Dog Foods Are Not Made Equally

You love your pet and pamper that precious life you have. Elaborate fancy dog collars, designer dog clothes and even indulging in visits to the dog groomer may make your dog look great from the outside but in realty, what makes your dog happy and healthy all starts from the inside.

In recent years, especially during the last pet food recall scare of which many dogs were getting ill and even dying, people are now starting to read ingredient labels on pet food brands. With hundreds of brands out there, you can find pet food pretty much any where but the key is to find a "quality", holistic and natural food. For starters we highly recommend either of the following: Solid Gold Dog Food, Merrick, Innova, Evo, The Honest Kitchen or Grandma Lucy's "True".

Although convenience plays a big part of why people select a certain brand to feed their pet (easy to get) or perhaps the repeat marketing efforts that big corportions do over the television, print and even internet, here are some things to consider when you feed your pet next time (this also includes TREATS you feed your dog as well):

• Read the ingredients on the bag! If the first 8 ingredients start with any of the following, it is BEST suggested to switch your dog's food as soon as possible! Meat by-products, corn (corn meal, corn syrup, corn gluten, or ground corn), poultry by-products, lamb by-products, turkey by-products, sugar, or cane molasses By-products are NOT GOOD for dogs, along with corn (no matter how the corn is processed) nor any kind of sugar. By the way, if you are wondeirng what a "by-product" is, it's the "left overs" of an animals that are not for human consumption. See below for additional details.


• The best rule of thumb is if you can pick up your dog's food in the same place when you are shopping for your grocerys, it may NOT be the most healthiest of dog foods.


• Do not let certain marketing schemes on brands fool you. Foods can say "All Natural" and/or "Great Tasting" but the realty of it is that it may not be all natural. Again, read the ingredients!


• A GOOD quality food starts with any of these in their first 8 ingredients: lamb, fish, bison, salmon, chicken, beef, and then lists wholesome vegtables such as carrots and potatos. Dog foods high in grains are not suggested. It is now common to see specific brands labeled "grain free".


• Stay away from any dog food that contains the following perservatives: BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. These are potentially cancer-causing agents.

Now, here is what certain ingredients mean:

By-products: Pet grade by-products consist of organs and parts either not desired, or condemned for human consumption. This can include bones, blood, intestines, lungs,
ligaments, heads, feet, and feathers.

Corn: Corn products are difficult for dogs to digest and some dogs experience being allergic to this ingredient.

Food Fragments: These are lower cost by-products of another food manufacturing process. They include wheat bran and brewer's rice which are waste products of the alcohol industry.

Meat and Bone Meal: These are inexpensive sources of animal protein. The protein in a meal containing a large amount of bone may be hard to digest and may not provide adequate
nutrition.

Animal Fat: Animal fat is a "generic" fat source that is most often made up of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease or other oils too rancid to be edible for humans. Look for a named fat source like poultry or chicken fat that is naturally preserved.

Chemical Preservatives: Chemical preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol and ethoxyquin. BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are potentially cancer-causing agents.

Sweeteners: Sweeteners such as corn syrup, sugar, and cane molasses are usually added to lower quality foods to increase their appeal. Dietary sugars can begin or aggrevate health problems, such as diabetes.

Beef Tallow: This is a low quality fat product.

Just remember, if you feed your pet the best nutritional foods that are available, you may experience LESS visits to the vet for illnesses or minor medical conditions and even prolong your precious pet's life in the long run. Therefore, your best bet is to start your puppy on a healthy diet right from the start. If the breeder suggests or even gives you a brand of food that they have been feeding the puppy, take it in your own hands to read the ingredients on the pet food label because they are not necessarily giving you the best diet for that puppy to begin with. Again, if any of the above "bad" ingredients are listed on your current brand of dog food, switch the puppies food immediately but gradually over a week's period of time.

Finding a Puppy - Consider Rescue!

Since we are simply advocates of rescue, our slogan is “Don’t Shop – Adopt! With so many puppies and adult dogs that need loving homes that have absolutely nothing wrong with them except starving for the need of love and companionship of an understanding human being, many are sadly euthanized simply because no one adopted them fast enough. What is further heartbreaking is when a pet is surrendered into a county or local shelter; many people do not even ask if that particular shelter is a "kill" or "non-kill" shelter. Fortunately for only approximately a quarter of these puppies and dogs surrendered into these "kill" shelters, they are pulled out right before they are scheduled to be euthanized from supporting non-kill rescue groups that are committed to finding the right home for each of them. With many privately funded and all volunteer groups all over the country, it's almost guaranteed that you can find a specific breed rescue right in your own tri-state area. Therefore, if you have done your research on which breed(s) would be a good fit for you and your lifestyle, we suggest then doing a web search on: (PUT BREED NAME HERE) RESCUE (YOUR STATE HERE) to find a breed specific rescue in your neighborhood. Although, in some cases, the adoption can be a lengthy process, it is, however, a highly rewarding experience because you have now been "matched" up with a great puppy/dog that suits your needs and lifestyle and furthermore, most pets that come from rescues are already up to date on all shots, spayed or neutered, housebroken, and have been temperament tested. For other great places to start your search, especially for a specific breed, age, and by a tri-state area, go to Petfinder.com or visit your local ASPCA/SPCA.

Purchasing a Puppy (PART THREE) - Where To Find a Reputable Breeder?

Finding a reputable breeder who breeds for quality health and temperament on a particular breed can take some time but once you find one, you can be rest assured you will be receiving a puppy that has gotten the best start in being a happy and well balanced puppy.

Reputable breeders take their jobs very seriously. Periodic tests are usually preformed on breeding adults to check for potential genetic defects or illnesses (eyes, hips, knees, cancers, etc..) Because they are always striving to make the breed better, these occassional tests are performed to ensure possible defects are not passed from generation to generation. Also, all reputable breeders usually register each adult and litter through the American Kennel Club (AKC).

During off breeding periods, breeders are usually showing their top dogs in shows; hoping to gain national recognition of owning a champion breed line. Their "bitches" (females) are usually given the best prenatal care and mates are carefully selected to ensure quality health and beautiful puppies. Depending on the size of the litter, a breeder and, at times, a co-owner, will keep or selectively sell their "show" puppies to only owners who are seriously into training and showing that puppy into future shows that can offer potential champion titles. Depending on the breed, a show quality puppy can be $500-$1000 more than a "pet quality" puppy from the same litter. Because there is no difference in health and temperament of a show vs. pet quality puppy (other than the general appearance and "gait" of the puppy), breeders will selectively sell their "pet quality" puppies to people at a less expensive fee who just want to love, care and enjoy the puppy in a regular household envirnoment.

When dealing with a reputable breeder, these breeders will sometimes offer adoption applications to get a better sense of where the puppy will be living and with whom. Because they carefully select each applicant, they want to ensure you have the means to take care of that puppy as they have put so much time, energy and love to produce it. Regularly, contracts are also usually mandatory to ensure if an owner is no longer able or willing to take care of that puppy, the breeder will either take the puppy back or assist in re-homing the pet to another place. Also, it is common for a breeder to offer a health guarantee and the offical AKC registration papers.

Because people sometimes have the misconception that when dealing with a reputable breeder, you will be paying alot more money for a puppy, even a "pet quality" one but this is not necessarily the case. We have seen puppies sold by reputable breeders for less or about the same as when you are purchasing a pet from a pet store.

Our BEST suggestion when searching for a reputable breeder is to go to the American Kennel Club Breeder Referral. Here is where you can search by breed and contact the Parent Club of that specific breed. The acting "secretary" to that club will then refer you to the closest reputable breeder who is enlisted in the breed club and has puppies or will potentially have in the near future. Also, you can do an American Kennel Club Breeder Search of people that have AKC licensed puppies, but not necessarily showing puppies or adult dogs in pet shows.

Purchasing a Puppy (PART TWO) - Buyer Beware!

Finding and purchasing a puppy now a day has become very simple. You can find any breed of puppies being sold in local pet stores, online from so-called "private breeders" or people listing puppies for sale in local papers. However, finding the right ethical and reputable breeder to purchase from is another story. Why? Because many people and places now claim they are either "USDA licensed breeders", they are "licensed kennels" or simply the "private breeder" and for someone simply looking for a healthy puppy to purchase, this certainly can be very misleading. Therefore, because of our extensive knowledge in the pet industry and the love we have for animals, we decided to make people aware of some key factors when purchasing a pet from any one or any place. The first thing is to get yourself familiar with the different types of places and people that sell puppies:

PUPPY MILLS - These are places where puppies, especially in pet stores, originate from - no matter what ANY ONE says; including the pet store sales person (heck, they want to make the high commission on the sale!). Puppy mills are typically located in rural areas and in discreet buildings or barns. Driving by, you would never know it. There is no big signs attracting attention to them that is for sure. Mills can stock 50-500 dogs at one time (and more!). Adult dogs are boarded in cages; one on top of another, and have very little human contact. Adult females are bred every 6 months (even at 6 months of age!) and are bred over and over again until a puppy mill owner has no use for the female or male anymore. Because of the lack of attention, socialization with humans and other dogs and most importantly, a healthy and nutritional diet these adult dogs don't have, their off-spring can suffer immensely. Conditions of these puppy mills are regularly very filthy, cruel and not closely monitored by the USDA. Puppy mills highly populate (Lancaster) Pennsylvania, Missouri, Indiana, and Arkansas. What has kept these places in business is not only the lack of monitoring by the US Government, but the supply and demand the consumer has given to these horrible places as people still continue to buy pet store puppies, especially. Please note: Puppy mill owners have gotten savvy in the marketing and selling of puppies directly to the public, especially over the internet themselves to make a few hundred or a thousand dollars more in their pocket on each puppy and you would never know it. IT IS NOT SUGGESTED TO PURCHASE ANY PUPPY OVER THE INTERENT. To learn more about Puppy Mills and how you can help stop them, visit Stop Puppy Mills.

PUPPY BUSINESS BROKERS & PET STORES - These are businesses that purchase puppies from puppy mills directly as little as $75 per puppy. Yes, we did say $75.00 but because they buy at least a litter at a time, they can get the "bundle" deal. If a pet store is not dealing with the puppy mill directly, they deal strictly with a puppy business broker instead (which relatively sells puppies very cheap as well to pet businesses). Puppy businesses brokers basically vaccinate the puppies first and/or second set of shots, administer a wormer, temporarily house them and then take care of the coordination of transportation to stores. They typically split up litters by sending one to one store, another to another store and so one. These puppies are regularly not given the proper care and at times, taken away from their moms too early when the puppy business broker gets them. They are then stored again in cages (and at times, cramped) in tractor trailers and shipped all over the USA to pet stores. Unfortunately, there have been many reports of puppies during the shipment process getting very sick and even dying. So, when you have a pet store claiming to "hand pick" their puppies from their "so called breeders", they are basically picking a puppy from the "available puppies in stock" list from that particular puppy business broker.

PRIVATE PUPPY BROKERS - There is no secret knocks on someone’s door to enter or any one handing out business cards with this profession. These "private" puppy brokers discreetly market and sell their puppies in many different ways directly to the public and regularly, tell the consumer they are the "breeder” themselves. As with the "puppy business broker", private brokers relatively purchase a litter from either the puppy mill itself or from a puppy "business" broker (mentioned above) very cheap and then in turn sell them for $500-$2500 a puppy. Private puppy brokers often sell their puppies online (very easy to disguise themselves as the breeder) or through local newspapers. Because online sales of puppies have become very popular, THE PURCHASE OF ANY PUPPY ONLINE IS NOT SUGGESTED unless you are planning on traveling to that seller’s house yourself. Posting pictures of cute puppies and even the "so called" parents over the internet can not be validated unless you are there in person, seeing them for yourself and how they are cared for, etc.

Another way private puppy brokers have gotten savvy or should we say greedy in keeping the puppy mill business alive is also disguising themselves as the "breeder" and placing ads in local papers. Just when you think you are going to a person's home in your local area and stepping foot in their nice, private home, does not constitute them as a breeder UNLESS you see the parents of those puppies yourself! If the parents of those puppies are not on the premises, walk away! Because puppies by the age of 8 weeks old (the legal age to sell a puppy, by the way) will have some sort of medical history with some vet at this time, ask to see the paperwork and name of the caring veterinarian of those puppies and parents. If paperwork is listed out of state or even the vet for that matter and the "breeder" can not show you the parents in person at the time of your visit, this red flag can not get any redder in color! Some common lies a private puppy broker will tell you: (a.) Puppies parents are not here right now - they (or she) is at my friend’s house (b.) The puppies’ mom is at the groomer, vet, etc... (c.). I don't have any documented medical history from a local vet as I have been administering puppy vaccinations by myself.

Another red flag of a private puppy broker is someone who has more than one litter and breed at one time in their home. Don't be fooled that all the puppies looking healthy, happy and being well taken care of during your visit. Just be weary and think of where this person got a litter of puppies from, especially a few different breeds at one time with no adult dogs present. Again, do your research and ask as many questions as you can! For example, here are some additional key questions to ask any potential "breeder" you meet: (a.) How old are the parents? (b.) How many times has the mom been bred? (c.) Has either parent suffered any illness? (d.) Where are the dogs housed? (e.) Any health guarantees? (f.) Has either parent's eyes, knees and hips tested? (g.) Do you offer a contract? (h.) Do you have any references on past adoptions? (i.) May I see the parents health records?

Also, if you have the chance to meet the mom to a puppy, always take notice of her personality as it will be a key factor of her offspring's future temperament.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE READ ALL 3 PAGES ON MSNBC's NEWS REPORT

Purchasing a Puppy (PART ONE) - Things To Consider First!

If you ask any caring pet owner, having a puppy is like having a baby in the house. You are awaken in the middle of the night, consistantly watching the puppy to make sure he/she is not getting into anything they aren't suppose to be, making sure they aren't making a "mess" on the floor, it's eating properly, taking them to the doctor for vaccinations, and as the list goes on, these are just a few examples of what you are in for when owning a puppy. Although it can be a tiring job, you must have plenty of patience and time for an active puppy or you will have a rude awaking within a few days of bringing that new puppy home.

What also should be taken into account is whether you have the dedication to care for that pet for at least 10 years. You will have to commit yourself not only emotionally, but financially and physically as well. If you can not commit to any of these, it is best suggested that you should not consider bringing a pet into your home at this time. Unfortunately, many people do not think of all the responsibilities that come along with owning and taking proper care of an animal until weeks or months later and then find themselves surrendering the pet to a shelter/rescue or perhaps, selling the pet to someone else. What is sad is that many of these dogs surrendered do not have anything wrong with them. It's just that they found themselves with the wrong owner who did not consider the puppy's needs nor researching whether that breed was the right match for them and their lifestyle.

Because many puppies are brought impulsively mainly from pet stores & private puppy brokers (see Part 2), sellers of these animals do not necessarily screen or ask significant questions pretaining to the placement of these puppies. Therefore, it's up to you, as the buyer, to do your research first to avoid any emotional and financial hardships. For example, if you live in a small apartment in a high rise building with no backyard, a larger, highly active dog is likely not the right breed for you unless you plan on walking and playing with you pet FREQUENTLY to exhaust all the energy that breed has ingrained in its blood lines. Another good example would be you working long hours each day without the ability for you or someone you know to come by your home and give that puppy/dog at least an hour each day of relieving itself and playtime. Just remember that no puppy should be left alone in a crate during the day for no longer than 4 hours at a time.

Rather than just selecting a breed based on looks, we suggest researching the breeds common needs first (energy levels, personality traits, grooming time, etc..). A good place to start your research would be the American Kennel Club - Which Breed Is Right For You?