TODAY's TIPS - DOGS AND SNACK

Provided by: Elizabeth Parker, The Dog Daily

Let's say you take your dog on a walk and, along the way, you decide to stop at an outdoor caf‚ for lunch. While enjoying a tuna sandwich, your faithful companion gives you one of those, "Hey, what about me?" looks. Should you tear off an eensy corner and share it?

Absolutely not, says Karen Halligan, a Los Angeles-based veterinarian and author of the recently published book Doc Halligan's What Every Pet Owner Should Know (HarperCollins). "I got into the habit of asking people whose pets had lived way beyond their life expectancy what they fed their dogs," she says. "One thing I noticed -- these owners didn't feed their dogs table scraps."

Dog Food, Human Food

According to Dr. Halligan, high-quality canned and dry dog food is nutritionally complete, and if you feed a dog table scraps you will upset the balance of nutrients in its diet. Plus, some human food can cause serious health problems for animals, and even death. "Three foods on my top 20 foods not to feed your pet are macadamia nuts, grapes and cheese," she says. Macadamia nuts contain a toxin that can seriously affect the nervous, skeletal and digestive track system. Grapes and raisins can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and could lead to kidney failure. Also, dogs can choke on them.

No Cheese, Please

But here's the big one to avoid: cheese, which along with milk, can cause emergency, life-threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). A dog's digestive tract can't always process the high fat in cheese. Pizza can be deadly for this reason. The cheese, salt and dough can cause a condition called bloat, which can kill a dog.

Limit Snacks

If you give your dog two controlled servings of dog food a day -- specific amounts of dog food, determined by your dog's age and weight -- there should be no need for snacks. "It's OK for a dog to be a little hungry," Dr. Halligan says. "This way he'll eat what you put down." If you plan to be away from home for a number of hours with your dog, Dr. Halligan suggests bringing along some of the dog's dried food, but only if you then give a little less for one of its meals that day.

Think Before Drinks

Of course, water should always be available. But no other liquids are OK -- not milk, juice or alcohol (one of Dr. Halligan's clients asked if it was OK to share a martini with her pet!). Signs that a dog is thirsty include panting and a swollen tongue hanging out of its mouth. "Lift up your dog's lip and feel his gum. If it's dry and tacky, he needs water," she says. The water must be clean, so bring it along too. Don't let your dog drink out of puddles, as they can contain harmful parasites or antifreeze from cars, which can be deadly for dogs.

Leave Those Bones Alone

Biscuits and tartar control treats are OK to give, but should only be used when training or for positive reinforcement. Too many can lead to imbalances in a dog's diet. And never give any kind of bone. "Many a bone has killed a dog," says Dr. Halligan. It can splinter and get stuck in a dog's mouth, esophagus or intestines. Cooked bones can't be digested. Even rawhide chew toys should be given with caution. "Dogs can choke on it if they try to swallow it before it's completely chewed," she says.

Just Say No

Dr. Halligan says many pet owners think that giving pets a lot of snacks and table food is a way of loving them, but quite the opposite is true. So if a stranger offers a French fry or piece of fried chicken to your dog, Dr. Halligan suggests the most loving thing to do is this: "You say, 'No thank you, my dog wants to live a long happy healthy life. She doesn't eat fried food!'"

Thank you, Dr Parker. A lot of additional interesting staff you will find here THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION

FOUR TIPS FOR FEEDING CATS

Provided by: 4 Tips for Feeding Fluffy

Cats are unique creatures in many ways, including their eating habits. The following four tips will help you provide your cat with the best nutritional outcome possible.

Cats Are Not Small Dogs

Although many pet parents own dogs and cats together, they do not treat them the same way when it comes to dinner time. In fact, cats are anything but the type of animal who will sit and eat a large meal at one sitting, unlike a dog. Cats are natural grazers and instead of eating one or two large meals a day, like a dog would, they tend to graze on many small meals throughout the day.
A great way to keep control of the amount of food kitty is eating, to prevent weight gain, is to feed a premeasured daily amount of food as per manufacturer’s directions. This will allow your cat to graze throughout the day without overdoing it.
Cats also require food that is made specifically for them as they require a very unique nutrient, which dogs do not, called Taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that cats require in their diet as they can’t synthesize it on their own. Taurine deficiency can lead to eye and heart trouble.

Fresh Water Is a Must

Although cats are not the biggest water drinkers they should be encouraged, as much as possible, to consume water. Water helps to prevent and minimize urinary tract problems as it helps to flush out the urinary tract. Cats in general prefer cold, fresh water and if you really want to encourage your cat to drink water a kitty water fountain will peak their interest. Pet parents who feed dry food may notice their cats drink more water than those who eat canned foods as the canned food eaters get more moisture in their diet from their food source.

Cats Are Picky About the Dishes They Eat From

A cats whiskers are very sensitive and because of this a cat may go on hunger strike if they can`t get to the food in their dish without their whiskers getting in the way. A shallow, wide dish is the best option for feeding cats as it allows them to eat their food with little interference by their whiskers.
When choosing a dish to feed Fluffy from, consider stainless steel or ceramic. Some cats will have a reaction to plastic dishes which can result in feline acne, an irritating pimple like rash on their chin.

Cats Imprint on Food

It is important to expose cats, at a young age while they are developing, to the textures of both dry and canned foods. At a very young age a cat will imprint on both the taste and texture of food creating what people often refer to as a `finicky cat`. Once they imprint on a certain type of food it is often a long process to switch them to something else. In the future, should they need a particular diet for health reasons, they won’t be as reluctant to eat it having had previous exposure. Having said this it can take up to 45 days to completely switch a cat to a new diet and have then readily accept it. Patience and perseverance is the key to switching your cat to a new food.

MEASURE YOUR DOG's SMARTS

Provided by: Elizabeth Wasserman, The Dog Daily

Most dogs behave in ways that may seem downright dumb. Drinking water from the toilet bowl. Eating grass. Sniffing the waste of other canines. But there are reasons for these behaviors: Dogs prefer cold water over stagnant water that's been sitting in a dish, grass is natural roughage and may induce vomiting if they have a stomachache, and urine and poop are the newspapers of the dog world, communicating who did what where and when.



Dogs may actually be far more intelligent than we think. Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and a best-selling author of books on dogs, including The Intelligence of Dogs (Free Press), thinks so. He says that dogs display intelligence in a variety of ways -- reading social cues, learning new tasks, understanding language, solving problems and more. He even argues that you can measure your dog's smarts.

Dog Smarts Debate

The theory that canine intelligence can be tested is still controversial. "We can't measure their intelligence," says Bonnie Beaver, DVM, a former president of the American Veterinary Medicine Association and a professor of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University. "They will do things that are programmed into their genetic makeup because they're canines or because they are a certain breed of canine. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a difference between how one German shepherd reacts compared to another, but is one smarter than another? I don't know that there's any proof."
Other experts agree with Coren that there can be a canine equivalent of the IQ test. "You might be very good verbally and weaker at math and someone else might be good at music but not at logic. Dogs are no different in so far as they share some of our domains," says Jean Donaldson, author of Oh, Behave!: Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker (2008) and director of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal's Academy for Dog Trainers. "One dog may be good at problem solving and another may be a quick study at learning new tasks."

Establishing Your Dog's IQ

How do you find out your pup's strengths and weaknesses? How can you assess what they need to work on? And where does your pet stand on the overall intelligence spectrum?

Here are some simple tests, suggested by various experts, that you can give your furry friend to find out if its brain is sharper than its bark:



Problem Solving

Donaldson suggests that you hide something your dog loves -- a toy or ball or biscuit -- underneath a sofa, and see if it can figure out how to retrieve the object. She says dogs may go through several strategies, including digging with paws or using snouts.

Score Five points for getting the item with its paws in less than 30 seconds; four points if it uses paws and takes more than 30 seconds; three if it uses paws but fails; two if it uses its head but doesn’t try paws, and one point for dogs that try to use their head but then give up. It gets no points if it does nothing.
Learning Rate How many times do you have to repeat a task with your dog before your pal masters it? Donaldson recommends a test involving detour taking. You need a fence that your dog can see through with a gate open at one end. With you on the other side of the fence, call your dog and see whether it can figure out how to get around to the other side.

Score Five points if it goes around the fence in a minute or less; four points if it succeeds right away after you take a few steps in that direction and gesture; three if it succeeds in 30 seconds after the prompts; two if it succeeds between 30-60 seconds after prompts, and one if it succeeds but requires even more prompting and time than that.
Social Cues Coren developed the "smile" test for an Australian TV program to see how smart your dog is at picking up social cues from humans. Start with your pet sitting a few yards away from you. Stare at your pet's face. Once you make eye contact, count to three and then smile very broadly.

Score Five points for coming to you with its tail wagging; four points for coming part way; three points for standing or rising; two points for moving, and one if your doggie dunce pays no attention at all.
Inference Challenge A canine version of the shell game. With your dog on a leash or in the stay position, use treats and two different bowls set a few feet apart, Donaldson says. Smear the treat on both bowls. Then very dramatically put the treat underneath one bowl. Release your pet and see what happens. Repeat this 10 times changing which bowl you put the treat under. Repeat another 10 times without letting your dog see where you're stashing the treat, but DO let the pup see you enthusiastically lift the other bowl up each time.

Score Five points if the dog goes to the correct bowl and gets the treat each time; four points if it masters the first 10 and improves over the course of the second 10; three if the first set is perfect but not the second set; two if the dog improves during the first and second rounds, and one if the dog is initially not very good but improves over the first round and completes the second round by going to the bowl you lifted.
Language Comprehension Coren developed this test to determine how well your dog understands what you are saying. Start with your dog sitting in front of you. Using the tone of voice you use to call your dog's name, call "refrigerator." Try this again, calling "movies."



Score Five points if the dog doesn't respond to those words but comes after you call its name; four points if the dog comes the second time you call its name; three if the dog starts to come; two if the dog comes to "movies" but not "refrigerator,” and one if the dog simply doesn't come to any of the calls.

Your Dog's Score

Gifted and Talented (25-31) Consider your dog brilliant and then…watch out! Smarter dogs are often harder to live with because as soon as you teach them new skills, they try to get around following your orders. You may also inadvertently teach them bad behaviors.

Clever Canine (18-25) On the higher end of the intellectual spectrum, these are good listeners who will likely perform tricks well at parties or in obedience class.

Sharp, But Slow (10-18) You will find them trainable -- even if it takes numerous repetitions to master a skill.



Doggie Dropout (Less than 10) Let's hope that you selected your pet for its beauty as opposed to its brains, but since anyone can have an off day, give your furry pal a good pat on the head, and maybe try the tests again at a later date.

More learning material can be found at this book which I proud to recomend you

Today's Tip: The Secret To Uncovering the Truth About Dog Food Labels

Hey Alex, good to see you again!

What's in a Name?

Here's a little on how to decipher AAFCO-approved dog food names.

Let's look at these 4 product names:

Chicken Dog Food
Chicken Dinner For Dogs
Dog Food with Chicken
Chicken Flavor Dog Food

There are all basically the same thing, right?

Wrong, very wrong (don't feel bad, I thought they were all the same thing too).

The Shocking Truth Is..

Let me tell you what those labels REALLY mean:

Chicken Dog Food - ingredients are at least 95% chicken before water added

Chicken Dinner for Dogs - ingredients are 25-95% chicken before water added

Dog Food With Chicken - ingredients are at least 3% chicken before water added (yes only 3%!)

Chicken Flavor Dog Food - no minimum percentage of chicken required, only that there is enough chicken to taste it!

Concerned? You should be. There are plenty of other "hidden secrets" to dog food that will curl your toes. Discover them all when you download your copy of Dog Food SECRETS

Read it and discover how to begin adding flavor and health into your dog's life.

May Gipsy* have a long and happy life,

Andrew

*Gipsy is my dog name
Nikale1 (Alex)

TOP REMADIES FOR NATURAL PAIN RELIEF

From: Dr Andrew Jones, Author: Veterinary Secrets Revealed

Massage is one of those COMPLETELY overlooked options. I would call it "HEALING TOUCH".

Massage can be a great way to relieve some of the discomfort of arthritis. Using your fingertips, rub firm circles into the muscle. Then progress to using the palm of your hand. Doing this daily will increase blood flow and help ease your pet's pain.

Daily Head to Toe Massage:

1. Use oil - sesame or baby oil.
2. Start at the tail. Firmly squeeze from base of the tail to the tip.
3. Rub the back of the neck, behind the ears with your forefingers.
4. With your pet facing you, hold your pets head in your hands, holding them by the cheeks under the ears and rock their head from side to side.
5. Move to an ear massage, starting at the base, finish by using your thumb and forefinger to massage the tip.
6. Massage the tissue around your pet's eyes with your thumb, and stroke your forefinger down the nose.
7. Gently pinch your dog's cheeks and lips several times and finally stroke the throat and chin.
8. Straddle your pet facing forward (standing over him): move your hands under the armpits and rub gently. Allow your hands to slide from the armpits to the forelegs.
9. Slide your hands down the forelegs (like you did for the tail)with a soft but firm grip all the way down to the paws.
10. Gently hold the paws (one at a time) and squeeze gently for a few seconds. Repeat this procedure, starting with the chest, 2 - 3 times.
11. Still standing over your pet (facing forward), massage the length of your pet's back from the his neck all along his spine to his tail.
12. Turn the opposite direction and massage your pet's rear, sliding your hands down the hind legs and massaging down to the paws. (Just as you did for the forelegs.)

P.S. My dad is not so sure about the wholeholistic thing- although he was always reluctantto use any herbicides/pesticides/ or growth hormoneson the cows. The impressive things about pets is that they let you know IMMEDIATELY if the 'natural' option works. And it's hard to predict which one will be mosteffective for your pet. It's best to try 3-4 remedies,and use the one MOST effective. Here is where you can get ALL of the TOP Natural Pain Relief options Veterinary Secrets Revealed

Heal Your Pet At Home!
Best Wishes,

Dr Andrew Jones, DVM

MAKING MOCHI's "ICE CREAM" FROZEN TREATS FOR YOUR DOG

By Tom Karloon



Our dog, Mochi, loves ice cream but it's really not healthy for him to eat his own serving of it -- it's just too rich for him and too sugary. As an alternative, here's the recipe I used o make frozen "ice cream" treats with a yogurt base for him. He loves them, they're cheaper than pre-made frozen dog treats, and they're really easy to make.

The ingredients:

32 oz of plain, lowfat yogurt (yes, I get the cheapest kind I can find)
1 ripe banana, peeled
2 tablespoons (or one big dollop) of creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons of honey
a handful of Milk-Bone puppy treats or small dog biscuits

Mix together everything but the Milk Bone treats in a blender, running until smooth and mixed. Pour into a standard ice cream maker -- if you just freeeze the mixture, you'll end up with ice cubes and not ice cream. (If you don't have one, I highly recommend making the investment for your kitchen at about $50. I've used the basic Cuisinart model for years, but they're all probably fine.)

While the mixer is running, crush the Milk-Bones down into half-inch
chunks using either a food processor (if you're lazy, like me) or by putting them in a bag and hitting them with a rolling pin.



When the mix starts to look a little thicker, gradually add the crushed dog biscuits into the mixture. When the mix gets thick enough that the ice cream maker starts to strain (or, if it simply comes to a stop), it should look like this:



It will also smell good enough to eat. Don't. Remember the dog treats you put in there. (About this time, I generally regret that I'm making dog treats and not ice cream for myself.)

Portion out into paper muffin cups supported by a muffin tin, stick on some dog treats so nobody mistakes them for people food, and put in the freezer.



That's it... don't forget to remove the paper before serving.

A LOT OF INTERESTING STAFF: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION

CANADIAN PET OWNERS LOOKING TO HOMEMADE MEALS FOR DOGS AND CATS

Provided by Dominique Jarry-Shore, THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - Barry Glebe had tried everything to stem his dog Lila's chronic stomach problems, but to no avail.
His adopted West Highland white terrier had suffered terribly in the six months she'd lived with him and, despite trying every dog food possible, nothing seemed to work.
That was until Glebe discovered the wonders of home-cooked pet food.
"Within two weeks the dog had changed totally," Glebe said.
"Besides her body being in shape, she was a much happier dog."



Like Glebe, some Canadian pet owners are looking for ways to improve the health of their furry companions with a little home cooking.
Some pet owners have become more vigilant since several dozen cats and dogs died from melamine-laced pet food.
But the movement is also sparked partly by celebrities, some of whom post recipes online for pet food that can be made at home.
A belief that animal byproducts like bone and cartilage - a common pet food ingredient - are unhealthy, is also a factor considered when contemplating a switch in diet.
It's an allegation that is denied by pet food producers.
"Animal byproducts are simply things that humans don't eat but they're perfectly nutritional and safe for pets, and in fact they provide an excellent source of protein and other nutrients," said Martha Wilder, the executive director of the Pet Food Association of Canada.
Wilder added that the pet food recall of 2007 has led to widespread testing for melamine and more surveillance of pet food suppliers.
But despite those assurances, pet owners continue to look for alternatives.
"Right now, we're just trying to keep up with demand in Canada," said Paul Quigley, who runs Pets4Life, a small family business in Owen Sound, Ont.
The raw-food diet has come under fire in the past. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Public Health Agency believe such a diet risks sickening pets and humans who come in contact with the food.
But Quigley said he's seen a steady increase in demand and likens the product's popularity to owners becoming more conscientious about their pet's diet and wanting to feed them human-grade food.
"More and more we're finding that pet owners are just trying to feed healthy, like they're eating themselves," he said.
Tracy Martin, who runs Evive, a Montreal homemade pet food business, said she's been encouraged by the response since opening up shop last fall.
Digging her gloved hands into a concoction of fresh ground beef, heart, liver, green beans, apples and rice in her bright storefront kitchen, Martin muses that the entire pet food industry is about to change and that "it's crazy" to think pets can live on a diet of processed pet food alone.
"The first thing we do when someone has high cholesterol, or heart problems, or diabetes, or whatever illness, is we look at the diet," she said. "It's what sustains our bodies."



Martin, along with a pet nutritionist, developed a seasonal menu made largely from local Quebec produce.
Her dog and cat food is "gently baked" and includes ingredients like wild salmon oil, freeze-dried bone meal from New Zealand pasture-fed cattle, and kelp from Canadian ocean waters.
This food is a far cry from the long list of ingredients found in store-bought pet food - just don't call it gourmet.
"Gourmet for me is like a side of pilaf with onion confit," Martin said. "This is just wholesome real food."
Still, the homemade diets aren't without some controversy and the veterinary association recommends a pet owner consult their veterinarian before trying one out.
Montreal veterinarian Enid Stiles said homemade meals can sometimes "miss the boat" when it comes to appropriately meeting the nutritional needs of pets.
"It's not to say that we (veterinarians) don't approve of these home-cooked diets," she said.
"It's just that we're concerned that they're not meeting the needs of dogs or cats."
Safeguards are needed to ensure pet food meets certain requirements, said Louis McCann, the president of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada, a pet industry trade association.
"You have to look at the quality of the process and not short-term, but long-term," he said.
"Canadian pet food is subject to scrutiny by different government agencies and I think anybody who attempts to market pet food has to be subject to the same scrutiny - for the protection of the animals, the pets, but also for the public."
Pet food is the largest pet product expenditure in the U.S., totalling $16.8 billion in 2008 according to the American Pet Products Association website.

A LOT OF INTERESTING STAFF: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION