Best Dog Foods for Liver Diseases Reviews

March 29th, 2019

If your dog has liver diseases, consider his diet. This is an important treatment tool for him. Your dog may need a dietary change to help the liver regenerate. Also, this helps to maintain good canine nutrition.

To help you understand exactly about this common problem, we are here to give you all the important information about it. We also give you the list of best dog foods for liver disease.

Liver Disease in Dogs

This condition is common in dogs. This problem may give the result in non-accidental canine deaths.  You know, the liver has the function of removing waste and toxins. Also, it produces bile for your pet’s digestive process. So, if you let it be compromised, the number of toxins and waste may be increased in your pet’s body. It also means that it can affect a wide range of other bodily systems like the heart or brain.

Symptoms of Liver Disease

Like any other health condition your dog can suffer from, liver disease is accompanied by some common symptoms. They include weakness, fatigue, depression, appetite loss, weight loss, stomach pain, and vomiting.

Once you notice your dog is suffering from these symptoms, it’s time to consider taking him to your vet for a checkup and diagnosis.

Canine Liver Disease Diet Development

If your dog has to face liver diseases, you will want to know what to feed him. Remember that it’s best to discuss with your vet about all significant diet changes. This problem should not be treated if you don’t have medical guidance. You can get a dietary plan for your pet with liver disease from your vet.

There are some basic goals of treatments for liver diseases as below:

  • Give your pet the right nutrition in order to help him maintain energy and health.
  • Promote liver At the same time, don’t forget to minimize stress on his organ.
  • Potential complications should be prevented and reduced.

Specific Diets for Dogs with Liver Disease

Like being said that, it’s extremely important to make a change in diet for dogs that are suffering from liver disease. To do this, you need to do specific steps with his daily eating regimen. Of course, it’s also important to talk to your vet first to determine your dog’s specific needs. Your vet can recommend you to feed your pet a diet based on home cook meals, prepared meals, or both of them.

Homemade Dog Food for Liver Disease

If you want to make foods for your dog yourself, remember that you should feed him at least 50% of the meat. Also, the number of carbs and grains should be kept under 50%. In order to determine the number of foods to feed your dog, you need to determine his body weight. Then, feed your pet accordingly.

According to Dr.Jean Dodds, we should give our pets a diet with a 50/50 mix of sweet potatoes and white potatoes.

Make a mixture of fish and potato as the ratio 1:2. Cooked chopped carrots should be also added to your pet’s diet. Moreover, you can add scrambled eggs, green beans, and yellow squash to his diet.

Another Recipe for Dogs with Liver Disease

The fact is that not all homemade dog foods are packed with fish in ingredients. You can give your dog a diet with chicken, oatmeal, cottage cheese, boiled egg, and pumpkin.

Foods for Dogs with Liver Disease

For all dog foods you feed your pet, you should add types of food to his diet. Here are some great options to consider:

  • Dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and goat cheese.
  • High-quality proteins from turkey and chicken. Avoid the fish, eggs, and bones in the diet.
  • White rice, oatmeal, canned plain pumpkin, and barley. They offer essential fiber.
  • Fish oil (a great source of the omega 3 fatty acids)
  • Coconut oil
  • Fruits, including figs, papayas, blueberries, and seedless watermelon.

Protein Control

For dogs with liver disease, you need to monitor his protein intake. Look for the high-quality proteins. Some of the protein may be sourced from non-meat sources. The proteins you give your dog should come with enough amino acid for his digestion.

You can also consider plant-based proteins. Most importantly, remember to give your pet less protein in order to control the symptoms of liver disease.

Copper Considerations

Some animal proteins are available in high levels of copper. You have to be careful when choosing the best dog foods for liver disease. It’s best to avoid these proteins. Especially, it’s vital to avoid liver and organ meat. Some other meats with high levels of copper include lamb, duck, pork, and salmon. There are also protein sources that are low in copper such as chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, whitefish, and cheese.

Fat

If there is a high level of fat in your dog’s diet, he may suffer from liver disease. So, it’s best to give these dogs a diet with 50% fat content.

Carbohydrates

This factor is important for your pet digestion. So, it’s essential to add fiber to his diet. At the same time, remove ammonia. Carbohydrates may be found in cooked oatmeal, pasta, and white rice.

Additives and Supplements

You should give dogs with liver disease a low-salt diet. This is to prevent the fluid in the abdomen from building up. There are some great supplements to consider such as vitamin B complex, vitamin E, C, K, Zinc, and Adenosylmethionine.

Feeding Routine

As mentioned previously, a change in feeding routine can be beneficial to dogs with liver disease. If you want to give your pet good digestion, consider feeding him several small meals throughout the day in place of 1 or 2 regular ones a day.

Seek Veterinary Advice

When your dog is suffering from liver disease, you need to take a visit to your vet. He will help you to determine the appropriate diet for your pet. Only with a good diet, your dog can feel better. Also, the treatment process can occur faster.

Dog Foods for Liver Disease

When it comes to healthy dog foods, you can give many suggestions from your vet. It’s important to check and read the labels to know exactly supplements the food offers for liver disease. By this way, you can also choose the foods with high vitamins and low copper. Here is the list of some special dog foods for liver disease:

1. Hill’s Prescription Diet I/d Canine Hepatic Health

The liver is one of the most important parts of your dog’s body. It comes with many functions. This is good dry dog food for dogs with liver disease. It can help support his liver health. It is made out of vitamins E&C, digestible protein, and reduced sodium. You can feed your pet this recipe. There is no concern about added supplements.

This product is designed to help reduce liver workload. So, your dog’s liver tissue can regenerate. Also, it helps to maintain normal fat metabolism in his liver. Moreover, with this dog food, you needn’t worry about nutrient deficiencies commonly that may lead to liver issues. Last, it can be able to support your dog’s immune system.

2. Hill’s Prescription Diet I/d Hepatic Health Canned Food

This version from Hill Prescription is made with the same benefits as the dry version mentioned above. This dog food is designed in a softer texture than another. It’s made to support your dog’s liver function. It can help to maintain normal fat metabolism in the liver. Sure, your pet will love to eat because it’s a palatable formula.

3. Royal Canin Canine Hepatic Dry Dog Food

This dog food is low in copper and sodium content. It’s added with boosted zinc and vitamin B. this is a good choice for your dog’s digestion because of its fiber content. The food actually does vegetable protein for your dog.

4. Wilderness Blue Buffalo Adult Dry Dog Food

This dog food is one of the best options for liver disease. It’s formulated with many natural ingredients. It is made of the real meat protein. It’s free of grains. Instead, it features plenty of vitamins and minerals. Also, the food is added with antioxidants.

It ensures to give all the essential proteins your dog needs from chicken meal, deboned chicken, and turkey meal. Also, it provides healthy complex carbohydrates sourced from peas, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Furthermore, the food is available in antioxidants from cranberries, blueberries, and carrots.

5. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Organic Dog Food

The food is built up with simple ingredients. Actually, the recipe is formulated with chicken protein, vitamin E, zinc, and without sodium. It’s made with cage-free turkey and dehydrated. So, it ensures to give your pet the maximum nutrition.

This option is great for both puppies and active adults of all sizes. The food is formulated with human grade ingredients without preservatives. Especially, you can mix it with water for a delicious meal.

The food is free of preservatives, by-products, and GMO ingredients. All of the ingredients are made in the USA.

6. Nature’s Variety Instinct Grain-Free Dry

If you are looking for a product that is rich in vitamins and minerals, you can choose this dog food. This food promises to give your little furry friend a great tasting because it’s made of grain-free, high protein, and freeze-dried raw coated kibble.

Feed your pet this recipe. And, he can get a naturally nutrient-rich diet. You can feed the food for even smaller mouths because of the addition of the perfect kibble size.

This option is balanced levels of proteins, calories, and fats. That makes it great for the lifestyle of toy breed dogs.

It’s added with healthy omega 3 fatty acids. So, your pet can get a soft and shiny coat. In addition, you can find added vitamins and minerals in this recipe.

There is no existence of grain, gluten, wheat, corn, soy, fillers, flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives.

These ingredients can help to cleanse the liver. On the contrary, food is low in copper and sodium.

Conclusion

Once again, it’s important for every pet owner to read the label of dog foods before making a buying decision. In fact, it will be difficult for your pet with liver disease if you don’t choose dog foods with the right supplements for liver disease. If your dog is suffering from this condition, you can take close attention to our recommendations above. They can help a lot.

Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats?

February 17th, 2019

dogs smarter than cats

A team of researchers said that the number of neurons in the dog has twice as many as the cat brains.

The answer may be one of our most contentious debates. In fact, dogs come with twice the number of neurons in their cerebral cortexes than cats. That also means dogs may be about twice as intelligent as well.

Sure, this finding will be going to publish in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy soon. A team of researchers from six different universities contributed to this research such as in the U.S, Denmark, Brazil, as well as South Africa.

Especially, one of these study’s authors has become neurologist Suzana Herculano-Houzel. The now Vanderbilt professor studied cognitive function in humans as well as animals during the past decade. For the most precise measurement, she has to count neurons found in the brain that has the purpose of transmitting messages.

According to her, you should take the brain. Then, turn it into a soup in order to find these neurons. She said we can estimate the number of neurons present thanks to the research of ending up with a lot of suspended nuclei from neuron cells.

Why use neurons?

According to Herculano-Houzel, Neurons are considered as the basic information processing units. Also, you can be able to discern the animal thanks to these units in the brain. In order to make her results-yielding brain soup, she had to use only a part of the brain that is called the cerebral cortex on the top of the brain’s other pieces. Actually, different parts of the brain process outside the stimuli such as the cerebral cortex, sight, and touch, as well as among other functions.

According to Herculano-Houzel, the cortex gives complexity and flexibility in the brains. In order to have an idea of the number of neurons dogs and cats, the team had to use three brains including one from a golden retriever, one from a cat, and one from a mixed-breed small dog. They have to use two brains because there are many different sizes of the canines.

In spite of varying in size of the dogs’ brains, there are about 500 million neurons. This is more than double the 250 million they have found in the cat’s brain.

Dog facial expressions change when humans watch them

Depending on the number of neurons found, the team speculated that dogs offer roughly the same intelligence as lions and raccoons. And, domestic cats have the same intelligence as bears. The fact is that humans include the highest number of neurons in our cerebral cortexes. In addition, orangutans and gorillas come with about eight to nine billion neurons. And, it’s about six to seven billion neurons for chimpanzees.

In fact, there are about 5.6 billion neurons in the most intelligent non-primate animals they have studied, elephants. But, they also include higher-than-typical neuron counts in the cerebellums that have the purpose of controlling motor skills. That’s why they can wield their hefty trunks.

The measure of intelligence

The researchers add scientific clout to a household debate about dogs and cats. They are considered as a larger effort in order to use neurons like one quantifiable measure of intelligence.

There are many controversial works to quantify intelligences that measured structural complexity as well as brain size.

According to Sarah Benson-Amram, a scientist at the University of Wyoming’s Animal Behavior, she has found some support in carnivorous animals that come to better problem solving. But, the fact is not that larger brain size universally will lead to higher intelligence.

Also, she said that we surely need more research on this topic if we want to definite the meaningful brain size across different animal groups. Then, we can determine a measure of intelligence thanks to it.

According to Herculano-Houzel, it’s just one when counting neurons. But, this may be considered as the most effective to date when it comes to measuring intelligence. Also, this is not your number of neurons. In fact, there are a number of animals with similar-sized brains. But, they don’t have the same numbers of neurons.

Are dogs smarter than cats?

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found that dogs are smarter than cats. As noted above, dogs include twice as many neurons as cats.

Indeed, dogs can be able to do much more flexible and complex things with their lives than cats. Moreover, dogs love their people five times more than cats, according to The Vanderbilt study conducted by researchers for a BBC documentary.

The Vanderbilt researchers also have done some research about the brains of a ferret, raccoon, mongoose, lion, hyena, and brown bear aside from dogs and cats. And, they realized that domesticated animals as cat, dog, and the ferret don’t come with a significantly different ratio of brain size compared to wild animals such as hyenas, brown bears, and lions.

 

Reasons Why Dogs Make Good Pets

January 21st, 2019

Reasons Why Dogs Make Good Pets

As a loyal and protective animal, the dog has become a human companion for more a long period of time. Especially, this is one of the first domesticated animals in history. In fact, dogs can be able to make us laugh more than cats. They also keep us active. Plus, they can reduce our chances of depression as well. This article will give you reasons why dogs make good pets. Check out to get more.

Dogs Make Us Laugh

In fact, people who get a dog to their home will laugh over the course of a day. Furthermore, people who have just dogs and both dogs and cats normally laugh more than the other two groups.

Dogs Are Loyal

Nowadays, there are a lot of domesticated house dog between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago. They are evolved from wolves. You know, Wolves actually live in packs and developing strong bonds between other members. That’s why today’s dogs are so loyal.

You are More Social with a Dog

According to a team of scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Bristol in the UK, UK residents with dogs can be able to encounter other dogs as well as dog owners than ones with no dog. In addition, the average American tends to get a dog than the other common house pet like a cat.

Dogs can Keep Us Healthy

Dogs even can be able to prevent us from poor health. Indeed, when living in households with a dog, you can get a lower risk of developing some problems such as asthma and allergies caused by dust.

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. If you expose to dust from households that have dogs inside and outside, you can avoid allergens caused by an altered community of microbes in mice’s gut. The fact is that these microbes can help to prevent young children from developing allergens.

We are More Active with Dogs

Obesity is one of the most concerns today. That’s why you need to get regular exercise. The fact is that 60% of dog owners can meet federal criteria for regular moderate as well as vigorous exercise. Indeed, they have to take their dogs to walk regularly. The Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services showed that elderly people walking their pets will get a more regular exercise routine.

Dogs can Save Lives

In spite of not being a cat’s best friend, many lucky cats were saved by a blood transfusion from dogs. In fact, some dogs come with a universal blood-donor type that can be used to save the cat’s life. In addition, dogs can be able to help humans thanks to acting as an early warning system for patients with seizures as well. Trained dogs can help the patient prevent injury from falling down.

We can Get a Sense of Purpose from Dogs

Dogs are considered as a good companion for anyone, especially for the elderly. According to the Journal of Social Psychology, the elderly who have a dog normally feel more satisfied with their physical, social, and emotional state than other people without a dog.

We will Feel Happy with Dogs

Just by making eye contact with your dog, you can release the feel-good chemical that is called oxytocin. In fact, if you don’t look directly at your dog, you will get the lower oxytocin levels than making regular eye contact.

In addition, you will also be less depressed, have higher self-esteem, be happier, less lonely, and experience less perceived stress if you own a dog.

Responsibility

It is really a great experience when you own a dog. The thing you need is just the responsibility. Before actually buying a dog, you need to foster him for a few weeks. By this way, you can determine what kind of schedule you need to keep.

The benefits of owning a dog

It’s a great thing when you have a long walk with your furry friend on a fresh morning. You may not know that your dogs can be able to repay the love ten-fold when you give them. Dog owners will have lower blood pressure than others. Also, they have a stronger immune system to prevent sickness and bugs.

Children with a furry friend will get fewer days off school because of sickness. A dog is a great choice for those who stay alone. Dogs may be also fantastic fun. They are capable of making you laugh at the end of a hard day. In addition, you can also the valuable time to be with your faithful friend by walking with him.

Most importantly, you have to think very thoroughly before deciding to get a dog. This is a hard work because he will rely on you for many years later.

How to Discipline a Dog that Pees inside

December 14th, 2017

You have to teach your puppy a lot when he grows into an adult dog. It’s hard to avoid that he occasionally show bad behavior. That’s why you need to learn the way to react to such bad behavior. In addition, it’s also important to learn how to reward and foster good behavior. Take your time to discipline him so that he becomes a good canine citizen.

React to Bad Behavior

Start disciplining early

You need to start disciplining your dog as soon as you bring him to your home. You just need to show what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable in your house. Then, your dog will learn them. But, they have to be consistent with bad behavior. And, it’s easier to prevent the bad behavior.

Ignore bad behaviors

It’s best to ignore your dog when he tries to get your attention by nipping at your fingers, jumping up, or barking. Instead, you should look for what reward he is trying to get when participating in bad behavior. Your dog is jumping up on you as you go home. That means he needs your attention. Teach him how to get your attention by acting differently. Of course, your dog will know how to earn your attention and affection with good behaviors.

Distract as well as redirect him

You can make a loud noise in order to get your pet’s attention. You can clap your hands when you want your dog to do something undesirable like squatting to urinate on the carpet. By this way, you can distract him from the bad behavior gradually. Then, it’s time to direct his attention to desirable behavior.

Use time-outs effectively

If your dog makes any bad behavior, you need to remove him from any cause of the behavior. It’s best to take your dog to a different environment such as a quiet room in the house. You should keep him there for 10 to 30 seconds. Next, remove your puppy as if nothing happened. If he still doesn’t stop, you need to wait until he does. It’s important to do that once you notice the bad behavior.

Prevent him from barking

The best thing you should do is ignoring his barking. If your dog tries to earn your attention, he will surely stop right after. But, remember to determine why your dog’s barking if he doesn’t stop barking despite your inattention. Then, remove it. If your dog continues to bark, you should take him to another room for a few minutes. Or, giving your dog something to chew is also a great idea such as a rope toy.

Keep your dog from nipping

Your dog has to learn limits when he plays rough. If he nips, let’s say “ouch” and yelp. It’s best to leave him about 20 seconds after letting go of your hands. By this way, you can teach him that you won’t allow him to play rough. Don’t pull your hands when he nips. Of course, he will consider this as part of the game. And, he will chase you.

Don’t use physical punishment

If you use physical punishment for your puppy, it can increase aggression in him. Thus, don’t use physical punishment if you want to correct undesirable puppy behavior. In addition, this can injure your puppy. Most importantly, the physical punishment can also ruin your relationship.

Encourage Good Behavior

Determine what motivates your dog

Your dog is a very social creature. He needs your attention as well as affection. So, you should pay attention to him when he best responds to. There is no reason why you don’t reward your dog’s good behavior. This way purposes to help him get a positive association with the behavior.

Create your dog a routine

Your pet seems to know what to expect. So, we recommend you to make a daily routine with set times for toileting, meals walks, as well as training sessions. And, your dog surely knows what to expect. You can regulate your dog’s behavior thanks to a routine.

Reassert your dominance over him

If you want your dog to respect you more, you need to take clear control over him. You can use a stern tone of voice when you want to command him. For instance, you can make him sit and wait briefly before you give him a food dish.

Train your dog

It’s important to teach him a few basic commands such as SIT, COME, and STAY. This way aims to help you notice his engaging in bad behavior. Then, you can right now redirect his attention. Also, you need to command your dog to “sit” or “stay” when he intends to do something dangerous. This helps to reach him.

Get help

If your dog tries to resist your training, it’s time to look for a help. Indeed, your vet can help you. It’s also a good idea to enroll him in an obedience training class. Your vet will teach you some useful tips to learn what to expect from the training sessions.

Does your dog hate nail trims?

July 24th, 2017

If your dog hates getting his or her nails trimmed, there is hope! If you have a puppy, get his or her nails trimmed regularly, and have puppy massage time when you pet your dog’s feet, ears, head, back, tail, being sure to gently squeeze the areas as well. This will get your puppy used to being touched, and will help out with future vet visits as well.

If you have an adolescent or adult dog who hates getting nail trims, you can use a very effective strategy called desensitization. Desensitization is the process of gradually adjusting your dog to the uncomfortable situation until the situation is no longer uncomfortable.

Depending on just how uncomfortable your dog is, you can start in one of several places with this.

  • The first one is to clip just a couple of your dog’s nails at a time. Clip 2-3 nails every 2-3 days, or even every other day until all of your dog’s nails are clipped.
  • If more than one nail at a time is too much, go for one nail at a time, every couple days.
  • If that is too much, then distract your dog with a treat that they can take little bites from or put a frozen jar of baby food in front of your dog’s face to distract him or her while you clip a nail or two.
  • For some dogs, it’s the clip of the nail trimmer that freaks them out, work on desensitizing your dog to the sounds of the clippers. Get some treats, and click the clippers, then give your dog a treat. Do this a few times over the course of a few days until your dog looks to you for a treat when he or she hears the click.

Start at what your dog can tolerate, and gradually increase until you can clip multiple nails (or all of them) in one sitting.

It’s also important to choose your battles with things like this – if your dog can tolerate a few nails being clipped over the course of a week, maybe that’s the way you clip your dog’s nails. It’s not worth stressing your dog out to go to a groomer and do it all at once, if it gets easy to do it that way at home!

Another option is to ditch the clippers and try a nail grinder. Just be sure to go slowly, don’t do too much at a time, and be careful not to get your hair (or your dog’s fur) in the wheel. If your dog has never heard a grinder before, take some time to get your dog used to the sound. Turn it on, give your dog a treat, turn it off. Repeat a few times and then that’s it for the day. When your dog doesn’t show any signs of nervousness when you turn the grinder on, try a nail or two.

With a little patience and perseverance, you will be cutting your dog’s nails stress-free in no time!