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Keeping your dog healthy is obviously one of the main responsibilities you have as a dog owner. A healthy dog means a happy dog, giving you much more pleasure of ownership. Your dog will have more energy, be more responsive to you and will have a calmer and more settled nature. However, keeping your dog healthy goes much further than that. You will avoid costly vet bills, which can escalate dramatically, especially as the dog gets older. Most of the minor and major health problems that dogs can develop can be minimised or eliminated by keeping your dog healthy.
One of the most important things in avoiding health problems in your dog is to be aware of the warning signs. These are symptoms that, if not addressed, can develop into major issues. The good news is that if detected early, they can be dealt with relatively easily.

Here are some of the signs that your dog is not is healthy as he should be:

• Smelly skin, coat and breath. Many people accept that offensive "doggy' smell as normal, but it isn't. The smell can also pervade places where the dog spends time, such as it's bed. Your dog should smell 'sweet' or, preferably, not at all. If you're in doubt if your dog has a "doggy" smell, ask a neighbour or friend - you may have become desensitised to it!
• Poor coat. A dog's coat should be shiny and soft. And I mean REALLY shiny and soft. If it is dull, wiry or greasy, it suggests your dog is not as healthy as he could be.
• Aggressive or hyperactive behaviour. Although training of course plays an important part in a dog's behaviour, if your pet acts unpredictably or aggressively it can be a sign of health issues.
• Skin conditions. Itching, scratching, rashes, flaky skin - these are all signs of poor health in a dog.
• Stiff joints. Many people expect that dogs will develop joint and muscle problems when they get older, but it doesn't have to be that way. Observe your dog's movement, especially first thing in the morning or after it has been inactive or asleep for a while. If it appears to be stiff or having problems with movement, then it points to less than optimum health.

If your dog has any of these symptoms, you should address them before health issues become more major. Fortunately, there is one very simple and effective way to reduce or eliminate these in dogs and keep them in optimum health:

Feed a good, healthy food.Dr Michael Fox, author of 40 books on dog health and former vice president of Humane Society International states:

"It has taken me 20 years as a vet to realise that 90% of health problems in dogs result from the food they are eating."

Choose a quality food and you will not only reduce or eliminate all the symptoms above, but you will be doing the best thing possible to ensure your dog's long term health and happiness.

A quality food is one that has a high meat content and has no by-products, cheap fillers, preservatives, flavourings or colourings.Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic are two foods that have been independently rated as amongst the highest quality on the market. We ourselves have seen remarkable improvements in dogs' health since they have switched to these foods (see www.petfooddirect.co.nz for a number of reports from dog owners).
If your dog displays any of the symptoms above try him or her on Pro Pac or Earthborn Holistic and judge your results for yourself.

Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic are both available in New Zealand from Petfood Direct. For more information and to order visit www.petfooddirect.co.nz or call 0800 DOG FOOD (0800 364 366).

We get lots of enquiries about our foods and five questions seem to come up all the time. Here they are, with the answers to each.

Which is better for my dog  - Pro Pac or Earthborn Holistic?

The answer to this really depends on two things: how well the individual dog does on the food and your own personal preference. The main difference in the actual foods is that Earthborn Holistic Grain Free uses no grains whereas Pro Pac uses corn or rice in their formulas. In practice, we have seen some dogs do better on Pro Pac and others do better on Earthborn Holistic.

You can rest assured though that both are ideal foods offering a complete and healthy diet for dogs. Neither contain any by-products, wheat, cheap fillers, artificial additives or genetically modified ingredients. They are amongst the purest foods on the market today.

Why is Pro Pac cheaper than other similar foods when you claim that it is higher quality?

Although Pro Pac uses higher-quality ingredients than most other super premium foods you would find at a vet or pet shop, we can offer it to you for significantly lower prices for two main reasons:

Firstly, Pro Pac is made by an independent company that has made a deliberate policy to put their efforts into quality of the food rather than marketing. It is one of the fastest-growing pet food brands in the world and most of the marketing is done by word of mouth, rather than spending money on advertising (which gets passed on to the customer of course).Secondly, here in New Zealand we the importer sell it direct to you, thus avoiding a retailers margin. That's why we can sell it to you at a lower price and also offer free delivery throughout the country.

What is the difference between chicken and chicken meal and which is better?

Both are pure chicken meat, and therefore the best part of the animal to put in the food. However, chicken meal has already been dehydrated (had the water removed) before processing. When the food is dried during processing, 'chicken' will lose up to 80% of its volume as water. Because this has already been done before processing with chicken meal, you end up with a much higher amount of actual meat in the final product.

This can appear confusing, but suffice to say, there is more than 400% more actual chicken in the food when it is labelled as 'chicken meal' than simply 'chicken.Pro Pac formulas are all based on chicken meal. It's one of the reasons why dogs do so well on it and love the taste. There is a much higher meat content than most foods on the market.

Is Pro Pac ok for allergy-prone dogs?

Every Pro Pac formula is designed to by hypo-allergenic, even if they don't say so on the label. That's because none of them contain any of the common ingredients which cause allergies, such as beef, wheat and artificial flavours, colourings and preservatives.

Occasionally dogs are allergic to chicken or corn. If that is the case with your dog, use the Pro Pac lamb and rice. Alternatively try Earthborn Holistic Grain Free which again has no common allergy-causing ingredients.

Can Pro Pac or Earthborn Holistic be used in place of breed-specific or vet prescription formulas?

We are not vets and therefore are not qualified to give veterinary advice. In saying that, there is a degree of truth in the statement that many breed-specific and 'special' foods carry an element of marketing spin with them.

Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic have been formulated as being complete formulas for all breeds and life stages of dogs, backed up with meticulous research (the company's scientists are amongst the most respected in the industry).Vets in many countries around the world are recommending Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic too.
The most important thing, though, at the end of the day, is to look at the ingredients of the food you are using - and you can't do better than Pro Pac or Earthborn Holistic.

Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic are sold exclusively in New Zealand by Petfood Direct. For more information visit their website www.petfooddirect.co.nz or call 0800 DOG FOOD (0800 364 366)

We often get asked if it's ok to feed table scraps and other human foods to dogs. We always suggest that if you are feeding Pro Pac or Earthborn Holistic you don't NEED to, as these are completely balanced diets. However,if you WANT to feed scraps, you should be aware that some human foods are very dangerous to dogs and can even be fatal. Here is a list of foods dogs should NEVER eat:

• Avocado
• Alcoholic drinks
• Bones (cooked)
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Currants
• Fatty meat trimmings
• Fruit stones (pits)
• Grapes
• Macadamia Nuts
• Marijuana
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Raisins
• Tea
• Tobacco
• Yeast dough
• Xylitol (artificial sweetener found in chewing gum and sweets)

Dogs have quite different digestive systems to humans, so you should never assume that if we can eat it then your dog can as well. And of course never decide what to give your dog based on what it 'will' eat. Rather, make your decision on what it 'should' it - and that is always going to be healthy, high quality dog food, free of any artificial ingredients or low-nutrition fillers.
 

It's essential that your dog puppy learns proper table manners if he is to become a good house-dog. This includes learning to give up his food to you without a struggle. He must also learn not to take food that does not belong to him. Training your puppy both aspects of table manners early on will prevent aggression over food or eating or not eating at the wrong time. Since both aspects go against the dog's natural instinct, they are necessary lessons to learn for him when he lives with humans. It is often necessary for dogs to be trained against their natural instincts or they can become aggressive and even threats to their families.
When it comes to feeding time with your puppy, make him sit and put the bowl down. If he stands up, take the bowl away again, say "No" and tell it to sit again. Once he is sitting and the bowl is on the ground, then say to him "OK" and allow him to eat. What you are doing is teaching your dog or puppy that you will give permission when he is to eat. It may take a while; nothing conscious will get through for the first few weeks, but something is definitely getting absorbed.

In about a month or so, your puppy should have no problem waiting for the "OK" signal. While you are teaching him restraint, occasionally add food to his bowl while he is eating using your bare hand. If he growls when your hand comes near his bowl, say "No!" and take away the food. Feed him again at his next scheduled mealtime.Once every other week, when he is in the middle of his meal, call his name to get his attention or say "No!" and take away the bowl. If he does not growl, add a treat to his meal and return the dish immediately, followed by saying "OK and "Good boy". Once your dog or puppy allows hands near his bowl, accepts the removal of his food and waits for his "OK" signal on a constant basis then congratulations! You have been successful in communicating to your dog that he does not have to protect his meal as he would have in the wild. You have instilled in him (or her) that you determine what and when he eats and that you are the 'leader'. You will find feeding to be a lot easier (he won't develop 'fussy food syndrome') and he will also have more respect for you in other areas. Not only that, but your dog will be a lot happier too as it understands that you will lead him and make decisions for him, which is what all dogs, as pack animals, want their 'leader' to do.
If you want to master the simple skills of training your dog or puppy to be obedient and happy, click herehttps://news.petfooddirect.co.nz/dogtutor

With the bewildering array of pet foods available these days, one of the best ways to assess the quality of a particular brand is to look at the meat used. There are two things to look at in particular:

1. the quality of the meat source
2. the amount of meat in the actual food.

Unfortunately, a pretty label is no guarantee that the food you feed your dog is doing its health any good. 'Junk food' is just as prevalent in dog food as it is in human food. And just as with you or your children, if you feed your dog a constant diet of junk food over a period of time, you are going to end up with health problems.

The first step to evaluating the quality of the food is to look at the ingredients on the label. However, you need to have an understanding of what the ingredients actually mean, as the terms used to describe them are far from straightforward.Here are the most important things to be aware of when looking at the meat content (and therefore the quality) of a dog food brand.

1. Make sure the first ingredient on the list is a meat source. Petfood ingredients must be listed in order of weight before processing. If the first ingredients in a brand are cereals, grains or anything other than a meat then you can be sure you are not giving your dog much nutrition. Foods without meat as the first ingredient are often called the 'junk foods' of the pet industry.
2. Make sure the meat is from a named animal and not just called 'meat'. 'Meat' can mean it comes from just about anywhere and can even be harmful. Only use a food where the actual type of meat is named, such as chicken, lamb or fish.
3. Avoid by-products. By-products are the parts of the animal that are everything BUT the meat. They can include feet, beaks, intestines - all of the animal that is left after the meat has been stripped from the carcass. Although high in protein, they are not quality ingredients and are best avoided.4. Favour a food that uses named meat in 'meal' form. Chicken or lamb 'meal' is simply the meat that has been dehydrated before the food is made. That means that there is a lot more actual meat retained in the food after it has all been dehydrated than there is where the meat is only dehydrated as part of the final processing. Thus, the difference between 'chicken' and 'chicken meal' is that they are both 'only' chicken meat, but there is about four times the amount of actual meat in the final food in the 'meal'.

Once you understand these things, it is not hard to see the huge differences in pet foods, and how to choose a quality one over a 'junk' food.

Did you know that all formulas of Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic Grain Free:

1. have meat as the first ingredient
2. have a named meat (chicken, lamb or fish) as the meat source
3. have NO by-products of any kind
4. use ONLY meats in meal form

It's one of the many reasons they consistently rate as amongst the best foods on the market and are not only good for pets but extremely tasty too!

For more information about Pro Pac and Earthborn Holistic Grain Free and to order for your dog or cat visit www.petfooddirect.co.nz or call 0800 DOG FOOD (0800 364 366), toll free throughout New Zealand.