Food

Thank you for alerting owners to facts regarding veterinary drug safety in “The FDA, Drugs, and Your Dog,” (WDJ February 2005). Because of numerous documented canine deaths and serious illnesses secondary to administration of certain drugs, efforts are under way to promote stronger regulatory programs for veterinary drug evaluation, approval, and monitoring. For these reasons, it is vital that any and all suspected adverse reactions to veterinary drugs be reported to the FDA. Cumulative data over many months may substantiate earlier reports and may also identify formerly undetected problems such as the recently identified link between NSAIDs and heart problems in humans. Reports should be made to FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine at (888) FDA-VETS, and can be filed by owners as well as veterinarians.

There are all sorts of other laboratory research studies conducted by the larger pet food manufacturers that push the envelope of humaneness." Some companies perform (or order a "contract lab" to perform) studies that call for a disease or health problem to be induced in a population of test dogs

Good Timing This is just a heartfelt, appreciative, giant, THANK YOU for an article in the January 2005 issue, "What Promotes Bloat?" We have lived with...

Few topics excite the passions of dog lovers as much as food. Should dogs eat meat? Bones? Fruits? Vegetables? Grains? Dairy? Should their food be commercially prepared? Home-prepared? Raw? Cooked? Fresh? Frozen? Should dogs eat what people eat? What dogs in the wild eat? Whatever the choice, is it safe? Is it dangerous? For thousands of years, domesticated dogs ate whatever their humans fed them plus whatever they could find on their own. No one worried about fat/protein ratios, the role of carbohydrates, or how much calcium is too much.

Some dog food manufacturers treat nutrition like a technicality. Others make the extra effort to ensure they provide good nutrition.

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The idea is shocking to many dog owners: Their dog's food can make him sick? Of course it can all foods, whether intended for humans or pets, can be dangerous if they were improperly manufactured or stored. It's interesting, however, how few people suspect their dog's food when he becomes ill, especially if they have been feeding the same food for years and years.

Thanks so much for “Fine Tuning” in your September issue. As usual, you covered topics I’m coping with every day. My one-year-old Golden, Midas, might as well be “Hannah” in disguise: he gets aroused by exactly the same things. Now I don’t feel so bad, knowing even Editor Nancy Kerns needed Pat Miller’s tips! …

We’ve always said that a home-prepared diet, comprised of fresh, wholesome foods, is ideal for all dogs. We recognize that many people can’t or won’t shop for and prepare their dogs’ food; they may not shop for and prepare their own! This is why we review the best-quality commercial dry and canned foods every year. However, a growing number of brave folks want to realize the benefits of homemade food for their dogs.

We frequently write about kibble and canned dog food, but have neglected some of the less common (but no less worthy) types of commercial foods. Here’s a look at commercial products that make it easy to feed a home-prepared diet. In our reviews of dry and canned foods, we make specific recommendations for selecting products for your dog. We’re not going to do this here; instead, we simply want to inform you about these alternatives to conventional kibble and canned food, and describe the differences between them.

To our dogs, food is love – and security, affirmation, and reinforcement. When we give our dogs what trainers refer to as “high-value” treats – foods that are especially sweet, meaty, or pungent – our message gets through to them especially loud and clear. Behaviorists are highly appreciative of the ability of food treats to “classically condition” a dog to tolerate, and then even enjoy, environmental stimuli that he previously found frightening or threatening.

Without a doubt, the most common question I am asked is What kind of food should I feed my dog?" Unfortunately