Pet Food

Although this is a rather generic title, anyone who has or has ever had a pet knows that finding the right food for him is important on so many levels. Remember when our grandmas would give their dogs leftovers from the table? Today that is a complete no-no. And now, vets even recommend healthy food formulas to counteract certain maladies our pets suffer.

Knowing what's right for your furry or feathered friend is paramount for you to have a BFF who sticks around for a long while and feels good day in and day out. So, let's talk about what we should be feeding our most beloved pets to assure they're healthy and blissfully happy.

Dogs

Several factors play into which type of food we feed out canine friends. Let's discuss what an average, healthy 20-pound dog of about four-years-old should be eating daily.

Usually, veterinarians recommend dry food for canines. It helps keep their teeth relatively clean, and they like the chewing. As with humans, it is a bad thing to feed your dogs overly processed foods. But getting food that is "clean" at a price you can afford may be a challenge. Here are three dog foods that are good for your side-kick and won't break the bank.

· Barking at the Moon (Solid Gold) - It's AAFCO-friendly with fish (ocean fish "meal") as its main ingredient which causes it to have 300% more protein than just plain fish. It's a little expensive but worth every penny. And you can get it on Amazon.

· Taste of the Wild has a five-star rating on DogFoodAdvisor, which you should check out, by the way. It's grain-free, suitable for all ages, and has roasted bison and roasted venison in it. It's less expensive than Barking at the Moon. You can buy it online at PetFoodDirect.

· Wellness Core's price comes right between the first two we discussed, but it has increased protein, almost average fat, and below-average carbs compared to typical dry food for doggies.

To be sure, ask your vet.

Never feed dogs chocolate, garlic, onions, gum ( more importantly the ingredient xylitol found in sweets, baked goods, and peanut butter), grapes or raisins.

Cats

Cats, on the other hand, should never be given dry food because it has too many carbs. The average cat should consume roughly 200 calories a day, but ask your vet about your feline friend.

The top three healthy cat foods that contain what is best for your cat include, according to reviews.com:

· ACANA Grasslands Regional Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat and Kitten Food & ACANA's Pacifica and Wild Prairie - An exception to the dry food rule because the first five ingredients in each of these ACANA foods are variations of this formula: boneless lamb, lamb meal, boneless duck, Pollock meal, and duck fat. It is not too expensive.

· Addiction Grain-Free Black Forest Rabbit and Blueberries Entree Canned Cat Food (and all Addiction's other formulas) which contains rabbit, water, sweet potatoes, liver, and blueberries is expensive.

· Adirondack Kitten Protein-Rich contains chicken meal, brown rice, ground grain, sorghum, chicken, fat. It is not expensive at all.

Never feed your kitties raw meat or a vegetarian diet. Check with your vet about other things that might hurt your kitty.

Hamsters

Hamsters need to eat once a day whether it's morning or evening. Your little buddy only needs a tablespoon of food a day. It's great to feed your hamster his treats, like raw fruit, raw vegetables, even a few pieces of hard-boiled egg for some extra protein. But follow these rules when feeding your pet:

· No seed or pits of vegetables or fruit as they could be poisonous.

· Feed some treats to your hamster by hand so he can feel comfortable with you and know you're there to take care of him

· Remove spoiled food from his cage and remove fresh food not eaten in a few hours from the time given to your hamster.

Make sure the seed food you give your pet has ingredients along with sunflower seeds. 

Your hamster loves sunflower seeds, but a diet solely of this seed will not give your pet all the nutrients your hamster needs.

Your little friend would also like to chew on hard treats you can get at the pet store. They keep his teeth healthy and can provide additional nutrients and activity.

Never feed hamsters: kidney beans, citrus fruits, onion, potato, rhubarb, or tomato leaves. Ask your vet if there are other dangers.

Take good care of your pets, and you will have years to love and play with them. Here's to our furry friends!

Dog – A man’s best friend

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself” – Josh Billings

Yes indeed. A dog is much more than the guardian of your house. He/she considers you to be a member of his/her pack. Having a dog as your pet can be one of the most profound experiences of your life. Learning about their needs and taking good care of your dog gives a great experience for both you and your pet. 

Dogs accept you for what you are and are known to protect you with all their might. In fact Brutus, the 7 year old golden retriever, became a national sensation when he took on the deadly coral snake head on as the snake approached a young child. Although he did receive a deadly bite, he never gave up. He was flown to Los Angeles to receive the 

National Hero Dog Award’. A five pound Chihuahua named Zoey rescued a one year old child from a 3 foot rattle snake as the snake got too close for comfort. 

A black Labrador named Katrina had rescued a man from drowning the storm Katrina hit the US shores. The 2008 dog of the year named Maya saved her owner from a vicious male attacker, when he had tried to assault her owner. 

The rivalry between dogs and cats can be put into question as this idea of hating cats’ failed to exist in Napoleon’s mind, who swamp deep out into a lake to rescue burlap sack having 6 kittens in them. The 2001 dog of the year named Blue had saved her 85 year old owner from an alligator attack in her own back yard. These amazing stories doesn’t end here. There was an unbelievable story of a beagle that had bit the digits 911 of their phone after his diabetic owner had collapsed from a seizure. 

A golden retriever named Toby had rescued his owner from chocking on a morsel. And who could ever forget the famous Japanese Akita dog named Hachiko. The famous story behind Hachiko is the degree to which the dog remained loyal to his owner Hidesaburō Ueno. Hachiko always greeted his owner at the Shibuya railway station, as he returned from work every day. Sadly, even after his owner had passed away, Hachiko still continued to visit the railway station every day for 9 years. Hachiko eventually died of natural causes and a bronze statue was erected at the Shibuya Station in April of 1934. 

There are countless examples to show the deepness to which a dog bonds with a human. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility as well. The owner must make sure that the dog is well trained, regularly fed and frequently hydrated. Proper pet care even includes vaccinations, regular flea treatments and daily grooming is crucial in keeping your dog happy and healthy. You must take your dog to the vet on a regular basis. 

You must take your dog to the vet in order to:

1) Identify any illness as early as possible. Unlike humans, dogs don’t have the verbal ability to convey any discomforts that it faces. Regular checkups to the vet helps to identify any sickness right at the early stages before it becomes too late for treatment. 

2) The dog’s mental wellbeing as important as its physical wellbeing. Regular checkups to the vet can also help you to discuss the behavior of your dog and also help to devise a plan if necessary, to bring the dog into a calm submissive state. 

3) Regular visits to the vet may seem to be initially expensive but in the long run, it helps you to identify any disease right at its beginning stage so that you would be able to avoid expensive treatments that you may have to incur, if the disease was not recognized at its beginning stage. This saves your pet years of life that they could have lost to illness.

From pets to sporting companions to service dogs, canines are an integral part of a human’s world. They can be a viable source of comfort and have known to have a therapeutic effect as well. It helps relieve stress and the sense of happiness, that a human gets from the mere company of a dog, generates the serotonin hormone that keeps our mind in the happy and healthy state.