Animal Fats & Carbohydrates For Dogs

Animal Fats: While most animal fats contain just as many calories as vegetable oils, only two contain essential fatty acids in amounts sufficient to supply a dog's needs. These are the fat of the pig, commonly called lard, and horse fat. The tallow of beef and mutton should never be used as the sole source of energy for a dog because of their low content of essential fatty acids. Animal fats contain about 126 calories in every tablespoonful.Cereal grains: One of the major sources of carbohydrates, both for dogs and man, is the cereal grains. The useful carbohydrate in these grains is predominantly starch. Starch can also be purchased in pure...

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6 Steps To Grooming a Wavy or Curly-Coated Sporting Breed

Grooming a dog with a curly or a wavy coat is not as simple as grooming one that has a short and smooth coat. For example, take the the “water breeds”. They are sporting dogs with extremely harsh curly coats. Because these dogs typically spend a lot of time out in the field, retrieving items from water, flushing upland game, and serving as all-purpose hunting companions, their coats should be kept short and neat. If not then their long and straggly curls will latch onto every stray; twigs, burr, pieces of debris, etc.If your wavy or curly-coated dog is to be shown then their coats should be scissored into a neat shape, and this precise method...

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8 Guidelines For Feeding Your Adult Dalmatian

Here are some feeding guidelines researches have learned over the years and recommend for adult Dalmatians:Never feed a Dalmatian organ meats such as liver, kidney, sweetbreads or brains in any form, whether cooked, raw or as an ingredient in a pet food or snack.Never feed a Dalmatian game meat such as venison or elk in any form, cooked, whether raw or as an ingredient in a pet food or snack.Never feed a Dalmatian red meat, cooked or raw, or as an ingredient in a snack or in a pet food where it appears as one of the first three ingredients listed on the label.Never feed poultry cooked or raw, or as an ingredient in a snack or in a pet food where it appears as one of the first two ingredients listed on the label.Feed them plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains as snacks, except those known...

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Degenerative Joint Disease

Noninfectious osteoarthritis is the commonest form of joint disease in the aging dog, a situation not too different from that in humans. The disease is progressive and causes few, if any, noticeable symptoms in the early stages. It is not uncommon for a veterinarian to discover the existence of degenerative joint disease or its predisposing causes during a routine checkup.Primary arthritis develops from the normal wear and tear of a joint with time and age. While seen occasionally in very old dogs, it is not the commonly observed arthritis that it is in people. The bulk of aging dog arthritis cases are secondary to disorders which happened or...

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Constipation And Flatulence

As your dog grows older, the muscles of the colon and rectum may lose some of their ability to propel and expel feces adequately during a bowel movement. Reduction in stomach and intestinal digestive secretions can produce a bulkier, firmer stool as can diets very high in dry food content if there is insufficient water intake. Your dog will squat and strain to force the fecal mass slowly out. She may cry from the discomfort.Prostatic disease can mechanically cause constipation as the prostate gland enlarges and presses up against the floor of the rectum. Similarly, tumors in the rectum or on the anus can interfere with the passage of feces. Any...

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