The diets of our pets, like citizens, tend to include more omega 6 fatty acids rather than omega 3. This is an imbalance that needs to be addressed.

Omega 3 fatty acids are requisite because they assist with the proper formation of cell membranes, cardiovascular functions, nourish the lining of the digestive tract, and work to  keep your cat or dog’s skin and coat smooth, soft and shiny . Another requisite function of omega 3 fatty acids is that they work to reduce inflammatory problems inside the body. If you discover the coat is dull and brittle or if he/she tends to have dry skin and scratch a lot, it may perhaps be due to a lack of this particular fatty acid.

There are different types of required fatty acid supplements that are available, however which selection you decide to supplement your dog or cat’s diet can be a bit of a dilemma.

Pure plant oils such as flax oil, evening primrose oil, safflower oil or a blend of plant oils is a wonderful alternative to fish omega-3 fats. These must be “cold-pressed” oils, because opposed to oils that are typically extracted with chemical solvents. The trouble with plant oils is that animals have a harder period converting the fatty acids to a form finest used by the animal’s system.

Fish oils, such because salmon oil, halibut liver oil, or cod liver oil are more simply converted and used by an animal’s body. The downside is that fish oils often contain deadly toxins, including high levels of dangerous PCBs, dioxins and detectable levels of mercury. Farmed salmon is the worst for contamination and contains less omega 3 acids than wild salmon. At this moment nearly 30% of all fish are farmed, with salmon being in the 90% farmed range. As well, farmed salmon are often carriers of disease and parasites. When supplementing diet using fish oils, you want oils that come from wild sources, not farmed.

There are also blended fish and plant oil supplements available. These often include a mixture of salmon or cod liver oil and flax, safflower or other such oils that make available a mixture of 3 to 4 parts omega 3 oils to 1 section omega 6 oils. Giving your animal a combination fish/plant supplement may perhaps be a excellent alternative to believe, since they must contain fewer toxins because they are not strictly fish oils, yet always should be better assimilated by the animal’s body than straight plant oils.

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Sometimes, with all the hype about name brand pet food, natural pet food, and diet pet food, it can be a bit overwhelming when deciding which to feed your pet. While it very common for people to purchase pet food at a supermarket or pet supply store, an increase is showing in the number of people who are beginning to make their own pet food.

An article by Shirley Lipschutz-Robinson sings the praises of a raw food diet for all pets. Her argument revolves around the feeding habits of animals in the wild. She states that domestic pet diets lack the necessary nutrients to keep our animals healthy and active. Veterinarians report an increase in multiple diseases resulting from that lack of raw meat in both dogs and cats, according to the author.

However, veterinarians usually recommend a well-known and trusted brand of pet food that has been specifically designed for your pet. This is where pet feeding can become difficult. Because the quality of pet food can differ depending upon which brand you get, it’s a good idea to look at the animal nutrition offered and make your choice based off of that. For instance, Science Diet dog food and Purina dog food are very well-known and trusted brands.

The different types and brands of dog food are vast, and it can take a lot of research to find the right one for your dog. Most commercial brands of dog food offer moist canned dog food, dry food, and semi-moist food. Veterinarians usually do not recommend that you feed your dog semi-moist food on a regular basis, as there can be additives and chemicals in them to help them last longer. If you decide that you want to keep your dog on a more natural diet, there are all natural dog food available. A dog s diet is half made up of carbohydrates, usually in the form of grains. When feeding a dog, the general rule is that puppy feeding should be done frequently throughout the day, and adult dogs should be fed once or twice a day.

Never feed your dog chocolate, onions or garlic in any form (fresh, powder, flakes), persimmons, plant leaves (potato, tomato, rhubarb), mushrooms, grapes / raisins, or macadamia nuts. Also, do not let your dog chew on dryer sheets or eat human vitamins. The chemicals are harmful to them.

Pet Feeding for Cats: Cat food, as with dog food, comes in three forms: canned, dry and semi-moist. Again, semi-moist is not recommended. Carbohydrates are not good for cats. Also, cats need relatively high water content in their food. Therefore, some canned food is good for indoor cats.

Cats should never be fed yeast dough, mushrooms, onions or garlic an any form, plant leaves, salt, sugary foods, raw eggs, persimmons, grapes / raisins or macadamia nuts. Milk is not good for a cat’s digestive system, even though kittens are able to tolerate a small amount.

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You know, if you really want your dog to be as healthy as s/he can be, you should stop feeding ANY of the widely available commercial dog foods.

I’m talking here about the types of dog food commonly found in supermarkets, and even about most of the supposedly superior brands sold in some supermarkets, pet food shops, and even by many vets.

The cheaper the brand, then generally the more full of garbage it is, but even many of the more expensive brands leave much to be desired.

What do you think is an ideal diet for your dog? plump chickens? choice cuts of juicy beef and lamb?

Maybe a few healthy fresh grains for variety? the odd fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit?

You’d be right.

But how many of the above ingredients do you think go into commercial pet food?

A lot? Only a little? If you said yes to either of these, you’d be dead wrong.

The average commercial dog food bears NO relation to the above list of choice ingredients, despite what pet food manufacturers display in some of their marketing, and despite what the list of ingredients on the pack or can might tend to indicate.

There is very, very little (if any) of the above ingredients in the average commercial dog food, and by the time it’s been overcooked at sustained high temperatures, and sprayed with preservative agents, the resultant “food” can be very harmful to your dog’s health and wellbeing indeed.

Suffice to say that if you’re feeding your dog ANY commercially available dog food, you’re exposing your dog to a source of chemically enhanced, overprocessed, garbage, the meat source for which includes diseased carcasses which have been left for up to 5 days before being processed.

Enough to turn you off for life? It was for me. As you know, I’ve always fed my dogs a diet of mainly raw meat and bones. But I like to give them a little treat in the mornings rather than just feed them once a day (which, by the way, IS all a dog NEEDS).

I used to give them a handful of dry dog food each morning, sometimes the cheaper supermarket brands, and sometimes the “brand” names which cost 4 or 5 times as much. Now that I know better, I never give my dogs any of that garbage.

I should say that SOME of the expensive pet foods which are readily available ARE better than the cheaper brands. BUT, most are still far from an ideal diet for your dog, so query whether the extra money is money well spent.

If the product says it’s “with real chicken”, did you know that it only needs to contain 3% of chicken? Neither did I.

If the first item listed is meat or chicken, did you know that this doesn’t mean that’s the main ingredient? Neither did I.

Take a close look at the label. It’s likely to list a meat first, and then 2, 3, 4 or 5 types of grains. This is a very misleading tactic used by the commercial pet food manufacturers. Each of the grains individually may be slightly less in quantity than the meat. But added together? They’re probably nearly 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the quantity of the meat ingredient.

After having looked into this issue in a great deal of detail, I am really convinced that in fact  the most healthy diet for your dog is mainly fresh meat, with some fresh veges and a little grain thrown in. And this alone is NOT enough. You need to give your dog a vitamin supplement always, for optimal health.

And for the very best health, there ARE some reputable HEALTHY, wholesome, holistic dog food manufacturers, which really DO provide wonderfully healthy food for our dogs.

Ramblings Of A Dog Owner

And perhaps most comical is that we have trained her to sit patiently while we fill her dog bowl with food, and she will only eat when we tell her ‘Good Girl’ and motion to her bowl.

Looking For Pet Gift Baskets

Executive Summary about Pet Gift Baskets by Terri Simmons. pet gift baskets. Start out your canine basket with a nice doggy bowl. You need to select the bowl that best suits the dog. Don’t get a little tiny bowl for a St. Bernard!

Plastic Pet Food Bowls Are Not As Healthy For Your Dog Or Cat

plastic pet food bowls trap bacteria, which can cause illness and kitty acne, or a dirty, irritated chin. Real more about healthy pet food bowls.  

Pet Dining Table & Dog Bowl Set Accessories

Your home is your castle. When we eat our meals, we like to well seated at a table and enjoy our food in peace and calm. In the same way, when our pets eat.

More than before.

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food 

About The Author

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in natural health for dogs. For your free dog health report, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com

For info on HEALTHY dog foods, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/DogFood

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