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Does Your Cat Love Catnip?
Did You Know...?
Using Super-Premium Pet Foods:
Will my pet like it ?
If you move to a higher-end diet you will usually have no problem getting your pet to eat since these foods usually have very high palatability. The key here is usually to avoid overfeeding your pet. When facing a highly palatable pet food most pets respond by eating a more than is good for them. This often results in a loose stool and is often blamed on "switching the food too fast". With very few exceptions, it is safer to under-feed than to over-feed your pet.
How much should I feed?
For mature dogs that live indoors, most super-premium dog foods should be fed at a rate of about one 8 ounce measuring cup for every 25-30 lbs of your dog's body weight per day. "Mid-range" dog foods are usually required to be fed in volumes of a cup for every 15 lbs of body weight, more or less, and "low-end" cereal-based foods are usually designed to be at volumes of about a cup of food for every 10-12 lbs of body weight.
If your dog lives outdoors or is exposed to stress (if your dog "works for a living", if you run with your dog, etc.) you may have to feed more, but in every case check your dog's weight every couple of weeks to make sure that your dog isn't putting on unwanted weight. You should be able to feel your dog's ribs (especially the last three) but not too prominently. Check your dog's stools to make sure that they are firm and not loose. They should be firm, dark colored and not particularly smelly. If they become loose, slimy or really smelly, try cutting back on the food volume.
Cats fed a super-premium cat food usually require 1/3 to 1/2 cup per day for adult non-reproducing cats weighing 10-15 lbs. It is better to allow your cat to free-feed, whereas adult dogs are better off with controlled feedings once or twice a day. A breakfast and supper schedule works particularly well for larger dogs.
Remember, every pet is an individual. Don't assume that the feeding guidelines on the bag are right for your particular pet. try to find what's best for your particular pet.
How fresh is it?
To keep your pet food fresh store it in air-tight containers and always check the "manufactured on" or "Best Before" date on the bag. Most manufacturers put an easy to read date on the bag. If your brand needs a "secret decoder ring" to decipher its encrypted date, ask the staff at the store where you shop to explain the code to you. Modern pet foods are designed with a one year "best before" date. This dating is based on the rate at which oxygen in the air will react with the fats in the food and cause them to slowly lose their value. Three or four months past the one year date the food will usually smell "off" or "sharp" as a result of the oxidization of the fats. At this age they should not be used as their nutritive value has been lost. If an animal eats the food it will probably be ill.
When buying from a reputable dealer you should be able to buy your pet food well within the useful shelf life and often within a few weeks of manufacture.
The newest forms of packaging incorporate nitrogen-flushed pet food that is vacuum-sealed in a special bag that is impermeable to air. As a result there is no oxygen in the bag to cause the fats or vitamins to deteriorate. These foods stay super-fresh indefinitely and only start deteriorating once the seal is broken. At that time the food is once again exposed to the air and the aging process starts. Examples of vacuum sealed foods are the ANF series of dog and cat formulas. These foods are currently available in 1.5 kg bags and will soon be available in 6kg and 15 kg bags.
Most truly "naturally preserved" foods (preserved with vitamin E [mixed tocopherols] or vitamin C) offer a useful shelf life that is shorter than foods preserved with BHA or ethoxyquin. Naturally preserved foods usually guarantee their full nutritive potential for a period not exceeding 8 months. This is an acceptable compromise if you want the assurance that there are no synthetic preservatives in your pet's food. In any event, make sure you check the "best before" or "manufactured on" dates to ensure full value in your pet's food.
QUICK FACTS
courtesy of L/M Animal Farms "The Right
Start" handbook"
Small Animal Facts:
Hamsters are the number one selling pet animal, appealing to people of all ages. Because they have a short life span (two to three years) it is important to buy young hamsters, aged from four to eight weeks. These young animals are easy to tame and become used to handling.
Hamsters do not enjoy each other's company and prefer to live alone. It is wrong to put two hamsters together in one cage as they are liable to injure or kill each other fighting.
Hamsters enjoy making friends with you and being handled. But gentleness is essential as they are easily frightened by sudden movements and noises.
Bird Facts
Parrot-like birds like to play with a variety of toys. Toys to avoid include chains with small links that could catch a bird's toes as well as rubber and soft plastic objects. Better toys include bells, swings, ladders, hard wood, bark covered tree branches, rawhide, coconut shells, dried gourds and raw vegetables. Toys are especially important for parrots that spend many hours alone.
When buying your bird, look for one with clean, tight feathers and clear, sparkling eyes. Healthy birds, except parrots, constantly move to and fro and are alert to their surroundings. Birds also sleep on one leg - any sleeping on both legs may be in poor health. If you are buying a young parrot and it squawks or screams continuously as you approach it, it is probably unsuitable. All young birds are suspicious of humans: however, hand fed birds are the easiest to tame.
Get your own copy of L/M Animal Farms' " The Right Start" handbook on keeping Small Animals and Birds, free with your order of L/M Animal Farms small animal or bird diets, treats or bedding from I Love My Pet !
Fish Facts
"NovAqua" Water Conditioner from Kordon Quality Aquarium Products provides a protective colloidal coating on your fish's body during injury. NovAqua utilizes a unique system for supplying fishes with a protective synthetic film "slime coating" which forms rapidly on damaged areas. As the fish recovers, the natural slime layer is replaced and the synthetic coat is sloughed off the fish's body. The action of NovAqua results in a "bandaging effect" on the body of the fish. The action off this coat provides a barrier against serious loss of internal fluids and electrolytes and protects damaged areas against external toxins and disease causing organisms. NovAqua also aids in concentrating certain drugs and antibacterials at the diseased or damaged site.
Dry AmQuel + Buffers, from Kordon, is a special purpose chloramine and chlorine remover for aquariums and ponds where maintaining a stable pH is a problem. Dry AmQuel + Buffers has a powerful pH stabilizer to help prevent the lowering of the pH in fresh and saltwater aquaria having little or no alkalinity or buffering capacity. In water having little or no buffering capacity, high levels of ammonia may be what is buffering the pH- that is keeping it higher than it otherwise would be. When the ammonia is removed the pH may rapidly decrease. This sudden drop in pH can be very harmful to fish and invertebrates. By using Kordon's New Dry Amquel + Buffers, the ammonia can be removed without the pH drop. Dry AmQuel + Buffers does not interfere with the biological nitrogen cycle in aquariums and ponds. Dry Amquel + Buffers does not contain formaldehyde and does not remove oxygen, is non-toxic and environmentally safe.
The Benefits of Wheat Germ
It takes one full ton of wheat to get 100 grams of wheat germ
oil, a rich source of vitamin E, linoleic acid and other
essential nutrients. Wheat germ oil has more vitamin E than other
cereal oils and more of the vitamin E alpha component most
essential for healthy vigor. Linoleic acid is a
vital component in cell walls and provides hormones to the body,
among other benefits. Hikari Wheat-Germ is a highly nutritious,
easily assimilated fish food ideal for colder northern climates.
Its effect is great for promoting overall health, growth and
fertility even during the coldest season.
