Several of you have commented about serving your dog healthy food, whether it be a premium commercial food, home-cooked, or raw. That’s great for his regular meals, but what do you do for treats? It’s sometimes hard to strike a balance between rewarding your dog for a job well done and allowing your dog to get too fat.
Category Archives: Nutrition
How many dogs fit in a Honda Pilot?
As it turns out, if they’re Great Danes, at least two of them fit in the Honda Pilot, even though the commercial says it holds eight passengers.
These two beauties, Josie (the black one) and Hayley (the tan one) were waiting patiently for their dad to get some ice cream last night. How cute are they?
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Ripples Dog Treats
I received a sample of Ripples Dog Treats last week, and I have to say, my dogs LOVED them! They are sold on the Web site of the Good Pet Stuff Company, where they also have cool stuff like harnesses and seatbelts to keep your dog safe in the car.
What I liked about the treat is that it takes the dog a bit longer to eat than most treats I give my dogs. I felt like they got at least a little bit of enjoyment out of the experience rather than just wolfing down some worthless calories.
According to the manufacturer, the advantage of Ripples is a “unique soft – but firm – texture that is the result of being fully cooked and extruded like dog food, rather than injection molded like old-fashioned chew treats.” They are billed as being easily digestible and shaped to avoid choking and digestive tract blockage.
Low in fat, high in protein, and made from American-made ingredients, Ripples actually have spinach (making your dog “strong to the finish”????) to give your dog extra chlorophyll, vitamins, and amino acids. They come in three sizes and two flavors (chicken or mint) for any dog over 5 pounds and older than 6 months.
The grooves and ridges work their way between your dog’s teeth and massage his gums to help control plaque and tartar. I haven’t bought a large supply, so I can’t vouch for the long-term benefits, but my dogs sure did like them, and I thought they looked like a good idea.
You can apparently buy them in any pet store or on the Good Pet Stuff Web site.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Saturday Survey: Would You Make Your Own Dog Food
I have recently begun the process of switching my dogs to homemade food after reading some of the ingredient labels on commercial dog food. (See the first part of our series on canine nutrition here.)
My friends are getting a kick out of this because my kids live on pizza and fast food, but I’m worried about what the dogs eat!
So, what do you readers think about homemade dog food?
Continue reading Saturday Survey: Would You Make Your Own Dog Food
Dog Food Recipe
Are you sick of Turkey yet? If you still have leftovers, why not make some nice food for your dog?
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approx. 5 lbs of ground turkey
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3/4 cup canola oil
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4-5 cloves garlic
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32 cups water
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8-10 cups processed veggies (various)
(carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, bean sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, red peppers, spinach, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) NO ONIONS -
2-3 cans kidney beans
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1/2 molasses (optional)
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42-45 oz oatmeal (quick cooking oats)
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eggs can be added to boost protein
In a large 24qt pot brown ground turkey, add canola oil and garlic. When well cooked, add water. Bring to boil, then add veggies that have been processed, (frozen or canned veggies will work too). Use dried kidney beans and soak them the night before preparing a batch of food. While cooking the meat have the beans in another pot cooking them.
Once cooked, they are added to the above mixture. Next, the oatmeal is added. Frequent stirring is necessary at this point as the mixture will stick. Remove from heat, cool and put into containers. you can occasionally add pumpernickel bread and some times substitute brown rice for some of the oatmeal.
More free recipes just like this one are available at a cool new site I just bookmarked. However, some of the recipes on this site include things such as raisins that are poisonous to dogs. Be sure to check out our article on the things that can poison your dogs before you make any kind of homemade food or treats for your 4-legged friends.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Sled Dog Endurance
Any of you who study the science of exercise know that experts recommend you do different types of exercise or work out only every-other day to prevent muscle damage. So, how do sled dogs compete in the 1,100 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, which spreads over nine days?
Michael Davis of Oklahoma State University‘s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has studied the sled dogs for the past 10 years, before, during, and after races both in the lab and in the field. His findings may even have implications for humans.
Pet Food Settlement
Did any of your animals get sick from food tainted with melamine last year? If so, you may be due a piece of the settlement filed late Thursday in US District Court in Camden, NJ.