Here’s an interesting site I ran across today. They allow you to create your own special pet food recipe online, and they will make it up and ship it to you. This allows you to create a pet food that is specific to your pets needs.

If you want gluten free or grain free food – no problem! Want to ensure your pet receives a certain amount of protein? They can do that. They also have trial sizes that you can order to see how your pet likes the food.

On their website they state that their food contains:

• Regional meats and produce
• Raw fruits and vegetables
• Real meat and lots of it
• Highly nutritious liver
• Low glycemic carbohydrate sources like yellow peas

It never occurred to me that this might be available but I think it is an interesting idea. The company is called Red Moon Custom Pet Food and you can check them out at http://www.redmoonpetfood.com/

Anyone tried this? Post a comment!

The dental health of our pets is something that is all too often overlooked. The truth is, proper dental care is just as important for dogs and cats as it is for humans.

One sign that your pet needs to have their teeth cleaned is bad breath. Bad breath is caused by bacteria in the gums and on the teeth. These bacteria build colonies which mix with saliva and blood cells to form plaque. When ignored, plaque can lead to disease of both the gums and teeth. It can also become mineralized and harden into tartar which can cause erosion of tissues. Not only can poor dental health cause your dog or cat to have terrible breath, but it can cause a host of health problems.

If your pet’s teeth are not cleaned and cared for regularly, it can lead to gum disease. More serious gum disease can result in tooth and bone loss. It can also cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream and can even affect some of the major organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys! You can see now how important pet dental health is to your pet’s longevity and well being!

It is important to clean your pet’s teeth regularly. You can purchase a special toothbrush from the local pet store, as well as pet teeth cleaning products. There are many different kinds of products such as chew toys, toothpaste, and pet dental rinses. I recently came across a dental spray that is supposed to aid in removing plaque and tartar called Plaque Attack although I don’t know if it is effective or not. Check with your veterinarian to find out which products they feel are most appropriate. It is also extremely important to have the teeth of your dog or cat checked yearly by a veterinarian, as well as having their teeth professionally cleaned.

I just found this today. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be available for, but it’s worth checking out. If you have never tried your dog or cat on raw food, now is your chance to see how they like it with a free sample from Wysong.

Free Sample Wysong Raw Dog or Cat Food – Facebook Fan

Wysong Custom Sample Pack – Their facebook page is offering a free sample to all their fans at the link posted above

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Do I need to supplement a raw diet?
Nutritionists still recommend supplementing any diet because the quality of food is no longer what it used to be years ago. Our land is not as fertile as it used to be. Over-farming the land has taken vital nutrients from the soil. Also, the weather elements (wind, severe rains, flooding, etc.) have taken their toll as well. As a result, today’s food supply is less nutritious. Therefore, supplementation with a good vitamin/mineral mix is recommended. Digestive enzymes and probiotics are also recommended for the first couple of weeks while your pet is becoming accustomed to his/her new raw diet.

Is it safe to feed raw to my pet?
It is very safe to feed a properly prepared diet to your pet. During their pre-domesticated years, carnivores in the wild ate the flesh of prey animals infected with parasites and viruses. They lived and prospered on a RAW diet. A raw diet provides enzymes necessary for complete, proper digestion and absorption to occur.

What about bones? My veterinarian has always told me not to feed bones to my pet.
It is fine to feed raw bones to carnivores. Raw bones provide a perfect ratio of Calcium to Phosphorus, as well as trace minerals. Supervision is always in order when your pet is enjoying a good chew on his/her bone. COOKED bones should NEVER be fed. Cooked bones can splinter and can be very dangerous to any animal.

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More and more people (including breeders, veterinarians, and other professionals) are taking a look at what we are feeding our pets. Can a commercial kibble supply the nutrients that are essential for a long and healthy life? Is there a better way to ensure that our pets are getting what they need?

There are many reasons to consider a BARF diet for our pets. One of the most important being the ingredients in most of the commercial kibbles on the market. This is not to say that some are not better than others, but were our pets really made to eat these processed, preserved concoctions that some manufacturers try to pass off as food? These foods are not put on the market to promote and nurture healthy animals, but rather they are designed to make the pet food company money, and make you (the consumer) happy. Aside from some of the shocking things you can find in some commercial pet foods (this is another article altogether), the fact that they are cooked is yet another problem. Vitamins, amino acids and natural digestive enzymes are all destroyed by heat and we are left with a lump of food that is hard to digest and contains little nutritional value.

“BARF is about feeding dogs properly. The aim of BARF is to maximize the health, longevity and reproductive capacity of dogs and by so doing, minimize the need for veterinary intervention. How do you feed a dog properly? You feed it the diet that it evolved to eat. … Artificial grain based dog foods cause innumerable health problems. They are not what your dog was programmed to eat during its long process of evolution. A biologically appropriate diet for a dog is one that consists of raw whole foods similar to those eaten by the dogs’ wild ancestors. The food fed must contain the same balance and type of ingredients as consumed by those wild ancestors. This food will include such things as muscle meat, bone, fat, organ meat and vegetable materials and any other foods that will mimic what was those wild ancestors ate.” Dr. Ian Billinghurst

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