In order for your dog to grow, develop, and remain healthy, you need to have healthy dog food with a balance of nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and minerals. Too much or too little will have a negative impact on your dogs health and can put him at risk. Most commercially available dog foods are processed with a lot of preservatives, which are bad for your dogs’ health. In order to keep your best friend in shape and good health you must know how to choose healthy dog food.

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, ‘Well, if I can’t trust the commercially available foods, then what should I do?’ I tell you an option, homemade dog food. That’s right; make your own dog food!

If there is one nutrient that your dog needs the most, it is protein. Just like in humans, dogs need protein, more importantly the amino acids, to aid in muscle development and regulation of the immune system. A good, healthy diet should contain about 40% protein. There are many great sources of protein to use such as meat, fish, and soy beans.

Carbohydrates (carbs) are another important part of a dog’s diet. A good homemade dog food diet should contain about 40-60% of carbs. Carbohydrates are essential for your dog’s health and include various starches and sugars that can be converted into energy. If you give too many carbs, they will be stored as fat and may cause your dog to be obese, have bad digestion, or many other problems. Carbohydrates can be found in oats, sweet potatoes, and yams.

Omega-3 fatty acids (fat) keep your dog’s skin health and are also needed when making a good diet for your dog. Fat may also help with inflammation and blood clotting. Good sources of fat are vegetable oil, fish, and meat.

Vitamins and minerals are also essential in a good homemade dog food recipe. Vitamin A is important in eyesight and bone and teeth development. Vitamin D is important for calcium adsorption. Vitamin E contains anti-oxidants to eradicate toxins and poisons within a dog’s body. Calcium and magnesium are important minerals for good development of teeth and bone strength as well as good heart functions.

Water is the most essential thing in a dog’s diet. Water aids in digestion and the transportation of nutrients and helps regulate the body temperature.

Choosing healthy nutrients in your homemade dog food will help you relax knowing that you’re prolonging your best friend’s life and making sure that this member of your family will remain healthy and protected from diseases brought on by unhealthy commercial dog foods

Do you want to learn some great homemade dog food recipes that could help increase your dog’s lifespan by almost 134%?! Find out which ‘Premium” dog foods to avoid if you do decide to buy commercial dog food.

Get FREE recipes and more here homemaderecipes-dogfood.blogspot.com/ homemaderecipes-dogfood.blogspot.com/

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Tags: dog food, healthy dog

Just like the food it eats, a dog can be considered in terms of raw materials. In the same way, a diet can be considered in terms of various nutritional components. A set of guidelines for manufacturers of dog foods has been assembled by the N.R.C. (National Research Council). The requirements for growing puppies are double those for adult dogs.

Protein is contained in all animal tissue at a relatively high level, and your dog needs a continual supply of protein in its diet to maintain itself and grow. Unexpectedly the dogs ability to digest protein is variable. Although most fresh meat is 90 to 95 percent digestible, dogs only digest 60 to 80 percent vegetable protein can cause colic and even diarrhea.

Carbohydrates incorporate sugars, starch, and cellulose. The simplest sugars are the easiest to digest. Adult dogs cannot digest lactose, the sugar naturally present in milk, although they can cope quite well with ordinary sugar or sucrose. Very high levels of carbohydrates are contained in boiled potatoes, rice, and carrots with dry dog food. All – meat canned food, fresh meat and fish have no carbohydrate derived energy but meat/cereal canned dog food and complete dry food contain 30 to 50 and 40 to 50 percent respectively.

Fats are present as molecules called triglycerides which are basically three fatty acids linked together. Some fatty acids are essential to a dog. A deficiency of them causes a dog’s skin to become itchy and it may develop a harsh, dry coat with dandruff. Fats are an important energy source for a dog. If a dog can obtain most of its energy from fat, it’s intake of protein can be reduced, lessening the demands on the liver and kidney.

Dogs need some minerals in large amounts and other in trace amounts. Calcium and phosphorus are closely related and are two of the most important minerals in your dogs diet. Calcium and phosphors are needed for bone formation and development. At birth, puppies have relatively low levels of these elements, but over – supplementation in adult dogs can cause bone deformations and diseases like rickets.

Lastly, water is important to all animals. Most dog’s bodies consist of about two thirds water. All dogs lose water from their body through sweating, panting, and elimination. This must be replaces so you should make sure that fresh water is always available. A healthy dog should take in ½ to ¾ fluid ounces per pound of body weight per day.

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest joncopets.com/ clothes for toy dogs and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at joncopets.com joncopets.com

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Tags: dog food, healthy dog

Dogs become a strong part of your family and your heart. You can choose among several places to buy your dog. One is a kennel whose business is breeding show-quality dogs but who also may have extra pups for sale as pets. Another is the one-dog owner who wants to sell the puppies from an occasional litter to pay the expenses of his small-scale breeding operation. Pet shops usually buy puppies for re-sale from overstocked kennels or part-time hobbyists, and you can generally buy a puppy there at a reasonable price. To find any of these, check the classified section of your local newspaper or look in the Yellow Pages of your phone book. If you or your friends go driving out in the countryside, be on the look out for a sigh announcing purebred puppies for sale.

Whichever source you choose, you can usually tell in a very short time whether the puppies will make healthy and happy pets. If they are clean, plump, and lively, they are probably in good health. At the breeder’s you will have the advantage of seeing the puppies’ dam and perhaps their sire and other relatives. Remember that the mother, having just raised a demanding family, may not be looking her best; but if she is sturdy, friendly, and well-mannered, her puppies should be too. If you feel that something is lacking in the care or condition of the dogs, it is better to look elsewhere than to buy hastily and regret it afterward. Buy a healthy dog with a good disposition, one that has been properly socialized and likes being around people.

Do you want a boy or a girl? Adult or pup? Whether to buy a grown dog or a young puppy?.

This is not an easy questions.

Temperament has to be very important because whatever else you do with your dog it is first and foremost your companion and friend.

You should not purchase a puppy from a breeder who disregards the breed standard, as they are misinformed, misleading, and do not have the best interest of the puppy or you in mind.

If you buy from a breeder, ask him to help you with your decision.

My name is Jason Homan. I was born in Detroit Michigan and moved to Denver at an early age. I have always been an avid animal lover for as long as I can remember. My webpage can be visited at

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Tags: healthy dog

Many brands of commercial dog food contain an excessive amount of preservatives that can ultimately lead to liver disease and liver failure. If your dog has unexplained symptoms you should first look at the food they are eating. Symptoms of liver disease from toxic dog food include vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, orange colored urine and jaundice.

Toxic commercial dog food has recently come into the media spotlight and it is currently being investigated by the scientific community. Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine is currently conducting studies on the liver and blood of sick dogs believed to have consumed toxic dog food. Scientists at Cornell are analyzing commercial dog food suspected to be contaminated and analyzing the liver of dead dogs that have passed due to premature liver failure.

Aflatoxin is the toxin found in many dog foods. This toxin is believed to cause liver failure. Aflatoxin blocks the production of cholesterol and proteins. Protein tests have been developed to determine if a dog has aflatoxin poisoining. The test checks levels of protein C produced by the liver. Any sudden drop in protein C levels is an indicator of liver problems induced by aflatoxin.

Recently 19 varieties of Diamond Pet Food has been recalled. Country value and professional dog food brands have been recalled as well. At least 100 dog deaths have been linked to one of these three brands.

It has also been reported that some rendering plants, where dog food is made and processed, actually process dead dogs and cats at their plants. These dogs and cats are processed whole without stripping off any of their fur. The dead carcasses are cooked at high temperatures for twenty minutes. Many of these dead dogs and cats already have sodium pentobarbital in their system. Sodium pentobarbital is used to euthanize pets.

This is not to mention a cocktail of other toxic chemicals found in commercial dog foods. Propylene glycol has been found in wet dog foods. Propylene glycol kills red blood cells.

One MIT study found that a nine pound cat feed commercial cat food ingested considerable amounts of lead. Many of the slaughter houses that deem meats unfit for human consumption are often sold to pet food companies for processing.

Besides the toxic chemicals found in commercial dog foods many of these dog foods are lacking nutritional value. Many do not contain the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to keep your dog healthy. Many of the proteins derived from plants at rendering facilities have been stripped of essential fats acids, vitamins and proteins before they are even processed.

Dogs are omnivores so it is easy to create a natural diet for them from food you would buy at the grocery store. The key is to understand the nutritional requirements of your dog. They require almost the same proportions of carbohydrates and proteins that we do but some of their vitamin and mineral requirements are a bit different than ours.

Dogs can eat a healthy diet of eggs, chicken, beef, skim milk, oatmeal, turkey, vegetables, rice, pasta, lamb, bacon and cheese. There are quite a few creative recipes out there such as turkey cookies, cheesy bacon biscuits, canine corn bread, doggie bread pudding and doggie quiche.

You never want to feed your dog only meat. This can result in an imbalance of calcium and phosphorous. An all meat diet can ultimately result in weight loss, weak bones, and joint disease.

Vegetables are a critical part of a dog’s diet. When dogs in the wild attack and kill their prey they often eat the stomach of their prey first which usually contains vegetation. Your dog needs fiber in their diet. You should always include fresh crunchy vegetables in their diet.

The protein requirements for your dog may fluctuate due to their external environment. If your dog is exposed to extreme temperatures, or exceptionally cold winters you should give them more protein.

Vitamins and minerals are a crucial part of your dog’s diet. Although dogs can produce their own vitamin C some of the larger breeds have a difficult time producing enough Vitamin C on their own. Since vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin it is not a problem to give your dog vitamin C supplements.

If your dog has too much vitamin C in their system they will simply excrete the excess out of their system. Your dog also needs certain minerals in their diet. Some of the most important minerals your dog needs are zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

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Tags: dog food, feed your dog, healthy dog

The English Setter was bred to flush out the birds after giving a quiet alert to its Master that it had found a covey. Through the years it has kept this instinct strong.

The history of the English Setter, a hunting dog, is very ancient. It is one of the oldest known hunting breeds. It was written about as early as the fourteenth century as a specific “setting” dog. Typically a “Setter” will seek out a covey of quail or other birds and freeze in place when it finds them. The “set” is a freezing in place and they will not give chase after the prey. One might compare this to an “alert” as the term is used for example in the area of Search and Rescue. The dog thus gives an obvious display to the hunter that it has come upon a covey or group of birds. On command of the hunter the Setter will then flush out the birds. This breed should not go after rabbit or other game.

The English Setter is “long on leg” and rather tall and rangy. The coloring is quite unusual, a roan/brindle combination known as “Belton” in varying shades of blue, red, tan, lemon, or black with white. The term “Belton” actually comes from a village in England where one of the founding breeders of the Setter , Mr. Edward Lavarack, developed his stock. Through his careful breeding program a very useful hunting dog was perfected. The dog is muscular and lean, with a well developed nose for smelling out the birds, well angulated in the rear and with strong legs built for ranging across rugged land. The instinctive “setting” of the dog is of course natural to the breed. The coat should be slightly wavy and long and silky. Natural oils within keep the coat free of brambles and weather resistant.

The English Setter is relatively free of heritable disease except for hip dysplasia. This condition is not as prevalent in this breed however as it is with many of the other larger breeds, so in general it is a healthy dog. Occasional bathing and regular brushing are necessary and the English Setter does need plenty of exercise, for it is a working breed and very active.

For many years in England the Setter was kept within the home as a family pet besides being the Master’s hunting dog. It was expected to be friendly and loyal with an even and non aggressive temperament. They should be affectionate and loyal and accepting of strangers and other dogs, for often they are required to work in the field with a variety of hunters and dogs. They should also be placid and settle quietly when in the house, not being “wild” and overly active. The English Setter is a highly intelligent dog and should be an easy dog to train, anxious to please, willing to work for many hours in the field and also be quietly reserved in the home. Although there are still careful breeders who work hard to maintain this stable temperament, there are also an abundance of breeders who do not strive for this goal. Consequently there are some Setters today who do not posses good temperament, and the person who is seeking a puppy of this breed would do well to investigate the source of the breeding.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to

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Tags: healthy dog