Introduction Dog Food Blog gives you the news and trends in dog food and much more…. Dog Food BlogDog food blog related and dog breed information. I guess this is the first post on dog food blog that has nothing to do with dog food. Dog Dog owners often run into the same issues and I can relate to them from experience. Dogs are individuals and a dog food that is perfect for one dog may not suit another dog very well. Dogs in Western countries are usually too fat instead of too thin. Dogs that are afraid show signs such as shaking, trembling, more drooling than usual, some dogs start barking or howling, others may try to hide or get away. Dog food has to do more than just kill your dog’s hunger and provide nutrients to be nutritious to your pooch. Dog Food BlogDog food blog related and dog breed information. Dog Obedience TrainingTeaching your dog to sit, stay, fetch. Via the contact form of Best Dog Food Guide I received the following question:. My dog is overweight by at least 15 pounds. I tried dog walkers but reliability was a big problem for me so I gave up on that idea. He is a golden lab and the best dog known. I have a couple of ideas to help your dog loose weight:. The playful exercise I have in mind is to throw a ball and have your dog go and fetch it. Your dog will walk and run more than you and on top of that your bond increases as you play together. Try another brand of diet dog food that is rich in fiber. I’ve heard Hills has a good weight loosing dog food (Hills r/d). I cannot judge whether your dog would be a candidate for the doggy diet pill (Slentrol by Pfizer Inc. I’ve written about this on my site at this page: Obesity in Dogs (at the bottom). Finally, some people that love dogs don’t have one of their own as they are working full time. When a couple with kids can take your dog to the forest every weekend for a very long walk then this would be a win-win situation for them and your dog. The reported symptoms in dogs include:Dogs refusing to eat (just being smart doggies perhaps)DiarrheaVomiting. The problem is inconsistent as not every dog eating food from those dates/bag shows the symptoms and it’s not with every bag. Did you buy a bag of Timberwolf Organics dry dog food with those dates. The market for dog and cat food continues to grow. Of course this can’t go on at such rates though analysts predict the dog and cat food will continue to grow in the upcoming 5 years to 52 million US dollars in 2012. People scale up the dog food they buy and more sales is done in the premium dog food segment. This opens up new markets and we see an increasing success with health-focussed multi-functional dog food with ingredients such as omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Also dog food with marketing claims such as gluten-free, hypoallergenic and organic is doing well. This is mainly in the economy and mid-priced dog food segment. Influencing factors in Eastern Europe are: Increasing levels of disposable income Changing perception of dogs and cats Increased demand for prepared dog and catfood Rising urbanization Improved distribution infrastructure Increased number of single person households has increased the need for companionship. In short, more dogs, more points of sale, the perception of dogs as companions and family members is driving this growth. A dog that has found out how to manipulate its owner. Animals won’t just starve themselves to death so have trust in your dog’s natural instincts to survive. Switching dog food to often or to sudden can be the cause for runny stool. The intestines of a dog (and ours too for that matter) harbor many bacteria. Because colonization with good bacteria prevents rapid proliferation of bad bacteria, your dog is less susceptible to infectious diarrhea. This is why the intestinal balance is so important in your dog’s immunological defense. For more information regarding this I can point you to the following pages on Best Dog Food Guide:When and how to change dog food. Restore the intestinal balance to increase your dog’s resistance to diseases by supplementing his food with prebiotics or probiotics for dogs. Perhaps you are already aware of this and you resist a meal upgrade but then what do you do when your dog is more patient than you. That way your dog is in control instead of you. You have selected good food for your dog when YOUR dog is doing well on it. A good indicator whether the kind of dog food you choose is good for your dog is to look at your dog’s health. Is it runny all the time, then the dog food you’re feeding is not digested very well and your dog is not getting all of the nutrients out of it. Posted in April 27th, 2008 by Barbara in Obesity and Weight Control, Prescription DietsCanine diabetes is becoming a lifestyle disease in dogs just like in humans. This can be achieved by feeding a special diabetic dog food and feeding multiple smaller meals a day instead of one biggie. Diabetic dog food reduces the stress that is placed on the pancreas. A diabetic dog benefits from this as the blood sugar peak, which usually appears after enjoying a meal, will be flattened and spread out. Visit Best Dog Food Guide for a complete description of diabetes mellitus in dogs and to learn more about which prescription dog food diet to choose. Kyle from the USA posted the following question to ‘Best Dog Food Guide‘:. “I’ve been told dry dog food is good for my dogs teeth. I’m assuming Kyle is worried about his dog’s teeth and gums. The best thing to do is brush your dog’s teeth and you don’t actually need tooth paste; water alone will be fine. Hills has a special dog food to take care of problems in this area (Hill’s Prescription Diet T/D Oral Care) and you’ll notice upon examination of this food that it’s not hard indeed. The dog’s teeth disappear into this kibble thereby cleaning the surface whilst eating. You can buy just a small bag and give your dog just a couple of these after he’s had his normal meal. Did you know that about 85% of dogs have inflammations of their gums at 3 years of age. In the first months a lot of websites and blogs were writing about this topic and many more people were searching for information to find safe dog food. This way they could charge more money for this dog food ingredient but it also killed some pets consuming it. Thank god the pet food industry has been taking appropriate action to avoid the next dog food scandal. Whether it’s out of karmic responsibility or to prevent another stock free fall doesn’t matter in the end just as long as our beloved tail waggers don’t die from eating commercial dog food. Her dog had become ill, only a week before Menu Foods issued the recall and warning. When you think the humanization trend in the dog food world is at it’s top you’ll be surprised again. First we had special beer for dogs and now the American company Bark Vineyards produces wine for dogs. This drink for posh dogs is not cheap but it does come in a bottle that looks just like a regular bottle of wine for humans. Names are different though as your dog can choose between Barkundy and White Sniff-n-Tail any many more. Picture of a Bordeaux dog (what’s in a name). Just like the beer for dogs, the doggy style wine drink does not contain any alcohol. So it’s just another treat since the dog food of your choice should be palatable to your dog without any flavor enhancers. No dog food can cure canine kidney disease and expensive prescription diets cannot prevent kidney disease either. However, when your dog is suffering from renal failure a specialized diet can both extend his life as well as improve the quality of life. When your dog has malfunctioning kidneys the activity has dropped below 30% before you notice the clinical signs. Visit the kidney disease dog food diet page on Best Dog Food Guide to learn more about the symptoms of canine kidney disease. Let’s compare two kidney diets for dogs. Do you want to learn how to compare dog diets and calculate energy amounts for dogs. Follow this link to find out more about prescription diets for dogs. I guess this is the first post on dog food blog that has nothing to do with dog food. However, I think this is important enough to share with all dog owners so please allow for a little side step. Some dogs do fine and don’t seem to notice the fireworks. Also you dog may loose bladder or bowel control or experience temporary diarrhea because of the stress. On the Members Only pages on Best Dog Food Guide, I have posted a special audio file you can use to familiarize your dog with fireworks sounds. My STRONG advice to you is please feed your puppy a commercial dog food. If you insist on cooking for your dog then at least wait until he is full grown. This risk is especially high since your dog is a growing puppy. A possible effect is ‘rubber jaw’ syndrome where a dog cannot eat anymore since they can’t use their jaws to their full bite strength. More general your dog is at risk of developing fragile bones and other joint diseases. The calcium to phosphorous ratio in dog food should be 1. It is very difficult to obtain this ratio when you assemble your dog’s diet by yourself without guidance from a veterinary nutritionist. Please do not put your dog’s health at risk. Visit a pet specialty shop and buy a premium or super premium dry dog food to build a strong foundation. Even if your dog would be mature then still the minerals in the dog food are important (I have found a recent medical case report about nutritional calcium and vitamin D deficiency in an adult dog should you want to read some in depth background information) but puppies are even more at risk and puppies of large breeds even more. E numbers are often present on dog food labels as well as on labels of our own food. And when you open the dog food bag today… it has to retain these qualities for some time to go. Myth #1: E numbered compounds are toxic for your dog. All compounds can be toxic when you ingest too much; even water can kill you or your dog for that matter. These compounds are both used in dog food as well as in human food. E101 = vitamin B2, used to make the dog food more yellowE140 = chlorophyll, which is just the stuff in plants that make them appear greenE172 = iron oxide, used to make the dog food more reddish. Myth #2: E numbered compounds are chemicals and therefore bad for your dog’s health. The dosage of E numbers used in dog food is regulated so they will not occur at potentially hazardous levels. For more information about dog food ingredients, visit the Dog Food Ingredients 101 pages. Dental caries are very rare in dogs (but they CAN get caries). Though I bet you brush your teeth more often than you do your dog’s. This is not the case in your dog as there is no amylase in dog saliva. No glucose molecules are formed in the dog’s mouth. This beautiful mechanism is disturbed when you give your dog candy with glucose in it. Regular cookies, a bit of ice cream or just unsuitable dog treats that have glucose as one of the ingredients. Now suppose you don’t give your dog anything with glucose, then there is still a need to regularly brush his teeth or give him the right rawhide, nylon or rubber chewing toys or safe bones. When you notice your dog having a bad breath you’re usually too late. You can find special dog tooth paste in the pet speciality shops. When your dog is not too fond of getting his teeth cleaned then start very gently. Only rub the outside and reward him (with a glucose free dog treat or with nice words) when he cooperates. Visit Best Dog Food Guide for more information about dog digestion. Go on a dog food digestion journey from the mouth, via the dog esophagus to the stomach and…. just go to Best Dog Food Guide and find out what happens along the way. Last Friday a US dog lover asked my recommendations on the energy requirements of a rather obese dog. A dog that is 10% above its ideal weight, is overweight. Information on positive methods for training your dog and creating a great relationship.