Sunday, July 15, 2012

4 Things to Know About Pet Nutrition


Eating right is important not just for people, but also for dogs and cats. If you are a pet owner, knowing about pet nutrition is very important to help your pet lead a long and healthy life. To get you started on the right path, here are 4 things to know about pet nutrition.

1)    Not all pet foods are created equal.  Pet food ingredients need to be listed on the label in order of weight, with the ingredients weighing the most listed first.  Be sure to find foods that list specific types of meat as the first ingredient. Chicken meal or meat and bone meal may be best because they are concentrated protein with most of the water weight removed.

2)    Some dogs and cats may have allergies to food.  If your pet seems especially itchy or is showing other signs of an allergic reaction, the food you are feeding may be the culprit. Consider switching to a different product to try to find a food that works better.

3)    Human food can be dangerous to pets. Cooked bones may splinter in your pet's stomach, for instance, perforating the intestines or causing other health problems.

4)    Pets can be overweight too. If your dog or cat is heavier than he or she should be, this can lead to a host of health problems and a shorter life. Diet foods are available for heftier animals, and you can also increase exercise or limit food intake.

These essential facts about pet nutrition should be kept in mind when choosing food for your dog or cat companion. 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Everyone Needs Advice from Time to Time- Get Some for Free!


As a pet owner, you probably have a lot of questions about your pet's health. Even seasoned pet owners who have owned dogs and cats for a long time may need advice on a particular behavior or health issue. Fortunately, there are a few reliable places where you can get advice from an actual licensed vet- for free!  One great place is Web-DVM.

At Web-DVM, there are a vast number of articles and databases of information available for you to browse. You can get answers to many of the most common pet health questions just by looking at this information- at no cost to you. You can even make use a symptom checker that may help you to diagnose problems your pet is having.

If you do decide you want to ask a question of a vet about your specific situation, you have the option of naming the price you want to pay in order to your answer. Best of all, there is no risk to you for getting this advice since you do not have to pay anything if you aren't satisfied with the quality of the answer you receive.

So, don't hesitate to ask for advice about the health of your animal companion- the advice comes at no cost to you and can be very valuable indeed.