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Kidney Canine

By Brian on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011 | No Comments

Kidney Canine
question about dog food for my sick dog..?

My dog was diagnosed with renal insufficiency last week. The vet suggested a food called canine k/d. but the problem with that is it is very very expensive. I love my dog, he is my baby. Now here is my question. He also said that I can find other dog foods that are lower in protein (less than 20%), and lower levels of phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. I have been looking at dog food labels all weekend both in stores and online. I cannot figure out what is considered low phosphorus, potassium and sodium. They don’t generally give a percentage, nor can I find anything online about what a recommended percentage is for a healthy dog for me to compare to (what a healthy dog would have vs. a dog with kidney problems). Anyone have any ideas or suggestions other than calling the vet? He is not in on Monday’s unless its emergency care. Thanks.

Hills k/d
Protein: 14.7%
Fat: 19.4%
Phosphorus: .24%
Sodium: .23%
Potassium: .67%

http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760642

Here is a great article about phosphorus and protein in dog food:

http://raingoddess.com/dogfood/phos.html

I highly doubt you will be able to find a commercial dog food that has similar levels as Hills k/d. Part of the reason is that in order for a dog food to be certified as a complete balanced diet by the AAFCO, it must meet minimum standards for the well being of healthy dogs.

Prescription diets are prescription because they have nutrient levels that are either too high or too low for normal dogs to stay healthy. This is why you can only get prescription food from a vet. A prescription diet could make a healthy dog sick.

I encourage you to research kidney problems and diet in dogs. You will find a lot of contradictory advice and opinions, even among vets.

Although I am not a vet, my job is related to animal nutrition. From my research and experience, ingredients play a big part in dog diet, not just the nutrient analysis of the food. For example, protein can come from both meat and grains. Grain protein has a low digestibility and is only 50%-75% usable by a dog’s body. Meat protein has a high digestibility and is 90%-95% usable by the body. It is safer to feed a food with protein coming from meat and best to avoid protein coming form grain.

Water is another very important factor in kidney health. A dry food diet concentrates nutrients and can allow them to build in places like the kidneys unless there is enough water to flush them out. A diet with a high water content, like a canned food or raw meat diet, will more evenly distribute proteins and nutrients throughout the body and help prevent kidney and bladder problems.

There are also supplements on the market that help support kidney health. A very good one is Wapiti Labs Renal Formula. It is very reasonably priced too.

What is considered to be low protein and nutrient levels varies by your dog’s life stage. Generally speaking, 20% or less for protein and .7% or less for phosphorus.

If you want to switch off of prescription, I would look into the following brands to find something that works for your dog. The websites for these companies usually have very detailed nutrient information available.

Innova (Natura)
Natural Balance
Wellness
Go! Natural
Solid Gold
Canidae

Here are some websites to help you in your research:

http://www.wapitilabsinc.com/animal/RenalFormula.html

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

http://www.healthypetjournal.com/default.aspx?tabid=25105

http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html

http://www.aafco.org/

Dog illnesses

By Brian on Monday, December 19th, 2011 | No Comments

dog illnesses

What are the most common dogs illnesses?

If you’re the dog owner then it is best to know what are the commonest dogs illnesses and how much symptoms could show up. Dogs get sick similar to people and some of the most common dog illnesses are just like these affecting humans. Dogs are vulnerable to influenza, allergy symptoms, and ear infections identical to their human counterparts. Issues from obesity and extra weight plague dogs a lot the identical as their human owners. The most common of the dog illness is an ailment shared by the human population – obesity. An estimated forty percent of canines suffer from this disease. Its effects in dogs are much the same as in people, incessantly leading to diabetes, hypertension and arthritis.

Many dogs endure from the frequent dog illness of ear infections ensuing from wax buildup or ear mites. Ear infections can be bacterial or fungal as well as allergy related. Dogs most vulnerable to this frequent dog disease are those with hair on the underside of the ear flaps. Head shaking, rubbing of the ears, or a bad scent are strong indicators that a dog may be suffering from an ear infection.

Kennel Cough is an airborne virus or bacteria. This common dog disease causes an irritation of the canine’s trachea resulting in a particular cough that sounds just like the animal is making an attempt to clear its throat. Simply handed alongside when dogs are in giant groups, it generally lasts from seven to ten days.

Although dogs do not have heart assaults, about one in ten experiences the dog condition of congenital coronary heart disease. This dog disease is a weakening of the dog’s heart. As the center muscle slowly fails, not enough blood is circulated via the dogs system requiring the heart to beat faster. This dog disease shouldn’t be curable. Therapies do exist, however generally different organs are compromised as the center weakens.

The Dog Flu is among the common dog diseases. Much like its human complement, it is characterised by sneezing, runny nose, cough, and mild fever. The canine pressure of influenza originated as a mutation of the horse flue, first showing in early 2004. It may be passed from dog to dog during a seven to 10 day period of contagiousness. It is an airborne virus and customarily runs its course without medical treatment.

Allergies are common in canines with an estimated certainly one of seven dogs affected by this frequent dog disease. Dog allergy symptoms are characterized by irritated, itchy skin. Indications embody extreme licking of paws and stomach, as well as rubbing of the face and ears. Common dog allergens are pollen, grass and mold. Dogs can also be allergic to insect bites as well as meals and drugs. Hives are symptomatic of dog allergies, showing as crimson raised bumps on the skin much the same as they do in humans. This may be simply confused with many dog diseases.

One in five dogs suffers from arthritis. This may occur as a genetic condition or might be caused by harm and disease. Hip dysphasia is the most frequent type of this type of dog illnesses occurring most frequently in larger breeds.

About the Author

If you are tired of the irritating barking the solution is the small dog bark collar and if you would like to know more please visit our website: www.smalldogbarkcollaronline.com

Case Study Sonia and Rage

Dog parvo

By Brian on Saturday, December 17th, 2011 | No Comments

dog parvo

A Closer Look at Dog Parvo Symptoms

If you own a dog, then the symptoms of dog parvo should be of great concern to you. If you or the vet had detected this problem in your pet, it is a must that you follow all the medication guidelines necessary in order to lead your dog to safety.

Dogs, when they’re infected with the parvo virus, would show symptoms like diarrhea, high fever, lethargy, eating problems, and vomiting. Check the stool of your dog. If it’s watery, yellowish, and has a strong scent, then your dog is likely to have acquired the problem. Oftentimes, the stool would contain blood too.

The parvo virus in canines divides into multitudes of cells inside the dog’s body. They would attack the organs, more particularly the digestive system. When this happens, the dog would have difficulty absorbing water and nutrients. A disruption in its body processes is expected.

The parvo virus is known to mostly infect adult dogs. However, it is also possible for small puppies to acquire the disease due to their weak immune system. Once infected, the dog parvo symptoms would show. You can expect instances of heart failure, shock, and in worse cases, sudden death. The dog parvo disease is a time sensitive disease. The moment you see any of these symptoms, be sure to consult with a veterinarian as soon as possible.

The dog parvo virus can be found on infected soil or dog wastes. If your pet smells or gets in contact with them, they would travel into the lymphatic system. From there, they would divide into great proportions and invade the bloodstream. They would start to mutilate the cells inside the body, until they reach their main destination – the intestinal tract. Once there, they would start deteriorating the walls of the intestines.

The moment the intestinal walls are damaged, the dog parvo symptoms would show. These are lack of appetite, bad-smelling discharges, bloody diarrhea, and foamy vomits. If left ignored, the entire wall of the intestine would breakdown, causing major infection a host of complications. It would eventually lead to dehydration and worse, death for your pet.

To prevent the dog parvo symptoms to show on your pet, the best way to do is to get it some vaccines. For puppies, they should be injected during their 6th to 8th week of age. Depending on the vet, the vaccines have to be boosted or repeated until the dog reaches 4 months. Then a yearly shot has to be given to make sure that your pet has strong defenses from the ill effects of dog parvo disease.

Dogs or puppies infected by the parvo virus should be taken cared of properly. They shouldn’t be allowed to associate with your other pets to prevent the virus from spreading. The parvo virus has the ability to live up to five months on the surfaces it is in contact with. The virus is also resistant to the common home disinfectants. To prevent the virus from proliferating, try to use half a cup of strong bleach diluted in a gallon of water. The solution would serve as your cleaning aid on the places where your infected dog is staying.

About the Author

Part 2 – For part two of this article, head on to
http://www.guarddogtrainingonline.com
where you can also find the shocking truth aboutm
dog food allergies
and
dog treatments
.

Dog with parvovirus


Related Blogs

Puppy health

By Brian on Friday, December 9th, 2011 | No Comments

puppy health

How To Choose The Best Food For Your Puppy

Your puppy is like your own child. You need to take care of you puppy’s diet in the same way as you would a child. You should always try to remember some basic tips while you are planning what to feed your puppy.

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Firstly, be sure to include proteins like chicken and fish in your puppy’s food. Your puppy will require protein to grow into a strong and healthy dog. Treat your puppy with foods which he or she likes eating. Let your puppy try different dog food samples and see what he finds delicious.

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Have you ever read the ingredients list given on dog food packages? If no, then start reading the list from today! Your puppy’s health depends on it and will save you from lots of health problems in the future. Corn, wheat, dairy and glutens are a big NO- NO and many dry dog foods are made up almost entirely of these fillers. They have no nutritional value for dogs and your puppy may develop allergies if it eats them – plus they can also cause your puppy to become over weight. The best dog food for your puppy is the one which has no by-products at all. By-products include chicken feet, intestines and all sorts of animal products that you would really not want your puppy to eat.

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When looking for a dog food, try to find healthy foods such vegetables, proteinated minerals, extracts of grape seeds, antioxidants and bacteria cultures. All these ingredients will build up your puppy’s immune system. Above all, you should find dog food which is according to the AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) standards.

If you feed your puppy quality dog food it can live up to 5 more years than dogs reared on the cheaper dry dog foods. A little effort by you can stretch your puppy’s life to 5 more happy years. Think about it!

About the Author

My name is Tynan Slade and i enjoy writing about my hobbies. I love dogs and my favourite type of dogs are Great Dane Puppies take a look at my website http://www.greatdane-puppies.net/

Dog Health Care : Microchips for Dogs & Puppies


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