Nutrition – Page 12 – Healthy Dog Club

Your dog needs to chew

November 1, 2013November 1, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

It’s not rocket science — every dog owner knows dogs need to chew. And they happily purchase a variety of chew treats for their dogs. However, choosing a safe and healthy treat is not an easy task — it seems every day we are seeing another recall of chews for antibiotic residues, salmonella, or some yet to be determined, toxic substances. So many dogs have died from toxic jerky treats made in China. The recalls of these treats continues to expand, and I urge everyone to not purchase any jerky…

Why giving your pooch too many veggies is not healthy

September 26, 2013September 26, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

By Evan Price While there is some popular opinion that dogs should be classified as omnivores, they are widely regarded as carnivores. The word carnivore literally translates into “to devour flesh”, and if this is what dogs are meant to do, then why would they need vegetables in the diet? After all, you would never find a dog scavenging in a cornfield for his next meal. The answer to this is simple. Obligate carnivores, such as cats, derive nearly all nutrition from meat. They may consume a small amount of…

The truth and myths about raw food diet for pets

April 1, 2013April 1, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

By Dr. Becker Today and over the next couple of weeks I’ll be discussing my favorite topic, raw food diets for pets. I want to talk about some of the myths and truths surrounding raw food diets, but before we get to the good stuff, it’s important to have a foundation of understanding about basic nutrition. One point that no one argues is that for optimal health to occur, animals must consume the foods they were designed to eat. I call this a species-appropriate diet. So vegetarian animals must eat…

Why do our dogs eat grass?

March 20, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

Who hasn’t wondered, “Why does my pet eat grass?”, right? The truth is there isn’t one clear reason. What we do know is that eating small amounts of grass can be a harmless, albeit curious, thing for a perfectly healthy dog or cat to do. But when nibbling turns into gulping great hunks of the stuff — and grassy vomit hits the kitchen tile — it’s time to wonder what’s going on. Causes Your vet may consider several reasons your pet is eating grass, including these: 1. Behavioral drives. Pica is a…

Lucky dogs get shot at diabetes cure

March 16, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

Researchers from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), led by Fatima Bosch, have shown for the first time that it is possible to cure diabetes in large animals with a single session of gene therapy. As published in Diabetes, the principal journal for research on the disease, after a single gene therapy session, the dogs recover their health and no longer show symptoms of the disease. In some cases, monitoring continued for over four years, with no recurrence of symptoms. The therapy is minimally invasive. It consists of a single…

Debunked: Omega 3, 6 and 9 for dogs

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

First, let’s talk about how the fatty acids are named. “Essential” means needed, thus our bodies don’t make the fatty acid. The biochemical structure is what makes them fatty acids and helps with the different names. “Fatty” means the EFAs are used in the body in lipid (fatty) layers of cells and tissues. Where the first double bond is in the fatty acid molecule helps in the naming – an omega-3 fatty acid has the first double bond 3 carbon atoms from the naming end; an omega-6 has 6 carbon atoms until the first double bond;…

The skinny on soy: Exposing a popular pet food protein

February 15, 2013February 20, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

W. Jean Dodds, DVM: Hemopet / NutriScan As those of you who read my posts and follow my work are aware, I advocate that optimum health begins with optimum nutrition. This is not just an “opinion”; it is a fact born out by the latest scientific research, which is focused on functional foods designed for the individual person or animal. This is also referred to as nutrigenomics. Nutrigenomics (which I will talk much more about in the coming months and in our upcoming book titled, Nutrigenomics: Foods that Heal Your…

Unhappy tummies may be prevented…

February 1, 2013February 1, 2013 Healthy Dog Club

By Robert Mueller: Vomiting and diarrhea – Cleaning up after our pets is NEVER fun for anyone. Something has caused your poor pooch to be sick whether from a one time occurrence like getting into the garbage or from years something in their diet slowly wearing down their tolerance. Either way, you are stuck scrubbing the carpet and your pet is miserable. How did this happen and how do you get out of this mess? Other than skin and allergy issues, which are the #1 problem that plagues our companion animals,…