So in the previous installment of canine cuisine, we reviewed the 4 rules of pet food labelling as pertains to the name of the pet food itself. This time around, I want to give as succinct a description I can of pet food ingredients. I say, "as succinct as I can," because it's a hard topic to be brief on. The rules are nebulous and sometimes ill-defined, and even amongst veterinarians there are some discrepancies and things open to interpretation. There are some great resources on the web if ... Read more »
Archives for March 2009
Health
Canine Cuisine, Part One: Name that Food
One of the most common questions I get asked is, "What should I feed my pet?" It seems like a simple question to answer, but it's not. The most basic answer is, "Feed the best food that you can afford." And if you answer the best that you can afford is Ol Roy, I'll try and convince you that no, you can afford better. A lot of time people ask this question but what they want to know is, "What should I feed my pet that I can easily buy at the grocery store/Petsmart/Walmart", which is a different ... Read more »
Pet pick of the week
I live in a pretty warm climate, and it's a common occurrence for me to be in a hot parking lot calling the cops on a dog panting away in a boiling car. Conversely, it's hard for me to forget the story of the dog abandoned in a van in a New Hampshire airport parking lot in the dead of winter, who miraculously survived. It amazes me how many people seem to think non-humans are somehow immune to the effects of temperature. Granted, the types of people who make poor choices like that are not the ... Read more »
Gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em….
Today, Pinkie arrived for a dental cleaning. Pinkie first came in a few weeks ago for an examination, and in the brief glimpse I got of her bared teeth before having to place a muzzle it was obvious that she had some pretty bad teeth. Unfortunately, when I placed my stethoscope on her chest, in between "grrRRRrrrrRRRRrrr" I heard the classic 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh' of a heart murmur. Heart murmurs are a common condition in older dogs. There are several causes, but the most common cause in ... Read more »