Chinese Food Culture

by Christian Cable

Variety of Dog Food & Effects on Dog  

Article by Shawn Almgren

Variety of dog food has witnessed lot of changes in respect of the practices of the past and present day concerns of the dog owners in relation to finding best dog food to take care of complete nutrition needs of the dog. The present day dog owners have learned the benefits of feeding by natural dog food and both the dog owner and dog are happy about it.

Dog Food & Preparation:

In the past times a dog would eat any food to survive become adult and reproduce to carry on the progeny. The dogs which got good food were healthy and the others lacked health and just spent their life in search of food and their mate irrespective the specific health issues.

Dog Food Easy Availability Factor:

The present day dog owners’ have the benefit of obtaining great variety of dry dog food, which is manufactured by reputed companies in their highly scientific manufacturing facilities deploying natural food resources, processing them scientifically and manufacturing wholesome and balanced dog food.

Some of the Food Companies are manufacturing dog food by using natural resources, it can be an ideal replacement to traditional natural dog food, which in present times is very cumbersome to prepare. Formulated dog foods are available at leading stores every where due to modern distribution net works, which provide user friendly solutions to dog owners a call or email away.Imbalanced Dog Food & its Effects:An imbalanced dog food is a root causes of host of diseases caused in dogs life like Cancerous growth, weak immune responses, liver disorders, overall sluggishness, frequent diarrheas, defects in heart and kidneys etc., which can be prevented. Dog Food Decision:Although it is always, good to prepare fresh food for dog, but this all requires a hard devotion and perfect knowledge about canine nutrition. A mistake most often happening is about if you prepare dog food providing only mutton to the dog, whereas calcium and other minerals are also to be included.Whether it is a puppy or a bit older dog requires a balanced food for its proper growth and healthy look and behavior, greatly depends on its nutrition, and being the dog owner you are responsible for it. Dog Food Awareness Campaigns:Dog food manufacturers promoted their various Dog Food Products by creating dog food facts and awareness campaigns, which has been received well by the dog lover’s community and adopted the concepts of balanced nutrition for their dog’s food.Still every thing has to be taken in its broad perspective and considered, what meets all the requirements for best dog food. Following are the available choices:Packaged Dog Food Products: These include the dog food stuff manufactured and marketed by reputed companies available locally situated supermarket stores, pets store or veterinary practitioners. It can be dry powder, semi dry and wet available in cans. Unfortunately there are some adverse reports in respect of packaged food, regarding worthless cheap filler materials present in packaged food and the sources used to make dog food can be from diseased or worst dead animals, which can not be used by any other industry. Raw Food Stuff: Considering the convenience of easy availability and economically priced it receives great acceptance among group of persons who can devote their personal time in preparing and providing food to the dogs. Raw Food is comprised of bones with some mutton on them. Dog Food Using Home Resources: It is left over food having mutton bones and by reading recipes on the topic and preparing from materials usually available at home or procured from the market based the Recipe you find in books or over the net. One can seek the advice of the friendly veterinary specialist in this respect. As with any living animal, dog’s weight is comprised of 2 parts water and one part bones and muscles. So it is essential that the dog gets adequate water accompanied in food and otherwise for drinking. The need of water is weather and activity based.Dog’s energy Needs:

The energy requirement of dog is met through food, which varies with the body weight of dog. The dog food is the principal source of energy for the dog, which makes it possible to maintain their growth, maintaining of their body temperature being a hot blooded animal. Energy is also required for its fast running to chase some one in time of need and other metabolic functions including reproduction. A pregnant or lactating female bitch has higher nutrition needs than a normal bitch.

A smaller dog has higher energy needs, than a heavy weight dog, because in comparison to the weight, the surface area is of a small dog is greater, so body weight only is not the criteria for determining the energy needs in case of small dogs. There are other factors like, Age, dog’s breed, gestation, nursing status of the dog.

The dogs’ food liberates energy required through digestion process of proteins, fatty and carbohydrates being constituents of dog food. Carbohydrates and proteins liberate energy of around 4 kcal per gram and fats yield around 9 kcal per gram. The dogs’ food also contains minerals and fibers.

The growth of a dog is very fast than even the human child hence they require variety of dog food instead of just food. If the dog food used is not balanced combination of Protein, carbohydrates and minerals, there can be very serious health problem of the dog.

Copyright all rights reserved 2009 Puppy and Dog Obedience Training

About the Author

Shawn Almgren has been a dedicated dog trainer for years, and developed the website http://www.doggie-tips.com as a resource for many dog trainers and dog owners,so that they can understand their dogs and provide them with whats needed to have a strong dog/owner bond and have their needs as canines fulfilled.

For more information:Our Website:www.puppy-and-dog-obedience-training.comOur Blog:www.puppy-and-dog-obedience-training-blog.com

by NickNguyen

How Much Food Should I Give My Dog?  

Article by Brigitte Synesael

You would think that feeding your dog would be the easiest part of your responsibilities as a dog owner. Wrong again! You’ll need to make some decisions and that means you may have to do some homework.

First of all are we talking about a puppy or and adult dog? That will make a difference as to the amount of dog food required. When thinking in terms of food, puppies are typically considered adults at the age of 1 year at which time you would switch to adult food. If there’s any doubt or concern about this, or if you just want to be safe, consult your Vet. Your Vet is a fabulous resource for any questions you may have and it’s always a great idea to consult with him/her on anything concerning your precious pet.

For obvious reasons, the proper feeding of your dog is extremely important. Over feed and you put your pet at risk for obesity and serious health issues. Under feed and you end up causing a problem dog that chews on toys, books, etc. and steals food off the counter or table and is constantly into the garbage.

How often should you feed your dog?

Next decision… regular scheduled feeding or free feeding. Free feeding means that you keep food in the puppies bowl all the time and he/she eats whenever their hungry. There are different schools of thought regarding free feeding. Some Veterinarians feel this is the best option for your puppy because they’re growing quickly and may require more food one day than another. Others suggest feeding your puppy about 4 times each day.

My personal vote goes with the later. Here’s why… Free feeding your dog can be difficult if you have other pets (trying to keep the other pets away from it). Then, when your puppy becomes an adult, one short year later, you’ll need to retrain your dog to eat only once or twice each day. If you continue to free feed your dog throughout adulthood, you are setting the stage for an overweight dog and likely serious health issues.

Having said all of this, my recommendation would be to feed your puppy 4-6 times each day. They’re little and have lots of energy. They need to eat often to fuel their little bodies and mature properly. Maintain a regular time schedule for feeding, and leave the food available for 15-20 minutes. Then take it away. If your puppy is hungry he’ll eat, if not he’ll have another opportunity in a few hours. Upon adulthood reduce the feedings to 1-2 times each day.

You’ll notice that there are no absolute answers to the number of times each day to feed your dog. That’s because there are so many variables involved in determining the answer; age, size, breed, how much exercise does your dog get, is your dog underweight now or overweight, how many treats does he/she get each day. Each of these points need to be considered before deciding how often to feed your pet. I absolutely recommend that you consult with… guess who? Say it with me… your Veterinarian! He/she can help you set up the perfect schedule for your pet.

What about that People food thing? Okay? Or not so okay?

The answer is… not so okay. Truth be told, in moderation, some people food is harmless. However there are some foods that can be very harmful to your pet. For instance it isn’t a good idea to trim the fat off your meat and feed it to your dog. This kind of fat overload can give your dog pancreatitis which causes chronic abdominal pains.

Ham & bacon are too salty and contain too much fat. This can cause your pet to have pancreatitis and, in some breeds, could ultimately result in bloat. Bloat is a potentially life-threatening condition arising from your dog drinking too much water from the salty food.

Large amounts of liver can cause vitamin A toxicity. This is serious because it affects the muscles and can cause deformed bones. Because vitamin A also has an impact on the metabolism, severe weight loss and anorexia is also a concern.

Any dairy products like butter, cheese, and milk are harmful to your dog. They weren’t designed to eat these types of food so their bodies can’t digest them properly. The consumption of these products could cause bloating and diarrhea in your pet.

Bones, particularly small bones from chicken and fish can get lodged in your pets’ throat which can cause choking. Bones can also cause splinter and tear a dog’s internal organs.

Cat food is much higher in fats and protein than dog food. Just like baby food, dog and cat food is designed with the specific needs of each animal in mind. The extra fat is not healthy for your dog and eating cat food instead of dog food means that your pet is missing essential nutrients for his/her health. That’s why it’s called Dog Food and Cat Food, not Pet Food.

Chocolate and caffeine are toxic to dogs and negatively affects their heart and nervous system. Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death. One 1 ounce of baking chocolate can poison a Ǫ-pound dog. There are different kinds of chocolate some not as toxic as others. But let’s face it… does it matter? None of them are good for your pooch, so a BIG no on this treat.

Of course there’s the obvious… drugs and alcohol are absolute no no’s. You might find it comical to watch a tipsy dog, but I’m sure that you will not see the humour in knowing that the alcohol you gave him put your precious pet into a coma and possibly resulted in his death.

There are many other people foods that can cause serious health issues for your dog. There is enough evidence that many foods are harmful for your pooch that the simplest solution is to just NOT feed your dog people food at all. Another bonus to this solution is that you will not have a dog that begs for food while you eat at the table. There are so many treats that have been designed especially for your pet that it really just makes sense to stick to those. What should you feed your dog?

Which is the best for your dog, dry food or canned food? That’s the great debate. There are pros and cons to both, so… let’s make a list:

Dry Dog Food Pros

Helps keep dogs teeth clean from tartarMore nutritiousDogs have better breathEasier to storeEasier to handleMore cost effectiveLess likely to spoil

Wet Dog Food Pros

More proteins includedContains fewer preservativesContains less grain and more moisture keeps a dog hydrated and benefits the urinary tractIs very flavourful, often the preferred taste for dogsMay be better if your dog has certain health issues

Dry Dog Food Cons

Not all dry foods are quality foodsUsually has more preservatives

Wet Dog Food Cons

Sticks on dogs teeth causing tooth problemsRequires more dental treatmentsGives dogs bad breathMore expensiveLess healthy because it contains a higher fat content and more waterOnce opened canned food can spoil quickly

Now that we’ve gone over the list of pros and cons, let me say that absolutely nothing is carved in stone. Your dog may have a health issue that requires him to eat canned instead of dry. For example, dogs that have lost their chewing teeth or have dental disease may not be able to chew dry dog food, and may only be able to eat canned food. I fostered a dog once that would only eat her dry dog food with 2 tablespoons of canned food mixed in.

You will find that some experts promote canned food for puppies and switch to dry food for adult dogs. The obstacle with this is that it’s difficult to make the switch.

You may have a dog that is a really picky eater or one that gulps his food with the speed of light and then throws up. These dogs need your help. Work out a plan with your Vet. This article was not meant to have all the answers. It was intended to give you some things to think about. It’s not as simple as “grab a bag of dog food from the store” and we’re good to go. As a responsible pet parent, you’ve got some things to think about. Now, talk to your Vet, ask your questions (be sure to ask for the rationale behind the thought), and together build your strategy.

Above all else, remember to hug your pet today.

Brigitte Synesael

Discover the truth behind puppy mill doors here.

About the Author

BJS Emporium offers quality dog and pet supplies. We offer you safe toys, training solutions, beds, fences and collars, exercise equipment, treats, flea treatments and vitamins, and LOTS of free contacts and information. It’s all about the pet! Visit often at http://www.FabulousPetSupplies.com.