“I have a 6-year-old Lab/beagle mix who has had many problems — the latest being two mast-cell tumors. The tumors were removed on separate occasions, and the surgeries were successful; however, we were told that we needed to be diligent about checking for lumps.

“Our veterinary oncologist has recommended that the dog be put on 4,000 milligrams of fish oil and 10 milligrams of Pepcid. She suggested Pepcid because dogs with mast-cell tumors tend to get ulcers, and the fish oil helps discourage the return of the mast cells.

“Also, a friend of mine in Florida said that her holistic vet uses food-grade liquid aloe in diets for dogs that have had cancer. Neither my vet nor vet oncologist have heard of this before, but from what I’ve read on the Internet, it makes sense. What do you think of using food-grade aloe as a supplement? And how much should a 45-pound dog drink?

Answer from Dr Michael Fox: “There are many treatments that can be integrated into a holistic therapeutic regimen for your dog’s cancer.

“I concur with what the two veterinarians recommend: You can give 1 tablespoon of aloe vera in your dog’s food twice daily. I would also recommend New Chapter’s anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor Zyflamend and anti-cancer Immortal Mushrooms combination of beneficial fungi. Daily treatment with a mild antihistamine may also be beneficial, along with a super-antioxidant supplement such as N-acetyl-L-cysteine and alpha-lipoic acid. Above all, avoid any treatments that may compromise your dog’s immune system, such as “booster” vaccinations and spot-on anti-flea drugs. Feed your dog a whole-food diet rather than manufactured dog food, good nutrition being the first medicine.”

You can read the full article here:
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100207/FEATURES/2070342/-1/NEWSMAP

Important Information About Feeding Your Dog

Dog Food Comparisons

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First, here is a list of the ingredients

INGREDIENTS

Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.

HERBS

Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.

MINERALS

Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS

Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

VITAMINS

Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.

Here is what her review said

    * Animal Digest – Plus 1 point = No Animal Digest
    * Corn – Plus 1 point = No corn
    * Wheat – Plus 1 point = No wheat
    * Soy – Plus 1 point = no soy
    * Gluten – Plus 1 point = No gluten
    * Extra Goodies – Plus 1 point = Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal
    * By-Products – Plus 1 point = No by-products
    * Animal Fat – Minus 1 point = Chicken Fat
    * Pet Food Recalls – Plus 1 point = No Recalls Acana Pet Foods
    * Class Action – Plus 1 point = No Class Action Acana Pet Foods

Dog Food Rating for ORIJEN Dog Food

Total Score = 9/10

Read the labels! Every pet food should be up to these standards!

Negatives found:
I don’t like the use of “natural flavor” because the pet food companies don’t tell us where this flavor comes from it is safe to assume the flavor is of the animal the product is supposed to taste of. Chicken flavor comes from chicken manure. Potatoes are a bad deal since pets don’t need potatoes in their diet this is another cheap filler. Animal fat is a bad deal because the fat is usually obtained from restuarant grease and other less desirable locations. Animal fat is used to get pets to eat a product that the pet would not normally have a desire to eat.

Technorati Tags: origen review, orijen adult dog food

Pedigree Dog Food Top Ingredients (PEDIGREE is a trademark of Mars, Incorporated.)

Ground yellow corn – mostly filler, provides very little protein and is hard for dogs to digest. Some dogs may be allergic to corn

Meat and bone meal – cheap source of protein typically containing mostly bone, which is difficult for dogs to digest. Not human grade.

Corn gluten meal – again, mostly filler, hard to digest and may cause food allergies.

Chicken by-product meal – may consist of parts that are not desired for human consumption or that have been condemned.  Part may include organs, bones, blood, ligaments, heads, feet, feathers, hair, etc.

Animal fat (preseved with BHA/BHT6) – if the fat source is not named specifically (such as in this case by Pedigree) is is most often redered fat, grease from restaurants, or oils that have been condemned for human consumption. BHA and BHT are potentially cancer causing agents.

Wheat mill run – filler, small protien source, grains are hard on most dog’s digestive systems, may cause allergies.

Natural poultry flavor – again a generic term that provides little help in determining nutritional value

Rice – filler, small protien source, grains are hard on most dog’s digestive systems, may cause

Salt – Usually added to improve flavor

Personally I do not use Pedigree Dog Food

Technorati Tags: Dog Food Comparison, Dog Food Ratings, Dog Food Reviews, pedigree dog food

You need to take responsibility for your dog’s safety and health because politicians and bureaucrats cannot be depended on to protect the pet food supply.  The story focused on the FDA’s Amendment Act that Congress passed into law in September 2007. “FDAAA was established by Congress to protect all foods, human and pet and requires that the FDA establish pet food ingredient standards and definitions, processing standards for pet food, and provide updated standards for the labeling of pet food that includes nutrition and ingredient information. Briefly, FDAAA asks for a total reform of the existing pet food regulations. These new standards and definitions must be established within two years (September 2007-September 2009).”

You would think that this action would start a new effort towards pet food safety regulations from the FDA, especially considering the last years pet food recall disaster.

According to Ms. Thixton “that’s not what is happening. Instead of working on reform, the FDA is relying on an incomplete five year-old program that is chock full of loopholes and gaps to meet the requirements of FDAAA. In fact, the day before the May 13th pet food safety meeting, the FDA released the latest version of this dated program implying this dusty ill-effective work meets the requirements of FDAAA.  AFSS is a five year-old program that is full of loopholes the FDA refers to as ‘gaps’ and is full of more problems for pet owners.”

Some of the gaps include:

- AFSS is relying solely on pet food manufacturers to determine risks and to provide a solution for these risks.

- the AFSS accepts the AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) ingredient list which sacrifice the public interest for industry desires.

- AFSS has been in the works for five years and the latest version acknowledges 14 significant gaps. There is no end in site.

Her final comment: “It is perplexing how Congress can pass a new bill (FDAAA) which requires the FDA to update and reform pet food safety standards, yet the FDA seems to ignore this. Perhaps they told Congress their patented excuse, “we don’t have the funding or the manpower to get this done” as to why they are using an outdated ineffective system instead of the mandated reform. Sounds similar to a child telling the teacher ‘the dog ate my homework’, except in this case the ‘excuse’ is working.”

The full article can be read at http://www.naturalnews.com/023995.html

My final thought:  You must take responsibility for your pet’s health and welfare and make sure that you are providing quality food for your pet.  This may mean making it yourself or thoroughly researching the dog food manufacturer to make sure they are reputable and acting responsibly.

Additional Resource: Problems with Pet Food Video (Warning, not for the feint-hearted)

Technorati Tags: dog food comparisons, dog food review, pet food recalls, pet food safety

Doggie “potato chips” are also a favorite and can last from an hour to a couple of days depending on the dog. They are available in different shapes like pig ears, snouts, cow knuckles, femurs, hooves and bully sticks. Others are bone-shaped made from a variety of vegetables such as carrots.

Another good toy for your dog’s chewing pleasure is the rawhide. These are a non-consumable, mummified skin-like toy that you have to throw away when they get soggy, and give your dog a new one. Some rawhides are basted with a variety of flavorings. The “USA rawhide” with a little flag sticker are best because these do not contain preservative flavorings that are harmful for your dogs.

One chew toy to avoid is the Four Paws Pimple Ball which has been recalled by the manufacturer.  Four Paws executives said a defect in the product’s mold sealed one of the ball’s two holes, creating a vacuum effect that could trap a tongue and has caused injury to some dogs.

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We’ve found some more great blog posts on holistic dog food you might like to take a look at:

• Dog Food Analysis – Reviews Of Kibble – The concern over food safety has led to the movement of dog owners to make their own home-made dog food. By making their own dog food known as holistic dog food, not only do they save money and are giving their dogs a nutritious and …

• Nothing But The Best For My Best Friend – Unless you are buying natural organic dog food, your best friend is probably eating too many of the same things. Read the label on your brand of dog food and ask yourself, \”How does your dog food brand compare? …

• Natural Foods For Your Dog – Dog food manufactured by these companies is reliable, consistent and safe. A very high standard is used in manufacturing these natural dog foods. These companies are dedicated to manufacture good quality natural dog foods. …

Technorati Tags: Dog Food Comparison, Dog Food Reviews, holistic dog food

We’ve found some more great blog posts on comparing dog foods you might like to take a look at:

• Dog Information – What You Need To Know – This dog food comparison article informs the reader that there is both misinformation and lack of information on the subject. The author states that some brands sold at local stores are of poor quality and that the Bones and Raw Food …

• Comparing Your Dog Food Options: Because Your Dog Is Worth It. – The price tag is not going to tell you that the food is healthy knowing what to avoid will be one of the keys when you do your dog food comparison. Just like with human food, reading the ingredients is key. …

• Your Dog Trusts Which Food You Put In The Bowl – The price tag is not going to tell you that the food is healthy knowing what to avoid will be one of the keys when you do your dog food comparison. So, read all the ingredients. Are most of them natural? Do they have a lot of additives? …

Technorati Tags: Dog Food Comparison, Dog Food Ratings, dog food review

When reviewing the opinions of many canine nutritional experts this is a bit disturbing based on the ingredients shown on the label:

~Review of Ingredients~
Ground yellow corn, soybean meal, ground whole wheat, corn syrup, poultry fat, Meat and bone meal (Animal Fat Preserved with BHA and Citric Acid), Chicken by-product Meal, Rice, Animal Digest, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin D and E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulafate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Meadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex Source of Vitamin K, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid
Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070331111958AAZ7D2R

Their first question is where is the meat? Ingredient labels must show ingredients from first to last based on their wet weight. Based on a review of the ingredients this dog food is mostly grain. The majority of which is corn a known allergen to many dogs with little actual nutritional value.

The only protien sources are unspecified fat and meal sources which according to my review of much of the literature often proves to be undigestable and could come from any number of sources such as euthanized and diseased animals, including cats and dogs. The one specified animal source in this dog food is shown as a by-product which generally means everything but the meat. The food also contains the toxic preservative BHA, which is a know carcinogen.

Frankly it is a sad state of affairs when the top selling dog food in the country is of this low quality compared to many other brands.

Organic Dog Foods

Hypoallergenic Dog Foods

Diabetic Dog Foods

Technorati Tags: Dog Food Comparison, Dog Food Ratings, Dog Food Reviews