Your Dog The Omnivore

Your dog may be a meat-lover, but she or he is not a true carnivore, like cats.

Therefore, unlike other predators, dogs require more than meat for daily nutrition. It is true that no dog is the same, and nutritional and caloric needs of dogs do vary. Differentiating stages of the dog's life mandate evolving requirements, as well.

My book, Dog Food SECRETS™ gives a full breakdown of the calories your dog requires, by weight, age, stage of pregnancy, level of activity and even time of the year!

All dogs, though, require minimum quantities of six basic nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and water.

Dogs are not herbivores, either, so while plant-based proteins can be beneficial, they are lacking in some essential amino acids provided by animal-based proteins, and should never be considered a sufficient protein source in and of themselves. Commercial dog foods are often rich with plant-based proteins, which are more difficult for your dog to digest and absorb. The type of protein contained in the food is essential to know. Foods containing cereal proteins (wheat, corn, barley) have little nutritional value for dogs. Muscle meats, eggs and organ meats (such as liver) provide much more usable protein.

The trick is to provide the six basic nutrients in a balanced diet, factoring in the calories that will suffice for your dog's growth, activity, and restoration. In addition, your dog's daily diet must contain vitamin and mineral supplements in balanced concentrations. Too much of one mineral may interfere with absorption of another; too little of a mineral may interfere with vitamin use or other mineral use.

If you plan to feed your pet fresh food, you want to make sure that you provide him with all the nutritional building blocks he needs to maintain a healthy body. Animal protein should be combined with vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals and other foods to provide all the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals needed.

If you still opt for the convenience of commercial foods, it is wise to become versed in the art of decoding dog food ingredient labels so that you can be assured that the nutritional value matches (or, ideally, surpasses) the marketing technique employed.

The dog food manufacturers spend a great deal of time, energy and advertising revenue to persuade us that their products are natural and nutritionally complete. That would indicate,

1) That is what consumers would like the product to be, and
2) That is what the product should be.

Doesn't it make sense, then, that you select food for your dog that you know to be healthful and nutritionally sound? If you're still buying commercial dog food, you aren't feeding your dog what it needs and deserves (unless it's off my list of recommended brands, see the order page for details).

Finding that complete nutritional balance may seem a daunting and elusive task, but we have done the research for you, and present it to you in our usual concise and easy (yet educational) fashion. For your dog's health, take the time today to devote yourself to that task.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you the exact balance of each of the vital nutrients your dog needs and the book packages you receive when you order contain over 200 recipes of well balanced meals.

The gold package also includes the Condifential Dog Food Report: The 9 Best Dog Food Brands in all of Nth America - the only brands we found that provide everything a dog needs in every way!

Click here now to learn more..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Finding The Best Commercial Dog Foods

We truly believe that the best diet for your dog is a homemade diet, and that using commercial dog food is a step in the wrong direction.

But, it is possible that you are still not wholly convinced. Perhaps you're just not much of a cook. You eat a lot of prepared foods yourself, so really, why not the same for your dog?

OR you work long, hard days and you just don't have a lot of free time. Anyone can understand that you don't want to spend that time in the kitchen when you could be playing some quality Frisbee Toss with your dog. You have a busy life, with many responsibilities and as much as you'd like to home make your meals, you simply don't have the time.

Then there is the possibility that you just do not trust that you can correctly ascertain your dog's needs, and provide the appropriate nutritional balance. You'd feel better if someone would just tell you exactly what food to serve and how much was appropriate.

Or, maybe you're just plain old stubborn. You're not buying into the whole "health nut" theories, and you're thinking that providing some good home cooking for your canine is outright ludicrous. You can just picture the jeers and ridicule when your friends find out you were late for your tee time because you were making Fluffy a salmon omelet.

And yet, you've come this far, so you are entertaining some doubts about the whole commercial racket, you're just not willing to dive in headfirst at this point.

It is specifically for you -- the kitchen-challenged, the impossibly busy, the faint-of-heart and the headstrong -- that we have carefully researched and assembled a list of the 9 best possible alternative commercial pet foods currently available on the market in North America.

Our compilation gives detailed summaries of the nutritional merit of each product, and is once again both concise and educational. In addition, purchasing information and photo for each is provided. Why its great and anything should you be cautious of.

I trust feeding my own beloved canine with brands from this list, I couldn't give them a better stamp of approval than that.

And I make nothing if you buy these brands because I have no relationship with the companies that produce them, I just like and trust them.

The manufacturers featured here tend toward the holistic or organic bias. They all favor natural ingredients, and avoid unnecessary additives and preservatives. Possibly most surprising of all, nearly all tend toward the economical stratum as well.

Dog Food SECRETS™ Gold package is the only package which includes this extremely valuable report. Until now, no one has ever read it besides me... I employed a private field researcher to put it together and now you can get your own copy.

Click here to learn more.

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Counting Calories for Your Dog

Your dog is fat. OK, possibly not.

But there's a very good chance he or she is, and you don't even know it.

Statistics vary, but veterinarians report that as many as 25 - 44% of all dogs are overweight, and that obesity is the number-one canine health disorder. Obesity is defined as weighing over 15% more than the standard accepted weight for the dog's height.

With nearly half of our dogs weighing in on the heavy side, it's no surprise, then, that obesity-related conditions are on the rise within the pet population. These conditions include diabetes mellitus and orthopedic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, respiratory, immune and reproductive disorders. These can be devastating conditions for your dog to live with.

Doctors ascribe the rise in obesity to a combination of the general lack of fussiness of dogs, their natural gorging behavior, and insufficient exercise.

And since dogs don't do their own grocery shopping or prepare their own meals, we must add to this a prevailing ignorance among their owners in providing a nutritious, well-balanced, calorie-controlled diet.

Do you know if your dog is fat or fit? Do you know her daily caloric requirements? Do you know what factors may mitigate those daily caloric requirements?

Did you know regular dog food is packed with sugar and fat to make the toxic crap they put in it palatable?

A healthy dog is ready to eat at any time. Some dogs quite literally can eat while flat on their side and more or less asleep. Therefore, it is pointless to use your dog's begging behavior as any indicator of how much to feed him.

Knowing how many calories he needs and how that translates into food will help keep him trim and healthy. Energy needs for the dog change throughout his life, increasing the more active he becomes, and, as you might surmise, decreasing as the dog reaches his senior years.

Your vet will help you determine if your dog's weight is on target, or if she is headed for fat city, and all diet-related considerations should definitely be discussed with your vet before introducing any major changes into your dog's nutritional sphere. But, before your next office visit, you can do an assessment to determine (albeit imprecisely) your dog's general body condition and weight.

Can the ribs be easily felt with slight fat cover, or are they difficult to feel under moderate or thick fat cover?

From the side view, do you see an abdominal tuck?

Is there thickening at the tail base?

From the overhead view, is there a well-proportioned waist?

Or, from the overhead view, does she have a marked hourglass shape? (an indicator of being underweight)

Or, from the overhead view, is the back slightly or markedly broadened at the waist? (indicators of being moderately to severely overweight)

Is your dog slow to rise or move around?

Is she reluctant to exercise, or does she tire easily with activity?

Individual metabolism, exercise, age, environment and overall health will determine what your dog really needs to remain lean and healthy. Since your dog can only have so many calories every day, it is important to pack lots of nutrition, bulk and appeal into those calories.

Our information-packed Dog Food SECRETS™ ebooks can help you overcome your nutritional naivete.

Embracing this information doesn't mean you have to prepare every meal with a set of scales on the counter, no. Do it a few times and you can do it forever.

After you determine your dog's caloric needs, the ideal solution to meet those needs is to prepare your dog's food at home, where you can have total control over the caloric and nutritional content.

Our books can help you there, too -- as it includes a collection of easy, healthful, natural and delicious recipes created with your dog's palate and welfare in mind. In fact the Silver and Gold packages include over 200 easy-to-make healthy recipes.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you how to easily keep your dog's weight under control and prevent it from becoming sick from obesity --> the number 1 cause of canine health problems. As long as they keep eating commercial dog food, you are fighting an uphill battle.

Click here to discover how to calorie control your dog, its very easy..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Taking Control Of Your Dog's Nutrition

It's dinnertime. Do you know what your dog is eating? If you're feeding him or her commercial dog food, the answer to that just might come as a very big surprise.

Dog Nutrition or Russian Roulette?

That "Chicken Flavor" dog food you've selected may have some chicken in it. Then again, it just as well may not. It's not required to, pursuant to the FDA guidelines concerning dog food ingredient listings. That "Lamb & Rice Formula" for dogs certainly has some lamb and rice in it -- but the total combined could be as little as 25% of the total packaged product, and still conform to regulations. What comprises the remaining 75%?

Is that 75% all goodness? No!

What about all those fillers and by-products and chemical preservatives listed? Do you know what BHA and BHT are, and why they are banned for human use? Are you familiar with ethoxyquin? Rolls right off the tongue doesn't it?

Is meat the first (and thereby most prevalent) ingredient listed, or does corn or grain lead the way? Do you suppose all those artificial colors and flavors are there for your dog's benefit, or for yours? Does your dog food supply the complete and balanced daily dietary provisions for your dog? And, with the loose regulations on dog food labeling leaving us somewhat in the dark as to what exactly we are feeding our pets, how can you be sure?

There is really only one way to be sure.

Give your dog some good home cooking. Homemade dog food allows for flexibility and purity. It also gives us total control over our dog's nutritional needs. We can be assured that all ingredients are of the highest quality, and add up to a balanced, toxin-free diet. We can also maintain complete caloric discretion, modifying as necessary to accommodate our dog's ever-changing demands.

But if you don't know how, you may as well go back to commercial dog food because it can be just as dangerous.

Making the decision to feed your pet fresh food does not mean you need to overcomplicate matters. You do want to make sure that you provide him with all the nutritional building blocks he needs to maintain a healthy body. Animal protein should be combined with vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals and other foods to provide all the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals needed.

It's not quite as simple as it sounds, entirely, but it's not exactly rocket science either.

Achieving the sought-after balance is a daunting proposition, to be sure. We admit when we began our research, we were literally bombarded with facts and figures, both real and imaginary, and found that the websites delivering disinformation and misinformation abound.

In our pursuit of balance in our dogs' diets, we discovered the balance in the available research. It is our wish now to share our study with you here, in the most concise fashion. As a bonus with Dog Food SECRETS™, we have also compiled a host of easy, healthful and delicious homemade recipes for you to try with your pet.

We are not vets, and our areas of expertise comprise only loving our dogs, and wanting the best for them. You have come this far with us, so we are certain that you want that, too.

Dog Food SECRETS™ shows you eactly how to decide on a diet for your dog, according to its age, weight, level of daily activity, even time of the year and more.

A dog can look healthy on the outside even when its insides are being contaminated, don't wait for the point where it's organs can no longer withstand the daily barrage of toxins.... that day is surely coming and only you can stop it.

Be the master your dog deserves and find out how to feed it properly.

Click here to discover how..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Dogs Die From Toxic Dog Food

Today we're going to miss our usual lesson because it's important you read this press release.

This kind of story scares the beegeezuz out of me. I've already had one of my dogs die from toxic dog food and it seems nothing has improved since then.

You must be aware that these kind of cases exist. Read and be concerned!

Andrew

Article Source - Cornell University

Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine develops protein tests to accurately detect pet food-poisoned dogs

Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused at least 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation and possibly in more than two dozen other countries remain unaware of the tainted food, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

To better screen affected dogs so they can be treated as soon as possible, Cornell veterinarians report that they now have a new test, adapted from one used in humans, to accurately assess aflatoxin poisoning in dogs. Currently, about two-thirds of dogs that show symptoms after eating the tainted food die.

"Entire kennels have been wiped out, and because of the holiday these past few weeks, the dispersal of recall information was disrupted," says Sharon Center, a professor of veterinary medicine who specializes in liver function and disease at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, which is emerging as a central clearinghouse for information about the dog food poisoning.

The Cornell Vet College is continually updating its Web site (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/ ) to keep the public and veterinarians informed as new information on the poisonings emerge. Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) is analyzing blood and liver samples from sick dogs around the country, testing suspected dog food, conducting autopsies and collecting as many livers as possible from dead dogs to confirm cause of death, tracking dogs that have died and following up on the health of dogs that survive the food poisoning. The AHDC has information for veterinarians on its Web site http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/news.asp.

"We suspect that dogs have been dying since November, perhaps even October, but it took the perfect storm of circumstances to get the diagnosis," said Karyn Bischoff, the veterinary toxicologist at Cornell who first identified aflatoxin as the culprit in the recent wave of deaths.

Trying to save dogs
Over the recent holiday weeks, Center and her staff worked around-the-clock to try to save the 17 poisoned dogs admitted to Cornell's Hospital for Animals. "I've been working with liver disease in dogs for 30 years, and I've never seen such miserably ill dogs," said Center, noting that severely affected dogs suffer from intractable vomiting and internal bleeding. "Despite our understanding of this complex toxin, we have no direct antidote for this poisoning. This has been an immensely sad holiday and one that will leave an indelible mark on the owners that lost their cherished family members."

Of those 17 dogs, Center euthanized 12 when it became clear they could not survive; five are still being treated. Dogs that have survived had consumed a smaller amount of the food than dogs that died, Center said. "Some dogs were stealing food from the kitchen counter. Others just stopped eating the food and begged for treats. Unfortunately, some owners used gravy and other mixers to entice their dogs to consume what they thought was safe, quality dog food."

"It's devastating to dog owners who feel responsible for poisoning their beloved dogs," said Bischoff.

Although only about two dozen animal deaths have been officially linked to the tainted pet food, Center and Bischoff know that many more have died or become ill from the tainted food, based on their many communications with veterinarians as far south as Georgia.

"Every day, we're hearing reports from veterinarians in the East and Southeast who have treated dogs that have died from liver damage this past month or so," said Center. "We're also concerned about the long-term health of dogs that survive as well as dogs that have eaten the tainted food but show no clinical signs." She suspects that surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease, perhaps liver cancer, and that many dogs that ate the tainted food appear healthy are nevertheless victims of liver damage.

Yet many dog and kennel owners remain unaware that some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled.

"About half of our clients bringing in sick dogs this past week say that they were not aware of the contaminated dog food problem," said Sara Sanders, one of the veterinarians at Mendon Valley Animal Hospital near Rochester -- the sort of ground zero for the epidemic that resulted in the recall. She first realized that several dogs she was treating for liver problems in December were all eating Diamond food, and she sent food and tissue samples to Cornell, her alma mater, for testing.

Screening ill dogs
Early signs that a dog has been poisoned by afltoxin include lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting and, later, orange-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the eyes, gums and nonpigmented skin that reflects substantial liver injury). Severely affected dogs produce a blood-tinged vomit and bloody or blackened stools. "Since dogs can take several days to three weeks to exhibit serious signs of illness, all animals that consumed recalled lots of food should be examined by a veterinarian as early as possible," Center said. "Physical exams and blood tests are necessary to differentiate dogs that have been poisoned from those that have not. Unfortunately, the latent onset of signs may require that an individual dog be evaluated several times."

Cornell veterinarians have verified diagnostic tests enabling detection of seriously poisoned dogs. Aflatoxin curtails the production of cholesterol and many proteins that profoundly affect blood clotting. A minimum screening profile should assess the liver enzyme ALT to detect damage to the liver, serum cholesterol, total bilirubin concentration and the activity of the anticoagulant proteins antithrombin III (ATIII) and protein C. The coagulation protein tests, which have been adapted for dogs by Cornell researchers, have high value in detecting affected dogs but require collection of a special blood sample (citrated plasma sample) and an assessment by Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Any dog suspected of aflatoxin poisoning should also have a liver specimen sent to Cornell to definitively confirm the pathologic changes in the liver unique for aflatoxin toxicity, such as fatty degeneration of individual cells.

"Even if dogs show no signs of illness, if they have eaten the affected food, they should have blood tests submitted to detect liver injury," Center stressed. "Dogs that show positive results on any of the above tests should be prescribed liver protectants for two months." For more details, veterinarians should check the Cornell Vet College Web site.

Owners also should take cats that might have eaten contaminated dog food to a vet. Two cats that may have eaten the tainted dog food have died, but no cause of death was determined.

--------------------

Andrews Thoughts

The only reason this story got attention is because the death of these poor, innocent dogs was rapid.

Unfortunately, every day thousands of dogs die for what seem like unexplainable reasons. The majority of them however, die from toxic levels of poisons, built up over years of eating commercial dog food, destroying their vital organs.

A slow death is no less tragic than a rapid one, in fact a slow death means more suffering for the afflicted animals.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you how to avoid this happening to your own dog, act now while your dog is still healthy.

Click here to discover how..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Dog Food Ingredients

You are what you eat. The same goes for your dog.

So, how'd you like to be a, "meat by-product?" Well, of course you wouldn't, it just sounds nasty, doesn't it?

But what is this whole "by-product" business all about?

Unfortunately, that's just it -- business. By-products are generally defined as animal parts that are not fit for human consumption, such as bones, organs, blood, fatty tissue and intestines. So, in essence, someone got the great idea to process all the leftover garbage in the meatpacking plant and call it, "Dog Food."

And, if that alone wasn't bad enough, the offal is processed in varying degrees of nauseating. For example, while "chicken by-product" may encompass heads, necks, feet and intestines, at the very least, all the parts must come from chicken. The same is true for lamb by-products, beef by-products, etc.

The "meat" umbrella, however, invites a whole other ballgame.

A closer look there can unearth zoo animals, road kill, and so-called, "4-D livestock" (dead, diseased, disabled and dying). It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. Much to our relief, it does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs. Meat byproducts are not meat. They can include almost any part of the animal other than meat. Because any mammal can be used, cheaper meats like horse, pig, or goat are often included.

Similarly, "poultry by-products" should not be confused with "chicken by-products." The origin can be any fowl (turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.), instead of a single source, like chicken.

Mmmmm, sounds heavenly, doesn't it?

Yes, navigating the dog food label ingredients lists can be a slippery excursion. Commercial-brand dog foods are not beholden to the same FDA labeling requirements as people foods, but federal standards are governed by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Additionally, some states also enforce their own labeling regulations, many adopting model pet food regulations established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Still, the information provided tends to be vague and often outright misleading.

Would you believe "Lamb & Rice Dog Food" and "Lamb & Rice Dinner For Dogs" denote two entirely different ingredient lists, and very distinctive applicable regulations pertaining to their listings? Did you know, under the "Flavor Rule" governing dog food ingredient lists, "Beef Flavor Dog Food" might not necessarily contain any beef?

Perhaps you are thinking the safe route would be to spend a little more and get your brand's "premium," "super-premium," "ultra-premium" or "gourmet" offerings. It might surprise you to learn that products labeled as such may not mean what you've been lead to think, because there is no legal requirement.

Learning to decipher dog food labels can be considered an art form unto itself. For the health of your dog, let us give you the basic tools you need to master that art form.

In Dog Food SECRETS you will discover how to read the ingredients listings on commercial dog food products. This is the simplest skill for you to learn to make a drastic change to the health of your dog and every caring dog owner should know how.

Learn more now..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.