Dog Lover Community

What many pet owners fail to see, is that by feeding our dogs a diet that mainly consists of processed, poorly prepared dog foods or the equivalent of junk food, they may be causing many of the behavioral and severe illnesses that are found in dogs today. Basically, the diet that you are feeding your canine companion could not only be making him aggravated, hyper or plain old mean it could possibly shorten his life span.

A well balanced diet provides quality nutrition and in turn keeps the cells, tissues and organs healthy. This enables an animals’ immune system to stay in top condition to fight any invaders.

The same holds true for behavior. If you ate fast food and candy bars everyday, eventually it will affect your energy level and your mood.

Because we love our pets, this may be a little confusing for those who think that they are doing the right thing, say, feeding their pets dog foods out of the can. Admittedly, not all dog foods are bad. However, many are and contain ingredients that are difficult for your pet to digest and can make him sick. So how do you weed out the good dog foods from the bad?

In order to give your pet the best life, you must make sure that he has the best type of lifestyle, just like us humans. Before buying pet foods, check the label to see what is in the food. Basically, the first five ingredients are important. Foods that list 2 or more grains in the first 5 ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein which means less nutrition and more clean up.

Canned food can also be full of preservatives, to keep the food inside from going bad. Dog foods containing preservatives should be avoided. Not only has the pet food been filled with preservatives that could cause your pet harm, the pet food has been boiled at high temperatures in the cooking process causing any of the useful nutrition found in the food to be lost anyway. Proper cooking of pet foods will ensure that no preservatives are needed to keep it fresh.

Keep in mind that canned dog food mainly consists of water so feeding a canned diet alone will not give your pet the proper nutrition they need to live a healthy lifestyle.

So let’s look at the things that should be avoided when buying pet food:

No Preservatives. Avoid foods that contain chemicals in them such as BHT or BHA. If these preservatives are found anywhere on the label, give the food a miss, as these chemicals can be harmful to your pet.

No by-products. By-products are the parts of meat that are unsuitable for consumption, such as the feet, necks and intestines of other animals. As you can imagine these parts of animals were not made to be digested by humans, dogs or any animals for that matter.

Beware of grains. Soy, corn, corn gluten and wheat gluten are often used as protein sources; however, they are generally inferior and difficult to digest.

Give your pet the chance at life that he deserves, feed him with a good nutritious premium dog food, free from preservatives and additives that are not meant for dogs. A great way to decide what is suitable for your dog to eat is ask yourself if you would eat it? If your answer is no, don’t feed it to your pet.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. Enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit Premium Dog Food by Lifes Abundance for more information.

Tags: dog behavior, dog food, dog health, dog nutritiondog behavior, dog food, dog health, dog nutrition

Share This

Filed under: Dog Health | No Comments »

Some over-the-counter medications can be used for emergencies in select situations. Always ask your vet before giving any over-the-counter medicines to your injured or ill shih tzu.

3% hydrogen peroxide: Can be used to induce vomiting and for general wound cleaning. Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Syrup of ipecac: Can be used to induce vomiting. Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 20 pounds of body weight.

Bismuth subsalicylate: Can be used for vomiting and mild diarrhea. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight. 1 tablet per 40 pounds of body weight (doubt your shih tzu will be taking a full tablet!)

Kaolin-pectin: Use for mild diarrhea. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Buffered aspirin: Use for fever and inflammation, mild to moderate pain, arthritis, before giving vaccinations. Dosage: 1 adult table (5 grains) per 40 pounds). Ask your vet the correct dosage for your shih tzu.

Diphenhydramine: Use for mild cough, allergies, allergic reactions. Dosage: 1 milligram per pound of body weight.

Vegetable oil: Use for constipation. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds mixed in food.

Epsom salts: Use for constipation, as a soak to reduce swelling and inflammation. Dosage: For constipation, 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight, dissolved in water and given orally; same dilution for soaks.

Milk of magnesia: Use for vomiting, constipation, deactivate poisons. Dosage: 2 teaspoons per 10 pounds of body weight.

Activated charcoal: Use to deactivate poisons. Dosage: 1/2 gram per pound of body weight.

Petroleum jelly: Use for constipation. Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Weekly updates of available puppies. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

Tags: canine first aid, canine health, dog care, dog first aid, dog health, dogs, pets family sh, shih tzucanine first aid, canine health, dog care, dog first aid, dog health, dogs, pets family sh, shih tzu

Share This

Filed under: Dog Health | No Comments »

Many books and articles hit been cursive regarding the prowess of choosing a younker (i.e. performing younker tests, hunting for paternal OFA certifications, and so on…), but few, if any, appendage the contractual modify of acquire a puppy. I crapper verify you finished individualized undergo that acquire a calibre exhibit younker from a famous stockman crapper be quite a disagreeable undergo because no stockman would provide up the garner of the matter to a competitor (for manifest reasons) or to a initiate without co-ownership of the puppy. Co-ownership of a younker entitles the stockman to some rights to the impairment of the buyer. To begin with, the stockman strength also be an old simulator and strength contractually order the vendee to ingest the stockman as the puppies’ simulator and handler. Agreeing to this could be a monumental nonachievement because the vendee strength be required to clear (even though they strength be co-owners) for the breeders instance to condition and appendage the puppy. Agreeing to this crapper COST you THOUSANDS of dollars.

In the contract, the stockman strength order your bitch/dog to whelp/stud puppies. And, of course, they would contractually poverty the picks of the matter (they haw opt either phallic or a someone puppies as they please). Furthermore, you as the purchaser, strength be required to clear the costs of nurture and whelping the puppies (i.e. food, vet-bills, housing, AKC registrations, cover fees, breeder’s time) modify though you haw not be allowed to intend the picks of the litter. What’s more, you haw not be healthy to wager nor be with your canid for the continuance of maternity and delivery. Some breeders hit been famous to alter animals when they are dispatched absent for whelping or cover service. Therefore, I would propose that you semiconductor you younker and that you intend an AKC polymer ID as presently as doable after you acquire your puppy. This way, you module intend backwards your loved birdlike without anxiety as to the nature of its identity.

When you acquire your puppy, most honored breeders module indorse that your younker module be liberated of different ailments for the continuance of digit years. What they haw change to mention, however, is that if your younker becomes incurably ill, the equal younker haw be digit of their possess choosing and not yours; which translates to the fact that you haw modify up with a newborn younker that has a lousy temperament.

So, remember. The daimon is in the dustlike print. Read your lessen carefully, otherwise you haw embellish the individual of your possess ignorance.

Armen T. Ghazarians offers advice, information, and articles regarding some aspects of professed canid upbringing for every those who are not professed canid trainers themselves. For more articles same this one, meet his website at http://www.newdogtrainingsecrets.com.

Tags: Dog Obedience Training, dog training, dogs, Professional Dog TrainingDog Obedience Training, dog training, dogs, Professional Dog Training

Share This

Filed under: Dog Training | No Comments »