Is Your Healthy Dog At Risk For Nutrition-Related Diseases?

Do you think dog food manufacturers are taking all steps necessary to ensure your healthy dog gets only the best, most nutritious food? It might surprise you to know that this is not necessarily the case.

Not long ago, the dog owner community was shocked by reports that the food they were feeding their pets was causing deaths. These were healthy dogs that were fed store-bought dog food that owners trusted. As it turned out, there were ingredients in the food mixture that was killing otherwise healthy dogs. Gluten.

Gluten is a protein mixture that can be found in grass-related grains, especially wheat, rye and barley. It is an important source of nutritional protein and is sometimes added to foods that are low in protein. It is used in human food as well as dog food either to boost the protein levels or as a meat substitute.

Know what's in your dog food. Read the label. Even a healthy dog will have a shortened life if he doesn't get only the proper and safe food.

Corn, wheat and soy are cereal grains that should never be in your pet food because they are highly indigestible protein sources. They cause undue stress on the kidneys of healthy dogs and result in kidney problems. They are also allergens for dogs, especially corn. Meat should be the #1 ingredient for optimum health.

Watch for by-products, which can contain diseased and contaminated slaughterhouse meats. Dead animals, road kill and euthanized animals can end up in your dog food disguised as meat.

Meat from animals that have been drugged and chemical preservatives are also dangerous for your dog. Some are known to cause life-threatening diseases including cancer, liver and heart diseases.

Find out whether the food was manufactured in smaller quantities to ensure freshness and determine how long the food has been sitting in the pet store, which can be as much as a year. The longer the food sits, the less nutritious it will be.

Healthy dogs have a life-expectancy of 20+ years, yet the majority only survive 10-15 years. There are steps you can take to ensure your dog lives out his full life and is not short-changed by preventable diseases such as these:

Allergies & Skin problems: triggered by certain chemical additives in dog food such as preservatives and gluten.

Arthritis: attributable to a build up of artificial calcium deposits in the dog's body

Cancer: one of the leading causes of dog death each year.

Bladder problems: caused by a build-up of toxicity from certain dog food ingredients and chemical additives.

Dental problems: often caused by improper nutrition and soft food diets

Diarrhea: usually associated with toxins from food passing through the intestines

Diabetes: directly related to sugar in pet foods

Digestive problems: contributable to the dog eating high amounts of wheat, corn and soy, foreign matter and diseased or contaminated ingredients in dog food.

Kidney problems: from ingesting artificial phosphorus and proteins (gluten) in commercial dog food Liver problems: caused as the liver struggles to detoxify the dog's body of the artificial chemicals, drugged or contaminated meats and other undesirable ingredients in poor quality dog food.

Obesity: directly related to sugar and carbohydrate levels that are in store-bought dog foods

Educate yourself on what constitutes a nutritious diet for your dog to ensure he or she lives out a full and healthy life.

Read labels on your pet's food and know what to look for. Choose foods that do not contain any of the potentially hazardous ingredients such as diseased and drugged meat and cast off slaughterhouse body parts disguised as meat byproducts.

Buy only top quality dog food that has meat as its main ingredient, along with other nutritious foods including chicken meal, carrots, apples, brown rice and flax seed, plus vitamins, minerals and antioxidant additives.

By paying attention to the diet you feed your healthy dog you can help ensure he lives a long, full life.

Discover the nutritional secrets that can make the difference in how healthy your dog stays. The "Healthy Dog Nutrition Secrets" package, just released by Sylvia Dickens, explains all about the dangers certain foods pose for your dog, includes delicious dog food recipes you can make yourself, dog care, puppy training and much more. Find out more by Clicking Here. Visit Sylvia's Ebook Website for more topics, including dog training, wealth building, stop smoking, business tips, travel and more.

by Sylvia Dickens