A Natural K-9

7 Reasons to Add Life's Abundance to Your Pet Service Business

2010-11-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

In the past, I've made several posts sharing ways for you to become part of this great pet business community.

Over the years working in the pet product industry, I've had the great fortune of meeting many pet service related business owners. These are people that have taken their love of pets and made a business out of something they already loved to do and enjoyed. Whether it was starting a dog walking business, pet sitting service or as a trainer.

The pet community in any city is made up of many great small businesses that begin with local independent retailers and include groomers, breeders, and pet services. These are the businesses that have turned their love of pets into a rewarding business.

A challenge for any pet service business is that you income is directly connected to you showing up for work that day to provide that service. If you don't show up one day to walk your client dogs, you don't get paid. If you are sick or want to take a vacation and need to close up shop, your income stops until you return or get over your flu.

This is where I come in as a retail consultant. Everyone involved in pets finds ourselves talking about pet food, treats and grooming products at some point.

As a pet service business owner, making recommendations about pet foods, treats or pet care products becomes a common function.

Let me ask you this. If you recommend pet products to your clients, do the companies who's products you recommend compensate you for this referral? As a business owner, you are providing a valued service to your clients and you are growing the business for the companies who's products you recommend. Is this right?

If you provide a valued service to clients by recommending foods, treats or pet care products, wouldn't is be only fair that you be compensated as a business for that recommendation?

Life's Abundance thinks you should be compensated and it's easy to get started.

By recommending HealthyPetNet and Life's Abundance products to your clients, you can also create a solid residual income for your business.

The video below explains the entire concept. After you watch the video below, GO HERE to learn more about how you can include a HealthyPetNet and Life's Abundance referral based income in your pet service business.

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Is Your Pet's Food AAFCO Approved?

2010-11-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

As I spend my days in pet stores or at pet events, my purpose is to assist and educate pet product consumers about how to understand pet food labels and what to look for and avoid when selecting a food for their dog or cat.

With increasing numbers of people looking for some assurance that the foods they are buying meets some standard or some guarantee of quality, it's become important for pet product consumers to be aware of what does and does not give them that assurance.

I often point out that it's their education and understanding that is going to be the foundation of their comfort with the foods and treats they are using for their pets.

Looking at any commercial pet food you will find in the store, you will see that it has been approved by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials).

I feel compelled to explain to them that simply using a food that is AAFCO approved is NOT going to give them the assurance that that food will not contain ingredients that I suspect they would not want.

Would you want to feed your dog a food that contains other dogs as a protein source. How about feeding your cat other cats? Sounds insane, I know.

If you have any doubts, watch the video below and then ask yourself if just choosing an AAFCO approved food is what you really want or is building a good base understanding of how to read a pet food label is going to be your safest bet when you choose a food.

If you want to build your understanding of pet foods and how to read a pet food label, look back over my previous posts. Your pet will thank you.

Want To Start You're Own Pet Related Business?

2009-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've shared information about the idea of you starting a pet related business of you're own in past posts. I like the subject so I wanted to share some additional information.

The reason I like the subject is because my days are spent with pet owners I meet either at pet stores or pet related events and there are a few things that are very clear to me...

Pets bring a lot of joy into our lives
The pet industry is still growing with no signs of slowing, even in our poor economy and job situation.
Being able to turn something you love into a business is an amazing life changing event.

I constantly get questions from people that want to know how they can get into the pet product or pet related business and I'm very lucky because my days are filled with wagging tails and conversations with people about something they love. Their pets.

So, do you have some pet related idea, interest or hobby you may want to turn into a business? Maybe a craft like creating custom collar charms or tags. Maybe you have a special recipe for a dog treat you can build a business around.

I really have no idea, I'm just throwing things out there.

But what I do know is that there are some great resources out there that can help you turn an interest, a craft or a hobby into a business.

I want to help you turn your interests and your passions into a business you can be happy with and have fun with. Way too many people I meet are flat out worried about job security, never mind the idea of a career any longer. Just holding onto their job is something to be grateful for.

So here are a few resources I can pass on to you so you can check them out of your own.

Let me begin with a free E-Book I will offer you as a download right now. It covers 6 vital steps to building a home based business online. Really no matter what the business is, product or service driven, you can use the Internet to build it. So the book is free for you to have and you can download it by CLICKING HERE.

The book is sort of a primer to a complete training system that will help you build any home business into a successful online business. To find out how, you will want to know "The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet".

There is also a great community of other small business marketers you can meet, get support from and learn with as well as a host of seasoned experts to help you along the way. You can find these people at the "Internet Entrepreneur Club".

Maybe you don't want to start a service business. Have you heard of eBay? Silly question right? Yes eBay is still around and a great place to create a home based business if you have a product or products to sell...

Insider Secrets to Selling on eBay is a comprehensive 5-step program, developed by a team of eBay PowerSellers, and reveals the exact steps you need to follow to start a successful eBay business that can earn up to $10,000+ per month, even if you have NO experience, NO technical skills, NO product to sell, and NO money to invest up front!

Here is another idea. You may notice how much I use e-books on my blog. I love e-books and I've used them for years. Both to give away as gifts to visitors and to sell. Well those books come from somewhere.

So here again, do you have a hobby, area of expertise or interest that you can write about? It could be pet related or not, that's up to you. But I know for a fact that a good e-book on a unique subject or idea can do very well on the Internet. Very well indeed. But where do you start and how do you do it? Start by checking out eBook Pro. With eBook Pro, your new ebook can be easy to produce, cost-effective, and can have the potential to generate insane amounts of profit with relatively little effort on you part!

Maybe some day I will share the story about the money I made years ago selling an e-book about chicken coop plans. Your read that right, chicken coop plans! Who would've guessed that could be a money maker. It taught me not to judge other peoples interests, that's for sure.

So why do I share all of that with you? Well I created this blog as a way to share my experiences from the field as a pet product rep. I get to meet a lot a great people at pet stores and pet events. I also get to meet a lot a great pets.

So when I get questions every week from people I meet asking how they can get into the pet business or pet products business, I want to share resources to help people do just that.

I feel pretty lucky some days that I get to do something I love for a living and I hope that these resources might be able to help you do the same thing.

Keep Your Pet Food Container Clean

2009-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

I always like to share things with my readers that I experience or run across as I'm out talking to consumers in the pet stores when I do my visits as a pet food Rep.

In recent weeks I've had a few conversations with owners that have told me that their dog seems to lose interest in it's kibble towards that end of a bag. I know this can be a source of frustration sometimes and may lead pet owners to think that their dog is losing interest in the food itself or that maybe they should be buying smaller bags so the kibble is fresher.

Well that is an option. Of course there is a "best of used by" date on the foods that I Rep for and most foods should have such information for consumers.

As is most often that case, I ask a lot of questions to try understand and that way I can help pet owners figure out what may be going with their dog or the food they are using.

Something that comes up often is the popularity of putting the kibble into a container of some sort by dumping the whole bag in. I find this a lot with people that come into the store and are unsure of the food they got last time because they don't remember what the bag looked like. So they spend a long time wandering the aisles looking for something that looks familiar.

More importantly is an over looked matter of how clean the container they are using is.

Here is what I mean. Pet food of any reasonable quality contains needed EFT or Essential Fatty Acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6. This can be from a flax oil, fish oils, canola oil and so on.

These oils can remain on the inside of the container you are using and these oils go bad. That's kinda why we put that "Best if Used By" date on the food to begin with.

If you are using a large container to store that 30 or 40 pound bag of kibble, when was the last time you washed it out?

That stuff can get nasty and it's very possible that the kibble is getting a rancid or nasty taste by being stored in a dirty container.

You may not sense or notice a foul smell from the container, but I don't really need to remind you how much better your dog's sense of smell is compared to yours. And smell of kibble is a big factor to the appeal it has to your dog to begin with.

If you're dog loses interest when you are getting to the bottom of the bin of food, it may be for that reason.

So two options are to either wash the container after you finish a bag or just put the bag itself into the container to keep the oils off the container or keep the food from coming into contact with the nasty residue in the container.

Just something to think about and a little feedback from the field.

Using a Limited Ingredient Diet with Your Dog.

2009-08-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

I was visiting one of my stores today and the same issue came up that I'm seeing more and more. That's the use of a limit ingredient formula for a dog suffering from food sensitivities or allergies.

Today's conversation was about a 5 year old lab mix who had been vomiting frequently. This included both food and bile at various times. One or the other is an easier thing to narrow down the cause on, but a dog vomiting a combination is a bit harder to figure out

Several weeks ago she had switched to our Lamb & Rice formula. The Lamb & Rice I rep for is considered a "Limited Ingredient Diet" (LID) formula.

How does this compare to other Lamb & Rice formulas? Well simply turning over the bag and looking at labels can tell the whole story.

If your buying a Lamb & Rice formula because you're trying to avoid a certain protein like chicken, for example, many Lamb and rice formulas will also show the inclusion of poultry fat. So if your buying lamb and rice because your trying to avoid chicken, such a formula would not work and the label shows us that it's not a TRUE Lamb & Rice formula.

Choosing an "LID" Lamb & Rice formula ensures that you're getting a true Lamb & Rice formula. This means a single source protein and a single source carbohydrate. Limit Ingredient....get it?

Such was this case. The owner of this 5 year old Lab mix said that her dog continued to vomit while on other Lamb & Rice formulas but had stopped once she tried our LID Lamb & Rice formula.

That was the key and leads me to believe that she may be dealing with either a chicken sensitivity or a poultry sensitivity with her lab.

I would also put money on the idea that this dog had been on a chicken based diet for most of it's 5 years and the dogs system was saying "no more chicken...please no more chicken!!".

The vomiting was simply this dogs system rejecting chicken.

I hear a lot of talk about going grain-free and how grains can be allergens. While I agree with that, grains are not the only allergens out there. Just so you know.

This owner was very relieved to have found a formula that's working and her dog has not vomited for several weeks now.

Great!!! But hold on...

One thing I always mention to owners that find a LID formula working for them is not to claim victory too soon.

Why would I say that?

I cannot tell you how many times I've met a dog owner in a panic because Fido has stopped eating his food. No big emergency folks. More often then not, the dog has simply lost interest in their food. After all, the poor thing has been getting Lamb every day for weeks, months or maybe years on end. I would lose interest too.

That's why I warn people about painting themselves into the LID formula corner. Just because you've found a food that works, like an LID formula, keep working with your dog and slowly introducing things back into it's diet until you see the conditions return or other problems.

When you do this, you may be well on your way to finding the source allergen(s).

I feel bad for pet owners that find themselves wandering the food aisles trying to find a food they think their dog will like. They may find one, but if they've not done any feeding trials on their own to determine the allergen, they are going to....well, end up chasing their tail.

But Once you've gone to an LID formula and begun re-introducing food items until you see the previous conditions return, you will build your knowledge of what ingredients YOUR dog needs to avoid.

It may not be a nice thing to do to Fido and seeing previous conditions return might not sound like much fun, but at least this time you will be doing it in a controlled environment and by knowing things your dog needs to avoid will also allow you to offer your dog a broader, more interesting diet.

An LID formula can be a great tool but its not the end of the game. It's a starting point where you can begin learning more about your very special friend.

I Love the Pet Industry. Do You Have an Idea for a Pet Business?

2009-07-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

I feel more than fortunate to work in an industry I love. To be around dogs and the people who love them.

Several times a week I have people I meet in the stores or a shows that I attend "How do I get into the pet industry? It must be so fun to work around dogs and do what you do".

Well...They're right. It is pretty great.

So if you have an idea or desire to be a part of this fun industry, do it! I think that this is the time, right now, to re-invent yourself. Perhaps you've lost your job/career to a bad economy like so many others and your looking for a new path.

One this I've heard over and over from various success coaches and speakers....a key to success is to DO SOMETHING YOUR PASSIONATE ABOUT.

Do you have a passion for dogs? Think about that.

I'm always meeting bright entrepreneurs that have had a simple but great idea and are building a business out of it. I think the cool thing about working in an industry you love is there really isn't many bad days.

So here is a resource to get you started. I found this blog the other day as I was doing some relationship building. I like the blog and it can be a great resource to for ideas and things to think about as you explore the pet industry or a pet related business.

Go to www.workingwithpets.com

It's operated by Danielle. If you speak or email with her, let her know that Dale from www.NaturalK9.info sent you.

Danielle offers a 5 part e-course for visitors that subscribe to her blog. She sends out some great information in her updates. Go check it out.

When a Food Change Does Not Solve the Problem

2009-07-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

For a number of years now I've had the great fortune to be a Rep for a high end commercial pet food. It's been know for being one of the first commercial food companies that offered grain free choices for pet owners.

When it comes to grain, not all a allergens. Some provide great "slow-burn" carbohydrates. However, many times the commonly found grains in most commercial pet foods can become an allergen.

When a pet owner is facing issues like poor coat quality, sensitive skin, ear infections or habitual licking and chewing on a dogs paws or near the base of the tail, finding a limited ingredient diet can go a long way in trying to figure out what the cause may be.

This is when going to a "grain-free" or even a limited ingredient diet can be helpful. Making these choices available to pet owners and being able to assist them has been and is great fun and very rewarding when I run into the owners at a later time and hear the positive results.

But, a change in food is not always the solution. Food selection can have a huge impact but some skin and coat issues go beyond what a food choice can address.

Seasonal and environmental sensitivities are such a case.

Up until recently Ive been unable to recommend a possible solution to seasonal discomfort or environmental conditions where a good topical remedy could be used.

While some topical products exist, I've always been uncomfortable with these options simply because I'm not a fan of introducing any more chemicals into our homes or lives. There simply was not a holistic option that I could point out. My only recommendation was to increase the Omega 3 in a dogs diet.

Well I recently found something that I can and will recommend to people that are looking for a good natural topical.

A young company called Pawsies is bringing a holistic product called K-9 KlearUp to better retailers.

In fact, I was so impressed with the product that I've added it to the product lines I Rep for. I'm very happy to be able to introduce this simple yet effective product to my customers and my professional contacts in the pet care industry.

K-9 KlearUp is based on 3 simple but effective ingredients. One being from the Tepezcohuite (pronounced 'Tep-Ez-Co-Heety') and it's a tree found in the former Mayan empire (present day central America). The people there used it for over 1,000 years to treat skin lesions of every kind.

However, it was only "discovered" by modern medical professionals on November 19, 1984 after a horrific series of gas explosions in Mexico City injured over 7,000 people. With little time and few resources, the Mexican Red Cross resorted to this traditional remedy to alleviate and treat the victims' burns.

Since then, Tepezcohuite's natural healing power has been proven by numerous medical institutions in Mexico, Canada, the US and Europe. Most notable among these are the Cruz Azul Hospital in Oaxaca, Mexico and the Biogir Lab in Paris, France.

K9 KlearUp™ is a naturally antibacterial, antiviral, anti fungal, and antiseptic balm that helps with 17 of the most common coat, pad and skin problems that many dogs and their people can experience.

Hot Spots, Flea Bites, Mosquito Bites, Spider Bites, Eczema, Skin Rashes, Chronic Scratching, A Dull Coat, Dry, Itchy, Flaky Skin, Scabbing, Split Pads, Acne or Burns.

I will be posting more about this product. In the meantime, feel free to contact me. This is a new product and chances are that it is not yet available in your local area.

Email me: dale at pawsies.com
or you can call me toll free number (866) 510-2747 ext. 716

A Safe Alternative for Flea Medicine with Holistic Flea and Tick Controls

2009-06-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

My original intention for this blog was to explore and share information about finding good pet foods and knowing what you're getting and giving your pet. However, this post does talk about a more holistic flea and tick contol and remedy for your dog or cat. It looks at

A safe alternative for flea medicine

A more natural cure for fleas

So, are chemical flea and tick remedies the way to go? Are flea and tick collars safe for dogs? Are they the only effective options or is there a safe alternative for flea medicine and is a more holistic flea and tick contol an option?

So, if you will allow me to stray from my usual talk about natural and safe pet foods for just a post or two, I think this is a very important subject when it comes to your pets health and happieness. Because with the summer months comes new considerations when it comes to your pets health. That's right! It's flea and tick season again.

Now I don't think I'm going to far when I say that nobody likes fleas or ticks on themself, in their homes or on their pets. I'm sure your pet would agree.

So....

flea season is just about here & now the ASPCA is saying the spot on flea & tick treatments we all use are dangerous..

..talk about bad news and bad timing!

Good news is Andrew Lewis, author of a number of dog books is letting anyone who wants a copy to snap up his brand new product called..

A Holistic Vet Guide: How to Quickly & Effectively Cure Your Dog's Flea Problems WITHOUT Using Dangerous Chemicals

and right now you can grab this fantasitic resource for just $7 when it retails for $67! That's a pretty sweet deal and your pet will thank you for it.

It's not surprising to see Andrew come out with this product so soon because his company came out with a book warning against commercial dog food about 6 months before the dog food crisis in 2007.. Here it is.

..he seems to always be ahead of the curve and I wanted you to get this information as soon as I got wind of it today in my email.

So I recommend you take a look, at $7 and with the news recently about these flea treatments, its a no-brainer. You need the link again? Here it is.

I hope this will be a good resource for you and help you to control fleas and ticks in the months again without exposing you, your family and your best friend to harsh and dangerous chemicals.

What a Pet Food Label Can Tell You

2009-05-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

What's Really Going into Doggie's Dish?

The AAFCO sets the standards for pet food safety and nutrition, and the testing done by the AAFCO is used to determine whether or not specific ingredients are acceptable as pet foods. But the AAFCO will rate both low and high quality ingredients as being nutritionally adequate, because there is a demand for pet food in all price ranges. So you need to learn how to read past the AAFCO approval statement on your dog food labels if you want to know what Buster is really consuming.

Reading a Dog Food Label

The label tells us many important facts and figures that may otherwise dissuade or persuade us from purchasing the food. In short, it is important to read the labels. To actually read that label, and not to just give it a cursory glance, we will have to first know a little something about what can be found there and what it means.

The first thing most of us notice on any label is the product name. The product name may also contain primary ingredient names such as “Beef Dog Chow”, or what kind of dog the food is intended for, such as “Puppies, Adult, Lactating”, etc.

If, in the product name, an ingredient is listed, say for example that “Beef Dog Chow”, that beef must be at least 95% of the total weight if there is no water required for processing, and at least 70% when water is included. So, for dry kibble, 95% of that weight needs to contain beef.

When the title contains “dinner, formula, nuggets,” and other similar words, the ingredient named must be at least 25% of the weight. So in a product named Lamb Dinner, 25% of the total weight for the product must be lamb.

But, if only ¼ of that entire product needs to consist of lamb, the lamb may not (and probably is not!) the main ingredient. Ingredients must be listed in a descending order of weight. So, even though the bag says Lamb Dinner, the lamb may be fourth in order.

Example: Lamb Dinner Ingredients: Corn, meat and bone meal, wheat, lamb.

In that Lamb Dinner, the main ingredients are really the corn and meat and bone meal. Not desirable for a healthy meal. On the other hand if the ingredients listed were
Premium Lamb Dinner Ingredients: Lamb, ground rice, ground yellow corn…

This presents a more desirable meal and one that your dog can actually consume and digest properly.

When it comes to the words “flavored” or “flavor” such as Lamb Flavored Nuggets, no exact percentage of the named ingredient, the lamb, needs to be present, but enough of that ingredient needs to present as to be detectable.

Often times, the main ingredients will not be present in the title. In such a case, these foods often include items such as: ground yellow corn, meat byproducts, tallow, and other items that are not particularly digestible for your pet. The actual named ingredient will probably be down the list and make up only a very small part of the product.

Besides naming an ingredient with the product name, other phrases and adjectives are used.
Premium Dog Food, or X Premium and other like titles are making a justified boast, as these products complied with the nutritional standards for a complete and balanced dog food. This is definitely something to take into consideration when shopping.

Natural Dog Food means that there are no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors.
If a product has given the calorie content on the bag, “Premium Beef Dinner: now with lower calorie content,” this is done so voluntarily as a service to the consumer. Because the calorie content of pet foods does not have to be displayed in their labels, however, here's a formula to help you make sure Buster is not eating too much:

Multiply the carbohydrate by 4.2kcal (kilocalories) per gram, the protein by 5.65, and then the fat by 9.4 kcal per gram. If you need to convert the kilocalories to kilojoules (another unit of measurement for energy) simply multiply the total by 4.184. Of course, rounding to the nearest ten might be helpful, as long as you keep in mind that it’s an approximation erring on the low side.

Where's the Fat?

A good way to find the higher quality dog foods by reading the ingredient list is to search for that first source of fat. Everything that is listed before that fat source, and including it, is the main part of the food. Everything else is generally used for flavor, preservatives, vitamins, and minerals.

For example:

Food A:Ground yellow corn, meat meal, chicken fat, ground wheat, chicken byproduct meal, dried beet pulp …

Food B: Turkey, chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, ground white rice, chicken fat, apples, carrots, sunflower oil…

The importance of finding the source of fat and where it is listed is so you can find ingredients that may or may not be harmful to your pet, such as beet pulp or corn gluten meal.

Learning to read the labels on dog food is the single most important thing you can do if you intend to feed your pet a commercial diet. Buster may be the smartest dog who ever wore a collar, but he can’t read, and he needs to rely on you to keep him healthy.

If what's in that can or bag doesn't sound like something you'd want to eat, it's probably not something your dog would eat if there were an alternative. So take the time to learn the language of labels!

Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling "Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition"

Visit this link for Sharda's Special Free Dog Food Report.

Dog Food Secrets

2009-05-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

While I'm out talking to pet owners, I meet several people that either use the basic hamburger and rice recipe as their solution for a "homemade" dog food.

In my opinion, this is a fine standard for a bland recipe if your dog is dealing with an upset or unsettled stomach. Maybe virus related or just not feeling well.

I would say, however, this is not the best option for long term feeding. Simply put, your dog will not be getting the nutritional variety and value in simple hamburger and rice to keep it healthy over the long run.

Dog Food Secrets is a very well researched book that's not only packed with valuable information and knowledge, but it's also packed with well researched recipes.

Dog Food SECRETS is your survival-guide to a healthier, happier dog that lives up to 8.3 years longer than dogs whose owners feed them commercial dog food and don't follow the comprehensive steps I outline for you.

Yes, it's been documented that dogs fed exclusively on specific, well-balanced, calorie-controlled, home-made recipes exactly like those found in this book AND follow the same principles of nutrition & calorie control I teach you, live up to 8.3 years longer.

Amazingly, that's like you living for an extra 57-years after statistics predict you should be dead!
Also included with Dog Food Secrets, you will find several bonus materials. CLICK HERE to visit Dog Food Secrets, get their free report and take a look at the free bonuses.

Understanding the Food Allergies.

2009-05-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

I often ask owners if they see conditions or behaviors from their dog like constand chewing on their paws, itching, hot spots, ear infections or build-up. If they do, they cold be looking at some basic food allergies.

Dog Food Allergies: Don't Blame That Itching on Fleas

As a devoted dog owner, you're probably on the lookout for even the smallest sign that your pet's life is not as comfortable as you can possibly make it. So when doggie starts scratching at his belly or biting at his back, you may immediately take him or her to the vet for a flea dip.

You'll also and use flea bombs all over the house in and attempt to have a flea-free environment for doggie's return.

But what if you've done all of that, and within fifteen minutes of returning home, the scratching and biting resume?

If your dog shows signs of allergies, but you are quite certain it is not from inhalants in the environment, fleas in his coat or other health problems, your dog could suffer from food allergies.
If, for example, your dog has been eating one particular food or a favorite treat for several months or even years, he or she might have developed an allergy to one of the ingredients in that food.

Your dog can go for months or even years eating the same food with no problem, but over time his or her immune system will be accumulating enough antibodies to finally result in an allergic reaction. If your dog has a bad reaction to a food the first time he or she eats it, this is a food intolerance caused by a toxin in the food (and there are, unfortunately, more of them than you’d like to think) but it’s not an allergic reaction.

While it’s natural to think that if your dog has a food allergy, he or she will exhibit indigestion like nausea or diarrhea, almost all canine food allergies cause severely itching skin, and dogs with food allergies very often chew incessantly at their legs and paws. If your dog has intestinal distress after a meal, you are almost certainly looking at food intolerance and not an allergy.

The difficulty in diagnosing food allergies in dogs is that most dogs who are allergic will suffer from more than one allergy at a time. So even if you were to attempt to diagnose your dog’s food allergy by changing his or her diet, and your dog began experiencing the itching skin of a flea allergy, you might mistakenly think the change of diet was ineffective in treating the food allergy.

Finding the Source of the Allergy

The only way to determine the change in diet has been effective is to eliminate all other possible causes for your dog’s symptoms, and put your pet on what is known as an “elimination trial “ diet. You will feed your dog a diet which consists of a single protein and a single carbohydrate which you have never fed before, and water, for between two and three months. Because a food allergy takes months or years to develop, your dog will not be allergic to the new foods and should not become allergic to them in that amount of time.

Your vet may either recommend a commercial food which will suit the purposes of your elimination trial diet, or may suggest that you prepare your dog’s food at home. While your dog is on the elimination diet, you’ll have to be disciplined enough to avoid feeding treats or table scraps, and take away the chew toys. If there are other dogs around, keep your pet away from their droppings. Some dogs will nibble on other dogs’ waste, and even that will be enough to invalidate your elimination trial diet.

If your dog’s symptoms are seriously improved after two or three months on the elimination trial diet, you’ll know that a food allergy was causing them. If they haven’t improved, or have worsened, you’ll have to look elsewhere for their cause, but you can let your pet return to the old way of eating

One precaution: if you decide to make your dog’s elimination trial diet yourself, it won’t be fortified with the essential vitamins, trace minerals, and fatty acids necessary to maintain your pet’s health. So you’ll have to get supplements and add them to the food before feeding your pet.

Nothing is as unpleasant to you, a loving dog wonder as watching your cherished companion suffer needlessly. If your dog is constantly biting and itching, and you are reasonable certain that fleas are not responsible, talk to your vet about what you can do to determine if a food allergy is the culprit!

Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling "Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition".

Visit the link below now for Sharda's Special Free Dog Food Report.

Bonus 23 Dog Treat Recipes

2009-05-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

As a special bonus to visitors of my blog, when you order Dog Food Secrets, you will also receive 23 Healthy & Delicious Doggy Treat Recipes.

Now I cannot give you testimony if I find them to be "delicious" myself. But what I can tell you is that by taking the time to create you own treats, you can feel confident that you are giving your best friend a better quality treat compared to so many of the "treats" I find on the shelves of your local grocery store or pet food store.

As I've mentioned before, my week is spent talking and sharing with pet owners about food options and treat options for their dog. One thing I always mention is that when it comes to treats, simple options like an easy homemade treat is one of the best options you can choose. Not to mention that is can be the most cost effiective as well.

I like suggesting simple and quick treats like apple slices, carrots and raw sweet potatoe slices. Adding you own homemade treats from the 23 recipes in this free gift are another great option.

So Grab Dog Food Secrets and get this free bonus e-book.

Are you Paying For Fillers to Feed Fido?

2009-05-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Is Your Dog Filling Up on Fillers?

You can never underestimate the importance of understanding the AAFCO pet nutrition standards and of knowing how to read dog food labeling when choosing a commercial diet for your pet. The AAFCO will give its approval to both low and high quality ingredients, and unless you know exactly what's in the commercial pet food your dog is getting, you might think everything is just fine.

But there have been problems with many of the lower quality dog foods and the ingredients that are used that have been brought to light in the early part of 2007. Speaking of problems with dog food will of course trigger the memory of the most recent devastating loss of canine and feline lives due to contaminated food.

Various dog food recall reports indicated the numbers of affected cats and dogs hit the 39,000 mark across the country. Animals became extremely sick or died due to the contamination of commercial pet foods with an industrial chemical – melamine, used to make plastics and fertilizers. This chemical was found in more than 100 brands of pet food that were recalled in Canada and the USA starting in mid-March.

The major culprit was identified as rice protein concentrate (otherwise called rice gluten), NOT brown rice. Then in June, concerns were raised about reports of acetaminophen (Tylenol) being found in dog and cat food, followed by salmonella poisoning in others.

The second chemical also found with the melamine was cyanuric acid - deadly when combined. Both were found in the cat and dog food recall in March 2007. Cyanuric acid is commonly used to slow the breakdown of chlorine in swimming pools and hot tubs. It has NO place in pet food!

It was speculated then (and some still hold the same opinion now) that those two chemicals were in dog food because it was a sneaky and unethical way to increase the reported nitrogen content. But the rice gluten contaminate with the melamine was simply what is known as a "filler".

The dog food recall of those contaminated pet foods has done nothing to stop the use of fillers in lower grade commercial dog foods. Many pet food manufacturers keep their costs down by loading then with bulk which has absolutely no nutritional value. Your pet's food could one or more of a number of fillers, including:

Cereal by-products

Cottonseed hulls

Citrus pulp
Peanut hulls

Weeds

Straw

Corn and corncobs

Feathers

These fillers are unfortunately used in the place of quality fiber, and can irritate the walls of your pet's intestines. Yet as food prices continue to rise, the use of fillers will undoubtedly continue so that dog food manufacturers can keep their costs down.

Even the meat meals which you might think are protein sources in your pet's food, if they are not of good enough quality, are nothing more than fillers. All the plant materials used as fillers carry a risk of toxic herbicide and pesticide contamination, and soy is one of the top cited allergens by veterinarians, which causes severe allergic reactions. Reactions can include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, hives, diarrhea, facial swelling, shortness of breath, swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, fainting, and anaphylactic shock.

Higher end brands of dog food, are products both devoid of any byproducts, and containing the healthiest choice of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

These nutrients are best when provided with a recognizable name and not some chemical number. Avoid obscure listings like potato product, rice or peanut hulls, and grape pomace. Look for something more recognizable than words that give you only a vague notion of what you are feeding your dog.

Diligence is required in avoiding these foods as many of them are masked with euphemisms and phrases such as “Moist, chewy” or “contains vegetables,” among many more.

Pet food manufacturers pay people good salaries to come up with the words which will entice you to buy their products. You need to know how to read the ingredients behind the descriptions, and decide if they really belong in the dish of your best pal. Don’t let your dog fill up on fillers!

Sharda Baker has published several dog ebook and audios, including the internet best selling "Complete Guide to Your Dog's Nutrition".

Visit this link now for Sharda's Special Free Dog Food Report.