Butchers Chicken and Tripe On Trial With Helen Fayers of ABCDogs

Dog Stats

Dog’s Name – Ace
Dog’s Breed – Labrador Cross
Dog’s Age – 5 years old
Dog’s Coat Type – Medium coated (feathering similar to Spaniels or Goldies)
Dog’s Weight – 20 kg
Dog’s Health – No recurrent health issues. He is neutered and he is fully vaccinated inc Kennel cough.
Last Visit To The Vet – April 2010 as an emergency having consumed 4x lethal dose of dark chocolate! Obviously he survived (with emergency treatment). He has suffered no after effects.

Background

Ace is a rescue dog who came from a pound in Ireland as a puppy with his litter-mates. His mother was known to be a Labrador whilst his father was completely unknown.

He has a medium, heavy retriever type coat, bit woolly around his “trousers” and ears due to neutering but generally his coat is shiny. However, he does believe he is part hippo and spends an inordinate amount of time wallowing in mud; Ace and the hose pipe are well acquainted most days.

He is wormed regularly and wears a Scalibor collar during the summer months. I use Frontline sporadically. He gets CSJ “Billy-no-mates” herbs in his food daily to help combat fleas and ticks.

Ace gets approx 2 hours off lead exercise daily in open countryside.

Current Eating Habits

Ace is fast, smart and the greediest dog I have ever known. His ability to unlock doors, climb through windows, jump from a standing position onto head height shelves to steal food is legendary. He has been known to climb through upstairs windows and traverse flat roofs to get through another window to help the cats with their meals!

How this dog is still alive considering what he has consumed in his lifetime is a miracle.. but I can
dine out (excuse the pun) on his antics for many years.

Not surprisingly, Ace has a cast iron constitution, rarely vomits or suffers from diarrhoea. He has no skin problems, ear problems or behavioural issues – unless you count stealing food – which I don’t.

I am convinced Ace enjoys the sport of outwitting us as well as the rewarding act of eating. He can target a “novice dog watcher” in our home and it is very rare that he does not manage to relieve unsuspecting dinner guests of their nutritional burden, when a head is turned to gratefully receive a “top up” in an empty glass or a conversation distracts briefly. He will also, on occasions, consume other dogs faeces – eurgh!

Current Diet

Ace’s weight is, surprisingly, in the normal range, however if he has supplemented his daily ration then great pains are taken to ration him to avoid him becoming the obese creature he so clearly desires to be!!

Aside from his own supplementation, Ace’s normal diet has been a combination of raw minced meat, chicken wings, Nature diet and a dry mixer from CSJ called CpXtra. He does also get some Burns dried food from time to time.

Ace is fed twice daily, times vary as I feed to suit my timetable but generally it will be approx 6.30 am and either about 5 – 6pm or approx 9 – 10 pm – depending on what classes I am running.

He may get the additional large raw bone or cow’s ears from time to time. We also offer food rewards for training which are usually liver jerky – but he wouldn’t care what it was really. Ace is not fussy! Raw lamb makes all my dogs, really gassy and “farty” so I now avoid this meat.

Current Toilet Habits

Ace’s bowel movements are usually twice daily, occasionally three times daily. Elimination early morning prior to feeding and mostly, second time is during his walk. His stools are small dark and firm, not over-powering in odour – unless he has been a-thieving! In the garden he will always eliminate in the same place – so even if I don’t see him go, I know which stools are his.

If he has stolen extras there is usually an increase in quantity more than a change in consistency.

The Trial – Butchers Tinned Chicken and Tripe

I have substituted all the wet foods/meats with Butchers Chicken and Tripe. He has been getting two meals a day of Butchers Chicken and Tripe mixed with CpXtra. Ace has eaten the food with relish and I have noticed no change in appetite.

Changes 24-48 hours

There may be a little more gloss to his coat.

There have been no changes behaviourally, except for no incidences of coprophagia recently. I cannot put this down to the food change as yet, because he hasn’t been eating it long enough and we would need to return to his original diet to be sure it is due to the Butchers Chicken and Tripe.

The main difference has been in Ace’s stools. The number of eliminations remains the same, however, his stools have been lighter in colour, softer and larger. The odour change is insignificant and I feel he is generally less “farty”.

The other difference affects me rather than Ace.

Conclusion

On balance it would work out much cheaper for me to maintain him on this diet rather than his previous diet. Generally, I expected this food to not do as well as I feel it has. I am going to maintain Ace on this combination for a further 4 – 6 weeks as it is only by then that I will be able to draw significant conclusions regarding dog’s condition, weight and faecal quality.

If he maintains condition, I will be happy to recommend Butchers in combination with my chosen mixer to my class and behavioural clients as a good affordable alternative to the higher end foods we generally recommend.

I will update here again a few weeks once we’re further into the review.

Interested in finding out more about changing your dog’s food? With 25 years experience, visit online at www.butcherspetcare.com for further nutrition advice.

Admit it, you would wouldn’t you? OK, I’m going to tell you how – as well as show you how you can actually get more free dog food from a variety of quality pet food firms. Please, read on.

Visit: Get Free Dog Food dot com – enter your dog’s details, job done!

Burns is a dog food firm that tends to get rave reviews from those people who use the product. That’s always a good sign. Think how different things are now when it comes to the marketing and sale of dog food. Think how it used to to be. You’d go to the supermarket, you’d be presented with a few brands (many of whom were/are owned by the same company and contain pretty much the same ingredients, just marketed under a different label) and you’d probably pick the one you’d seen advertised on TV. Maybe, because ‘top breeders’ recommended it? I don’t know, maybe.

But it’s not like that now. It’s different.

This is how it goes:

“I need to try my dog on a new food. His fur is not looking good, he’s losing weight and he seems to get a regular upset tummy.”

^ ^ The above, posted NUMEROUS times on dog message boards, social media networks, chat rooms and all the other places where MILLIONS of people go to socialise, exchange information and generally discuss things.

The responses:

“Oh, my dog used to do that. What are you feeding? Ahh, that explains it. What sort of dog do you have? How old? What sort of activity levels. OK, well I would suggest…..”

Now, after 20, 30, maybe 100 people have all suggested different things, the human mind is designed to gravitate toward the brand/product/recommendation that was mentioned most commonly in good terms. I’ve seen this scenario play out so many times now.

And think, for a moment, how monumentally this changes things for the pet food industry.

Let’s say I was happily feeding Brand X (you can buy it in your local supermarket, it’s well known).

But I keep seeing one particular brand name being spoken about in glowing terms. This is my first introduction to the brand, nobody has mentioned it on TV, I haven’t seen any big media campaign but so and so swears by it and in turn, I heard someone else mention how good it was the other day on Facebook.

I need to find out more.

So I Google it. (See, things are different now).

I find the company’s website. The website is OK, a bit limited and a little bit boring. Hmm, not really learned much here, the company wants me to buy their food, well I kind of guessed they wood. I’m going back to Google.

Ahh, look. Perfect. I’ve found a forum where people are discussing this product. This is useful.

Interesting. 30 people have said it’s the best food they’ve ever given their dog but this particular person thinks it’s too expensive. I’ll look some more.

Great. I’ve found a trusted review site. I’m going to have a look on there.

Wow. The people doing these reviews have really put some effort in. And what’s more, they’re not even trying to sell it. They’ve just given their time to give an insightful, honest review. It seems the food is VERY well thought of.

OK, who sells it?

Right. Google tells me all of these sites sell it.

New question. Who sells it cheapest and/or who can deliver it? Or, can I buy it locally, at Pets at Home, perhaps?

OK. I have learned that I can buy it online and have it delivered for £x or I can buy it at an independent retailer, about 18 miles from where I live. I think I’ll order my first one online and see if it’ actually any good first.

It arrives.

It IS good.

I now feed this food. This is ‘my brand’.

Food’s great, dog’s happy, looking well – I’ll order it online or simply buy it in large quantities from the independent retailer once a month.

This scenario is commonplace now. But look at the numbers behind it.

Brand X had my business before. They’re in supermarket’s and, whilst convenient and affordable, I just wasn’t totally happy with the results.

In order to start the process of changing brands I did what most humans do, I found out what other people were doing/talking about/recommending. No TV campaign influenced me, but my friends, peers or trusted independent advisors most certainly did.

I am now more aware of this new brand – that has never advertised anywhere yet – I go to their site but it’s not great. So I instead carry on gathering the opinions and weighing up the pros and cons based on social media trends. The bigger brands, certain Brand X who I used to feed isn’t even figuring in the conversation other than to get a big of a slagging from those who also switched (Brand X is certainly not in my vision enough to see what other products they could offer me).

I make an informed choice.

I test the product. I like the product (or, my dog does).

I am now a consumer of that product.

I used to spend 1.23 per day on food for my dog and had spent, over the past 4 years, an average of 89p per day over the course of that time – give or take for inflation.

That adds up to: £1,299.94 that I’d spent with Brand X.

New Brand is more expensive. But I’m not totally focused on expense, this is my dog we’re talking about. An extra 30p per day is small change in comparison to his health and well-being.

I now begin to consume New Brand at £1.73 per day.

Give or take with inflation, over the next four years New Brand gets about £2,890 from me.

Now, let’s imagine I’m not one person. Let’s go wild and imagine that, out of the MILLIONS of pet owners who are online now, 1,000 of them go through the same process I did (it’s not too hard to imagine, it’s actually happening right now!).

Let’s measure it on the 4-year term again.

Brand X had their business.

Brand X has now lost 4 years worth of custom from 1,000 pet owners.

Brand X has just lost £1.29m in sales.

Conversely, New Brand has come on the scene and PICKED UP £2.89m in sales. (They never even had a TV advert!)

Not too far fetched is it?

People are using the WWW more and more to help them make major lifestyle decisions.

In terms of popularity, pet subjects are one of the most consistently searched for topics and dog food is a particular growth area. Just take a look at the chart below to get an idea of scale:

As you can see from the above, live, chart from Google, the popularity of people searching for ‘dog food’ has actually come in to line with the volume of people searching for ‘eating out’! This is not at all surprising to me. And this is just a search for dog food, we haven’t even touched on the massive growing trends for people searching on ‘sensitive food for dogs’, ‘lifestage diets’ and the hundreds and hundreds of other dog diet search terms. With all this evidence of the evolution of pet food research, social recommendations and dog food decision making transferring to the online communities, you’d think and hope that the pet food firms are going to take notice and make sure they are part of the conversation. The competition for your business is high – and so it should be. We’ve just shown how valuable a loyal, happy dog food customer can be for a pet food firm.

And it is for this reason that many high quality pet food firms will want you to sample their product. If they believe in their brand and they want you to see for yourself how good it is, they should take the view that YOU ARE worth their time and attention.

After all, what dog owner is going to try a new pet food brand, see how amazing their dog does whilst being fed on it, and then just revert back to their previous brand in the full knowledge that they are not doing the absolute best by their dog? Not many, I can tell you from fast hand experience! In fact, I was recently sent a 15kg bag of trial food from a – relatively – new company and, I have to say, the change in one of my dogs has been so monumental she literally appears and acts as if she was 2-years younger.

People who know her have remarked on the change in her condition and her increased energy levels. At the risk of sounding really, really corny, if I am judging this new product based on a shiny coat and waggier tail, I think my dog has made the decision for me on what brand she’s going to be on from now on! (I appreciate at this stage you will probably want to know what food it is and I really feel bad for teasing, but I made a decision some time ago to steer clear of personal recommendations on dog food brands as I think it’s important that pet owners find their right diet for their own dog by using the method I’m about to give away.)

Back to the start, you want some FREE Burns dog food, right?

(BTW, it wasn’t Burns I was talking about above, just to clear that up) Burns Tweeted us and very kindly offered a free sample for friends and readers of K9 Magazine. All you need to do to get your free dog food sample from Burns is call 01554 890482 and let them know that K9 Magazine sent you. But, don’t stop there.

You want more free dog food?

K9 Magazine has partnered with Daily Dog Tips! which, as the name suggests, is a really simple, useful service where you subscribe (for free) and every day you get a dog tip. Tips range from how to get free dog food to how to get your dog to walk to heel better. If you sign up (for free) to the Daily Dog Tips! newsletter, you will receive information on how you can get free dog food from a wide variety of pet food firms. That will be your first tip (if you wanted to, you could unsubscribe as soon as you’ve received that first tip – but why would you want to? It’s free!!)

Get FREE Dog Food – sign up below:

This is a 3,200 word article including contribution from pet nutrition professionals and a case study and downloadble report

[private_Premier]Claire Robinson-Davies of Purina pet care explains the importance of life stage diets. “The energy needed to support a dog as it goes through various life stages relates to physical demand and an individual dog’s metabolic rate. Certain life stages – gestation, lactation, growth – as well as hard work require energy above that of an average adult dog. Other life stages, such as the geriatric period, may require less energy.

The nutritional needs of dogs may also change with changes in lifestyle or function. If energy needs decrease in a dog but energy intake does not decrease accordingly, the dog is at risk of becoming overweight and developing health problems. By providing a diet that conforms closely to the requirements of the pet, it is possible to improve health and performance.”

Diet Calculator:

Whichever breed, age, size of dog you have, our diet calculator should help you see if you are giving your dog the right balance of nutrition.

Puppies: The fact that puppies are always growing is the main consideration when feeding. The need for protein, calcium and energy is at it’s highest at this stage in the dog’s life. Since puppies have smaller stomachs, the nutritional quality of their food needs to satisfy the requirements of a growing dog, but be delivered in a smaller quantity. Claire Robinson-Davies explained why the nutritional requirements for a puppy depend on the breed as well as the age.

“Large breeds grow at a slower rate, so less energy in the form of protein and fat is needed to support the slower growth rate, whilst still enabling the dog to reach its full growth potential. Conversely small breeds grow at a faster rate and hence need increased fat and protein levels to support this. Some small breed puppy formulas also contain increased levels of B vitamins to support their high-energy metabolism.”

Sources of essential nutrients for puppies:

Protein: The type of protein your puppy requires is animal based protein rather than plant based protein. Chicken is a rich source of easily digestible protein.

Calcium: Egg is a good source of calcium. This appears in some foods, but can be added at home to other foods as a supplement.

Energy: By energy, we mean fat. Fatty acids to be precise. These can be found in fish and ‘fishmeal’. Not only are fatty acids essential for energy, they will also give your dog a healthy, glossy coat. Chicken oil is another great source of fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids.

Adult: When your dog is of adult size, you will have entered the realm of what are called maintenance diets. These diets rely on the owner monitoring the needs of the dog and really offer guidance rather than a comprehensive answer to your dog’s dietary needs.

Claire explained why it is important to understand exactly what your dog requires by being familiar with his lifestyle.

“It is the responsibility of the owner to adjust feeding quantities depending on the individual requirements of the pet, taking into account factors such as size and activity levels. Adult small breed formulas have been developed with increased protein and fat to meet the high-energy requirements of small breeds. They also contain increased levels of B vitamins to sustain the high-energy metabolism of small breeds and smaller kibbles to aid chewing.

Adult large breed formulas have reduced energy values and carefully selected types of fat that promote a lean body mass. This is particularly important in large breed dogs, as excess weight can lead to joint damage.”

Sources of essential nutrients for adult dogs- Large Breeds.

B Vitamins: Brown rice is a primary source of B vitamins. It also contains high levels of calcium, fibre and zinc.

Phosphorus: Sea weed is an excellent source of phosphorus. Although it’s presence is rare in a lot of the ‘off the shelf’ pet foods, it is easily obtainable from health shops and can be added to any meal. Remember that your dog is essentially a carnivore though.

Sources of essential nutrients for adult dogs-Small Breeds.

Increased Protein: For a higher balance of protein, brown rice is essential.

Fats: Smaller dogs require more fats than larger dogs. Fish and chicken or chicken oils will provide higher fat levels than found in a large dog formula.

Older dogs.

Less is more when it comes to older dogs as the activity level decreases. Smaller portions in general to prevent weight gain and subsequent joint and ligament damage in large breeds are essential. Fats should give way to protein to preserve skeletal muscle mass. Take into account age related health problems when feeding older dogs too.

Claire Robinson-Davies outlines one of the important changes that need to be made for the senior diet. “Phosphorus levels should be restricted to protect and support the kidneys and liver, whereas vitamin E levels need to be generally increased as their antioxidant properties are beneficial in cell protection and also help boost the immune system.”

Sources of essential nutrients for older dogs.

Vitamin E: Chicken oils are a good source of vitamin E, as is seaweed. But remember, seaweed contains high levels of phosphorus, which we need to reduce.

Protein: Brown rice is a good source of protein, as are many meats. Brown rice or milled rice are also good sources of fibre. Milled rice is easy to digest.

What if my dog is overweight?

Sometimes excessive weight and obesity can culminate in a vicious cycle. Fats are needed to increase energy levels that are essential to exercise, which is essential for weight loss, but if unused, will add to the problem. Reducing portion sizes gradually is a safe option but can take longer to take effect. Lower levels of carbohydrates found in foods such as potatoes will also help weight loss.

I only want to feed my dog a natural diet.

All of the nutrients needed for a balanced, life stage diet are available in a non-processed form. Be prepared to do your research and spend a lot of time preparing your dog’s meals if you are thinking of feeding all natural ingredients in their raw form – or consider an all natural complete food available commercially. Here are some ingredients rich in essential nutrients used in many ‘all natural’ pet foods from ‘Land of Holistic Pets.’

Brown rice is the natural state of rice with the husk removed, it contains calcium, iron, some zinc and the B vitamins thiamine niacin and riboflavin and is renowned for its health giving properties. However, the B group vitamins are all very soluble in water and heavy loss of these vitamins may occur if rice is boiled in excess water or fried at high temperatures , hence the preference for dehydrated rather than extruded. From a Chinese Medicine standpoint Brown rice has a cooling effect on the body, regulates the spleen and stomach, clears heat and helps to provide energy.

Chicken: The Chicken used in Caesar & Luath Holistic Cuisine is from hens which have not been battery reared. It is a highly digestible protein source so small amounts can satisfy the nutritional needs of dogs. Chicken has also a warming effect on the body enriching energy (QI) and blood, while toning the kidneys

Oats: A whole food that has antiseptic properties thus helping to prevent contagious infections – \

Chicken Oil a rich source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty acids

Seaweed -Nutrient dense sea vegetables contain vitamin A, D, E, B1, B2, vitamin C, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron, iodine, fiber, sodium and small amounts of protein. Most important is the iodine in seaweed that supports thyroid organ function. The thyroid controls metabolism and specifically protein metabolism.

Sunflower Oil –Cholesterol Free naturally rich in vitamin E, high in polyunsaturated fat.

Chicken Liver – Nutritional nourishment for the liver – organ meats are used regularly by holistic vets to treat specific organs – like with like.

Parsley- A member of the carrot family rich in iron and vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

What if my dog is a working dog, will I need to change his diet accordingly?

This depends again on breed, level of activity and age. Claire Robinson-Davies explains. “Active/Performance diets are produced for working dogs such as greyhounds or sheepdogs, which require increased levels of calories or nutrients. The product needs to be energy dense as there is a limit to how much a dog can actually eat. They therefore have increased fat and protein levels. Certain vitamins such as the B group, E and C may also be increased to help sustain energy metabolism and also help protect and repair tissue damage.”

My dog is relatively young, but suffers with Arthritis, is a life stage diet appropriate?

You will definitely need to bear the condition in mind when preparing the diet. Omega 3 fish oils are a fantastic supplement for the wellbeing of joints. Canine osteoarthritis is a serious, painful and debilitating disease which can affect a dog at any age and which is often under-diagnosed until it is at a serious stage. At present, Hill’s Prescription j/d formulation is the only clinically proven formulation available which can help prevent canine Osteoarthritis.

Professor Stuart Carmichael, a veterinary surgeon from the University of Glasgow who has treated hundreds cases of canine OA, believes the condition is so prevalent because sadly, owners are unable to recognise the signs of OA and are often unaware that their pet is in pain.

Telltale signals that your pet may be suffering in silence include: limping, difficulty rising, stiffness, decreased activity level, reluctance to play, run or climb stairs, as well as behavioural changes such as aggression or withdrawal. If your dog has demonstrated any of these signs, an appointment for an arthritis screen by your vet is highly recommended.

Controlled weight loss and exercise programmes are usually recommended along with a course of pain-relieving medication. Thankfully further help is at hand, with the introduction of a new dietary supplement designed to alleviate the pain and physical signs of your dog’s OA.

The result of years of research, Prescription Diet Canine j/d from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, is a technologically advanced nutritional supplement containing appropriate levels of nutrients for the management of dogs with arthritis.

Containing the nutrient, EPA, a natural fish oil extract, Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine j/d is beneficial not only for dogs already suffering from OA, but is also suitable for the long-term feeding of adult and senior dogs, to help prevent the development of this disease.

Additionally, as EPA is an effective, natural supplement, the need for drug therapy, and the potential for associated side effects, is also reduced.

The use of fish oil supplements rich in EPA has been a traditional remedy for joint pain in man for decades, and according to Dr Martin Owen, an expert in canine OA, can be of equal benefit to our canine companions.

To achieve a balanced and healthy diet for my dog, is my only option feeding him life stage formulae?

No, it is not your only option. Using the life stage theory as guide can often be helpful, but many people believe that their dog benefits from a more holistic approach. George Burns, owner and founder of ‘Land of holistic pets’ offered his theory as to why a life stage diet is not always necessary. “My mother is 90 years of age and doesn’t need to look for special food for old people.

The key factor of both puppy food and food for older dogs is the protein and fat levels. Higher proteins and fat for puppies, lowering for the junior and then lower again for adult and again lower for older dogs. We must ask the question – What protein and fat levels do we feed ourselves in terms of life stages? Essentially the argument I would take is that all stages should be fed a low to moderate level of fat and protein dependant on age, activity, spayed or neutered (This removes hormone activity so less energy requirements thus less food required). It is important to reinforce the notion that pet owners should take responsibility for their pet’s health by adopting healthy lifestyle and feeding good diet.”

“I decided to launch into holistic cuisine for dogs after many years of studying the health issues associated with many commercially prepared pet foods. I realised that while the holistic approach is widely adopted in the states, it is relatively unheard of in the UK,” said Burns.

“Nutrition is the foundation of good health in any pet. By introducing herbs to a dog’s diet, it is possible to correct any imbalance there may be in their body, which in turn boosts the immune system and can help fight off common symptoms such as itchy skin, eczema, runny eyes, bad breath and loss of energy.

Our Caesar & Luath holistic recipe contains a blend of quality herbs and ingredients that all contribute to promote health and vitality, while allowing the internal organs to function in a more efficient way. Following extensive trials, we discovered that the general condition of dogs on the Caesar & Luath diet improved dramatically.

As toxins were forced from their system, their owners witnessed greater ease of digestion in their dogs as well as clearer eyes and fewer trips to the vet.

The dried food, which is reconstituted from its natural state by simply adding hot water, contains carbohydrates, vegetables, proteins, fats, herbs, vitamins, minerals and seaweed.

It is essential to the animal’s wellbeing that owners take steps to alleviate any ailments their pets may have. The holistic approach to pet care must be welcomed as it is crucial that pet owners have a choice of foods with something to suit their more sensitive pets.”

Generally my dog is in good health, but her coat is rather dull. Is there any way I can alter her diet to improve her coat?

Fatty acids such as those found in fish oil are known to have dramatic effects on the condition of a dog’s coat.

Which nutrients are good for boosting the immune system in older dogs?

A healthy diet overall is possibly the best was to keep the immune system working to its full potential. With common complaints in older dogs such as Arthritis there are specific nutrients for each. E P A, a nutrient found in fish oils is an excellent preventative against the onset of arthritis.

Professor Bruce Caterson of the University of Cardiff who is an expert on the effects of EPA and its nutritional benefits explained. “Studies in our lab have shown that EPA is preferentially incorporated into cartilage cells. This incorporation of EPA helps to reduce inflammatory responses and cartilage degradation in our model test culture systems that mimic cartilage destruction in arthritis. Similarly, other labs have shown that EPA in the canine diet increases an arthritic dog’s activity and general quality of life.

So there you have it. Life stage foods a marketing gimmick? No, not when you consider the level of combined research and product development which goes into creating diets tailored for certain dogs at certain stages of their lives. When you think about it, we humans have always ate life stage food but have only just got accustomed to giving our dogs the same privilege. After all, could you imagine a 21 year old Olympic swimmer existing on a diet of pie and mash? At the same time it might not be entirely healthy for a 40 year old office worker to eat the sort of diet being consumed by 19 stone weight lifter. Our dogs are all different and have many different needs as they get older, more active, less active or simply to maintain a level of good health. As with all good nutrition the best advice is to arm yourself with the facts, do your research, speak to as many experts as you can and try your best to match your dog with the most appropriate diet to suit their age, breed and activity levels.

Case Study.

Liz Smith a 40 years old actress, who developed arthritis just recently. Co-incidentally, so did her dog, Hector, a Scottie. Liz ached when she walked down stairs and Hector was reluctant to go out. He frequently held up his paw to her and she wondered about this as it was not something he had previously done.

Liz had a rare virus a few years ago and took antibiotics, which really depressed her immune system. She has restored herself to good health by following the advice of a naturopath and takes supplements rather than medication. She went back to her naturopath for advice and he suggested she take oily fish 3 times a week as the omega-3 oils contained in oily fish are well-known to improve joint mobility.

At the beginning of this year, Liz took Hector to the vet as he seemed reluctant to go out and rather bad-tempered. The vet said he had probably got arthritis and said she could either put him on medication for life or add omega-3 fish oils to his food. He said she could add omega-3 supplements to his feed but getting the proportions right could be tricky as too much would upset his stomach and too little would be ineffective.

“When the vet first diagnosed Hector’s arthritis I was in shock. I didn’t even know dogs suffered from this disease. My second thought was, oh my poor baby, because I could instantly relate to the pain he must have been feeling,” said Liz.

Fortunately, following an accurate diagnosis, management of the disease and alleviation of the physical stress and associated pain can begin.

Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine j/d is available solely through veterinary clinics. If you think your dog may be suffering from OA, it is important that you male an appointment to visit your vet, who can make a professional assessment and food recommendation.

The was trialling a new formulation of prescription dog food and offered to enrol Hector on the trial. Given her own experience, Liz chose to go for the dog food. She also put support tubing on his paws when they were indoors as she found the support gloves she wore were really good and thought that the same might be true for dogs in that if you support and heat the joint, the pain reduces.

She found that after within a month, Hector was walking much better. He stopped lifting his paw to her, was eager to go out now and his temper had improved so she assumed the pain had gone. She still puts the tubing on his front paws at night as in the hope of preventing the return of arthritis. She has continued to feed him the same dog food and Hector continues to improve.

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How Fasting Can Clean Your Dog’s System From Years Of Poor Diet

If you’re one of the millions of dog owners who occasionally allow your pet to indulge in the delightful scraps from your own less than perfect diet such cheap hamburgers, hot dogs, cold cuts, semi moist sugar-preserved dog foods – or any foods containing nitrates, nitrites, aldehydes, and other assorted harmful additives – the particular pancreatic enzymes that are needed to digest the proteins in your dog’s system become depleted quite rapidly. So could your porky pet benefit from a short fast?

Meats that have been thoroughly cooked rarely contain enough live enzymes to be of any value to the dog’s digestive system.

Without enough pancreatic enzymes to digest the protein, the food begins to putrefy and can lead to [private_Premier]pancreatitis and toxemia. We can give more food but it is not being utilized. If the body can’t use the nutrients, this is tantamount to not having them.

The body begins to feed upon itself in order to sustain life, and the animal loses weight and muscle tone in spite of the quantity of food provided. In the case of malignant tumors, the body feeds the tumor while starving itself, so the tumor grows to robust proportions while the body shrivels like a dehydrated prune.

If you suspect ill health in your pet, don’t stuff him with food, hoping that he will regain strength.

You will actually be further depleting his impaired vitality. Withholding food for a day or so will cause a revitalization of the body, because the body will have a chance to fight the impairment without the continuing added burden of processing food. This applies whether the food is wholesome or second-rate, but even more strongly when it is of poor quality.

Then the digestive organs are not working in the processing of food, they have an opportunity to apply themselves to the digestion of debris in the body.

Fasting is nature’s most perfect medicine, since the body works to rid itself of the debris, or harmful toxic matter, first, thereby effecting a most marvelous housecleaning of cells.

Cells drowning in toxic waste have no room to absorb nutrients. They must first rid themselves of this obstructing waste.

The process by which the body feeds upon and digests the debris is called autolysis. Some types of tumors or cysts can enjoy resorption into the body through this gradual, natural purification process.

If you have an older dog, the chances are that through years of dietary indiscretions, his enzymes have become somewhat depleted. Whatever sturdy stock remains can be reinforced by adding pancreatic enzymes to the diet.

This will serve to bolster the forces of protein, fat, and carbohydrate digestion, and you will be augmenting the metabolization of your animal’s food. Pancreatic enzymes can help turn the tide of sluggish digestion, enabling the digestive process to perform with much increased efficiency.

This will provide a most harmonious relationship within the digestive tract. The surplus enzymes can now effect a cleansing process by breaking up the toxic debris stored throughout the body. [/private_Premier]

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READING:

Mark Stevens of Mount Vernon, Washington explained how his partner devised a specialised diet for their dog after a Cancer diagnosis and the progress they made.

“My girlfriend’s dog Jake was given two months to live due to having four tumours. The external pilot tumour was surgically removed. Jake is 51.6 lbs., male, neutered at about 2 years of age, currently about13 years old. Except for the Cancer he’s in good health. My girlfriend Sheila put him on a special diet. In the dogs’ four week review, one tumour was gone the other two were noticeably smaller. He may be clear of cancer in the next two months. Here is the food diary she kept with the results as they occurred.

[private_Premier]Late January 2007: Anal gland carcinoma diagnosed by Dr. O’Roark at Animal Care Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. Appetite good, but keeps disliking different foods; this had already started but I hadn’t quite noticed. Immediately started finding herbs to put Jake on, including: Multi-Vitamin, Vitamin E and C, Salmon Oil, Whey Amino Acids, Vitamin A and D, Maitake whole, Lipoic Acid, Co-Q10, Fibre (inulin), Bone Meal, Broccoli Sprouts, Turmeric, Quercetin, IP-6, Boswellia Seratta.

2nd February: A golf ball sized anal gland carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) was removed by Dr. O’Roark. The analysis said low grade tumour, completely resected with clean margins.

9th February: We saw Dr Goklait at the Veterinary Specialty Center in Lynnwood to check to see if the Cancer had spread. Took x-rays, blood work, ultra-sound. Found golf ball size tumour on lung lobe, 2 pencil eraser size tumours on lung lobe and 1 pencil eraser size tumour on spleen.

The doctor said chemotherapy was ineffective on this type of tumour. I showed him the list of pills I was giving Jake. He said to keep giving glutamine and that Milk Thistle was good, Fibre (inulin) also good, and Broccoli Sprouts should be golf-ball size portion. He advised me to remove from my list Vitamins A and D.

10th February: Virtually every plant has its own defences and therefore something in it is good for cancer, which makes all of the literature very confusing. I searched the internet to add to my herb list. Looked for educational sites with studies, I also looked up herbs that I knew were well thought of to see what they did for cancer.

Most surprising to me were several studies that indicated that Vitamins E,C, beta-carotene and A, as well as a couple of isolated broccoli antioxidants appeared to hasten death and support some cancers. This caused me to remove the pill broccoli antioxidants and go back to broccoli sprouts.

12th February: I saw Dr. O’Roark today. A pencil eraser sized tumour was back in Jake’s anal gland area. Dr. O’Roark took a smear from it and said it was cancerous. I’m really disappointed that it came back so soon.

16th February: Saw Dr. Sodi (Ayurvedic Doctor) at Animal Hospital of Lynnwood We couldn’t find the tumour, Dr. Sodi looked for it and he couldn’t find the pencil eraser size tumour in the anal gland area either.

Dr. Sodi didn’t pare my list down much as I had hoped. He said everything on it was said to be good for cancer, and there are 5000+ herbs out there which is what makes the choices confusing.

He gave me his protocol for treatment, which is Curcumin, Artimisinin, Butyrex, Ashwagandha, and Maitake-Reishi-Shiitake formula, plus a veg-enzyme every time the dog eats.

20th February: Today we saw Dr. Tripp, an oncologist with Veterinary Cancer Specialists. The chances of metastasis (spreading of the Cancer) is 85% in squamous cell carcinoma, and there is a 15% chance Adenocarcinoma.

Jake’s tumours are on both lobes so they can’t be resected, the vet said he wouldn’t want to put my dog through that anyway.

23rd February: I received Peroxicam in the mail and have started using it.

6th March: I had phone consultation with Dr. Siegler of the Animal Healing Center. He said that the theory of Vitamins E, C and A promoting existing cancers were controversial studies. Had told me to add back in my multi-Vitamin and to increase the dose of Vitamin C, to remove Ginkgo Biloba, Pau D’Arco, Echinacea, Extra mushrooms (other than MRS), Black Elderberry Extract, Ginseng, Lutein, Lycopene, Garlic Clove, Olive Leaf, Rosemary.

7th March: Setback! Jake finally ate (and liked well) a can of dog food, after not liking food choices enough to eat well for a couple of days. Then he ate the paper towel when I wasn’t looking.

9th March:. Friday. Another setback. I received Siegler’s protocol. It was homeopathic and I’m not familiar with that. I had mentioned that chemotherapy doesn’t work on this cancer. I was supposed to dilute this remedy but misread the instructions and gave it straight, then I immediately gave Jake lots of yoghurt. I consulted a 24 hour toxicology helpline. Jake was agitated that night. The next day he liked food even less than before, I gave him his herbals with yoghurt, he finally threw it all up (about 1and1/2 lbs). Sunday we babied him with syringe fed good foods, it stayed down, he feels better, got all his herbals, exercised well.

I’ve had a tremendous amount of trouble getting Jake to eat, and after cooking lots of different dishes for Jake, giving him raw beef, buffalo, and spoon feeding raw ground veggies, I’ve somewhat given up on depending on getting him to eat of his own choice. My best luck getting him to eat on his own has been spreading out about five flavour choices at meal time and letting him choose. Also, I think it’s likely I’ve been upsetting his stomach with my pills. Now, in addition to offering him food at meal time, I spoon feed him food with his pills and I don’t think he gets an upset stomach any more. I try to keep his total amount of food solids down to what he always ate, about 1.5 cups for breakfast. and dinner. Jake doesn’t seem to mind the spoon feeding, just the pills.

I feel uncertain about: giving my dog the Vitamin A, C, and E that I’m giving him (and how to replace his multi-Vitamin if I again remove these antioxidants. I’m also considering adding back in Lycopene, Lutein, and Black-Elderberry Extract (they didn’t seem to upset his stomach, and some studies say they help with some cancers, and they weren’t hard to give). I would love for some Doctor who understands the 5 types of cancer cell origins to look over the pub-med studies and tell me what has helped before in Jake’s type of cancer cell line.

The only things I’m now giving Jake that I feel have some potential for upsetting his stomach are: Vitamin C, Lipoic Acid, Green Tea in his water, Resveratrol and Quercetin, Cats Claw, Peroxicam, Broccoli Sprouts.

20th March: I saw Dr. Tripp again; he took an X-ray and did blood work. Still no sign of tumour in anal gland area and the tumour on the spleen is gone. The small tumour on Jake’s lung is smaller. The large tumour on the lung is 0.2cm thumb. The blood work came back very good, only 1 liver enzyme slightly out of range, but no others, and it is actually better than last time we did blood work.

At this point I will continue what I’m doing, and try to figure out how to be more aggressive. I’ll try to give him more fish oil. I’ll also start doing ground 10 minute aged broccoli sprouts in yoghurt 3 times daily instead of two. I’ve added back in 1/4 cup am + pm fresh ground nutrient-rich organic veggies in yoghurt. I will also try harder to get Jake to go to bed earlier and shall continue taking him for runs on the park, but I’d prefer to find a way to give him stress-bearing exercise in the hope of getting him to produce more dystrophin to improve his appetite. [/private_Premier]

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written by Carol O’Herily

To BARF or not to BARF – that’s the bone of contention at the moment in the dog world.

Australian vet Dr Ian Billinghurst’s book Give Your Dog A Bone, which introduced the BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet for dogs, threw the cat among the pigeons when it was first published in l993.

While we long ago discovered the physical benefits of feeding this species-appropriate diet to our own dogs, we didn’t see it as our place to interfere with or try to convert those people who were happy with the convenience of feeding their dogs a commercially produced product.

After all, dogs are scavengers and will try to pick up nutrients from pretty well anything that even remotely resembles food – sticks, stones, faeces, wood, grass, garden plants, coal, soap, dog food. It’s when they start on other things like the kitchen walls, skirting boards, carpets, the remote control, the post or the family’s pet rabbit that their owners start to think about calling in professional help for a behavioural problem.

The catalyst for one dog owner calling us for help was when she came home from work to find that her new dog had dug up her old dog and was blissfully feeding on its rotting corpse in the garden. It took a lot of talking to get the lady to understand that what her dog did, though horrific from the human viewpoint, was perfectly normal and instinctive behaviour for a scavenger short on nutrition.

Most dog owners try very hard to do the right thing by their pet. They take it to an obedience class and put in a lot of work in an effort to have a well-behaved dog. It can be soul destroying when the dog’s behaviour is great in class but atrocious at home.

Frustrated owners often re-home these badly behaved dogs. Some are destroyed because they breached the bounds of human decency by biting somebody. People have come to accept that horses bite. So do cats, hamsters, birds, pigs and rabbits. When a dog bites a person, we kill them rather than try to understand what happened. Dogs and humans are two totally different species trying to live together as friends, but each species has vastly different rules for survival.

What we have come to understand after dealing with numerous problem dogs is the link between diet and bad behaviour. We’ve found that a lot, if not all, of the dog behavioural problems we treat happen for the most part as a direct result of the desperation and stress suffered by dogs when owners innocently give them a diet which is inappropriate for their species.

However, it is simplistic to say that all bad behaviour can be cured by diet. This is not a cure all. Dogs need to be treated individually, not only in relation to diet but also according to their environment, pack, breed and history. However, suitable rehabilitation of problem dogs can be achieved very quickly if re-training is combined with sensible feeding.

Owners are told that their dog will grow out of bad behaviour such as chewing, digging up the garden, jumping up and weeing all over the house. The good news is this is correct. The bad news is that some dogs can also grow into bad behaviour.

The connection is food. Pups are generally fed multiple meals from a variety of ingredients and they are usually very happy little creatures. Something happens between happy puppyhood and out-of-control adulthood. A once happy puppy can become desperate and very badly behaved if its nutrition diminishes at the same time as its growth speeds up.

Frequently the onset of bad behaviour can be traced close in time to when the frequent feeding regime was changed. If the feeds are reduced before the pup’s growth slows down, the puppy will instinctively seek to supplement its diet by trying to find edible items either in the house or garden. Unfortunately they don’t have a reference book of edible items, so they try anything and everything within reach.

These young dogs can become quite loopy in their search for nutritional supplements. One of the symptoms of this desperation is hyperactivity. The owner then tries to do the right thing and take the dog for long walks ‘to use up its energy’. This can actually make matters worse as the dog expends the energy needed for growth.

CASE HISTORY: We work closely with a small, private shelter called Just for Dogs in Derbyshire. Margaret and Doug Smith who run the shelter followed our suggestion and took on the BARF diet for one of the young dogs at the shelter whose behaviour was so atrocious that people would sidle gingerly past her enclosure when they were viewing dogs. No one in their right mind would want Sasha in their home.

Because she was housed in a kennel with a cement floor, she was deprived of her ability to forage and supplement her diet. Also, the stress factor associated with kennelling further depleted her of vital nutrients. She consequently became unmanageable in her desperation to supplement and survive. Her behaviour changed dramatically with proper feeding and Sasha is now happily doing much better.

After this experience, Doug and Margaret gradually adopted the BARF diet for all of the rescue dogs in the shelter. Their feeding and veterinary expenses have markedly reduced and the previously unwanted dogs are being d very quickly. It is easy to re-home a placid, well-behaved dog.

Most people have been through the pangs of dietary excesses and deficiencies at some stage. You may not consciously recognise it as such but you will probably relate to standing in front of an open refrigerator, wanting to eat something but not knowing quite what you want. Mothers of teenage boys will recognise this behaviour. At times of stress and change such as during the teenage years, pregnancy, lactation, grief, loneliness or excessive exercise, our bodies crave different nutrients.

Dogs are no different when some nutrient is missing from their diet. They are even more attuned to their body’s needs than we are and develop all sorts of ways to supplement their diet. They don’t stand in front of an open refrigerator, but they do raid food cupboards and feast on table legs, tissues (particularly used ones) and anything else that comes within teeth range.

Listed below are some common behavioural problems and a brief outline of how the problems link to diet:

• barking – to call the person who supplies the food (or) ‘stay away from my food supply’
• chewing – trying items to find out if they supply nutrients
• destructive behaviour – looking for the elusive “something” to satisfy a dietary deficiency
• digging – searching for nutrients
• pulling on the lead – on the hunt
• inappropriate toileting habits in the adult dog – marking areas in the house where food is regularly eaten
• food stealing – dogs are opportunists, especially when chronically hungry for appropriate nutrition
• obsessive behaviour – often relates to the obsessive need to satisfy a craving or an expression of frustration when stopped from foraging to supplement the diet
• sibling rivalry – the leader gets first go at the food
• separation anxiety – their only source of food supply (owner) has gone
• jumping up – to stimulate vomiting which produces food in the animal world

Any or all of these problems can and do create havoc in the home of dog owners who just want their dogs to behave like the dogs on television.

People Aggression

The more desperate the dog, the more desperate the behaviour. If dogs knew that biting whilst living with us in our world would result in them being destroyed they wouldn’t do it, particularly since all their actions are about survival. So why do they do it?

If you have ever embarked on a weight reduction diet with determination and have been very good for weeks eating all the right things and seeing results, you will know that there comes a time when you would happily rip the arm from someone to get a chocolate bar.

Inappropriate dieting can produce aggression in the most amiable of people. This can happen also with the sudden withdrawal of previously often-taken substances such as nicotine, alcohol, barbiturates or sugar. Quite a lot of commercially produced dog food contains addictive ingredients, some as innocent as sugar. The rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels has a lot to do with dogs that have ‘a mad half hour’ either before or after eating.

Left to their own devices, dogs will forage all day and feed on a large variety of plants, insects, bacteria and animal matter. They will roll themselves in all sorts of smelly muck. They come home and spend hours “cleaning” themselves. They pick up a lot of nutrients this way and can become quite aggressive if owners try to wipe them clean or bath them. It’s not that they don’t want to be bathed, but more that they see your behaviour as robbing them of the vital dietary supplements they have managed to pick up and bring home on their feet and fur.

CASE HISTORY: Stroller, a fourteen-month-old Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel was booked in for destruction when the owner contacted Bark Busters. He had attacked his owner. In unravelling the story, we found that Stroller had jumped up on the table, snatched a tissue and run under the table guarding his trophy aggressively. What Stroller didn’t know was that the owner’s engagement ring was inside the tissue. She naturally went under the table to retrieve it and Stroller attacked her. She was heartbroken because she thought that Stroller had turned on her.

He was brought to Bark Busters’ head office farm for rehabilitation. One of the first things we noticed about him was the putrid smell from both ends. This is one of the signs of dietary stress that we look for. We started him on the BARF diet immediately. Over the next four weeks, the smell disappeared and so did his aggressive possessiveness with items. He took naturally to the diet as do most dogs and that, with a combination of training, exercise and manipulation, produced an absolute treasure of a dog that anyone would be proud to own. He doesn’t now need to ‘hunt’ to supplement his diet, as he was doing when he snatched the tissue. It would have been so easy to destroy him for his ‘aggressive’ behaviour.

Dog or Food Aggression

Dogs also learn to jealously guard areas where they regularly collect minute dietary supplements. This can lead to what appears to be dog aggression if a dog from another pack approaches what they see as their hunting grounds. They have no idea that the area they’re guarding is a public park.

Dogs that are regularly fed from a bowl placed always in the same place can become aggressively protective of the bowl since they see it as their only source of food.

They are particularly driven by food, as are most animals. If you want your dog to be well behaved, study what dogs are meant to eat and feed it to your dog. Don’t just take our word for it. Do your research. There is a huge groundswell of change happening as people become more and more aware of how diet affects behaviour.

Zoo keepers go to great lengths to supply food which animals in their care instinctively eat in a wild situation – bamboo shoots for the giant pandas, leaves from the eucalyptus tree for koalas, fresh fruit and vegetables for the monkeys. Zoo keepers go to these lengths because they know that this ensures their animals remain happy and healthy.

We are our dog’s keepers. Why then would we not feed them a diet which is biologically correct for their species? We should try to ‘listen’ to what they’re trying so desperately to us with their ‘bad’ behaviour.

About The Writer:
Carol O’Herlihy is a director of Bark Busters UK www.barkbusters.co.uk
She is an experienced dog trainer and has helped to rehabilitate many dogs with behavioural problems.

Chubby pets are no laughing matter. Obesity affects nearly 50 percent of the total pet population and can lead to serious conditions including heart disease, arthritis and a shortened life expectancy. That’s why celebrity fitness trainer Gunnar Peterson and the Alliance for Healthier Pets are encouraging people and pets to hit the “Training Room” on a new website.The “Training Room” is a virtual fitness destination that features the first people and pet fitness video as well as downloadable weight management tools for cats and dogs. During the month of May pet owners can also find 24,000 veterinary clinics across the country armed with educational materials on weight management, including over 250,000 special $25 (£16) rebates available to help with the cost of Hill’s Prescription Diet pet food.

“One of the biggest myths among pet owners is that food equals love,” said Gunnar Peterson. “Healthy treats in moderation are okay but unfortunately many pet owners unknowingly are harming their cats and dogs by rewarding them with people food.”

Did You Know…

– One ounce of cheddar cheese fed to a dachshund is the equivalent of an
average woman eating two and a half hamburgers
– One cup of milk given to a cat is the equivalent of an average woman
eating four and a half hamburgers or five chocolate bars!

You can find these and many other tips and tools for pet weight loss on PetFit.com. Look in the Training Room for all the videos, and look at the Alliance page for a downloadable brochure on pet weight loss.

Many of us feed our pets what we think they like as opposed to what is right for them. The Pet Food Manufacturers Association are keen to dispel some of these common myths and set the record straight for pet owners everywhere.

Top five pet food myths
Pet food myth… Right or rubbish?

1. Chocolate is a killer for dogs

Right
In reality….

* Dogs will eat pretty much anything you give them but did you know that when you give your dog a human chocolate treat you are poisoning them?
* Chocolate in any form is extremely toxic to man’s best friend as it contains a harmful chemical called theobromine, which is fine for humans but is very dangerous for dogs
* One and a half bars of chocolate could be enough to kill a small dog, such as a Yorkshire Terrier
* If your pooch has a penchant for chocolate it is better to give them a specially formulated dog chocolate which contains only good ingredients for your pet

2. Cat’s got the cream Rubbish
In reality….

* Cats may like the taste of milk but after they are weaned they often can’t cope with digesting it
* The sugar in the milk makes it hard for cats to digest and results in nasty tummy upsets
* If your moggy is fine after drinking milk, then it is okay to give it as an occasional treat but water is the best thing to give to your cat if it is thirsty

3. Carrots are the best food for rabbits Rubbish
In reality….

* Don’t believe everything you see on TV when it comes to feeding your rabbits. Despite Bugs Bunny’s favourite food being a carrot the reality is that carrots are not a great food to feed your rabbit
* Carrots are high in starch, making them hard to digest and making your rabbit feel unwell
* Why not treat your pet by feeding it flower petals, rabbits adore them

4. All dogs must be fed twice a day Rubbish
In reality….

* Dogs can have one, two, three or even four meals a day, the important thing is not to overfeed your pet
* Manufacturers guidelines advise on daily amounts – your dog’s appetite will depend on its size and lifestyle
* The key to a happy, healthy pet is feeding them the right kind of food and the right amount of food on a daily basis

5. Cats can’t taste as well as dogs Right
In reality….

* Our feline friends have a limited taste palate compared to their canine counterparts
* Cats only have 473 taste buds compared to a whopping 1,700 in dogs, and if you are interested humans have an impressive 9000 taste buds
* Cats may not have as many taste buds but what they do have is a sixth sense whereby they can use their tongue to smell food…quite impressive really

For more information on what you should and shouldn’t feed your pets please visit www.pfma.org.uk and ask our pet food expert for advice.

VPI pet health insurance analyzed the more than 400 claims it received last year for toxic plant ingestions to find which plants and plant products proved most likely to poison pets. Raisins and grapes topped the list, followed by mushrooms and marijuana. In 2008, the average amount claimed for plant poisoning was $427 (approx £300).

Top Plant Poisoning Claims of 2008
1. Raisins/Grapes
2. Mushrooms
3. Marijuana
4. Lily
5. Walnuts
6. Onion
7. Sago Palm
8. Macadamia Nuts
9. Azalea
10. Hydrangea

“Almost all plant poisonings in pets can be prevented, but prevention depends on knowledge, thus it is important for pet owners to become familiar with which items can be toxic if ingested,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI.

“Prevention is a simple matter of keeping these hazards out of a pet’s environment. To avoid plant poisonings, try not to give a dog table scraps that contain raisins, onions or nuts, and make sure that a new pet is introduced to a backyard free of sago palms, wild mushrooms or other toxic plants.”

Pet owners have good reason to take the threat of grape/raisin ingestion seriously. Even in low doses, ingestion can place pets at risk for acute renal failure. Symptoms include anorexia, lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The exact cause is unknown, but some experts think that there may be a toxic component in the skin of the grape/raisin. Treatment by a licensed veterinarian may include inducing vomiting and/or administration of intravenous fluids. Immediate treatment is essential.

The mushrooms most responsible for poisoning pets are the common “backyard” variety. These often grow in grassy places, especially after a heavy rain, and contain toxic components that disrupt the functioning of the digestive tract and liver. If ingested, mushrooms can cause salivation, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, and liver failure.

The best way to prevent an accidental ingestion is to regularly scan a yard, or any other grassy area a pet may occupy, and pull wild mushrooms up when they appear.

Most mushroom ingestion claims were submitted in late summer and fall. In fact, half of the plant poisoning claims received in October were due to mushroom ingestion. In addition to the top 10 plant poisonings, VPI received claims for ingestion of the following plants or plant products: delphinium, crocus bulbs, hemlock, rhododendrons, gladiolus, tea tree oil, poison ivy, nightshade, tobacco, poinsettia, oleander, brunfelsia, hibiscus, almonds, scarlet pimpernel, potpourri and kalanchoe. Nearly all claims for lily ingestion were submitted for felines.

While not a plant or plant product, fertilizer is another garden variety toxin often ingested by pets. The strong smell of fertilizer can motivate dogs to taste or eat it. Unfortunately, some fertilizers contain organophosphate pesticides which impair the nervous system. In 2008, VPI received 60 claims for organophosphate poisoning. Pet owners can avoid accidents involving fertilizer by not using pesticide-containing fertilizers in an area frequented by pets. As with plant poisonings, prevention of fertilizer poisoning is primarily a matter of observation and knowledge of a pet’s environment.

RELATED

Toxic Foods Can Kill Dogs: Understanding Toxic Dog Foods
Saturday 7th July will be a day I will never forget. I woke to sunshine and what I deemed to be a perfect family day – visit the park with my fiancé, our little boy and our dog – Oojie.Little did I know what Oojie had been through in the night until I came downstairs to what looked like a murder scene.

When it comes to buying pet food, higher cost doesn’t always mean higher quality, according to the March issue of Consumer Reports. A higher price could indicate better ingredients and better quality control during and after manufacturing, but it could also just mean prettier packaging, more marketing, or a fancy name. And despite food safety concerns that resulted from a recall of pet food tainted with melamine in 2007, Consumer Reports urges caution for consumers who are considering making their own pet food, a growing trend.

Consumer Reports asked eight experts in dog and cat nutrition at seven top veterinary schools what consumers get by spending more for pet food. They were also asked what they served their own pets: Most of the experts said they use a variety of common brands sold at pet stores or supermarkets.

A recent survey by the Associated Press found that although Americans may be spending less on themselves, they’re not scrimping on their pets. According to the survey, just one in seven pet owners said they had curtailed spending on their pet during the past year, even as they cut back on other expenses.

Thirty-seven percent of U.S. households have dogs, and 32 percent have cats. But because of multi-cat households, felines outnumber canines: As of 2007, there were almost 82 million cats and 72 million dogs.

The bottom line, says Consumer Reports: It’s more important to look for the overall nutrient profile of a particular pet food brand than it is to shop by price or even individual ingredients. “As a pet owner, your main goal is to ensure that your animal is active and healthy,” says Jamie Hirsh, associate health editor at Consumer Reports. “That suggests that the food you’re buying is doing its job. But it’s also important to know that you don’t have to choose the most expensive food to get what’s best for your pet. Look for food labeled ‘complete and balanced,’ which indicates it can be the pet’s sole nourishment.”

Hirsh advises pet owners to look for labels stating that the food’s nutritional adequacy was validated by animal-feeding tests based on protocols from the American Association of Feed Control Officials, a regulatory group. That statement is a step above the other one that AAFCO allows — that a food was formulated to meet the group’s nutrient profiles. “In addition, make sure the package has contact information for the food’s manufacturer, in case you have questions,” Hirsh says.

Consumers should also take into consideration the age of their pet and whether he or she has special needs. For example, cats with kidney or urinary problems might benefit from the moisture in wet food, while animals with dental issues might do better with dry food.

What Pet-Food Labels Really Mean

For pet food, there’s no official definition of organic, human-grade, premium, no fillers, or gourmet. Gluten-free foods are generally necessary only for the tiny percentages of pets that are intolerant of that protein. There’s some evidence that antioxidants — such as vitamin E — and some omega-3 fatty acids might enhance pets’ immunity or help protect against certain diseases, but the experts interviewed by Consumer Reports were split on whether consumers need to look for them.

Consumer Reports recommends that consumers educate themselves about pet food labeling, which is mostly defined by AAFCO, which sets standards for pet food manufacturing.

Here are some examples:

– The 95 percent rule (Beef for Dogs). Named ingredient(s) must account
for a least 95 percent of the product by weight.
– Dinner; also Entree, Formula, Nuggets, Platter, Recipe (Chicken and
Salmon Dinner for Cats). The named ingredients must make up at least
25 percent of the product by weight, not counting water. Each
individual food must make up at least 3 percent.
– “With …” (Gourmet Fillets with Turkey for Dogs). Contains 3 percent
or more of the named ingredient.
– Flavor (Beef flavor). No specific percentage required, but the
product must contain enough of the food to impart the claimed flavor,
or another substance that tastes like it (beef stock, for example).
– Guaranteed analysis. Mandatory guarantee that the food contains the
labeled percentages of crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture.
– Light, lite, low-calorie. Meets AAFCO limits for a reduced-calorie
diet for overweight dogs and cats. “Lean” and “low-fat” have a
similar meaning for fat.
– Natural. Technically, the food has few or no synthetic ingredients.
But the claim is loosely defined.
– Grain-free. Protein in the product comes from nongrain sources
(perhaps for people who want pets to eat more animal protein). It’s
unclear whether there’s any benefit to a diet high in animal protein.

What Consumers Can Do

Consumer Reports offers the following advice to pet owners:
– Be careful when making your own pet food. Most experts said they
hadn’t seen a pet get sick from inexpensive food; however, half said
they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade pet food, a growing
trend since the 2007 recall of some commercial pet food contaminated
by melamine. Dogs and cats each require about 40 different nutrients
in very specific proportions, so pet owners who insist on making their
own pet food should consider enlisting a nutritionist certified by the
American College of Veterinary Nutrition (www.acvn.org) or get help
from the Web sites www.balanceit.com or www.petdiets.com.
– Consider your pet’s age. Age-specific food is very important for
puppies, kittens, and pregnant pets, who have especially stringent
nutritional needs. Foods labeled either “for growth” or “for all life
stages” meet those needs. Foods “for maintenance” are for healthy
adult animals only. “Senior” is a marketing term, not a nutritional
term.
– Weigh the costs and benefits of wet versus dry food. There’s no
nutritional difference between wet and dry pet food, but there is a
cost difference. Wet foods contain about 75 percent water, so pets
need more to get the same calories, and that makes wet food more
expensive per serving.