of the food and the bonus breeder program.. The way the dogs love the food and how great they look.. I am sticking with Canidae!

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Your Questions About Dog Training Colorado

Laura asks…

where in the united states can i raise and train my own dog sled team for teh idarod. Its been a dream since?

i was young and would love to make it a reality.
Other than alaska.

admin answers:

You want to run in the Iditarod, but yet you don’t want to train in Alaska? You’re not going to have much luck, then. 🙂

Yes, there have are people who raise and run Iditarod-level teams in the Lower 48 and Canada (Doug Swingley being one of the notable ones)…but these people always end up living/training in Alaska for several weeks prior to the race.

The majority of the people who run the Iditarod from the Lower 48 live in Montana; there are others from Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. And of course there are people from Alberta and Yukon Terr. Canada who run.

There are also Iditarod mushers in Minnesota and Michigan who make the trek to Alaska for the race.

If you have little experience running sled dogs, your best bet is to become a handler for an Iditarod-level kennel for a few seasons in order to “learn the ropes”. Kennels start looking for handlers about this time of year as they get ready for fall training season.

Sleddogcentral.com is one of the best places to look for these opportunities:
http://www.sleddogcentral.com/classifieds/classads_wanted.htm#helpwanted

Good luck!

Maria asks…

Where can I find collie pups in Montana or Colorado?

We really want another collie dog and we’d like to start with a pup. I live in Colorado with my mom and I come to Montana for the summer to visit my Dad

admin answers:

I would recommend first checking shelters and collie specific rescues, you could save a dog’s life.
But another option is Le Pooch Connection in Colorado Springs – I know it sounds odd but I think this puppy-specific store with a training center is great and I’m hard to impress. They have many puppies of different breeds at the store being socialized and playing(Not locked up) and if you want a specific breed(Such as a collie dog) they have connections with good breeders in the area and out of state and will bring the puppy to the store for you to easily pick up and the price won’t make you cringe. If you choose not to get a rescue dog I would highly recommend this place. Here is their website: http://www.pooch-connection.com/

Paul asks…

What was the song played (at the Colorado Avalanche home opener 2011) that was at the 1 min till lights out?

Before the game got going Alan Roach anounced 1 min till the lights would go out. i was wondering the name of the song that was playing during it.

admin answers:

I was at that game! Legit even though they lost :/
I am pretty sure it was I gotta feeling by the Black Eyed Peas, if not i found a list of songs that are used mostly at the games at Pepsi, sorry the list is long.
Warm-Ups:

Like a G6 – Far East Movement
Bottoms Up – Trey Songz
No Hands – Wacka Flocka Flame
In The Ayer – Flo Rida (Jason Nevins Remix)
Ghosts N’ Stuff – Deadmau5
Some Chords – Deadmau5
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
Diamond Eyes – Shinedown
Snap Yo Fingers – Lil John
California Love – 2Pac
Help Is On The Way – Rise Against
Holiday – Green Day
Louder (Put Your Hands Up) – Chris Willis
All Star – Ty$
I Hear Em Say – Jermaine Dupri
Memories – David Guetta
Code Of The Road – Danko Jones
Living In A Dream – Finger Eleven
Kick In The Teeth – Papa Roach
Blood On My Hands – The Used
Drones – Rise Against
Show Me What You Got – Powerman 5000
Crawl Back In – Dead By Sunrise
We Are One – 12 Stones
Break – Three Days Grace
Breathe – Nickelback
All Night Long – Buckcherry
Symphony Of Destruction – Megadeth
Pieces – It’s Alive
New Dark Ages – Bad Religion
Blow Me Away – Breaking Benjamin
Land Of Confusion – Disturbed
Two Weeks – All That Remains

Goal Song:

Rock and Roll Part 2 – (Avs Edit)

Game Winning Songs:

Song 2 – Blur
Beautiful Day – U2
Celebration – Kool & The Gang

Power Play Song:

Warriors of Time – Black Tide

Game Favorites:

We R Who We R – Ke$ha
Fox On The Run – Sweet
Whip It – Devo
Jump – Van Halen
Born This Way – Lady Gaga
Given Up – Linkin Park
Ready To Roll – Jet Black Stare
Yeah 3x – Chris Brown
Shots – Lil John
Higher – Taio Cruz
We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool
Escape The Fate – Gorgeous Nightmare
Hey Baby Drop It To The Floor – Pitbull
Breadfan – Metalllica
Cotton Eyed Joe – Rednex
I Love Rock N Roll – Joan Jett
Mony Mony – Billy Idol
YMCA – Village People
Vertigo – U2
Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
Magic – B.o.B
Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
I Like It – Enrique Iglesias
Hard To Handle – Black Crowes
Buddy Holly – Weezer
Know Your Enemy – Green Day
China Grove – Doobie Brothers
Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
You Give Love A Bad Name – Bon Jovi
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
It’s Only Rock N Roll – The Rolling Stones
Nothin But A Good Time – Poison
Kernkraft 400 – Zombie Nation
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Kickstart My Heart – Motley Crue
Round And Round – Ratt
Panama – Van Halen
It’s Like That – Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins
Rock And Roll All Night – Kiss
Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Pretender – Foo Fighters
Bro Hymn – Pennywise
The Slam – Pendulum
Shazam! – Spiderbait

Bernie:

Atomic Dog – George Clinton

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Sensitive Stomachs

Betty asks…

Do you use Organic pet food?

I just finished Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures book. He says organic dog food can keep your pet healthier and make them live longer. Does anyone use organic pet food, and if so what do you think? Where do you get it?

admin answers:

Kevin Trudeau is right.

Cat Fancy (August) just ran a feature on their readers’ oldest cats. The oldest was 36!! And many were in their 30’s. That’s not an accident. By nature, they could live into their 30’s if they were fed and cared for properly.

My favorite holistic pet food is HealthyPetNet (see below). By the way, watch the online movie, Do You Know What’s In Your Pet’s Food? Wooo.. Amazing…

P.S. It goes more than organic pet food… It’s no corn, no wheat (by nature, animals don’t eat them, they are cheap protein substitutes, give them what they really need, which is real meat). You know, of course, to avoid by-products.

I do feral cat rescue and the changes in my cats’ health was evident from the first day (many quit losing their lunch — so much for the “sensitive stomach” myth — turns out many can’t really handle the corn and wheat!)

Lizzie asks…

Is it better to feed a dog dry food, canned food or a combination of both?

admin answers:

Generally speaking, dry food. But this answer is not an absolute. Here’s why:

1. Dry food produces less tartar. It is easier to measure the amount of the food (because canned has so much more liquid in it) and thus easier to control portion size and avoid weight issues. Let me put this in perspective: I have a 4 year old dog. He eats only dry food and gets a meal bone or rawhide a couple of times a week. I have NEVER brushed his teeth. Yet at every annual checkup we get compliments on the quality of his teeth and gums, how clean and tartar free they are.

2. I’ve seen some arguments that canned food is healthier in some cases (because the food doesn’t have to be double-baked and then preserved). While this sounds logical, the food evaluation sources I’ve seen (other than BARF advocates) haven’t made this argument. So I don’t know how true it is. I suspect it also varies from food to food as well.

3. I think part of the issue depends on the individual circumstances. I know some agility competitors who feed their dog wet food as a reward. They run the course, race off and pop the top on a small can of high quality food. They do that for each of 3 runs each day at the trial and that’s the dog’s food for the day. I know some dogs prefer wet over dry so if you give them both, they eat only the wet and not the dry. Some people travel with their dogs and canned food works best for them. Or they have mouse infestations so canned food is best for storage. Providing wet in one meal and dry in another is a bad idea (sensitive stomachs may not handle the different food well and you get runny stools) so if you’re going to feed both, always mix. But the larger point is, individual differences might dictate going with wet over dry (or dry over wet).

For myself, we go 100% dry. I feed with a water bowl next to the food bowl so my dog doesn’t need wet food in order to swallow or digest. As I said, I like how the dry food helps hold down tartar (and wet food increases tartar problems). And ultimately, my dog loves his dry food options (Orijen or Innova Evo).

I think a far more important question is the quality of the food. Get a food that has 5 or 6 stars at www.dogfoodanalysis.com and avoid a food with wheat or corn in it. In fact, grain-free and organic ingredients is best.

Richard asks…

what supplies do i need to buy for a new beagle puppy?

any help or websites would be good also any helpful tips on beagles

admin answers:

You will need: a crate, blankie, dog food dishes, collar or harness, leash, lots of toys (both stuffies and chew toys), puppy training books like “Training Your Puppy” magazine type book by the editors of Dog Fancy magazine, and “House-Training” also by the editors of Dog Fancy, some Fresh N Clean oxy-strength to clean up accidents and remove odors, and puppy food for small breed dogs.

We use Nutri Source (for small breed puppies, but they make it for other dogs and puppies too).

It’s ALL NATURAL and made with
REAL CHICKEN……NO BY PRODUCTS
NO WHEAT
Organic Selenium and Zinc
Balanced Omega 3 & 6
with DHA

For info go to their website….

Http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/

I have a Puggle (Pug / Beagle mix) and they can have sensitive digestive tracts. My puppy has never had diarhea or any stomach problems with this food. He is growing and developing wonderfully. He is healthy and happy. So I would highly suggest Nutri Source

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food

Ruth asks…

Need a good name for my Dog food company and its treat range?

We are an organic dog food company, looking for a catchy brand/company name and a name for our range of dog treats.

admin answers:

Naturally Doglicious

Michael asks…

What kind of dog food is best for my dog?

I have a Lab/German Shepherd who is just over 2 years old and I was wondering what kind/brand of food is best for her. She is very active and not over-weight at all. I always heard that you should look for a food that has meat as one of the first ingredients, but what other rules should you follow when looking for food? Also, I know there is organic dog food out there, is this recommended for a dog or is normal food ok? And, is dry food or canned/refrigerated food best for dogs? Thanks!

admin answers:

1. The meat first rule is good, but too general. There are legal meanings to the wording on pet food packaging so they can have meat listed first, but not actually have much meat in the food. To start, 90% of the ingredients are listed from the first to the fat source. The number of ingredients will very. To find a meat based food, you want to have meat first, but also have more meat ingredients than carbohydrates. Here are some made up examples:
Bad label:”Lamb, rice, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, chicken fat”. If you added all 4 carb ingredients and weighed them as a group against the meat, you have a ‘meat first’ food that actually has more grains than meat. Tricky.
Good label: “lamb, lamb meal, rice, sunflower oil”. Meat sources should be greater than or equal to the carb sources.

2. There is no legal definition of the word ‘organic’ in pet food. I could name a dog food ‘the most organic food ever’ and not have one organic ingredient in it. Unless the food has the green or black USDA stamp on it, it’s not worth the extra money and is not entirely organic. USDA organic pet food is very rare.

3. In my experience, the less processed the better. I love AAFCO raw diets, like Natures Variety and Northwest Naturals as well as dehydrated foods, like Honest Kitchen and Sojos. The more natural and less processed the better (for people too!). These diets can be expensive, but it is worth it to check cost and use fresh food if you can. If fresh food is out of the question, a top quality dry is ok.

4. Along with ingredients, check to see where the food is made. The company should openly disclose the specific factories used, if they co-pack, and what countries they buy raw ingredients from. Avoid companies that are vague about these questions. Also, avoid any brand you see on TV.

Here are my current favorite brands:
Honest Kitchen
Primal
Lotus
Natures Logic
Orijen
Acana

Susan asks…

What is the best organic dog food brand that doesn’t contain preservatives?

I don’t want to be feeding my 2 month old Papillon with dog food that has preservatives in it. I’ve read and heard that more and more people are switching to organic foods without preservatives in them, and that the preservatives are being replaced by Vitamine E.

Where can I get some of this dog food, and what brands are the best? Are there specific sites online that you can order the dog food from?

admin answers:

Innova is a great brand.

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Your Questions About Dog Training Denver

Charles asks…

How can I make this sentence more correct? *a dog related question*?

“Perhaps you could try contacting the American Kennel Association (AKC) and then ask them if they hold any training classes or not.”

I am trying to answer someone’s question in another forum but I don’t know if I’ve said it correctly or not. Could you please help me? Thanks!

admin answers:

Well, here’s the problem with your response besides that AKC stands for American Kennel Club, not Association. AKC is a record keeping organization and does NOT hold any type of training classes at all. They hold Conformation Shows, Agility Trials, Obedience Trials, etc., etc. If the person is asking about a certain breed, you would need to tell them to contact someone from that specific breed club, such as the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, the West Highland White Terrier Club of America, etc. Once you go to the National website, you can look for further information for the exact area, such as Denver, Tampa, Detroit, Cleveland, and so on.

Add: So in other words……”Perhaps you could try contacting someone from the (Insert breed name) Club of America, look up your state and location, and get in touch with either a breeder or member of that given Club to see if there are any training classes near you.”

Laura asks…

Is Chris Andersen the most popular Denver Nugget player?

Everyone seems to be fascinated by his blocks, his tattoos, and his hair.

admin answers:

As a die-hard Denver Nuggets fan I must say that each player is very popular with the fans. But Birdman is especially popular considering how much energy he brings to the game, all the great blocks and dunks he makes, his crazy hair and tattoos, and of course his incredible comeback story that has inspired so many people to never give up. He cleaned up his life and came back to be one of the best defensive players in the league! 2nd in blocks behind Dwight Howard, playing around 20 minutes off the bench!

But we love all our players here in Denver. When almost everyone on your team has a nickname, you know they’re loved:

Carmelo Anthony: Melo
Chauncey Billups: Mr. Big Shot, King of Park Hill (or Thrill from Park Hill)
Kenyon Martin: K-Mart
JR Smith: JR Swish!, Prodigy
Chris Andersen: Birdman, Birdzilla, Bird
Nene: The Thrill from Brazil (or hey, he’s just Nene, what’s cooler than having one name??), Big Brazil
Linas Kleiza: LK, L-Train, Lithuanian Liquidator
Anthony Carter: AC
Dahntay Jones: The Hound Dog
Renaldo Balkman: Perfect Stranger

I don’t know, I love them all.

Ruth asks…

What would be a good song to sing in a preformance?

I have the opportunity to sing in a Performance after school but I can’t think of a song that I would be able to sing. I am a Soprano pretty much so I would prefer to sing a song that has been sung by a female. I will be able to have a bass player, a guitar (Acoustic) player and wind Instruments as well. I don’t want to sing pop or love songs. Thank you for your suggestions.

admin answers:

These VOCAL SOLOS work well with Guitar OR Piano
ALREADY GONE… Tempchin/Strandlund
AMERICAN PIE… Don McLean
ANNIE’S SONG… John Denver
BAMBOO.. Dave Van Ronk
BELIEVE.. Elton John/ Bernie Taupin
BLACK WATER… Doobie Brothers
BLACKBEARD’S NAVY. James (Sunny Jim) White
BLACKBIRD.. Paul McCartney
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND.. Bob Dylan
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS.. Paul Simon
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME… Jay Gorney
BROWN EYED GIRL… Van Morrison
CALYPSO… John Denver
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT.. Elton John
CANDLE IN THE WIND.. Elton John / Bernie Taupin
CHEESBURGERS IN PARADISE.. Jimmy Buffet
COMES A TIME.. Neil Young
COTTEN FIELDS.. The Highwaymen,
CROSSROAD BLUES.. Cream
DEPORTEE.. Woody Guthrie
DESPERADO… Henley/Frey
DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART.. Blanche/Orson
DON’T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT.. James Taylor
DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME..Elton John
DOWN BY THE RIVER.. Neil Young
DREAMING WITH A BROKEN HEART.. John Mayer
EARLY MORNING RAIN… Gordon Lightfoot
EAST TEXAS ROAD.. Woody Guthrie
EAST VIRGINIA.. Pete Seeger (great Banjo Piece)
EL CONDOR PASA.. Paul Simon/ Robles
EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT… Jesus Christ superstar
EVIL WAYS… Santana
FADED BLUE.. Ian Tyson
FAREWELL.. Bob Dylan
FEELIN’ GROOVY.. Paul Simon
FIRE AND RAIN.. James Taylor
FLY AWAY.. John Denver
FOUR STRONG WINDS.. Ian Tyson
FROM A DISTANCE… Julie Gold
GARDEN SONG.. David Mallett
GEORGY GIRL.. The Seekers
GRANDMA’S FEATHER BED… Jim Connor..
GUANTANAMERA.. Jose Marti
HALLELUJAH.. Jeff Buckley
HE WENT TO PARIS… Jimmy Buffet
HEART OF GOLD.. Neil Young
HOTEL CALIFORNIA… Felder/Henley/Frey
I AIN’T GOT NO HOME… Wooddy Guthrie
I AM, I AM.. Naomi Hirshorn
I WILL NEVER MARRY.. The Carter Family
I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE.. Daniel Emmitt
IMAGINE… John Lenno
JOLLY MON SING .. Buffet/Jennings/Utley
LAY DOWN SALLY.. Eric Clapton
LEAVING ON A JET PLANE… John Denver
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE.. Walsh/Henley/Frey
LIKE A SAD SONG.. John Denver
LITTLE BIRDIE.. Pete Seeger (a fun Banjo piece to play)
LOVE NEEDS A HEART.. George, Carter and Brown
LYIN’ EYES… Henley/Frey
ME AND BOBBY MAGEE.. Janis Joplin
MEXICO.. James Taylor
MISTER TAMBOURINE MAN… Bob Dylan
MOMMA TOLD ME.. Three Dog Night
MONDAY MORNING… Yarbow/Stookey/Travers/Okun
MORNING TRAIN.. Elena Mezzetti
MRS. ROBINSON… Paul Simon
MY SWEET LADY.. John Denver
NEW KID IN TOWN.. Souther/Henley/Frey
NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN.. The Moody Blues
OFF TO SEE THE LIZARD.. Jimmy Buffet
OLD MAN… Neil Young
ONE GRAIN OF SAND.. Pete Seeger
ONE PARTICULAR HARBOR.. Jimmy Buffet
PART OF ME.. Paul Barron
PEACEFUL EASY FEELING.. Jack Tempchin
PROPINQUITY .. Michael Nesmith
PROUD MARY.. Creedance Clearwater Revival
RAINY DAY PEOPLE.. Gordon Lightfoot
ROCK ME ON THE WATER.. Jackson Browne
ROCKET MAN.. Elton John/Bernie Taupin
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH… John Denver/Mike Taylor
SAD SONGS… Elton John/Bernie Taupin
SONG FOR CANADA.. Tyson/Gzowski
SOUTHERN CROSS… Jimmy Buffet
SOUTHERN MAN… Neil Young
SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS.. Denver/Taylor/Kniss
SWEET BABY JANE.. James Taylor
SWEET EMOTION.. Arrowsmith
SWEET HOME ALABAMA.. Lynyrd Skynyrd
SWEET POTATOES.. Pete Seegers
T FOR TEXAS… Jimmy Roberts
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT.. Meisner/Henley/Grey
TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS.. Denver
TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN.. Yarbow/Stookey/Taravers
TEQUILA SUNRISE… Henley/Frey
THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY.. John Sommers
THE CRUEL WAR.. Stookey / Peter Yarbow
THE BEAT GOES ON.. Sonny and Cher
THE ENTERTAINER.. Scott Joplin
THE FOOLISH FROG… Pete Seegers
THE HUNGRY YEARS.. Neil Sedaka / Howard Greenfield
THE PRETENDER.. Jackson Browne
THE ONE.. Elton John/ Bernie Taupin
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND.. Woody Guthrie
THIS TRAIN.. Peter Yarbow and Paul Stookey
THERE’S ANGER IN THE LAND… Hedy and Don West
YOU LOVE THE THUNDER.. . Jackson Browne
YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND.. Carole King
WASTED TIME.. Henley/Frey
WE’LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE.. Gayle Garnett
WHEN THE SHIP COMES IN.. Bob Dylan
WITCHY WOMAN… Leadon/Henley
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE.. Pete Seeger
WHERE MY HEART WILL TAKE ME … Warren
WILD HORSES.. The Rolling Stones
WORLD WITHOUT LOVE.. Jonah Smith
WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD.. Lightfoot
WRITTEN IN THE STARS.. Elton John / Tin Rice
YOU RAISE ME UP.. .. Graham/Lovland
YOUR SONG.. Elton John/Bernie Taupin

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Your Questions About Rough Collie Breeders Texas

Betty asks…

does anyone know of any rough collie breeders?

I am looking for rough collie puppies in Texas and the closer to Houston the better. I am hoping t find a puppy around 500 i wish to pay no more than 600. any help would be much appreciated! Thank you!

admin answers:

Try checking Petfinder.com. Also Dog Fancy Magazine may have some breeders listed. Often times animal shelters do have full bred puppies in need of a good home. Hope this helps 🙂

James asks…

What is the best way to house train and crate train a rough collie puppy?

I haven’t purchased a puppy yet, but I’m am researching best ways to train them. I would also appreciate any known breeders in Texas. The closer they are to Houston the better that would be for me. Thanks!

admin answers:

Contact the national club for a referral to reputable breeders in your area. Crate-training is the same for most any puppy.

John asks…

What is the best way to house train and crate train a rough collie puppy?

I haven’t purchased a puppy yet, but I’m am researching best ways to train them. I would also appreciate any known breeders in Texas. The closer they are to Houston the better that would be for me. Thanks!

admin answers:

I live in houston too lool. Just research on google put animal shelters in houston in they’ll show you i been to them in they have every breed, but you need to look for the right shelter. I have a toy poodle there’s this lady that has some male & female there 8 weeks old, but im in katy TX btw i got my from my friend. Anyways to train a puppy what i did was put a treat in my puppy crate let him go get it then closed the door or if he doesn’t go for it give him a treat when he walks to the crate then put treat slowly closer & closer inside the crate until he gets in do this until he does it on his own. House training can take a while for puppies buy training pads for the puppy so he can pee there show him 1 trick for 1 month my toy poodle learn how to sit when he was 5weeks

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Your Questions About Organic Dog Food Recipes

Ken asks…

How do I get my cat off dry food and on to raw food?

My cat has chronic UTI problems and I think it is because of the dry Iams food she is addicted to. Sometomes she will eat a little canned Iams but not often enough to make her well. I hoe I can reverse her condition by changing her diet. I want to get her off the Iams completely and on to a raw food diet. How do I do this? How can I get her to eat the raw food? Where and what raw food should I get and how should she be fed? how often and how much? Should I give her other foods in addition to the raw meat?

Female cat, 8 years old. Medium sized.

admin answers:

Hi there… I want to apologize in advance for the length of this answer. I just have a lot of info to share with you and I don’t want to miss anything. : )

I too have a male cat with a similar condition. However his UTI’s led us to finding a Kidney Stone and he had to have surgery to have it removed. 🙁 The poor thing. Being a male it’s pretty rare from them to actually develop a stone. Usually they blow the stone/grain into their urethra and it blocks. But he didn’t. And from the looks and size of the stone, Doc is 100% convinced it’s been in there for years and years. 🙁 Phat Boy didn’t show symptoms though so we didn’t know until I caught him straining. I tell you all that so you know that I understand your situation with switching foods. Been there… done that. And it is the best thing you can do for her. Just also understand though that recent studies have shown diet to not be the cause of FLUTD/FUS. However you can make some changes that can help your cat for the better.

As for making homemade Cat food… it can be a huge ordeal and you could do more damage to your cat by feeding it an improperly prepared home meal. Especially a Cat that already has issues. Cats have very delicate dietary needs that must be researched thoroughly before feeding a RAW diet. There are NO “simple” homemade cat food recipes that work long term. I am not against RAW / BARF Diets for cats… I have tried it. I do know what is involved. It can be wonderful, but it can also be disastrous for your cat if you don’t know what you’re doing. Also know that Dog and Cat RAW diets are completely different. You will see that in your research. Be careful if you choose RAW, and know what you are getting into before you do it. If you feel you MUST go RAW, I recommend you start here http://www.catnutrition.org/. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of great information and recipes. Plan on spending a lot of time reading about this. No one here is going to give you the “simple” Answer to a RAW / BARF Diet for your cats.

With that said, my advice to you is this… Find a good high quality Human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic manufactured food instead.

Put her on a high quality human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic canned only diet of 5.5 ounces of wet food split up into three feedings or more a day. I know you say she won’t eat canned… but if you take away the dry she will be more apt to eat what you offer. Also try warming it in the microwave for a few seconds to make t smell yummy to her. If even after she boycotts you and starves for two days… go back to dry. Some cats just won’t eat wet food.

Let me give you a run down about foods…

It’s time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.

With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.

Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in cat food is a joke. Ever seen a cat chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.

Cats, despite thousands of years of domestication, remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class – contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!

Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that bag and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.

What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.

I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can’t afford it, you can’t feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer.

I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!

Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.

Drs. F&S Food Link – http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+6000

Wellness Food Link – http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html

Eagle Pack Holistic Select – http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html

Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

****DO NOT FEED IAMS!**** http://www.iamscruelty.com

*************************************

Ok, so now you’re on your way to choosing a better food. Your key thing because of your cats UTI issues is to get her onto a low ash, low magnesium diet. The lower the better on both of those percents.

You also want to encourage her water intake. Purchase a pet fountain. I bought a drinkwell from Drs Foster and Smith for my cats and they love it. Http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=1783 And give her only Distilled water. Many vets believe that the quality, or lack there of, in tap water leads to URI’s. Giving distilled water will not add any uneeded minerals to her system. And it will help clean her out just like it does for humans.

I hope that my suggestions help you help your kitty. UTI’s can be so frustrating. And sometimes… not matter what you do they still persist because of the cats body and how it reacts to things. I wish you luck in helping your kitty ward off the UTI’s!

Thomas asks…

What have you done to replace cat food since the recall?

Have your tried homemade cat foods? Or have you tried different brands?

admin answers:

Hi there… Making homemade Cat food can be a huge ordeal and you could do more damage to your cat by feeding it an improperly prepared home meal. Cats have very delicate dietary needs that must be researched thoroughly before feeding a RAW diet. There are NO “simple” homemade cat food recipes that work long term. I am not against RAW / BARF Diets for cats… I have tried it. I do know what is involved. It can be wonderful, but it can also be disastrous for your cat if you don’t know what your doing. Also know that Dog and Cat RAW diets are completely different. You will see that in your research. Be careful if you choose RAW, and know what you are getting into before you do it. If you feel you MUST go RAW, I recommend you start here http://www.catnutrition.org/. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of great information and recipes. Plan on spending a lot of time reading about this. No one here is going to give you the “simple” Answer to a RAW / BARF Diet for your cats.

With that said, my advice to you is this… Find a good high quality Human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic manufactured food instead.

It’s time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.

With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.

Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in cat food is a joke. Ever seen a cat chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.

Cats, despite thousands of years of domestication, remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class – contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!

Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading and put down that bag.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.

What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.

I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can’t afford it, you can’t feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer. Some brands, not all, of Nutro cat food are semi-ok if you want to spend less money, however I personally would never chose their food for nutritional value.

I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!

Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.

Drs. F&S Food Link – http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+6000

Wellness Food Link – http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html

Eagle Pack Holistic Select – http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html

Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

****DO NOT FEED IAMS!**** http://www.iamscruelty.com

Mandy asks…

Is it healthy to feed my dog homemade food?

Well, after watching so much youtube videos about homemade dog food, I just wanted to know if it is really nutritional and healthy for my dog. The ingredients are frozen carrots, chicken liver, frozen beans/peas, sweet potatoes, and white rice. Is that good or bad? Why? Thank you for helping me!!!

admin answers:

Hi Charlito,

Thank you for asking a great question. It shows you are a great pet parent with concerns for your pet’s long term health. Yes, it is very nutritional and healthy for your dog. Many dogs who are fed home cooked or raw diets live longer, healthier lives. “You are what you eat” pertains to dogs as well. I am a Canine Chef and have been home-cooking for my dogs for over two years now as they were very sick. I have studied and read every book and worked with a Holistic Animal Nutritionists when creating my business to help busy pet parents who don’t have the time to cook. Our recipes were created with a Holistic Animal Nutritionist, which humans can eat as well, but it is all about catering to your precious pet! We love our vet, but no longer have vet bills, except for our annual checkups.

It is very important to know what you can and cannot feed your pets. Many dog cookbooks and websites list ingredients that are not the best for your pet. Do not use white rice as it is hard for dogs and humans to digest. Use Brown Rice, quinoa, barley or oats, preferably organic.

Try to stay away from peas and carrots as they are genetically modified. Try to use fresh vegetables and cook or lightly steam them. Other than raw carrots, raw veggies are hard for most dogs to digest and they will just throw them up. Sweet Potatoes or Yams are great. Do not use white potatoes as they can be carcigenic. Do not use wheat or white flour or soy. “Why?” can be found on our website.

Try to use meats that do not have any hormones or antibiotics. We only use 100% Grass Fed meats, which are more expensive that meats from feed-lots, but well worth the price in long term health, happiness and preventing illnesses. Plus you support local farmers who ethically raise their animals.

Variety is key, as many nutrients are provided. Feeding the same meal to your pet can eventually cause allergic reactions. Make sure you are feeding the right proportions of protein, good fats and carbs. A Good Rule of Thumb is about 55-60% protein, 25-30 veggies and 10-15% grain. Make sure to “always” add a supplement from whole foods as well. Stay away from synthetic vitamins as their digestive system does not readily absorb these.

I recently saved $8,000 in surgery for luxating patellas on my dogs Cleo & Patra. How? Feeding whole foods that are nutrient dense and medicinal, along with acupuncture and raw marrow bones, which we sell.

Dogs need alot of calcium and raw dairy is great for cats and dogs that are lactose intolerant. It also helps humans with allergies and asthma. It is the pasteurization process that everyone is allergic to, which destroys the lactic acid that your body and pets need to digest. Give them raw cheese as a snack as well. Remember to start slowly with anything new.

At Cleo & Patra Canine Cuisine, we create healthy home-style cooked meals for dogs using only nutrient dense ingredients you can pronounce and your dog can easily digest. We have had much success in helping dogs get off their food allergy medications after two months on our food. Transitioning your pet’s diet SLOWLY is very important!

For more information and the many benefits of a home-cooked diet, check out our website at www.cleoNpatra.com. I’ve done all the homework for you. 🙂

I’ve listed a few other sites below that will be helpful as well. We were the featured “Pet Food” product in Doggie Afficionado’s “Green Living” Winter issue, which you can read on our site.

Yes, our food is more expensive than kibble. Grass fed meats cost more as the animals live twice as long as animals from feedlots.
All our preparation, cooking and vacuum-sealed packaging is done by hand . All our food sources are from the USA and we ship across the USA. “Know Your Source” of food is our motto.

Our Canine Connections page lists our farmers so you can order from them for yourselves and your pets, as well as many good books, DVDs and website links on this subject.

Either you are going to spend your money upfront on good nutrition or down the road on vet bills. Take you pick!

Good Luck on your venture and don’t hesitate to ask any more questions. Our concern is that pet parents are cooking properly for their pets, with the best intentions. Sorry for the long answer, but I am so passionate about this and want everyone’s dogs to live as long a life as possible! 🙂

Bone Appetit!

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