There are many contributors that lower the quality of dog food, such as by-products, fillers, non-specific meat sources and preservatives, but what are they?  Many people know that these ingredients are bad for your dog, but we’ll explain what they are, and why they’re bad for your dog’s health.  Follow these simple dog care tips, and your dog will easily live a longer happier life.

Fillers

Fillers are simply cheap tasteless ingredients that are put into most commercial dog foods as a replacement of actual nutrition and quality.  Fillers can be many things, such as crushed peanut shells, straw, corn, crushed corn cobs, weeds, or even feathers. Fillers do not ‘fill’ in for anything but size.  Not only do they have no real purpose besides making the quantity of food larger, but they can additionally harm your dog.  Fillers can cause issues with a dogs digestive process, allergies, and even cause severe medical problems in puppies and older dogs.

By-Products

By-products are (in summary) animal parts that should not be eaten.  Meat by-products despite their name, do not contain actual meat, but rather animal parts such as leftover animals heads, feet, internal organs, intestines and other carcass parts that are not healthy for dogs.  There are four D’s in the manufacturing business, which are Dead, diseased, disabled and dying, which are all okay by them to put into our dogs food, and it’s gross.

Un-Specified Meat

Whenever you look at the nutrition ingredients and it has ‘meat’ listed as protein, stay away from that food.  When there is no specification to the type of meat being put into the food,it means that there are many things that could be considered as meat to the manufacturers and they don’t want to tell you what types of ‘meat’ there is because it’s unhealthy.  This ‘meat’ can include feet, skin, hair, joints, and even animals that have died from diseases.  All of these materials are ground together and labeled as ‘meat’ on their products, because they aren’t proud enough of their food to tell you whats really in it.

Preservatives

Preservatives are simply a substance that extend the shelf life of a product.  This means that it keeps the food from spoiling for a longer time than usual in order to keep to food fresh.  There is a downside to the preservatives used in all food, but specifically in dog food, the ingredients can cause cancer.

Dog care is important to us at our Florida dog training center, so if you want to learn more, give us a call or ask a few of your local dog trainers.  Love your dog!

Many people love tiny dogs, and Teacup puppies has become very popular in dog adoption.  Not only are these adorable puppies seen as a best friend, but additionally  a fashion trend all over the world. But as we all know, to every good thing comes something bad, so this is written as a warning.  No matter how insanely adorable these puppies may be, there are a few dog adoption tips you may want to read about before getting them.

‘Teacup’ Title and Breeding
Dogs come in many breeds; hounds, mutts, toy’s, and more.  If you have ever watched a dog show, you would notice that there is no competition in the teacup category.  This is because the ‘teacup’ title does not qualify a different type of dog, but rather refers to the size of a dog.  These dogs generally weigh from four to seven pounds, and are extremely fragile due to their size.  Teacups are easily injured, if you even accidentally step on them, it could be fatal simply because of their size. It is never safe to breed a dog under five pounds, but these breeders are playing with genetics, and the faults in these puppies are proof of their wrongdoing.

Fragility and Diseases

These puppies (as mentioned before) are uncommonly fragile due to their small size and unconventional breeding.  ‘Teacup’ puppies often encounter respiratory problems, and often do not live past a few years.  many other diseases and issues that are often contracted in these small dogs include hypoglycemia, cardiac problems, collapsing trachea, luxating patellas, Leggs Calves Perthes disease, seizures, blindness and digestive problems.

The Undertaking

We are not trying to decrease the adoption of small puppies, but we are merely trying to warn you of the drawbacks that are commonly included in these small dogs, and what it could mean for your future.  These dogs become a huge responsibility despite their size, and may take a lot of time and money to keep.  With this in mind, remember that when it comes to dog care, a Teacup may not be the best idea if you want an easy dog.

Often times we need to give our dogs pills for whatever reason it may be, and it is important to go about it the right way.  Making dogs swallow pills can be hard, but it is essential for the health of your dog, and is a big contributor to dog care.  Dogs are like little kids, and will most likely have issues swallowing pills without being tricked, so here are a few dog owner tips for getting your dog to take their medication!

Food

Putting your dogs pill in their kibble will often work, but with my friends dog who eats like a monster, the Labrador somehow manages to eat all of the food within a minute and still avoid the pill.  If you have a dog who somehow never eats the pill within their food, then you might have to be a little sneakier…

Roll it up!

Rolling up a piece of cheese or lunch meat around a pill is a good way to get your dog wanting to take the pill.  They take one look at your ‘human food’ and the attraction is usually strong enough to make them eat the food along with the pill without difficulty.  However, be cautious, because some peoples dogs see them putting the medication inside the mushy food and refuse to eat it.  If your dog is that smart, you might need to wrap up the pill in private.

Tips

If your dog still will not swallow, here are a few quick easy ways to get the medicine in their tummies! If you put the pill in their mouths and gently stroke their throat while holding their mouth shut, it stimulates the swallowing reflex forcing them to swallow. (What’s funny is this works on humans too)   There are also ‘pill pockets’ available at pet stores which you can stick pills in.  These pockets work on all dogs big and small, and are a great way to go for dogs who can’t swallow pills.  For additional help or information, consider calling a few dog trainers.

Love your pet!