Word at the dog park is that Trupanion Pet Insurance is now covering all the Hill’s Prescription Diet and Science Diet Healthy Advantage pet foods as part of its insurance coverage.

The insurance will cover about half the cost of therapeutic pet foods including Hill’s Prescription Diet pet foods for two months. As well, you will receive a discount on the monthly insurance premium for the therapeutic pet food, as long as it’s continued feeding of the brand, which is only available through veterinary hospitals. If you work in veterinary healthcare, you can find out more about the program by calling 1-800-569-7913 or by contacting your Trupanion Territory Partner. If you want to learn more about Trupanion’s pet insurance policy’s, you can visit the Trupanion website.

Question: Would you go with a pet insurance company just to get a discount on pet food? Leave us your comments below.

AGE

Depending on how old your dog is, you will need to adjust their feeding portion accordingly. Though some dog food formulas have a general guideline that gives you an idea of how much food your dog will need, most only cite your dog’s weight as an influential factor. As a general rule, you will have to feed your dog less as a puppy, more as an adult, and less when they are over seven years of age. This is because as your dog ages, their metabolic rate will fluctuate slightly. It’s also best that you switch formulas in each of your dog’s life stages, since this will affect your dog’s development and caloric intake.

WEIGHT

The majority of commercial dog food formulas include a weight chart that will allow you to figure out how much your dog should be eating each day. However, there is a general rule that you can use as far as portion size. If your dog weighs up to 10 lbs, you will want to feed them around one cup of food per day. If your dog weighs from 10 to 25 lbs, you need to feed your dog from 1 ½ to 2 ¼ cups per day. If your dog weighs from 25 to 50 lbs, they will require from 2 ¼ to 3 ¾ cups of food per day. Dogs that weigh from 50 to 75 lbs will need from 3 ¾ cups to 5 cups per day. If your dog weighs over 75 lbs, you will want to feed them from 5 to 8 cups of dog food per day. These are the general guidelines for dry food formulas, and should be adjusted when feeding your dog canned food formulas.

ACTIVITY LEVEL

Contrary to popular belief, the guidelines stated for your dog’s daily feeding portion should be adjusted according to your dog’s activity level. Some dogs that are highly active should be fed slightly more food per day. However, it is important not to overfeed your dog, since this will cause them to have a higher likelihood of becoming obese. If your dog has a low level of activity, and spends a significant amount of time indoors, you will want to feed them slightly less than their recommended daily portion. As stated before, you need to only use very slight adjustments when finding the proper portion of food for your dog. This will prevent your dog from gaining weight, or from becoming prone to malnutrition.

As always, we appreciate your comments!

Question:  Do you adjust the amount of food your dog consumes based on their activity level?

OBESITY

A common problem among dogs that are fed table scraps on a regular basis is obesity. Most humans consume a high-carbohydrate, high-sugar diet that includes many different processed ingredients. Because of this, it is estimated that approximately 45% of the pets in the United States are currently obese. Diet plays a huge role in pet obesity, since many pets have different nutritional requirements than humans do. Because of this, it’s possible that a dog that is constantly fed human food can eventually become obese.

PANCREATITIS

Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas of a dog becomes inflamed to the point where it no longer functions normally. In dogs, this health condition can be caused by a one-time ingestion of a high-fat meal, or ingestion of a high-fat diet over a long period of time. Many human table scraps (chicken skin, leftover meat, bacon grease) are extremely high in fat, though some people choose to feed these foods to their dogs. It’s essential that you remember that pancreatitis is a sometimes irreversible condition, which can be caused by your dog only eating a high-fat meal once. Avoid giving your dog high—fat human foods at all costs.

SAFE HUMAN FOODS FOR DOGS?

In general, it is best to use common sense when feeding your dog human food. Dogs are not designed to consume a high percentage of simple carbohydrates, such as those found in white flour, white rice and pastries. In addition to this, it’s best to avoid feeding your dog any food substance that contains artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, steroids or artificial growth hormones. This eliminates a majority of human food, and only leaves some food substances. In addition to this, there are many human foods (garlic, onions, raisins, avocados, chocolate) that can potentially cause serious health problems in dogs.

SHOULD I AVOID FEEDING MY DOG HUMAN FOOD?

It’s generally best to avoid feeding your dog human food on a regular basis. Because of the ingredients that can be toxic to your dog, as well as the chance of your dog developing a health condition, it’s advised that you stick to your dog’s regular diet. While it is possible to give your dog a “treat” (such as a small cube of cooked, deboned chicken or steak) every so often, it’s best to avoid feeding your dog human foods if they are being fed a commercial diet.

If you do decide to feed your dog human food, the key is to make sure that you are not over-feeding your dog, and the foods that you give them are unrefined whole foods that contain no preservatives etc.

Do you feed your dog anything other than commercial dog food?  Tell us your thoughts on feeding your dog human food…

WET DOG FOOD VS. DRY DOG FOOD

As a pet owner, your dog’s nutrition is entirely your own responsibility. Making the choice about the best brand of food to feed your dog is hard enough, but another choice you will have to make is if you want to feed canned or dry food to your dog. There are certain advantages and disadvantages associated with both of these food formulas, which may affect the decision you make about which one is best for your dog. Choosing a food formula is a very important part of pet care, since it will allow you to have direct control over the quality of food that your dog consumes. Here is some general information about wet and dry dog food formulas, which will help you to have a much easier time making a decision.

WET DOG FOOD

Wet dog food is usually marketed as a canned formula, though is sometimes available in single-serving plastic pouches. Wet dog food is usually highly concentrated, designed to give your dog a full meal with less of the ‘bulk’ that is commonly contained in dry dog food. Since wet dog food does not require some of the filler ingredients that are added to some low-quality dry dog food kibble, it is said by some people to provide a better source of nutrition to your dog.

However, wet dog food is not without its setbacks. Because of the additional packaging and production process of wet dog food, it tends to be much more expensive for the same amount of nutrition as some high-quality dry dog food formulas. In addition to this, wet dog food does not promote healthy teeth in dogs, since it does not remove plaque and tartar from the teeth. Wet dog food can also become caught between a dog’s teeth, which can result in cavities.

DRY DOG FOOD

Dry dog food is said to be the most nutritious and cost-effective method to feed a dog. If you purchase a high-quality dry dog food formula, you are often able to give your dog the same quality of nutrients provided in canned dog food formulas for much less money. In addition to this, dry dog food formulas promote healthy growth and development of jaw muscles in puppies, as well as adult dogs. Dry dog food formulas do not spoil if left out, which leads to a slightly longer shelf life. Dry kibble dog food formulas also have a scraping effect on your dog’s teeth, reducing the buildup of plaque and tartar. This promotes good dental health, and can even aid in banishing bad breath in dogs.

SWITCHING DOG FOODS

If your dog is currently consuming a wet dog food formula, and you wish to switch them to a dry dog food formula (or vice versa), you need to use caution. Most dogs do not respond well to rapid changes in diet, often having gastrointestinal problems as a result. Make the transition slowly, mixing some of the new formula in with your dog’s old food formula. If you wish, you can even compromise, and feed your dog a permanent mixture of both canned and dry dog food as their staple diet.

Do you feed your dog wet or dry food, and why?  Please comment below!

What are you thoughts on the manufacturing process? Post your comments below!

1.    PURCHASE YOUR INGREDIENTS

The quality of the ingredients that you add to your homemade dog food formula is extremely important. Try to use organic, non-processed ingredients that do not have any steroids, growth hormones, preservatives or pesticides. As a general rule, you will need to choose one type of protein (per formula), two vegetables and one carbohydrate. Depending on the recipe you are following, you can adjust your formula to include many different ingredients.

2.    MIX YOUR INGREDIENTS

The mixing process for the ingredients in your homemade dog food formula is fairly straightforward. Chop the type of meat you are using (pork, beef, chicken, lamb, etc) into small bite-sized pieces, and add them to the bowl. Some people prefer to lightly cook the meat, but feeding your dog raw food is fine as long as you are certain that it contains no harmful bacteria. It’s essential that you do not use any seasoning ingredients, since there are some ingredients (garlic, onions) that are potentially toxic to your dog! If you decide to cook the meat, try to use a cooking oil that is high in omega 3 fatty acids, since this is the healthiest option for your dog. Vegetables do not need to be cooked and should be added to the food in raw form. If you decide to add grains to your homemade dog food, consider using high quality nutrient dense grains only, such as quinoa, millet or brown rice. Any grains should be cooked before they are fed to your dog.

3.    BLEND YOUR INGREDIENTS

Once all of your ingredients are properly prepared, you can make your dog food formula! You can either opt to mix all of the ingredients together to make a single formula, or you can keep them all separate, and add them together as-needed to feed to your dog. Since your formula needs to be refrigerated after it’s prepared, it’s important that you have enough space in your refrigerator for your dog’s finished formula.

4.    SUPPLEMENTAL INGREDIENTS

If you wish, you can also add supplemental ingredients to make your homemade dog food formula more nutritious. This includes flax seed oil, cod liver oil, or ground vitamins. It’s important not to overuse these ingredients, however, since they can be detrimental to your dog’s health if given in large amounts. For example, if you use too many vitamin supplements in your homemade dog food formula, you run the risk of your dog overdosing on certain vitamins that are only designed to be given to your dog in small quantities. It’s best to carefully monitor the amount of any supplement you add to your homemade dog food formula, so that you are able to provide a diet that is properly balanced in nutrition for your dog.

Home-made dog food takes some time and effort to prepare, but you will sleep well at night knowing that your dog is not eating potentially harmful ingredients.

Have you ever tried making dog food at home?  Do you have any recipes that you would like to share?

SALMON DOG TREATS (GRAIN-FREE)

1.    Gather all of the ingredients that you will need for making your dog treats. In this recipe, you will need one can of salmon (organic), ½ cup of grated parsley, 3 cups of potato flour and three eggs (including shells). Optional ingredients include ½ cup of ground flax seeds, sesame seeds, or other nutritious ingredients you wish to add to the formula. It’s best if you only use organic ingredients in your dog treats, since this will allow you to make a treat that is free from pesticides, preservatives and artificial growth hormones.

2.    In the next step, you will need to thoroughly blend all of the ingredients. Add the Salmon, parsley and eggs to a food processor, mixing them on a low setting. Once these ingredients are mixed, you can turn the speed of the processor up slightly to a middle setting. Add the flour (and flax, sesame or other ingredients) gradually, through the top of the food processor while it is still mixing the ingredients.

3.    Once the mixture has reached the consistency of cookie dough, take it out of the food processor. Knead the dough on a floured cutting board, making sure that the consistency of the dough is even. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin so that it is from ¼ to ¾ of an inch thick, depending on how big you want your treats to be. Once your dough is flat, you can either cut it with a cookie cutter, or simply slice it into small squares with a knife. Try to ensure that all of the pieces are the same size, so that they will all have approximately the same cooking time.

4.    Lightly grease a cookie sheet with a non-stick cooking spray, or simply line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place your dough pieces about an inch apart on the cookie sheet, using even spacing.

5.    Cook the dough mixture in the oven at approximately 375 degrees for about twenty minutes. If you want harder cookies, you can rotate your cookie sheet after 20 minutes and bake for another

FEEDING YOUR PUPPY

In general, puppies need to have more scheduled feeding times per day than adult dogs. This is because a puppy’s body is in ‘growth’ mode, and needs a constant supply of nutrients in order to be healthy. Most puppies will benefit from a diet that has their daily food portion divided up into three feedings per day. These feeding times can be scheduled to be after family mealtimes, so that your puppy learns to obey a strict feeding time line. Puppies will generally not eat all of their food the first few days, which is normal. Once your puppy understands that they have scheduled feeding times, they will understand that they can comfortably consume their feeding portion without feeling hungry in between meals. Try to have even hour spacing in between your puppy’s mealtimes, in order to prevent digestive irregularities.

FEEDING YOUR ADULT DOG

Adult dogs are slightly easier to feed than puppies, as long as they have been raised to obey a strict feeding schedule. Adult dogs are healthiest when fed from two to three times per day. You can either choose to feed your dog on a twice daily morning/evening schedule, or feed your dog following each of your three family meals. In general, it is best to stick to feeding an adult dog three times per day. This will help promote digestive regularity, and will also help you to be aware of when your dog may have to go outside to go to the bathroom. In addition to this, feeding your dog after family meals helps to promote bonding. This is because with wild dogs, lower members of the pack always eat after the “alpha” members of the pack. By feeding your dog after your family, you are establishing that they are non-dominant member of your pack. This can also help to discourage aggressive behavior in some types of dogs.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRESH WATER

It’s always highly recommended that you have a constant supply of fresh water available for your dog, even in between meals. Dogs are generally very good about drinking water when they’re dehydrated, which helps to prevent urinary tract problems. Dogs also need to ingest fresh water in order to properly digest their food. In order to keep your dog’s water fresh, it’s best if you clean and replace your dog’s water dish on a daily basis. This will help to prevent the growth of bacteria, and will also ensure that your dog has sanitary water available at all times. If you keep your dog outside during the day, it is also recommended that you have a readily available outdoor water source as well.

How often do you feed your dog?  Have you noticed a difference when changing the number of daily meals?

WHAT IS RAW FEEDING?

Feeding your dog a raw food diet involves using only natural, uncooked, unprocessed ingredients in your dog’s food. Naturally, this involves a significant amount of preparation, as well as research about the types of ingredients that need to be included in a dog’s diet. Raw feeding is based on the idea that domesticated dogs will thrive if given a diet that more closely mimics the diet of dogs in the wild. Due to the inferior quality of many commercial dog food formulas, more people are opting to take direct control over their dog’s nutritional intake by starting a raw food diet.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A RAW FOOD DIET?

Feeding your dog a raw food diet means that your dog will not be consuming the artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives and filler ingredients contained in many commercial dog food formulas. In addition to this, if you do a bit of research, you will be able to provide your dog with a diet that is more nutritionally complete than provided by processed dog food formulas. In essence, you will be able to have direct control over your dog’s diet by providing only unprocessed, natural raw ingredients.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RISKS WITH A RAW FOOD DIET?

The most common risk factor cited in raw feeding is improper selection of ingredients. If you choose to use low-quality raw meat, for example, your dog has a risk of ingesting harmful bacteria that lives in some types of raw meat. To prevent this, it’s essential that you are extremely careful when choosing the ingredients for your raw food diet. In addition to this, you have to be careful that the ingredients of your dog’s raw diet satisfy your dog’s nutritional requirements.

HOW MUCH DOES A RAW DIET COST?

By the estimation of many dog owners, feeding your dog a raw diet does not cost significantly more than feeding your dog a mid to high grade commercial dog food formula. However, it is essential that you not exclude certain ingredients from your dog’s raw food diet because of their cost. If you follow a formula for satisfying your dog’s nutritional needs, it’s best that you do not skimp on the ingredients. If you follow these guidelines when feeding your dog a raw food diet, you will be able to provide a highly nutritious diet for your dog.

Please share your experience and thoughts on a raw dog food diet.  Have you ever fed your dog a raw food diet?  Would you ever consider it?

Thanks!

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