Diet dog food
All About Diet Dog Foods
Prior to sharing information about dog foods, it is important to know that a large concentration of useless, synthesized items do not provide nourishment to pets. Secondly, it is inhuman to test every brand of dog food and change your dog’s diet all too often.
With that, the following points may help you decide upon your choice of the best diet dog foods:
Explaining 95% Digestibility
This is a feature found on most dog food packs. However, this 95% should consist of meat (poultry/cattle/lamb/fish) and water content that has a lesser percentage of processed ingredients, digestive enzymes and/or acids, and condiments.
Controversy on additives
Ethoxyquin created some controversy when it was marked as an antioxidant and preservative that prevents the formation of peroxide in canned dog foods. Recent studies, however, showed that it gave rise to allergic reactions, skin problems, and even major organ failure, cancers and behavioral changes in extreme cases.
On premium diet dog foods
The formulations of premium diet dog foods emphasize on optimal nutrition and the use of essential synthetics only. Such foods promote longevity and boost immunity and performance. Their higher density of nutrients thus requires lesser quantities to be fed, resulting in better assimilation and decreased stool volumes.
For puppies, these diet dog foods provide 30% protein and 17% fat a day for per pound of body weight, eliminating chances of gastrointestinal upsets. For adults, these diet dog foods provide between 20 (larger breeds) and 40 (smaller breeds) calories per pound of body weight a day, providing a balanced proportion of proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water.
If your dog needs diet food, you need to ask yourself some basic questions beyond but including the quality of the dog food you are feeding your pet, such as, ‘ Does my dog get enough exercise?” “ Is my dog eating because the food quality is poor and he is not satisfied?” Most dogs on good diets will walk away from food when they are full.
Have you considered a raw diet for your dog, diets with high amounts of protein? Have you considered the digestibility of the dog food you are giving your dog? Many dogs do not do well, if any, eating dog food that has grains and fillers like corn in it. If you only really pay attention to your dog when feeding it, the dog, wanting attention will continue to want to eat in order to “ connect” with you. Find activities to do with your dog. They are not meant to sit around all day doing nothing. Also, it is not such a bad idea to not feed your dog one day a week. But always leave it plenty of water. If your dog is obese, please have your vet check him for illness such as thyroid problems or heart problems. Instead of giving your dog treats, try giving your dog a proper kind of bone to chew on which will keep him busy a long time, exercise his jaws and help keep his teeth clean, while being the most natural thought for what he is, a canine. Moreover, chewing on the edge of cow knucklebone won’t put weight on him.
A good raw diet dog food rarely produces fat dogs. So you may want to look into switching to a raw food diet. Refer for further information into Dr. Goodpet, and some books to read would be,
Dr. Ian Billinghurt’s “Give your Dog a Bone” and “ The Barf Diet”.
Kymythy Schultze’s “The Ultimate Diet”
Patti Lawson’s, “ The Dog Diet”
Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide Natural Health For Dogs and Cats”
In the meantime, some diet foods are listed below.
Few Recommendations
i. Balance Diet™ Dog Nutrition: Precisely balanced nutrients derived from more than twenty sun-dried, human grade and organic ingredients. Uses natural antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
ii. Innova EVO: High meat content (chicken, 95%), no grains, fillers or by-products; good for dogs tolerant of high protein foods. Best suited for supplemental feeding alongside any good quality diet dog food.
iii. Orijen: Consists of carbohydrates (russet potatoes), de-boned chicken and turkey fit for human consumption.
iv. Science Diet Formula Dog Food: Natural pet food, clinically proven balanced nutrition with chicken, lamb and brown rice.
v. Nature’s Variety: Holistic and 100% free of corn, wheat, soy, chemicals, artificial colors and preservatives. Relieves allergy, stops weight loss, and improves joint and oral health. High-pressure pasteurization preserves the natural meat, poultry and fish proteins.
Links to Great Dog Foods
Diet cat food
Diet Cat Foods
Is your cat obese or overweight? If so, then it is time to switch to diet cat foods that will help your cat become more active. Good quality diet cat foods can help in improving your cat’s health and overall wellbeing. While choosing the right food for your cat, make sure that it consists of good quality nutritious ingredients.
Since cats are carnivores, you must make sure the cat food ingredients are rich in protein and free from fillers. A good diet cat food can help your cat maintain an ideal weight and also contribute towards a shiny and healthy coat. Generally dry foods are not as good for your cat as wet foods.
There are different brands of cat food available in the market. They can broadly be divided into two categories- dry cat food and canned cat food. Available in both categories, diet cat foods contain more fiber and are low in calories, thus helping your cat maintain a healthy weight and remain more energetic. Diet cat foods with low fat content are considered to be the best for an overweight cat. Here are some of the recommendable diet cat foods that can help in weight reduction.
- Wellness Super5Mix Lite Formula for cats is a specially designed formula that consists of chicken, ground whole barley, ground brown rice, chicken liver, and rice bran. The fat content is less than 10 %, while the protein content in this formula is 33%.
- Innova reduced fat cat food is ideal for overweight cats and has high quality ingredients such as turkey, chicken, ground brown rice, potato meals, rice, apples and other ingredients. The formula has 32 % protein and less than 10 % fat which are good for an overweight cat.
- Natural Balance Reduced Calorie formula for cats is another diet cat food which is popular with many cat owners. The formula is low on calorie content and is ideal for adult or inactive, overweight cats. This diet cat food has good quality ingredients like brown rice, chicken, lamb meal, oatmeal, potato, and duck. The low fat content and the protein content at 30 % make it one of the best nutritional diet cat foods for your cat.
- Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Lite is another natural and nutritional diet cat food that contains chicken, duck, salmon, turkey, potatoes, peas and carrots. The formula has a protein content of 36 % and a fiber content of 9%, while the fat content is low at 10%. This makes it ideal for your inactive or obese cat and can help combat its weight problems.
These are some of the popular diet cat foods that can help make your cat more active. Apart from this, make sure your cat drinks sufficient water and gets adequate exercise. While choosing diet cat foods, also make sure the ingredients are 100% natural and do not contain any by products. It is also a good idea to consult a veteran and seek his/her advice before starting with any of the diet cat foods. And of course, simply cutting back on the amount of food your cat gets will help it drop excess weight. Organic cat foods, raw cat foods, and grain free cat foods may digest more easily and thus be better for your cat’s diet and weight. You may want to look into those possibilities.
CANNED CAT FOOD VS. RAW DIET FOR CATS
CANNED CAT FOOD VS. RAW DIET FOR CATS
No single decision a pet guardian makes has more impact on cat health than the type of cat diet offered. Whether you choose to feed processed meals or a raw diet for cats, the guiding principle to remember is that felines eat meat. They are not vegetarians, and so should not consume many grains or vegetables. Their body and short digestive tracts were specially designed for eating and digesting small animals.
The options for a healthy cat diet are canned cat food and a specially formulated raw diet for cats. Dry cat food should only be used occasionally, as it eventually causes feline health problems.
Protein quality
Canned cat food varies wildly in quality. All of the processed food at the average grocery store is chock full of by-products, which are protein sources that have been deemed unfit for human consumption. By-products could include perfectly acceptable protein sources such as organ meats, but more likely will include diseased organs and other unpalatable ingredients, such as beaks, feathers, hides and feet. Any dead meat, no matter how rotten or diseased, can fall into the by-product category. Since there is no way of knowing for sure what constitutes a manufacturer’s definition of a by-product, it’s best to avoid any canned cat food that lists it as an ingredient. A healthy cat diet includes lots of high quality protein that is easily assimilated into the housecat's system.
Canned Cat Food
The main ingredient in canned cat food is usually water or broth and for that reason, it’s better for your pet than dry cat food, which has a dehydrating effect that stresses the kidneys. Healthy cat food is available through specialty pet stores, health food stores, and online pet stores. Companies like petfooddirect.com carry a wide range of pet products and deliver right to your door.
Veterinarians’ Seal of Approval
Animal doctors don’t always make the connection between food and ill health. That is why they sometimes recommend pet food products that contain harmful ingredients. One leading brand, promoted by many veterinarians, sells canned cat food that contains species-inappropriate ingredients, such as wheat flour and corn:
Water, Chicken, Turkey Giblets, Meat By-Products, Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor…
Another of that company’s canned cat foods contains pork by-product. Pork fat globules are too large for pets’ small arteries, and that is why pork is never used as an ingredient in healthy cat food. One can only imagine the horrible glop that pork by-product must be.
Raw Diet for Cats and Dental Health
Processed foods lead to tartar deposits on the teeth, especially the molars. Often, guardians don’t notice there’s a problem until the pet’s gums are sore and an expensive cleaning session at the veterinarian’s office is required. A bright red line on the gums near the cat’s teeth indicates feline dental problems.
The process of chewing on raw meat naturally cleans a housecat’s teeth. Organ meats, such as chicken hearts and gizzards, are especially effective as a passive cleanser, but will not undo tartar buildup already present. A cat with sore gums will not be able to chew anything but finely ground food. Following up a processed meal with a chunk of raw meat maintains feline dental health. Parboiling the meat for one minute will kill surface bacteria.
Pathogens
Another factor to consider when switching to a raw diet for cats is that raw meat carries a parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which reproduces in the cat’s gut and is shed in the feces. Not only is the resulting disease, Toxoplasmosis, terribly dangerous for human fetuses, babies and people with compromised immune systems, it has also been implicated in the deaths of otters and other ocean life off the coast of California, due to cat guardians flushing cat poop down the toilet. The parasites are not eliminated at the water treatment plants and wreak havoc on water supplies. Guardians who feed a raw food diet for cats, or whose pets roam free where they may pick up the parasite from rodents and birds, should never flush the feces down the toilet. Instead, the waste should be double bagged and discarded in the trash, since landfills are equipped to handle toxic waste. Any cat with access to the outdoors should be assumed to have exposure to the parasite via rodents and birds. Indoor cats on a processed food diet do not shed Toxoplasma gondii.
Got Mice?
Songbird populations have been decimated by free-roaming felines and should be protected in every way possible, but rodent removal will always be a positive perk of owning a cat. A mouse meal designed by Mother Nature outranks any contrived diet. Be aware that housecats may not eat the mice they catch, unless they have been brought up to do so by their mothers. Of course, rat poison should never be used when allowing your cat to clear a garage, shed or bodega of unwanted rodents.
A healthy cat diet will translate into excellent skin and coat health, improved feline dental health, fewer veterinary bills and a calmer and happier companion animal.
