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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Is Raw Food Diet Best For My Dog?

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Story by: Sharondarochelle40

The main question on every dog owners mind is what kind of food they should feed their pet. The health of your dog to a large extent depends on the type and quality of food you feed him. Since the market is flooded with so many different types and brands of dog food; the question of whether to feed a dry processed, raw food or what we like best, a combination of both to the dogs obviously comes to one’s mind.

Raw food is considered the best for dogs. It’s the way nature made them to eat. In our pet nutritional store we’ve helped hundreds of owners overcome many health issues by switching to a raw diet. It is also the best for preventing dog allergies from the grain based dry food diets. However, the main reason why people are skeptical to feed raw food to their dogs is the potential risk of the presence of bacteria and pathogens in raw meat. Yes, it is true that raw meat may contain bacteria like Salmonella. But, nature has gifted dogs with strong digestive system. Their stomach has high amounts of acid, and food sits in there stomach much longer than humans which enables them to destroy the bad bacteria’s. If your dog is on antibiotics and/or has a weekend immune system, you should feed lightly cooked meat to him. This will eliminate the possibility of infections due to pathogens and will also provide a required high moisture diet.

Raw and home-cooked dog food has several benefits. They are high in moisture content and are rich of proteins and carbohydrates. They do not contain chemical additives and fillers as is in the case of processed dog food. Most pet natural food stores like ours will sell a variety of frozen raw foods that is meant for pets. Most contain ground bone and organ meat to provide needed nutrients. Cost vary, some local sources can be more economic than canned food.

If you are feeding your dog a raw diet, you should ensure that your dog gets the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and other nutrients. He should be fed with meat combined with the right source of carbohydrates like oats, barley, and brown rice. Also, you should add some fresh fruits and vegetables to your pet’s diet to provide him the essential minerals and vitamins. Feeding natural supplements to your pet will also ensure his good health. Some of the natural supplements needed are omega 3 from fish or flax oil, a good multivitamin and probiotics. If you are not comfortable feeding raw to your dogs, then you must add an enzyme to their diet. Without enzymes, there own body needs to produce the enzymes to digest there food. This is called “Enzyme Robbing” and over time this puts unnatural strain on their body’s organs and will likely lead to a cancer and/or degenerative type disease.

The diet requirements of no two dogs are the same. The nutritional requirement of your dog depends on their age, activity, weight and health conditions. If you are confused about what and how to feed your dog, you should consult a holistic veterinarian or canine nutritionist. These professionals know all about the diet and health of dogs, and therefore can help you choose the right dog food for your pet. Your local regular veterinarian is usually not trained in nutrition as most people believe.

About the Author

Roger & Kristina McLeskey are owners of a pet boutique and natural food store. They offer professional nutritional information based on their years of experience in helping pets and their owners overcome many dog food | dog allergy issues. Visit us for free articles on many dog related issues at www.411-for-dogs.com.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/sharondarochelle40/71168

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

What Are The Characteristics Of Tonkinese Cats?


Photo by: Catfacts.Org
Story by: George Adams

In case you are still undecided which cat to keep, Siamese or Burmese, you might as well go for the wonderful cross breed of these two – the Tonkinese. This beautiful breed was developed in the 1960’s in North America by cross breeding a Burmese cat with a Siamese cat. Unofficially however this cross breeding was being done many years before.

Usually cross breeds are created to follow a particular color or trait. But Tonkinese breed was created to get the best of both of the mother breeds – namely body, character and coat.

Because this breed has taken the best of both mother breeds, a Tonkinese cat is extremely friendly and pleasant in its personality. It is an excellent family pet or homes with many cats. They tolerate children and their pranks too. They are friendly with dogs and even other pets.

If you do not like cats that cuddle up, this breed is not meant for you, since they are extremely people friendly. Starting from being present at a children’s party to positioning itself on your lap to getting inside your cover while you are planning to go to bed.


Photo by: World4pets

The Tonkinese cat has a very playful nature.
They would love to play hide and seek or even launch an unannounced leap on a family member quite suddenly. Keep a lot of toys in the house to keep the cat playful and occupied. This is a good pet for people who spend a lot of time outdoors. If you work for long hours and remain out door, keep another Tonkinese cat to make a pair.

These cats can be trained very easily. You can train them to fetch, come to you when called or go for a walk on a leash. Cats with intelligence.

These cats come in brown, chocolate, red, blue, lilac, cream, cinnamon or fawn colors. You can have tortoiseshell, mink, self or tabby patterns on their bodies. They weigh six to twelve pounds. Their head is wedge-shaped and the eyes are slanted. They have a strong muscular body with a long and bushy tail. Only mink patterned cats participate in cat shows. These cats have attractive blue eyes whereas others have coat color or green eyes.

If you find Siamese cats too noisy and the Burmese too reticent, the Tonkinese cat is perhaps the right choice of feline.

About The Author
George Adams is a staff writer at http://www.pets-digest.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.theaquariumexpert.com.
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