Dog Health Insurance

Hills is a name which the majority of dog owners out there will already be more than a little familiar with as they are famed for their top quality food and accessories, all of which are designed with one thing in mind, the health of your pet. Well, having already garnered something of a reputation for being one of the biggest names in pet food in the market today, the team behind the scenes at Hills are also looking at ways in which your pets can remain at the peak of their physical well-being by offering up specially designed exercise programmes for your dog.

            As they state on their website, a dog which is only slightly over-weight can develop all sorts of unwanted ailments on account of the extra mass they are having to carry. Diabetes, heart problems and the like are not just human issues and should your pooch binge beyond its means, it could well develop one or more of these extremely unpleasant disorders. As such, the team at Hills are prepared to guide you owners in a bid to help combat such problems with their new Weight Loss tips page.

Health Dogs eat Hills Dog Food

            Here you can find not only a range of exercise techniques which will assist you and your dog in the keeping-trim stakes, but also advice on what kinds of food will prevent such complaints from occurring and guides on how much is too much. To find out more about these new programmes (one of which is tailored to help cat owners) why not visit the Hills page today? After all, if your new years resolution was to shed a few pounds, don’t leave your pets behind; fighting the flab is something which all species should be trying in 2011 and Hills are here to help.

You can get great deals on Hills Dog Food at GJW Titmuss – The Number One Online Pet Supplies Retailer!

In my last post about the secret lives of dogs, I mentioned the Russian scientists who have replicated what they believe to the process of domestication in dogs – by selectively breeding non-aggressive silver foxes. The incredible discovery that aggression and hostility to humans is a genetic trait has led to the conclusion that dogs are genetically designed to be great companions.

What may be even more fascinating for readers to discover, is that this breeding programme saw the foxes gradually changing in appearance as the generations got tamer. Coats changed colour, tails changed shape, limbs changed size – there were even facial differences! The conclusion was that, by favouring non-aggressive foxes, scientists were also favouring juvenile traits – suggesting that these appearances are, in part, due to genetic behavioural predispositions. What this implies is that the way dogs look is partly a product of their domestication!

Most amazingly, these cute dog features seem to actually trigger a response in our brain very similar to that when we see an infant; our urge to protect means we too are bonded to dogs like they are bonded to us.

So, not only are dogs man’s best friend, it we seems we are also theirs!

Having mentioned that chocolate can be deadly to dogs; I thought I’d bring you some facts and figures relating to the problem. My reasoning is as follows; on the one hand you need to know how to look after you dog, but on the other hand I don’t want you maxing-out your dog insurance because you’ve lost a Malteaser. Comprende?

The simple fact of the matter is that chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaloid that is toxic to dogs when consumed in sufficient quantities. Toxic quantities are considered to be around 100-150mg of theobromine per kilogram of body weight. However, studies report problems at as little as 20mg/kg – so it’s better to not give you dog any chocolate at all! However, because different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine; the danger to dogs depends on the type of chocolate. Hopefully the following guide will help, but please remember it is just a guide!

In short; lethal levels of toxicity can occur in a medium-sized dog (of around 50lbs, or 22.7kgs) after eating around 50oz (1417g) of milk chocolate, 16.6oz (471g) of dark chocolate, 5.6 oz (159g) of baker’s chocolate or a mere 2.5oz (71g) of cocoa powder. Health problems will start to arise at much lower theobromine levels however; after just 10oz (283g) of milk chocolate, 3.3oz (94g) of dark chocolate, 1.1oz (31g) baker’s chocolate or 0.5oz (14g) of cocoa powder!

White chocolate contains so little theobromine that a dog would have to eat over 12 times its own body weight before suffering from poisoning. I still wouldn’t recommend giving it to your dog though – find a proper dog treat!

think it’s fair to say that, as Christmas approaches, we all accept we’re likely to put on some weight. However, the difference that Christmas dinner and a few nights of drinking makes to us is minimal compared to the impact that sharing the celebrations with your dog can have on his health.

It should go without saying that food designed for humans simply isn’t fit for dogs and that feeding your dog bits of Christmas dinner can actually be very bad for your pet – no matter how much he enjoys it at the time! I don’t wish to sound morbid, but salmon bleenies can literally kill your dog; as can onion, grapes and too much chocolate. Whatever you do, don’t offer your dog an after dinner mint as a festive treat! Also, no matter how much you choose to celebrate, never give your pet alcohol or caffeine – both are very bad for dogs and he’ll probably be having a great time already.

Also, no matter how well you know your dog nutrition, make sure you fill guests in on the rules as well. There are few more dangerous things for a dog than a boozed-up uncle at Christmas time – I advise a strict “Don’t Feed The Dog ANYTHING!” policy. Anybody who breaks that one simple rule can fund the dog insurance for the next year!

After our recent post about calculating your pet’s daily calorific requirement by working out his resting energy requirement, then applying it to a table of variables; we received a number of queries from maths-shy owners who weren’t confident enough to put our collection of facts and figures to use. Here at the Dog Health blog, we understand information is useless unless you understand how to use it, so here’s some clarification.

Let’s suppose you own a very active, 20 kg Border Collie and you want to use our strategy to make sure you’re feeding him the right amount of food. First, you should work out his resting energy requirement, or RER. To do this, multiply his body weight (20kg) by 30 and then add 70:

RER = (body weight x 30) + 70
= (20 x 30) + 70
= (600) + 70
= 670 calories

Easy! Now, look at the table in RER post. Although he is not doing lots of work (like he would on a farm), if your dog is very active and spends lots of time running around outside on walks, chasing balls and fetching sticks – you’re probably going to need to feed him a bit more. The table says the amount of calories an adult dog doing light amounts of work needs is 2.0 x his RER. His RER was 670 calories, so you need to multiple that by 2.0.

Daily calorific requirement = RER x 20
= 670 x 2.0
= 1340 calories

Simple! Your dog needs about 1340 calories every day to keep him healthy and happy! Of course, every dog is unique – if he starts getting a bit fat or thin, change his diet a bit to compensate! Hopefully this has helped

Last time we established there is no blanket rule for feeding your dog, especially not based purely on weight. Today I will explain an accurate method of deciding how much to feed your pet; one that is simple, but much more appropriate than following instructions on the back of food packaging.

For the majority of dogs, the best way to work out the appropriate amount to feed them is to calculate their calorific requirement, based on their resting energy requirement.  Although this is still partly to do with their weight, it also takes into account many other factors including age, activity levels and health problems. To work out your pet’s resting energy requirement (RER), simply multiply its weight in kilos by thirty and then add seventy; the resulting amount is the basic number of calories your dog should consume every day. Once you have established this RER, consult the following table – complied from information from vets and nutritionalists – to ascertain how much more you should feed your dog, based on a variety of factors.

Ensuring your dog maintains an appropriate weight is essential to keeping him healthy. Just ask your vet: too fat and he’s at risk from diabetes, arthritic problems and heart conditions; too thin at he’ll likely suffer from reduced energy levels, reproductive problems and healing disorders. However, there are so many different foods available (most of which tell you something completely different about what your pet needs) that it can be virtually impossible to know what to do and who to trust.

At the Dog Health Blog, we’re here to tell you this: trust no food providers – they just want to make a sale. They may declare “One scoop twice a day for a dog of ten kilograms”, but clearly there is more to a dog’s food requirement that how much it weighs! A young ten-kilo farm dog, for example, will need more food than an old ten-kilo house dog that barely moves around; check almost any food packaging, however, and you’ll see almost no reference of these facts whatsoever. Hence, our advice to you is to do your own research and learn about dog nutrition for yourself; then you can apply your knowledge to the content of various foods, helping choose the correct type and amount of food for your dog. Tomorrow I’ll explain the best method of working out how much food your pet actually needs.

With so much choice on the market, it’s hard to know exactly what is best to feed your dog. Today we’ll consider the choice between canned, semi-moist and dry dog food.

As a general rule, I advise against feeding dogs semi-moist dog food, because it tends to contain more salt and sugar than a dog really needs. Experienced owners will have already taken out dog insurance to protect their pet against the dental problems that afflict canines, so it will be obvious to them why this sugary semi-moist food is not advisable. For the benefit of newer owners; eating sugary foods will increase the chance of your dog developing periodontal disease and gingivitis – the two most common causes of tooth loss in dogs.

The size of your dog can also affect the type of food you should feed it. Large dogs, for example, eat a lot more than small dogs; dry food is hence a popular choice, because it is easier to prepare, transport and store than mountains of cans. Anybody who has ever taken a dog on holiday can tell you of the woes of carrying around dozens of cans of food! However, when it comes to feeding smaller dogs, canned food is often a cheaper and hence more popular option than it is when feeding large dogs.

If you are thinking of changing the type of food your dog eats, remember to do so gradually.

Dog-lovers country-wide will be excited to hear that the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs show is set to run between 10:00 and 17:00 at Earl’s Count 1, on both the 14th and 15th of November. The display will showcase more than 200 pedigree breeds of dog, as a means of educating owners and enthusiasts alike.

The show is set to include agility displays and accessory sales, as well as informative health and training tips from experts, providing advice on nutrition, exercise and caring for your dog over the winter months. I will certainly be attending one of the days, so you can expect a report of the display right here on the Dog Health Bulletin! If you are thinking of going, it’s worth buying your ticket online at discoverdogs.co.uk, as they are just £10 adults and £7 concessions from the website! Otherwise, you can buy them on the day for £13 adults and £10 concessions.

With admission free for those under 12 years of age, this is a pre-Santa treat for the whole family! Please remember though, no matter how excited the kids may get, a dog is for life – not just for Christmas.

As promised, here are some more things you shouldn’t feed your dog. Although all of these things can cause health problems, please be sure to read my earlier post “Surprisingly Fatal Foods” for information about foods that can literally kill a dog within days.

It is also advisable not to give your dog alcohol or caffeine. Humans are bigger than dogs and we have developed to handle both better than canines, but even we become a complete mess when we drink too much booze or coffee. Caffeine can cause dogs to develop rapid and irregular heartbeats, as well as suffer from tremors and seizures. When it comes to booze, it’s even worse; dogs can get alcohol poisoning much faster than you might expect, which can even lead to comas and death in serious cases.

Other things you should avoid giving your dog include liver (too much vitamin A), nuts (can cause bladder stones), and too much nutmeg. Raw eggs should be an obvious no-no, as salmonella is a killer-bacterium that thrives in raw eggs. Finally, and less obviously, I should mention dogs’ inability to handle dairy products; they can’t digest it and it can cause terrible diarrhoea in your beloved!