Remember Me
forgot your password?

Healthy Pet Food Tips

Deciding what to feed your pet isn't easy these days, especially after the unprecedented pet food recalls in 2007 that pulled more than 100 brands off store shelves. The culprit of the contaminated food was wheat gluten, poisoned with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers. The tainted food caused kidney failure and other illnesses, and may have killed thousands of pets.

Recalls and poisonings aside, there are plenty of other reasons to be aware of what's in your animal's food. Obviously a healthy diet makes for a healthy pet, keeping his coat, teeth and digestive system running smoothly. Also, you pay for what you get. Foods with a lot of fillers are cheaper but less nutritious. Just as with human food, good ingredients will go a long way toward giving your pet a long, healthy life.

Learn to decipher labels on commercial pet foods. The most important parts of the label are the nutritional adequacy statement and ingredients list. The former tells you whether a food is suitable as the sole nourishment for a healthy pet. The label will specify that the product "provides a complete and balanced nutrition."

A well formulated cat or dog food will list chicken, beef, lamb, poultry, or fish meal first.

Cats are carnivores and dogs are omnivores, so both need their meat. Bone meal and other meat by-products are poorer sources of protein. Fillers do provide some protein, but aren't as digestible. Examples of fillers are: soy, rice, oats, yeast, wheat, corn. These ingredients should be listed lower on the list.

Manufacturers sometimes try to mask the amount of fillers in pet foods by breaking them into components. For example, corn may be listed as cornmeal, corn gluten and ground corn. If all three were grouped together, corn would appear much higher in the ingredients. At the end of the list you'll find preservative. Ethoxyquin is one of the most controversial, because it may affect a dog's liver. Look for foods preserved with Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (listed as tocopherol) instead.

A better alternative is to buy organic pet food. An organic pet food marked 95% organic meets the same guidelines as organic food produced for humans. The food won't contain pesticides or antibiotics, and it's preserved with natural substances like Vitamins C and E. As with any food, the organic option will be more expensive, but it's healthier for your pet, and the way it is produced is definitely better for the environment.

The best choice by far is making your own pet food so you know exactly what you're feeding your animal. Ensure you're preparing nutritionally balanced food, or your pet may suffer from malnutrition. You must consult your veterinarian or a specialist in pet nutrition before you start making your own food at home.

If expense isn't an issue, then home made pet food is worth making, especially for the peace of mind in knowing exactly what your beloved pet is ingesting. While some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, you'll be hard-pressed to find a vet who thinks it's a good idea. There is always a chance that you or your pet could be exposed to E.coli or salmonella.
Jane Dinunzio

I am a strong advocate for feeding your pet healthy nutritious food which will extend their lives and increase their health.
Find recipes and info at: http://recipes4gourmetdogs.com

Rate this Article: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/healthy-pet-food-tips-468522.html
Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Pets Articles
  • More from Jane Dinunzio

Rough & Tough Beds For Rough & Tough Pets

By: Arthor Pens | 10/07/2009
There are a lot of pets who act very violently and rough on their sleeping places. Mammoth Pet Beds withstand all the activities that your pet carries out and that is why you'll love the bed.

Loving Your Miniature Pinscher

By: John Jackson | 10/07/2009
When they first came into existence, the Min Pin was a ratter and extinguisher of similar size vermin. Nowadays, the breed has come into favor as a family pet. When considering a Min Pin as your dog, you need to keep in mind that their original character traits have not been bred out and these will need some special attention.

Find Ways to Make Them Stop Barking - Dog Barking Tips

By: Bryan Burbank | 09/07/2009
The dog is man's best friend but if you have a dog that barks all the time then this can be a problem for you. It is important to know that there are things you can do to control when and how your dog barks. All animals do things for reasons, and when your dog is barking and chasing cars and in most cases, it is to protect you. You have to understand that the dog thinks that you are being threatened by a passing car so they may barking and chase it. You need to teach your animal win is a prop

Find the Best Horse Buying Tips Available

By: Bryan Burbank | 09/07/2009
Before you run out and buy a horse there are some things that are important for you to know. When you go to look at a horse make sure that the seller does not try to tell you that you better buy now because if you wait you are going to lose out. This is a way for him to try to make a quick sale and you may not get the best deal or the best horse so make sure you are cautious when making a purchase. You also do not want to tell the seller what you are willing to spend because this is only help hi

Allergies In Dogs

By: Ras Reed | 09/07/2009
Allergies in dogs is one of the several problems that dog owners or lovers rarely understand. They always feel that it is a temporary problem that will soon disappear. Actually, it is not temporary and if you don’t take action immediately, the problem may become worse. This piece of writing is written to help you understand this problem and what you can do to solve it.

How to Choose Pet Cremation Jewelry

By: Mark Hamilton | 09/07/2009
It's sad when a close animal companion leaves this world. I've experienced it several times and each time I feel a strong need to have some sort of keepsake to remember my pet by. Some of the items in my memory box include baby kitten and puppy teeth and a...

Finding A Groomer For Your Maltese

By: John Jackson | 09/07/2009
You are most likely aware that the Maltese is a long haired dog and that long hair requires maintenance. Perhaps your Maltese will arrive complete with dog beauty salon chair and styling guide.

All The Colors Of The Doberman Pinscher

By: John Jackson | 09/07/2009
Many people are not aware that a Doberman Pinscher can be any color other than black with marking that are tan. Although this may be the most typical color, the breed actually has two genes for color. One gene is for black.

Choose The Best Dog Food

By: Jane Dinunzio | 02/03/2009 | Pets
Find our what choices are available for feeding your dog, and which ones are better for their health.

Where To Bath Your Dog

By: Jane Dinunzio | 26/02/2009 | Pets
Dog care and health are very important for keeping your dog happy, healthy and a special companion for life. Giving a bath is important and necessary and should be undertaken in a relaxing and stress free environment.

Basic Homemade Dog Food Recipe

By: Jane Dinunzio | 14/02/2009 | Pets
Basic ideas and techniques for making your own home made dog food. To increase your dog's life and give him better healthy this is one of the best choices you can make for him.

Senior Dog Health Tips

By: Jane Dinunzio | 21/11/2008 | Pets
Signs to look for and tips to help reduce the signs of aging in your dog.

How to Analyse Dog Food Ingredients

By: Jane Dinunzio | 27/10/2008 | Pets
How to determine which are the best and worst dog foods available today. What to look for and what to avoid are a few tips to help you learn to interpret to ingredient list of dog foods.

Dog Weight Loss Tips

By: Jane Dinunzio | 13/10/2008 | Pets
Dog obesity is a national epidemic, just as it is with ourselves. We have to relearn fitness and health and apply it to our pets also, to give them a chance of a healthier, happier life.

Tips for Dogs Wearing Costumes

By: Jane Dinunzio | 02/10/2008 | Pets
Tips on making your dogs Halloween safe and as stress free as possible. If you a dressing him up in a costume these tips will help reduce anxiety and make the evening enjoyable for all.

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup


Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.12, 6)