Dog Care

Our dogs are just as fond of ice cream, popsicles, and other frozen treats as we are. But frozen treats, including those sold for pets, can be high in sugar, difficult to digest, expensive, or contain artificial flavors, colors, and even potentially dangerous ingredients.  Fortunately, it’s easy to save money, add variety, improve the nutritional

America’s most popular dog food is kibble or dry food, which, because it is convenient and affordable, accounts for more than 60% of all dog food sales. Unfortunately, dry dog food is far from perfect.  The good news is, that you can vastly improve a dry diet by making simple additions of cooked or raw

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) You can tell a lot about the general health of your dog by taking a good look at her coat and skin. A healthy dog is a beautiful dog, and a coat that’s nice and shiny is a strong indicator that your pet’s in peak condition. Signs Of A Healthy Coat

Once upon a time, all commercial boarding kennels closely resembled old-school animal shelters or puppy mills – you know, a row of narrow chain-link pens on concrete inside a loud building or under a barn roof. Fancy ones might contain a hard cot-style bed and dog doors that led to equally narrow individual outdoor runs.

What if we could give millions of pets a healthier, happier life and, in the process, make our planet healthier, too?” That’s the question that a pet food company called Jiminy’s was founded to answer back in 2016. Jiminy’s hoped to meet this lofty goal by replacing conventional sources of animal protein (such as chicken

(Picture Credit: sestovic/Getty Images) Even dogs who feel that a bath is cruel and unusual punishment have to get one once in a while. While some dogs with short coats can get away with just a water rinse, most dogs need shampoo. Why do dogs need their own kind of shampoo? Why can’t they just

If you have a big dog, more than one medium or large dog, or, like me, you sometimes foster for a shelter or rescue group, it makes sense to reduce your food and other dog-care supplies by taking advantage of any savings program offered by the retailers you buy from.  While the savings are sometimes

Any food fed to dogs will provoke an argument, but dairy products provoke more than most.  Milk and dairy products are highly regarded because of their protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, and other nutrients. That, and the fact that most dogs love dairy products, mean that milk and other milk-based products remain

The concept of pet foods formulated to benefit dogs with specific health problems was innovated by Mark L. Morris, Sr., a veterinarian who started his first practice in 1928 in Edison, New Jersey, after graduating from Cornell University. At a time when most veterinarians treated mainly livestock and working farm animals, Dr. Morris focused his

Last month, in “Excessive Copper in Dog Food,” we told you how high copper levels in dog food can cause a serious, potentially lethal, illness called dietary-induced, copper-associated hepatopathy (CAH, also known as copper storage disease). The incidence of CAH is increasing at a rate that’s causing alarm among veterinarians and dog owners, with one

Have you ever witnessed a dog fight, a dog getting hit by a car, or falling out of an open truck bed? Has your dog ever sustained a deep cut on his paw pad from stepping on a sharp shard of glass or metal, or gashed himself on some innocuous item in the yard while

Last month, in “Excessive Copper in Dog Food,” we told you how high copper levels in dog food can cause a serious, potentially lethal, illness called dietary-induced, copper-associated hepatopathy (CAH, also known as copper storage disease). The incidence of CAH is increasing at a rate that’s causing alarm among veterinarians and dog owners, with one

So much of what’s on dog food labels has to do with marketing, rather than nutrition. The phrase “limited ingredient” falls somewhere in between. There is no agreed-upon definition for “limited-ingredient foods.” In some cases, pet food makers use the phrase to designate foods that contain only one animal protein source and one carbohydrate source;

We all know good nutrition is critical for the health and longevity of our dogs, and most of us rely on commercial dog foods to help us achieve that. Now, what if we told you those complete-and-balanced diets – the quality food you’ve carefully chosen for your dog – may be slowly killing him?  It’s

Sometimes we have good evidence for this, such as a solid association (backed up by daily notes written on our dog’s health calendar) between our dog eating a certain ingredient and having diarrhea, or a certain type of food causing our dog to nearly instantly develop an ear infection. (Ear infections are often caused by

So much of what’s on dog food labels has to do with marketing, rather than nutrition. The phrase “limited ingredient” falls somewhere in between. There is no agreed-upon definition for “limited-ingredient foods.” In some cases, pet food makers use the phrase to designate foods that contain only one animal protein source and one carbohydrate source;

We’re excited about the possibilities of Whole Dog Journal’s searchable database of dry dog foods, and hope you find it to be helpful for finding good foods for your dogs. We’re excited to now present information about every single one of the dry dog foods made by the companies on our “Approved Foods” list, including

What’s the best dry dog food? What should I feed my dog? If we had a dollar for every time we’ve been asked those questions, we could retire today!  HALLMARKS OF QUALITY:  HOW WE IDENTIFY GOOD DRY DOG FOOD Here’s what to look for in dog food and the criteria we use to identify good-quality

We’ve got some good news and some bad news for dog owners who are interested in feeding raw diets. First, the good news: Some dogs thrive on these diets. Today, there are many companies offering frozen raw dog food – some with many different formulations. The diets have long been available via direct-shipping but are

Looking for a special gift for a friend – or, better yet, a friend’s dog? We’ve put together this helpful gift guide for dogs, and everything is homemade: homemade dog treats, training treats, or grooming products. You’ll save a bundle, improve the quality of the products, and even have fun customizing them. DIY dog treats

In a world of commercial pet food industry-specific jargon that is often incomprehensible to the average dog owner, the term “human grade,” which is popping up on more and more pet food labels, would seem to be self-explanatory.  But in reality, while the term is in increasing use on labels and in marketing materials, it

A perfect angel-white face with some breed-typical tear and saliva stains (Picture Credit: Amanda) I always think my dog Leia looks like a perfect little angel. But having white fur is like having a black car: every little speck stands out on her. Also, her breed mix’s parents — she’s a rescue, but we think

Looking for a special gift for a friend – or, better yet, a friend’s dog? Consider making your own dog biscuits, training treats, or grooming products. You’ll save a bundle, have fun, customize your gifts, and even improve their quality. SWEET POTATO CHEWS If you’ve ever picked up a $20 bag of sweet potato chews

As the saying goes, “Sh*t happens,” and as every responsible dog owner knows, cleaning up after their dogs is an absolute must. For those of us who try to be good stewards of the environment, biodegradable poop bags seem like a smart choice. Who wants to think of their dog’s poop festering away in a

“What should I feed my dog?” It’s the most common question that I am asked. I wish I had the ability to magically know what combination of ingredients and protein and fat levels are needed to nurture each one of your unique, individual dogs!  Sorry, but nobody but you can answer that question, because only

Check out Whole Dog Journal’s 2021 list of approved canned dog food products, with over 500 varieties! Did your dog’s food make the list? To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in Previous articleHow to Choose Canned Dog Food: What You Should Know Nancy Kerns has edited horse

BENEFITS OF FREEZE-DRYING OR DEHYDRATING The methods used to radically lower the moisture content of the foods reviewed here have the following advantages over baking or extruding the foods at high temperatures: *These methods preserve the food (nearly stopping the biological activity that causes a food to decay) with less damage to the ingredients’ natural

We excluded companies that use dried blood in their formulas from our consideration It’s been three years since I last reviewed freeze-dried diets – and even longer since we looked at the few dehydrated or air-dried diets on the market. I think I have been unconsciously avoiding the category – or is it more than

Enrichment toys for dogs are popular, and for several good reasons. They can be great boredom busters, helping to channel a dog’s energy into an acceptable activity. They can slow a dog’s habit of eating too quickly, thus helping prevent choking. And research suggests that dogs may prefer working in some way to obtain their

It’s a good idea to check your dog carefully for ticks after every outing. You may find loose ticks crawling through your dog’s coat. You may find ticks that are attached – either recently attached skinny, flat ticks, or ticks that have been feeding for a while and are engorged, making them oval to round