Today’s pet food market is larger and more diverse than ever before. While this offers a large number of choices in various types of pet food, it also presents a dilemma in choosing the healthiest food for your dog. Are generic or store brands suitable for a dog? What about familiar name brands like Purina and Alpo? Are the pricier brands that advertise specially formulated ingredients (Science Diet, Eukanuba) really living up to their claims and worth the extra money? All of these are valid questions that loving dog owners deserve to have answered.
Dog Food Considerations
There are several factors to consider when choosing the right food for your dog. Different dogs have different nutritional needs at different stages in their lives. Some things to consider when selecting the food you’ll give your dog follow.
• The Dog’s Age
Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs just as human children have different needs than adult people. Senior dogs also have different requirements than younger adult dogs. Make sure that you select a food that is appropriate for your dog’s stage in life.
• The Dog’s Health
Does your dog have a specific medical condition? If so, the food you choose may need to be partially dictated by that condition. Diabetic dogs need low-glucose foods and dogs with specific allergies (yes dogs can be allergic to all sorts of things, just like people) may require certain foods as well. Your veterinarian can help you choose foods that are appropriate for a dog with a specific medical condition.
• The Dog’s Size or Body Type
Some dogs are overweight. Some dogs are underweight. Some have a natural tendency to get lots of exercise while others tend to prefer to lie around a lot. There are, of course, small, medium, and large dogs as well as the ultra-tiny “toy” dogs. All of these different types of dogs will have different requirements for the type of food they need as well as how much of it.
• Your Budget
Dog food can be expensive, there’s no doubt about it. And where dog food is concerned, the rule really is “you get what you pay for.” Low cost generics and store brands will lighten the burden on your wallet, but may not be the healthiest choice for your dog as they are made with cheap ingredients and lots of fillers. You should buy the best dog food you can on your budget to help ensure your dog’s nutrition.

Learn more about Safe & Healthy Dog Food

author:Kirsten Hawkins
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/pets_and_animals/article_82.shtml

I agree, its best to cook for your pet. I saw a segment on Martha Stewart recently about overweight pets and they said the cause is that most dry dog food contains mostly corn products and little nutrition. Then you add the recent scares with commercial pet food, you must do what is best for your pet! I was so glad when I found Dog Food Secrets on the web.

“Dog Food Secrets” is a must read for anyone who truely loves their dog. Dog Food Secrets teaches you the real dangers of commercial dog food. Thousands of dogs in the United States get sick or die every day because of the dog food they are eating. Many of these dogs die painful deaths and much earlier than expected. Despite many companies marketing, there are very few commercial dog foods which are actually healthy. Labels on dog food packages which say either “preservative-free”, “chemical-free”, or “all-natural ingredients” are not always telling the truth. Dog Food Secrets exposes much of this mis-information. Most dog food companies use preservatives in their dog food products is because they increase the shelf life of the dog food and maximizes the dog food companies profits. Many dog foods contain at least six deadly chemicals that have been banned from human foods. These chemicals have been known to cause the following health problems in humans: skin cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, spleen cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, liver dysfunction, birth defects, immune system collapse, leukemia, severe allergic reactions, blindness, hair loss, chronic diarrhea, major organ failure, and behavioral problems.

The food you choose to feed your dog directly affects his energy level and overall health. I would strongly suggest that anyone who loves their dog should stop feeding them commercial dog food unless they are 100% sure that the dog food they are buying is healthy for their dog. Dog Food Secrets not only teaches you how terrible commercial dog food can be, but they also teach you of healthy alternatives. They also give you a huge collection of healthy, well-balanced dog food recipes. Dog Food Secrets also gives you a list of healthy commercial dog foods. Basically the Dog Food Secrets course is a step-by-step survival guide which helps your dog to live a longer and healthier life.

The Dog Food Secrets package can be purchased online for as little $27.00. Also Dog Food Secrets offers an 8 week full money back guarantee, with no questions asked. The Dog Food Secrets course is great because not only does it show you all negative things that could harm your dog, but it also shows you all the positive things you can do to make your dog even healthier.

Here is a recipe for Chicken Liver Cookies for your dog:

* 2 cups Flour

* 3 tbs. Vegetable oil

* 1 cup wheat germ or cornmeal if wheat allergies are a problem

* 1 egg, lightly beaten

* 1/2 cup chicken broth

* 2 tsp. parsley

* 1 cup cooked chicken liver, chopped

Combine flour and wheat germ. In separate bowl, beat egg with oil, then add broth & parsley, mix well. Add the dry ingredients to bowl a little at a time, stirring well. Fold in chicken livers and mix well. Dough will be firm. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out 1/2″ thick and cut into shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet 1″ apart. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until firm. Store in refrigerator.

Here’s a link for anyone who really loves their dog and would like to purchase the Dog Food Secrets program:

http://kindkidz.dogsecrets.hop.clickbank.net/

While some people cannot tell the difference between cats and dogs, there are actually ways to tell them apart.

	Cats can be eaten by frogs. Unlike the more manic and fast-moving dog, sleepy-headed cats can find themselves gnawed on by a stealthy frog — particularly the Wide-mouthed Couch frog. Cat owners should be checking under their sofa seats to ensure that their favorite feline can catch a nap without fear of frog slobber. [Advertising opportunity: Does your company sell a safe and reliable frog slobber blob dauber, or kitty-sized jaws of life? Global warming will double, yes double, the need for cat-extraction technology, as well as the need to provide homes and distribution channels for these lovable and misunderstood Wide-mouth Couch frogs. Contact us!]
	Dogs are bigger than cats. While dogs are generally larger than cats, both dog and cat legs usually reach the ground — unlike those in this rare photo of the North American Ground-dwelling Dog. Similar to camels, dogs can often go for long periods of time without a meal or a fatty snack — sometimes up to half an hour! [Advertising opportunity: The market is growing for fatty snacks, preferably those suitable for the human/dog crossover market. Think "meaty-fruity-fibre". Doggy wagons (to put the dog into, not to be pulled by the dog) are also needed. No frail wagons, please! These dogs can dent pavement! Contact us!]
	Cats can see farther than dogs. Thanks to their higher-altitude perches on sofas, computer keyboards and otherwise clean kitchen counters, cats can see things farther away — at least in those moments between napping duties. While parrots were the choice of most fictional pirates, the Japanese Standing Cat — seen checking the horizon for seafaring mice — narrowly missed its chance to stand tall and proud, like a fluffy gopher. [Training opportunity: Japanese Standing Cats will soon be joining the opera tour circuit of Europe, and showing up in other fancy places, as the warm-up act and body-doubles for shy opera singers. Problem: none of the them (I mean "cats" here) seem to speak either English or European. This is a major opportunity to surge ahead in the exciting opera-focused entertainment arena. Contact us!]
	Dogs travel further and faster. Seen here in a high-speed travel holster, modern dogs use both their own legs as well as motion-assisting devices, including cars, circus ponies, and high speed mag-lev trains — basically they are happy being out and about, on their way to another snack or sniff-fest. While few dogs are able to book their own travel, they are eager to be on their way, running to the door at the first sound of words resembling “walk”, “run” or “What is wrong with this dog?” This is unlike cats, which would wear a groove into the linoleum between the food dish, litter box and sofa if their paws weren’t so absolutely dainty. [Advertising opportunity: We're looking for companies who can convince all women to carry dogs in the travel holsters we had designed for us by a previous Manufacturing opportunity. Help us!]
Photo by austinite	Cats are cleaner. Thanks to advances in water-free tubs and tuna-flavored soaps, cats around the world are swirling their fur balls down the drain. Unlike dogs, which are satisfied with sleeping on dirty welcome mats, cats know that a shiny coat, clean butt and “it’s all about me” attitude are vital social attributes for getting past the door and closer to the couch. Plus, cats taste great, both during grooming and after! [At least to cats.] [Research opportunity: The water-free tubs currently preferred by cats don't actually exist. We're looking for researchers to help us figure out what other things cats might pretend they own. Think about contacting us!]
Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos	Dogs have a lot on their minds. As this photo shows, dogs are clearly brilliant thinkers. It can take a lot of planning, insight and careful strategy to be as close to food as possible without annoying your master. While cats might become aloof and cranky when they don’t make the lecture circuit, dogs see this down-time as an opportunity to consider weighty issues, such as fat-to-fibre snack ratios, maximizing head pats, and the effects of air fresheners on both wet and dry noses. [There are no research opportunities here -- the dogs are already handling all the deep thinking.]
Yes, cats and dogs are just a bit different ! [Return to the home page of MakingMoreOfToday.com.]