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Pet Food Articles
Recipes Feeding Your Pet Raw Food What You Must Know About Feeding Your Pet
Preparing Fresh and Healthy Meals for Your Dog or Cat
Here's what we do for our gang to keep our dogs and cats in top form and with a powerful immune system. We've discovered they actually preferred this slow cooked food.
Alternate every week between beef, chicken, lamb, the following week pork and then back to beef. Maybe it was the variety of tastes they preferred over the raw, we never could figure that part out. Anyway, here is our proven dog and cat home-cooked yummy recipe:
Cook a stew once or twice a week. Bring some clean, wholesome inexpensive cuts of beef--about 2-5 lbs--covered with water to a rolling boil. It is always better to cook with a bone in the beef as this cooks out the gelatin that is so necessary for strong ligaments and cartilage. Let it boil for just a few minutes, then drain the ugly water, rinse the beef and then cover the beef again with fresh water and bring to a boil again. Next, add all kinds of vegetables either fresh or frozen vegetables, carrots, potatoes, yams, celery, broccoli, bok choi, cauliflower,spinach, peas (excellent source of fiber), green beans, beets, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, corn, yams, okra, lettuce of all different types.
Basically anything we eat. Now add two tablespoons of olive oil (this brings all the flavors together). Add a bay leaf or two for flavor. Maybe a little salt and pepper. Bring all this to a boil in a soup pot, then simmer for a good four to five hours. Then take the meat out and remove the small sharp bones if any (like chicken legs and thighs--these are a little dangerous); bigger bones (to chew on) or smaller bones (to eat and swallow) should be fine. Next in a pint jar or old pickle jar shake 2-3 tablespoons of flour and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 water together. Shake really well to make it very smooth. Now add slowly to the vegetables and broth in the soup pot and stir.
This will thicken the broth and make a nice gravy. Next add back in the meat in chunks and serve this delicious home cooked food slightly warmed every meal. Before you serve it, we suggest you add a couple of pinches of ProBac Adult and the Vita Pak and one drop (just one) of Concentrated Trace Minerals.
This way you will be absolutely certain your pet's are getting all the vitamins and minerals their little bodies require on a daily basis. That's all there is to it. All you do is make sure you have the ingredients in the house and have this on the stove as you are cleaning the house on weekends. Once you get a routine, you will find this "slow cooking" is easy on you and fantastic for your dog or cats. Plus you won't believe how great it makes the house smell, your pet healthy and you save money too. Have a visit with your local grocery store butcher department.
They would love to sell you the meat they can't sell because it is past the "expiration date" for people, and it will be a lot less expensive too. All you have to do is ask. We are certain you will be pleasantly surprised if they know you are taking such good care of your pets.
One of our customers has a butcher that grinds up left over cuts of meat and organ meat and makes it into a burger and freezes it into blocks. All you have to do is ask with a smile and a good heart. They will respond, you watch!!
Give this a try right along with de-toxing your pet and we are certain you are going to have the happiest pet in the world right in your own home. If your pet is having bowel movement problems, add oatmeal to its diet. If it is too thin, add some pasta otherwise forget the pasta. Pasta makes an animal fat just like it does people. Brown rice is good, oats and barley added is good. Wheat germ added is good.
For variety, you could cook some eggs with or without the shell. Or mix raw eggs into ground meet and slightly cook it, so as the eggs are not fully done. Raw eggs are healthier and easier to digest than boiled ones.
Serve this separately from your slow cooking of course. Your "babies" will really reflect the good food in good health, happiness and fewer vet bills by far. This cooking recipe is what we do and we haven't bought a bag of commercial dog food in years and years. You will be amazed at the difference in your little pals and in the money you save. Yours for a happy, healthy pet!
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All About Raw Pet Food
by Dr. Larry Siegler
Our animal companions are natural hunters and carnivores; just look at their ancestr 
The dog at your feet (or on your sofa) has evolved from the wolf, and it's digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication. They have very short intestinal tracts geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods. Dogs are considered "omnivores" as they eat a variety of grasses, berries and vegetables in addition to prey. The cat on your lap is a true or "obligate" carnivore (meat only diet) and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best.
The Benefits of Raw Pet Food
Raw pet food diets have been shown to help the body deal with many common ailments such as flea infestations, hot spots, continual shedding, poor dental & gum health, allergies, gastro-intestinal problems, immune disorders and degenerative diseases. Diet is the foundation of health. The fresher the diet, the more nutrients are available for the animals system to utilize in building immunity, healing from illness and warding off disease.
Raw diets have been common practice in European countries for decades, especially Germany, where it is commonly recommended by veterinarians. The fear of feeding raw meat in this country seems to stem from a fear of salmonella, e. coli and parasites. In over 10 years of feeding raw food and seeing countless animals on raw food diets, salmonella and e. coli have not been seen to be a problem. (Remember, their digestive systems are designed to accommodate raw meat.) Parasites could be contracted through eating wild, whole prey or game meats, but is much less likely from properly handled human grade meats. Infection is more likely to occur through ingestion of feces or soil, or poorly handled meat.
The actual research sited in the US in support of a raw pet food diet is rather convincing. A long term study conducted by Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., M.D. between 1932 to 1942 was initiated a bit by accident. Dr. Pottenger kept cats as laboratory animals for experiments in human health. As his research and cat population grew, he resorted to feeding them raw meat scraps from a local packing plant instead of cooked kitchen leftovers. Within a few months, he noticed distinct improvements in the cats eating raw meat. This prompted Dr. Pottenger to undertake a whole new experiment: he segregated cats into different groups - some of which were fed a cooked meat diet and others who received a raw meat diet.
All observations were noted in great detail over many generations of cats. At the end of the study Dr. Pottenger concluded that cats fed a heat processed diet were deficient and suffered from innumerable ailments ranging from low immunity, irritability, and allergies; to skeletal deformation, organ malfunction, poor development during kittenhood, low birth rate, birth defects, infertility, and shortened life-span. (If you wish to learn more about the Pottenger study, you can purchase a summary of the study as book or video from the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation.)
Some exceptions to "raw is better" are the older, weaker animal who may not tolerate raw food, or animals with certain gastro-intestinal problems where the gut has to be restored to a healthier state using herbs and/or supplements to pet food. In these cases, a home prepared, cooked pet-food diet the best substitute for a raw pet food diet.
Raw Pet Food Diets
Ideally, our companions would eat an all raw pet-food diet that includes some viscera and bones. Generally, the more raw food you can include in your companion's diet, the better - but some is better than none. Some guardians choose to feed their companions a ½ raw and ½ dry (dehydrated or kibble) pet-food diet; either mixing the two or feeding pet food raw for one meal each day and dry or cooked pet food for the other. It does not have to be complicated pet-food - you can feed raw chicken and turkey necks and chicken backs as part or all of a meal several times a week. Raw poultry bones do not splinter, they crunch. This is a great way to clean teeth, exercise chewing muscles, and provide a natural source of balanced calcium and phosphorus, as well. As always, naturally raised, hormone and antibiotic free or organic meat is best pet food.
When introducing raw bones to dogs they may experience diarrhea, constipation, or both as their systems adjust. Remember to go slowly and feed small amounts at first. When beginning the introduction of raw bones, it may be helpful to crush them with a hammer or in a meat grinder until your dog becomes fully transitioned to a raw diet. For cats bones should always be ground. If your companion has a delicate digestive system, consider grinding meat and bones through a 1/4 inch blade before feeding. Ground bones do not have the same teeth cleaning benefits as whole bones, however. You may also see similar symptoms as your companion's system goes through a detoxification process during the transition to a healthierpet food diet. Again, the key is to go slowly and persevere. In the long run, your companion's increased health and vitality will be the ultimate reward.
Only Natural Pet Store offers a wide range of natural commercial frozen raw foods that are available either in a formula of raw meat, grains, and fresh vegetables designed to provide complete nutrition, or as pure raw meat designed to be added as a supplement to other types of food. We also offer a product called N-R-G Raw Companion that is a dehydrated vegetable and nutrient mixture designed to be added to raw meat. You simply re-hydrate the mixture and add raw meat.
Obvious precautions should be taken when feeding raw meat - wash hands thoroughly after handling the raw meat. Thaw meat in the refrigerator, not sitting on the counter at room temperature. Warm water can be used to thaw or warm the food after it has been mostly thawed in the refrigerator. Do not microwave raw food as the live enzymes are damaged and bones will harden even in just 30 seconds of micro waving. We do recommend avoiding pork as it has been shown to be a source of Trichinella. If you are concerned about bacteria, you can rinse it with several drops of food grade hydrogen peroxide in a sink of water or 1/2 teaspoon liquid grapefruit seed extract in a sink of water to help kill bacteria on the surface.
Transitioning to Raw Food
It is best to introduce raw food slowly into your companion's diet over the course of two weeks. If your companion is used to having food available throughout the day, first transition him or her to eating only once or twice per day for dogs, and two to three times per day for cats before beginning the transition to raw food. Consider transitioning fully to raw in the beginning even if you ultimately intend to feed a mix of raw and cooked or dry. This will give your companion's digestive system the optimal environment for generating healthy enzymes and flora. Start with 1 teaspoon for small dogs and cats and 1 tablespoon for larger dogs for three days or so. Then increase to 2 teaspoons or tablespoons for several days, decreasing the amount of regular food by ¼ to ½ in general proportion to the raw. Work up to replacing at least ½ the normal diet for several days. Finally replace one full meal with raw for a day or two, then fully transition to raw.
We recommend supplementing with digestive enzymes (see dogs and cats ) and probiotics (see dogs and cats ) for at least the first two weeks to help your companion's natural digestive processes kick back in after eating cooked foods for so long. If your animal is resistant to the raw at first, you may want to use a bit of canned food to entice them. Cats, in particular, can be resistant to a change in diet. They tend to fixate on whatever food they are weaned onto and will resist switching to a healthier diet. We have found that grinding or shredding their favorite treat on top of the food can help. Halo's Liv-A-Littles or Whole Life Dehydrated Meat Treats work well for this. Cats will most likely take some persistence on your part, but it is well worth it for the health of your companion.
Resources for Raw Food Diets
Give Your Dog A Bone and Feed Your Pup with Bones; by Ian Billnghurst. Published in Lithgow, N.S.W. Australia by Ian Billinghurst, 1993 and 1998 respectively.
Natural Dog Care; by Celeste Yarnall. Published in Boston, MA by Journey Editions, 1998.
Reigning Cats & Dogs; by Pat McKay. Published in Pasadena, CA by Oscar Publications, 1995.
The Encyclopediea of Natural Pet Care; by CJ Puotinen. Published in Los Angeles by Keats/NTC Publications. 1999
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What You Need to Know About Your Pet's Food
by Dr. Larry Siegler
Your Companion's Pet Food Diet
Nutrition is the foundation of good health for people and the same is true for our animal companions. Diet is the most important component of your pet's health care. The best pet food diet for your dog or cat is not dissimilar to the best diet for you - it consists of a variety of whole foods, and when necessary, enhanced with vitamins and minerals, enzymes and supplements to promote optimal health, prevent disease or to address health issues.
Our animal companions are natural hunters and carnivores; just look at their ancestry. The dog at your feet (or on your sofa) has evolved from the wolf, and it's digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication. They have very short intestinal tracts geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods. The cat on your lap is a true or "obligate" carnivore (meat only diet) and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best.
Commercially prepared kibble has become the standard diet for most pets in our culture. It is relatively cheap and quite convenient. Knowledgeable guardians and many veterinarians, however, are becoming increasingly aware of the true nutritional needs of companion animals and are taking a proactive approach to nutrition by choosing quality of ingredients and carefully controlled preparation over cost and convenience. For most dogs and cats, a home-prepared raw food diet is best. This is not always feasible, however, so at Only Natural Pet Store we do our best to offer the healthiest options available for all life-styles and feeding choices. Whatever food you choose to offer your pet, putting some thought into your decision now can produce big rewards over his or her lifetime and very probably help him/her avoid serious and costly illnesses caused by poor nutrition and feeding practices.
Freshness of Pet Food
When trying to determine the best pet food diet for your companion, there are two things to keep in mind: The fresher, the better, and rotation is optimal. First let's discuss freshness.
Fresh pet food food is teaming with life. It contains natural enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals in their most natural state making them more digestible and more easily assimilated. Heat is the number one enemy of nutrients in food. The fresher the pet food food, the more bioavailable the nutrients in that food will be. This means that the antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables listed in the ingredients will be far more likely to be intact and digestible in raw food than dry kibble or canned pet food, (which are processed at high temperatures). This holds true for natural enzymes, probiotics, amino acids and vitamins and minerals as well.
The less heat processed the pet food, the more likely the nutrients are preserved in their natural state by the time you feed it to your companion, and the more digestible those nutrients will be. So, even if dry kibble is a part of your companion's diet, adding fresher pet foods like fresh or frozen raw food & bones or fresh cooked meat, healthy table scraps, freeze dried or dehydrated diets, and even canned pet food can enhance the quality of his or her overall diet.
The Freshness Scale of Pet Food:
- Home prepared raw pet food diet
- Frozen raw pet food diets
- Freeze dried & dehydrated pet foods
- Canned pet foods
- Dry kibble
We'll talk more about each type of pet food later on in the article.
Rotation of Pet Food Servings
In addition to freshness, variety is important in your companion's pet food diet. A more diverse pet food diet is far more likely to provide complete nutrition than a "formulated" pet food diet fed over and over again. While all pet foods on the market meet the AAFCO (Associatation of American Feed Control Officials) standards for "nutrition" for dogs and cats, that does not mean that any one of them are the ideal pet food for the life of your companion.
A good meal is a pleasurable experience for you, and the same should be true for your companion. However, even a good meal served over and over can become tiresome. You wouldn't eat Corn Flakes at every meal for years at a time, why ask your companion to eat cereal, the SAME cereal every meal, every day for months or years at a time? It is detrimental to both your health and your companion's to eat the same thing for months or years at every meal. Consuming the same pet food repeatedly over long periods of time can contribute to the development of pet food sensitivities and allergies.
More recently, some veterinarians specializing in feline medicine have stated that inflammatory bowel disease may develop, in part, because of food sensitivities caused by feeding one diet for over a year or two at a time. Feeding cats, who are obligate carnivores, a grain based diet has also been shown to contribute to the incidence of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUT), (Also known as Feline Urological Syndrome or FUS). The resulting dehydration over a long period of time contributes stress on the kidneys and lining of the urinary tract.
We recommend varying your companion's diet regularly. If feeding a raw diet, you do not need to "transition" from one type of pet food to the next. Animals eating kibble, however, should be transitioned gradually over a week or two from one to the other. Cats should not eat dry kibble as a main portion of their diet.
Optimizing Freshness and Rotation
While the ideal diet would be a continual rotation of fresh, raw foods, most guardians do not have the time and resources to carefully formulate and make their pet's food. So if you can't meet the ideal, just get as close as you can with what you can afford. The next best thing would be to feed raw pet food as at least 50% of the diet. You can feed one meal a day raw or mix raw in with processed pet foods. Here are some ways to get raw pet food into your pet's diet:
1. Frozen raw foods generally come either in a formula of raw meat, grains, and fresh vegetables designed to provide complete nutrition, or as pure raw meat designed to be added as a supplement to other types of food. For more information about transitioning to and feeding a raw diet, please see our article All About Raw Food.
2. Only Natural Pet Store offers a product called N-R-G Raw Companion that is a dehydrated vegetable & nutrient mixture designed to be added to raw meat. You simply re-hydrate the mixture and add raw meat.
3. Adding freeze dried or dehydrated foods is another way to enhance the freshness and variety in your companion's diet. The NRG dehydrated foods for dogs and the Nature's Variety Prairie Freeze Dried diets are convenient and easy to feed. Again, this can be for one meal a day or every other day. Alternatively, top dressing dry kibble with freeze dried food adds more bioavaiable nutrients, amino acids and enzymes that kibble does not have.
4. If you include dry kibble in the diet, rotate the kibble you use every month or every other month (gradually transition over a week or more). Mix a variety of different high quality canned foods into the diet as a meal or mixed with kibble. If possible, mix raw meat and, for dogs, lightly steamed vegetables and fresh fruits into their food. And YES - you CAN feed your dog or cat healthy table scraps. If you are cooking a nice meal of pot roast and vegetables for the family, save some trimmings for your companion - it's a great way to add variety and fresher food into his or her diet. Always remember, however, that to prevent weight gain you must use proportionately less of the kibble when adding canned, freeze dried, or dehydrated food, raw meat, or table scraps.
Keep in mind, the less complicated you make your pet's diet plan, the more likely you are to do it. If it is easiest for you to just reach into the freezer and take out an already prepared and balanced meal, consider stocking up on a frozen raw pet food formula. If using a premix like N-R-G Raw Companion with raw meat sounds doable, by all means try it. Or try feeding your dog raw chicken necks, backs or wings for breakfast 2-3 times per week. You can buy them at the grocery store or from our raw food section . If you can't manage the raw pet food, but cooking a little extra at each meal is easy for you, then add a bit of your breakfast or dinner to your pet's diet. Make it easy and your companion will reap the benefits through a healthier and more interesting pet food diet.
Here is an overview of the different types of pet foods available to feed your pet:
Freeze Dried Pet Food Diets
A newer trend in pet foods is the availability of freeze dried or "cold processed" diets. Since heat is the number one enemy of nutrients in food, freeze drying is a far superior way to preserve the nutrition and biological nature of fresh foods. The natural enzymes, amino acids, and probiotics remain intact. The addition of grains is unnecessary in the processing of the food, so those looking for a grain free diet can include freeze dried foods in their companion's rotation.
Freeze dried food can be fed alone or top dressed on raw or dry food. Freeze dried food is an excellent way to supplement a dry, kibble diet or offer some variety in the rotation of your companion's diet. It can also be used as a highly nutritious treat, and is an excellent food for puppies and kittens as it can be well re-hydrated and even run through a blender to make it easy for them to eat. Because it is very light weight, it is excellent for camping and traveling. One pound of freeze dried food will typically re-hydrate to the equivalent of about 10-12 5.5 oz. cans of food. See our freeze dried Dog and Cat food sections.
Dehydrated Pet Food Diets
Dehydrating is the oldest form of food preservation. N-R-G Dehydrated food is made from the highest quality human, table grade ingredients - organic whenever available. The chicken is free range and fed a biologically appropriate diet (no meat meals or animal by-products). The salmon is wild caught from the north pacific.
Dehydration suspends the activity of enzymes in the food until the food is re-hydrated. Dehydrated food retains up to 3-5% of the nutrients in the original ingredients as the temperatures used are much lower than those used for canning or for extruding kibble. See our dehydrated Dog and Cat
Canned Pet Food & Meats
Canned pet food is a good option for those needing the convenience of processed pet foods but are trying to eliminate grains. It is especially important for cats to be on a meat protein based, grain-free diet as discussed previously. In addition, too much carbohydrate content in the diet can contribute greatly to the problems of obesity, cardiovascular disease, acidosis, arthritis and immune problems.
Canned pet food is also a great way to supplement kibble for added variety and nutrition. It can also be used to increase the appeal of healthier diets and raw foods for those animals that are "addicted" to their dry kibble and are having a hard time accepting real food. Many kibbles and regular canned pet foods have flavor enhancers, sweeteners and sodium in them that dogs and cats become accustomed to, causing them to reject real pet food or healthier canned pet food varieties. Give your companion plenty of time and repeat exposures to healthier pet foods and they will usually make the transition.
Use as much variety in your companion's canned pet food diet as they will accept. Cats especially, can be finicky. Sometimes crushing or sprinkling their favorite treat over the food can help lure them in for a taste, and they will then eat the pet food.
Do not feed your companion a food that contains ingredients you would not eat yourself. The canned foods sold at Only Natural Pet Store use human grade, whole food ingredients. Organic Canned Pet Foods offer the best of the canned options as they do not contain pesticide residues and other toxins that your companion then has to eliminate through her liver and kidneys. This is especially important for animals with a compromised immune system.
Wysong's Only Meat canned Pet Foods are an excellent supplement to dry kibble and as an occasional meal. They include organ meats that provide essential amino acids and contain no fillers, no grains, no synthetic vitamins or minerals or artificial anything.
See our canned dogfood and natural cat food sections.
Know your Kibble
If you choose to feed kibble as part of your companion's pet food diet, we hope you will consider the source carefully. Become a label reader: the ingredients are not always what you might think. Many consumers are not aware that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered "unfit for human consumption," and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste can include intestines, udders, esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
For instance, meat and poultry meals, by-product meals, and meat-and-bone meal are common ingredients in pet foods. The term "meal" means that these materials are not used fresh, but have been heated at extremely high temperatures. The fat rises to the top and is skimmed off. This fat is frequently sprayed back on kibble products to improve palatability. The remaining solids are then pressed to remove the residual liquid and we now have "meat and by-product meal", "poultry meal", etc.
One of the main meat sources in the prescription foods sold by many veterinarians is "Chicken by-product meal", which translates to: chicken feet, chicken entrails and other parts of the chicken unfit for human consumption. While the processing of meats and by-products for pet foods can destroy a great deal of the nutrients in the food, it does not necessarily destroy the hormones used to fatten livestock or increase milk production, or drugs such as antibiotics or the barbiturates used to euthanize animals. This is why foods that use human grade meat sources are the best choice.
Grain sources must be considered, as well. Along with "meat and bone meals," grains such as corn and wheat are usually among the first ingredients listed on both dry dog and cat food labels. Most dry pet foods use grain products for a large portion of the protein content, but not all protein sources are as readily digested and utilized. Cats, especially, are obligate or "true" carnivores and should derive their protein from meat, not grains. And, as with the "meat" sources used in these foods, the grains are frequently not whole grain but the by-products of milling and processing grains for other uses.
The dry pet foods and kibble sold at Only Natural Pet Store use human-grade, wholesome ingredients. While we recommend feeding your pet raw food a minimum of 3-5 times a week, and providing the freshest food you can, high quality dry pet foods can be included in your companion's balanced pet food diet. When feeding dry kibble, be sure to supplement with digestive enzymes and fatty acids (like Grizzly Salmon Oil pet food ), and consider nutrition enhancers such as Sea Meal Pet Food Enhancer , Waysong's C-Biotic for dogs and Waysong's F-Biotic for cats, or Prairie's WholeFood Pet-Food Blend . Top dress pet food with table scraps of leftover meats and vegetables. (Don't forget to reduce the serving of kibble pet food in proportion to the table pet food scraps. Overfeeding pets is a common problem for many companion animals and compounds their risk for poor health and disease.)
About Puppy & Kitten Pet Food
While most manufacturers of pet food market a particular product for growing animals, we do not think this to be necessarily in your companion's best interest. If you've read this far you have some understanding that a raw diet is the best diet for dogs and cats. The same is true for puppies and kittens. Their dietary needs are fully met by a high-quality diet of all raw pet food or the best possible combination of fresh foods and processed foods you can provide pet food supplemented with raw meat, table scraps and vegetables.
Prescription Pet Food Diets
Many veterinarians are recommending prescription diets on a more regular basis. While it is a great way for veterinarians and especially the pet food industry to make money, it is not a great way to feed most companion animals. These diets are typically highly processed and contain highly questionable ingredients. The most popular brand of these pet foods uses grains as a principle protein source and includes "chicken by-product meal", which translates into: chicken feet, chicken entrails and other parts of the chicken unfit for human consumption. In addition they contain the preservatives BHA and BHT - common ingredients in floor cleaners and paint products which, according to the manufacturer's Material Safety Data Sheet, may be harmful if ingested, inhaled and through skin contact, and is a skin and eye irritant.
Would you knowingly feed that commercial Pet Food to your companion?
These diets may help certain symptoms simply by providing a change, but they do not address the underlying causes. The best diet for any animal is a biologically appropriate pet food diet. For dogs and cats that means fresh raw meat is the ideal. Diet is the foundation of good health. For many health issues in companion animals, a change in diet to real food can make all the difference in the world.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
One of the most commonly asked questions in our veterinary practice is "how much should I feed my companion?" The answer is always the same - only you can determine that through time and experience. Every pet has a different metabolism, lifestyle and caloric need. Indoor cats will usually expend less energy than cats with access to the outdoors. A 50 lb. not-so-active Basset probably needs less than a hard working 50 lb Australian Shepherd. Feeding guidelines on food labels are just that - guidelines. You have to watch your pet carefully and adjust their portion size appropriately.
If you have a hard time seeing the weight until he or she is "fat", use a scale a couple times a month. Stand on a bathroom scale to determine your own weight, (you can do this when no one is looking - your pet won't tell anyone), then pick up your pet and calculate their weight by subtracting yours. This is easier with small dogs and cats. You should be able to feel your dog's ribs, and they should not have a lot of "cushion". Their abdomen should be hourglass shaped - they should have a waist. If their stomach protrudes on either side and they "waddle" when they walk, it's time for a diet. Another sign of an overweight dog is extra fat around the base of the tail.
Overweight pets are at increased risk of developing orthopedic problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, liver disease. Obesity also can affect an animal's mental health and they can become lethargic and less enthusiastic about life. So keep this in mind when you reach for the treat jar for the tenth time and adjust dinner accordingly.
Consider PetFood Supplements
Nothing can replace a wholesome well-balanced pet food diet when it comes to promoting good health for your pet. Proper pet food supplementation however, can make a great diet even healthier. In addition, common problems such as arthritis and "aging changes" such as poor coat and decreased activity don't always improve when diet alone is improved. By identifying specific problems and providing additional nutritional support through supplementation, many such conditions can be helped. Only Natural Pet Store offers a wide range of pet food supplements for dogs and cats . If you are unsure of which supplements are best for your companion, please consider a phone consultations with Pet Experts with one of our veterinarians for advice.
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