My Fleep:
Pets
Pets
Six Secrets to keeping your pet healthy, frisky, and safe.
Secret #1 – Understand what your pet is eating. Science
proves that the average size cat has the potential to live
30 years and the average size dog has the potential to live
25 years. Proper nutrition is vital to your pet living a
long and healthy life.
Unfortunately, more than 80% of all pet foods don't provide
the quality nutrition that is needed for your pet to
thrive. The good news is that 20% of pet foods do.
While there is a HUGE amount of information to consider in
order to completely compare one pet food to another, the
following highlights should provide you with a foundation
in order to make healthier choices for your pet… 1. Don't
make decisions on pet food purchases based on advertising!
Instead, shop for pet food by reading the ingredient
listing on the back of the bag. 2. Ingredients on a pet
food/treat label are listed in pre-cooking order – heaviest
ingredient to lightest ingredient. Concentrate on the
first five ingredients which is the majority of the food.
3. Avoid any pet foods that list any of the following
within the first five ingredients… • 'By-Products' which
can consist of hooves, feet, feathers, and other discarded
animal parts from the human food industry. • ‘Meat and Bone
Meal' or ‘Meat Meal' or ‘Animal Digest' – these ingredients
can contain rendered meat from incredible inferior sources
including but not limited to euthanized dogs and cats
(horrible, but true). • ‘BHA/BHT or Ethoxyquin' – these
are chemical preservatives linked to tumors and cancer. •
More than two grains of any variation within the first five
ingredients (ex: Ground Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Soy Oil,
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten, and on and on). More than two
grains within the first five ingredients provides the pet
with grain protein versus a more quality meat protein.
Don't feed strictly a canned/soft/moist diet. All
canned/soft/moist pet foods are mostly water – anywhere
from 70% to 85% water (check the Guaranteed Analysis on the
can/pouch for moisture percentage). Feed a quality kibble
or a combination of a quality kibble and a ‘good
ingredient' filled canned. And it's best to feed your
adult pet two meals per day.
Always check with your Veterinarian before changing foods!
Secret#2 – Know what is normal for your pet. It is ‘normal'
for one of my dogs to miss a meal, actually even two meals
in a row. However, for another one of my dogs – if he
missed even a crumb of food I would be alerted something
was wrong.
Take note of what is normal behavior for your pet. When
you know what's normal, an unusual behavior could be the
first signs of a health concern.
Secret #3 – Clean up. As un-popular as this secret might
be, daily pick-up of your pets' waste is another important
key to monitoring their health. Again, knowing what is
normal in the elimination department can alert you to
something more serious.
Secret #4 – Exercise your pet daily. Right along side of
good nutrition, daily exercise is key to keeping your pet
healthy. Exercise is not only good for them physically,
but it stimulates the brain as well. If you think about
it, all dogs were designed to work – while cats are natural
hunters. Home life has removed the opportunity for our
pets to perform the jobs that Mother Nature trained them in.
For dog owners, you've got many options for exercise.
Throw a tennis ball, Frisbee, or squeaky toy across the
yard for 10 to 15 minutes a day. Or better yet, take a
daily walk around the neighborhood. For cat owners I think
the best exercise toy is one of those wand toys. Most cats
love them. Mine also loves those balls with a bell inside.
For senior pets – please consult your veterinarian before
starting any type of exercise program.
Secret #5 – Household safety. OK, this isn't much of a
‘secret'. Most pet owners are aware of common dangers
around the house. Please make yourself familiar with all
possible toxins for your pet from the ASPCA website
(www.aspca.org) but here are some common concerns –
Alcohol, Chocolate, Coffee, Macadamia Nuts, onions, grapes,
garlic, Anti-freeze, ice melting products, rat and mouse
bait, moth balls, pennies, and human medications.
As well, there are concerns with electrical cords and
thread or ribbons. If your dog or cat is even tempted to
chew on electrical cords, you might try bundling the cord
and wrapping it in foil. Most pets will not chew on foil.
And if your dog likes to drink from the toilet, please be
careful with drop in the tank toilet bowl cleaners. Most
would be toxic to pets. I'd suggest changing to a flushable
cleaner and keeping the lid closed as best as possible.
If you think your pet has eaten something harmful – contact
your Veterinarian immediately. The ASPCA has a 24 hour
poison control center - (888) 426-4435. A $55 consultation
fee may be applied to your credit card.
Secret #6 – Car safety. Just the same way a seat belt keeps
us humans safe in the car, the same holds true for our
pets. For dogs, a great investment is a seat belt harness.
Most all pet shops have them in various sizes to fit your
pet. Typically there is a wide soft strap that runs down
the chest, and a big loop in the back to run the seat belt
through. All of my dogs wear them. It's quite a site when I
load up my 3 dogs in my convertible, all seat belted in,
convertible top down and off we go to the dog beach! But
they are safe - that is the important part. For cats, if
you crate them in the car, simply run the seat belt around
the crate and through the handle.
Please, oh please, don't let your dog hang its head out the
car window! For one thing, they can jump out that window
before you know it. I've seen it happen right in front of
me two times. The results aren't pretty. And even if you
only have the window open enough for their head to hang
out, there are still dangers. Small debris and gravel can
be flipped up from the car in front of you and can injure
your dog. Don't take the chance.
Best wishes to you and your pets.
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com
Susan Thixton
Pet Behavior and Nutrition Consultant
Email: Susan@TruthAboutPetFood.com
Secret #1 – Understand what your pet is eating. Science
proves that the average size cat has the potential to live
30 years and the average size dog has the potential to live
25 years. Proper nutrition is vital to your pet living a
long and healthy life.
Unfortunately, more than 80% of all pet foods don't provide
the quality nutrition that is needed for your pet to
thrive. The good news is that 20% of pet foods do.
While there is a HUGE amount of information to consider in
order to completely compare one pet food to another, the
following highlights should provide you with a foundation
in order to make healthier choices for your pet… 1. Don't
make decisions on pet food purchases based on advertising!
Instead, shop for pet food by reading the ingredient
listing on the back of the bag. 2. Ingredients on a pet
food/treat label are listed in pre-cooking order – heaviest
ingredient to lightest ingredient. Concentrate on the
first five ingredients which is the majority of the food.
3. Avoid any pet foods that list any of the following
within the first five ingredients… • 'By-Products' which
can consist of hooves, feet, feathers, and other discarded
animal parts from the human food industry. • ‘Meat and Bone
Meal' or ‘Meat Meal' or ‘Animal Digest' – these ingredients
can contain rendered meat from incredible inferior sources
including but not limited to euthanized dogs and cats
(horrible, but true). • ‘BHA/BHT or Ethoxyquin' – these
are chemical preservatives linked to tumors and cancer. •
More than two grains of any variation within the first five
ingredients (ex: Ground Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Soy Oil,
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten, and on and on). More than two
grains within the first five ingredients provides the pet
with grain protein versus a more quality meat protein.
Don't feed strictly a canned/soft/moist diet. All
canned/soft/moist pet foods are mostly water – anywhere
from 70% to 85% water (check the Guaranteed Analysis on the
can/pouch for moisture percentage). Feed a quality kibble
or a combination of a quality kibble and a ‘good
ingredient' filled canned. And it's best to feed your
adult pet two meals per day.
Always check with your Veterinarian before changing foods!
Secret#2 – Know what is normal for your pet. It is ‘normal'
for one of my dogs to miss a meal, actually even two meals
in a row. However, for another one of my dogs – if he
missed even a crumb of food I would be alerted something
was wrong.
Take note of what is normal behavior for your pet. When
you know what's normal, an unusual behavior could be the
first signs of a health concern.
Secret #3 – Clean up. As un-popular as this secret might
be, daily pick-up of your pets' waste is another important
key to monitoring their health. Again, knowing what is
normal in the elimination department can alert you to
something more serious.
Secret #4 – Exercise your pet daily. Right along side of
good nutrition, daily exercise is key to keeping your pet
healthy. Exercise is not only good for them physically,
but it stimulates the brain as well. If you think about
it, all dogs were designed to work – while cats are natural
hunters. Home life has removed the opportunity for our
pets to perform the jobs that Mother Nature trained them in.
For dog owners, you've got many options for exercise.
Throw a tennis ball, Frisbee, or squeaky toy across the
yard for 10 to 15 minutes a day. Or better yet, take a
daily walk around the neighborhood. For cat owners I think
the best exercise toy is one of those wand toys. Most cats
love them. Mine also loves those balls with a bell inside.
For senior pets – please consult your veterinarian before
starting any type of exercise program.
Secret #5 – Household safety. OK, this isn't much of a
‘secret'. Most pet owners are aware of common dangers
around the house. Please make yourself familiar with all
possible toxins for your pet from the ASPCA website
(www.aspca.org) but here are some common concerns –
Alcohol, Chocolate, Coffee, Macadamia Nuts, onions, grapes,
garlic, Anti-freeze, ice melting products, rat and mouse
bait, moth balls, pennies, and human medications.
As well, there are concerns with electrical cords and
thread or ribbons. If your dog or cat is even tempted to
chew on electrical cords, you might try bundling the cord
and wrapping it in foil. Most pets will not chew on foil.
And if your dog likes to drink from the toilet, please be
careful with drop in the tank toilet bowl cleaners. Most
would be toxic to pets. I'd suggest changing to a flushable
cleaner and keeping the lid closed as best as possible.
If you think your pet has eaten something harmful – contact
your Veterinarian immediately. The ASPCA has a 24 hour
poison control center - (888) 426-4435. A $55 consultation
fee may be applied to your credit card.
Secret #6 – Car safety. Just the same way a seat belt keeps
us humans safe in the car, the same holds true for our
pets. For dogs, a great investment is a seat belt harness.
Most all pet shops have them in various sizes to fit your
pet. Typically there is a wide soft strap that runs down
the chest, and a big loop in the back to run the seat belt
through. All of my dogs wear them. It's quite a site when I
load up my 3 dogs in my convertible, all seat belted in,
convertible top down and off we go to the dog beach! But
they are safe - that is the important part. For cats, if
you crate them in the car, simply run the seat belt around
the crate and through the handle.
Please, oh please, don't let your dog hang its head out the
car window! For one thing, they can jump out that window
before you know it. I've seen it happen right in front of
me two times. The results aren't pretty. And even if you
only have the window open enough for their head to hang
out, there are still dangers. Small debris and gravel can
be flipped up from the car in front of you and can injure
your dog. Don't take the chance.
Best wishes to you and your pets.
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com
Susan Thixton
Pet Behavior and Nutrition Consultant
Email: Susan@TruthAboutPetFood.com
