Science Diet Grain Free Ideal Balance for Cats

 

Bzzagent recently asked me if Seven would like to try some Science Diet Grain Free Ideal Balance for cats.  Of course he said yes, well he meowed a bit.  I figured it would be something he'd like because Miss Rosie already gets the Grain Free Ideal Balance for dogs and he always tries to get the bags open to help himself.

Well it came the other day and he immediately tried to open the bag himself.  So I opened it up for him and gave him a few preview pieces.  Seven ate them right away.  So it's a big hit with him.  I'm glad he likes it because its good for him too.  It's got great ingredients like fresh chicken, fruits and veggies and also free of corn, artificial colors and preservatives.  And since he's an older cat, the grain free formula is great for him because its easier to digest.

You can go to hillspet.com/idealbalance to compare your cat's current food to Ideal Balance.  You can also download a rebate to try it out for free!!  How cool is that?

You can pick it up at your local Petsmart or Petco.  

*bzzagent sent me this product for Seven to try out and review.  All opinions are my own.*

Pet Food: Types of Protein

The rule of thumb for what to feed your pet is to ask yourself would I eat this?  Would this be a food that I consider healthy for my own body? If you wouldn't eat it, then chances are that you might want to think twice about feeding it to your pet.

Proteins are by far the most important part of a diet. There must be some form of protein in the food.  As such it is one of the required labels on commercial pet foods.  There has to be a percentage value on the label of the minimum crude protein.     The most common in commercial pet foods is chicken or beef.  The type of pet you have will determine the best ingredients for them.

Personally, I prefer chicken to beef just as I would rather give myself the leaner poultry than red meat.  Also, you want to consider quality.  Think about it, there are different grades of beef and chicken, but it is a lot harder to ruin a chicken than a cow.  There are less inedible parts from a chicken.

I know you've seen it in the grocery case at the store.  You know more about the meat from a chicken because it is a smaller animal and there aren't really any 'bad' parts to it.  However, on a cow there are many more muscles and you can never be sure which ones are used in a pet food.  That is not to suggest that pet food companies are using bad cows, but that the cut of meat in your pet's food is probably of lower quality than you would get from a chicken.  Or that you would choose to eat yourself.

On the topic of beef and chicken, when you take the time to read the labels then you will notice than there are more than one mention of chicken or beef.  Examples are chicken by-products or chicken meal.  There are even such thing as blood, bone and feather meal.  Not something that appeals to your appetite?  Well, it doesn't appeal to your dog or cat either.

Of course unless you buy premium organic you are going to get a few sub-par ingredients.  However, when you analyze the words used meal is just a ground form of chicken which makes sense in the dry kibble.  Yet, by-product could mean almost anything.  I know I wouldn't want to eat that.

There is of course one more type of chicken and that is eggs.  Eggs are utilized as well and follow the same logic.  As long as the description sounds as if the original ingredient has not been drastically altered then it is probably a good choice.

Fish for the most part is equally hard to mess up.  There generally seem to be little problems with fish.  Again, use your judgement.  If you know that salmon is a healthier fish than a sardine, then pick the food with salmon.

There are many other proteins used in dog and cat foods.  The truly exotic are wild game such as pheasant or even kangaroo.  I am not lying.  If a protein can be exported, then you can probably find it in a specialty premium pet food.  Of course, being exotic is not necessarily a good thing.  Pets can have allergies too.  Generally, introducing new and foreign proteins to your pet's diet can lead to a reaction.  If they've grown up eating chicken their whole life and you suddenly switch them to kangaroo, then they are going to have a transitory period when their body adjusts.  These changes are not always beneficial.

The proteins don't get much more complicated than that.  When you have the option, always choose real and natural products for your pet's food.  The best option is not always the most expensive.

I am adding a disclaimer, I am not a veterinarian.  I have taken courses in animal nutrition and specifically companion animal nutrition.  I have formulated a pet food before, so I do know a bit about the types of things you want to feed your pets.  Still, these are only my recommendations.

Dog Food: Meat vs Price

Dogs are not carnivores. Dogs are omnivores.  You may think it's silly of me to tell you this, but a large majority of you may subconsciously think it.  The large pet food companies have perpetrated the myth that dogs need meat to eat.

That is not the case.  Our feline friends are strict carnivores and yet a majority of them do not get the luxury of fresh and moist meats.  However, it seems that a great majority of dog food is moist meaty chunks.  Of course any kibble will be consistent of a more balanced diet and these days the canned dog food is formulated that way as well.

The point remains the same.  Your dog doesn't need meat to survive.  Certainly, meat is still an excellent source of protein, but they're showing you a particular kind of food to feed your dog.

Commercial pet foods have only existed for a little longer than the past century.  Dogs survived off of table scraps before being feed separately from their own dishes.  You can bet that meat is unlikely to have been left over in centuries past and definitely not for the dog which served small practical purpose in human survival.

However, we think that dogs should get the same types of food as us.  After all, they are man's best friend so why not give them the meat that they deserve.  It's not that dogs can't eat meat, it's just that you shouldn't go out of your way to feed them a steak dinner.

Their digestive tracts are similar to our own in composition.  They can process starches as well as proteins.  Cats have a short and more compact digestive tract and therefore they have a hard time digesting more complex compounds such as starch.

In the end, you may want to reconsider what you are giving your dog.  Are you opting for the more expensive brand which claims to have more meat?  Or are you opting for the equally good food which uses less fancy proteins which lower your overall costs?  Any commercial pet food brand is going to be formulated to provide a balanced diet for you dog so why shell out the big bucks when you are just buying expensive proteins?

Of course, I recommend a little independent research on your own.  Make your own decisions, but consider the options first.  There is a reason companies use advertising to influence you but that doesn't mean they are influencing you to the best option for you and your pet.

More about specific pet food ingredients tomorrow.

Dog Body Language

I mentioned previously that our dog is aggressive.  We have to walk her with a Gentle Leader collar.  We don't use a muzzle because she's never attacked anyone outright, but she certainly makes a show of scaring them off.  The Gentle Leader collar is a great alternative to a muzzle because she can still open her mouth, but when she pulls it won't choke her and instead forces her head downwards.

The problem is that while we are aware of her personality and behaviors other people are not.  I was surprised at how many parents didn't know how to read her body language.  The children certainly don't but the parents don't see her as threatening because she is a lab and they are known to be more congenial as a breed.

The misinterpretation comes in the form of her wagging tail.  She wags it as a sign to us her "pack members" that there is danger afoot.  The majority of people automatically associate a wagging tail as a friendly greeting.  Let me assure you that this is not always the case.

Depending on the angle of the tail and the rest of the body, the wagging tail is a sign of warning and aggression.  She knows that there is a potential threat.  In her case, a threat is any other moving object except strangely construction workers and wild bunnies.  She absolutely detests small children and cyclists.  The cyclists "sneak" up on her, and I think she distrusts children for their noise and that they approach her because they want to pet her.  At least they usually ask permission and we always say NO! She is much too worked up  and sometimes foaming at the mouth with excitement.  I don't think she would bite anyone because she does try to hide behind us if they get too close, but she could hurt them by jumping up on them.

So, here is a quick explanation.  If the tail is raised up from the body and not level with the spine, then the dog is not being friendly or calm.  They are feeling either aggressive or trying to assert dominance.  If the tail is level with the spine or lower, then they are calm and submissive and you can probably pet them safely.  Of course it's always a good idea to ask the owner's permission.

That is probably the most useful thing to know about dog body language.

The one exception to the tail position is when the dog is in "play position" which also includes a lowering of the front half of their body with the tail raised in the back.  They'll usually jump up and down in this position a few times to show that they are eager to play with you.  Rosie does this a lot and she loves it when you mimic the motion back to her.  :D

Certainly this is one thing to tell your kids.  We live near a park and there are always children wanting to pet her but they don't seem to understand why it's not a good idea.  By pointing this behavior out to them, they can avoid approaching dogs that are not friendly and could potentially harm them.  From personal experience, I can tell you that dog bites are not fun.   Not from any of our dogs, but a neighbor's dog that approached me because it thought that I was a threat.

Remember that looking them in the eyes is a sign of dominance or aggression.  Don't approach aggressive dogs. Always present a new dog with the back of your closed fist to sniff before petting them.  At least then if they do try to bite or nip you they won't get your finger.

The Benefits of Dog Massage

Rosie Dickens is getting old and our first sign was her arthritis.  She is 11 now.  The only problem is that she doesn't know that she's old.  She still cavorts about like a puppy.

She is a typical yellow lab in appearance, but she because she's always clean and energetic everyone believes her to be younger than she really is.  Children are always wanting to pet her with her wagging tail.  The problem is that she is aggressive and the tail wag is actually a warning to her enemies.

So, she pulls and jumps on her already irritated legs.  Her back legs are the worst.  On days when she gets long walks she generally ends up with muscles that feel like rocks.  They're extremely tense and hard.  The vet told us that we could give her baby aspirin, but  I found an even better solution.  Dog massage.

I had heard of people doing it before, but I needed to know what to do.  The internet provides as usual.  I found this video:

The first time I did it, she was hesitant.  She growled when I touched her legs.  It's obvious that they hurt since she limps around, but after the third time she was eager for me to do it.  Now, I'm the only one she wants to touch her back legs.  She even jumps up  to show me her appreciation.  :)

I can feel the difference instantly.  The muscles build up lactic acid which causes pain and when you massage them it forces the lactic acid to move away from the muscles.  The build up goes away and the muscles can move freely without pain again.

I massage them until they feel soft and pliable once more.  It's easy to tell the difference and it only takes about twenty seconds or so for each side.

I certainly have a happier dog and I don't have to keep giving her pills.  Even though she loves them wrapped in cheese.  Did I mention that she is spoiled?

There is a whole series of videos from the same person on massaging all the areas of your dog.

This is the first in a series of posts about pet care and tips.  I am not a complete expert, but we have had all kinds of animals and I did earn a Minor in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinos at Urbana Champaign.