Tips For Treating Dog Diabetes

When a dog has canine diabetes, it is important to regulate their food intake. Not only do you need to watch how much sugar they are consuming, you also need to monitor the amount of food they get, plus how often they are fed. It is usually recommended that you feed them 2 to 3 smaller meals throughout the day rather than one large meal. The smaller meals helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, while one large meal can cause insulin levels to spike high, only to have them plummet 12 hours later. When the blood sugar drops too low, your dog could begin to suffer from hypoglycemia, a serious condition. If this should happen, you need provide immediate sugar to your dog (honey rubbed on the dog’s gums will work) and get your pet to the vet's office immediately. This is much like a human diabetic who carries around a cube of sugar or a chocolate bar with them for just this purpose.

So, what should you feed your diabetic dog? The following are some guidelines that will help toward keeping insulin levels normalized and in control.

Avoid Foods That Contain Sugar

This would seem to be an obvious thing to do. Yet, most dog owners really have no idea just how much sugar and carbohydrates are contained in manufactured dog food. (For the record, carbohydrates are converted into glucose by the body - in other words - sugar). Dry dog food, as well as those soft-moist foods (in those cellophane packages) are the worst culprits. Should you continue to feed your dog commercial dog food, switch to a high-quality canned food instead - and read the ingredients on the label!

The Best Dog Food Diet Is Homemade

Raw and homemade dog foods are the best solution. In this way, you will know exactly what your dog is eating and how much sugar/carbohydrates they are consuming. Feeding a homemade diet doesn't have to be hard or expensive. There are many books on the market that can help you with recipes and advice.

Choose Foods Low In Fat

The pancreas not only regulates insulin and blood sugar levels, it also works to produce enzymes in the process of breaking down fat. As you don't want to over-stress the pancreas, you need to choose meats that are low in fat. Stay away from ground beef and other red meats and cut off the extra fat from chicken and turkey. Some fat is obviously necessary for good health...but try to keep it to a minimum.

Certain Grains Are Beneficial

Although you need to be careful with the amount of grain given an animal (animals don't digest grains as well as humans due to their shorter digestive tract), some grains are better to serve than others when it comes to canine diabetes. Rice, millet and oats are usually the preferable choices to help regulate insulin levels and provide fiber. Some professionals also recommend cornmeal, however dogs sometimes have allergic reactions to corn, as well as wheat. It's best to keep in mind that grains are carbohydrates which the body turns into glucose to use for energy, so keep it to a minimum.

Add Brewer's Yeast

A natural chromium-containing substance called “glucose tolerance factor” is found in regular brewers yeast. Its main function is to help assist the body in using blood sugar more efficiently. Try adding one teaspoon of brewers yeast to your dog's food with each meal.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a natural supplement that helps to reduce the need for insulin in the body. Providing your dog with a Vitamin E capsule once per day is suggested. Recommended dosage is between 25UI and 200 UI, depending on the size of your dog.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Raw fruits and vegetables are ideal in providing vitamins and nutrients, while helping to keep blood sugars stabilized. The natural occurring sugars shouldn't throw insulin levels out of sync, unlike refined processed sugar.

Fruits are a great idea for a treat between meals; however don't include them with the main meals as the fruit could ferment in your dog's stomach when combined with meats, grains and vegetables.

Most vegetables can be served raw; however a few should be cooked, such as winter squash (good for diabetic dogs), dandelion greens, and potatoes. Raw foods such as alpha sprouts, parsley and garlic (capsule or fresh) are wonderful choices for this disease. Carrots can be either raw or cooked. (By the way - garlic helps to stimulate the digestive tract and is an excellent choice to serve your pet, regardless if the dog has diabetes or not).

The above dietary guidelines are just that - guidelines. It's important that you speak with your vet about a canine diabetes diet and also to serve the foods that your dog can tolerate well. Stay away from baked treats made with flour and sugar, as well as table scraps as these can cause insulin levels to become erratic.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you exactly how to provide a healthy diet for your dog.

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 Diabetes

Dog Diabetes: A Serious Dog Disease That is Completely Manageable

Canine diabetes is a serious disease that causes there to be too much glucose in the blood. If your pet has any of the signs, a dog health exam will help you find out with certainty. Canine diabetes symptoms usually include the following:

- drinking excessive amounts of water
- frequent urination
- weight gain (or weight loss in some cases)
- increased lethargy during the day

A simple blood test can tell the vet if the glucose counts look suspicious. You should have a full physical exam done on your dog annually, even if he seems perfectly healthy. Be sure to ask your vet to include a full blood work-up, to rule out diabetes (as well as many other diseases). It’s well worth the added cost!

If your pet has been diagnosed with canine diabetes, don’t panic. While it is a ‘special needs’ issue that will influence many daily decisions, it is a manageable disease in dogs. You just have to learn some simple steps and stick to a schedule.

The first goal after a canine diabetes diagnosis is to get the glucose levels down to a normal (or only slightly elevated) level. This will not require thorough dog health exams like the original blood test. The vet can draw some blood and test the levels fairly quickly, with minimal cost to you.

Canine diabetes means someone must administer insulin injections (in most cases). They are easy to do and will quickly become routine. One person in the family should be responsible for the shots, but everyone should know how to give them (age teen and up) in case of a dog health emergency. I highly recommend posting a printout of how to give the injection to your pet in every room in your house, just in case.

In our house, where we have a diabetic dog, we made a canine diabetes “Dog Health Cheat Sheet” for potential problems, like these:

- too much insulin is accidentally injected
- the needle breaks off while in the dog
- there’s a seizure (not common, but can happen occasionally)

The cheat sheet includes the vet’s emergency number and some basic actions to take in each scenario. We made several copies to be posted all over the house, but especially by the phone, the fridge (where the insulin is kept), and the bed (where our dog hangs out a lot).

The other goal with canine diabetes is to maintain the glucose level (with your vet’s help). It is crucial to take your pet periodically to the vet for a whole day (8-hour period at least) so they can check blood sugar levels throughout the day. Just as in humans, blood sugar levels fluctuate in your pet throughout the day. Having your vet monitor and take several blood readings during a longer stretch of time helps ensure that your diabetes treatments are actually working as intended.

It’s a little more work to care for diabetic dogs, no doubt about it. But our pets are family members and we love them dearly. Right? They give us their devotion, protection, and love, so the least we can do in return is give them proper health care, especially if they have problems like canine diabetes. Going the extra mile for them will help them live happier lives with less pain and more enjoyment. Can there be a nobler goal?

Commercial dog food companies have created this epidemic sweeping the US and other developed country dog populations. Their processed food has high levels of sugar to make it more palatable to the animal. The benefit to them is increased sales because dog owners see their beloved canine woof down the food like its the best they've ever eaten and consequently make the decision to keep buying it.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you how to use food to prevent canine diabetes and other many other diseases associated with commercial dog food through a balanced and natural diet.

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.

Animal-to-Human Transmittable Diseases Resulting From Pet Worm's

A zoonotic disease, loosely defined, is a disease that can be transmitted from an animal to a human. These diseases can be transmitted by direct contact, by vectors or by the consumption of animals and/or animal products.

While many animal diseases are zoonotic, we are going to highlight some of the more common ones caused by worms.

A) Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum)

These are distributed worldwide and are found wherever dogs live.

In dogs they can cause anaemia(bloodloss), weight loss, loss of appetite, poor growth,bloody stools, coughing and localised skin inflammation, especially of the feet, legs and abdomen.

In humans they are responsible for a condition known as Cutaneous Larval Migrans. The migration of the larval stages causes localised skin inflammation, especially in the lower leg region

Preventative measures include:

1) Regular removal of dog faeces from the environment and avoiding contact with dog faeces and soil contaminated with dog faeces. 2) Disinfection of Kennels etc 3) Regular Deworming (pets and people!) 4) Basic Hygiene - washing hands after playing with dogs, before meals etc.

B) Roundworm (Toxocara canis) are also distributed worldwide.

Usually only dogs up to about 8 months old are infected. Symptoms include poor growth, weight loss, pot bellied appearance, coughing, occasional vomiting, slimey diarrhoea with worms sometimes visible.

In humans they are responsible for a condition known as Visceral larval Migrans. The larvae migrate through the body and the symptoms experienced by the person depend on where the larvae end up in the body.Common symptoms include a fever, muscle pains, coughing, loss of appetite, blindness (usually only one eye) etc.

Prevention is the same as for hookworm.

C) Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is one of the best known of the zoonotic diseases that involve pets and is the disease that leads many pregnant women to (unfairly) toss the pet cat out the door!

Although cats play a major role in the life cycle of Toxopllasma gondii, the causative organism, humans can in fact become infected 3 different ways, only one of which is direct contact with cat faeces.In fact, cat ownership is not a big factor for human infection with Toxoplasma.

The three ways that humans can become infected:

1) Eating undercooked meat This is THE major route of infection for humans, NOT contact with cat faeces. In one study , up to 60% of infections were as the result of the consumption of undercooked meat.

2) Transplacental Infection The foetus is infected while still in the uterus. This infection is the result of the mother becoming infected during pregnancy.

3) Ingestion of the organism shed in cat faeces.

Preventative measures thus involve cooking meat properly, wearing gloves when gardening, washing hands and utensils after working with raw meat and cleaning litter trays out daily.

Dog Food SECRETS™ will show you how to avoid these problems from occuring through a controlled diet and also by following a simple health regimen.

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.

Healthy Dog Food

The Secret To Canine Longevity

Have you ever heard of a dog living into his late teens? I personally have never met such an age-defying dog but it does happen. Did you know, however, that many veterinarians and scientists today estimate that the life span of a dog should be into the late teens and even into the twenties? It is a wild idea, but many see it as attainable.

Science advances rapidly. It seems as if every day we read of a new advancement, a new wonder-drug, a new technique for improving both the quality and the longevity of our pets and ourselves. These advancements are wonderful. It was only a generation or two ago where simple infections could mean certain death for our pets, where a difficult labor would be the downfall of both mother dog and puppies, where diseases were common due to lack of vaccinations and proper treatments. I applaud science and hope they continue in their march toward a higher quality of life.

With all these dog health improvements and human life spans increasing, why the heck aren’t our dogs living up to their true potential life spans? I believe that the factors are many. The main factor, in my opinion, is the nutrition that we give our dogs.

Did you know that the pet food industry is largely unregulated? The pet foods that you pick up at the grocery store are made by companies owned by some of the largest companies in the world. These mega-companies make largely human consumer products and their dog foods and pet foods are manufactured from the by-products that weren’t fit for human consumption.

I know, I know. This sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s true. What kind of things are they able to get away with? Dog foods are made with leftovers. It is well documented that these dog foods are manufactured with dead and rotting carcasses. These are often carcasses from animals that were diseased, sickly, or otherwise not fit for human consumption so they were used in dog food. These carcasses are gathered and sit around a lot rotting and putrefying often for days before it is their turn to make it into the dog food bag. Other non-nutritional products like hooves and horns are also ground up and thrown into the mix. Have you ever wondered what happens to all that grease and oil that fries up those potatoes in fast food joints? Yup, it’s true. Dog food companies buy leftover grease by the ton and use it as a coating on dog food that you may be giving your dog. Why would they do that? Well, that grease is pretty tasty (albeit nutritionally abominable) to your dog. The dog food companies know that the unpalatable product they make will be eaten if they cover it with this leftover fat.

That’s not all, though. Most commercial dog and cat foods are full of fillers, preservatives, baked in a manner that strips the food of nutrients, and so chemically treated that they resemble Twinkies more than they resemble nutrition for your pet.

What is the solution? Well, there are many but the first step is to switch to a premium food. Feed your dog a food that uses human grade ingredients, doesn’t cram the food with fillers, and leaves out the chemical enhancers that give commercial dog food the shelf life of uranium.

Dog Food SECRETS™ Gold Package includes "The Confidential report: 9 Best Commercial Dog Foods in all of North America". A guide created by a professional field researcher that Andrew Lewis contracted to find the best of the best foods so he could feed his dog commercial dog food without fear of guilt.

Now you can do the same.

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 Worms

The Types and Descriptions

Your dog's health is a very important part of overall care, and when you have a dog: Worms are a common problem. Puppies tend to get worms more often than grown dogs do. Here are common types of worms puppies and dogs get, and the various side effects that can result:

In general, puppies or dog's with worms can become sick. Symptoms include weight loss, weakness, being listless, having an upset stomach, not growing well, and sometimes even lung and breathing problems.

A puppy who's extremely thin could be having health problems with worms. A very shoddy looking coat is another sign of health problems, and even a potbelly could be an indication the puppy is worm infested.

Grown dogs may not show any outward signs when they have worms, but unfortunately they tend to spread them more than puppies do, because they pass large amounts of worm larvae, or eggs, through their feces.

There are several different types of worms that can jeapordize your dog's health: Tapeworm, roundworm, ringworm and heartworm are the most common.

Tapeworms have flat, segmented bodies and can sometimes be seen as rice-like segments or chains in the droppings of your dog or puppy. These are a common type of dog health problem, and they tend to be combined with flea infestations. Because of this, you'll often find dog health remedies that treat both fleas and tapeworms together.

Roundworms (toxocara) live and produce hundreds of eggs in the intestine, and are easily passed onto children.

Roundworm eggs are very hardy, resistant to heat and cold, and can survive up to 7 years in the soil. The eggs can pass on to children through ingestion and cause them to fall sick as well.

As a precaution, it's a good idea to train your dog or puppy to use a bathroom area which is not played in by children. Having a specific area also makes it easier for you to pick up and dispose of the droppings safely. Also be sure to have children wash their hands after handling puppies, and teach both the children and puppies to not lick on the hands or face.

All dogs and puppies should be "de-wormed" every 6-12 months, depending on the area you live in. Consult with your veterinarian for the best schedule in your area.

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you how to avoid this happening to your own dog by using good nutrition and eliminating toxic foods like commercial dog food, 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.

Does Your Dog Have Otitis Externa?

- Dog Ear Infection -

Does your dog shake his head excessively? Are his ears red? Is there discharge from the ears? If you answered yes to any of these then he could have Otitis Externa which is simply another name for a dog ear infection.

The dogs ear has 3 parts, the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Otitis Externa is an infection in the outer ear canal where 90% of ear infections in dogs occur. Dogs are prone to ear infections because of the anatomy of their ears. They have a horizontal and a vertical component to them, so it is hard for anything in there to drain out, like water or debris.

There are several causes of ear infections. The most common cause of ear infections are due to allergies. Some dogs are more prone to allergies than others; therefore they get more ear infections.

Another common cause is sporting dogs that swim. They get water inside their ears, and provided their difficult anatomy, the water in the ears cannot drain out. Therefore, this provides the perfect environment for bacteria and yeast to grow. It is recommenced that if you let your dog play in the water you dry your dog's ears thoroughly afterwards.

If your dog does have an ear infection it is important to properly clean your dog's ears before applying any medication.

To clean your dog's ears, start by placing a few drops of an ear cleanser into the ear and massage the ear to help loosen any debris that is in the ear. Then use a cloth or cotton gauze to whip the dirt out.

After your dog's ears are thoroughly clean, then you can apply your medication. Follow your veterinarian's advice about how much medication to apply to the ear, usually a few drops.

The treatment your veterinarian will prescribe will vary depending on the cause of the ear infection. For yeast infections they prescribe anti-fungals, for bacterial infections they will prescribe antibiotics. Normally treatment is applied directly into the ears, but in severe cases systemic treatment may be needed. This usually means have to give your dog pills orally.

In some dogs with severe ear problems, the veterinarian will usually clip the hair around the ear to help let more air into the ear. In extreme cases your veterinarian may recommend surgery to reconstruct the ear canal to let it drain easier.

Some dog breeds are more prone to ear infections than others, although all dogs can be get them. Dogs with large ears and ears that flop over as well as dogs with a small ear canal can be more susceptible than others. Ear infections in dogs need to be treated by your vet, so the next time you see any symptoms in your dog, take action!

Dogs eating commercial dog food are much more susceptible to ear infection. They are also more susceptible to worm infestation and flea infestation. In fact, your dog will be more susceptible to any kind of parasitic infection.

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.

Your Dog's Health is Your Responsibility

Your dog's nutritional health is in your hands. One hundred percent, completely in your hands. Only you can control and provide the nourishment he needs for a smooth, shiny coat, dental health, bone growth, muscle tone, energy requirements and proper digestive function.

A dog's loyalty, love and trust in you make him an easy target for substandard care. We are all guilty, from time to time, of not treating our dogs as well as they deserve. But since they aren't likely to complain, we in turn can find it easy, too often, to turn a blind eye to his blind trust.

After all, isn't it a betrayal of trust and a void in our personal integrity to knowingly feed our dogs food that is nutritionally inferior? Would you feed yourself or any other member of your family from a can, for every meal, day after day? And you do consider your dog a member of your family, don't you?

This is one time you don't want to let yourself off the hook. Don't take your dog's silence as absolution. Their final act of innocence may be a slow, painful and tragic death. The guilt you will feel will be insurmountable.

I fed my dog substandard food and he did die a slow painful and tragic death, don't make the same mistake.

And the real kicker of it all -- giving your dog the best possible diet is easy! It can seem daunting, at a glance. But, in reality, it doesn't take a whole lot of time, effort or brainpower to do the right thing.

While the loose regulations on dog food labeling leaves us somewhat in the dark as to what exactly we are feeding our pet when we use commercial dog foods, good home cooking 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.

And, let's not diminish the importance of the one ingredient that only we can add, and which most certainly will be lacking in any commercial dog food -- love.

Don't you owe it to yourself, and to your "best friend" to give him the best possible chance at a long, healthy life? We think so, too.

That's why we have written this ebook, replete with useful, easy-to-understand information concerning dog nutrition. We provide healthy, easy-to-prepare recipes for your perusal. We offer tips on all aspects of canine health, including veterinary visits, vaccines, grooming, exercise and first aid -- so that all the information for your dog's health is at your fingertips.

Because, as we said, your dog's health is in your hands. And, we wish you and your dog many healthy returns.

Dog Food SECRETS™ is your guide to being a responsible friend and parent to your dog.

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.

Snacks For Dogs.. Good or Bad?

Oh those puppy-dog eyes . . .who can resist them? There's a reason that turn of phrase "puppy-dog eyes" is used to describe the very deliberate emotional blackmail specifically tendered by basically anyone with the wherewithal to ride the cute train to anywhere. The phrase most assuredly originates with its namesakes. You know the look -- the slight head tilt, the pleading eyes, perhaps a barely perceptible whimper, just for emphasis.

From your pup, that look can say a lot of things, but often it's a transparent plea for a snack. He seems to be saying, "see how cute I am? Don't I deserve something special?"

So of course you yield to his entreaties, because what kind of a dog owner would you be if you didn't agree wholeheartedly?

Well, believe it or not, rejection would actually make you a very responsible and loving pet owner.

The fact is, digestively-speaking, your dog doesn't need extra snacks to get him through the day. Giving in and handing over a fistful of snacks, only contributes to the (literally) ever-growing issues with obesity that we are seeing in dogs. Obesity causes serious health concerns for dogs, including diabetes mellitus and orthopedic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, respiratory, immune and reproductive disorders. Fat dogs are more at risk in surgery, more prone to injury, and have more stress on their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and joints.

Snacks do have their place, however. They can be a very effective training tool, for example. So, the key component here would be not to eliminate snacks, but to censure them.

It is very important to limit snacks to those of the healthy variety, and to always, always, always, and, without fail, include them in your dog's daily calorie count. You can see the results of snacking yourself (Dare we point out those those "love handles" you've been ignoring?). It is important to remember that those same results will be seen in your dog, even if it is less evident at a glance.

When it comes to snacking, there are a few basic rules of thumb to follow:

Snacks should never account for more than 5% of the total daily diet, as measured in calories.

Avoid fatty snacks, such as the commercial imitation bacon and sausage types, which only serve to upset the digestive system.

Don't tempt your pet with easily accessible goodies around the house.

Remember that anything labeled as a snack should be considered supplemental in nature, and should never be used as a substitute for a complete and balanced diet.

Healthy snacks can include fruits and vegetables, and even some homemade "cookies" and biscuits. As a companion to our Delicious Doggy Cuisine, we have compiled such homemade treat recipes for your dog's enjoyment. They are fun to make, and even more fun to serve. Many can be made in "bulk" amounts, so you can store the extras for later use. Take a look, you'll find a complete listing if the recipes includes on this page!

So there you have it -- you now have our blessing. When he's giving you that look you just can't resist, go ahead and cave. But, for your dog's health, when you cave, please cave responsibly.

Dog Food SECRETS™ shows you how to work snacks into your dogs diet without adversely effecting their health, this is the one skill most people never learn and resultingly their dogs become overweight and eventually sick.

Click here to discover how to have a heathly dog that can also enjoy snacking..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Understanding Canine Digestion

Why It Matters

Last time we spoke about the workings of canine digestion. Today I'll tell a little about why it's important and the effects of providing your dog with substandard food typically found in commercial dog food.

Your dog's digestive capabilities are no accident. They are a very carefully construed mechanism of its teeth, stomach and large and small intestines.

Beginning with his sharp, jagged molars, which are designed for gripping, tearing and shredding, and ending with the large intestine, which aids in the elimination of waste, all parts of the system work together to process the consumed food with purpose and deliberation.

With their short and simple digestive tracts, large amounts of vegetation, grains and fiber are difficult for dogs to process. Their systems are much more conducive to the breakdown of animal proteins and fat.

As such, pet foods which boast corn, soy or their corresponding meals as their primary ingredient are of little use to your dog, nutritionally-speaking. The "Crude Protein" analysis on pet food labels is only a measurement of the amount of nitrogen in a food -- not the quality of the protein. Because of this, pet food companies can use the cheaper by-products of human food production, such as soybean meal, to "boost" protein numbers. Animal-based protein is nutritionally superior for dogs. Animal-based protein is better absorbed and retained and is higher in essential amino acids like methionine, arginine, and taurine, all of which are absent in plant-based proteins.

Pancreatitis and Fatty Liver (Hepatic Lipidosis) are diseases that can be caused by a variety of factors such as infection, exposure to toxins, stress and improper diet. Pet food that is very high in saturated fats can certainly be a contributing factor.

Diabetes is a chronic degenerative disease of dogs that can be caused by a variety of factors such as genetics, stress and diet -- specifically, the feeding of excess amounts of simple carbohydrates. Many pet foods are loaded with simple carbohydrates such as white flour, sucrose, glucose and fructose. These are cheap, highly processed carbohydrate sources that can stress the pancreas, leading to diabetes.

In addition, clinical studies suggest that the long term feeding of chemical antioxidants (preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin) have extreme adverse health effects on animals.

As such, for optimal digestive health, it would seem to be a no-brainer to feed your beloved dog a diet rich in animal-based proteins and fats, moderate in carbohydrates, and free of chemical additives and preservatives. When perusing the commercial dog foods available in the grocery store aisles you might find this to be a tricky proposition. It seems most are nutritionally substandard, in at least one respect or another, with many failing in nearly all respects.

This is made even more difficult because dog food manufacturers use deliberately confusing double-talk to make the food appear much more nutritious than it really is. In fact, they lobby against the FDA for their 'right' to keep it confusing.

The ideal solution is to feed your pet freshly prepared food, thereby giving you the power to provide all the nutrients he needs to maintain a healthy body. Combining animal-based proteins with vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals and other foods will furnish all the requisite protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, without all those pesky by-products, fillers and chemical additives and preservatives.

Good home cooking is really the best way to ensure that, "all systems are go."

In Dog Food SECRETS™ and it's companion books, you will discover precisely how to feed your dog, how to read dog food ingredient labels, a massive list of recipes and even get a list a the top 9 brands in Nth America that I had prepared by a professional field researcher because they're the tools you need.

Click here now to get started..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.

Canine Digestion

The Inner Workings of Your Dog

Your dog's digestive system is an impressive, powerful function of the mouth, stomach, small and large intestines, aided by the liver and pancreas.

Digestion begins in the mouth, where saliva lubricates the food and passes it down the esophagus. The dog's teeth -- sharp, jagged, blade-shaped molars -- are designed for gripping, tearing and shredding, and are specifically suited for its digestive capabilities. Other mammals have flat molars, characteristic of grinding.

The dog's jaws, however, are incapable of moving sideways, and instead are hinged. This allows them to open widely and ingest large chunks of meat whole.

Swallowed food passes down the esophagus to the stomach. The stomach of a canine is very acidic with a pH registering as low as 1. Food is well mixed and broken down before contents leave the stomach as chyme.

Chyme is the fluid that passes easily into the small intestine, where the pancreas and liver provide additional digestive enzymes. These enzymes continue protein digestion and also provide carbohydrate and fat digestion. Nutrients are absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream.

By the time any food reaches the large intestine, most of the nutrients have been processed and absorbed. It is here that water and electrolytes are assimilated and bacteria can break down undigested fiber. The wastes are then excreted.

Dogs have the ability to consume large quantities of food at one time and can rest between meals. In the wild, this is known as "gorging," which is beneficial in hunting large game. Dogs, like carnivores, can devour large meals after a hunt, and, thanks to the digestive function, can then leisurely wait until the next meal opportunity arises.

In addition to protein and fat, dogs also require a certain percentage of carbohydrate in their diet. But it is a delicate balance, too much protein and the result is disease, too little and the results are similar.

Large amounts of vegetation, grains and fiber are difficult for dogs to process. With their short and simple digestive tracts, they are incapable of fermenting and absorbing these foods like an herbivore would. High-grain, high-fiber diets, then, only result in a much larger stool volume. The canine has a short digestive tract that helps to easily digest animal flesh and fat. The food spends a much longer time in the stomach, which produces a higher amount of hydrochloric acid, and aids in the breakdown of animal proteins, bones and fat.

To keep your dog's gastrointestinal system functioning at its finest, a healthy, well-balanced diet is of the essence. The quality of the diet can be measured in its ease of digestion. Large, malodorous stool is a reliable indicator that something is amiss in the digestive tract -- and the food going into it would be the most likely perpetrator.

Digestive issues are one health problem your dog need never suffer, as the solution is right at your fingertips, and completely within your discretion. Let us help you make your dog's diet your number one priority, beginning today . . .

Dog Food SECRETS™ teaches you how to effotlessly achieve the perfect balance in your dog's diet. The rewards are numerous and can be enjoyed both by your dog and you. For example: better behavior, better coat, better breath, better teeth, better weight, less gas, less stinky poos, less disease and ultimately a much longer life.

Click here to give your dog the treatment it deserves..

May your dog have a long and happy life,

Andrew Lewis

Click here to learn the truth about Dog Training.