The Dog Food

After the recent dog food recall, armies of outraged pet owners were left confused and frightened as to the reason behind the incident. There were an overwhelming number of both felines and canines that fell ill, and worse, died from eating the contaminated pet food. Since they relied on these brands for such a long time, they had no idea where to turn to, and what other brand to trust. The risk of the same incident happening all over again lingered in the back of their minds.
There have been a lot of cases involving the contamination of pet foods with mycotoxins (fungi-produced toxins). After the pet food manufacturer and the FDA find conclusive proof that the pet food is contaminated, a recall will be ordered. The two parties will then work together to prevent the same incident from ever happening again.
The Power Of Knowledge
When choosing the best commercial dog food is concerned, you have to be aware of what is ideal and what is not. Below are ways to ensure your dog's safety and health:
1. Always take note of the date of expiration before you feed your dog. Although there is still risk of contamination due to fungi and toxicity due to the preservatives and chemicals used, this is the initial step you should take. To prevent the said risks from happening, it will be in your pet's best interests if you purchase organic and all natural products.
2. Regardless of the date of expiration, if the pet food appears stale and/or smells foul, do not give it to your pet and keep it out of his or her reach. Contact the food manufacturer to file a complaint and for more information. 3. If you notice anything unusual with your pet, immediately consult your vet. To prevent further harm and to catch whatever your dog has early, professional help is vital. If the pet owners of the cats and dogs that fell ill to the contaminated pet food consulted a vet earlier, the complications and deaths might have been prevented. Never take slight symptoms, signs, or behavioral changes for granted.
3. To be assured of pet food safety, be always in the know. Keep current on news regarding pet health and pet food recalls to prevent being part of a sad statistic. The best source of this information is the Internet. Here, you will be up-to-date with all the latest news, through scoops, exposes, and other customer testimonials.
For more accurate information and news, avoid information published by the manufacturers themselves. This way, you get the blunt truth, and not a sugarcoated press release or damage control. After all, it is their reputation, livelihood, and income that are at stake. Remember, the pet food industry is a billion dollar industry and won't go down without a fight.
By Jean Meyer

Take Care of Your Dog
Dogs are man's (or woman's) best friend so treat them as such! Be a good friend to your dog, give it lots of tender loving care and you will have a companion for life!
Your dog has instinctive compulsions to dig, herd, retrieve, chase and chew. You, as the owner, are responsible for teaching your dog when these behaviors are appropriate. Keeping your dog on a balanced exercise program will stimulate its mind, keep it healthy and escape boredom. Destructive dog behaviors can be lessened or eliminated by making sure your dog gets enough exercise with supervised play. Exercise also burns calories that will keep your dog looking trim and slim! Exercises vary with breed type, size, sex, age and health. If you are lazy, your dog will be lazy and become destructive. Walking your dog a few times a day around the block and a short stint of running around the back yard is not enough. The owner must get creative and play games such as fetch, Frisbee, free running (look for dog friendly parks) and even swimming.
You want your dog to look good and smell clean. Brushing your dog on a daily basis, giving it frequent baths and checking for fleas and ticks are all good ways to have a hygienic dog.
If you have a small dog or a lap dog, you can carry them with you in a small shoulder bag for quick and easy transportation. Your dog is able to accompany you wherever you go and will attract lots of attention for being so cute. Place your hand under the dog's ches and use your other hand or forearm to support its hind legs and bottom. Never pick up your dog by its front legs, tail or scruff of the neck. If you have a large dog, mostly it will be on a leash when you transport it but if you need to pick it up, lift your dog from underneath and support the chest and rear with your arms.
Your dog will want a cozy, warm and quiet resting place to call his own. Make sure there are no drafts and keep it off the floor. Using a training crate is a great idea and lining the crate with a blanket, towel or pillow will make it soft and your dog will enjoy sleeping inside. You can also buy a dog bed or create one out of a wooden box. Be certain to wash the bedding often to keep the doghouse clean. If your dog has access to the outdoors, your backyard or garden, make sure that there is sufficient shade to protect it from the hot summer sun and provide plenty of cool water to prevent overheating. Dogs aren't big fans of cold and rainy weather and it is imperative your dog has warm and dry shelter in these conditions.
Your state or local community will have regulations on how to license and identify your dog. Your dog should wear a collar with its name and your phone number on it in case it should get lost. Microchipping your dog is a good option and not very expensive. This procedure is relatively harmless and a microchip the size of a grain of rice will be implanted under your dog's skin. This microchip will contain all the information needed to help return your dog safely to you should it become lost.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr._Mark_Clayson

What Should You Feed Your Dog If They Are Throwing Up?
If your dog is throwing up they should be nil by mouth of food and water for 24 hours. Once they show improvement you should slowly reintroduce water and feed them a small portion of boiled rice and chicken for a few days. You should continue to feed your dog natural home cooked meals from now on to keep them healthy. You should not feed your dog commercial dog food because it is unhealthy and could be causing them to be sick.
Just like when people are sick, dogs also should be nil by mouth if they are throwing up. This means that if your dog has thrown up after eating food or drinking water you should take away both their water and food for the next 24 hours.
If your dog is not showing signs of improvement consult your vet immediately for treatment.
If your dog is showing signs of improvement slowly reintroduce small amounts of water and then a small serving of boiled chicken and rice for the next couple of days.
Once your dogs health returns to normal you should continue feeding your dog natural fresh food cooked at home from now on to prevent further problems and good health. Do not feed your dog any more commercial dog food. Commercial dog food is so unhealthy and is killing our dogs younger than their potential life span!
It is because it contains less than 25 % actual meat and the meat that it contains is shocking like roadkill, diseased farm animals and euthanised zoo animals and pets!!! The rest of the 75% of the product is just chemicals EVEN if the product says its chemical and preservative free.
Your dog should have a balanced diet just like us including protein, vegetables, carbohydrate (rice, potato, pasta or cereals), vitamins and minerals.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Caitlyn_Lancaster

How Do You Know Which Dog Food is Best For Your Beloved Pet?
The pet food industry is big business now in the United Kingdom and there is a vast market place out there just waiting to be discovered. Regionally, there are scores of dog food suppliers and these days you can even go to your local garden centre and find you can come home with a sack of dog meal should you so wish. Whilst this may be convenient to some, if we think about this carefully, you would not consider buying your weekly groceries from some outback store selling next to everything so particular attention should be paid to where and what we are actually buying for our much loved family pet.
So much revenue is spent by companies these days mainly on advertising and packaging and the actual contents are laden with preservatives and artificial flavorings so it is our duty as dog owners to provide the very best nourishment and vitamins we can for our dogs and with a little research into the best dog food UK providers, we can be sure that we are making the best choices for our animals.
As a nation of animal lovers we have been caught up in the media frenzy and there are so many good suppliers out there who have put much time and effort into developing products worthy of our dogs. It does in fact make good sense when buying our dog food to purchase it in large quantities, space permitting, as long as it is kept in a dry and airy atmosphere, as it will obviously benefit the owner financially and is practically more convenient for the busy working person. You can in fact now purchase food which is tailored down to your breed of dog, activity level, special dietary needs and any other canine requirement they may have so the choice is certainly out there but what is the best choice?
As with most things, it is best to use a supplier who has been tried and tested by many, has experience in this field and who obviously has a genuine interest in the animal. We have many excellent outlets in the UK with a wealth of knowledge behind them so if you always use a supplier with a good reputation you will receive the best products and service with little cause for complaint. If for example you visit (and if possible this should be done in person) a specialist centre they will obviously have the qualified staff on the premises and you will be surprised to find a much larger selection than you will see in the supermarkets. These manufacturers have made it their business to investigate the dog food UK market and have likely spent a great deal of money on the scientific research required to perfect the best wholesome diets.
They can also arrange to supply in large and small quantities so in essence use your local suppliers by all means and also check out online companies who are in the position to offer a trial period so that if it is not suitable for your dog then you have the option to change without spending too much money if the food turns out to be unsuitable for your particular breed.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gail_Anderson