Keep your furry friend in great shape by sticking with a healthy diet. Sometimes the same dry food gets boring, which makes adding fresh nibbles to your pet's food bowl a fun and exciting way to stay fit. Sure, you can go all the way and attempt to make your own fresh pet food, but simply adding a few natural elements is a great way to start. Click through for easy suggestions and great products that will have your pet eating fresh.
While you're chowing down on a turkey with all the fixings this Thanksgiving, let your pet indulge in his own turkey dinner. Instead of throwing scraps of your food under the table, give him a proper treat. Check out these tasty turkey treats for cats and dogs, from a superhealthy wheat-grass-infused version to one that mimics a plate of turkey and cranberry sauce. Whichever one you choose, your pet will surely be thankful.
Today, my precious pooch Lily turns a regal 14, and while I have plans to bake up some delicious and healthy homemade delights to celebrate my household's doggie doyenne, I can't help but drool over the beautiful pet delicacies offered on my favorite online marketplace, Etsy. So in honor of birthday pups everywhere, here are some safe-for-dogs eye (and tummy) candy for you to admire and for them to unapologetically devour!
Source: Flickr user prettyinprint
The queen of the 30-minute meal touched down in New York City today with a new food truck concept dishing out quick, tasty meals for your beloved pooch. Dubbed the Woof Wagon, today's Columbus Circle attraction aims to promote Rachael Ray's new line of super premium wet food called Nutrish Naturally Delish by serving up plates of Chicken Muttballs & Pasta, Hearty Beef Stew, and Chicken Paw Pie to culinarily minded canines. As much as I'd love to be there to check out the happy pooches digging into their gourmet meals, my pup probably couldn't partake (her 14-year-old tummy must stick to a limited, low-fat diet). But I wonder if Ray's NYC tour might inspire the launch of more pet food trucks coming to a fire hydrant near you. So I want to know:
One sad side effect of the nation's economic struggles is the increase in pets showing up at animal shelters, turned in by families who can no longer afford their upkeep. But while most of you said that you'd never give up your fuzzy buddy, even if you faced bankruptcy, it can sometimes feel as though our pets are eating us out of house and home. If you seem to be spending more on pet food than you are on your own food, consider these seven tips to keep your furry friend from ingesting your monthly budget!
Q: My dog has the very annoying habit of begging for food. It's especially bad when we have people over for dinner – he literally walks from person to person waiting, sometimes jumping with paws up on their laps to see what's on the table or go for the food right off their fork (or plate) – help!
A: Consistency is key to solving this problem. After all, dogs can't magically tell the difference between "OK begging" and "not OK begging" so you must make begging never OK. While banishing a dog to another room is one option, space may not make this possible . . . and, with enough effort, you can retrain your pup.
I'd recommend never giving your pet any treats while you are making or eating food. (Right before dinnertime is not the time to work on a sit-stay.) Teach your furry friend that he's not going to get food just because you're preparing food. In fact, I make North do a full sit before I put his dish on the ground – he's not allowed to go to it until I give him the release command.
This week, we learned that for pets fighting the battle of the bulge, losing weight is more than just switching to diet food; understanding his target weight, his daily caloric needs, and the content of his food bag are vital to a healthy weight-loss plan. But even armed with this knowledge, I still succumb to a common doggie-diet wrecker: treats. We adore our pets like children, so it can be difficult to say no when they've accomplished great feats or just need a little love. The good news is that you don't have to forego treats altogether. Just tally up the calories behind your pup or kitty's reward and factor them into his daily caloric intake. Take our quiz to see if your pet has eaten his fill of these common treats!
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Reading the nutritional analysis of packaged foods for humans is complicated enough, so attempting to comprehend the label on pet food can be like learning to speak cat. But if your pet is overweight, it's one of the more important steps to getting her weight back in line. After taking the time to determine your pet's ideal weight and calculate her daily caloric intake, you can easily foil any shape-up efforts by misreading the nutritional information behind her food.
Pet food labels are regulated at both the federal and state level, with the latter varying in stringency from state to state. At the federal level, pet food packaging is required to include proper identification of the product, a net quantity statement (how much food material is included in the package), the manufacturer's name and address, and a listing of ingredients in order from highest to lowest volume. States also may require a guaranteed nutritional analysis, feeding directions, and a calorie statement. These variations from the federal to state level result in differences between the information stated from brand to brand, so today we're outlining the key areas to pay attention to while scanning the cans in the pet food aisle to help your pet in the great Summer slim-down. For our tips, just keep reading.
I'm always seeking special ways to switch up my pup's treats with some healthy human alternatives. He already loves frozen carrot bits and canned pumpkin but his latest love affair is with watermelon.
Offering up a tiny bit of seedless watermelon is a safe snack and I chop the fruit into squares and serve it ice cold for the steamy season. Not only is this fruit a great low-calorie treat, but its high water content gets fluids into the bodies of pets who turn noses up and away at the sight of an ordinary bowl.
Flickr User: redjar
The Summer Olympic games can provide inspiration to human- and pet-kind to celebrate the world of sports and get in shape. But if your pet is significantly overweight, no amount of exercise can overcome a diet with too many calories. It's hard to resist giving pets that extra treat (or four), but little indulgences turn into a lot of pounds and long-term risks of arthritis, heart and liver problems, diabetes, and more. If your furry friend needs to lose a few, exercise is just one part. Check out our six gut-busting feeding tips!
