| All_Our_Pets Online magazine with articles on dogs, cats, health, nutrition, travel and activities with pets. |
| Animal_Fair_Magazine A lifestyle magazine for animal lovers and pet owners, dedicated to the idea that the bond between humans and animals can be vital and enriching. |
| Animal_Network Home of Fancy Publications, the leading publisher of magazines and annuals about pets. |
| The_Animal_Pen Writer Janice Biniok specializes in pet articles and provides material for web sites, newsletters and pet publications. Site contains a library of pet articles and humane education materials. |
| Animal_Tails A public service intended to entertain and educate on responsible pet ownership through true stories of rescue, heroism and the ordinary lessons of life. |
| Aniwa Online encyclopedia dedicated to cats and dogs: breeds files, behavior, health, cat and dog adverts, slide shows, forums, animals pictures. Newsletter and forums. |
| Ark_Animal_Tracks Dedicated to the topics of exotic and captive wildlife as well as pets. Ranging from behavior, training, and enrichment to conservation, education and research. |
| Big_Paw_Designs Find out about or post the latest tips, tricks and helpful pet suggestions. Discuss/post animal rescue needs. Articles about breed history. |
| Dr__Dog_Paw_Prints_Newsletter A bi-monthly newsletter aimed at providing information and tips for one's cat or dog. |
| Ireland\'s_Pets_Magazine News, features, pet care and products. |
| My_Sweet_Pet A pet magazine with articles, advice, adoption, forums. |
| Natures_Corner_Magazine Explores the intelligence of all types of animals in our homes, our backyards and in the rest of nature. Blog too. |
| Paw_Luxuries_Magazine A print and online magazine of luxury dog products and upscale pet services. |
| Paw_Prints_Post Online magazine with features on pets, working animals, wildlife, animal behavior, pet health, animal-related book and movie reviews, and animal welfare news. |
| PawPrint A quarterly, nonprofit magazine that promotes animal welfare, publicizes the activities of dozens of rescue organizations, and highlights adoptable dogs, cats, horses, and other pets in Central Kentuc |
| Pawprints_and_Purrs Includes a monthly newsletter with pet health care sources, a spay and neuter campaign, and information about pet loss and animal abuse. |
| Pet_Blog_Center A blog directory that is exclusively for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, horses, rabbits and other pet related blogs. |
| Pet_Gazette E-zine about pets including health care, grooming, and training. Also Oklahoma events and adoption information. |
| Pet_Talk UK magazine dedicated to pet owners and animal lovers alike. Available free from selected vets, pet shops and as an online download. Includes articles, event listings, photographs, and a subscription |
| Pet_Talk_Radio_Show Harrison Forbes answers your pet questions on the radio. Newsletter available. |
| Petmag Online pet magazine providing information and features on a wide range of pets including cats, dogs, aquaria, reptiles and amphibians, birds, small animals. |
| PetPress_net A news feed about all kinds of animals - dogs, cats, reptiles, wildlife, birds. |
| A_Pets_Blog Pets journal and photo blog with opportunities for visitors to submit content and photos. News and forum too. |
| Pets_Info Email newsletter of interest to pet owners. |
| PETS_Magazine Canadian animal magazine with pet care veterinarian advice. Exploring the human - animal bond. |
| Pets_World They have always been there when humans have fought wars, playing their role, whether as workers or as mascots. Many of them never came home, even when they survived the conflict. |
| Petsburg_Times Online newspaper for pets and the people they love. Columns "written" by pets. Feature articles covering broad range of topics. |
| Petsyclopedia Resource for pet owners that includes pictures and articles about dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals. |
| Steve_Dale\'s_Pet_World Check out photos, links and read recent editions of Steve's award winning "My Pet World" columns. |
| Tails,_Inc__Magazine Founded in 2000 by Janice Brown. Passionate about rescue and adoption, Janice believed that a connection needed to be made between the animal welfare community and the general pet-loving population. |
| The_Weekly_Beagle News feed sponsored by Petscriptions. |
| What\'s_New,_Emu Pets and animals. News as you will find it nowhere else, the most humorous information as it comes, almost from the horse's mouth. |
| Topix_net__Pets News about pets, collected from various sources on the web. [RSS] |
| AboutPetSitting Email list for sharing business tools, stories, support, and the responsibilities that are involved to run this type of business. |
| All_Canadian_Pet_Services_Network A professional association for pet sitters in Canada. Membership listings by area, newsletters, insurance information. |
| Camp_Bow_Wow A premier dog daycare and overnight camp with web cams. Find locations and watch the dogs play. |
| FindPetCare_com Find boarding kennels, pet sitters and dog daycare nationwide. Some facilities offer online reservations. |
| Meetup__Pet_Sitters Local groups for pet sitters and owners to meet and exchange information about sitting and related topics. |
| National_Association_of_Professional_Pet_Sitters Membership benefits, insurance, certification, newsletter, events, locator search engine, educational tools, and a reading room. |
| Pet_Owners_United Online club that aims to link up pet owners across the UK who are willing to offer mutual holiday pet care. Overview, registration and FAQ. |
Back
TEN REASONS WHY
HOME-MADE RATIONS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PETSFirst broadcast on www.provet.co.uk
Note for Pet Owners
This information is provided by
Provet for educational purposes only.
You should seek the advice of your
veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the
diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.
Many owners feed home-made rations to
their pets, or add a lot of supplements to commercially available pet food.
Both practices are recipes for disaster ! Why ? Here are 10 good reasons !
The daily intake of a ration must
contain enough of all the essential nutrients that the pet needs. For
cats and dogs this means it must contain the correct amount of essential
amino acids (in protein), essential fatty acids (in fat/oils), minerals (macrominerals
such as calcium, and trace elements such as cobalt) and vitamins.
The relative amount of some ingredients
to each other is very important and can cause serious problems if it
is wrong. For example, a balanced ration for cats and dogs should contain
slightly more calcium than phosphorus per gram of food. If a ration
contains considerably more phosphorus than calcium skeletal problems may
occur ...even if both minerals exceed the amount needed to meet the
nutritional requirement of the animal.
It is well accepted that some nutrients
cause problems if too much is given. For example, excess fat in a
ration will increase the risk of obesity because fat is extremely high in
energy content, and high fat diets exceed the energy needs of the animal,
so the excess energy is deposited as fat.
Some ingredients interfere with the
availability of other nutrients in the food. For example, some types
of fibre can reduce the digestibility of some nutrients, such as minerals.
As a result, the animal may not be able to digest and absorb the nutrient
in sufficient quantities to meet it's needs , even though it is present in
the food.
Different raw ingredients have different
nutritional content. For example, the same crop grown under different
conditions (eg soil, rainfall, pesticide treatment) or harvested at
different stages of growth can have very variable nutrient content, and
nutrient digestibility and so the availability to an animal can vary.
Home-made rations are often based upon
unqualified peoples opinions of what is good or bad and as a result some
real fads are, sadly, still advised. Some of the worst advice -still
being given is :
a) It is good to feed an all-meat ration (CLICK
HERE to find out why it isn't !)
b) It is good to feed a lot of raw liver
(liver can be regarded as "meat" but it also contains masses of
vitamin A...which can cause serious skeletal problems due to toxic effects.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Vitamin A
c) It is ok to feed a vegetarian diet to
cats ...DEFINITELY NOT - cats are obligate carnivores (CLICK
HERE to find out why it isn't)
If you feed a complete and properly
balanced pet food (the word COMPLETE is your guarantee that the food
contains all the nutrients to meet your pets requirements) and you add
any supplement you are effectively increasing the daily intake of some
nutrients and possibly upsetting the correct balance of nutrients in
the food. This probably doesn't matter for small amounts of supplement,
but sometimes far too many vitamins, minerals or fatty acids are given
....and veterinarians all over the world see the results as illness !
The only way to be sure that a home-made
ration contains every nutrient that a pet needs, in the correct amounts,
and in the correct proportions to each other is to have a
detailed chemical analysis performed ..and of course pet owners do not
do this
The only way to be sure that the ration is
bioavailable ..ie digestible, and absorbable by the pet is to perform
detailed feeding trials looking for evidence of deficiencies or
excesses.
Owners and breeders often think their
pet's ration is good because it's coat, behaviour and other external
signs of "health" appear to be normal. However this is not
necessarily true. Most veterinarians will have seen pets that develop
multiple fractures of the bones because they have been weakened by an
"all-meat" ration. Otherwise these animals can appear to be very
healthy.
Provet's advice is : Ask
your veterinarian for his/her advice about the most appropriate ration for
your pet. Feed commercially available "COMPLETE" pet foods produced
by reputable manufacturers who perform controlled feeding trials on every
batch of food that they produce.
Copyright (c) 1999 - 2002 Provet. All rights reserved. Email: info@provet.co.uk
