Drop a Little About Your Pet

Posts Tagged ‘pet food’

Most families at some point decide to introduce a pet or animal to their family home at some point in their lives. Although cats, dogs, rabbits, gerbils, fish and other small animals are the most common family pet it is becoming less unusual for families to look at bringing home exotic pets.
Exotic pets may seem more exciting and different however unless your are fully prepared and understand enough about the exotic pets you choose bringing one home could end in disaster.
Generally speaking, the more exotic the pet the more education you will need and it will probably require more expensive housing and food. When you are looking for exotic pets do your research before you shop, you may find you purchase an animal on impulse that you know little about and does not fit your family surroundings.
It is extremely important to do plenty of research on exotic pets before you decide what sort you want. You can find plenty of information on the internet simply type in the animal you are look for and read as much as you can to see if this animal suits you. You can also visit your local library and borrow books on exotic pets.
It may be helpful to visit a few pet shops to seek advise about exotic pets, make sure you are aware of all the special requirements they need.
Things To Ask
What sort of housing do they require including the size and shape.
What sort of food do they eat and how often should they be fed
Are they prone to any type of diseases or problems you should look out for
Do they require any special equipment such as a UV light or heat mat
How long is their life expectancy
Do they need any type of vaccinations
Do you need any sort of licence to own this type of animal
If you have children it may be worth finding out how much your exotic pet likes to be interacted with. If you have chosen an animal that does not like to be handled will your family be happy with a pet that can only be looked at and not touched?
If you have other pets already you will need to know if the new addition will upset your existing animals and how they will get along. You may need to set up alternative measures if they need to be kept well away from each other.
Buying exotic pets is not as easy as it seems but if you are fully aware of everything that it needs and have prepared a loving home with the correct facilities there is no reason why you should not enjoy having one.

Every family would like to have an animal or pet in their house at some point of time. Generally people feel that cats and dogs only make great pets. However, there are other people who think that unusual pets are great. Although dogs, cats, gerbils, fish, rabbits etc. are the most common pets that you would find, some families would prefer to bring home exotic pets. If you know well about such unusual or exotic pets, they can be different and exciting and can be a good addition to your house. Else sometimes it could end in disaster.

You will perhaps require more expensive food and housing if you have a more exotic pet and also you should get educated more about such exotic pets as to whether they would be suitable to your family environment. Therefore, it is important to do a lot of research on such exotic pets well in advance before choosing an exotic pet. You can also find a lot of information available on the Internet to know whether a particular exotic animal or pet can be suitable. Also you can visit a few pet shops and get advice about the type of exotic pets and the needed arrangements for them.

Though exotic pets are great, they can create problems to eco-systems when unchecked. As food would be abundant, it could eat everything available and can also start reproducing heavily as there would be no predators and no enemies. There are many examples from lizards and snakes to ferrets and other such large animals of prey. It is even said that the sewerage system in New York was found to have alligators and animal control people and city workers captured many such creatures in the past. Therefore it is important that people who wish to get such exotic pets are responsible for the actions and consequences. It can be a fun to have a tiger cub in the early stages and there is a real problem afterwards with such animals. Therefore people should consider all the facts and know well before getting some types of exotic pets.

The new addition of exotic pet may upset your existing pets sometimes and you may not know how they will get along with each other. For keeping them well away, you may need certain alternative measures. Most exotic pets have unusual feeding habits and hence you need to ensure that you know the type of food they eat and also how to get that food. Also you have to know the appropriate type of housing required for the animal and the things needed to add to their aquarium or cage to make it comfortable for the new exotic pet. Also check whether a veterinarian is available in your locality to give health care for your pet.

Some exotic pets can also carry potential illnesses or diseases that could bring harm to the children or elderly people in your home. Also know that there are certain species that are illegal to keep as pets in homes. Therefore before you take such exotic pet home, know about the local laws. Nevertheless these are certain things that are to be considered and it does not mean that you not go for an exotic pet. They can be an excellent choice sometimes when you get exotic pets that are easy to handle and care for.

Cat owners have seen their beloved pets fall asleep in many places, and since cats can sleep through the majority of a day, it is important to have a comfortable and cosy place for your cat to sleep and feel safe. There are a variety of cat beds on the market, but none are better for winter weather than cat igloos.When your cat crawls into the cosy nook that a cat igloo is, their body heat is trapped and it keeps your kitty as comfortable and toasty warm as can be. And, of course there is nothing more adorable than a sleepy kitty peeking out of his or her cat igloo.The following are some fantastic cat igloos you’ll want to get your hands on as temperatures begin to drop!Cat Den Sheila (£14.90)The Cat Den Sheila features a black paw print pattern on a beige background and a triangle shaped opening through which your cat can come and go. This cat igloo is made of a soft material and comes with a pillow for your cat’s comfort and is one of the best cat supplies available. This cat bed is also washable and foldable for your convenience.Ancol Timberwolf Extreme Pyramid Cat Bed (£20.99)The Ancol Timberwolf Extreme Pyramid cat bed is made of brown and green mock suede that your cat will love to rub up against. You’ll be lucky if your cat ever wants to come out of this cat igloo!Cushy Cave Minou Cat Bed (from £19.99)This cat igloo is sure to attract your cat’s attention. The fur-lined rim sets this cat bed apart from the rest, and all of the fabric used is extra soft. This cat bed comes in a two-tone colour pattern of either beige and brown or rose and gray, and features a cute paw print on both sides of the bed. Since this cat bed comes in two different sizes, you can provide your cat its own cosy cat bed or a place for him or her to snuggle up with a friend. I have 2 very happy cats that would gladly testify to the cosiness of this cat igloo!Safari Igloo Cat Bed (£19.99)If your cat is serious about comfort, style, and adventure, this is the cat igloo he or she needs. A leopard print cushion gives this cat bed a safari feel and is designed with a memory frame to maintain the shape your cat will love. The outer brown fabric is soft and will easily mix with the decor of most rooms, so your cat can be in the middle of all of the action without feeling overwhelmed.Danish Design Morocco Cat Bed (£39.99)This cat bed is perfect for older and larger cats as it features a wide round entrance. The thick cushion in this cat igloo provides your cat all of the comfort they could ask for. The interior fabric has stripes in classic Moroccan colours that are complemented by an outer, sand-coloured fabric.Your cat will appreciate any of the cat igloos suggested, and with all of the varieties of shapes and sizes, you’re sure to find a cat bed that’s perfect for any room. You can get a lot of info on pet supplies from us.

Last year turned out to be the worst in history for pet food recalls. While there is no way to be 100% certain that a pet food is not tainted or will be recalled, there are some red flags to look for when selecting your dog’s or cat’s food. Avoiding these common pet food ingredients can greatly improve your odds in purchasing a healthy, safe pet food.

Judging the safety or the nutritional value of a pet food starts by ignoring the advertising, the price of the pet food, and ignoring the front of the bag. The real signs to the safety of a dog food or cat food lie on the back or side of the bag or can in the ‘Ingredient Listing’. Regardless of what marketing terms (‘choice’, ‘premium’, and so on) are on the front of the bag or can of pet food, a pet owner cannot determine the quality or how safe the food is unless they look at the ingredients. With dry foods there can be 90 different ingredients (or more), with canned foods there can be 50 or more different ingredients. But don’t panic…you don’t have to understand hundreds of different pet food ingredients! You just need to be aware of a few key ingredients…pet food ingredients that you do NOT want to see in a dog food or cat food (or treats).

‘Wheat Gluten’, ‘Corn Gluten’, or ‘Rice Gluten’. These three ingredients were the bad boy pet food ingredients of 2007. Tainted glutens were found to be the cause of thousands of dogs and cats becoming ill and dying. It is not that glutens themselves are toxic to pets – these ingredients have been used in pet foods for years. The problem was the source or manufacturer of the glutens – imported from countries with far less quality standards than in the US. (The majority of glutens used in the US pet foods are from imported sources.) These imported glutens contained added chemicals that caused crystals to form in the kidneys of dogs and cats.

Not only is it important to avoid dog foods and cat foods (and dog and cat treats) that contain glutens because of the possibility of dangerous added chemicals, it is important because they add no real quality nutrition to the food. Glutens are used as a thickener AND as a source of protein in pet food. Adult maintenance dog foods must provide a minimum of 18% protein, adult maintenance cat foods must provide a minimum of 26% protein. If the meat source of the pet food does not provide enough protein, glutens are often added to boost the protein level of the pet food. The best nutrition for your pet comes from a meat protein pet food not from a gluten protein. Avoid dog foods and cat foods (and treats) that contain ‘corn gluten’, ‘wheat gluten’, or ‘soy gluten’.

‘By Products’. By-products have never been the cause of a pet food recall, but they are definitely ingredients you want to avoid feeding your pet. To give you an understanding of by-products, I’d like to compare this pet food ingredient to pies – you know, the dessert! How many different types of pies you can think of? There are apple pies, cherry pies, chocolate pies, meringue pies, meat pies, mud pies, pie in math, cow pies (yuck!) – I think you get my point. Now imagine if you purchased yourself a prepared ravioli dinner at the grocery and you looked at the ingredients and you see ‘pie’ listed as the first ingredient in your dinner. Hmmm, pie in ravioli – what kind of pie? You wouldn’t know if it was apple pie or mud pie or even cow pie. All you would know is that your dinner contained ‘pie’. Considering ‘pie’ could be anything from apple pie to cow pie – my guess is that you wouldn’t be having ravioli for dinner. Same thing with by-products in pet food.

AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials – the organization responsible for all animal feed manufacturing rules and regulations) defines by-products as “meat by-products is the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It 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. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto.”

So, with respect to pet food – a by-product is a catch-all ingredient name. All left over meat materials from the human food industry are clumped into one ingredient name – by-product. There is NO certainty of what you are feeding – one batch of pet food might be more intestine by-products while the next batch of pet food might be more liver or bone by-products. There is NO way of knowing what is actually contained in the pet food ingredient by-product (the pet food manufacturers themselves couldn’t tell you exactly). Avoid dog foods and cat foods (and treats) that contain By-products of any kind…Chicken By-Products, Beef By-Products, Chicken By-Product Meal, Beef By-Product Meal, and so forth.

‘Meat Meal’, ‘Meat and Bone Meal’, or ‘Animal Digest’. These three ingredients are similar to by-products. AAFCO defines Meat and Bone Meal as “the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably to good processing practices.” Again, a catch all ingredient name for the left-over parts of animals used for human food. No consistency to what is contained in these ingredients (all three of these pet food ingredient definitions are similar) – no way of knowing what is actually in your pet’s food. Avoid dog foods, cat foods, and dog and cat treats that contain ‘meat meal’, ‘meat and bone meal’, or ‘animal digest’.

‘Animal Fat’. In 2002 the FDA tested many different brands of dog food (cat food was not tested) for the presence of the drug pentobarbital. Many brands of dog food tested positive to contain the drug. Pentobarbital is the drug used to euthanize dogs, cats, cattle, and horses.

How can the drug that is used to euthanize animals be found in pet food? The answer – euthanized animals are rendered (cooked) and the end ingredients are placed in pet food. It has long been rumored that euthanized dogs and cats (from animal shelters and veterinarian offices) is the major source of the pentobarbital in pet food. However no one has been able to prove or disprove this rumor to date. The FDA/CVM (Center for Veterinary Management) developed testing methods on two separate occasions to determine the species source of the drug. No results have ever been determined. The pet food manufacturers adamantly deny they use rendered dogs or cats – but NO clinical evidence has ever been released to confirm the pentobarbital is from euthanized cattle and horses in pet food as they claim.

However, the one thing the FDA/CVM has determined through their testing is the pet food ingredient ‘animal fat’ is the most common ingredient to contain pentobarbital. In other words, if you are feeding a dog food or cat food (or treats) with the ingredient ‘animal fat’ in the ingredient listing – you are (more than likely) feeding your pet euthanized animals. Not every batch of pet food tested that contained the ingredient ‘animal fat’ has proved to contain pentobarbital – but why would any pet owner want to take the chance? Avoid dog foods, cat foods, and dog and cat treats that contain the ingredient ‘animal fat’.

‘BHA’, ‘BHT’, ‘TBHQ’, and ‘Ethoxyquin’. These pet food ingredients are chemical preservatives and you might have to look through the entire ingredient list to find them. It is worth the look because there is plenty of clinical evidence to associate all four of these chemical preservatives with cancer and tumors (simply do a Google search on any one of these chemicals). All four of these chemical preservatives are rarely used to preserve human food and if so, are used in quantities far less than what is allowed in pet food. Avoid any dog food, cat food, or dog and cat treat that contains ‘BHA’, ‘BHT’, ‘TBHQ’, and ‘Ethoxyquin’ on the label.

‘Corn’, ‘Wheat’, ‘Soy’. While there is no scientific evidence that proves these ingredients are dangerous to pets – they are potentially dangerous ingredients associated with recalls in the past (1995, 1999, and 2005). These grains are highly prone to a deadly mold (aflatoxin). It is suggested (by AAFCO) that all pet food manufacturers test grains for the mold, but as recalls of the past have proven – that doesn’t always happen. I do not think these ingredients are as risky as others mentioned above, but they are ingredients I avoid for my own pets.

There is more to selecting a true healthy pet food for your dog or cat than avoiding the above mentioned ingredients. This is just a start – based on pet food history, AAFCO ingredient definitions, science and opinion of many pet food experts including myself. There are many quality pet foods available that do NOT use the above ingredients and that add health promoting ingredients to their foods and treats. Continue to learn as much as you can about what you are feeding your pet and ALWAYS read the labels!

Pet adoption agencies are available throughout the United States and it is an excellent way to get your own pet. The adoption agencies in the U.S provide homes for the pets brought from animal rescues, animal shelters and humane societies. Some pets are brought there due to ill treatment by the pet owners or would have got lost having not having a family. Many of the pet adoption agencies work over time in order to find a constructive solution for the U.S pet population issue. They work hard in finding adoptable pets and provide them caring and loving family homes.

The websites of the pet adoption agencies provide the potential pet parents to search for a pet of their choice without any need of going to chaotic and noisy locales. You can search for your preferred pet of any breed, size, age, and sex and also even from any specific organization from where the pet came before it made its way to the adoption agency. The websites have pages that list photos of the animals offered by the agencies with their names, their place of birth or from where they came and such related information along with their preferences. Information like vaccinations, eating habits, likes and dislikes and health conditions are all available prior to pet adoption.

If you are not in a position to adopt a pet but you love pets and want to help them, then you can send your donations to the pet adoption agencies. They always welcome volunteers for helping them in services like pet adoption, administrative support, and marketing and fund raising events. There are many programs that facilitate pet lovers to play with pets for certain duration of hours. This service is offered especially to help those pets that are homeless and mistreated earlier, for spending time with loving and caring humans. All the pet adoption agencies provide help and extend their support for the families who have adopted pets recently and for pet adoption seekers. They offer advice on what kind of a pet can suit your family and in-house training. They advice you regarding separation anxiety, basic techniques on obedience, introduction of new pets and how to adjust the new pet with additional pets in your home.

You have multiple benefits in adopting a pet, which was already owned. By adopting a pet you are giving a chance to the pet to live with committed parents in a happy home. Many pet animals when adopted tend to be closer with your family. Initially after pet adoption some pets will be cautious and tentative but they will change along with time when they realize that they have actually been rescued it. When you adopt a pet it will reward you with the satisfaction that you have helped your community by some means. Though pet adoption is a lifetime commitment it will not be that hard for you. All these unfortunate pets are waiting for a chance to join with your loving families to take care of them very well. You always have this option of adopting a pet and a pet will make your family complete. Pet adoption is available not only for cats and dogs but you can also adopt pets like bunny rabbits, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and also some varieties of birds.

After a hectic and busy day, you will feel good when your pets with pretty gestures welcome you. Pet lovers always consider their pets as one among their family members and take a lot of care for their needs. One product which all the pet lovers show interest is the Pet clothes. When you clothe them, you protect them from the changing weather conditions. Even though the pets have natural fur and hair for protection from cold, clothes adds more beauty and the pets also look very cute by wearing varieties of pet clothes.

The pet clothing for your pet depends on your living environment. If you are residing in a cold region your pet may be exposed to cold climate for a long duration and hence you have to choose thick clothes for your pet. When you are residing in a place with temperate weather condition, you have to unbutton your pet clothes and so you have to buy thin coats for your pets.

Though there are multiple reasons for dressing your pet, you don’t have to be worried about your pet clothes if any of the following fits with your pet. When the density of hair and fur is more on your pet, you don’t have to additionally burden them with pet clothes. When you live in a hot climate your pet will not enjoy getting dressed. Lastly, if you’re pet refuses the pet clothes offered to it, don’t force such clothes on it and don’t ever try to make it wear pet clothes that it does not prefer. You can always beautify them by other means like hairstyles, jewelries etc.

Pet clothes are having increasing popularity as a lot of stores and suppliers now offer different ranges of pet clothes. Pet clothes are available in different varieties and styles for pet dogs when compared with other pets. This may be because the dogs show more of cooperation in getting dressed. Mostly sale of the pet clothes are focused towards pet owners who are fashion conscious and clothes are marketed with the multiple benefits your pet attains out of using them. Normally after winter walk, pets get tired and their body temperature undergoes sudden change and pet clothes can prevent them from catching cold. Another important benefit of providing clothing for your pet is to safeguard the pet’s skin from scratching or aggravating any itching area. If your pet has undergone an invasive operation, then the pet clothes will protect the wound till it’s healed. Some pet clothes are exclusively available for preventing family way in pets. Though it may look awkward but it prevents the number of pets in your home from increasing.

Most of the pet lovers choose sports style pet clothes like hooded tops, faux leather jackets, trendy vests, T-shirts and colorful knits as they add more of uniqueness in their appearance. Other fashionable clothes are pet’s shoes and boots with matching pyjamas and there are also trouser suits that are waterproof available for your lovable pets. On special days if you don’t want your pet to be left out, you can buy fancy costumes. The famous fancy pet clothes are bridesmaid outfit, wedding gowns, tuxedos, and seasonal costumes. When you love your pet and can afford more budgets you can buy fashionable pet clothes as a gift for your pet.

With the availability of many commercial pet foods in the market, you may be confused in selecting the complete pet food that takes good care of your pet’s health. You may be wondering whether it is safe to feed commercial pet food or pet food prepared at home.

Your pet’s health can be spoiled through any source of pet food and hence you should make sure that whatever food you feed to your pet should not have been contaminated.

Food related illness could occur in your pet due to bacterial infections, chemicals, mycotoxins, metals etc. Mycotoxins are toxins formed by fungus and some type of toxins affect one fourth of the world’s food crops. Hence mycotoxin litigation is a big problem and pain to the pet food industry.

We generally get confused with food infection and food poisoning. Pet food infection can be caused when the pets consume food with infectious microbial cell. They initially attack your pet’s tissues and start reproducing. Another important aspect to be noted is most of the clinical diseases will not be visible to you before 12 hours. Food poisoning occurs as a result of pet food that already contains a microbial toxin. The food poisoning symptoms are visible within an hour after your pet consumes the pet food. It is always recommended that homemade food preparation should be hygienic and if you are buying commercial pet food, take suggestions from people who are used to feed pets with such foods.

Selecting nutrition filled pet food is a challenging task particularly when there are many pet food providers offering more varieties of pet food. You can choose a complete pet food with balanced nutrition by evaluating the ingredients mentioned on the pet food package. The ingredients will represent fat, fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals in percentage values.

When you are ready to pay a higher price for the pet food, it is reasonable that you look for high and better value and additional health advantages for your pet. Cheap pet foods have more of ingredients that are grain based like wheat, soy and corn. Cheaper pet foods use ingredients like grains, bone meal and meat that are inexpensive and hence show poor nutritional quality. These pet food manufacturers justify that grain protein is equally nutritious when compared with meat protein. But there are arguments that grain proteins put excessive stress on your pet’s digestive system and also result in illness in the later stages of the pet’s life. Pets like dog and cat eat meat and their digestive system is designed for meat and not for grains. So it is always advisable to provide pet food suitable for your pet’s digestive system.

Normally pets are fed with the same kind of food every day if complete nutrition value is available with regular foods. Your pet always should be served the best nutritious pet food and so take time in choosing the perfect pet food for those deserving pets of yours. You can follow the below mentioned tips to avoid pet food problems:

Try to avoid commercial foods for your pets as stool hardening agents are used by most of the pet food manufacturers. Understand the terms used in the pet food label and select the food that provides the calorie needed by your pet. Never over feed your pet. Provide them plenty of fresh water.