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Humane Society finds dog fur used to trim coats
KARE, MN -
2 hours ago
Nordstrom called the 62 consumers who
had purchased vests with dog fur trim to give them the
opportunity to return the vests "because we would never want
to ...
Make dog owners accountable - medic
Northamptonshire
Evening Telegraph, UK - 7 hours ago
Writing in the British Medical Journal
(BMJ), paediatrician Rachel Besser called for "mandatory
classes for expectant dog owners to teach them about the ...
Experts warn climbers against bringing dogs
Robertson County
Times, TN - 11 hours ago
"Any sport that requires safety gear,
like harnesses, crampons, ice axes and rope, is probably not
an appropriate place for a pet dog to be," and could ...
Dog's life can cost an arm and a hind leg
WZZM, MI -
2 hours ago
The expense of owning a dog can be
startling if you add up everything you may have to buy - from
squeaky toys to a $2000 Sweet 16 party for 60 of your ...
The dog that turned into a prince
Stuff.co.nz, New
Zealand - 6 hours ago
SAYING IT WITH FLOWERS: Paddy the dog
has come a long way _ from unknown Upper Hutt terrier-cross to
Hollywood movie star. Sure, Paddy has bad breath, ...
Woof! City May Limit How Long Dog Can Bark
WCBS-TV New
York, NY - 19 minutes ago
Clifton has issued 3756 dog licenses
this year. Summonses are rare, because the person who
complained must go to court to sign a complaint.
Guide dog school is a labor of puppy love
Tampa Bay's
10, FL - 3 hours ago
It's one of only ten guide dog schools
in the country. Pat lost her vision in 1992. She says it felt
like her life was over until she got her first guide ...
Woman rescuing dog falls into lake
WHOI, IL -
1 hour ago
DUNLAP (AP) -- A central Illinois woman
who was trying to save her dog from a frigid lake fell into
the icy waters herself. Authorities say the Dunlap woman ...
Now for this
week's tips and advice
Vitamin and mineral supplements
Vitamin and mineral supplements are a very important component
in any dog’s feeding. If there is a balance in the vitamin and
mineral supplements, then the animal will have a healthy life
and hence, his resistance to disease is not compromised in any
way and he can fight off all the common illnesses quite
easily, Justas we fight off colds and flu easily.
Good quality modern dog food, if you read the labels, is full
of such vitamins and minerals. They have been balanced to make
sure that they get what they need in the correct amounts so
the hard work is done for you. These food also make sure that
the supplement is provided in a form in which the dogs body
can use it.
Vitamins are absorbed by the body differently, just as they
are in humans. In general A, D, E, and K vitamins are the
fat-soluble vitamins and others are water-soluble vitamins.
Vitamins like thiamine, pyridoxine and cyanocobalamin are
important for the functions of nervous system. Deficiency of
vitamin A can lead to night blindness and skin lesions and
deficiency of vitamin D leads to the softening and weakening
of the bones. Similarly, too much of any one vitamin can also
cause problems so never give them more than the recommended
dosage. So dog food provide the appropriate supplements in a
way that the dog gets the best from them.
I could go on for ages about all the different vitamins they
need and why they need them but that gets too complicated for
a newsletter so I’ll just pick out a few points for you.
All dogs benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements. They
may not look as if they need it when they are young, but like
humans, they need prolonged intake of the supplement if its to
be there when they need it. So feeding them a balanced diet
that includes the vitamins and minerals they need from when
they are young will help them live to a good old age in good
health. Supplements like cod live roil will benefit the dogs
cost and bones through out his life so that something that you
can feed them from day one knowing that it will be doing them
good straight off. All you have to do is make sure that they
are fed the correct amount of food at each stage of their
development and this should ensure that they are always
getting the correct supply of vitamins – although I still
always add a separate dose of cod liver oil (and most dogs
love it on their food because it smells fishy and believe it
or not most dogs adore fish….go figure!).
As they get older an increased intake of certain vitamins may
be beneficial for them, and your vet may recommend this. My
dog has arthritis in his back legs and I also feed him
Glucosamine – I really do think that it helps him. But you
should always consult a professional in canine care before you
give them anything. I personally have a vet that practices
homeopathy so I can have access to non-chemical, natural
remedies for my dog and it was he who recommended the
Glucosamine. If you would like to assist your dogs health and
wellbeing without the use of chemicals, such practitioners are
a very useful source of advice and care.
Minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, iron,
copper etc. are given more emphasis in addition to sodium and
potassium. Zinc is related to skin health and potassium is
related to the muscle health and calcium with phosphorus is
related to the bone health. Since we can no longer rely on
mineral content from the soil in which dog meal ingredients
are grown to be a reliable source of many minerals that’s why
they are now included in manufactured feeds. The animal food
industry has long recognised the need to supplement animal
diets and most quality dog foods are no different – they will
have a good, rounded supply of vitamins and minerals included.
There is one word of caution I have though for those of you
who are feeding your dog meat and vegetables, or scraps from
your plate rather than a manufactured dog food. I would be the
last person to criticise this, especially if you have always
done it and your pets have been fine, but I would like to ask
you to consider whether your dog is getting the level of
vitamins and minerals he needs. If you like to feed your dog
in this way then I would strongly encourage you to also feed
him a specially formulated general vitamin and mineral
supplement plus some cod liver oil. Human food may be great
for us but there are a lot of essential nutrients that it
won’t provide for your dog.
