Anything to make it easier! (Dog tips)

Well folks, I had planned on putting this up on Sunday but it seems I may be a bit exhausted from working at the Bloomsburg fair so I'll post today and you may not see another for a week or two. Okay,stop laughing!
Anything to make it easier! Tips for dog owners.


Hey, I’m all for making life easier when you own a big brood such as I do. Maybe if they were smaller, some things would not get destroyed so easily, but one lift of a paw or one jump on a window sill from a Newfoundland can indeed cause much damage, so I ask myself, do I want to spend my life agitated at the dog for being a dog, or do I want to enjoy the many hours of love they want to shed on me throughout their lifetime? After all I can take my aggravation out on family!

I do, like everyone else in society, like to have the best of both worlds, a fairly clean but comfy home and the love of a dog. So I choose to cut my losses where personal property is concerned, seek out the big red CLEARENCE tags in a store, and stock pile items like world war two is coming!

This dog tip article was partly prompted by a coworker (Thanks Karen for your
suggestion), whose friend brought home a new dog, and unfortunately when they got home, the dog got loose without any identification on it. So the first tip would be for owner’s picking up a new puppy or dog from a kennel/rescue.







1) Identification: Collar tags get lost and micro chips believe it or not, can fall out, so buy a solid color collar, write your dog’s name and your telephone number right on the dog’s collar in black permanent marker. Go over as needed every couple of months. I especially recommend this when picking up a new dog since you may not have time to get a micro chip or I D tag before you get the dog home and settled. Should they run off your telephone number will be written right on the collar. I can’t tell you how many calls we got saying “ I have Steeler here!”

2) Buy Cheap, buy plenty! If you have or need to use scatter rugs, first of all, buy cheap and plan on them getting ruined, this will save you some aggravation in the long run. Buy two of each when they are on sale so a dirty one can easily be replaced when company comes.

3) Scatter rugs: Turn carpet runners or scatter rugs upside down, this keeps them free from stains and dog hair, when company comes just flip them right side up! Purchase scatter rugs that can be cleaned with water so if it becomes bad enough you can clean them outside with a power washer. (The type of washer you use to clean the outside of a house)

4) Urine marking: If you have a dog that urine marks, never let them have run of the whole house if you cannot watch them. Set up six foot tethers in a couple of rooms and use them. Dogs don’t usually like to eliminate where they eat or sleep. This gives the dog some feeling of freedom from a crate, but also keeps them contained. Tethers should be made of wire with hooks on both ends so they can easily be removed from the eye bolt when not in use. This is only for when you can’t keep an eye on the dog and you are home.

5) Window covering: If you have a dog that freaks out and jumps up on windows during storms, fireworks, or for other reasons, buy extra sets of cheap blinds and/or that extra set of curtains you find on sale as they will eventually need to be replaced!

6) Water Dish: If your dog is one that loves to play in the water dish making a mess on every floor you own you can continuously follow the dog around with a shop vac and refill the water bowl or you can get a spill proof bowl. This is a bowl that the dog can toss around all they want and still no water comes out. (the spill proof bowl is different than the travel bowl with just a lid. The spill proof bowl has a funnel inside. You can find a sample at the below site.)
http://www.activedogs.com/buddy-bowl-1-quart.html


7) Wall messes: If you have dogs that make a mess of your walls with dirt or slobber, first of all use washable paint or wallpaper then use the Swiffer mop to clean them. It makes the job go faster and is easier than lugging around a bucket of detergent water and a sponge. This can even be used on your appliances. For harder dog stains use a Mr. Clean magic eraser as there is very little scrubbing involved and it takes just about everything dog off the wall and molding.

8) Doggie odor: Let’s face it multiple dog owners will have some form of dog odor now and again and you may notice it more after returning home from a long day at work. There is no aromatic smell of freshly baked cookies, or that freshly cleaned odor after you use woolite rug cleaner to take over the doggie smell. But at last, a little invention called the car air freshener; you know the ones that clip right onto the heat vents in the car? Yup, clip those babies on an AC unit, or the fan you’ve left on for the dog and there is a constant summer breeze going through your house!

9) For Quick hair spot clean up of a rug without dragging out the vacuum use a dog’s slicker brush. (Some people call it a pin brush). It really grabs the up hair and lifts the strands of the rug, just don’t do this on Berber type carpet or you’ll pull up loops. With Berber, which I never recommend when you have dogs, you’ll need to drag out the vacuum

10) Outside clean up: What was I thinking the last 13 years? For poop detail I used to carry around a five gallon bucket over an acre of land. A five gallon bucket is not large enough for a thorough clean up of my brood and I’d end up taking out one bag, tying it off then putting in a new bag until my lawn was scattered with poop bags that I then had to go back and pick up. One day thankfully my bucket broke, not a pretty sight, and when it did I took a regular garbage can with WHEELS and a handle and put inside it a heavy construction bag. No more backtracking to pick up smaller bags of poop! Heavy duty Construction bags can be found at a hardware store. Much easier when you have an acre of property and multiple dogs!

11) Dog hair on the bed, part one: If your dog is a bed hog, which is of course a personal preference, buy two or three of the same bedspreads/quilts because they are bound to, at least once in their life, jump up on the bed with a muddy body! This way you can wash one and still keep your bed made with the other, plus it will still match your curtains if you are the matching bedroom attire type. Sometimes I’ll buy a cheap oversized bedspread and plop it right over the bedspread that’s on my bed so the cheap one gets the dirt and hair, but if company pulls in the driveway, I can quickly put the dogs outside, pull off the cheap bedspread, stuff it under the bed and there underneath is a perfectly preserved bedspread.

12) Dog hair on the bed part two: If you are one to sleep with the windows open in the winter but like to stay warm under an electric blanket, you’ll notice the blanket can really attract dog hair if your dog is allowed on the bed. While electric blankets can be washed, washing them too often can eventually destroy them and it does not always get the dog hair off. What I found last year that I did not know even existed is a heated mattress pad! I love it! It goes on like a fitted sheet and your sheet goes over top of that so the pad stays protected from dirt and dog hair!

13) Dog hair on the bed part three: To keep your regular bed blankets as free from dog hair as possible, again this is for bed hogs, when you lay your top sheet on the bed, lay down the blanket, but don’t put it all the way up to the pillows (neck height), but rather put it at chest height, then pop another top sheet over the blanket so your blanket is sandwiched in between the two sheets. Both sheets should help keep the blanket free from dirt and hair.

14) Expecting overnight company: This is a must if you have spare bed rooms that the dogs go into where one day you hope to house your complaining mother in law or picky sister in law for a few nights. Get a separate bedspread, sheet set, and blanket and keep them together in the zip up bag (the kind that comforters come in). Keep them well hidden from your children and husband (sorry guys) because let’s face it; they’ll throw anything on their beds without thought as to its purpose! Put in a fresh smelling dryer sheet, or, you can spray the spread with Pet fresh rug spray for a nice odor. By keeping these together in the bag they are less likely to get dog hair on them. Also, it will save you from doing loads of wash trying to get all the dog hair off of the linen that already covers the bed. Don’t forget to take everything off once immediately after your company has gone because other family members are sure to leave it therefore their own use! (Kids, dogs & husbands need to be lumped in one category! Again, sorry guys!)

15) Counter surfing! Originally I bought this product called “Driveway Patrol” to alert me when someone was pulling into my driveway and I found that it had a duel purpose, especially if you have counter surfing dogs. Putting one of these motion detectors on the counter or kitchen table is usually enough to scare them away and it’s very affordable! Once the dog stops surfing, you can put it back in your driveway! Click on the site below to see one of these buggers.
http://www.as-seen-on-tv-products.ws/store/driveway-patrol-motion-detector-elia48-p-38.html?gclid=CPGksvHx9pwCFdVL5Qod4kR-aw

16) Falling Leaves: Long haired thick coated dogs can come in the house looking like your shrubbery in the autumn when the leaves start falling to the ground. Some people use their lawnmowers to chop up the leaves and then let them remain on the lawn for “fertilizer” which is a nightmare for the owners of long haired large breed dogs. This is when keeping a soft grip shedding blade handy near the door can really help. This is basically the only thing I use this blade for as my dog’s fur is so thick that it really does not penetrate below the outer coat but it does a good job getting off stuck on leaves! You can see this tool here. http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Product_FamilyID_14270_ShoppingGuideID_25_ShoppingGuideElementID_109.aspx

17) Travel: When I make day trips or travel plans that include the dogs I don’t often think of ‘hot and humid’ weather in September, but that’s just what we have had this year and even in the year prior, temperatures in September were in the 90’s and humid. So keep a small outdoor thermometer inside your car so you will be mindful of if it’s just too hot to bring the dog out with you. Air conditioning is great for the driver and passenger, but in some cars it does not travel to the back seat very well; however you can be sure that the sun’s hot rays are making their way through the rear windows. So check the temperature before you load up the dog and make changes if necessary, such as running the car to cool it down before Fido jumps in. The same holds true for winter when your car actually holds in the cold like a refrigerator. A neat car accessory that is helpful to move air around is a fan which plugs into the lighter. This can help move cooler air to the back of the car/van. I purchased two of these little babies and attached one right to the vent in the front seat to push the cool air to the back and one on the back seat to push the air even further to the back of my van. I will not rely on them totally top keep a hot car cool, you have to know the limits of your own vehicle.


Well that’s it for now and hopefully you won’t see me as totally lazy, but just frugal with how I choose to spend my time! I welcome any other tips that readers may have; just hit the comment button at the bottom of the post and post away my friends. Also I added a new addition to the bottom of each post. Let me know if you find the post interesting, funny, or cool as it keeps me in touch with reality! Although I don’t really know what Cool means, but there was no other third choice!

What's in a family?

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What's in a family anyway?

It wasn’t long ago that I did an article on litter mate syndrome as well as one on who is the leader of the pack in your home. Both articles dealt with the family dynamics of a pack, either with or without human involvement. It’s been about four years since Steeler was brought back to me and integrated into his biological family unit and in that four years, while he has come a long way from the out of control fence breaking, wall pounding, window jumping dog who turned my body into one gigantic black and blue mark for about six months, he still has a ways to go. He is a great Therapy Dog and does interact well with other outside dogs he meets; however he is still unknowing of how to treat his own family.
From that very first time he pulled the gate right out of the wall to go after his mother Abby in the kitchen to the time he beat the crap out of our gentle Golden, Casey, over a dinner plate , Steeler has learned a little etiquette but his family is still very untrusting of him. Sister Emma will try to interact and show him how to play politely, but soon gives up when Steeler just does not get it. Mom Abby has over time become more fearful of him in her golden years as he can really body slam her and that hurts. Bentley will sit or lie down in one position until I or someone from the family walks outside to save him from the torment, and Chance will open a can of whoop ass on him if Steeler dare show himself a threat to any family member, be it human or dog, while he is in the area.

When Steeler first came back to us he worked his way through the family by intimidation and threats, until one day he picked on his mother, Abby, a little too much while Chance was coming through the back gate. There was no time for me to exhale any words from my throat as within seconds Chance was virtually on top of Steeler’s back riding him like a horse, all the while biting and pulling at Steelers neck. Steeler stood strong for quite some time as Chance rode him with all four feet being lifted off the ground due to Steeler’s height. I did not know how long Steeler could undergo such brutality and remain standing and that was the day I thought Steeler would die. Thankfully Steeler went down to the ground and gave into defeat as Chance stood over him. Surprisingly no serious wounds had occurred to either dog, except for the wound of self esteem. Steeler took a turn for the better that day, although he still does not quite get the play bowing, or the non threatening moves that one does to maintain peace among the group, he has come a long way and his memory of that day with Chance seems to be forever etched in not only my mind but Steelers as well.

So here it is, nearly four years later and finally I have been able to capture these interactions on film. Daddy Bentley was purposely left out of this one but I do hope to catch Steeler’s interaction with him on film as well someday.

It has always been said by me that bringing a puppy into an already established pack was a lot easier than bringing in an adult dog and Steeler, through no real fault of his own, has proven that to me over and over again.

Through the video you will see how Steeler’s continuous barking is ignored by his sister Emma, who seems to be thinking, yeah , yeah what ever, to how he tries to manipulate or intimidate mom Abby by towering his body over hers, putting his neck over her neck until she either fights back, or comes to stand by me. It will be just the three of them at first with Chance just on the other side of the fence listening to everything that is going on and you can hear Chance whining a bit in the background. The dynamics will soon change when Chance is let into the backyard to be with us.



So here it is, a Newfoundland’s story told by a human, but seen through the eyes of a dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8vnKmiHxfE

Happy Watching!

Potty Talk

Last week I discussed what your dog’s feces can tell you and now just a short subject on the urine which many people rarely take a look at until there is a blood drip on the floor or the dog is constantly licking the genital area. Constant licking is a good indication that there is a problem going on yet many people yell at their dogs for doing this thinking it must be some type of pleasurable sexual thing! I know, go figure! Constant licking can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, vaginal infection, or if the male is intact then prostate problems come into play. Also constant licking will probably take away any type of discharge that you would see if the dog were not licking.

Of course the site of blood in the urine makes some people panic, their first thought is some type of cancer or kidney failure, and so I write this to have you remain calm until you visit your vet. I remember when I first saw blood on my kitchen floor and since both my females are spayed I knew it was not a heat cycle. Had I not worked answering dog questions for the last few years I would have panicked like most people do, so just as I mentioned in my post regarding your dog’s feces I reiterate it here. You should know the prone illnesses of your breed. It was because I knew that Newfoundland’s were prone to bladder stones I did not panic at the thought of it being some devastating illness when I saw the blood on the floor; instead I took Abby and her first in the morning urine sample off to the vet’s office for exam. Sure enough she did have an infection but while we were there we did a sonogram to check for bladder stones as well. Thankfully there weren’t any.

Blood in the urine can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or it can also mean something as serious as your dog having gotten into rat poison. At the same time very dark urine can mean there is a problem with the liver or kidneys. But before you panic, make a note of all symptoms you are seeing and when you started to notice them, then bring that information to your vet. IF possible catch a urnine sample from the first of the morning. Never ignore it as it is not likely to go away.

One more thing about a dog’s bladder that I want to mention because so many people believe that the dog is doing this on purpose or that it is a problem that can’t be fixed, and that would be urinary incontinence in older dogs. You may find a wet spot after your dog has been lying down or she may dribble urine as she walks. This is due to a weakness of the urethral muscle and medication can help within a matter of days in most cases. Abby started on Proin medication for this and within three days, her incontinence stopped. Some dogs need only be on this for a short time but some need to be on it for the rest of their life.

Also if you have a puppy who seems to be unable to get the potty training thing down it may not be due to a behavior problem. There is something called Ectopic Ureter which a pup is born with and it causes incontinence. So if potty training becomes a problem please have your pup checked for this. It is mostly seen in Labs, Golden Retrievers, Siberian Huskies, and Miniature Poodles. Sadly many pups are euthanized because of this as sometimes surgery does not help.

Alright then, two weeks in a row is enough of bodily functions! Just remember, if you feel deep in your heart that your pup is not acting right, then you are more than likely right. They are like your children and you know them better than anyone.

Again the website to look up your breeds prone illnesses http://www.petplace.com/dog-breeds.aspx

Ectopic Ureter http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ectopic_ureters.html

Next blog, Tips (from experience) to make it easier on you when you have a brood like mine, or even one really messy dog!

The Scoop on Poop

Let’s face it; even in today’s society many people don’t take notice of the excrement that their dog leaves behind, in fact some people act as if they have never seen their dog’s feces before! Basically it belongs outside where humans don’t have to come in contact with it until it is the DDD day (dreaded doggy doody) and even then the poop may be too dehydrated from heat or it may be frozen from the cold weather so that any changes are not noticeable by the owner. Of course then you have those owners who own acres of property on wooded lots so they don’t ever pick it up, or those that hire a company to pick it up for them.

I’m sure it’s not a topic fit for a sit down family dinner, but never the less it is important and who else but me would bring it up.

Having as many dogs as I do I have to keep the yard clean because given the size of the piles left from just one of my dogs if not picked up, would leave no room for walking in the yard! I liken a Newfoundland’s poop to cow’s poop, pretty big, just not as flat!


Whenever I get a new dog or puppy, during their potty training I become very familiar with what their poop looks like. In fact I can take you in my yard today and tell you which pile of poop belongs to which dog, something to be proud of I know! And to my son who just spent a weekend here, your dog is a tad bit constipated!

Many people don’t realize that there is a problem until they notice worms wiggling around or if they see small rice grain looking things hanging from the dog’s fur or in the stool, but there is a lot more information in that lump of feces then you can imagine. In fact, some dogs do have worms and the owner is unaware because some of those little buggers don’t shed very often in the stool but stay inside and invade the intestines, so in some cases several stool samples may be needed before worms are caught. And just so you know, the over the counter worming medicine does not work on all worms even though some may claim to, so before you waste your money giving over the counter worming meds, be sure you have identified the worms you are treating and make sure the treatment works or you could end up with a sick pup.

Your dog’s stool should be moderately firm to firm and should be brown in color, and that can mean different shades of brown depending on what you feed the dog.

Stools that are loose can indicate bacterial infection, inflammatory bowl disease, obstruction of the intestines, drugs or toxins, parasites, protazoa (such as giardia or coccidia),and malabsorbtion or maldigestion issues.

Black tarry stools, known as Melena, usually mean that blood is being digested higher up in the body (stomach or upper intestines) before it makes its way through the system and this would require immediate help. No offense, but don’t take a chance and try to wait it out like some of my customers do.

Bright red blood, Hematochezia, is more likely coming from the lower intestines which can be from a minor problem or a more serious one. In older pets it may be a sign of cancer, and in younger pets it may be a sign of parasites or the Parvo virus. Again, don’t delay having the dog seen if it is persistent.

Grey or white stool can mean that there is an obstruction in the bile duct, and stool that is soft and has a really bad odor can mean a bacterial infection, or in dogs/pups that are not up to date on shots runny bloody stool with a very foul odor can mean the Parvo virus.

I always check the stool for foreign objects as well. Little pieces of plastic can tell you that the dog has eaten one of his toys or as in my Niece's case, a few cell phones! That would lead you to watch for an obstruction of the bowel.

Like most dogs, your dog can get a bout of diarrhea now and then which can just as easily be a self limited virus that will resolve on its own,. But if it is a constant issue then it is time to see your Vet. Also, some dog breeds are more prone to intestinal issues than others.  Boxers for instance can struggle with colitis or irritable bowl syndrome and Yorkies and Poodles are prone to explosive diarrhea from a condition know as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. So it is also very important to know what health disorders are prone to the breed of dog you have.

“Where do I find this very useful information?” You ask.

Well I am glad you asked, because at the bottom of this post I am going to put up a website where you can look up your breed and once you get through the breeds personality, size, coat ,blah, blah, blah, you’ll see the list prone illnesses. Some breeds have two pages of listed prone illnesses. And while your there after you look up your breed, don't forget to check out my article on State animal Response teams! (Just type SART in their search box at the top of the page.) 

Now, if you have a breed mix or one of the new ‘designer’ dogs (which are basically a mixed breed that costs way too much money), such as a Shihpoo for example, then you would want to look up both the Shih Tzu and Poodle because your dog is then prone to the illnesses of both breeds.

In most cases when a dog first has a runny stool, fasting the dog from food for a day is usually suggested, but do make sure to give plenty of water as diarrhea can dehydrate a dog and a young pup very quickly. The next day start a bland diet of boiled chicken and cooked white rice. The fasting gives the intestines the time they need to settle a bit and bland diet will help the intestines become less inflamed. If the dog is losing a lot of fluid from diarrhea then you may want to add some children’s pedialyte in with the water, about a 50/50 mixture to keep up the electrolytes. If it is a small dog that you are fasting, then it would be a good idea to take some pancake syrup and rub it along the gums  to keep the blood sugar up as you don’t want hypoglycemia to become a problem.

With poop that is normal in every aspect but it not located together in one pile could suggest a hip problem such as hip dysplasia, or it could be due to arthritis. You will notice that a young healthy dog will stay in one place to poop, but a dog with a hip problem or arthritis has a harder time squatting and staying in one position for too long, so they walk a bit as they poop thus leaving little turds in a line. A dog that is straining to defecate and has hard round turds is a sign of constipation, just as it is in humans!

For short bursts of diarrhea or constipation you can give the dog a little canned pumpkin. Make sure it is 100% pure pumpkin and not the ready made pie filling as the pie filling has spices in it that your dog does not need.
“Hey, I may know nothing about making a pumpkin pie, but I do know about dog poop!”

So get your shovels out and happy scooping :)


Breed information site. Type your breed into the search box and don’t forget, a mixed breed may require you to look up both breeds.
http://www.petplace.com/dog-breeds.aspx

Site on worms and treatments click here 



Available Pooper scooper business listings, any state click here.


Next week: Maybe some afternoon Tea with pee?  

Until next time, Happy Scooping!

Where's the Beef?

Where's the beef? What's really in your dog's food??

I recently took a poll on what my readers feed their dogs and dry food topped the list so there are a couple of questions to be asked here. Do you really know what’s in your dog’s food? Do you know what the ingredients chicken or beef
by-product mean? What is the first ingredient listed on the bag of food you use? Are there really any benefits from grains such as wheat or corn? What about food coloring, should there be food coloring in a dog food?


Digest of Beef by- product is by the AFFCO (the Association of American Feed Control officials) standards described in this way:

Material from beef which results from chemical and/ or enzymatic hydrolysis or clean and undecomposed tissue from non-rendered clean parts, other than meat from Cattle, which includes but is not limited to, lungs, spleen kidneys, brain, livers, blood , bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, and hoofs.

Then underneath that is: ‘digest of beef’ which shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, and hoof except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice.

Chicken: consists of the ground rendered clean parts of the carcass of the slaughtered chicken such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs ,and intestines, exclusive of feathers except in amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.

My question: “Who is ensuring that the chicken’s and cattle’s intestines and stomach are free from its contents before going into a vat and being ground up and how are they doing this? “And how much effort do you think they’ll even put into examining the contents of the stomach and intestines of either animal? And what about beef that seemingly die on the farm of natural causes? Do we not think that they’ll be sent along with the supposedly cleaned intestinal animals? And no offense to factory workers, as I was once a factory worker myself, I don’t think factory workers are standing around saying: “Gee , George, you and Jim took all the beaks off them chickens before you put them in the pot didn’t you?
“ Well, Elmer, I don’t rightly recall.”
That’s not the way I imagine it going down!


This blog article may be a little unsettling and in no way is it my intent to make people go out and put themselves in debt to buy a bag of dog food, but at the very least you should know what may or may not be going into the food you are feeding. When the dog’s food is not up to par you may notice a difference in the dog’s health, such as with the skin and coat, food allergies, auto immune disorders, and certainly weight gain.

Food allergies seem to be a big problem when it comes to dogs and most dogs become allergic to chicken, beef, lamb and the grains in a dog food, thus special diets such as venison, duck, and sweet potato are made by some companies. A dog can develop food allergies at any time in its life, and it is not usually a new food that causes the allergy, but one the dog has been eating for a long time.


Some dog foods have fancy names, their packaging makes the food look fit for a human, or we trust them because they have been around for a long time. Basically, there wasn’t much choice in dog foods for a long time and there wasn’t much in the way of regulations in the dog food business.

‘But ah, the times they are a changin’ now that the family dog is really becoming more of a family member than the once thought of piece of property as stated by law. But surprisingly there are still some dog foods that look very appetizing but do not have much in the way of nutritional value. Beneful comes to my mind as I wonder why a dog food needs so much food coloring! Beneful has: yellow 5, red 40, yellow 6, and blue 2. The only reason I can account for so much food coloring is that it makes the food look tasty to the dog’s human companion.

But Come on, how stupid do these companies think we are? Food coloring is used to make something look more desirable and a dog food that consists of mostly grains and fillers would turn an ugly gray color once the moisture was taken out of it through processing. What human would look at that ugly gray color and say, “Yum, that looks good enough to eat!” Hence the food colorings to spice it up a bit. Kibbles and bits is another food that comes to mind. Dogs love it, but it sports little in the way of nutrition.


Beneful and Kibbles & bits are obviously not the only dog foods that are not very nutritious, but these two are my example because I see a lot of people buying them in my travels and I just want to tell them; “Yo, that’s not a great food!" but of course I bite my tongue, it is after all their dog! As I said before, I don’t want people going broke to feed their dog, but then again in the long run, healthier food may mean fewer health problems, meaning fewer vet visits.


Looking at the Beneful packaging it shows mostly vegetables and grains. Jeez, are dog’s suddenly vegetarians? In fact the first five ingredients are corn, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat and soy protein concentrate. So where’s the Beef? Grains are usually the first to cause wide spread problems because of the fungus they can obtain which causes aflatoxin poisoning. Granted, I think we all became more aware of what we feed our dogs when the industry caused a world wide loss of our pets because of the melamine found in the ‘wheat gluten’ that came from China. When the thought crosses my mind that I could have lost all of my brood due to that, it sickens me. Thankfully, I was spared because my dogs eat a food that contains no wheat, wheat gluten, corn, or soy grains. But since that awful time more people have purchased or adopted dogs and may know nothing about that whole disaster. During that calamity some people took to making their own dog food, but I can’t make a balanced meal for my family so I know I can’t do it for the dogs! For now, I have to trust AFFCO to keep on top of the dog food factories.


So how can you pick your dog food? Well you want to look for a meat listed as the first ingredient, real meat, not a meat by product, so if it says chicken as the number one ingredient you’re off to a good start. You want little to no grains or at least they should not be listed at the very top of the list, cheaper dog foods will use grains as fillers. (Real meat is too expensive) Look for omega fatty acids 3-6-9 which are great for the skin and coat, the fat content should be 18% or higher and the protein level should be at least 30% .There should be no food coloring!

I must admit, I once thought all dog foods were made alike and at the age of one year when adulthood kicked in, my brood was off of puppy food and started on Pedigree for adults, a trusted name or at least a good sounding name, but when my Newfoundland’s coat started to get dull and started to show fungal skin problems I switched to what I thought was a better quality food which does not contain grains, and although it got only a 3 star rating, it was better than Pedigree’s one star rating. (The ratings go up to six stars.)

So I admit, after writing this article I still have a little more homework of my own to do to find the best quality that I can afford to feed my brood! It’s unfortunate that price has to play a role in feeding your best friend, but then, price plays a part in every aspect of our lives.

So as they say in France, Bon  Appétit!   Just know what you’re eating!

Below you will find a few sites on dog food to help you through the process.


The meanings of dog food ingredients such as by products, bone meal, etc. (the meat and bone meal is a little gross so read at your own risk!) link here


The dog food project –good insight on what to look for in dog food, link here



Here is a site that rates the different dog foods on the market. Link here
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog-food-index-a.html

Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning can be found here. 

dog food recipies and ratings by people who made them! Link