Archive for May, 2010

When raw feeding, many people get stuck in a rut.  Oftentimes its a “chicken” rut – its cheap, its easy to find, its entirely edible bones and all.  While chicken is a great food for you canine no matter what size, feeding novel proteins can go a long way towards making sure your dog is getting everything he needs.  Beef is another popular food for raw feeders and well it should be.  If in fact you have to go heavy on any one particular protein source, beef is a great choice as it has the longest amino acid chains of any meat and provides iron, zinc, B vitamins and selenium.  It is perfect as an energy food for performance dogs as well as for bitches both in whelp and nursing.  While beef does provide a lot, it is still important to branch out occasionally and give your dog all the variety that makes a raw diet THE diet to feed your pooch.

If you feed your dog the same thing day in and day out they'll soon be begging for more variety!

Turkey is often thought of as quite similar to chicken – I mean both are birds right?  In reality, turkey is a novel protein source that bears scant resemblance to chicken.  They might both be birds but different birds for sure.  Turkey is one of the richest sources of Vitamin B12 as well as niacin.  It also has good amounts of zinc as well as iron, potassium and magnesium.  It is further a very good source of selenium, a trace mineral that is largely depleted in our soils.  Selenium can be a key nutrient in the fight against cancer and just 4 ounces of turkey can provide 47% of what a human needs daily (www.whofoods.com).  Turkey is easy to obtain and the bones are largely edible by most canines though can be slightly large for tinier dogs.  Turkey necks are a popular choice as well as products such as our  Turkey which is already ground for your convenience.  All in all, turkey

Turkey necks are an easy way to give your dog something new

is an easy and often overlooked way to add great variety to your dog’s diet.

Pork, also readily available to most people, is something that many shy away from.  I think it may be due to years of conditioning that humans must always cook cook cook their pork to death to avoid the dread trichinosis and tapeworms.  While humans can and do host the pork tapeworm, not so for dogs, and trichinosis has been virtually eradicated in this country so unless you’re feeding imported pork you rarely if ever see it any longer.  Pork makes a great meal for your dog.  Its a great source of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and four other B vitamins, thiamine and selenium.   Pork ribs and pork chops are generally very edible, bone and all, for most dogs (even the little ones can get some of that bone gone).  Our Pork mix, while perfect for any dog, is especially good for dogs with kidney problems like chronic renal failure because we make it with eggshell calcium instead of bone and light organs to keep the phosphorus levels down.

Lamb is another meat that many don’t feed but one that is a great option for variety.  Yet another red meat, it too is high in both zinc and iron.  Its rich in B vitamins particularly B12.  It is also the best source for the amino acid L-Carnitine which is an integral part of heart health and the lack of which along with taurine deficiency, can cause dilated cardiomyopathy and other heart diseases (www.ag.ansc.purdue.edu).  Lamb chops and ribs are often available at most larger grocery stores as well as specialty or ethnic markets.  Our Lamb Tripe gives you a lamb alternative that is cost effective and hard for any dog to resist!

While its okay to have your dog’s diet consist primarily of chicken and beef, the key to any raw diet is variety.  Without variety you can be sure that your dog is N OT getting the nutrition it needs regardless of the fact that you are feeding as nature intended and giving your dog real food.  Dogs fed only one or two raw protein sources will possibly be healthier than a dog fed commercial kibble but if you are going to go raw than it would benefit them even more to do it right.  So add some variety to your dog’s weekly meal plan and see the great results!

Joint problems – lots of dogs have them.  Some are due to injury, some to genetic problems, some to old age, some to growth issues – doesn’t matter WHY, what matters is what we do about it.  Vets are quick to prescribe drugs to kill pain, reduce inflammation, make our pet’s lives “better” – but there are alternatives that can be tried prior to drugs or even while using various drugs, safer alternatives.  There are also ways to prevent the problems from happening at all which is key.

With three to choose from there is a Liquid Health product that is perfect for your dog

Prevention is the best policy by far.  Diet is one of the keys to avoiding problems especially while dogs are growing.  Good nutrition is so very important – commercial dog foods especially puppy foods, promote fast growth and often strain the tender joints of large breed puppies.  Puppies fed a natural raw diet grow at a more natural rate – slow growth, less strain, stronger joints for life.  Weight can also be a factor in joint problems.  Fat puppies make for fat adults.  Keeping your puppy lean can go a long way to making sure he has healthy joints.  Keeping your adult dog at HIS optimal weight does the same. If you know that your dog has been diagnosed with poor hips, arthritis or if your dog suffers an injury that compromises his joints in some manner, making sure your dog is lean should be first on your agenda.

Active dogs put plenty of stress on their joints sometimes resulting in injury or damage

Supplementation can be your best friend when it comes to treating joint issues.  Just like humans, dogs benefit from well known joint supplements like glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and hyaluronic acid.  Glucosamine and chondroitin help to build, rebuild and maintain healthy joints.  When cartilage is damaged through injury or age, the body can’t keep up with the need for excess glucosamine and chondroitin which is where supplementation comes in.  Meanwhile, MSM is important because it helps the body utilize the glucosamine and chondroitin.  Working in tandem these three substances can go a long way toward the making and maintenence of healthy joints and any supplement with glucosamine or chondroitin should indeed include MSM.  Hyaluronic acid is a major lubricating agent in the joints.  As your dog gets older, its production lessens.  When used with glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM, HA will keep the joints moving comfortably while the others do their jobs.  The symmetry of these products often give you results that you wouldn’t see otherwise.  While dogs do manufacture their own Vitamin C, the amount is small and they generally could use some extra help.  Most people equate Vitamin C with immunity but in truth, while it is great for that purpose, Vitamin C also aids in joint health by helping to rebuild diseased or unhealthy joint tissue.  Vitamin C can be incredibly important for growing puppies, active adults as well as aging individuals who need that extra boost.

Vitamin C can go a long way in making sure your puppy grows up with strong healthy joints

At A Place For Paws we offer a full line of joint supplements – supplements that we use on our own dogs.  Cran-Tri-C is a palatable and easy way to make sure your dog or puppy gets the C it needs for optimal health and growth.  Liquid Health offers three joint formulas, one of which is sure to be right for your dog.  K9 Glucosamine is a basic joint supplement that includes glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM – a great general product.  K9 Glucosamine with HA is a special formulation that is intended for sensitive dogs who may have allergies.  The source of the glucosamine is vegetarian as is the entire product – contains no shellfish nor beef products.  It also includes HA which will help to lubricate your dog’s joints making movement easier and pain free.  Finally Level 5000 is the most complex and efficient of the three formulas.  A concentrated formula for healthy joints with 5200mg of Glucosamine per ounce plus MSM, Perna and Shark Cartilage.  Level 5000 also includes several powerful antioxidants such as Ester C and Grape Seed Extract, digestive enzymes as well as Cat’s Claw and Manganese to enhance its benefits.  Use as a preventative or to treat current joint issues.  This formula has shown amazing results for many pets.  The fact that it is super concentrated means that you use LESS of it than the other two joint formulas.  All of the Liquid Health products are, as the name says, liquids.  This means quicker and more efficient absorption than capsules or powder.  So help your dog the natural way and perhaps you won’t have to resort to medications and the side effects they bring with them.

Many times when we go to our vets and our dog has a problem, there is a push to put them onto a prescription diet.  You know – those bags of kibble made by Hill’s and Purina, only sold in a vet’s office as if they are medicines, absolutely necessary without exception to help our animals through various ailments…Are they always completely necessary?  Personally I have my doubts.

Keep your dog's energy up during and through any illness by feeding real food that gives him what he needs and none of what he doesn't

Recent example – a friend of mine was in a panic because her dog, a male mix, presented at the vet with a urinary tract infection which showed struvite crystals in the dog’s urine.  Antibiotics, of course, were the main treatment BUT at the same time, she was told that switching the dog from a raw diet to a prescription diet was another part of her dog’s “medicine”.   It threw her for a loop – it was going to cost lots of money and she really didn’t want to do it.  Honestly, there isn’t any reason FOR her to do it.  Struvite crystals have nothing to do with diet and everything to do with the fact that the dog has a UTI.  Cure the UTI, cure the crystals.  Prescription food?  Diet didn’t cause the crystals and diet wasn’t going to make them go away either.  Unfortunately many pet owners simply do, they never question.

Many dogs find prescription foods unpalatable and stop eating as a result while dogs fed the right REAL foods keep their strenghth up with good nutrition

Countless times I have people tell me that their dog has allergies and that they HAVE to be on a prescription allergy food…When I suggest switching to raw for ease in dealing with the dog’s condition they are appalled – no way, he’s allergic.  If your dog has a food allergy there is no better way to control what he eats than feeding real raw food – no surprises.  Kibble of any sort is full of surprises and not always good ones.

Dogs with kidney problems, cancers, IBS, diabetes, heart conditions, skin conditions and almost anything ELSE you can think of can, in my opinion, do better on a raw diet.  Often the prescription diets are unpalatable and dogs who are already weak from illness become weak from poor nutrition as well simply because they have no interest in eating food that tastes  like and has the same ingredients as a piece of cardboard.

You should trust your veterinarian – of course.  Its important to remember that you are your pet’s only advocate.  Nutrition is not something that many vets have any strong education on, if you ask them, and they are honest, they’ll tell you exactly how much.  Its up to you to do the research and find the best way to feed your pet and jumping immediately to a prescription kibble is rarely as necessary as one might lead you to believe.

Reagan