Health and Wellness

Kibble

Feeding your Pyr:  Part 1

One of the most asked questions I see on social media is "what should I feed my Pyrenees?"  In this series we will explore a variety of feeding information shared by GPRS's amazing volunteer Yi-Hsuan Wu.

There are hundreds of dog food brands on the market, how do you pick the one that's right for your dog's needs?  

We'll focus on a few basic points and hopefully this information can help you navigate the mass of dog food brands.  We start with dry kibbles, which are often selected because of the convenience and lower cost comparing to wet, dehydrated, or raw food.

"No one needs to know how the hot dogs are made," (from Fraser, 2002).

It is a good idea to understand how dry kibbles are made generally, so you can pick the best one for your beloved dogs.  Just like you and me, there is not a single best food for all the dogs.  You might need to try multiple brands and/or multiple flavors to find the one(s) best suited for your dog.

Let's start with the ingredients.  Modern dogs are omnivores that can obtain nutrients from both plant and animal origins.  Flipping over a bag of kibbles to read the content, you would find a mixture of ingredients usually from both plant and animal origins.  There are a few key points to look for:

Health and Wellness

Ryder enjoying the sun.

It has finally dried up in the Northwest and the days are getting warmer.  As nice as that is it is also the time to remind dog parents not to leave their dogs and other pets in the car.  The Humane Society of the United States writes on an 85-degree day the temperature in the car with the windows cracked can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes.  After 30 minutes, temps can soar to 120 degrees.  Pets left in the car can suffer organ damage or even die.  The HSUS suggests never leaving a pet in the car even with the car running and the air conditioning on, as there have been several reports of dogs dying after the air conditioning failed and started to blow hot air.  Partnership for Animal Welfare (2017) suggest tips to keep our pets safe:

• When it's warm out, leave your dogs at home.
• On trips bring plenty of fresh drinking water and a bowl.
• Take the dog into the shade or an air conditioned area if you notice signs of heat exhaustion, including excessive thirst, heavy panting, lethargy, rapid pulse, fever, vomiting, glazed eyes, dizziness, and stumbling.
• Don't let pets ride loose in pick-up truck beds.  The sun and hot metal could injury your pet.

See the entire article by clicking here.

The HSUS suggests tips to help a pet if you see one left in the hot car:

• Take down the car's make, model, and license plate number.
• If there are any businesses near, notify staff and ask them to make an announcement to find the cars owner.
• If the owner can't be found, call the non-emergency number and wait for the police to arrive.
• In several states, good Samaritans can legally remove animals from cars under certain circumstances.  To check the laws in your state, visit the Animal Legal Defense Fund by clicking here.

The HSUS offers a flyer to print and handout if you would like to advocate and help educate the pet owners in your community.  The raining season has been super long here and we are all anxious for some nice weather.  Here's hoping that all pets can stay safe in the coming warmer months!