What Are Low-Fat Dog Treats?

Low-fat dog treats are just what they sound like – snacks for dogs that contain little or no fat while still being tasty enough to keep your pup coming back for more. Nowadays, there is an abundance of low-fat dog treats available in the market to cater to health-conscious pet owners and their furry friends. These treats are specially formulated to provide delicious rewards without compromising on nutrition. Many low-fat options include treats made from lean meats, such as chicken or turkey, with reduced fat content. Additionally, there are treats crafted from wholesome ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and other natural sources of nutrition that will benefit your furry friend without adding unnecessary calories or unhealthy fats to their diet. These treats come in all shapes and sizes, from crunchy biscuits to soft chews and jerky strips. Some brands also offer grain-free or gluten-free alternatives, ensuring that even dogs with specific dietary sensitivities can enjoy a tasty and guilt-free treat experience.

Benefits Of Low-Fat Dog Treats

There are many benefits associated with feeding your pup low-fat dog treats instead of regular ones:

• Your dog will get a nutritious snack without all the extra calories from added fats. This helps maintain a healthy weight and prevents obesity-related issues such as diabetes and joint pain.
• These types of snacks usually contain fewer preservatives than traditional store-bought treats, so you know exactly what is going into your pup’s body when you give them one of these goodies.
• Low-fat dog treats often come in smaller portions than regular ones, so it’s easier to control how much food your pet consumes at once. This can help prevent overeating or digestive issues related to consuming too much in one sitting.

Tips For Choosing The Right Low-Fat Dog Treats

When selecting low-fat dog treats for Fido, there are several things you should consider:

• Read the label carefully – Make sure the ingredients list contains whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains rather than fillers like corn syrup or artificial flavors/colors, which can be harmful if consumed in large quantities over time. You should also look out for added sugars which could contribute unwanted calories even if the treat is labeled “low-fat.”

• Know what type of treat works best – Does your pup prefer crunchy biscuits or soft chews? Knowing this information ahead of time will help narrow down the selection process so you don’t end up with something they won’t eat.

• Check reviews – Many brands now offer customer reviews on their products, so take advantage of this resource before making a purchase decision. It could save you money and frustration in the long run if Fido doesn’t like what he gets.

Conclusion

Low-fat dog treats provide an excellent way for pet owners to keep their furry friends happy while still providing them with nutritious snacks that won’t add unnecessary calories or unhealthy fats to their diets. With careful consideration when selecting these snacks, plus some tips on reading labels properly, anyone can find delicious yet healthy options that satisfy both pups’ cravings and nutritional needs alike.

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One of your safest options is raw beef or chicken bones that are regularly offered to canines and come from a reputable brand. Raw bones have been a significant element of a dog’s diet for a long time, as they would have eaten in the wild, making the bone-chewing eating behavior in dogs a great satisfaction for them.

Many pet owners continue to offer their dogs bones after domestication due to their nutritional value and the mental stimulation it offers. Consider the following factors when offering bones to your furry companion.

Are Bones Safe for Your Dog?

Raw chicken and beef bones are safe options for your dog, but it’s essential to keep an eye on them when they enjoy their bone. Dogs get excited when they receive a bone and may quickly chew it up or tear it apart. Supervising them when they are devouring their bone can help you prevent physical hazards, such as choking.

Cooked bones, on the other hand, are not as safe for dogs, as cooked chicken or beef bones may become brittle. If your dog ingests these small pieces, it may face internal damage to the stomach, trachea, or esophagus. So, feeding your raw dog bones is best to avoid problems.

Benefits of Raw Bones for Dogs

When choosing a treat for your chewer, consider the benefits of raw bones.

Improves Oral Hygiene

Many dogs are not receptive to teeth cleaning methods, such as toothpaste, water, or food additives. Luckily, most dogs love chewing on raw bones, which keeps their teeth strong and healthy, prevents plaque build-up, and keeps gums clean.

Strengthens Bone & Structure

Just like humans, dogs also need calcium to strengthen their bones and structures. Bones offer calcium, which offers a range of benefits for dogs, such as maintaining healthy bones and teeth, proper muscle building and function, heart health, and more.

Better Skin & Coat

Raw bones contain various minerals that can improve your dog’s skin and coat. The marrow and cartilage in bones are also excellent sources of collagen, improving your dog’s skin elasticity and joint health.

Offers Mental Stimulation

If you find your dog chewing on your shoes, furniture, or other items in your home, this behavior may result from boredom. Offering your dog, a raw bone can keep them busy, stimulate their mind, and prevent them from using their energy towards destroying things in your home.

How to Feed Raw Bones to Your Dog

The first step to feeding raw bones to your dog is finding the right kind of bones. Look for a reputable brand like Bold By Nature that allows you to order raw pet food online and customize your plan. When feeding your dog raw bones as a treat, choose an appropriate-sized bone and keep an eye on them until they are done chewing it. If your dog is gnawing on a raw beef bone, don’t allow them to consume the entire thing. After the bone has released all of its flavor, take the bone away and throw it out. It’s best to offer your dog raw bones once or twice a week, allowing them to get a mouthful of vitamins and minerals without over consuming bones.

You can choose a raw bone for your dog even if you feed them kibble. However, if you also want to opt for raw food, Bold By Nature recommends having your pet fast for 24 hours and then switching right to raw. It’s also a good option to start with turkey, as it’s a lean protein.

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But are bones good for dogs? What about chews, such as rawhide, which can serve as somewhat of a substitute for bones for dogs whose owners are uneasy giving them bones? Do the health benefits outweigh the potential risks? This article will explore the benefits and risks associated with feeding your dog bones and other chew items that can serve as alternatives.

Bones

It’s important to note that experts do not agree on whether pet owners should feed bones to their dogs. Some cite the nutritional value as reason enough to include an occasional bone in their pet’s diet. Others say that the benefits do not outweigh the risk, and that the serious injury that is possible due to eating bones should be enough reason to abstain from feeding bones to their dogs.

In the end, each pet owner must decide whether or not they will give bones to their dogs. A bit of research will help pet owners feel that they are making the best decision for their pet.

In spite of the fact that some say that bones are a great source of nutrition, the truth is that bones contain no vitamins at all. In fact, the only useful elements found in bone are calcium and phosphorus. Both are important to the overall health of dogs, but are easily found in other foods.

There is no research that proves that bones are essential to the health of a dog. Where health benefits may be found are in the meat and tissue that may still be present on the bone when the dog consumes it.

Even though pet owners may have heard that bones are a good source of nutrition, the truth is that there is little nutritional value to be found in bone. Some go so far as to say that a dog cannot be at his healthiest without bones. But vets who have been practicing for years see many dogs that live to a ripe old age that have never had one single bone.

Of course there is the fact that dogs in the wild eat bones, and some cite that as proof that it must be healthy or needful. But even if dogs in the wild need bones (and there is no evidence for this) is that proof that bones are the healthiest choice for domesticated dogs for which other options are readily available? Sure, if you gave your dog a choice between a bone or a bowl of his healthy kibble there’s a darn good chance he’d go for the bone. Then again, if you gave him a choice between that kibble or something from the cat’s litter box he’d probably go for the litter box snack. The point is that you can’t always trust the instinct of your pet to make the healthiest choices regarding his diet.

Many experts agree that the potential problems associated with eating bones make them a poor choice as a treat for your dog.

Some dogs, although admittedly a minority, are allergic to the marrow in the bone and will become violently ill within hours after eating it. But that is not the greatest danger. As bones break, they splinter. Usually those splinters will be passed through the stool. But there is a chance that the splinter will instead become lodged in the intestines or remain in the stomach. Also, if the dog ingests a larger chunk of bone, that, too, can become lodge in the stomach or liver.

The health problems that result are very serious and, at best, mean a stay in the hospital and big vet bills. At worst, the dog can die from the injuries.

Also, the dog’s teeth can crack from chewing on hard bones. When this happens, there is the potential for serious infection.

One solution for those who are totally sold on the health benefits of bone is to use ground bones. In fact, some commercial dog foods include ground bone in the recipe. This way your dog will get whatever nutritional value is present in bone without any of the risks.

Alternatives to Feeding Dog Bones

Of course, much of the appeal of bones is that dogs enjoy chewing on them. If you’d like to replace that aspect of bones for your pooch, there are many options available.

Rawhide

Rawhide, which is made from the skin of a cow, is probably the most common chew thing for dogs, but it is not without its own risks. If the dog swallows a chunk of rawhide it will likely digest in time and not require surgical intervention, but it can make your dog very uncomfortable. When the rawhide is small enough for the dog to swallow, it should be taken away.

Pig Ears

Pig ears are very high in fat, so they are not the best choice for a dog who is struggling with being overweight. Also, because of their high fat content, pig ears should only be given as an occasional treat.

Pizzle Sticks

These chew treats are lower in fat than pig ears, and are a better choice for overweight dogs.

There are other animal products, such as lamb lung and pig tails, available for your dog’s chewing pleasure. No matter what you give you dog for chewing, whether it is a bone or an alternative, you should always be present while your dog enjoys his treat so you can be sure he doesn’t choke on a large piece that he tried to swallow.

Whether or not you choose to give your dog bones, remember to weigh the risks against the benefits when making your decision.

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Meats
Biologically, dogs are carnivores and it’s fine to give your dog meat protein from good animal sources. That means you can give your dog some chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, or meat from other kinds of animals. If you are cooking these meats for yourself, it’s okay to set aside a portion for your dog. Most dogs prefer their meat plain so leave off the seasoning and sauces. Your dog may turn up his nose if you cover a piece of steak in steak sauce, especially spicy sauces. If you have a small dog, in particular, it’s a good idea to cut these meats up in small pieces first. Many dogs will wolf down meat when it’s offered (pun intended), so cutting it in small pieces first can reduce the chance that he’ll choke.

Vegetables
Wolves and dogs in the wild don’t necessarily eat a lot of vegetables but many pet dogs like them and most are perfectly safe to give to your dog. Wolves and feral dogs do eat vegetable matter when they consume the stomach and intestinal contents of their prey, so it does form part of their diet in the wild. Many dogs like broccoli, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, and other veggies. It’s fine to give small pieces of some of these vegetables as treats – they are crunchy and lots of dogs like them raw. But if you want your dog to get any nutrition from them, they need to be pureed or broken down some. Putting them in a food processor for a minute and/or cooking them for a few minutes can allow your dog to get more of the nutrition from them. Just remember that dogs should not eat onions and should only have garlic in small amounts.

Eggs and Dairy
When it comes to what human foods can dogs have, eggs are great for dogs and many dog foods include them in their ingredients. Dogs are able to digest them very easily and get lots of protein from them. Egg whites do contain enzyme inhibitors and a substance called avidin, a Biotin inhibitor, but Biotin deficiencies are very rare. Your dog would have to eat a ton of egg whites to have a Biotin deficiency. Also, egg yolks have lots of Biotin, so if you feed the whole egg, it balances out. As long as you cook the eggs, these inhibitors will be neutralized. So, it’s fine to give your dog some scrambled eggs or eggs cooked some other way a couple of times per week.

You can also give your dog some other dairy products. Some dogs are lactose-intolerant so it’s usually not a good idea to give your dog milk, but there are still plenty of other dairy products you can give your dog. You can add a little yogurt to your dog’s diet, for example. A cup of lowfat yogurt has half the lactose of a cup of whole milk and most dogs have no problems eating yogurt. It’s also a good probiotic that aids digestion. A half cup of cottage cheese has even less lactose. You can also give your dog American cheese, Swiss cheese, or Cheddar cheese: they have very little lactose.

Peanut butter and nuts
Peanut butter is not really made from a nut, but many people think it is. Peanuts are a legume. It grows from a plant. Peanut butter is a great favorite with dogs and it’s perfectly fine to give your dog peanut butter, peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter dog treats.

Many nuts are also safe for your dog but some are not. Almonds are fine and you will find many dog food treats made from almond flower. However, macadamia nuts are NOT safe to give to dogs. They have a toxin that is dangerous to dogs. Many walnuts are toxic to horses and some people have assumed they must be toxic to dogs but this does not seem to be true. However, dogs can always choke on large nuts in the yard, though this is not the same thing as toxicity.

There are other foods that you could give your dog but they probably aren’t very healthy for him to eat. For instance, it won’t hurt your dog to eat pasta or bread but these foods aren’t very good for his waistline.

You may be wondering if you should cook these human foods or give them to your dog raw. That’s really up to you. People who prefer a raw diet claim that the foods lose some of their nutritional value when they are cooked, and that’s true. However, raw foods also have more risks associated with Salmonella – mainly to you rather than to your dog. Dogs have strong stomach acids and they are usually capable of coping with Salmonella when it is present on food. But people who handle raw food can spread bacteria from food to food and to other people. So, cooking food is usually safer when people are involved in its preparation.

No matter how you choose to prepare your dog’s food, there are plenty of human foods that you can share with your dog.

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The Pet Food Institute (PFI) developed in 1958 out of a need to regulate pet food manufacturers. They developed a standard in which all manufacturers must adhere. They include:

• conspicuously identify the products as a dog or cat food
• select a brand name which is not misleading as to content or nutritional properties
• give a guaranteed chemical analysis that conforms to the state’s animal feed law
• give an ingredient listing in descending order of preponderance. Names of ingredients must be accepted as standard or common in use, and no one ingredient can be given undue emphasis (1)

On top of the standards put forth by PFI are the regulations monitored by the American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that state ‘a pet food label may not express or imply any claim that a product is complete, perfect, scientific, balanced, etc. food unless:

• it is nutritionally adequate for a normal animal in all of its life stages –growth, adult maintenance, and gestation/lactation
• the claim is modified by stating that it is complete and balanced for one or more specific life stages’

Dog food ingredients are confusing and many people decide on what to feed their dog by the recommendation of pet store employees or other shoppers instead of reading the label and understanding what they are feeding their pet.

Most often the first ingredient on a dog food label is either ‘ground corn’ or ‘meat and meat by-products’. Foods must be listed in ‘descending order of preponderance’ meaning by descending weights. Pet food manufacturers are not without their devious ways and by breaking down the foods into smaller groups such as ‘corn’ being labelled as ground corn, corn bran and corn flour splits the food into three smaller, or lighter, groups. On the flip side, by combining ‘meat and meat by-products’ together, it raises their placement on the ingredient label by increasing the overall weight.

What is Meat Meal?

Something to watch for is also the use of the term ‘meat meal’. Although it may not appeal to the human palate, meat meal is a highly nutritious combination of animal products that would otherwise be thrown out. These are the same bits that are classed as meat by-products and include brains, lungs, viscera, organs and connective tissue – all ingredients that have a substantial nutritional ‘punch’ to them. Meat meal is made by cooking, grinding and then dehydrating meat by-products and because it is dehydrated, it weighs light so is found low on the ingredient list. This is misleading to the ‘newbie’ dog food buyer and often foods containing meat meal are not as popular as foods that contain ‘meat by-products’ even though per pound, there is more nutritional value in ‘meal’ then in ‘by products’ as they remain 75% water.

Although dogs need carbohydrates for energy just like us, the quality of the grain is important to monitor. Grains are broken down into individual parts so they sit low on the ingredient label. Corn and wheat are the most common grains used yet both over time can cause skin and allergy problems in dogs. Brown rice, brewer’s rice and potatoes are fine sources of carbs and are more nutritionally dense then corn or wheat.

Additional fat is added to dog food listed plainly as ‘chicken fat’ or ‘beef fat’ etc. A general rule is to watch where it lies in the ingredient list. Fat weighs heavy because of its water content so if an ingredient list reads ‘brown rice, chicken meal, chicken fat’ the food is nutritionally dense with little filler added. The reverse would be a label that read ‘lamb, brewers rice, brown rice, poultry fat, rice flour, beet pulp, rice bran…’. Because meat is 75% water, it weighs heavy so it is first on the list and before the added fat, there are two heavy carbs or fillers. This food label is misleading and yet appealing in its variety of ingredients.

Preservatives are the last major concern in dog food ingredients. Without them, animal and vegetable fats would quickly turn rancid. Today, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and E (includes seven different tocopherols) as well as antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are the first choice for quality preservatives and generally, the chemicals originally used to preserve the food are no longer a part of any dog food ingredient list. The exception being ‘ethoxyquin’ which, after 20 years of use and intensive research, continues to show no ill effects.

Buy foods listed as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’, read labels and pay attention to what your pet is eating. Commercial dog foods and dog food ingredients are not the ogre they are made out to be as long as some research and understanding goes into the purchasing decision. Remember, you get what you pay for and, like human food, when it comes to the health and happiness of your pet, the extra few dollars to buy a quality product is worth it in the end.

(1) Pet Food labelling requirements from the Pet Food Institute

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As the team takes the dog’s vitals, the receptionist rushes back, paperwork in hand.

“Two year old Golden Retriever, seemed normal all day, went for a 2 hour hike this afternoon, was fine post walk,” her voice is controlled, almost monotone. She knows her job – the vet wants the facts without hesitation. “Dog had dinner, seemed fine. Slept all evening and when owners went to wake him up to go to bed, they noticed him wobbling and seemed dopey. By the time they got him here, he couldn’t walk or hold up his head.”

“Find out if he could have gotten into anything on the walk, what he had for dinner and whether he has presented any of these symptoms before,” asks the vet. “Ask if he could have injured himself in anyway or if he could have been kicked by someone or something!” He shouts as the door closes behind the receptionist.

With a weak, racing but erratic heart rate and dangerously low blood pressure, the vet’s hunch is the dog is bleeding out but this is not a common occurrence in young healthy dogs. The other option is he ingested something toxic. Both alternatives are potentially fatal if he does not come up with a diagnosis quickly.

Within a minute, the receptionist returns.

“He was only out of their sight a few times so they don’t think he would have had time to eat anything or injured himself without them knowing, he’s on a BARF diet, and no, he has not show…”

“Get permission from the owners to do a series of abdominal radiographs and find out what he ate tonight…,” the vet interrupts.

The techs wheel the gurney to X-ray, knowing that asking permission from the owners is only a formality – who would say ‘no’ to the vet when their dog is dying?

Minutes later, the abdominal radiograph hangs on the backlit screen, showing a small, hard sliver of something where nothing hard should be, alongside the esophagus and an abdomen full of fluid, presumably blood. More slivers are visible in the dog’s abdomen.

The vet rushes to speak to the owners, knowing that it was his responsibility to ask permission from the owners to open their dog up to stop the bleeder. Without being told, the techs begin to prep the dog for emergency abdominal surgery.

“Something has pierced an artery in your dog’s esophagus,” the vet begins while half way through the door that connects reception to the back room. His usual relaxed, friendly, and capable manner dropped, seconds matter and he has no time to hold the couple’s hand while they make critical decisions. “I need to open him up immediately to find and stop the bleeder – do I have your permission?”

“Yes,” the husband whispers, eyes wide. “What could it be?”

The receptionist pops her head through the door and tells the technicians it’s a go ahead, allowing the doctor a minute to speak with the owners.

“It looks like a bone fragment and he has a gut full of them. Why he does I can’t tell you,” he says calmly.

“That’s his dinner,” says the man, obviously puzzled at the vet’s concern. “He is on a BARF diet.”

“Ground bones…” the vet’s voice trails off, a barely concealed look of disgust shadowing his tense features.

“Yes, he gets it added to his dinner every night…” says the wife in a tremulous voice, speaking for the first time.

Without another word, the vet turns away, heading back to his hectic prep room, too angry to address the concerned owners without telling them that they may have inadvertently killed their dog.

What is a Raw Food Diet?

After the pet food recalls in the last few years, there has been a shift in how people feed their pets and the long-standing belief that commercial pet foods are the only way to feed domestic animals. Although the jury is still out on this argument, there is some validity to feeding either a homemade diet, a less processed commercial diet, or supplementing a manufactured diet with whole foods.

A homemade pet food diet is generally a cooked meal that includes a meat portion, a grain portion, and a vegetable portion, hopefully balanced and monitored by veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist.

However, proponents for feeding a Raw food diet believe the cooking process breaks down necessary nutrients and that our domesticated dogs are almost entirely carnivores, not the omnivores they were originally believed to be. In an attempt to emulate how our pets would eat in the wild, diets include a wide range of ideologies and ingredients.

Why feed a Raw food diet? Many believe that the benefits are worth the time and energy required to feed their pet a Raw diet. The better oral health maintained by chewing on bones and the mental stimulation as well as the added metabolic or caloric burn required to devour a carcass is beneficial to the overall health of the animal. There is even an argument that the tearing and chewing action required to eat meat helps build jaw, neck, and shoulder strength while the increased flow of digestive juices helps boost the immune and neurological system.

The BARF Diet

BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food diet. The premise is based on a ‘prey model’ diet and attempts to emulate how a dog or cat would eat in the wild. The ideal BARF diet is 60 to 80% raw meaty bones (RMB) such as the chicken necks, backs, and wings, 20 to 40% fruit and vegetables, offal, eggs, meat, or dairy products.

At first, the theory seems sound – how and why would human intervention change how our pets eat? However, BARF advocates do not take into account how a wild dog actually eats their prey, an important part of why this diet may or may not work.

First, most wild animals are scavengers as well as hunters so their diets can include everything from fresh killed prey to other hunter’s leftovers to bugs to berries to birds to human refuse they stumble upon. Wild dogs especially are omnivores – if it even marginally resembles food, they will eat it with relish.

Next, the order with which a wild dog or wolf eats a prey animal must be examined. Keep in mind that the pack eats the most nutritionally dense part of the deer first in case they are forced to leave the carcass so when a wolf pack kills a deer, they start with the organs and intestines, eating the offal as well. Considering a deer is an herbivore and their diet consists of grasses, why would a wolf pack eat the offal? Instinct tells them that the added digestive enzymes will help to properly digest the upcoming meal and the soil-based probiotics in the grass will aid in maintaining the balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract. The nutrients in the grass will also help provide a balanced diet, something lacking if all the wolf pack ate was the meat on the carcass.

Once the abdominal cavity is empty, the pack turns to consuming the meat before finally chewing the bones. Bones are an afterthought, usually enjoyed over a series of days if they are able to continue working on the carcass. Bones are also consumed with skin and fur attached so that any sharp slivers are padded by the dense hide.

The Prey Model Diet

Similar to a BARF diet, Prey Model diets are one-step farther on the scale of extreme diets for pets that few owners would have the desire, or stomach, to feed. Used more in laboratory tests, whole prey is ground, packaged in meal size portions, and then frozen until fed to the animals.

The Natural Diet

Probably the most extreme and yet most effective Raw food diet type is the natural diet, a diet embraced by many zoos and wildlife conservation societies around the world. What is a natural diet? About as simple as it can be – toss a prey carcass in with the animal you want to feed and allow nature to look after its own. This diet, however, is obviously not realistic for the average pet owner and maybe best left to zoos.

The Downside of Feeding a Raw Food Diet

Sadly, the Golden retriever died on the operating table. The body can only handle so much blood loss before organs begin to shut down and even young, healthy animals cannot survive the impossible.

Is this type of injury, an intestinal perforation, common in animals fed a raw diet and/or ground bones? No, but it does happen. A severed artery is the fast way for a pet to die while many perforations are a slow process involving contamination from the digestive tract into the sterile abdominal cavity. Without surgery and antibiotics, sepsis sets in and animals die a slow painful death.

The other major concern about feeding a Raw diet is contamination from bacteria, parasites, and viruses. For example, 16.3% of chickens reported by the US government were contaminated with Salmonella while a study performed on twenty-five commercial raw dog and cat diets found that 20% were contaminated with Salmonella while an astounding 64% were contaminated by e.coli. Arguments that the short digestive tracts of dogs and cats as well as strong stomach enzymes make these animals better suited to fight off bacteria, the reality is that animals can still get sick and potentially die from these conditions.

Proponents for a natural diet, including BARF Diet and the BARF World Distributor Network Dr. Ian Billinghurst, understand the downside of feeding a Raw food diet and state that “there are grave dangers that go along with the natural diet and natural conditions the ancestors or wild cousins of our dogs live with”.

What does this mean? There are risks associated with feeding a Raw diet and although the nutritional components may sound like the solution to the dog food debate, there are inherent dangers to feeding a Raw diet and owners must understand this before making the decision to switch their pet’s diet.

Blockages, intestinal perforations, cracked and broken teeth, parasites, and food contamination are all real life concerns that many Raw food advocates gloss over. What level of risk are you willing to take with your pet’s health? Are you able to assess an emergency situation and take the necessary actions to save your pet both mentally and financially? What about when you travel? Do you feel comfortable with finding a vet in a strange city or leaving your pet in the hands of a pet sitter?

There are benefits as well as the downsides of feeding a Raw food diet although it is questionable whether the good outweighs the bad. Contact our vet and ask for a referral to a veterinary nutritionist before switching to any Raw food diet so that your pet’s diet is monitored. Regular check ups and lab work to monitor the your pet’s health are mandatory and using safe, clean preparation practices to prevent bacteria and parasites being transferred to you and your family are necessary.

Six months later, the owners of the Golden retriever adopted a new puppy and brought him to the hospital to introduce him to the doctor who worked so hard against all odds to save their beloved pet. When asked what they were feeding the new pup, they quickly assured him there were no more ground bones in the house and that they were giving him a combination of top-quality commercial dog food mixed with a homemade stew. Hedging their bets? You better believe it!

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Tips for Switching Dog Food

• It is better to switch within a food type – from wet to wet, from dry to dry and from a mixture to another mixture. Sudden changes in type of food can cause intestinal upset that is easily avoided by sticking to the same food type. Once they are on the new brand of food and their stomach is fine, then gradually switch the type of food if required i.e. wet to a mixture to dry only and vice versa.
• Plan on the switch taking at least a week – longer if your dog has a history of having a sensitive stomach. The slower the transition, the less chance of any loose stools or diarrhea. With this in mind, make sure you have a weeks worth of the old food in the cupboard before starting the switch as you do not want to run out – that just adds unnecessary complications!
• The quantity of food you feed your dog should not change – if they were eating a cup of food before, base the transition on the same one cup of food. Once the food is fully switched over to the new food, the quantity can be adjusted to meet their caloric needs so they do not gain or lose weight unnecessarily. Begin by mixing 25% of the new food in with 75% of the old – continue like this for a few days. Then, mix the two foods 50/50 for a few days. Lastly, bring the new food up to 75% of the total volume and 25% of the old – again, continue for a few days. By the end of the transition, your dog should be on 100% of the new food without an upset! If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you can always slow the transition even more by mixing the food in 10% or 20% increments instead of 25% and make the transition over a longer period of time.

If at any time your dog does develop insistent diarrhea, take them off food entirely for 12 hours to allow the stomach to calm down and then feed them small meals of boiled white rice and boiled white chicken meat for a few days. Then transition them with the chicken/rice mixture instead of the old food over a longer period of time.

It takes a little patience to properly make the transition but it is worth the extra time in the end. No one enjoys an upset stomach including your pooch and nothing is worse then being woken up a dozen times through the night because you rushed the process of switching dog food brands!

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Dr Mark Morris SR, DVM, developed the first veterinary prescription diet in 1940 when he was treating a patient suffering from renal failure. Deciding nutritional therapy would work as effectively, if not more so, then the current drug treatment of the time and by taking away some of the strain on the kidneys in processing nutrients, he felt that the dog would live longer with a better quality of life. By lowering the protein levels in the food, his patient indeed lived longer then anyone expected and the first Prescription Diet® was born. Since then, Hill’s Pet Nutrition™ has developed dozens of these specialty foods and as new information is discovered about treating disease through diet, they will continue to bring innovative products and therapies to help our pets live longer after diagnosis.

Eukanuba/Iams run a strong second place in developing these specialty diets and Medi-cal/Royal Canin Veterinary Diets® and Purina both have prescription-formulated foods. The variety of several companies making therapeutic diets for the same condition is a big benefit for the pet owner – if one brand of Rx food does not agree with you dog, there are others to chose from without lowering the chance of success in helping with the treatment of the disease through diet.

Why Feed Prescription Dog Foods

Prescription dog foods are only available through a veterinarian much like any other conventional prescription therapy. Nutritional therapy is an important part in the treatment of all disease whether it is for humans or animals. Take the treatment and maintenance of diabetes – nutritional therapy is imperative to the treatment, maintenance and even the prevention of the disease. It is no different for dogs as their genetic make up is extremely similar to human genetic make up.

A handful of the prescription diets are for short-term use only to assist in the recovery from a specific disease or condition. However, more often then not a therapeutic diet is prescribed for the remainder of the animal’s life and hopefully, that is a long and happy life.

These diets tend to be more expensive per meal however, the money saved in vet bills is well worth the extra cost. The significant difference in controlling diseases such as Colitis and diabetes through diet is far superior then any medication as rarely are there any side effects to nutritional therapy if the food is prescribed properly.

Are Prescription Diets Dangerous
Prescription diets are formulated for specific conditions and since specific conditions often require either the increase, decrease or elimination of certain nutrients. Deficiencies or toxic levels can develop that put an already healthy pet at risk. With cats or dogs that free-feed (a bowl of kibble is always available to them) and live in a multi-pet home this can be difficult. Talk to your vet about alternatives or slowly train the pets to eat when the dish is put down for them so it is easy to monitor who eats which food.

What if I Feed a Homemade Diet but my Vet Wants Fluffy on an Rx Diet?

Some of the prescription diets can be replicated at home. For example, a gastro diet for colitis, acute and chronic diarrhea, etc is basically boiled chicken and white rice well supplemented so no nutritional deficiencies can develop. However, many of the more complicated diets such as the cancer diet, brain diet and urinary tract diets are nearly impossible to replicate at home because of the amount of nutrients added to the base product. If your vet feels that Fluffy will be happier and healthier on a prescription diet then there is a good reason for it and you should heed their advice for Fluffy’s sake.

The Cost behind Prescription Diets
The unfortunate part of these high-end prescription diets is the cost. Many people balk at the price yet will hand over the cash to purchase medication without thinking twice about it. This seems backwards as many conditions are not treatable with medication or it they are, the drugs have negative side effects. Food is the most natural of treatments yet one of the most effective for many conditions. Nutritional therapy and drug therapy often go hand in hand as a means to combat a condition from all angles and if your doctor recommends a food, take that recommendation like you would if it were a drug. These foods are more expensive because of the years of research that goes into them much like medication and the quality of the ingredients that goes into each product. In almost every case however, vet bills are lower then they would be without the food so the money all balances out in the end.

Think of it a different way. If you or someone you loved developed cancer, a heart condition, colitis, kidney disease or began to go senile and a doctor said to you that if you eat this food, the symptoms would lessen or reverse entirely, would it not make perfect sense to you to eat the food? Would it then make sense to not give your dog that nutritional boost it needs to combat the illness? Food for thought.

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Why Order Dog Food Online?

If you live in an area that does not carry many of the premium or “super premium” dog foods, then ordering dog food online is a great way to have access to some of the top dog food brands. PetFoodDirect.com, Amazon.com, Care-A-Lot.com, and many other online pet supply companies have made it easy and safe to order dog food from them and have it delivered directly to your door. You can often find nutritionally advanced foods from these sources which are hard to find at the local level, especially if you live in a smaller town or if you don’t have access to a holistic pet food store.

Purchasing dog food online can significantly widen your selection of foods for your dog. This can be very important, especially if your dog has allergies or other health issues and requires a special diet.

Even if your dog does not require a special diet, many people prefer to feed a higher quality food. Ordering online can often give them access to grain free foods, gluten free foods, foods with higher protein percentages, pre-packaged raw diets, holistic diets, and many other options which are often not available from local pet stores or other places where pet food is sold locally.

Is it Safe to Order

Yes, it is safe to order dog food online. It is as safe to order dog food online as it is to carry out any other online transactions. You should always look for secure connections when making a purchase. Look for stores that accept paypal, if possible. If you are uncomfortable giving out your credit card number online you can always phone and make a purchase over the telephone, though an online purchase over a secure connection should be safer than a telephone transaction.

Are There any Other Positive Features

Most pet supply companies have an auto re-order feature than you can activate, if you wish to use it, so that your dog food order is automatically refilled at certain intervals. This keeps you from running out of dog food. You do not have to go online to refill your order. The food automatically arrives at your house. Of course, your credit card will automatically be charged if you choose this option.

When you order online you can also order as much dog food as you want. It is not unusual to order several hundred pounds of food, especially if you have several dogs. Some pet supply web sites offer customer savings with bulk orders. If you have a good storage area, this can be a great idea.

What is the Cost of Shipping

This is one of the potential problems with ordering dog food online. You can often order dog food for less than you pay at your local pet store. However, the cost of shipping can be high, depending on your distance from the shipping address. Dog food is shipped FOB, or freight, and it can add considerable expense to your costs. You might save money on the dog food itself, but by the time you add shipping costs, the total cost will probably be as much or more than buying the food locally, assuming that the same product is sold locally. If the product is not sold locally, it does make it cost a little more to buy it when you order online. In that case, you can pay more to buy it online and have it shipped, or you can talk to a local store about stocking the product and finding out how much they would charge if they sold it. Sometimes high end products are simply more expensive and shipping is one part of their cost to the consumer.

Should I order dog food online?

If you are interested in buying a super premium food that is hard to find locally, then, yes, buying dog food online is a good idea. You can find the food you want. The price for the food will probably be fair, especially if you compare prices at different sites. You can also compare shipping policies and prices and look for any sales. If this is the first time you have purchased this food for your dog you should buy a small amount to start in order to see how your dog likes it. Do this before making a large purchase. You do have to pay shipping costs when you purchase dog food online, but those costs are unavoidable if you are buying a product that’s hard to find.

However, if you are feeding your dog a food that is typically available from local pet supply stores, it is probably not worth the shipping costs to save $1-2 on the food to purchase it online — not unless you are buying in large bulk amounts.

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Protein requirements in dogs greatly vary depending on the individual dog’s life stage, activity level, health and physiological condition, as well as on factors related to the overall diet of any single dog. A regular intake of dietary protein is essential to provide for tissue growth and maintenance and to sustain normal metabolic processes. That is why dogs who are in their growth stage (puppies and young dogs) and those who have increased metabolic demands (such as lactating females and athlete dogs) usually benefit from a diet based on high protein dog food.

Puppies and young dogs require high levels of dietary protein, since proteins provide the building blocks for tissues such as muscles, skin, hair and other connective tissues in many organs and are essential for the proper development of the brain. In addition, during the growth stages, dietary proteins have to be of high quality and highly digestible, in order to provide the body with enough amounts of all the essential amino acids needed for the growth and development of the new tissues. In females at the latest stages of pregnancy and during lactation, high protein dog food is essential, respectively, for the proper physical development of the foetuses and for the proper production of good quality milk, which contains relatively high amounts of protein. In addition, it should not be forgotten that a high level of dietary protein is also beneficial to sustain the health of the bitches themselves, since late gestation and lactation pose a high metabolic demand on the maternal body. Finally, in athlete dogs, and especially those who practice highly intense physical activities, protein requirements are increased due to the increased degradation and synthesis of muscle proteins and the increased use of proteins to produce energy during exercise.

The Importance of Protein in Dog Food

In all the circumstances described above, the protein content of the diet should not be lower than 25% (a percentage of protein between 25% and 30% can be considered as an optimal level). However, it is not only the percentage of dietary protein but also its quality that is crucial for the health of puppies, pregnant and lactating females and athlete dogs. The protein quality can be judged on the basis of its usability and its digestibility. The usability of a protein refers to its content and proportion of essential amino acids (the amino acids that the dog’s body is not able to synthesize and have to be supplied in the diet): the more usable a protein is, the better its content and proportion of essential amino acids are. The digestibility of a protein refers to the ability of the digestive enzymes of the dog to break down it to simple amino acids that can be absorbed from the intestinal lumen and then used to build the proteins of the dog’s body itself or to produce energy. Of course, the more usable and digestible the protein, the better its quality and the lesser the amount of food needed to provide the dog with the optimal level of amino acids it requires. So, when considering the protein content of a commercial dog food, it is important not only to look at the percentage of protein indicated on the label, but also at the protein source. Needless to say that the best protein for dogs is that coming from real meat, fish and eggs, while vegetable protein and protein derived from animal by-products (which mainly contain collagen) have a worse amino acid profile and are usually less digestible.

As it has already said, high protein dog food is not necessarily beneficial to dogs’ health. In fact, there are certain circumstances where it may be even dangerous. In order to understand this fact, it is important to remember that the amino acids in excess of those needed for protein synthesis are not stored as such in the body, but they are deaminated (that is, they lose their nitrogen-containing amino group) and used to produce energy or stored as glycogen or body fat, while the nitrogen-containing amino group is converted into urea and then removed from the body by the kidneys. That is why a high protein diet may pose a severe strain on the kidneys and is not recommended for dogs with renal impairment or other renal disorders. In these cases, the kidneys may not be able to remove from the body the excess of nitrogen (in the form of urea) derived from the deamination of excess amino acids, with consequent intoxication from urea and from other nitrogen-containing waste products. High protein dog food should be avoided in senior dogs, as well, since their body is usually less able to digest dietary proteins and their kidneys work less efficiently than those of an adult dog in good health.

From what it has been said above, it should be clear that the choice of feeding one’s dog a high protein dog food should be well thought out and extensively evaluated with a keen eye to the individual dog’s health, life stage and physical activity and always remembering that it is not only the percentage of dietary protein that makes the difference, but it is also its quality and its source.

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