Pedigree variety pet food recalled - San Jose Mercury News

Pedigree variety pet food recalled - San Jose Mercury News


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Pedigree variety pet food recalled
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Aug 13, 2008
By AP SAN DIEGO — State public health officials have recalled a type of Pedigree pet food because of possible salmonella contamination.
Salmonella trickles down the California food chain to pet food Los Angeles Times
Pet Food Recall KCBA
Pet Food Recall: Pedigree Recalls Bags of Dog Food for Salmonella National Ledger
The Salinas Californian - San Diego Union Tribune
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Alternative pet food outperforming market in US - GleeWire

Alternative pet food outperforming market in US
GleeWire, UK - Aug 19, 2008
Packaged Facts said: "Since the late 1990s, virtually all of the dollar sales growth in the North American pet food market has been coming from the

Tags: pet food, cat food, petfood

Your Dogs Diet Can Lead To Protein And Kidney Failure

Research has indicated that higher levels of protein in your dog’s diet could lead to kidney failure. Do you know if what you are feeding dog is safe?  Are you harming the health of your furry friend by giving too much protein in your dog’s diet? 

The studies that showed a connection to high protein levels and kidney failure that the started concerns about protein levels in a dog’s diets was not researched properly. The research was performed on rats, not dogs.  Rats mainly eat plants as their normal diet. Therefore a rats biological makeup would mean it would have trouble digesting a diet containing high levels of protein. Rats have difficulty excreting protein due to their natural dietary needs, not because the high protein diet causes kidney failure. 

So, where do we stand on protein in your dog’s diet? Dogs are naturally omnivorous. In the wild, dog’s would hunt or scavenge for food. The dog’s diet would normally be of both animals and plants. Naturally dogs are meat eaters too.  because of this, a dog can easily cope with a diet consisting of 30% protein or more. 

When the protein intake is lowered in a dog’s diet, renal function does not improve. Renal lesions are not less likely to form when a dog is being fed a low-protein diet.  It is not until a blood urea nitrogen, or BUN, test indicates a level of 75, then a reduction in protein intake should be considered.    

If you have worries about how much protein is in your dog’s diet, you should make a appointment with you vet. Your  vet can advise you on your dog’s diet. 

It is not correct that dog’s can not normally digest high levels of protein. Kidney problems do not result from having high levels of protein in your dog’s diet. Large amounts of protein are digested safely in your dog’s diet, particularly when they mainly come from animal origins. 

Ten amino acids should be given in your dog’s diet through protein.  Only twelve of 22 amino acids can be produced in your dog’s liver.  Because of this meat such as heart, spleen, and meat by-products should all be in your dog’s diet. 

If you purchase high-quality dog food it should contain meat as the main ingredient. This will provide the right amount of protein in your dog’s diet. If you think about a dog in its natural environment. Would you see a wild dog grazing in a cornfield at mealtime?

Senior dogs should not be put on lower protein diets just because of age.  In fact, some older pets require a dog’s diet that is higher in protein than when they were at a younger adult stage.  Unless your vet advises not to, you should always provide your pet the advantage of quality protein in your dog’s diet.

Feeding your dog protein should not cause you concern.  We all want what is best for our dog’s and nature tells us that protein will help your dog to live a healthy life. If you have questions about protein and kidney failure in your pet, then you should speak to your vet about your dog’s diet.

Tags: pet food, petfood, dog food

Your Dogs Diet Should You Avoid Table Scraps?

A dogs diet should not contain any table scraps. A dogs nutritional needs are not the same as a ours. Yes we eat some of the same things, but feeding your pet table scraps is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. A dogs diet does not need all the added ingredients we put into our own meals.

People have often have weight problems like obesity. Well a dog can have this problem also. If your dogs diet involves mostly table scraps, then the chances are that your dog will not maintain a healthy weight. Even a few pounds over weight can make a large difference in the quality of health and length of your pet’s life.

When you have a dog that is not to particular what it eats, it can be very easy to let your pet become your garbage disposal at home, but really, this is a very bad idea. Certain foods we eat can harm your dog and therefore should never be considered to be part of your dogs diet. Grapes are one example, grapes have been known to cause serious problems for dogs. Chicken bones can also be a problem for your dog. Large quantities of chocolate can be very dangerous if allowed in a dogs diet.

When your dogs diet is not the best you can give it, then your pets outputs will be greater in size, smell, and mess. You will see the benefits of choosing a healthy diet for your dog, as you will notice that your pet is healthier and happier.

There are the odd occasions when a supplement or treat from your kitchen may be okay to use, but never in excess. You should talk to your vet about the use of healthy snacks for your dogs diet. Many vets recommend you give your pet ice cubes or pieces of carrot to snack on between there regular feeding times. By providing your pet these healthy alternatives to people food gives you the chance to choose the right healthy and nutritious snack for your dogs diet.

The next time your pet starts eyeing your food, what you need to do is redirect there attention. Do not use your table scraps. Instead give your dog a refreshing ice cube to munch on. A baby carrot will keep your dog happy and make you feel good about the right choices you have made for the nutritional value of your dogs diet. If you follow these steps you will know that you are your pet a high-quality.

Tags: pet food, dog food, cat food

How Treats Affect Your Dogs Diet

Most people just do not know the importance of choosing a healthy dog diet. They do not take the time or make the effort to consult there trusted vet about a healthy and nutritious dog diet. It is important to know, even is you use dried food, canned dog food, or make it yourself, that you are most probably not supplying your dog with a vitamin rich healthy diet.

Most people give there pet a treat to chew, such a rawhide one, these given in moderation are fine. But you also need to consider, that any treat you give your pet, is a part of your dogs diet and therefore will have an effect in your pets health. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you give your pet to many treats?

What type of treats you give your pet makes i big difference to there diet. One of the worst things that can be done, is to give table scraps or junk food to your pet. Junk food that you eat becomes junk food for your pet. Also a mistake that can easily be made is to give your pet what is considered as healthy food for humans. Why? Because being healthy food for humans does not necessarily mean it is healthy food for your dog.

A good example of this is raisins, they are healthy for us, but can be extremely detrimental to the health of your dog. You should always try, when giving treats or it is snack time for your pet to make sure it is a healthy one.

Rawhide treats often spark controversy. Some vets and pet owners feel they are not a healthy treat for your pet. While others feel that rawhide treats are good for the dental health of your dog as well as supplying them with some amusement. As always when in doubt you should consult your vet for there opinion . If you do decide to include rawhides in your dogs diet, do so in moderation. If they are not given in moderation they can cause thin stools.

For the most part, dogs don’t care if you give them a baby carrot, rawhide chew, or a milk bone, they are just happy to receive a snack. If you do provide various treats during the course of the day, then you may need to consider altering your dogs diet, this will help avoid obesity in your pet. Giving your pet to many treats may be fun for your dog and you, but the downside of this can be serious health problems.

Such treats as, Ice cubes, small bits of apple, and baby carrots are terrific healthy treat ideas for you to consider when choosing a healthy diet for your dog.  These treats will make little difference overall to your pets diet and this way, you will be able to focus solely on the food that is consumed during there mealtime.  Your dogs diet needs to be healthy one, this will ensure a long and happy life for your pet.

Tags: petfood, cat food, pet food

Cat Diabetes-And How You Should Treat It

If your cat has diabetes then cat care is important to your pets health. You will need to take the appropriate steps to make sure your pet can lead a normal life. It is unfortunate that pet cats have there own form of diabetes. It is important as a pet owner you learn how this will affect your pet and how you can help your cat lead a normal healthy life.

There are two types of cat diabetes, that could affect you pet. The first type is caused by the lack of  production of insulin, while the second type is the inability of the cats body to process insulin as it should do. just like in humans, diabetes can affect a cat at any age. But it normally appears in a pet in its later years.

Your cat will start to display symptoms that will tell you there is something wrong. These symptoms are very similar to the one in humans, You would start to notice your cat would require more fluid and would also urinate more. Because of your pets inability to process any glucose, then you will start to notice some weight loss.

Other symptoms you may see your cat are vomiting, loss of appetite and general weakness. Diabetic cats also  start to have poor skin and coat condition, as well as breathing problems

If your pet cat starts to display the above symptoms, it would be very wise of you to take your pet to your local vet. This way you can have your cat tested for sugar levels in there blood as well as in their urine. it is better to have both tests done, because any cat that feels under any form of stress, will show a spike in there blood sugar levels. By having both tests done, you will be able to confirm if your pet cat really has diabetes.

There is no cure for your cats diabetes as of yet. There diabetes can be controlled through a various means, and for cats it is done by diet and weight control. Giving your pet a diet high in fiber and carbohydrates would be ideal for diabetic cats, especially if they are over weight.

By using this type of diet, you will control your cats weight and blood sugar levels. There are also some oral medications available that your trusted vet may recommend. These should help to maintain a suitable blood sugar level.

Owners of diabetic cats, also will need to monitor their pets glucose and insulin levels. This is for those pet owners who will have to give there cats insulin injections for their diabetes. But be warned, you need to be carful to avoid giving an overdose of insulin as this will be fatal to your pet.

Cat care and diabetes should always go together, this will ensure that your pet can lead a normal healthy life. If you provide the right care for diabetic cats, then you will still have many happy years to come with your pet.

Tags: cat food, petfood, dog food

Cat Eye Care-Why It Is Important?

Cats eyes have often been used in horror films. But as a pet owner, you will know that the cats stare is really the complete opposite of what is portrayed in films. That is why cat eye care, is so very important for you to know.

How do cats say I love you? well this is through their eyes, of course. This is why you should never be frightened by there gaze. So how does this work? First of all, the cat stares at you for a long time. And after that, it blinks its eyes slowly. Some people call this the cats kiss. But you should also know that this is your cats way of showing you that it loves you.

But how do you return the favor? This is easy, all you need to do is follow your cats lead. Stare at it for a long time and then slowly blink your eyes. See? Cats eyes have also be used for romantic films as well.

Do not believe the horror films you see. Cats do not and never have had a third eye. Their eye sight is really far better than a humans. Instead of a third eye, what cats have is a third eyelid. This is called a nictitating membrane.

This inner eyelid protects the eyes of the cat from harm and also from dryness. You will always notice that when a cat is sick, this membrane will be some what closed. This should always alarm enough for you to call your vet or get your cat to them fast as possible.

But this third eyelid will also show once a cat is happy. So you will know what kind of mood your cat is in just by looking at the membrane.

You should always observe the pupil of your feline friend. A change in size of one of the pupils can often be an indication of an inflammation. It can also be a sign of a kind of a neurologic, disorder, this is called Horner’s Syndrome. Or worse, it can also indicate tumors or injuries in the central nervous system.

Never believe what others say that cats are color blind. They do see some colors. They may not see them as clear as human do, but its not true that they cannot see any colors at all.

Cats can also see clearly over long distances. There vision is very different from peoples. There vision will blurry if they are looking at objects that are very close to them.

Yes it is true, cats do have the nocturnal vision. But they can not see in complete darkness. Do you see the muscles on their iris that surround the pupils of their eyes? They are constructed in a way that it narrows into a vertical split when they are exposed in the bright lights. And it opens fully when they are in a quite dim light.

This feature of the cat may be traced back to their roots. They can use this feature to hunt for food during the night, that is if they were left out in the jungle or left with no one to care for them.

So you must forget about the horror movies that you have seen. Now it is time to put some effort into your cats eye care. Never let a minor ailments worsen. Always call your vet immediately when you think there is something not right or amiss. You do not want your cat to lose their sight or even worse lose their lives. Just remember it is always better to be safe than blind.

Tags: petfood, dog food, cat food