Homemade Dog Food - recipes homemade dog food

recipes homemade dog food

dog food In Detail

First, take advantage of the dog's spontaneous behavior.After several repetitions try just using a 'waving down' hand movement, palm toward the floor or ground. Wait for a movement from standing or sitting to down.To command sit, stand and face the dog then make the command. Associate a unique hand signal and tone with the command. When you have his attention move the treat slowly back toward the tail. You have to be geared up to repeat the same order, day in and day out, and occasionally not get the same outcome. It's totally counter-productive and won't help anyway. The latter they do only when they have no choice. - Believe that the dog can associate consequences across time and conditions, then draw the same conclusion you would. Now bring out other techniques.Dog Training - Down Command - Dogs have a natural inclination to adhere to a hierarchy with an alpha (leader) at the top.Most dogs won't go own the first few times. Punish them for not behaving the way you want.Part of that patience means keeping your temper when you would like to lash out physically.. You want the dog to associate the position with good feelings - his and yours. But they don't reason out or get context the way humans do. Pull the leash loop with your foot, sliding it over your leg. But if these are not the results you desire, be prepared to change YOUR behaviour, before you try to alter the dog's.Encourage by taking a treat or toy. Simultaneously, gently take both the dog's forelegs and pull toward you, issuing the voice command. As important is what he is not doing! In a sit dogs can't chase cats, knock over furniture, run into the street. 'Down' is one effective technique for imposing your alpha position.Patience is the number one required quality, therefore. Fortunately, almost every dog can learn 'sit' quickly. Physical punishment just isn't an effective training technique.Lets get one thing carved in stone right away - Dogs are not hairy fluffy kids.Repetition, consistency (reward only for the proper action), and enthusiasm will quickly lead to learning the 'sit'.If the dog

Wikipedia on recipes homemade dog food

Cat food is formulated to address the specific nutritional requirements of cats. Although cats are obligate carnivores, most commercial cat food contains both animal and plant material, supplemented with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. An important nutrient is the amino acid derivative taurine, as cats cannot synthesize the compound. Cats fed a taurine-deficient dog food may develop retinal degeneration and go blind, for example.

Diet and disease

Food allergy

Food allergy is a non-seasonal disease with skin and/or gastrointestinal disorders. The main complaint is Pruritus, which is usually resistant to treatment by steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The exact prevalence of food allergy in cats remains unknown. There is no breed, sex or age predilection, although some breeds are commonly affected. Before the onset of clinical signs, the animals have been fed the offending food components for at least two years, although some animals are less than a year old. In 20 to 30% of the cases, cats have concurrent allergic diseases (atopy / flea-allergic dermatitis). A reliable diagnosis can only be made with dietary elimination-challenge trials. Provocation testing is necessary for the identification of the causative food component(s). Therapy consists of avoiding the offending food component(s).

Malnutrition

Cats fed exclusively on raw, freshwater fish can develop a thiamine deficiency.Those fed exclusively on liver may develop vitamin A toxicity. Malnutrition has been seen in cats fed "natural", "organic", or "vegetarian" diets produced by owners with good intentions, and most published recipes have been only crudely balanced (by computer) using nutrient averages. Because the palatability, digestibility, and safety of these recipes have not been adequately or scientifically tested, it is difficult to characterize all of these homemade diets. Generally, most formulations contain excessive protein and phosphorus and are deficient in calcium, vitamin E, and microminerals such as copper, zinc, and potassium. Also, the energy density of these diets may be unbalanced relative to the other nutrients. Commonly used meat and carbohydrate ingredients contain more phosphorus than calcium. Homemade feline diets that are not actually deficient in fat or energy usually contain a vegetable oil that cats do not find palatable; therefore, less food is eaten causing a calorie deficiency. Rarely are homemade diets balanced for microminerals or vitamins. Owner neglect is also a frequent contributing factor in malnutrition.

Recalls

The 2007 pet food recalls involved the massive recall of many brands of cat and dog foods beginning in March 2007. The recalls came in response to reports of renal failure in pets consuming mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company, beginning in February 2007. After more than three weeks of complaints from consumers, the recall began voluntarily with the Canadian company Menu Foods on March 16, 2007, when a company test showed sickness and death in some of the test animals. Soon after, there were numerous media reports of animal deaths as a result of kidney failure, and several other companies who received the contaminated wheat gluten also voluntarily recalled dozens of pet food brands.

By the end of March, veterinary organizations reported more than 100 pet deaths amongst nearly 500 cases of kidney failure, with one online database self-reporting as many as 3,600 deaths as of April 11. As of April 8, Menu Foods has confirmed only about 16 deaths. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration refuses to estimate the amount of sick or dead because there is no centralized government records database of animal sickness or death in the United States as there are with humans (such as the Centers for Disease Control). As a result, many sources speculate that the actual number of affected pets may never be known and experts are concerned that the actual death toll could potentially reach into the thousands.

Overall, several major companies have recalled more than 100 brands of pet foods, with most of the recalled product coming from Menu Foods. Although there are several theories of the source of the agent causing sickness in affected animals, with extensive government and private testing and forensic research, to date, no definitive cause has been isolated. As of April 10, the most likely cause, according to the FDA, though not yet proven, is indicated by the presence of melamine in wheat gluten in the affected foods. The Chinese company behind the contaminated wheat gluten has initially denied any involvement in the contamination, but is cooperating with Chinese and American investigators.

In the United States, there has been extensive media coverage of the recall. There has been widespread public outrage and calls for government regulation of pet foods, which had previously been self-regulated by pet food manufacturers. The United States Senate held an oversight hearing on the matter by April 12. The economic impact on the pet food market has been extensive, with Menu Foods losing roughly $30 Million alone from the recall. The events have caused distrust of most processed pet foods in some consumers.

References

^ Aquirre, GD (1978). "Retinal degeneration associated with the feeding of dog foods to cats". J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 172 (7): 791-796.
^ Little Big Cat
^ Funaba, Masayuki; Tetsuji Tanaka, Masahiro Kaneko, Tsunenori Iriki, Yoshikazu Hatano, Matanobu Abe (2001). "Fish Meal vs. Corn Gluten Meal as a Protein Source for Dry Cat Food". J. Vet. Med. Sci. 63 (12): 1355-1357.
^ Funaba, M; C Matsumoto, K Matsuki, K Gotoh, M Kaneko, T. Iriki, Y. Hatano, M. Abe (2002). "Comparison of corn gluten meal and meat meal as a protein source in dry foods formulated for cats". Am. J. Vet. Res. 63 (9): 1247-1251.
^ Funaba, Masayuki; Yuko Oka, Shinji Kobayashi, Masahiro Kaneko, Hiromi Yamamoto, Kazuhiko Namikawa, Tsunenori Iriki, Yoshikazu Hatano, Matanobu Abe (2004). "Evaluation of meat meal, chicken meal, and corn gluten meal as dietary sources of protein in dry cat food". Can. J. Vet. Res. 69 (4): 299-304.
^ Buffington, CA; DJ Chew (1999). "Calcium oxalate urolithiasis in cats". J. Endourol. 13 (9): 659-663.
^ Yellow Fat Disease Merck Veterinary Manual
^ Susan Little, DVM (2001). Non-obstructive Lower Urinary Tract Disease in the Cat. Winn Feline Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
^ Tony Buffington. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorders. Veterinary Information Network. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
^ Joseph W. Bartges, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SA IM), DACVN. Nutrition and Chronic Renal Failure. Veterinary Information Network. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
^ Edinboro, Charlotte H.; Scott-Moncrieff, Catharine; Janovitz, Evan; Thacker, Leon ; Glickman, Larry T. (3 2004). "Epidemiologic study of relationships between consumption of commercial canned food and risk of hyperthyroidism in cats". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, JAVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA) 224 (6): 879-886. doi:10.2460/javma.2004.224.879. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.