Getting good food for your dog or puppy
 
Showing 119 posts about dog food & dog nutrition

Good-dog-Miles-with-DrLarry One of Allie's human friends read the post we did this week and sent me a couple of questions. She wanted to know what it was about the weight loss that helped with Allie's arthritis. And she wanted to know whether Allie could keep the weight off just by exercise alone.

On the first question, it is well documented that weight loss has a positive impact on the severity of arthritis. The first reason is simply one of force. Carrying extra weight puts more force on the arthritic joint with each weight bearing step. More force leads to more wear and tear on that joint and a more rapid progression of the degenerative process.
More force equals more pain in an existing case of arthritis, too. People with arthritis that lose weight report less pain after weight loss and thermal imaging in arthritic dogs that lose weight shows less heat and inflammation in affected joints. These dogs are also capable of exerting more force on affected joints after weight loss. We take both results as indicating less pain even though dogs can't tell us they hurt less. 
 
If an obese dog experiences greater pain on movement they are less likely to exercise and more likely to become even more obese. It becomes a vicious cycle leading to more degenerative changes in the affected joint.
 
The other interesting development is the conclusion that obesity itself leads to higher levels of inflammation. We did a post on this not long ago.
 
Obese individuals have higher levels of circulating markers of inflammation. It appears that body fat isPretty-allie the source of these inflammatory markers and that many diseases may be the result of chronic inflammation ultimately traced to obesity. It is known that obese individuals not only have a higher incidence of knee pain associated with arthritis but also a higher incidence of pain associated with the joints of the hand. Since hand joint arthritis is not associated with the forces of weight bearing, the thought is that some form of systemic inflammation is responsible. 
 
So Allie benefits in two ways: By losing 14% of her body weight she is exerting less force on her painful joints and experiencing less pain. As a result she is able to run with Bob again. The ability to exercise helps her lose weight and keep it off and she has less body fat and less total inflammation.  
 
As to whether she could lose weight with exercise alone, recent research would say no. The current thinking is that the combination of diet and exercise is the key to weight loss. That is why it is so important for overweight arthritic dogs to lose weight. Less pain equals the ability to exercise.
 
We did a post on this, too and there is a good article in the NY Times just this week that reinforces the notion that a diet change is needed. 
 
According to this article, the idea of an "after burn" where you continue to burn fat after exercising, is not the case. It's a calorie in calorie out story and if you replace the calories you burned through greater exercise by post exercise eating you don't lose an ounce.
 
Exercise has lots of benefits, though. Arthritis pain tends to wane with exercise and is recommended for arthritis sufferers. Exercise improves weight loss when combined with dietary intervention and consistent exercise tends to reset metabolic energy expenditure making it easier to keep the weight off after you've lost it. 
 
And exercise improves mood. Just ask Allie. There is nothing she'd rather do that hit the trail with Bob or Sue. And they feel the same way.
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Logo_petco According a recent survey commissioned by PETCO, 60 percent of pet owners say they need better information to choose healthy food for their pets. 

 

That’s why PETCO has launched a national pet nutrition education campaign for consumers which includes educational materials, pet nutrition guidance and a minimum of two trained nutrition experts in every one of PETCO’s 950 stores nationwide to help guide consumers to make smart decisions for their pets needs. Coming up on November 14th, a team of experts will hold pet nutrition workshops at 2 pm in every PETCO store nationwide to help consumers choose the right food for their pets.  And, for those who can’t make it, these tools can also be accessed online by following this link, so consumers don’t have to wait to start learning about pet nutrition.

 

According to the survey results, nearly 80 percent of pet parents are confident their pet’s food is healthy and nutritious, but only four in 10 say they understand pet food labels. Results also show that whether choosing food for their families or their pets, most Americans are paying attention to nutritional value, especially considering how many pets are treated as members of the family. However, despite these good intentions, the survey highlighted a significant disconnect between pet parent confidence in the nutritional value of their pet’s food and their ability to evaluate pet food value by reading package labels.

PETCO’s national pet nutrition education campaign for consumers is an effort to promote better nutrition and long healthy lives for pets. Visit your local PETCO on November 14th or check out this helpful graphic!

PremiumNutrition_Survey Results_Graphic ONLY

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A DAINTY dog had chanced to note
The breakfast of a greedy goat,—
Half-rotten grass, a shocking pile.
" Fie!" said the dog; " what wretched style!
Good taste demands, you clownish beast,
A dish to eat from, at the least.
And as for food, that garbage foul
Would even make a camel scowl,
Would make a very buzzard groan,
Would " Here the goat laid bare a bone,
Which when our dainty dog had spied,
"Your pardon, friend!" the critic cried;
"I'm quite near-sighted, neighbor mine.
I see your meal is fair and fine.
Invite me, pray, with you to dine!"

-- from Amos R. Wells (illustrated by L.J. Bridgman), Rollicking Rhymes for Youngsters (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1902) .

There's one thing wrong with this poem -- I haven't met the dog yet that wouldn't wholeheartedly roll in garbage instead of standing around criticizing it.
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I spoil my dogs. That's just what I do. They're my family, my friends and I love them beyond verbal description. I read this report and was shocked, horrified and felt terribly guilty about the type of food I was feeding my furry babies. I don't buy generic dog food, but after reading the research done by a man who lost his dog when he was poisoned by dog food, I got picky. Real picky. I also learned how to be an even bigger hero for my canine friends with special homemade treats.

Click here for more information


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Pet Product Review - Nature's Best by Hill's Science Diet

I have this friend who is so darling.  She works close to Grand Central Station in New York.  If you're from New York City, you'll know this location is "sample city".   Companies love to give out samples.  With that over the course of a week collected for me and my pup Charlie over 20 boxes of daily sample packs of Nature's Best by Hill's Science Diet.  What a doll.


Although I accepted them graciously, my pup is too young to have a diet that is changed around frequently.  So I took the samples and in turn donated them to a local organization that saves and fosters stray cats and dogs in my neighborhood.  With the economy the way it is, they are grateful for any donation.

I did, however ask Marta, the group organizer if she could help me out, and select just one dog and give him the Nature's Best by Hill's Science Diet for a straight 20 days.  She obliged.  Lucky for me all of the samples were Nature's Best Lamb & Brown Rice Dinner.

Naturesbestlogo_en_thumb

Well after the 20 days, Marta called me up and said that dog she was fostering had improved so significantly in such a fast time.  Not only did he have more energy, but his coat was fluffy and had a nice shine to it, and he played at the dog run with more glee than before.  I'm not sure, but I think the combination of superior dog food and some good home love did the trick.

Now there are many great quality dog foods out there, and many that are not so great.  And each one will work differently on different dogs.  So I like this product, but I do recommend you ask your vet or breeder what foods they recommend.  Nature's Best pet food claims to be the only natural pet food clinically proven to provide complete, balanced nutrition.  Go to their website for more details: 

http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/minisite/naturesBest/naturesBestHome.hjsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395184512&bmUID=1252417094931

While you're there, make sure to sign up for your $5 off coupon so that you can try the food risk free.  And check out the link where to buy as Nature's Best by Hill's Science Diet is available at local veterinarians.

If you've got a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com

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