Best Dog Food For Puppies

DOG FOOD/BEST DOG FOOD FOR PUPPIES

In the first few months of a dog’s life, it has a lot of growing to do. Bones, muscles, joints, and even the brain are all rapidly changing as your dog gets bigger. All that growing, coupled with boundless puppy energy, means young dogs have distinct nutritional needs that might not be met with regular dog food.

To ensure your puppy gets the right start in life, you’ve got to pick food that has wholesome, healthy ingredients, and the right balance of fat, protein, and other essential nutrients. Puppy food needs to be more calorie-dense than adult dog food and, because puppies can be more sensitive to digestive irritants and toxins, it should not contain fillers or other questionable items.

Can a puppy eat all-stages food?

Dog food that’s made for all stages meets all of the nutritional needs for an adult dog, but may not have the right balance of fats, proteins, and nutrients that a puppy needs to develop strong teeth, bones, and brain function.

Because puppies are growing quickly, they have higher calorie demands than older dogs. This is one of the key differences between puppy food and adult or even “all stages” foods. Puppies also need a lot of protein, which is why it’s especially important that puppy food have real protein sources, and not grains and fillers.

Adult dog food also tends to be higher in carbohydrates than puppy food, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, even with all of the energy that your young dog displays. For these reasons, it’s best to opt for a dog food especially formulated for puppies if your dog is one year old or younger.

What makes a great puppy food?

When shopping for the best puppy food, you’ll also want to look for formulas that use wholesome ingredients: meat products, no preservatives, additives, or added color.

Puppies are especially sensitive to added ingredients like colors and artificial preservatives, so choosing a puppy food that’s made with real, high-quality ingredients is important. Our recommended brands use meat as the first ingredient, and leave out fillers like corn.  When in doubt, you can check in with our ingredients lists and advisories to see which products should never be in your dog’s food, which are controversial, and which are recommended.

Additionally, high-quality puppy food needs to offer a healthy balance of nutrients. Though we think of calcium as something that all young animals need, the fact is that too much calcium can actually harm puppies, especially larger breeds. For that reason, we looked for puppy foods that offered a healthy balance of essential nutrients like calcium and healthy fats from wholesome sources.

One more consideration

Because puppy food is so high in calories, overfeeding is a distinctive concern. Just because your puppy needs a lot of calories doesn’t mean she needs all of the calories, so pet owners should be strict about how much food — whether it’s canned, kibble, or otherwise — and how many treats their puppy gets. Even if you choose the highest-quality puppy food on the market, if your puppy is overweight or obese, their healthy might be at risk.

The bottom line

Puppies have special needs to ensure that they up strong and hearty. Providing them the right food is the best first step toward a long and healthy life — and just like with all dog food, that means being diligent when it comes to what’s actually in it.

As a general rule, look for foods that are grain-free, those which list meat as the primary ingredient, and which are specially-formulated for the first year of your dog’s life.

Depending on the breed and size of your dog, she may have different nutritional needs (too much calcium, for example, can be harmful for larger dogs), so read up on which nutrients to prioritize. But above all else, make sure you always consult your veterinarian. She can recommend foods that offer the right balance of protein and calories — then it’s up to you to check those ingredients.

Source by: http://www.reviews.com/dog-food/puppy/

The Link Between Cancer and Your Pet's Size and Color

By Dr. Becker

    There is nothing a dog parent fears more than hearing the devastating words, "Your dog has cancer." And one of the first questions many distraught pet owners ask is, "Why? Why my dog? How did this happen?" Often, feelings of guilt set in immediately as the person wonders what he or she could have done differently to help their pet avoid this horrible disease.


    While there are many things you can do for your canine companion to lower the risk of cancer, the truth is that we can't discount the role heredity plays in determining whether or not a dog develops the disease.

The Role of Genetics in Canine Cancer

    When it comes to genetics, each dog breed is a "closed, isolated population," according to Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a board-certified veterinary oncologist.1

    In order to be registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) and other kennel clubs, a dog must be the product of other registered dogs, thereby insuring no new genes are introduced into the breed. That means every purebred dog is a relative, however distant, of other dogs of that breed.

    Since the majority of owners of purebreds don't breed their dogs, the gene pool stays small. Most professional breeders decide which dogs to breed based not on several generations of lifelong robust health, but on a specific set of physical traits they want to reproduce or "enhance."

    The result is that in some breeds, the genes that increase the risk of cancer are reproduced in generation after generation of dogs.

    The good news, such as it is, is that limited genetic diversity within dog breeds can help scientists identify the genes responsible for cancer and other inherited diseases.

        "Once the genes are identified, tests can be developed and used to help avoid breeding individual dogs with the 'bad genes'," says Dr. Hohenhaus.

    Researchers are just beginning to identify these genes.

Several Breeds in the Mastiff Group Have a High Incidence of Cancer

    The fact that all dogs have a common ancestor, the wolf, plays a role in the perpetuation of gene mutations that increase the risk for cancer.

    Dr. Hohenhaus uses the example of the Mastiff group, which includes several breeds with a high incidence of cancer. These include the Boxer (mast cell tumors), the Bernese Mountain Dog (histiocytic sarcoma), the Golden Retriever (lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma), and the Rottweiler (osteosarcoma).

    When researchers compare the DNA of Golden Retrievers with hemangiosarcoma and other breeds with the disease, the genetic abnormalities are different. Interestingly, Golden Retrievers in the UK, where the breed originated, rarely develop cancer.

    Their genes are significantly different from those of US Goldens, which indicates the risk of hemangiosarcoma in American Goldens is the result, in part, of a fairly recent gene mutation.

    Golden Retrievers are also at significant risk for lymphoma, and researchers studying cancer in Goldens have identified genetic alterations common to dogs with either type of cancer. These gene mutations "modify the regulation of the immune system's surveillance for tumor cells," according to Dr. Hohenhaus.

Genes for Size and Coat Color Also Play a Role

    Scientists believe that there are multiple genes that play a role in the development of cancer in dogs. Since many large and giant breeds develop bone cancer (osteosarcoma), but dogs under 55 pounds rarely do, it appears genes that program the size of a dog are also involved.

    Dr. Hohenhaus uses the example of Greyhounds and Whippets, two breeds that are very similar both physically and genetically. However, Greyhounds develop osteosarcoma at a high rate, but in Whippets, the disease is rarely seen.

    Dogs with black coats appear to have a much higher incidence of squamous cell carcinoma affecting the nail bed of one or more toes than lighter coated dogs of the same breed, for example, Poodles.

    The gene mutation that produces the cancer is present in dogs of both coat colors, but the Poodles with white, apricot, and brown coats also have a variation in a different gene that provides a protective effect against the squamous cell carcinoma mutation.

    According to Dr. Hohenhaus, two other black-coated breeds with a predisposition to this type of cancer, the Briard and the Giant Schnauzer, also have the gene mutation.

10 Warning Signs of Cancer in Pets

    Sadly, cancer is the leading cause of death in pet dogs (and cats) in the US. Up to 50 percent of pets will die of cancer.

    According to Colorado State University's Flint Animal Cancer Center, the top 10 warning signs of cancer in pets are:2

        Unusual swellings that don't go away or that grow. The best way to discover lumps, bumps, or swelling on your dog or cat is to pet him.
        Sores that won't heal. Non-healing sores can be a sign of infection or cancer and should be evaluated by your veterinarian.
        Weight loss. Illness could be the reason your pet is losing weight but isn't on a diet.
        Loss of appetite. Reluctance or refusal to eat is another sign of possible illness.
        Bleeding or discharge. Bleeding can occur for a number of reasons, most of which signal a problem. Unexplained vomiting and diarrhea are considered abnormal discharges, as well.
        Offensive smell. An unpleasant odor is a common sign of tumors of the anus, mouth, or nose.
        Difficulty eating or swallowing. This is a common sign of cancers of the mouth or neck.
        Reluctance to exercise or low energy level. This is often one of the first signs that a pet is not feeling well.
        Persistent lameness. There can be many causes of lameness, including nerve, muscle, or bone cancer.
        Difficulty breathing, urinating, or defecating. These symptoms should be evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible.

    If you see any of these signs in your dog, it's important to make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Many of the symptoms of cancer are also present with other diseases.

    Blood tests to detect certain kinds of canine cancer are available and continue to improve. Veterinary Diagnostics Institute (VDI) makes both canine and feline cancer panels, plus a test called InCaSe designed to be used during wellness checkups in apparently healthy animals.3

    There is also the Tri-Screen Canine Lymphoma Assay Kit.

    The earlier a diagnosis is made, the better your pet's treatment options may be. It's also important to take your canine companion for regular wellness exams – I recommend twice annually for young, healthy dogs and more often for older pets and those with chronic conditions.

    If your dog belongs to one of the breeds predisposed to cancer, you might want to consider more frequent checkups as well.

Source bu : http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/09/30/dog-cancer-genetics.aspx?ShowAllComments=True