Friday, April 26, 2013

Tips on How to Choose the Right Dog Food


As we browse down the pet aisle at the grocery or pet store, we are bombarded with shelves after shelves of different dog food brands with all of them saying that THEY are the ones providing the best nutrients for your loving mutts.

So how do we (as loving and responsible dog owners who just want the best for our furry little friends) differentiate between all the pet food companies so we can provide the best diet for our mutts? While most dogs are different and require different types of nutrients, below are some general tips as to what to keep in mind when shopping for a good dog food brand:

  1. Read the labels - While the cheapest brands or the cutest dog food bag can be very appealing to us consumers, these companies may not always have the best nutritional value to their products. It is essential to read the labels on the bag that interests you to see if the product truly has a well-balanced diet of whole meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, and a high-quality source of dietary fats. 
  2. Dog Allergies & Needs - If your dog has certain allergies to certain types of foods, it's important to NOT feed them anything that would make their allergies worse. Skin and coat problems are common among mutts. So one way to help with this is to eliminate products like chicken, beef, lamb, corn, soy, wheat, egg, and dairy and replace them with plenty of vitamins and fatty acids (or fish oils). 
  3. Feeding Amount - Depending on the age and situation of your mutts, it's also important to monitor the feeding amount for your dogs. Old mutts and mutts who have been neutered usually require less food to avoid obesity since their metabolisms and activity levels have gone down. 
The best way to acquire a good dog food brand is to consult with your trusted vet.

Keep your mutts happy, healthy, and hearty!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Tips on How to Prevent Heartworms in Puppies!

Buying or adopting a new puppy into the family can be an exciting and fun event. However, puppies are extremely susceptible to heartworms, and usually 9 out of 10 puppies have some sort of internal parasites such as roundworms and hookworms growing inside them.

Some symptoms to look for to see if your pup has heartworm include vomiting, diarrhea, unable to gain weight, lack of energy for play and exercise, and/or poor hair coat quality. Some ways to help prevent parasites is to avoid areas that are contaminated and to keep the backyard clean of feces.

If your puppy has any of these symptoms, be sure to take your little mutt to your trusted vet as soon as possible. Even if your pup does not have these signs, it's still wise to schedule a doctor's appointment for a check up. It doesn't hurt either to have your vet give your new pup some medicine for heartworm to flush the parasites out of their tiny bodies.

Keep your mutts happy, healthy, and hearty!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Most Common Worm Symptoms in Your Dogs!


Being a happy, playful, and spirited mutt, it's not uncommon that your dog would susceptible to getting worms as a health problem. With five common worms like heartworms, tapeworms, whipworms, roundworms, and hookworms, it is crucial to keep an eye out for the symptoms listed below to ensure your mutts' are nursed back to health:

  • Vomitting
  • Diarrhea
  • Change in appetite
  • Coughing
  • Big bellied
  • Lack of energy
  • Itchy skin or other skin irritations
  • Visible worms in poop
  • Unintentional weight loss
It is important to take your dogs to your trusted vet for a check up as soon as possible if you notice any other irregular health concerns or behaviors from your mutts. Normally the vet will just give your dogs an appropriate prescription to get rid of the worms.

Keep your mutts happy, healthy, and hearty!