E-Vet Clinic - Dog Health Care

OK I have been asked to find more appropriate holistic in nature advertisers and products to promote for this website, as I have had some complaints about some of the advertisers. Well I will tell you, it has been very difficult to find.

However I have found one today that many of you that do not feed raw need to read. I feed my dogs raw, as well as kibble, because it is healthier for them. I am not a straight raw feeder mostly for convenience and some because I want the best of both worlds. It is very healthy to feed raw because it provides my dogs with missing micronutrients and other more natural vitamins and minerals that are cooked out and processed out of dry dog food known as kibble. However kibble provides them with a complete balanced diet that I can be assured is balanced. So what I do is feed raw in the morning and feed kibble at night. I do have very particular choices about kibble as well, which I have discussed on this site before. More protein, less carbs, no grain.

Well if you want more information about feeding raw there are many sites to turn to on the web but I have found a book that will explain all the concepts very well.

Real Dogs Don’t Eat Kibble is a book written by Sandra Bailey. A Papillon lover that has shown her dogs for over 20 years. In that time, she has learned a lot about their health and care. Many people turn to searching for alternatives and holistics due to a tragedy and Sandra is no different. After losing one of her Papillon’s at the early age of 9, she researched and found that diet is the way to improve your dogs health, especially the immune system. So check out by reading —> Real Dogs Don’t Eat Kibble

OK not really Yammy but Sweet Potato treats that are healthy for your dog and are yummy!

I have always been a fan of sweet potato treats you can buy them packaged and give them to your dog. They contain a lot of vitamins and fiber and are overall healthy but do taste good. Most dogs just scarf them up readily. Because of the fiber content they are not as fattening as other treats, so if you have an overweight dog sweet potatos are a treat you can try.

And instead of buying the packaged type why not try making treats yourself from real sweet potatos…Shepherd’s Haven Sanctuary has a few good recipes you can try. Check out Sweet Treats with Sweet Potatoes for a variety of dog treats that can be made from a healthy food source sweet potatos.

Keep your dog healthy!

What do you do when your dog is fat, obese or just slightly overweight? Well, just like with us, if a dog eats too much and does not get enough exercise they are going to gain weight. It is very important to take care of your dog if he develops a weight problem. Just as with us, being overweight can cause a whole mess of problems with a dog. The excess weight a dog has causes extra pressure on their joints and muscles which in turn may develop into arthritis. The extra weight can be precursors to other diseases such as diabetes. However, before you rush out to buy the newest diet dog food, stop and look at your dogs feeding habits.

While being overweight can be the symptom of other illness, chances are your dog is just being overfed. It is still a good idea to take him to the vet just to make sure. Like Tonti here…

He is a beautiful Rottweiler that happens to be overweight; however his comes from a hormonal disease called Cushings disease. Since his diagnosis he has dropped weight and continues to do so. I will update you on his progress in future posts. Most of the time though it is not a disease that is causing your dogs overweight problem, it is the fact that the dog is just eating too much and not exercising enough…sound familiar, sounds like the same problem that humans have, especially American humans.

Stay away from diet dog food. They are filled with fillers which are how they keep the fat and protein levels lower than in regular dog food. Plus these formulas can do more damage than good. You really are better off cutting down on the amount you feed your dog. You know portion control. If you are feeding your dog 3 cups of dry a day cut back to 2 cups if that is not enough cut back to 1.5 cups. To help stave off the cravings and your dogs whinning about not being fed as much, break the feeding into multiple times per day, but still maintain the same amount total for the day. So if you are feeding 2 cups a day break it down into 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night.

I have also seen some miraculous changes in a dogs weight by changing them over to a raw diet. Many obese dogs that have tried and tried with those filler based “diet” food have had no change and I have had them switch over to the raw diet and the weight just melts off. My guess is that the raw diet gives the dog more energy and makes them feel better which in turn makes them more active. The calories in a raw diet are not garbage calories but very useable and the dog loses weight. It is sort of like going from eating fast food everyday to starting to eat healthy, your metabolism speeds up, you feel more energetic and you start to lose weight. The same with your dog.

Next, make sure you exercise your dog. This is easier with some breeds than it is with others, but it is still necessary to improve your dogs health and make them lose weight. Take your dog for walks, if you have a fenced in yard, make sure you are out there with him tossing a ball around or at least playing with him. Anything to get them moving.

The basics for what to do when your dog is overweight are to feed your dog less and exercise him more. Portion control and exercise will keep your dog fit and trim instead of overweight!

Purina is good for some things, including dog obesity. OK now this is not a bash on Purina they do the best they are doing with their viewpoint of how to make dog food and their dog food products are not as bad as others on the market. I am just of the opinion that there are much better products out there; including just making your own, following a proper recipe so your dog does not miss out on necessary nutrients.

There is one thing that Purina does accel in over almost all the other dog food companies and that is conducting research. Here is a list of studies done by Purina (from their website) on overweight dogs. Purina Search: overweight study dog

I would like to bring your attention to the top two stories in this list - Improving Mobility in Arthritic Dogs and More Healthy Years The first study the results determined that overweight dogs that had been diagnosed with arthritis experienced improvement in movement after returning to an ideal body weight and body condition. Imagine that no supplements and no drugs, just loss of weight (which is free), and an improvement in the way an arthritic dog moves. Pretty much common sense, but it is great to see it proven in a study.

Now the next study is even more important the results showing that dogs live an extra 2 years just by being fed less! Now obviously here we do not want to starve your dog but it definitely shows that being in optimal weight and condition improves the life span of your dog.

Both of these studies suggest that keeping your dog at an optimal weight and body condition improves the health and longevity of your dog. What does this mean for you as an owner? What can you expect? How about being able to jump into a car or truck, easier ability in walking up and down stairs, no more or at least decreased morning stiffness, being able to take longer walks, living over 10 years of age for a large dog, over 12 years for a medium dog, and over 15 years for a small dog. I would say these are definitely the selfish human benefits of having your dog at an ideal weight. I’d say lets be a little selfish here because these benefits also have great benefits for the health of your dog.