Dog Health Insurance

After my post about the importance of a good diet and the dangerous foods like chocolate; I decided to get all the doom and gloom out of the way in one post about other foods that can be fatal to feed to dogs. These foods are commonly found around the house, yet are lethal in small doses – the dog owner’s nightmare. The problem is that, without being told, you’d never suspect they could be so dangerous to your pet.

Firstly, grapes are amongst the worst food you can possibly feed your dog. Nobody is quite sure why, but lots of dogs die from consuming grapes or raisins – even half a dozen grapes is enough to kill some animals. The same goes for onions; even a small onion can kill a dog from thiosulphate poisoning. Finally, raw salmon is another common household food that can strike a dog down in days. For those who didn’t read my earlier post – chocolate (especially baking chocolate) is also horrendously bad for dogs. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said you need to pay huge amounts of attention to where to store food and rubbish.

Apologies for the morbid nature of this post, but if I didn’t tell you then how would you find out? I’ll write another post later about foods that are less dangerous, but can still cause health problems.

Never underestimate the power of food in effecting your dog’s health; “you are what you eat” isn’t specific to human beings after all! A proper diet can have a massive impact on the mood and energy levels of your dog, as well as going part-way to helping with a whole range of serious health problems including joint problems, gall stones and skin disease. It should also go without saying that a special diet is essential for dogs with diabetes, kidney failure and liver disease.

Many people cite the fact that dogs are “scavengers” to justify feeding them poor-quality food. However, it should be obvious that some human foods are simply not suitable for dogs to eat; baking chocolate, for example, is exceptionally dangerous to feed to dogs – a few ounces is enough to kill them! For this reason, dog owners should never leave chocolate in bins or other places where dogs can get at it. They are indeed scavengers and they will do everything that can to find food to eat – even if it’s bad for them!

I’ll write another post later this month with more information about things dogs should not be fed. Until then, maybe dig out your dog insurance paperwork!

In this health-food conscious age, it is important to remember that what is good for you isn’t necessarily good for your dog. It might seem like an obvious thing to say, but lots of people continue to feed their dog inappropriate food that can cause severe health problems. Here is some basic nutritional advice:

Remember that dogs are carnivores (they evolved to eat meat as their primary food source) and their diet should reflect this fact. Although vegetables can make up part of a healthy canine diet, you should always bear in mind that they cannot digest big chunks before tossing you leftovers their way. Simply giving you dog appropriate amounts of calories is not good enough (it is not good enough for humans either, but that’s a different point); they need the amino acid content of bones and meat. Once again, you must think carefully before you give the dog a bone; cooked bone are brittle – they crack and splinter in a dog’s mouth and can cause serious damage to your pet. Raw bones are the only kind of bone that dogs should be given to eat.

If you’re thinking of changing your dog’s diet, make sure you don’t do so overnight – it plays havoc with their digestive system. Even if their old diet is not as good as the new one, phase the new diet in slowly; introduce the new food with the old food and gradually change the quantities.