How Are You Treating Your Pet?

Can you comprehend a time when dog food, cat food, or pet treats did not even exist?

The very first commercial dog food was a product produced in the year 1860. James Pratt, an American, was visiting England from the US when he saw dogs surviving off left-over biscuits from ships. So he prepared a dog biscuit product consisting of wheat meal, vegetable, beetroot and meat, and began selling them entirely to British rural gentlemen who owned sporting dogs.

Much has changed since then....... as our ideas of nutrition have advanced, so have our pets' foods.

New products such as dry kibble, canned foods, and moist products have varied our choices substantially.

For many dog and cat owners, the food that we give our animals means a great deal, while the treats we give them are merely an afterthought. Even the most health-conscious pet owners who purchase expensive cat and dog food often go to the supermarket and buy the least expensive treats. Why is it that so many of us have a habit of feeding our pets top shelf foods and then give them relatively poor treats with the nutritional value of paper? We ask a lot of our pets' foods. Even the healthiest cat or dog food does not have everything. Each pet has specific needs. Because we only feed our pets around 2 times a day or so, treats are a superb supplement to their diets. Even 2 or 3 treats a day really adds up in the long haul. If we are going to add calories, they really should be healthy ones.

Your supermarket is filled with treats that are full of poor ingredients. Here are a few things you will definately want to look out for: Soybean meal, wheat, wheat meal, corn gluten meal, corn meal, whole/crushed corn, and maize are very frequently used for their protein. They cost far less to include in a treat than the superior quality carbohydrates or meat protein such as chicken or fish. In addition to this, soybean meal as well as ground corn and wheat are common pet allergens. Also keep this in mind when choosing a cat food or a dog food.

Artificial food coloring is widely used even though they are completely unnecessary and have even been linked to medical issues. It is believed by some in the medical field that if an ingredient is foreign to the body the body reacts to it and can cause numerous health issues. Pets care more about taste than color. By-products are an easy way for dog food or cat food and treat firms to keep costs down. Instead of using whole meats, they use by-products. These are obviously the less desirable parts of animals.

Essentially, by-products are all of the items that you would not willingly feed to your pet. Stawa away from them if possible.

There are a number of other items that the labels do not always reveal to us. For example, condemned parts of animals not good enough for human injestion are sometimes rerouted into commercial treats. These parts may be the parts of animals who are dead, dying, decayed or even diseased

In addition, certain meats, grains and other ingredients cannot be sold for use by people. They are either damaged or else the meat does not have the look that the US Dept. of Agriculture officials want. Sadly, we cannot always decipher this from the label. This goes for treats, dog food as well as cat food.

Furthermore, some companies have lower standards pertaining to the freshness of the ingredients they use. Though there should be a "use by" date or code on most packages. We would not eat stale cookies so why would we want to give anything but fresh ingredients to our pets? Again this applies to dog food and treats and cat products.

For additional information go to Dog Food, Premium, from Life's Abundance and find out about premium dog food and healthy pet products.

Ryan Joseph is a writer and researcher. For more info. go to http://www.premium4pets.com and http://www.premium-cat-food.com/

---

Google News Updated : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:55:15 GMT Argentine Lower House Passes Grain Export-Tax Plan (Update3) - Bloomberg Aljazeera.net Argentine Lower House Passes Grain Export-Tax Plan (Update3) Bloomberg - 2 hours ago By Eliana Raszewski July 5 (Bloomberg) -- Argentina's lower house of congress approved the government's plan to increase taxes on exports of grains and oilseeds, risking a resumption of three months of strikes by farmers. Export Tax That Angers Farmers Advances in Argentina New York Times Argentina lawmakers approve farm export tax hike guardian.co.uk Voice of America - AFP - BBC News - The Associated Press all 138 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:41:30 GMT A Side Competition in Beijing: Island vs. Mainland - New York Times CTV.ca A Side Competition in Beijing: Island vs. Mainland New York Times - 8 hours ago The Taiwanese Olympic table tennis team practicing at Kaohsiung. Taiwanese players have hopes of winning medals next month in a sport China has dominated. Taiwan media, business people welcome charter flights, mainland ... Xinhua South Africa: Country Should Take Heed of Taiwan's Errors AllAfrica.com Monsters and Critics.com - International Herald Tribune - Wall Street Journal - BBC News all 883 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:16:20 GMT Jesse Helms, former senator, conservative icon, dies - Newsday Wall Street Journal Jesse Helms, former senator, conservative icon, dies Newsday - 2 hours ago Jesse Helms, the former five-term US senator from North Carolina whose relish for thwarting initiatives he opposed as too liberal earned him the nickname "Senator No," died Friday at age 86. Video: A Look Back At Jesse Helms CBS NC Senator's Hard-Line Conservatism Helped Craft Republican Social ... Washington Post Wall Street Journal - San Jose Mercury News - Boston Globe - Dallas Morning News all 2,466 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:58:21 GMT SAfrica's Mbeki meets Zimbabwe's Mugabe - Reuters SAfrica's Mbeki meets Zimbabwe's Mugabe Reuters - 1 hour ago By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE, July 5 (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki met Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday to try to help end a political crisis after a violent election that extended Mugabe's 28-year rule. Germany's Merkel hopes for African leaders' support on Zimbabwe ... International Herald Tribune South African president arrives in Zimbabwe Xinhua Voice of America - guardian.co.uk - AFP - The Associated Press all 5,770 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:04:03 GMT Obama mixes holiday and politics in Montana - Reuters Boston Globe Obama mixes holiday and politics in Montana Reuters - 4 hours ago By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent BUTTE, Montana (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama mixed presidential politics with parades and barbecue on Independence Day on Friday, celebrating his daughter's birthday with a picnic and fireworks in Montana ... Play of the Day: Malia Obama's "best birthday" The Associated Press On the Road: Montana Outtakes New York Times FOXNews - Los Angeles Times - Washington Post - New York Daily News all 755 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:13:58 GMT California's priority wildfire in check -- for now - Reuters AFP California's priority wildfire in check -- for now Reuters - 2 hours ago By Jim Christie SAN FRANCISCO, July 5 (Reuters) - Firefighters in California have fended off a blaze threatening more than 3000 homes in and around the coastal town of Goleta and are turning their attention to preventing its spread toward the nearby ... Video: Wind Keeps California Wildfires Raging AssociatedPress California's Wildfires Have Scorched 527000 Acres (Update3) Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - AFP - NECN - San Francisco Chronicle all 910 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:04:28 GMT France's Sarkozy Questions If ECB Rate Increase `Reasonable' - Bloomberg France's Sarkozy Questions If ECB Rate Increase `Reasonable' Bloomberg - 6 hours ago By Simon Kennedy July 5 (Bloomberg) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy recommenced his criticism of the European Central Bank today, asking it was ``reasonable'' for it to have raised the region's key interest rate this past week. Fighting Inflation, Europeans Raise Rate New York Times Euro flat after post-ECB dip MarketWatch istockAnalyst.com - Reuters - Forbes - Wall Street Journal all 1,857 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:50:48 GMT Clickbank Affiliate Get Paid for Surveys

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Decorating for The Cat Owner - How to Protect Your Possessions

The first thing a cat owner should know about home... Read More

Distemper in Dogs - Home Detection Tips

Distemper: Spotting This Dog Killer Before it's Too LateCanine distemper... Read More

How To Get Your Horse From Pulling Back While Tied

Some people have horses they don't dare tie. Why? Because... Read More

Healthy Diet for Your Parrot

Is your bird a seed only eater? Did you know... Read More

Bringing Home a Puppy ? Be Prepared!

So you just loved that sweet little puppy that you... Read More

Games You Can Play With Your Dog

Dogs need mental and physical stimulation. They're also very inquisitive... Read More

How to Maintain Your Love Affair ... With Your Dog Part Two - Assemble a Great Team

In part one we talked about forming good behavior traits... Read More

Christmas Gifts For Cat Lovers

The act of offering Christmas gifts is always enhanced if... Read More

Dogtra: Superior Dog Training Equipment that Performs as it Claims

DogtraWhen looking for a dog training collar or containment system,... Read More

Did You Know?

German Shepherds were among the first dogs trained for police... Read More

Seeing Past Cuteness When Selecting the Best Dog Breed For You: Part 1 of 3

Are there so many great dog breeds out there that... Read More

Clipper Experiments: A Tail in Two Parts

Poor Dog. Subjected to my most ambitious experiments, she still... Read More

A Dog Bit Me, Whom Can I Sue?

Any person, whether a minor or adult, having been bitten... Read More

You Cant Fool A Horse

By Jeffrey Rolocopyright 2004 AlphaHorseIn the dating world many men... Read More

Whats the Best Diet for a Pregnant Cat?

Pregnant cats have to eat for two, three, four, five,... Read More

How Are You Treating Your Pet?

Can you comprehend a time when dog food, cat food,... Read More

*Understanding* - The First Of The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With Your Horse

Yesterday we talked a little about the 6 Keys for... Read More

Starting a Home-Based Pet Related Business

If you're contemplating the idea of starting a home-based business... Read More

Cancer and Your Pet

Just say the word cancer and any of a host... Read More

The Top 3 Tricks Horse Owners Can Use To Unspoil A Barn Spoiled Horse

It's been weeks since you went riding. Now you have... Read More

Goldfish Analysis

When goldfish swim up to the glass of the tank,... Read More

West Highland White Terrier - Westie Grooming

Westie Grooming ? When your west highland white terrier becomes... Read More

Westie Puppies For Sale ? 7 Important Questions To Ask Your West Highland Terrier Breeder

Let's say you've made up your mind on the breed... Read More

How to Ensure that Your Cat is Healthy and Lives a Long and Happy Life

Incredible advances in veterinary medicine are making it possible for... Read More

Choose a Vet Who Cares About Your Pet!

Lots of folks are picky about their vet, and for... Read More