It is easy to be taken in by pet food marketing that often presents images and messages that tug at your heart, like recipes that closely resemble the makeup of the human diet, or seem to be made of natural ingredients but are in reality heavily processed. It's essential to use common sense and look carefully for the truth. Supporting your dog's health is clearly an important matter, especially when you take into account the expense of vet treatment as well as your adored animal having to suffer. There is more to dog nutrition than simply choosing the right food.
Dog's eyes are sensitive and, like humans, are susceptible to infection, which can be caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Checking your dog's eyes can help determine your dog's current health. So the next time you look with love upon your pet, look into his eyes and see if they are as they should be. Additionally, your animals paws should be especially cared for by regularly inspecting the pads and claws, as well as checking their teeth.
Your pet can experience good digestion starting with healthy teeth. If you start out with a raw food diet, or at least one with no byproducts or gluten, your pet will rarely need to see a vet. If your pet happens to have medical needs, your vet may prescribe a prescription pet food diet. BARF & The Parasite Myth. Many pet owners are providing their pets with raw food since recent scandals have shown that major brands had dangerous ingredients in their composition.
The BARF diet, despite common misconceptions, is quite safe for dogs and cats. Raw food can transmit parasites and bacteria such as Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, Trichinella - Trichinosis, Protozoa, Trematodes, Toxoplasma (in the case of cats), and Salmon Poisoning Disease (in the case of dogs). The truth is that when we refer to Bones and Raw Food (BARF) for dogs, we are referring to meat and meaty bones suitable for human consumption.
What many non-raw believers fail to point out when talking about the risks of parasites is that parasite levels are also insignificant in human grade quality raw dog food. When you freeze raw meat and bones you will kill most parasites and bacteria; for instance, freezing salmon will destroy any parasite that can kill a dog. An effective and fast way to get rid of parasites in salmon and trout is to simply deep freeze them for a couple of days.
Author: Rebecca Foxton can help give pets better health using FortiFlora Probiotics. For an excellent source of nutrition tips for people with dogs and cats visit her pet nutritional supplements article series on Dog Buffs.