Grain-Free Diet – Really Good or Bad for Your Dog!

In recent few years, the spotlight has been shifted to grain free pet foods from normal diets. More and more research papers and claims about the benefits of this diet are coming forth. This has boosted the popularity of grain-free diets. However, there still remains the question how practically these diets are helpful and beneficial for your pet.

Benefits of Grain Free Dog Food

With the changing needs of dogs, vets recommend that dog’s diet should contain a small portion of carbohydrates and grains. The dog food industry has evolved dramatically recently, designing more grain-free diets for dogs. These diets mostly comprise of wet or dry food that contains more amount of protein and animal fats and lesser carbohydrates than their grain-based counterparts. It is evaluated grain-free diet is easy to digest and good for dog’s stomach.

Other benefits of grain-free diet include:

·         Provides more energy

·         Improves skin texture and maintains healthier skin

·         Helps keep dogs fuller for longer time resulting in eating less

·         Helpful in reducing canine allergies

·         Shinier coat

·         Fewer and smaller stools

·         Less shedding

·         Better breath

·         Reduced flatulence

Most pet parents are hanging in between thinking whether they should go grain free or not. If you are one of them, then you need to follow the suite of pet owners who have opted for grain-free diet for their pooches based on the following guidelines.

Vet’s Opinion

Before changing to grain-free diet, have a second opinion from your vet. Ask whether your dog would be adjustable or react positive to such diet according to his health condition. Most dogs don’t easily accept grain-free diet. Also check for the allergies, if any, your dog is suffering from. Based on that you can change to grain-free diet.

Check Ingredients

Furthermore, before buying a grain-free product check out the ingredients on the label of the dog’s food. Look for the branded and quality dog food. Always prefer to buy brand products from authentic online petstores as they only sell branded and quality food.

If the food pack label ingredients as wheat, soy or corn as key ingredients then look for diets that have protein as base such as chicken, meat as one of the main ingredients.

Follow the Protocol

When considering of switching to grain-free diet, do not abruptly start giving your furry pal this food. For proper acceptance and digestion, you need to slowly introduce grain-free and higher protein dog food by mixing it in a little at a time. Gradually increase the amounts over the course of a few weeks, this will give your dog’s digestive system time to accept and adjust the new food cuisine. During this switching period, you need to keenly watch your Fido’s stool to ensure that they are not suffering either from diarrhea or constipation.

In a nutshell, it all depends on your dog. So, it’s just worth trying to find whether there is any improvement or difference in their health and quality of their life. 

Discover Unknown Reasons Why Your Cat Peeing Outside the Litter Box

It can be a grave problem for you if your cat has started working out of litter box and spraying the whole house wherever she likes. Facing this problem, pet parents have to rush from cleaning the stuff and nulling the strong smell all around the house. A cat that is not using the litter box can leave you frustrated not knowing what to do. Well, have you tried to figure out why do cats pee outside the box and how can you help your kitty to work accordingly.

In order to know what is wrong with your cat, you need to figure out the reasons about the litter box problems.

A Dirty Litter Box

As we like to use clean bathrooms, cats too want clean space to pass out the stuff. Normally, pet owners forget to remove the litter and refill the box with the fresh litter on the timely basis. This forces cats to pee outside wherever they find the clean space. Therefore, if you want that your cat uses the litter box, scoop out the poop every day or multiple times if you smell bad or find the box full. Feline sense of smell is stronger, so keeping the litter box fresh makes your cat to use the box. 

Type of Litter

There are variety of litters to choose from available on the market. But always remember that not all types of litter would work good for every cat. Litter made of clay, recycled newspaper or litter made from corncobs may not feel good for some cats. Litter used when your cat was a kitten is most preferred by them when they grow up. Never try to change the litter once they are used to one type. Switching litters may make your cat pee outside.

Medical Conditions

It is estimated that around 73% of cats tend to pee outside the litter box due to medical reasons. Cats usually face urinary tract infection, kidney disease or diabetes. Sometimes, neutering or spaying can also constitute to this behavior.  This makes cats pee out of the litter box due to their lack of control. Moreover, arthritis can also be a problem for your cat to get into litter box resulting into peeing outside. Whenever your cat faces health issues, she might tend to miss using the box. The best you can do is consulting your vet for the ultimate solution.

Multiple Pets in the House

Normally, cats are quite finicky and so they don’t like to use each other litter boxes. If you have multiple cats in the house, just keeping one box is not the good idea. It is clear that your cat will start peeing outside because of no clean space or bullying of other cats. Some cats do not allow others to use litter box if there is only one. So, for if you have a timid cat, you need to provide her a separate litter box kept in the safe place far from other cats litter boxes.

Stress and Anxiety

Apart from environmental and medical reasons, behavioral issue is also a factor for your cat peeing outside the litter box. A stressful cat can pee anywhere, where she can relieve her anxiety and make her feel safer. Mostly, outdoor cats lingering in your lawn or a dog barking in the neighborhood or on the street might also cause stressful condition in your kitty forcing her to pee anywhere. Treating them with Feliway diffuser solution can be of great help.

At The End Of The Problem

Unfortunately, cat owners fail to look at the number of reasons responsible for cat peeing outside the litter box. To make your cat use litter box, always keep it clean and set it up at the easy-to-access place with your cat’s favorite litter. Also, talk with your vet to work on the medical conditions if exist any.  Giving your little time and energy, you can once again get back your kitty to use litter box and keep your home smelling fresh.  

5 Effective Tips to Keep your Dog Parasite Free on a Monthly Basis

As dog owners, parasites are one of the most unpleasant topics that you will have to deal with your fur baby. But, the good news is that it is 100% preventable. There are certain tips that will be highly useful in keeping your doggy parasite free, when you implement them on a monthly basis. Let us look at them given below:

Prevention Is The Best Way To Deal With Parasites

It is important to remember that parasites can appear invisible or very difficult to spot. Hence, it becomes crucial to use preventative measures as a part of a regular routine as a dog owner. Never wait for the signs of worms in your furry companion, it can make your pooch very sick. You can start by teaching and preventing your doggy from eating soil, dog poop and snails to avert the risks of worms than to take them for multiple vet trips to get them treated.

Get Vet-Approved Treatments

Always select vet-approved de-worming treatments and always follow their recommended frequency. Always treat your furry companion for fleas on a monthly basis with an effective flea preventative treatment. Also de-worm your pup at a bare minimum of three months. Use a flavoured tablet which would increase the palatable factor and ease off the administration process. Also, use a vet-recommended treatment that covers roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Select treatments that are termed as “anthelmintic”, which means it will kill or shun the worm without harming your doggy.

Always Keep Your Dog Clean

Clean the dog's paws and coat after walks and outdoor plays to keep him healthy and fit. Hookworms are prevalent in contaminated soil, hence they can be picked by the dog's paws. Some of the signs to watch out for tapeworm infection in dogs include:

·         White-coloured segments or spots in the poop of the dog

·         The doggy itching his bottom

But the segments are too small to be visible through naked eyes. This makes preventative approach to be more crucial. Check the coat, ears and paws of the dog for signs of fleas. Some of the symptoms of fleas include:

·         Hair loss

·         Skin lesions

·         Bald patches due to biting and scratching

Sometimes, fleas can be seen along with flea dirts which are dried flea faeces. Brush the coat of the doggy to distinguish between ordinary dirt and flea dirt using a flea comb. Then, collect a kitchen towel or cotton wool and sprinkle water. If it is flea faeces, it will turn into dark red-brown colour, due to the blood excreted by fleas. By preventing fleas, you can also prevent tapeworms, as tapeworm larvae can be ingested by a pooch eating a flea. If you find any of the signs of parasitic infestation on your tyke, consult with your veterinarian as soon as possible as your fur baby might need an urgent treatment.

Keep Your House Clean

Along with keeping your pooch clean, it is important to check and treat your home environment. This includes cleaning the bedding of the doggy and vacuuming the areas where the dog sleeps. If you find any parasitic infestations, employ an effective vet-approved spray. If you have a garden, keep the lawn free from fox poop and keep your fur baby's toys clean. Never allow your pooch to eat slugs and snails since, these are the possible ways to get infected with lungworm.

Check Your Other Pets

If you have more than one dog in the household, ensure that you check them both. If you own a cat and a dog, then ensure that the kitty is also regularly administered flea preventive treatment on a regular basis.

So, when do you plan to use these tips to keep your fur baby parasite free?