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Grain free pet food is one of the fasting growing segments in the pet food industry. GfK Research recently reported that sales of grain free pet food grew a whopping 28% from September 2012 to September 2013 in US retail stores. For comparison, the American Pet Products Association 2013 Survey and F... »
What are Supplements? According to Wikipedia, a dietary supplement is intended to provide nutrients that may otherwise not be consumed in sufficient quantities. Supplements as generally understood include vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, among other substances. For our ‘... »
Today we start a new challenge for the month of April. It’s the A to Z Challenge and we have to write a post a day using a theme for each letter of the alphabet. No, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke… Today, being April 1st, we start with the letter “A” and our post... »
Last week we discussed why exercise alone does not guarantee that your pet will be slim and fit. It is the combination of steady exercise and proper feeding that will ensure that your dog is healthy and at their proper weight. The only way to ensure that you are feeding the correct amount is... »
We had a great reaction to the first installment of our “Worst reasons to choose a dog food” series. Today we present another questionable reason for choosing a dog food: the NAME. What is in a Dog Food Name? One of the most common traps that pet owners fall into when choosing a pet food is ... »
Having a fit dog, or being a fit human for that matter, requires dedication and regular exercise. Luckily for us and our dogs, there are many exercise options available, many of which can be used to work around injuries and other ailments. But being consistently active is only part of the equation... »
It has already been established that reading a dog food label can be confusing. Long lists of ingredients, obtuse or incomplete macronutrient (protein, fat, and carbs) information, and misleading “marketing speak”, can make it difficult to determine which are the best foods for your pet. Today we... »
Wow! Today, at last, we have reached the end of the alphabet in our “Ingredients A to Z” series. Today’s letter is Z and our ingredient is Zinc. Including today, we have written 27 A to Z ingredient posts (we did two consecutive posts on the letter M due to a reader request). This ha... »
Last week we discussed the high cost of having an overweight dog. This week we provide 5 tips to help keep your dog fit and healthy. You will notice that most of these have to do with food and feeding. That’s because the amount and quality of food you serve your dog is the single biggest fa... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “Y”. Today’s ingredient is Yucca Schidigera. What is Yucca Schidigera? Yucca schidigera is a flowering plant that is native to the Mojave Desert, Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of southeastern Ca... »
We are killing our dogs and paying tons of money to do so. Yes, you read that right. Are you willing to gamble with your pet’s longevity and health by allowing them to be overweight? Having an overweight dog is costly: To the dog’s lifespan: lean dogs will live on average almost two years lon... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “X”. Today’s ingredient is Xanthan Gum. What is Xanthan Gum? Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide (sugar like compound) produced by bacterial fermentation of a sugar-containing medium. Nutritionally speaking, it ... »
Last week we wrote a post that compared the US Labrador Retriever standard over the past 50-60 years. The change in the standard and the photographic evidence is quite dramatic – check our post if you didn’t see it. Our concern is that by awarding show championships to “heavier... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “W”. Today’s ingredient is Watercress. What is Watercress? According to Wikipedia, watercress is a fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. Related to mustard and radish, it... »
Last week we posted a provocative article regarding what we viewed as overweight Labradors representing the breed in the Westminster Dog Show. We have gotten lots of feedback on the post, from Veterinarians and Lab owners supporting our view and some folks, mostly breeders and show dog owners, telli... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “V”. Today’s ingredient is Venison. What is Venison? Venison is the meat of the game animal deer. Deer is a member of the Cervidae family. Common names for Venison The most common name variation is de... »
Pro-Pet LLC has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of Dry Dog and Cat Foods for possible Salmonella contamination. The effected foods include: Hubbard Life Happy Hound Dog Food Hubbard Life Maintenance Dog Food QC Plus Adult Dog Food Hubbard Life Cat Stars Cat Food Joy Combo Cat... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “U”. In reality, there are not a lot of ingredients that start with the letter U. We decided on “USDA”, which in itself is not an ingredient, but is an adjective uses in some rare cases to describe a protein used in the ... »
Next up in our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “T”. Today’s ingredient is the well known herb, Thyme. What is Thyme? Thyme is a perennial plant, belonging to the mint family. The plants can be erect and bushy, reaching 18 inches in height or creeping and ... »
We decided to re-post and update our important article on ingredient splitting. We updated the statistics and found that there are a lot more instances of ingredient splitting in dog food than we first thought :-(. Remember that glancing at the ingredient list can be misleading. Make sure you look f... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “S”. Today’s ingredient is Selenium. What is Selenium? Selenium is a trace mineral that our bodies use to produce glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that serves as a natural antioxidant. Common names fo... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “R”. Today’s ingredient is Red #3. What is Red #3? Red #3, and other red colorings like red #40, as well as all other artificial food colorings, are artificially made food coloring chemicals. Red #3 is a colo... »
We continue our Dog Food Ingredients A to Z series with the letter “Q”. Today’s ingredient is Quail. What is Quail? Quail is a collective name for several families of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. A “game” bird, quail is an alternative sourc... »
Given the season, we considered doing Peppermint Candy Canes for the “P” of our ingredient series, but you don’t find too much peppermint in dog food, and candy canes certainly aren’t good for them, so we went with Pantothenic Acid instead. What is Pantothenic A... »
Believe it or not, we are nearing the end of 2013 and about to embark on another holiday season. With the turn of the calendar, often comes one or more “New Year’s resolutions” by well intended people looking to change or improve their behavior. This year, why not resolve to keep your pet fit, tri... »
Pet owners often wonder whether their dog food is high in protein, fat, or carbohydrates- the macro nutrients of the food. Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is not easily attainable from the dog food label. To calculate a dog food’s protein, fat, or carb values, the guaranteed analysis ... »
What is Oat Fiber? Oat fiber is derived from oats, a type of cereal grain that is commonly used in livestock feed. Oat fiber is often extracted from the outer casing of the oat grain. Common names for Oat Fiber The most common name variations include other oat derivative products including o... »
What is Niacin? Niacin, one of the B-vitamins, is an essential vitamin for humans and dogs. Niacin occurs naturally in many foods, including organ meat like liver, beef, fish, poultry, eggs, and legumes. Common names for Niacin The most common name variations for Niacin include Vitamin B-3 a... »
Yes, it is holiday season. In the U.S., we are celebrating our Thanksgiving holiday and will soon follow this up with Christmas/Hanukkah, and New Years feasts (Hanukkah overlaps with Thanksgiving this year). Most of us will tend to overindulge and likely will pack on a few pounds if we aren’t care... »
Per special request of our friend Oz the Terrier, we are sticking with the letter “m” for the second week in a row and are featuring “Montomorillonite” as our ingredient of the day. What is Montomorillonite? According to Wikipedia, Montmorillonite is a very soft … group of minerals that typi... »
We now move to the letter “M” in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring “Meat” as our ingredient of the day. What is meat? Seems like a trick question, doesn’t it? According to dictionary.com, the definition of meat is: the flesh of animals as used for food. Accor... »
We recently had a conversation about our PetsMove initiative with Gabriella Martinez, the Editor in Chief of Pupculturemagazine.com. Based in Rochester NY, Pupculture Magazine publishes 6 interactive issues each year on a wide range of topics related to dogs. It turns out that the interview... »
We now move to the letter “k” in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring kelp as our ingredient of the day. What is kelp? According to Wikipedia, kelp as a large seaweed belonging to the brown algae family. Kelp grow in ocean “kelp forests”. Common names for kelp T... »
Today we move to the letter “j” in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring jicama as our ingredient of the day. What is jicama? According to Wikipedia, jicama, which is scientifically known as Pachyrhizus erosus, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly ref... »
Ben Franklin said that “Experience is the best teacher, but a fool will learn from no other”. Although dear old Ben was not known for his svelte body, he was quite a brilliant man. With that said, we would like to share our second, reader inspired infographic with tips for keeping your dog fit an... »
Today we move to the letter “I” in our ingredient A to Z series and we are featuring inulin as our ingredient of the day. What is inulin? According to Wikipedia, inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. Inulins are dietary fibers that are cl... »
Today we move to the letter “h” in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring herring as our ingredient of the day. What is herring? According to Wikipedia, herring are a forage fish, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae. They often move in large schools around fishing banks and near ... »
In support of National Pet Obesity Awareness Day, we created an infographic with some thought-provoking facts and figures on the pet obesity problem in the US. We plan to create a second infographic this month highlighting reader tips & advice for keeping their pets fit as well as featuring some... »
What is glycerin? Glycerin , is a sweetener and binder (humectant) that is commonly produced as a byproduct of soap making. It has traditionally been used in dog food as a texturing and sweetening agent. Common names for glycerin The most common name variations include glycerol, vegetable gl... »
Today we move to the letter F in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring fennel as our ingredient of the day. What is fennel? Fennel is a perennial, aromatic herb with yellow flowers and a bulb like stem. Although native to the Mediterranean, fennel is now found throughout the world. ... »
I know today is Monday Mischief – one of our favorite Blog Hops, but we have something more important to talk about today. We are hijacking the Mischief post to talk about Pet Wellness. Can’t believe that it is almost October already but it is and October is National Pet Wellness month. ... »
Today we move to the letter E in our ingredient A to Z series and are featuring Enterococcus Faecium as our ingredient of the day. Admittedly, this is one tough ingredient to understand and there is some conflicting, and somewhat scary, information on it! What is enterococcus faecium? Entero... »
Before we begin today’s “D” entry of our Ingredients A to Z series, we wanted to share a statistic on our previous “C” post on calcium carbonate. We searched for “calcium carbonate” in our food database and found that it was an ingredient in 45% of all dog foods. A similar search on the term “calci... »
Before we begin today’s “C” entry in our Ingredients A to Z series, we wanted to share a statistic on out previous “B” post on biotin. We ran the numbers searched for “biotin” in our food database and found that biotin was an ingredient in 79% of all dog foods! That is one popular ingredient. &nbs... »
What is biotin? Biotin is water soluble B vitamin that is essential for protein and fatty acid metabolism. Water soluble means that the body will not store excess amounts which are eliminated during urination. Common names for biotin Some common names for Biotin include vitamin B-7, vitamin H, and v... »
Dear Labby, My dog food label is so confusing and contains many ingredients that I don’t recognize. Today, I noticed that there is something called Ascorbic Acid in my dog’s food. Acid? Should I be concerned? I don’t want to be feeding my dog acid! Signed, I am not a chemist Dear Chemist, ... »
This week we continue our discussion of colorings in dog food by analyzing our data to determine just how common is the use of artificial food colorings in dog food. If you read our MythBuster post yesterday, you would know that dogs don’t really see yellows, oranges or red coloring – so... »
This week, we will discuss one of our ‘pet peeves’ with the commercial dog food industry – food coloring in dog food. For what it’s worth, we don’t understand or advocate food coloring in human food either but we will keep this focused on dog food. Why is there coloring in dog food? For... »
Last week we wrote about the use of sweeteners in dog food and the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sweetener types. That post made us wonder just how prevalent are these lower quality sweeteners so we dove into our data to find the answers. We identified a set of low quality sweet... »
I attended (and presented “My Dog at What?”) at the BarkWorld Conference last week. It was a fun event with many great presentations on a wide array of topics that are relevant for today’s pet industry. There was one presentation on the rising cost of pet medicine, by PetCareRX.com (an onlin... »
We have been asked by some of our readers about the special considerations that apply when exercising a diabetic dog. The fact is, diabetes is a serious, but often manageable disease and it is not an excuse to let your dog become a couch potato. More than anything, canine diabetes is a disease tha... »
Two weeks ago we wrote about the use of preservatives in dog food and hopefully, we were able to shed some light on preservative alternatives. This week, we will discuss the use of sweeteners in dog food. A canine’s taste systems are very similar to humans and dog’s do indeed have a taste fo... »
We are helping to celebrate the two year anniversary of TT this week! Kol and Sugar, the cohosts, have created an “Iron Chef” type of contest and asked for participants to share recipes or product reviews using a secret ingredient. In this case, the secret ingredient is…..Fruit! Ironically, we wro... »
For this week’s Tasty Tuesday post, we will discuss the use of preservatives in commercial dog food. Let me say up front that I wish that preservatives were not even needed—our belief is that you want to feed your dog (and yourself) things that contain as few unnatural additives as possible and as ... »
Welcome to another FitDog Friday post on canine fitness. This week, we begin our two-part series on Fitness Tips for senior Dogs. As you may know, we are big fans of senior dogs—our last three adoptions have been dogs eight years of age or older. This week seemed like the perfect time to wr... »
In recent posts, we have written about the importance and sources of the macro nutrients – protein, fat, and carbohydrates—in dog food. Today we continue our analysis of some of the other key ingredient groups that are common in commercially available dog food, starting with fruits and vegetables. ... »
As some of you now know, we just released a free version of our iPhone App! You can download it in the App store — click here. For now, the free version provides virtually the same features that our paid version does although the paid version will be getting more frequent functional up... »
Today we begin a multi-part series on dog food ingredients that are typically secondary to the protein, fat, and carbohydrates. We are going to parse out some of these and explain why they are included in the food recipe and what you should look for when evaluating your dog’s food. To start, we wi... »
This week we continue our analysis of dog food data so that we can provide you with some benchmarks with which to judge the merits of your dog food choices. We closed last week’s post by posing a question: Does the average dog food contain more protein, fat, or carbohydrates? Based on our prior pos... »
Last week we wrote about ingredient splitting and used our data to show that about 17% of all foods and treats have multiple forms of the “fillers” rice, corn, or wheat. We then asked a related question—what percentage of all foods and treats contain at least one form of any of these fi... »
Looking at the ingredient list on a dog food label is tricky. In many cases, the lists are long and contain names of ingredients that we are not familiar with. Today we begin a multi-part series that explains some simple ways to judge the ingredients in your dog’s food and provide some tips to hel... »
Dear Labby, My Cocker Spaniel, who we rescued from a shelter 6 months ago, is 5 yrs old and has gained four lbs. She is looking too chubby and we don’t know what to do! She weighs 27.4 lbs, and the vet thinks she should be at 22-23 lbs. I feed her Nutrisca dry food, chicken and chickpea recip... »
We have several farms in our neighborhood that grow different crops at different times of the year. The one right at the end of our street usually grows hot red peppers (I think they are ‘Fresno’ Peppers), but this spring they planted something different. For awhile I thought it was pars... »
Last week we talked about the role of carbohydrates in a dog’s diet, their benefits and sources. Today we will show you how to determine the carbohydrate amount in your dog’s food so that you can easily assess whether your dog food is providing the needed energy requirements from the proper sources.... »
Just as protein is a crucial component to a dog’s diet, so too is fat, which provides many health benefits as we discussed last week. Talking about fat may not be too “Tasty”, but it is important. So, today we will look at some of the more common sources of fat in commercial dog food pro... »
After our last two Tasty Tuesday posts, we all know that protein is an important ingredient in a dog’s diet and what kinds of protein sources we should look for in our dog’s food. Today we will focus on the macro-nutrient “Fat”. Just like with humans, not all fat is bad, but it’s the right ki... »
We are pleased to announce that the SlimDoggy web widget is now available. This widget provides some of the features available in the SlimDoggy iPhone App. Check it out below. Use the widget to: Estimate your dog’s daily calorie requirements so you can feed them the proper servings. Look up a ... »
Here we are again, joining the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop. Tasty Tuesday is about celebrating ‘good food’ and to us good food also means healthy food. We continue our discussion about Dog Food Proteins. Click here if you missed part 1. Protein is the foundation for a quality dog food. Today... »
We saw an article about getting your dog slim and trim by Ron Miller at Dogintonpost.com . You can read the article here: Helping Your Pudgy Pooch Back To Slim and Trim | The Dogington Post. We obviously think it is great the Ron is writing about this as we have way too many overweight dogs in the w... »
Our FitDog Friday blog post continues our discussion about keys to a healthy dog. Last week, we talked about how exercise and diet are both important components to keeping your dog fit and healthy. We emphasized basal metabolism and how, except in the most unusual cases, a dog’s calorie burn from e... »
Dog Food Ingredients – an Introduction Today, we are embarking on a long series of posts on dog food and dog food labels. We kick-off with an overview of our dog food criteria (and why). We thought that these would be a fitting entry in the Tasty Tuesday blog hop, hosted by our friend Sugar, ... »
Today we will focus on our new features relating to your dog’s food: 1) an expanded dog food database, 2) addition of ingredients and an ingredient search capability, and 3) our new SlimDoggy Dog Food Ranking Index. Expanded List Of Foods We have updated our data to include an additional ~ 500... »
Did you ever wonder what dogs actually taste when they eat? I do, and just assumed that everything tasted like chicken to them. Amy Shojai wrote a piece that discusses this and shares several interesting facts. You can read the whole piece here: What Dogs Taste | Amy Shojai’s Blog What Dogs ... »
We had the pleasure of interviewing Keith Johnson, Founder and CEO of Petbrosia, a new company that is changing the way people shop for dog food. Petbrosia, which was founded in July 2012 and recently opened their website for business, lets dog owners order custom made food blends based on th... »
Based on the title alone, I was excited to read this post on Yahoo about Pet Food. 5 Shocking Truths About Your Pet’s Food | Pets – Yahoo! Shine Yet, despite the fact that this was written by a veterinarian, I was extremely disappointed by the depth of knowledge (or lack thereof) exhibited by ... »
We recently wrote about our volunteer work with a local dog rescue and how we help foster families deal with hyper-active dogs, by exercising them, and over weight dogs by providing feeding consultations. In our last post in that series, we spoke about Angel, the Black Lab that was weighing in at ar... »
Blogger Alexandra at healthydogclub.com posted a short piece with tips on combating pet obesity. You can read the full piece here: Pet obesity: Tips on how to avoid killing your dog ‹ Healthy Dog Club Below are her suggestions (italics are mine): • Talk To A Vet The animal may have an underlying he... »
Whether we care to admit it or not, there is a good chance that we own or know people who own an overweight or obese dog. At SlimDoggy, one of our goals is to raise awareness about this issue while providing tools and information to people who would like to address their dogs weight problem. Today... »
For those of us who have overweight dogs and who are overweight themselves, here is an older article about how to lose weight with your dog. http://petfoodtalk.com/dogfoodreviews/dog-diets-losing-weight-with-your-dog/ Although there are no specific guidelines about how much to feed you... »
Lean Dog = Longer Living Dog We kickoff our “Daily Reader” with an oldie but goody that refers to the Purina Study that showed how keeping your dog lean can add 15% to their lifespan. Yes, I said 15%. In the study, Labradors who were fed less and thus were leaner than the control group ... »
Calorie Burning 101 In our last post, we discussed the kcal and the difference between basal/resting calories burned and activity fueled calorie burns. Today we will present the basic formulas that are used to estimate calorie requirements for your dog and provide some specific examples as reference... »
This is an interesting if not inflammatory story from WTOP in Washington DC. Pet owners allege dog treat maker is censoring backlash – WTOP.com. Dr. Katy Nelson, the host of The Pet Show, which airs on WJLA (ABC 8) in DC on Saturday mornings at 11 AM provides sound advice regarding pet treats.... »
Primer on Dog Food Ingredients For a quick and simple read on what to look for in dog food ingredients, check out this piece at healthydogs4life.com Just What Are These Dog Food Ingredients? | HealthyDogs4Life. As you may know, we at SlimDoggy are working on some exciting things regarding dog foods,... »
A Primer on Calorie Expenditures. In our last post, we discussed some of the common behaviors (in humans) that lead to an overweight dog and some tips on how to change them. Today, we will talk about calories and how your dog’s weight and activity level impact the amount of calories that are used e... »
In our last post, we provided some tips on how to determine if your dog is overweight as well as some common reasons for this to occur. Today, we will provide suggestions on how to change your behavior so that you are setting up your dog to succeed with a healthy weight loss program. To recap, we i... »
In the last post, we discussed the sad and alarming facts and figures related to the National dog weight/obesity problem. Today we will talk about how you can evaluate if your pet is overweight and identify some of the more common reasons that can result in weight gain. How can I tell if my dog is ... »
Bully Alert Pawnation.com wrote a piece on the study on Bully Stick dog treats by Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in the U.S. and the University of Guelph in Canada. Bully Stick Dog Treats Contain High Calories, Bacteria: Study – PawNation The news was not good. As... »
Dr. Greg, from Dogdishdiet.com wrote a piece recently about dog’s diets and how it can impact your dog’s health. Even minor issues like skin itchiness can be ‘cured’ with an adjustment to diet. When we first got our (now passed) Chocolate Lab Sweet Sally Brown, we noticed ... »
This dog weighs in at over 130 lbs! That is almost double the weight that he should be at! Look– I know that most dogs are not this obese. But please, for your sake, your dog’s sake and for your pocketbook’s sake, keep your dog fit and trim. Massive Mike the ... »
From Whole Dog Journal, an interesting and technical piece on dog food preservatives. The authors start by saying: “We have long advised owners to pass over dog food that contains artificial preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tert-butyl hydro... »
Dr. Tudor writes about a recent study linking a stomach bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae) to obesity. Interesting stuff. But realize that the primary cause of being overweight is that your body is burning less calories than it is consuming. I wonder, too, if there is any causation between being over... »
This is a thoughtful post by Dr. Ken Tudor on pawsnation.com and worth the read. http://www.pawnation.com/2013/01/15/weight-control-foods-do-not-make-pets-thin/ Of particular note is the doctor’s observation that dog weight loss is similar to humans– it doesn’t happen in a s... »
Fun Blog Hop to Show Off Your Dog’s Figure Check out DawgBusiness to participate in this fun blog hop that is meant to raise awareness of Pet Obesity. http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/p/show-off-your-dogs.html?m=1 Have fun! »
Fat Dog = Slim Wallet Having an overweight dog can not only lead to a shorter lifespan and a lower quality of life for the dog (and you?), it can also be very costly to the dog owner. Here’s a look at exactly how costly it can be. Medical Costs As reported by BankRate.com, according ... »