Make a New Year’s Resolution for your Pets!
At the beginning of the year, we all seem to make resolutions based on achieving better health.  Whether it be losing weight, eating better, exercising- the list goes on… Day in, day out, your pet relies on your knowledge to keep him/her healthy, so why not live up to the expectation your pet has for [...]

Can I Make Better Food Choices for My Dog?
by Heather Zorn, PAS The answer  is simply, YES!  You need to become a better educated consumer so you can make the best choices for your Pampered Pooch when it comes to nutrition.  #1  Learn how to read a food label, which includes dog food, treats, and anything else they may consume… Focus on the [...]

Does your horse really need a Probiotic?
by Heather Zorn, PAS A client of mine recently got back from a horse event that was sponsored in part, by a nationally known feed company that used the opportunity of a gathering of like-minded horse folks to sell their newest product.  The product that my client was specifically interested in was a probiotic.  The [...]

The Importance of Antioxidants for Horses
by Heather Zorn, P.A.S. The word “free radicals” and “oxidative stress” get tossed around a lot these, but do we really know what it means?    Breakthroughs in science won’t mean much to the average person unless they understand them. Free radicals are produced during regular biochemical reactions that involve oxygen, a perfect example being exercise.  [...]

Senior Spotight: Wintering Successfully with your Aging Horse
by Heather Zorn, PAS In addition to my position as nutritionist for Pampered Pooch and Pony, I am also fortunate to own/run Desert Sky Ranch, Equine Retirement Boarding Facilityin New Mexico.  I board aging horses and really get to put my knowledge as a nutritionist to good use in keeping my old guys happy and [...]

Vet opposes FEI’s stance on NSAIDS
Bute (phenylbutazone) is as common as dewormer and fly spray in most barns.  It’s a go-to quick fix for any horse in pain.  However, as horse owners simply trying to ensure our companions are not in pain, we forget that pain serves an important function as a natural, protective response.  The Internation Equestrian Federation allowed [...]

AAFCO Dog Food Ingredients- Do you know what these ingredients really mean?
by Heather Zorn, PAS AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines and definitions of ingredients in animal feed, including dog food and treats.  We thought you may be interested in what really is going into your dog’s food and treats…  Then again, after reading this, maybe not… Beef (meat): is the clean [...]

Is it Necessary to Reduce Protein in the Diet? SENIOR Dog Health Spotlight
By Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health There is a lot of misconceptions concerning protein and dogs. So let’s start with the basics and learn exactly what protein is and what foods contain the necessary proteins for a healthy dog’s diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Each amino acid is important because of the [...]

Dog Food Carbohydrates… A Surprising Secret Revealed
by Mike Sagman Zero.  Nada.  Zip.   That’s how many carbohydrates are required by a dog to sustain  life. The fact that a dog food doesn’t need to contain any “carbs” at all… may seem hard to believe. But it’s true. You see, according to the National Research Council… and compared to the other major nutrients… [...]

Using Nutrition to Prevent and Manage Equine Disease
by: Erica Larson, News Editor Horse.com While you can’t necessarily prevent or squelch every equine ailment by adjusting his diet, what a horse consumes can impact certain maladies. According to Meri Stratton-Phelps, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVN, owner of All Creatures Veterinary Nutrition Consulting, in Fairfield, Calif., veterinarians and owners can use certain dietary ingredients to [...]

Consumer Reports should report on cars and toasters, not dog food!
Oh dear, Consumer Reports has done it again by weighing in on the value of commercial dog food.  While they are correct in saying that “premium” has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality,” they are sadly incorrect in saying that Walmart’s brand, Ol’ Roy, at 34 cents a pound is the best deal.  [...]

Senior Dogs: Diet for the Golden Years
The right foods provide senior dogs with health-promoting nutrients. Cook’s Corner column by Mary Straus, published in Dog World Magazine, December 2010. We all want our dogs to live the longest and healthiest lives possible, but you might be confused about the best diet to feed an older dog. Here’s what you need to know [...]

The Problem with Commercial Dog Food
by Heather Zorn  PAS A friend of mine that runs a wonderful non-profit dog rescue, Almost Home NM, told me today that she has seen an increase in dogs with food allergies and thyroid issues. She then made the mistake of asking me why I thought that was… Plain and simple, I say.  Improper nutrition and [...]

Metabolizable Energy and Caloric Density
by: Holly Nash, DVM, MS Understanding metabolizable energy (ME) is essential in determining the nutritional quality of your pet’s food and comparing pet foods. ME is defined as the amount of energy available from pet food once the energy lost in the feces, urine, and combustible gases has been subtracted. Essentially, ME is the energy [...]

Dry, Semi-moist, or Canned Pet Food: What is Best?
Drs. Foster & Smith Veterinary Services Department Katharine Hillestad, DVM As with many things, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Your pet is an individual, and when making a decision about what type of diet to feed, you need to consider, among other things, your pet’s age, size, breed, and any existing medical [...]

Feeding Old or Geriatric Dogs
There is an overall thought that geriatric dogs should be fed low protein and low fat diets.  Veterinarians often suggest prescription foods “specially designed” with older dogs in mind.  In truth, these contain a much lower percentage of bioavailable protein and fat (both of which your dog, regardless of age is very efficient at digesting), [...]

What’s Wrong with Dog Food?
  The perception most people have is that only rich or wacky pet owners would splurge on feeding “gourmet” food, or mess around with making their own pet food. The diet I recommend is not gourmet; it is merely made up of real food, the same as you or I would eat. The fact is, [...]

Help Your Horse Age Gracefully
Story by Eleanor Kellon, VMD Thanks to advances in management and veterinary care, our horses are living longer than ever before. Learn what your senior citizen needs to enjoy his golden years. During your horse’s twilight years, don’t just turn her out to fend for herself-especially in a herd situation. Daily care and monitoring are [...]

Horse Body Wisdom: Absorption Of Vitamins
Your horse, like every living thing, relies on vitamins for a variety of body functions and would die without them. So, yes, your horse needs vitamins. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to supplement them above and beyond what’s in his current diet. Whether or not your horse needs a supplement depends on two [...]

Reading a Horse Feed Label
ommercially produced concentrates have simplified feeding programs for many horse owners. While some still choose to mix their own combination of grains, protein sources, and minerals, purchasing prepared concentrates has several benefits. Commercial concentrates can help manage feeding costs, reduce time and labor inputs at feeding, and decrease the risk of potential mixing errors compared [...]

Pre and Probiotics
Microorganisms in your horse’s gut aid in digestion, but these little helpers need a boost from time to time with a balanced diet of their own.  By: Eleanor Kellon, VMD As you prepare your foal for weaning, consider adding prebiotics or probiotics to his diet to help him transition to eating only solid food. Maintaining [...]

FDA Recall Listings
The FDA has provided consumers with a new format for searching recent recalls.  For those that wish to become more aware of all recalled foods and drugs, this is a good page to bookmark. This new FDA recall announcement system is much easier to view and find recent recalls.  Tabs at the top of the [...]

Raw Data: The Basics of Feeding a Raw Diet
Cook’s Corner column by Mary Straus, published in Dog World Magazine, June 2010. When discussing homemade diets, most people think of cooked diets, but another option is a diet based on raw meaty bones (parts that are at least half meat), where the bone is fully consumed. This method of feeding is meant to mimic [...]

The Importance of Electrolytes
by Carol Layton B.Sc M.Ed, originally published in the November – December 2009 issue of Equine Excellence magazine On top of a more than adequate nutrient diet with balanced minerals, it is often recommended that horses receive electrolytes whether they are performance horses in work or a much loved member of the family in the [...]

Study: A hay based diet leads to better hydration levels in horses
Grass hay is the food stuff of choice for horse owners whose animals work or exercise hard. High quality bales of this hay reduce problems in the digestive system and even stimulate the retention of fluid within the intestines; thus, these animals will less likely run the chance of becoming dehydrated. Inside the digestive tract, [...]