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It's important your dog learns the basics of obedience. A dog that will respond to your commands is more likely to keep out of harm's way.

Having a well-behaved dog helps to keep him safe. If you allow yours to walk off-leash, or he tends to bolt from the house when the door is opened, it's imperative that he comes back when called. Keeping your dog away from a speeding car or an aggressive animal could save his life.

Dogs with good manners are also good neighbors. You don't want to allow yours to show unbridled enthusiasm to a child who's afraid of dogs, or an elderly neighbor unsteady on her feet.

When should you begin training? For a puppy less than three months old, you should start right away with very light training. Start with potty training and household ground rules, like where he sleeps, where he should stay during your mealtimes, which rooms he is allowed in, if he is permitted on the couch, and so on.

Once a dog is around three or four months old, he has a long enough attention span to start learn basic commands. While you can teach an old dog new tricks, "It's always easier to teach a new command than break an old habit," says Robin Ray, a dog trainer in Wellington, Florida. Training sends a message that you're the leader of the pack. It's also a wonderful way to bond.

Before you start, acquire the tools you'll need. Your veterinarian can be a good resource to recommend a proper training collar and leash that takes your dog's size and weight into consideration. You'll also need a supply of small treats that you can stash in your pocket. Rare is the dog that isn't motivated by something good to eat.

According to Ray, the basic commands that every dog should learn (in this order) are: heel, sit, stay, and come.

Heel - With the dog at knee level on your left side and the leash in your hand, start walking with your left foot first as you give the "Heel" command, using the dog's name. Dispense treats and positive reinforcement when he walks correctly. If he doesn't get the hang of it right away, give the leash a gentle tug to bring him back into place and start again.

Sit - Simply hold a treat toward the back of his head as you say, "Sit" with the dog's name. "Most dogs automatically sit," says Ray. "If your dog doesn't, lightly touch his butt as you issue the command. Then treat and praise."

Stay - Start with your dog in the sit position. Standing in front of him, show an open-palm hand command as you say, "Stay," and his name. Keep eye contact and leave him in the stay position for 30 seconds, then release him with the word, "Okay!" While you practice, have him stay for longer periods as you stand farther and farther away.

Come - Hook up a non-retractable leash at least six feet long to your dog in the "Sit" position. Pull gently as you say, "Come," and the dog's name in an excited, happy voice. When the dog comes and sits in front of you, shower him with praise and give him a treat.

More tips from the dog trainer:

To avoid confusing the dog, say the same short word and his name with each command every time.

Keep training sessions brief. A dog's attention span is short.

For the basic commands, train 3-5 times a day, with each session lasting no longer than 10 or 15 minutes.

Remember that your dog wants to please. He'll respond to praise and shrink from punishment. Patience, practice, and heaps of love go a long way in turning an untrained pet into a loyal and responsive dog.

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Tips on Training Your Dog: Basic Commands for Your Dog

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Having a well-behaved dog helps to keep him safe. If you allow yours to walk off-leash, or he tends to bolt from the house when the door is opened, it's imperative that he comes back when called. Keeping your dog away from a speeding car or an aggressive animal could save his life.

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Basic dog commands are essential to every canine's education. Even if they learn nothing else, fundamental obedience is required to give you control, provide them with direction and to teach them that you are the pack leader. A canine that lacks this type of training can develop serious behavioural problems, such as possessiveness of objects, food and people and aggression. An untrained pet will not listen to you and can cause serious problems within your home and in public.

What are basic dog commands? Read more

Dogs need an early education for proper development, so you might find puppy training tips useful in your endeavor to raise a dog that is happy, healthy, obedient and friendly. This is especially true if you are a first time owner.

What you need to understand is that teaching a pup is not difficult, cruel or a waste of your time. Just like children, what they learn in the beginning stages in their life influences the overall personality that they will exhibit when they are fully grown. Therefore, following the right puppy training tips can make a positive impact on how you approach training and how well it is accepted by your pet. Read more

How to train a dog and how not to, are important lessons that every trainer needs to learn. Knowing what should be avoided is just as important as understanding what is necessary, especially since it is so easy to make mistakes and unintentionally reinforce negative behaviors.

The following is a breakdown of how to train a dog Do's and Don'ts:
DO...

Be consistent - teach a lesson using the same technique, verbal instruction and hand signal every time.

Be patient - Take training slow and wait for your dog's comprehension.

Teach one command at a time - More than one can create confusion. Read more

Diverse dog training techniques exist because not every canine learns the same way and not every owner likes to teach using the same method. What you train your dog to do and how you instruct them to do it are two different things. The "what" aspect is the command (I.E. Sit, Stay, Come, etc.). The "how" factor is the technique utilized to enforce the commands.

Although there are a variety of dog training techniques, the following are a few of the common systems used:

Reward training - The object is rewarding you pooch with a treat and praise for a job well done. When he performs as you want him to, you give him a Read more

Basic dog training is not difficult to implement and is something that you need to begin teaching your pooch as soon as you welcome him into your home. However, the fundamentals of instructing your pet is more than just having him learn a few choice commands. It's a matter of obedience and making him understand and follow your rules.

The following three elements make up basic dog training:

1. House breaking - Right from the start your puppy needs to realize Read more

When it comes time to train your canine there are 10 top dog training tips you need to keep in mind to help make your endeavour a success. Though it may seem like a no-brainer it is very easy to make unintentional mistakes when giving dogs lessons.

The following are the 10 top dog training tips you will want to put into practice to ensure you provide your pooch with great teachings that will have effective results. Read more

Basic Dog Training | Be Dog Savvy

Basic dog commands are essential to every canine's education. Even if they learn nothing else, fundamental obedience is required to give you control, provide them with direction and to teach them that you are the pack leader. A canine that lacks this type of training can develop serious behavioural problems, such as possessiveness of objects, food and people and aggression. An untrained pet will not listen to you and can cause serious problems within your home and in public.

What are basic dog commands? Read more

Dogs need an early education for proper development, so you might find puppy training tips useful in your endeavor to raise a dog that is happy, healthy, obedient and friendly. This is especially true if you are a first time owner.

What you need to understand is that teaching a pup is not difficult, cruel or a waste of your time. Just like children, what they learn in the beginning stages in their life influences the overall personality that they will exhibit when they are fully grown. Therefore, following the right puppy training tips can make a positive impact on how you approach training and how well it is accepted by your pet. Read more

How to train a dog and how not to, are important lessons that every trainer needs to learn. Knowing what should be avoided is just as important as understanding what is necessary, especially since it is so easy to make mistakes and unintentionally reinforce negative behaviors.

The following is a breakdown of how to train a dog Do's and Don'ts:
DO...

Be consistent - teach a lesson using the same technique, verbal instruction and hand signal every time.

Be patient - Take training slow and wait for your dog's comprehension.

Teach one command at a time - More than one can create confusion. Read more

Diverse dog training techniques exist because not every canine learns the same way and not every owner likes to teach using the same method. What you train your dog to do and how you instruct them to do it are two different things. The "what" aspect is the command (I.E. Sit, Stay, Come, etc.). The "how" factor is the technique utilized to enforce the commands.

Although there are a variety of dog training techniques, the following are a few of the common systems used:

Reward training - The object is rewarding you pooch with a treat and praise for a job well done. When he performs as you want him to, you give him a Read more

Basic dog training is not difficult to implement and is something that you need to begin teaching your pooch as soon as you welcome him into your home. However, the fundamentals of instructing your pet is more than just having him learn a few choice commands. It's a matter of obedience and making him understand and follow your rules.

The following three elements make up basic dog training:

1. House breaking - Right from the start your puppy needs to realize Read more

When it comes time to train your canine there are 10 top dog training tips you need to keep in mind to help make your endeavour a success. Though it may seem like a no-brainer it is very easy to make unintentional mistakes when giving dogs lessons.

The following are the 10 top dog training tips you will want to put into practice to ensure you provide your pooch with great teachings that will have effective results. Read more

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Basic Dog Training | Be Dog Savvy : Be Dog Savvy

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Basic dog commands are essential to every canine's education. Even if they learn nothing else, fundamental obedience is required to give you control, provide them with direction and to teach them that you are the pack leader. A canine that lacks this type of training can develop serious behavioural problems, such as possessiveness of objects, food and people and aggression.

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You just brought home a new puppy. What an exciting time!

There's so much to teach your new best friend, and while puppy training might seem a little overwhelming at first (hello, potty training!), the good news is you have an eager student at the end of the leash. Puppies are ready and willing to start learning good manners as soon as you bring them home, so the best time to start training puppy obedience is now.

It's important to note that all of your interactions with your puppy are potential lessons; everything from the way you greet them (are you allowing them to jump up on your legs?) to how you walk them on leash (are you following while they drag you along?) will teach your puppy what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

Even though the training you do with your puppy when first bringing them home might seem basic, it will serve as the foundation for "higher learning" as they mature. Remember: Training is never done, and success depends on working on the behaviors in new environments and practicing what you learn every day!

So, if you've just adopted a new puppy, prioritize these three simple puppy training tasks during your puppy's training schedule to help build the foundation for an obedient and well-mannered dog:

Crate training

Potty training

The "sit" command

But first, let's go over some general guidelines for your puppy training sessions that'll help ensure they are as productive as possible.

The Best Way to Train a Puppy

Pups as young as 8 weeks old have the capacity to learn the basics, but remember: The younger the pup, the shorter the attention span. Puppy training lessons should be short, fun and supplemented with many opportunities for play.

The best way to train a puppy is to conduct lessons when they are well-rested. Make sure they are ready to go but not too excited, as it might be tougher for them to focus. Before you begin, take your pup outside for a potty trip, and make sure to take them out right after you finish as well.

You'll need a pocket full of high-value puppy treats. Puppy training requires lots of rewards, so opt for something like Wellness Soft Puppy Bites, which are small but also tasty enough to keep your puppy engaged in the training game.

Basic training lessons should take place in a familiar, distraction-free environment. You and your puppy will eventually transition to working outside and in new spaces, but the training initial stages should be happening in a low-key spot so that it's easy for your pup to focus on you.

It's also helpful to have a few puppy toys ready to go so you and your puppy can take play breaks. A tug toy, like the Charming Pet Magic Mats Unicorn plush dog toy, or ball for fetching are great options that allow your dog to burn through some puppy excitement before it's time to focus again. If you're looking for a budget friendly bundle with both treats and toys, a Puppy Goody Box is a great way to get all the basics.

Puppy Training Tips for Success

Make sure your puppy is well-rested and not too revved up.

Take a potty break before starting.

Come prepared with lots of yummy treats.

Find a familiar, quiet place to practice.

Keep lessons short and sweet.

Puppy Training Milestones by Age

Eight to Ten Weeks

Congrats - you probably just welcomed your new puppy into their forever home! Your primary puppy training tips at this stage center around helping them acclimate to a new environment and starting them off on the right paw when it comes to manners. Your guide to puppy training begins with the following steps:

Set up a daily schedule: Dogs thrive when they know what happens next, so map out a schedule that includes your pup's meals, potty trips, play times, training lessons, naps times in the crate and end of day wind down. (It might help to keep notes!)

Focus on crate and potty training: Remember, when you teach your dog crate training you're also working on house training at the same time. Your most important goals at this stage are helping your pup learn that the crate is a happy place, and that they get paid with a small treat immediately after they potty outside.

Begin socialization: A well-socialized dog is a happy and confident dog, so enroll your pup in a an accredited class and work on those social skills in a controlled environment.

Work on alone time: While it's tempting to spend every second with your puppy, it's important that they learn how to be comfortable when left alone. Once your puppy is confident and happy in their crate thanks to your introductory crate training, practice brief departures (as a rule of thumb this should be no more than 3-4 hours for puppies 6 months or younger) from your home, either leaving entirely or just moving to another room so you are out of your puppy's sight.

Introduce the leash: Your puppy is going to have a lifelong relationship with a dog leash, so get them acclimated to the sensation of wearing it before going for walks. Clip on a light leash and let them drag it through the house, then get them used to walking on it without pulling. The goal is to always have a gentle curve in the leash.

Teach "Sit": One of the earliest obedience training lesson for a puppy to master is the basic "sit" cue. Begin by teaching it in a low-distraction environment, then work on it in a variety of locations. This lesson is the first step in learning impulse control since you can ask your pup to "sit" before giving them things they want, like their food bowl or a toy.

Ten to Twelve Weeks

Socialization: Continue your pup's exposure to the world by welcoming new friends into your home to meet them and taking them on brief outings in areas where dogs typically aren't found, like the bank or dry cleaner (if dogs are allowed). Don't forget to bring treats with you!

Mouthing and chew toys: At this stage your puppy will want to put their mouth (and sharp teeth!) on everything, so help them focus on appropriate chewing outlets other than your skin. Provide your puppy with a variety of heavy duty treat-stuffable toys like the KONG Puppy dog toy. (Plush toys aren't appropriate for teething toys.) You should also help your puppy inhibit the force of their bite by using the "ouch" technique when they chomp on you.

Body handling: You'll have to perform a variety of caretaking procedures on your dog throughout their life so it's vital that they are comfortable with all sorts of handling. (Your vet will thank you too!) In short, during individual sessions pair treats with gentle handling to help your dog feel comfortable with manipulation of their ears, mouth, paws and tail. Once your puppy is okay with handling begin introducing the tools you'll need to use, like a toothbrush, nail clippers and a comb.

Alone Time: Continue your pup's alone-time training by leaving your house or removing yourself to another room out of your dog's eyesight for longer periods of time (again, no more than 3-4 hours at this age). Give your dog a treat-stuffed busy toy to keep them happily occupied while on their own in the crate.

"Say please" training: One of the best training tips for puppies is teaching them to say "please" when they wants something. This simple foundation-level impulse control lesson can be used throughout your dog's life, all you have to do is ask your puppy to sit when they want something, like access to outdoors or a toy.

Basic commands: Begin working on training cues like coming when called, down and brief stays with positive reinforcement training. Keep your puppy's lessons short and upbeat so they remain interested in their lessons.

Three to Four Months

Post-vaccine socialization: Once your puppy has completed their vaccination series, you can begin taking them to more populated locations. As always, make sure that your puppy sets the pace for exploration and meeting new friends, and don't force them into scenarios where they seem uncomfortable. (Your puppy is still too young and impressionable to visit the neighborhood dog park at this stage.)

Leash training: Your pup is starting to get bigger and stronger at this point so continue to focus on polite leash walking. Your puppy doesn't need to learn to walk in perfect heel position since it's an unnatural competition behavior that doesn't allow them to explore the environment, but your puppy shouldn't be allowed to pull while on leash.

Build on training behaviors: Introduce your foundation training behaviors in new and more distracting environments. Work on the recall outside and increase the duration of your puppy's stay.

Find a dog trainer: At this stage, your puppy will likely have finished up with puppy socialization classes, so look for a positive reinforcement trainer to continue refining the lessons learned in puppy class and at home with you.

Four to Six Months

Leash manners: Continue refining your puppy's leash manners in a variety of public spaces so that they know how to walk politely no matter the environment or level of distractions.

Continuing education: Your puppy might have finished their basic training course at this point but that doesn't mean training is done! Continue working on the behavior you learned in class together every day, and consider signing up for advanced training.

Don't forget the treats: Your dog will probably have a good grasp of basic training behaviors but that doesn't mean you should get rid of the treats! You should reward your puppy for a job well done as they grow, but you can also start incorporating alternate rewards like play.

Crate Training a Puppy

Teaching your puppy to love their crate is one of the most important early lessons they'll learn in their new home. Dog crates tap into canine denning instincts, and since dogs rarely soil where they sleep, the crate will help speed the potty training process.

Choosing the right dog crate for your puppy is critical. The size should be big enough so that your puppy can stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably but not so big that they can potty in one corner and sleep in the other. Keep the crate in a common room in your house, not the basement or garage, so your puppy doesn't view going into the crate as banishment.

To begin crate training your puppy, introduce the crate by leaving the door open and putting treats inside for your puppy to discover. Let your dog examine the crate without shutting the door and give them a few more treats for remaining inside. Continue this introductory process in a few short sessions until your puppy goes into their crate without hesitating.

Once your puppy is happily going into the crate, begin to feed meals inside of it. Close the door while your puppy eats, then wait a few minutes after they finish before you open the door. (Don't forget to take them right outside for a potty break!)

Another way to speed the acclimation process is to leave the crate door open and use a sturdy rope that your puppy can't destroy to tie a puppy-safe interactive toys inside the crate. Giving your pup a treat-stuffed activity toy like the KONG Puppy Toy inside will help your dog learn that good things happen in the crate!

Over time, work up to giving your puppy a busy toy in the crate and shutting the door for 15 minutes. Stay close to where your dog is crated initially, but gradually work up to leaving your dog alone while they're crated. Gradually add more duration to your dog's crated periods until they're happy to hang out inside while you're not around.

Remember that over-crating your puppy can backfire and cause your puppy to soil it, which will derail your progress. You can calculate your puppy's safe "hold time" by translating their age in months to hours; this means that a 10-week old puppy can be crated for roughly two hours and possibly a little longer at night.

Need more crate training tips? Take a look at our complete guide for crate training puppies here.

How to Potty Train a Puppy

The first thing most puppy parents want their new pup to learn is where to potty. And while the crate is an invaluable tool for the potty training process, there's more to it! Helping your dog learn to potty outside requires supervision, good timing and patience.

It helps to keep your puppy on a daily schedule that includes mealtimes, potty trips, playtime and crating. Dogs crave predictability, so sticking to a schedule that includes everything from meals to play sessions will help your puppy anticipate what happens next. Your pup's daily schedule should include potty trips outside about 10-15 minutes after meals, potty trips after play sessions (and for young pups, during play sessions), after meeting new friends, after waking from a nap, and before and after crating.

Accidents can happen when pups wander around the house unattended, so plan to crate your puppy when you can't watch them and use pet gates, like the Pet Parade pet gate, when you hang out together inside. You can slowly begin to give your puppy more household access once they're regularly alerting you when they need to go out and they've been accident-free for at least a month. (Keep in mind that it can take your dog up to six months to be fully housetrained.)

An important but often overlooked step in the potty training process is learning your pup's early "gotta go" signals. By the time your puppy is circling and sniffing-a sign most pet parents recognize as a potty indicator-it's probably too late to get your pup outside before an accident happens. Every puppy will have body language that indicates the need to go before it gets critical, like trying to leave the room and acting distracted. Picking up on those cues will allow you to get your pup outside well before it's go-time.

Once outside with your pup, take them to a familiar location and wait for them to find the perfect potty spot. When they're finished, immediately follow up with a small treat (don't wait until you're back inside!) and praise them for a job well done. You can also teach your puppy a potty phrase that will eventually act as a potty "trigger;" simply say something like "hurry up" as your puppy eliminates. With enough repetitions your puppy will associate the phrase with the act of eliminating, which can help you cue them during inclement weather.

Finally, remember that accidents happen. Never punish your puppy for making a mistake in the house, as it doesn't teach your puppy what they should do and can damage your growing bond. Instead, try to interrupt your pup and get them outside to finish the job. If it's too late, use a good odor eliminator and vow to be a better supervisor in the future!

If you're on a time crunch, check out our tips for potty training a dog in just seven days.

How to Train a Puppy to Sit

Teaching your puppy to sit is a great way to begin formal puppy training because it's useful in many situations, plus it's simple to master!

To start the process, hold a small treat like Zukes Puppy Naturals right at your puppy's nose level and slowly move it back between your puppy's eyes and over your pup's forehead. As the treat travels up and over, your pup's heard will rise up to follow it and their rump will go down. The minute their rump hits the ground, mark the action by saying "yup!" or "good!" and then give your puppy the treat. If your puppy opts to jump up rather than sit it's likely you're holding the treat too high, so try to keep it anchored to their nose so that it's easy for them to reach with all four paws planted on the ground.

Repeat this process a few times until your puppy is quickly moving into position.

The key to a perfect "sit" is getting your puppy to do it without using a treat to lure them into position. After a few successful repetitions, just stand still and wait for your puppy to offer you a sit. It might take a few seconds, but because your pup has had several successful repetitions of getting rewarded for sitting, it's likely they'll move into position without needing a hint from you.

As your pup starts to move into position say "sit" (you're attaching the word to the behavior), then mark it with a "yup" and give them the treat. It usually takes pups about 15 to 20 repetitions before they associate the word with the behavior, at which point you can begin to ask for the position by saying the word "sit." Simply say "sit" and give your pup a few seconds to process (try not to repeat the word!), then give them a goody when they do it!

Practice sitting in a variety of environments and with different types of distractions to master the command.

Want to learn more about teaching this command? Learn everything you need to know about training "sit" here.

Teaching Your Puppy to Come When Called

It's easy to teach your puppy the foundation of a lifelong recall, and it's fun too! This training cue is one of the most important lessons your puppy can learn since coming when called can help keep them safe. All you need to teach it is a pocket full of small, soft treats, a helper, a low-distraction environment and an eager student.

Select a word other than your puppy's name since you probably say it often, and it won't have the impact you're hoping for. A word like "come" or "here" works great. Get down on the ground across the room from your helper and call your dog to you by saying your recall word once in an upbeat tone, then follow up with some encouraging clapping or kissy noises.

The moment your dog gets to you give them a small treat and lots of praise. Take turns calling your puppy with your partner back and forth, always giving them a treat and praise for running to you. End the lesson on a positive note.

In the next session, set up the game so that you and your helper are in different rooms. Call your puppy to you but remember that you might have to whistle or clap more so that they can find you. Give them a treat when they gets to you, and have your helper call them back. Continue practicing the game throughout your home, then once your puppy is a pro at the recall game, move the practice outside to a safe, familiar environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When to start puppy training?

A:Pet parents wondering when to start puppy training should understand that puppies at least 8 weeks old are capable of learning right away, so the best time to start is now! Puppies as young as eight weeks old can begin working on good behavior training right away, like greeting people without jumping up and basic manners like "sit" and "come."

Q: Are puppy training classes worth it?

A:When considering if puppy training classes are worth it, think about how helpful it would be to have an expert on your side as you navigate pet parenthood. There's so much to learn, so the answer is yes, they're worth it! The best ways to train a puppy are positive reinforcement classes that use treats and tons of fun to teach the basics.

Q: Do puppy training pads work?

A:Pet parents wondering if puppy training pads work should consider where they eventually want their puppy to potty. Most people want their puppy to go outside, so using a training pad can add an extra unnecessary step to the process. Pet parents who can't reach the outdoors quickly, like those who live in a high rise or have mobility issues, might need potty pads, but they're not a necessary part of every new puppy's shopping list.

Q: Does puppy potty training spray work?

A:Pet parents considering if potty training spray works might be surprised to learn they don't actually need it for successful potty training. You can achieve the same result by training your puppy to go to the same areas where they've pottied before. And remember, rewarding your puppy with a small treat after they finish going will help encourage them to continue pottying in the proper location.

These basic training tricks serve as the foundation for training puppy obedience. Try these exercises daily and before you know it you and your pup will be on your way to basic training mastery!
Read more:

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Puppy Training 101: Your Guide to Basic Puppy Training | BeChewy

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You just brought home a new puppy. What an exciting time! There's so much to teach your new best friend, and while puppy training might seem a little overwhelming at first (hello, potty training!), the good news is you have an eager student at the end of the leash.

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How to train a cat to: Come on command

Cats can learn to respond to a vocal cue and run your way. (The ASPCA notes that you might use this skill to bring your cat in should it dash out unexpectedly.) This step of how to train a cat starts by making a distinct noise before feeding- before you open a bag or can-like vocally call your cat, or click your tongue. Your pet will learn to associate that noise with something positive (food) and will eventually head to you when it hears it. Then, encourage this behavior outside of normal feeding times. Start from short distances. Make the noise, use your clicker when your cat comes, and then reward your pet with the treat. Over time, call the cat from longer distances. The ASPCA recommends up to two "cat training sessions" a day, for five minutes or less, during which you should repeat the behavior up to 20 times. Here's how to tell how smart your cat is, by the way.

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Here's How to Train a Cat to Do 5 Life-Changing Things

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Cats can learn to respond to a vocal cue and run your way. (The ASPCA notes that you might use this skill to bring your cat in should it dash out unexpectedly.) This step of how to train a cat starts by making a distinct noise before feeding- before you open a bag or can-like vocally call your cat, or click your tongue.

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Whether you buy your dog food or make it yourself, your dog needs a balanced diet to stay healthy. That includes a mix of:

To make sure the dog food you buy has the right mix of nutrients, look for the words "complete and balanced nutrition" on the label.

You might also see "Meets the nutritional requirements of dogs established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)" or "Complete and balanced nutrition for dogs based on AAFCO feeding trials."

Both dry and canned dog food will give your dog good nutrition. Some experts prefer dry food because it may help keep teeth and gums healthy.

If you make your own dog food, use recipes created by nutritionists to be "complete and balanced."

Essential Nutrients

Proteins: Body tissues are made of proteins. Your dog's body makes only 13 of the 23 amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. The other 10 have to come from food.

Fats: Fats give your dog energy. They also help keep your dog's skin and hair healthy. Some important fatty acids for your dog are:

Your dog's body can't make enough essential fatty acids on its own, so they need to eat food that has them.

Carbohydrates: Carbs come from plants. When your dog eats grains and vegetables, they get:

Carbs power the tissues in your dog's body. They also help keep your dog's intestines healthy.

Vitamins and minerals: These are needed for many of the chemical reactions in your dog's body, such as building bones and keeping them strong.

Your dog can get all the vitamins and minerals they needs in "balanced" dog food, including:

Dogs don't have to have vitamin C in their food because their bodies make it.

When they eat nutritious food, your dog doesn't need vitamin or mineral supplements. In fact, giving your dog supplements can be dangerous.

Water: Even if dogs lose all of their body fat and half their protein, they can survive. But water is so important that they could die if they lose only 10% of the water in theirbody. Water makes up more than half of an adult dog's body weight.

Although canned dog food may have a lot of water in it, it's not enough for your dog. Make sure your dog always has fresh, clean water available.

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Whether you buy your dog food or make it yourself, your dog needs a balanced diet to stay healthy. That includes a mix of: To make sure the dog food you buy has the right mix of nutrients, look for the words "complete and balanced nutrition" on the label.

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Dog Nutrition Tips

A balanced diet is critically important to your dog's cell maintenance and growth and overall health. Barring any special needs, illness-related deficiencies, or instructions from your vet, your pet should be able to get all the nutrients he or she needs from high-quality commercial pet foods, which are specially formulated with these standards in mind.

But dogs of different ages have different nutritional requirements. So, how much-or how little-should you be feeding your four-legged friend? Read on to learn what your pet's body needs at the various stages of life.

Nutrients Your Dog Needs

Nutrients are substances obtained from food and used by an animal as a source of energy and as part of the metabolic machinery necessary for maintenance and growth. There are the six essential classes of nutrients dogs need for optimum healthy living.

Water
Essential to life, water accounts for between 60 to 70% of an adult pet's body weight. While food may help meet some of your pet's water needs (dry food has up to 10% moisture, while canned food has up to 78% moisture), pets must have fresh clean water available to them at all times. A deficiency of water may have serious repercussions for pets. A 10% decrease in body water can cause serious illness, while a 15% loss can result in death.

Proteins
Proteins are the basic building blocks for cells, tissues, organs, enzymes, hormones and antibodies, and are essential for growth, maintenance, reproduction and repair. Proteins can be obtained from a number of sources including animal-based meats such as chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish and eggs (which have complete amino acid profiles) and in vegetables, cereals and soy (but these are considered incomplete proteins).
Please note: Do not give your pet raw eggs. Raw egg white contains avidin, an anti-vitamin that interferes with the metabolism of fats, glucose, amino acids and energy.
Fats
Fats are the most concentrated form of food energy, providing your pet with more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates. Fats are essential in the structure of cells, needed for the production of some hormones, and are required for absorption and utilization of certain vitamins. Fats also provide insulation and protection for internal organs. A deficiency of essential fatty acids (such as linoleic acid) may result in reduced growth or increased skin problems.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy, play a vital role in the health of the intestine, and are important for reproduction. While there is no minimum carbohydrate requirement, there is a minimum glucose requirement necessary to supply energy to critical organs such as the brain.

Fibers are kinds of carbohydrates that alter the bacterial population in the small intestine, which can help manage chronic diarrhea in dogs. For dogs to obtain the most benefit from fiber, the fiber source must be moderately fermentable. Moderately fermentable fibers-including beet pulp, which is commonly used in dog foods-are best to promote a healthy gut while avoiding the undesirable side effects of highly fermentable fibers, like flatulence and excess mucus.

Other examples of moderately fermentable fibers include brans (corn, rice and wheat) and wheat middlings. Foods that are high in fiber are not good for dogs with high energy requirements, and who are young and growing.

Vitamins
Tiny amounts of vitamins are necessary in dogs for normal metabolic functioning. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body, and therefore are essential to obtain in the diet.

Please note that when feeding your dog a complete and balanced diet, it is unnecessary to give a vitamin supplement unless a specific vitamin deficiency is diagnosed by a veterinarian. Due to over supplementation, poisoning due to excess vitamins (hypervitaminosis) is more common these days than vitamin deficiency (hypovitaminosis). Excess vitamin A may result in bone and joint pain, brittle bones and dry skin. Excess vitamin D may result in very dense bones, soft tissue calcification and kidney failure.

Minerals
Minerals are nutrients that cannot be synthesized by animals and must be provided in the diet. In general, minerals are most important as structural constituents of bones and teeth, for maintaining fluid balance and for their involvement in many metabolic reactions.

Weaning and Feeding Your Puppy

If you're responsible caring for puppies in the first few months of their lives, you'll need to be prepared to move them from a diet of mom's milk to regular puppy food. This process of gradually reducing a puppy's dependency on his mother's milk, known as weaning, should generally begin between three and four weeks of age and is ideally completely by the time the puppy is seven to eight weeks.

When to Wean a Litter of Puppies
Puppies receive complete nutrition from their mother's milk for the first four weeks of life, so there is no need to feed them anything during that time. However, in the event that the mother dog is ill or doesn't produce enough milk during these four weeks-or if the pups are found as orphans-it may be necessary to feed them commercial milk replacer. If you find yourself in this situation, contact your veterinarian for product and feeding recommendations.

After that time, it's best to let weaning be a gradual process that occurs over several weeks. This allows the mother dog to slowly dry up her milk supply and puppies need time to learn important behaviors from their mother and littermates, including how to interpret signs of dominance, inhibit their own biting habits and submit to more dominant dogs. Puppies generally begin eating puppy food around three to four weeks of age.

How to Wean a Litter of Puppies
Start by separating the mother from her litter for a few hours at a time. This time apart will reduce the pups' dependency on their mother's milk and overall presence. While separated, introduce the puppies to eating from a pan. The amount of food, the frequency and length of separation can gradually be increased. As the puppies become independent and self-confident, they can spend more and more time away from their mother until they are completely weaned.

Take your time. It can be frustrating if puppies don't immediately take to the transition, but be patient-periodic setbacks are normal!

Caring for the Mother During the Weaning Process
To prevent the mother from overproducing milk-which can lead to painful, engorged mammary glands-it is important to follow a feeding and separation schedule both for her and the puppies. This should be discussed with your veterinarian to ensure that the puppies are receiving adequate nutrition, and that the mother's food intake is being adjusted properly when she is no longer nursing her litter.

Feeding Your Puppy During the Weaning Process
While weaning, it's a good idea to feed puppies the same high-quality puppy food they'll eat throughout their entire growth period. Be sure to moisten the food with warm water (or puppy milk replacer) to create a soupy mix that's appealing to their sensitive palates.

Puppies often play with their food when it is first introduced, but they will quickly learn what to do with it! Start with small quantities, and gradually increase the amount of puppy food. By the time the pups are completely weaned at seven to eight weeks old, they should be eating their dry food consistently.

How Much Dry Food to Feed Your Puppy
Puppies require up to twice the energy intake of adult dogs and, depending on the breed, will need to be fed a food that contains 25 to 30% protein. Remember, the adult size of a dog is determined genetically-not by how fast the animal grows. Do not overfeed in an attempt to accelerate a puppy's growth rate.

If they are allowed to overeat, puppies can consume too many calories, grow too rapidly and develop health problems. Small breeds often reach their adult body weight in nine to twelve months. As puppies, its okay to leave dry food out for small them to peck as they wish. But most medium-breed puppies and all large- or giant-breed pups can suffer from bone or joint problems if they eat too much during this stage and benefit most from controlled feeding.

Feeding Your Adult Dog

Adult dogs require sufficient nutrients to meet energy needs and to maintain and repair body tissues. The amount you feed your adult dog should be based on his or her size and energy output. Activity levels may vary dramatically between pets, and will play an important role in determining caloric intake.

How Much to Feed Your Dog
The amount you feed your adult dog should be based on his or her size and energy output. For example, an animal with a normal activity level should receive what we call "maintenance" energy. A pampered lap dog may require just 10% of that, while an active pet who exercises regularly outdoors may require maintenance plus 20 to 40%.

You may need to adjust portions as you learn your dog's ideal "maintenance" amount. Pet owners should always consult with their dog's veterinarian to determine the best feeding schedule and types of foods for their pets.

Outside factors, like the temperature, can contribute to how much your dog should eat. Since keeping warm and cool require extra energy expenditure, extreme hot or cold weather can also increase a dog's energy needs. Talk to your pet's veterinarian about what to do when the mercury dips or soars.

Feeding Working Canines
A dog's energy needs will increase with his or her work and stress level, and the dietary needs of working canines-such as police dogs, guide dogs and cattle dogs-will depend on their occupations. A dog with a moderate work load may require an energy increase of 40% compared to maintenance, whereas a dog with a high work load may require an extra 50 to 70%.

Feeding Your Dog as He Recovers from Surgery
An animal recovering from surgery or suffering from a disease may have an increased nutritional requirement for repair, healing and fighting infection. Be sure to check with your veterinarian on your pet's post-opt nutritional needs.

Limiting Treats
Treats should be given in moderation and represent five percent or less of the dog's daily food intake. The rest should come from a nutritionally compete dog food. When using treats as motivation, such as during training exercises, use the smallest pieces you can.

Setting a Feeding Schedule
We recommend all dogs be fed twice daily. Simply divide the amount of food your pet requires into two meals, spaced eight to twelve hours apart. Dogs may be fed in a number of ways that meet both the owner's and the animal's needs. These methods include portion-control, free-choice and timed feeding.

Portion-control feeding refers to controlling the amount of food that your pet consumes by measuring your pet's food and providing it in one or meals daily. This method is often used for weight control programs and for animals that might overeat if fed free-choice.

Free-choice feeding allows food to be available to your pet at all times, as much as your pet wants, and whenever he or she wants it. This method is best when feeding dry food, which will not spoil when left out. Most nursing mothers are often free-choice fed, but some dogs will overeat when fed in this manner, resulting in obesity.

Timed feeding involves making a portion of food available for your pet to eat for a specific period of time. For example, food can be placed in the dog's bowl for 30 minutes. After that time, if the pet has not consumed the food, it is removed.

Feeding Your Senior Dog

Dogs begin to show visible age-related changes at about seven to 12 years of age. There are metabolic, immunologic and body composition changes, too. Some of these may be unavoidable while others can be managed with diet. When feeding your older dog, the main objective should be to maintain health and optimum body weight, slow development of chronic disease and minimize diseases that may already be present.

Your Pet's Size Will Determine When to Begin a Senior Diet
As your dog ages, health issues may arise including deterioration of skin and coat, loss of muscle mass, more frequent intestinal problems, arthritis, obesity, dental problems and decreased ability to fight off infection. Since smaller dogs live longer and don't experience these age-related changes as early as bigger dogs, size is used to determine when it's time to feed your canine a senior diet.

A good guideline to follow is:

Small breeds and dogs weighing less than 20 pounds-7 years of age

Medium breeds and dogs weighing 21 to 50 pounds-7 years of age

Large breeds and dogs weighing 51 to 90 pounds-6 years of age

Giant breeds and dogs weighing 91 pounds or more-5 years of age

Avoid "Senior" Diets That Have Reduced Levels of Protein
Studies have shown that the protein requirement for older dogs does not decrease with age, and that protein levels do not contribute to the development or progression of renal (kidney) failure. It is important to feed older dogs diets that contain optimum levels of highly digestible protein to help maintain good muscle mass.

Older dogs have been shown to progressively put on body fat in spite of consuming fewer calories. This change in body composition is inevitable and may be aggravated by either reduced energy expenditure or a change in metabolic rate. Either way, it is important to feed a diet with a lower caloric density to avoid weight gain, but with a normal protein level to help maintain muscle mass.

Talk To Your Veterinarian About Increasing Your Senior Dog's GLA And FOS Intake
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 fatty acid that plays a role in the maintenance of healthy skin and coat. Although it is normally produced in a dog's liver, GLA levels may be diminished in older dogs.

Aging can affect a dog's intestinal bacteria, which can result in symptoms of gastrointestinal disease. Senior diets for dogs should contain FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Look For Foods with High Levels of Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene
Antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta-carotene help eliminate free radical particles that can damage body tissues and cause signs of aging. Senior diets for dogs should contain higher levels of these antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants can also increase the effectiveness of the immune system in senior dogs.

Maintain Consistency
Routine care for geriatric pets should involve a consistent daily routine and periodic veterinary examinations to assess the presence or progress of chronic disease. Stressful situations and abrupt changes in daily routines should be avoided. If a drastic change must be made to an older pet's routine, try to minimize stress by introducing the change in a gradual manner.

Overweight Dogs

One of the most common pitfalls dog parents should watch out for is overfeeding. Attempts to shower our dogs with love by means of big meals and lots of tasty treats are sweet, but misguided. In dogs, as with humans, extra weight can lead to health problems. Be sure to indulge your four-legged friend with affection, not food!

Causes of Obesity in Dogs
Obesity is an extremely common problem in pets and, as with humans, it can be detrimental to the health of a dog. The overweight pet has many added stresses upon his body and is at an increased risk of diabetes, liver problems and joint pain.

Obesity develops when energy intake exceeds energy requirements. This excess energy is then stored as fat. The majority of cases of obesity are related to simple overfeeding coupled with lack of exercise. Certain groups of dogs appear to be more prone to obesity than others. Specific breeds, such as Labrador retrievers and pugs, and older dogs are particularly susceptible.

How to Tell if Your Pet is Overweight
There are a few ways easy ways to identify whether your pet has put on the pounds. You should be able to feel the backbone and touch the rubs in an animal of healthy weight. If you cannot feel your pet's ribs without pressing, there is too much fat.

Also, you should see a noticeable waist between the back of the rib cage and the hips when looking at your pet from above. When viewed from the side, there should be a "tuck" in the tummy, meaning the abdomen should go up from the bottom of the rib cage to inside the thighs. Dogs who fail these simple tests may be overweight.

How to Help Manage Your Dog's Weight
We have a few tips that can help your pet shed the extra padding. Please note, if your pup has put on weight, we recommend that you consult your pet's vet before starting on a weight loss program.

Correct your pet's diet. Overweight animals consume more calories than they require. Work with your veterinarian to select a more suitable food and determine your pet's caloric requirements. The diet should contain a normal level of a moderately fermentable fiber and fat to prevent the skin and coat from suffering during weight loss.

Increase regular exercise. Increasing physical activity can be valuable to both weight loss and weight maintenance. Regular exercise burns more calories, reduces appetite, changes body composition and will increase your pet's resting metabolic rate.

Modify your behavior. A successful weight management program means making changes in your behaviors that have contributed to your pet's weight. For example, you may be giving your pet too many treats or not giving her enough opportunities to exercise.

Here are some ways you can commit to your pet's weight loss:

Remove your pet from the room when the family eats

Feed your pet several small meals throughout the day

Reduce snacks and treats, and feed all meals and treats in your pet's bowl only

Provide non-food related attention with lots of affection

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A balanced diet is critically important to your dog's cell maintenance and growth and overall health. But dogs of different ages have different nutritional requirements. So, how much-or how little-should you be feeding your four-legged friend? Read on to learn what your pet's body needs at the various stages of life.

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Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

If you do not want to read this entire webpage, please review this shortened version:

Feeding Your Cat - Short version - 4 pages (updated November 2013)

Many readers of this website have kindly donated their valuable time to translate this important information into various languages. Please click PDF options for more information.

Diet is the brick and mortar of health. This web page lays out some often-ignored principles of feline nutrition and explains why cats have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed canned food (or a balanced homemade diet) instead of dry kibble.

Putting a little thought into what you feed your cat(s) can pay big dividends over their lifetime and very possibly help them avoid serious, painful, and costly illnesses. An increasing number of nutrition-savvy veterinarians, including board-certified veterinary internists, are now strongly recommending the feeding of canned food instead of dry kibble.

The three key negative issues associated with dry food are:
1) water content is too low
2) carbohydrate load is too high
3) type of protein - too high in plant-based versus animal-based proteins

In addition, dry food is very heavily processed which includes being subjected to high temperatures for a long time resulting in alteration and destruction of nutrients.

Dry food is also often contaminated with bacteria, fungal mycotoxins, storage mites/cockroaches and their feces, etc.

Most people who are concerned about their own nutrition have heard nutritionists say "shop the perimeter of the grocery store." This statement refers to the push to get humans to focus on fresh food - not overly processed food found in boxes and cans.

Where do you think kibble would reside in this scenario? Definitely not in the "perimeter"! There is nothing fresh about this source of food and it certainly does not come close to resembling a bird or a mouse.

Also keep in mind that dry foods are not refrigerated and they sit in warm warehouses, on pet store shelves, and in your cupboards for weeks or months before your pets consume them. Fats can easily become rancid, and bacteria will proliferate, in this type of environment.

There is no doubt that dry food is responsible for far more intestinal problems, and other diseases, than most veterinarians and cat owners realize.

Please click on the links below to read more about optimal nutrition for cats.
But my cat is "fine" on dry food! The importance of animal proteins, versus plant proteins Fresh vs highly processed with synthetic supplements Problems with carbohydrates in dry cat foods Cats need to eat water-rich food Reading a pet food ingredient label Marketing labels 'Prescription/therapeutic' diets Common medical problems associated with dry food Diabetes Kidney disease Cystitis/Urethral blockage/Urinary tract infection/Crystals Inflammatory Bowel Disease Hairballs Obesity Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease) Dental disease Asthma The safety of dry food Tips for Transitioning - Getting dry food addicts to eat canned food Home prepared raw/semi-cooked and commercial raw meat diets What I feed to my cats Some final thoughts
My Cat is Doing Just "Fine" on Dry Food!

Every living creature is "fine" until outward signs of a disease process are exhibited. That may sound like a very obvious and basic statement but if you think about it......

Every cat with a blocked urinary tract was "fine" until they started to strain to urinate and either died from a ruptured bladder or had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency catheterization.

Every cat on the Feline Diabetes Message Board was "fine" until their owners started to recognize the signs of diabetes.

Every cat with an inflamed bladder ( cystitis) was "fine" until they ended up in severe pain, started passing blood in their urine, and began to refuse to use their litter box because they associated it with their pain.

Every cat was "fine" until the feeding of species-inappropriate, hyperallergenic ingredients caught up with him and he started to show signs of food intolerance/IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).

Every cat was "fine" until that kidney or bladder stone got big enough to cause clinical signs.

Every cancer patient was "fine" until their tumor grew large enough or spread far enough so that clinical signs were observed by the patient.
The point is that diseases 'brew' long before being noticed by the living being.
This is why the statement "but my cat is healthy/fine on dry food" means very little to me because I believe in preventative nutrition - not locking the barn door after the horse is gone. I don't want to end up saying "oops......I guess he is not so fine now!!" when a patient presents to me with a medical problem that could have been avoided if he would have been feed a species-appropriate diet to begin with.

Of course, in order to be on board with the preventative nutrition argument, a person has to understand the following facts:

1) All urinary tract systems are much healthier with an appropriate amount of water flowing through them.
Dietary water and urinary tract health
2) Carbohydrates can wreak havoc on cats' blood sugar/insulin balance.
Postprandial glycemia
3) Cats inherently have a low thirst drive and need to consume water *with* their food. (A cat's normal prey is ~70 - 75% water - not the very low 5-10% found in dry food.)

4) Cats are strict carnivores which means they are designed to get their protein from meat/organs - not plants.
The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats
Cats Need Animal-Based Protein

Cats are obligate (strict) carnivores and are very different from dogs in their nutritional needs. What does it mean to be an 'obligate carnivore'? It means that your cat was built by Mother Nature to get her nutritional needs met by the consumption of a large amount of animal-based proteins (meat/organs) and derives much less nutritional support from plant-based proteins (grains/vegetables). It means that cats lack specific metabolic (enzymatic) pathways and cannot utilize plant proteins as efficiently as animal proteins.
It is very important to remember that not all proteins are created equal.
Proteins derived from animal tissues have a complete amino acid profile. (Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Think of them as pieces of a puzzle.) Plant-based proteins do not contain the full complement (puzzle pieces) of the critical amino acids required by an obligate carnivore. The quality and composition of a protein (are all of the puzzle pieces present?) is also referred to as its biological value.

Humans and dogs can take the pieces of the puzzle in the plant protein and, from those, make the missing pieces. Cats cannot do this. This is why humans and dogs can live on a vegetarian diet but cats cannot. (Note that I do not recommend vegetarian diets for dogs.)

Taurine is one of the most important nutrients present in meat but it is missing from plants. Taurine deficiency will cause blindness and heart problems in cats.

The protein in dry food, which is often heavily plant-based, is not equal in quality to the protein in canned food, which is meat-based. The protein in dry food, therefore, earns a lower biological value score.

Because plant proteins are cheaper than meat proteins, pet food companies will have a higher profit margin when using corn, wheat, soy, rice, etc.

Veterinary nutritionists and pet food company representatives will argue that they are smart enough to know *exactly* what is missing from a plant in terms of nutrient forms and amounts - nutrients that would otherwise be in a meat-based diet. They will then claim that these missing elements are added to their diets to make it complete and balanced to sustain life in an obligate carnivore.

Does anyone really think that humans are that smart?

This is the kind of arrogance that has led to fatal errors in the past. Not all that long ago (1980s) cats were going blind and dying from heart problems due to this arrogance. It was discovered in the late 1980s that cats are exquisitely sensitive to taurine deficiency and our cats were paying dearly for humans straying so far from nature in order to increase the profit margin of the pet food manufacturers.

There are several situations that can lead to a diet being deficient in taurine but one of them is using a diet that relies heavily on plants (grains, etc.) as its source of protein. Instead of lowering their profit margin and going back to nature by adding more meat to the diets, the pet food companies simple started supplementing their diets with synthetic taurine.

This may be all well and good for this particular problem, but how do we know that we are not blindly going along unaware of other critical nutrients that are missing from a plant-based diet?
Why are nutritionists so arrogant to think that we can safely stray so far from what a cat is designed by nature to eat?
Also note that synthetic taurine is manufactured from a chemical reaction and all taurine (at least that I know of) comes out of China. Given that country's horrible track record with regard to food safety, I certainly would not want to depend on taurine from China's chemical synthesis to meet my cats' taurine needs.

With regard to the overall protein amounts contained in dry versus canned food, do not be confused by the listing of the protein percentages on the packaging. At first glance, it might appear that the dry food has a higher amount of protein than the canned food-but this is not true on a dry matter basis which considers the food minus the water. Most canned foods, when figured on a dry matter basis, have more protein than dry food. And remember, even if this was not the case, the percentage numbers do not tell the whole story. It is the protein's biological value that is critical.

Let's ask ourselves the following question: How many cats become ill or die from these species-inappropriate diets yet the patient's diet is never even questioned as a possible cause of the illness or death? We cannot answer that question definitively but I have no doubt that the answer would be "many".

Do cats survive on these heavily (synthetically) supplemented plant-based diets? Yes, many of them do.

Do cats thrive on these diets? No, they do not.

Please pay special attention to the words *survive* versus *thrive* as there is a very big difference between the two states of health.

Fresh vs Highly Processed with Synthetic Supplements

There are two basic ways to meet our nutrient needs:

Eat fresh food with a short ingredient list - or at least one that does not resemble a science experiment full of long names that are hard to pronounce.

Eat highly processed foods that have had much of their nutrient content destroyed or altered, with food chemists 'fixing' the deficit with synthetic supplements. This type of unhealthy diet is consumed under the assumption that humans know exactly what was destroyed or altered during processing and what needs to be added back and in what form and amount.

Again, people are simply not that smart.

While canned food is not 'fresh,' per se, dry food undergoes a harsher processing. It has been cooked at very high temperatures for a long period of time. The extensive cooking required to remove most of the water from the food (70% moisture reduced to 5-10% moisture) significantly alters the biological value of the protein sources and damages other vital nutrients.

Nutritionists then have to guess which nutrients - in what form and amounts - were destroyed by this cooking process and then try to add them back into the diet. Occasionally 'real food' is used instead of synthetic supplements but those long and hard-to-pronounce names on the ingredient list describe chemically synthesized nutrients.

Given that humans will never be as smart as nature - we will never know every detail of a cat's normal prey - it is obvious that there is a risk when greed cause humans to stray so far from a cat's natural diet.

We Are Feeding Cats Too Many Carbohydrates

Note: I have stopped using the term "grain-free" since it has become somewhat meaningless. Many companies (e.g., Blue Buffalo) tout that their products are "grain free" but then they just load up the food with high carbohydrate ingredients like potatoes and peas which are not grains but still contribute a significant carb load (and plant-based protein) to the food. The "grain-free" descriptive has become very deceptive and misleading.

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In their natural setting, cats-whose unique biology makes them true carnivores-would not consume the high level of carbohydrates (grains, potatoes, peas, etc.) that are in the dry foods (and some canned foods) that we routinely feed them. You would never see a wild cat chasing down a herd of biscuits running across the plains of Africa or dehydrating her mouse and topping it off with corn meal.

In the wild, your cat would be eating a high protein, high-moisture, meat/organ-based diet, with a moderate level of fat and with only approximately 1-2 percent of her diet consisting of carbohydrates. The average dry food contains 35-50 percent carbohydrate calories. Some of the cheaper dry foods contain even higher levels.

This is NOT the diet that Mother Nature intended for your cat to eat.

Many canned foods, on the other hand, contain approximately less than 10 percent carbohydrates.

Please note that not all canned foods are suitably low in carbohydrates. For instance, most of the Hill's Science Diet (over-the-counter) and the Hill's 'prescription' diets are very high in carbohydrates and are not foods that I would ever choose to feed.

Cats have a physiological decrease in the ability to utilize carbohydrates due to the lack of specific enzymatic pathways that are present in other mammals, and they lack a salivary enzyme called amylase.
Cats have no dietary need for carbohydrates and, more worrisome is the fact that a diet that is high in carbohydrates can be detrimental to their health as explained below.
With this in mind, it is as illogical to feed a carnivore a steady diet of meat-flavored cereals as it would be to feed meat to a vegetarian like a horse or a cow, right? So why are we continuing to feed our carnivores like herbivores? Why are we feeding such a species-inappropriate diet? The answers are simple. Grains/potatoes are cheap. Dry food is convenient. Affordability and convenience sells.

However, is a carbohydrate-laden, plant-based, water-depleted dry food the best diet for our cats? Absolutely not.

Obligate carnivores are designed to eat meat/organs - not grains/vegetables - and they need to consume water with their food as explained below.

Cats Need to Eat Water-Rich Food

Opie's pictorial at Feline Urinary Tract Diseases is a 'must see' for any cat caregiver who insists on feeding dry food.

The first paragraph of that page is as follows:
If I could have the reader of this webpage take away just one word from this discussion, it would be "water." If your cat is on a properly hydrated diet of 100% canned (or homemade) food - and no dry food - you stand a very good chance of never needing to read this webpage.
Water is an extremely important nutrient that contributes to overall health in every living creature. Couple this with the fact that cats do not have a very strong thirst drive when compared to other species, and you will understand why it is critical for them to ingest a water-rich diet. The cat's lack of a strong thirst drive can lead to low-level, chronic dehydration when dry food makes up the bulk of their diet especially if they have any level of kidney insufficiency.

A cat's normal prey contains approximately 70 - 75 percent water. Dry food only contains 5-10 percent water whereas canned foods contain approximately 78 percent water. Canned foods therefore more closely approximate the natural diet of the cat and are better suited to meet the cat's water needs.

I hear the reader saying: "But my cat drinks a lot of water so dry food is just fine for him!"

A cat consuming a predominantly dry food diet does drink more water than a cat consuming a canned food diet, but in the end, when water from all sources is added together (what's in their diet plus what they drink), the cat on dry food consumes approximately half the amount of water compared with a cat eating canned food.
Water intake of cats on dry vs canned food
Put another way, a cat on a canned food diet consumes approximately double the amount of water consumed by a cat eating dry food when all sources (food and water bowl) are considered.
This is a crucial point when one considers how common kidney and bladder problems are in the cat. Think of canned food as 'flushing out' your cat's bladder several times each day.
Please keep in mind that when your cat starts eating a more appropriately hydrated diet of canned food, his urine output will increase which is a very good thing for bladder health.
Because of this increase in urine production, litter boxes need to be scooped more frequently or more boxes need to be added to the home.
Please see The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View for reasons why I strongly feel that clumping litter is the only sanitary choice of litter to use for cats. Non-clumping litters do not allow you to remove all of the urine and are not sanitary litters.

Learn How To Read a Pet Food Ingredient Label

For more details regarding pet food ingredient labels, see Commercial Foods.

Note: If you are tempted to write to me to ask what food you should feed to your cat, understand that specific advice cannot be provided via email. If someone wants to discuss the information contained on this site in more detail, an appointment for a phone consultation needs to be set up.

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Before you get too confused and frustrated when reading this section, I will say at the outset: I would much rather see a cat eat any canned food versus any dry food - regardless of quality level of the canned or dry food. This includes Friskies, 9-Lives, Fancy Feast, etc., canned options.

I am so tired of seeing cats suffering tremendously from blocked urethras and other urinary tract diseases because of Man's love affair with dry food.

Try not to drive yourself nuts when picking out a canned cat food. The fact that you are feeding canned food and not dry food is 90% of the battle so just do the best that you can - given the information below, the information on the Commercial Foods page, and also the Cat Food Composition chart linked in the sidebar for future reference.

When using that chart, just focus on the first four columns and the last column if you care about calories/can. The first four columns show the caloric distribution which is the best way to analyze food. I ignore the dry matter basis columns.

I mentioned above that you should refrain from "driving yourself nuts" but after becoming increasingly frustrated with the commercial pet food industry in 2003, I started making my cats' food. See Making Cat Food for more information. I got tired of dealing with all of the pros and cons associated with the commercial options and the 'unknowns.'

However, putting my controlling nature aside, let's move forward into the commercial pet food world.

When reading this section, two words need to be firmly in your mind:

composition (the percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in the food)

ingredients

Unfortunately, pet food labels are not held to the same standard as human food labels. This means that pet food labels are seriously lacking in usable information when compared to a package of food for a human.

The "guaranteed analysis" numbers that you find on a can of food for protein, fat, and water (moisture) are listed as "minimums" and "maximums" which, by definition, are inaccurate. Plus, the labels never list the carbohydrate amount which is very frustrating because we are trying to stay under 10% carbohydrate calories.

This makes it impossible to accurately evaluate the food in terms of composition unless you are willing to call the company and ask for their ' typical nutrient analysis ' which is data that comes from testing an actual batch of food.

During the summer of 2012, I spent over 1,000 hours calling ~45 pet food companies to gather data for my Cat Food Composition chart. However, understand that pet food companies can change their formulations at any point in time so if you desire the most up-to-date information, you will need to call the individual companies.

The ingredient list can help us out - but only in some ways. For instance, if you do not see high carbohydrate ingredients such as grains, potatoes, peas, etc., listed on the label, it is a safe bet that the food is low in carbohydrates.

However, if these high carbohydrate ingredients are listed, you have no idea of the amount in the food and, therefore, no knowledge of the carbohydrate level.

Without knowing the actual amount of each ingredient, we have no indication of the impact of the ingredient on the nutritional profile of the food. Only the composition value will answer that question. This is why it is important to not just consider the list of ingredients but to also look at the Cat Food Composition chart, or call the company for the information.

A good example of the above issue is a food like canned Wellness. At first glance, this food may be dismissed as inappropriate for a carnivore because it contains several high carbohydrate ingredients in the form of fruits and vegetables, including potatoes which are very high in starch (carbohydrate). However, the low carbohydrate level (3-5%) tells us that the amount of fruits and vegetables is very low.

Again, we would like to stay under 10% of calories coming from carbohydrates.

Grains and potatoes should be absent from a cat's diet but, unfortunately, they are cheap so they are included in many commercial cat foods. Think 'profit margin'. Grains/potatoes are cheaper than meat.

Stay away from food with gravy and sauces because they usually use high carbohydrate thickeners.

Soy contains phytoestrogens and soy also negatively influences the thyroid gland. Given how common hyperthyroidism is in the cat, soy has no business being in cat food. Unfortunately, soy is a common ingredient used by many pet food manufacturers - especially Purina - because it enhances their profit margin.

When considering allergies, the ingredient list is useful since we don't care how much of the offending ingredient is in the food. The bottom line is that we don't want any of the ingredient to be present. Fish/seafood, beef, lamb, corn, wheat, and soy tend to be the most hyperallergenic ingredients for the cat - especially fish/seafood.

By-products are always a controversial subject but it makes much more sense to feed animal-based by-products to a cat than it does to feed grains or potatoes. Therefore, do not shy away from the more economical foods like Friskies or 9-Lives if you cannot afford the more expensive canned foods without by-products.

I would much rather see a cat eating an all-by-product canned food than any dry food. This is because even the cheaper canned foods have the 'Big Three' covered:

1) high in water

2) usually low in carbohydrates

3) the protein is from animals - not plants

By-products are not necessarily low quality protein sources. In fact, they can be extremely nutritious. However, there is more variability when quality is being considered when compared to muscle meat.

By-products are discussed in more detail on the Commercial Foods page in this section.

The higher priced canned foods that I referenced above, have a muscle meat listed as the first ingredient. A muscle meat will be listed as "chicken," or "turkey," etc., not "chicken by-products" or "chicken by-product meal," or "chicken broth" or "liver".

"Chicken meal" is technically a muscle meat but the term "meal" denotes that it has been rendered (cooked for a long time at very high temperatures) and is lower in quality than meat that has not been as heavily processed. A "meal" product is more commonly found in dry foods. By-products can include feet, intestines, feathers, egg shells, etc., which are less nutritious (less biologically valuable/digestible) than meat.

Avoid foods listing "liver" as a first ingredient. (Example: Purina's prescription diet DM canned for feline diabetic patients. There are far better options available that are healthier and not as expensive.)

Liver is a very nutritious organ meat - and should be present in small amounts - but it should never be the first ingredient as it is very high in vitamin A and possibly D and you don't want to feed too much of those vitamins. Liver is cheaper than muscle meat so it will increase a company's profit margin when used in high amounts.

Preservatives are important ingredients that we need to pay attention to. BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are extremely questionable in terms of safety. Please note that Hill's has always used BHT, and ethoxyquin in many of their products although recently I have noticed that these chemicals have been removed from some of their foods. Be sure to check the current labels. Other companies abandoned the practice of using these chemicals as preservatives long ago - opting for more natural and safer methods.
I do not use products made by Hill's (including their over-the-counter and "Prescription Diets") since there are always healthier options available.
Also, please take note of a recent deceptive move by Hill's whereby they have incorporated into their labeling the word "maize" as a substitute for the word "corn". Maize IS corn and since this company is well aware of the fact that consumers are becoming more savvy about pet food ingredients, they have decided to try to disguise the corn in their diets by calling it "maize". Hill's is hoping that consumers stay ignorant regarding the fact that maize is corn.

Marketing Labels

Marketing labels such as " natural," or " premium," or " veterinarian recommended," or "prescription" are not necessarily indicative of high quality so please be careful not to fall into that trap.

" Indoor only " is another meaningless marketing label that is nothing more than an enticing gimmick. This label originally started out in the dry food market but it has now made its way to canned food labels. Cats did not stop being obligate carnivores just because we put a roof over their heads.

If you are thinking about feeding any 'breed-specific' food, please see this link for some straight-forward comments about the utterly absurd claims that these companies make regarding these diets. A Siamese is no different from Persian or a Maine Coon - or an 'alley cat' - when considering optimal dietary composition. No matter the breed, the cat is still an obligate carnivore.

Royal Canin was one of the first companies to come out with these breed specific diets as a marketing gimmick.

The labels on Hill's over-the-counter products contain a statement that says "Veterinarian Recommended."
Keep in mind that a large marketing budget does not equate with the manufacturing of high quality or healthy products.
Unfortunately, many of my colleagues do, indeed, recommend products made by Hill's (as well as Purina, Iams, and Royal Canin) and this is a testament to the fact that most veterinarians are not well-versed in proper feline nutrition and simply defer to these large companies that have huge marketing budgets. These large budgets include substantial sums of money dedicated to sponsoring - including very heavy advertising - our professional meetings and infiltrating veterinary schools to get students 'married' to their products.

'Prescription/Therapeutic' Diets

Let's move on to the veterinarian 'prescribed' diets which are also known as "therapeutic" or "prescription" diets.

" Prescription/therapeutic diet " is another label that is certainly not indicative of a high quality diet or one that is necessary.

These diets represent an area of the commercial cat food industry that is very misleading and, quite frankly, a source of embarrassment for this profession.

Many of these very expensive products contain corn, wheat, and soy which have no logical place in your cat's diet. These diets are often very high in carbohydrates and, of course, all of the dry versions are water-depleted. Many of them also contain by-products as the main - and often only - source of protein.

While by-products can be very nutritious (and this really is the least of my concerns regarding these diets), they are cheaper than muscle meat so one would think that as much as these diets cost, the companies could include some muscle meat, in addition to by-products, for a more consistent source of high quality protein. (See by-products on the Commercial Food page for more details.)

Study the ingredient list for Hill's dry i/d while keeping in mind that cats are obligate carnivores.
Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose, Dried Chicken, Chicken Liver Flavor
This dry food is 29% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis and is, of course, water-depleted. The ingredients are as follows:

The base ingredients and composition mirror those of many dry foods found in pet stores and supermarkets. Also, this is a very good example of the ingredient splitting rule. This rule states that ingredients have to be listed very specifically which works in the pet food manufacturers' favor. It allows the grain fractions to be broken up into smaller components which places them lower on the list since ingredients are listed by weight. However, when all of the grain fractions are added up, their contribution to the diet (including the protein content) often greatly outweighs the first ingredient.

I have asked many times on VIN (Veterinary Information Network - the who's who of veterinary specialists from all over the world) just what makes this diet worthy of being called a "Prescription Diet for Feline Gastrointestinal Health" or, for that matter, what makes it an optimal diet to feed to any cat? I have never received an answer and the VIN threads have had Hill's representatives participating. My questions about the quality and composition of their prescription diets are always met with dead silence.

It is important to note that most of these diets do not have robust clinical feeding studies supporting their safety for long-term feeding or even for use in treating the various diseases they target.

On the contrary, we have plenty of evidence to show that feeding water-depleted, high carbohydrate, plant-based diets to carnivores does not honor their carnivorous make-up but, instead, promotes disease in this species.

It is also critical to understand that there is no independent agency overseeing these diets' medical claims. None. Zero. Including the FDA.

The fox is definitely guarding the henhouse and the FDA shows no interest in remedying the situation.

The FDA has 'punted' the responsibility of scrutinizing these diets for efficacy, safety, and suitability to the veterinarian but most veterinarians are very poorly educated in the area of nutrition. This field of study is not emphasized in veterinary schools and the minimal course work that is required, is often taught by people who have strong ties to the pet food industry.

These are also usually the same people who are advising general practitioners on all matters of nutrition. After recognizing this situation, you will see an obvious and very significant conflict of interest. In the end, the members of my profession allow Hill's, Purina, Iams, and Royal Canin to dictate what ends up in our patients' food bowls.

Here is an excerpt from the " Veterinarian-Prescribed Diets/OTC Options" paper that I am working on:

'Prescription Diet' trademark - marketing tool creates false perception As an example of the serious lack of regulatory oversight, Hill's secured trademark status for the term "prescription diet" in 1990 thus reinforcing the perception that, like prescription medications, their diets are subject to intense scrutiny and testing. However, nothing could be further from the truth. There is a strong argument to be made that no trademark protection should be granted for any marketing label containing the word "prescription" given the strong potential to seduce the buyers of these products into a false sense of security growing out of the assumption that anything labeled "prescription" has been put through multiple layers of regulatory and testing paces. If any product - including food - is allowed to carry a "prescription" label, it needs to be held to the same standards as a prescription medication. Otherwise, the word "prescription" becomes no more than a marketing label, and as such, should hold no more credibility than any other marketing slogan. To quote the FDA/CVM Communications Staff Deputy Director: "'Prescription diet' is an industry-coined term and holds no legal meaning." In other words, these diets contain no ingredient that actually requires a prescription. The trademarked term "prescription diet" is simply a clever marketing tool between Hill's and veterinarians. The sale of these diets is restricted (by Hill's, not by law) to veterinarians only. In return, Hill's enjoys a boost in perception of quality brought about by this profession's endorsement of their products. However, this perception of quality is undeserved and this incestuous relationship jeopardizes the integrity of our profession.
End excerpt

I want to make it clear that probably 99% of all veterinarians who 'prescribe' these diets truly feel that they are doing the best for their patients. The companies (Hill's, Purina, Iams, Royal Canin) that manufacture the 'alphabet' diets have done a wonderful job marketing their products to veterinarians, making it difficult to refrain from falling into the trap of using them.

These companies make it very easy for us. If a cat comes in with kidney disease? We can just grab k/d, or NF, or LP without any critical thought. If a cat comes in with a urinary tract problem? Easy - take some c/d off the shelf. Given a veterinarian's busy schedule and stressful life, one can see just how seductive the use of the 'alphabet' diets are.

However, contrary to what is often believed by both the veterinarian and the client, the 'therapeutic/prescription' diets sold in veterinary hospitals are not formulated for optimal health of a carnivore and, in many cases, are actually detrimental to the patient's health.

In addition, they are simply not necessary and do not optimally address the problems they claim to treat.

Add to this the very high price tag on these diets and we have what I consider to be a very big 'black eye' for the profession.

The only time I ever use a prescription diet (canned s/d) is discussed here on the Urinary Tract Health page. Canned s/d is occasionally used but only temporarily (~2-4 weeks) pending re-evaluation of the patient.

Instead of defaulting to the 'alphabet' diets, I can always find an over-the-counter diet or formulate a homemade recipe for my patients that leaves more money in the client's wallet and much better nutrition in the cat's food bowl.

Regarding making cat food: People often overestimate what it takes to make a nutritious meal for their cat and assume that it means slaving away in the kitchen every day. I can assure you, it is much easier than that. Since 2003, I have spent a few hours in the kitchen 4-6 times a year making food for my cats which is a very small price to pay for the control that I have over what goes into their food bowls.

I do not feed any commercial food to my own cats and I would definitely never feed them any "prescription" diets.

I would love to see veterinarians stop being so 'married' to the diets they reach for every day and learn the basics of optimal feline nutrition and start considering the use of higher quality, lower cost, over-the-counter - or homemade - diets. Their patients - and their clients' bank account - will be a lot better off for it.

Common Feline Health Problems and Their Ties to Diet

There is a very strong and extremely logical connection between the way that we are currently feeding our obligate carnivores and many of the life-threatening diseases that afflict them.

Diabetes: Diabetes is a very serious - and difficult to manage - disease that is not uncommon in cats. We do not know all of the causes of this complex disease but what we do know is that many diabetic cats cease needing insulin or have their insulin needs significantly decrease once their dietary carbohydrate level is decreased to a more species-appropriate level than that found in many commercial foods.

Given this fact, and given what we know about how the cat processes carbohydrates, it is not a stretch to say that high carbohydrate diets could very well be a significant factor in causing diabetes in some cats.
Postprandial glycemia
Please see this paper discussing the elevated blood glucose in cats after eating a high carbohydrate meal:

There are countless cases of successful diabetic remission when cat caregivers remove all dry food and all high carbohydrate canned food from their cat's diet.

In addition to the issue of carbohydrates and how they affect the blood sugar level of some cats, dry food is very calorie dense, is very palatable, and is usually free-fed. This often leads to obesity.
It is very important to understand the impact that a low carbohydrate diet has on the insulin needs of a diabetic cat.
Fat cells produce a substance that makes the other cells in the body resistant to insulin. This promotes the diabetic state.
Please also be aware that many veterinarians underestimate the favorable impact that a low carbohydrate diet has on the insulin needs of the patient and they do not lower the insulin dose enough. If the insulin is not lowered accordingly, an overdose of insulin will occur which can be life-threatening. I strongly suggest that all caretakers of diabetic cats home-test to monitor blood glucose levels using a standard glucometer as a matter of routine. Careful monitoring is especially important when implementing a diet change.
If you have decided to start feeding your diabetic cat a low carbohydrate diet, please do not change the diet until you review my Feline Diabetes page - especially the STOP sign section - otherwise you will be putting your cat in danger.

Many veterinarians prescribe expensive diets such as Purina DM (Diabetes Management) and Hill's m/d but you can do much better for your cat (and your pocketbook) by feeding other more nutritious - and lower carbohydrate - canned foods. See the Cat Food Composition chart. You should aim for a diet that derives less than 10% of its calories from carbohydrates.

The less expensive foods like Friskies, 9-Lives, and Fancy Feast are also fine to feed.

Kidney Disease (CKD - formerly called "CRF"): Chronic kidney disease is probably the leading cause of mortality in the cat. It is troubling to think about the role that chronic dehydration may play in causing or exacerbating feline kidney disease.

And remember, cats have a less than optimal water balance - especially CKD cats that are losing a lot of water via their 'leaky' kidneys - when they are on a diet of predominantly dry food. The prescription dry 'renal diets' such as Hill's k/d - which are commonly prescribed by veterinarians - contain only a small amount of moisture (~10% versus 78% for canned food) leaving your cat in a less than optimal state of water balance.
This diet (or any other dry 'renal' diet) would never find its way into a food bowl owned by any cat in my care.
I have no other word for dry 'renal' diets other than "atrocious" given their water-depletion, low protein amount, and the low biological value of the protein (plant vs animal-based) that they are comprised of. I would have to be stranded on a desert island with no other food source before I would ever consider feeding these diets to any cat in my care.

Regarding hydration, I must say that I find it truly amazing when I hear about the very large numbers of cats receiving subcutaneous fluids while being maintained on a diet of dry food. This is an extremely illogical and unhealthy practice and every attempt should be made to get these cats on a diet that contains a higher moisture content.

Please also note the following list of the first four ingredients of Hill's dry k/d after reviewing this section on reading a pet food label - and bearing in mind that your cat is a carnivore.

The first three ingredients are not even a source of meat and the fourth ingredient is a by-product meal which is not necessarily an unhealthy source of protein but it would be nice to see some muscle meat ("chicken") in this product.

Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken by-product meal

The purpose of this 'prescription' diet is to restrict protein which, unfortunately, it certainly does. However, please understand that there are no studies showing that restricting protein to this level will prevent further deterioration of kidney function.

'Renal' diets restrict protein to the point that many cats - those that are not consuming enough of the diet to provide their daily protein calorie needs - will catabolize (use for fuel) their own muscle mass which results in muscle wasting and weight loss.

This internal breakdown of the cat's own muscle mass will cause an increase in creatinine (and BUN) which needs to be cleared by the kidneys. The rise in creatinine and BUN, and muscle wasting, can lead to an often-erroneous conclusion that the patient's CKD is worsening.
If I could have the reader take away just one word from this discussion, it would be "water". If your cat is on a properly hydrated diet of 100% canned food - and no dry food - you stand a very good chance of never needing to read this webpage.
Of course, the same deterioration can occur in any cat that is not consuming enough protein, but the level of protein in these diets is not only at an extremely low level, it is in an incomplete form for a carnivore. Note that they are often made up mainly of plant proteins - not meat proteins - especially the dry versions.

Cystitis (bladder inflammation), Urethral Blockage, Bladder/Kidney Stones:

Please see Feline Urinary Tract Health for a more detailed discussion. The first paragraph on that webpage states:

Cystitis is an extremely common and very painful problem in the cat. Stones are also very common and can lead to a life-threatening urinary tract blockage.

I sincerely hope that these pictures of Opie make a huge impact on anyone who is still not convinced that dry food causes significant suffering in many cats. Rest assured that veterinarians deal with blocked cats extremely frequently which is heartbreaking considering how rarely cats block when on all canned food - especially with added water.

Cystitis can lead to inappropriate urination (urinating outside of the litter box) and stones can cause a fatal rupture of the bladder by blocking the outflow of urine.

Any cat that is repeatedly entering the litter box but not voiding any urine is in need of IMMEDIATE medical attention!

This is one reason why it is so important to use a clumping (scoopable) litter. Clumping litter allows you to see just how much, if any, urine is being voided.

It is important to note, however, that "crystals" are not the same thing as stones. Crystals are often a normal finding in a cat's urine and it is not necessarily appropriate to put the cat on a "special urinary tract" formula when these are found in the urine.

Important: I often see too much clinical significance placed on the identification of crystals in the urine without regard to how the urine sample was handled. It is very important to understand that crystals will often form onceoutside of the body within a very short (30-60 minutes) period of time.

If the veterinarian does not examine the urine right away and either sends it to an outside laboratory or uses a free-catch sample that the owner brought from home, an erroneous diagnosis of crystals may be made. This is called a "false positive" report and results in unnecessary worry on the part of the owner and often leads to the cat being placed on an inappropriate, low quality diet.

With regard to overall kidney and bladder health, I cannot stress strongly enough how important water is in both the prevention and treatment of diseases involving this organ system.

When a cat is on a diet of water-depleted dry food, they produce a more highly concentrated urine (higher urine specific gravity - USG) and they produce a lower volume of urine (often half of what a cat on canned food produces) which means that a higher concentration of crystals will be present in the urine.

This increases the chance of these crystals forming life-threatening stones. It is also thought that the highly concentrated urine may be very irritating to the bladder wall in some cats, predisposing them to painful cystitis.

Please keep in mind that a cat has a very low thirst drive and is designed to get water with their food. A diet of canned food will keep a proper amount of water flowing through the urinary tract system and help maintain its health.

Adding 1-2 TBS of water (plain or flavored - such as tuna water, clam juice, chicken or beef broth) per meal is also very beneficial. Make your own tuna water by taking one can of tuna and mixing the contents into 3 cups of water. Mash it up and let it sit for ~15 minutes. Pour the water into covered ice cube trays. Freeze to prolong the freshness. Use covered trays to keep the water tasting and smelling fresh.

Water fountains may also help cats consume more water but feeding a water-rich diet is much more effective in increasing your cat's water intake than water fountains or multiple bowls of water sitting around your house.

If you are still worrying about small amounts of crystals in your cat's urine, consider this analogy:

Crystals in cat urine are as normal as the leaves that fall on your driveway. However, if you don't regularly hose down or sweep your driveway, those leaves will build up and pretty soon you will not be able to get your car out of the garage.

This is what happened to Opie above. His 'driveway' (urethra) got blocked and he was unable to pass any urine resulting in a tremendous amount of suffering and a life threatening situation.

If you picture crystals as the leaves in this analogy, it is easy to see how canned food does a better job of flushing out your cat's bladder - several times each day - than dry food does.

To repeat, crystals are not necessarily an abnormal finding in cat urine. However, they can become a problem if Man continues to insist on feeding the cat a water-depleted diet.

Urine pH is also often considered when discussing urinary tract problems but we really need to stop focusing so heavily on pH. Again, a proper amount of water in the diet is the important issue here - not urine pH.

Many of the often-prescribed feline lower urinary tract diets are formulated to make the urine acidic but it is thought that these low magnesium, acidifying diets may actually exacerbate painful cystitis. Also, these acidifying diets often end up promoting calcium oxylate stone formation and can also lead to hypokalemia (low potassium in the blood) which can cause or exacerbate kidney disease.

It is also important to note - for those people still stuck on worrying about the urine pH - that there are many factors which determine the pH of urine and only one of them is diet.

Urine pH varies throughout the day and using one pH measurement from a single urine sample is very misleading and is not terribly helpful information.

With regard to dry food and urinary tract health, aside from the lack of water in this type of diet, there is also a correlation between the consumption of a high carbohydrate diet and the formation of struvite crystals as shown by this study because carbohydrate diets promote an alkaline urine.

Veterinarians often prescribe Hill's Prescription dry c/d for urinary tract problems but again, these diets are only ten percent water and contain a high level of species-inappropriate ingredients and questionable preservatives. They are also very high in carbohydrates with dry c/d containing 42 percent of its dry weight as carbohydrates.

Please note the first few ingredients in c/d while remembering that your cat is a carnivore:

Previous formulation:

Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid),chicken liver flavor, taurine, preserved with BHT and BHA

Newer formulation:

Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken, chicken liver flavor, fish oil,

Note that Hill's removed the BHA and BHT but are now using more corn gluten meal and less chicken by-product meal.

Diet is not the only issue involved with cystitis but it is an important one and one that we can control. Stress is also thought to play a very significant role in cystitis and even cats that are fed a 100 percent canned food diet may experience bouts of cystitis.

This is a very frustrating disease to deal with and one that the veterinary community does not have all the answers for. What we do know is that decreasing stress and increasing the water content of the diet are the most important management issues to address. The water content of the diet is easy to control - feed canned food with added water. The stress issue is another matter and is not always easy to address since cats can be very sensitive and are often 'silent' in their stress.
Unfortunately, many veterinarians overlook pain medications as a very important part of the treatment of this common feline problem.
Cystitis can be extremely painful and it is very important to address pain management in these cats. Remember: pain = stress and we are trying to minimize the stress in these patients.

Buprenex is a good choice for a pain medication and I often dispense it for the client to have on hand for chronic cystitis patients - as long as the client understand the critical importance of close monitoring of the patient to make sure he is passing urine and is not obstructed. (I say "he" because males have a long, narrow urethra and are much more apt to block than females but females can also experience an obstructed urethra.)

Buprenex is superior to Torbugesic which has been used for pain management in the cat in the past. (Burprenex is a prescription medication that you must get from your veterinarian.)

A very important note on antibiotic usage in these cases: Most cases of cystitis are sterile. In other words, they are not the result of an infection and the patient should not be placed on antibiotics.

Only ~1% of cats with cystitis that are under 10 years of age have a urinary tract infection, yet many veterinarians place these patients on antibiotics when these drugs are not warranted. Most cats under 10 years of age produce a very concentrated urine (USG greater than 1.035) and bacteria do not grow well in concentrated urine.

In cats over 10 years of age, infections are more common but that still does not mean that older cats with cystitis should automatically be put on antibiotics. The reason that an older cat is more prone to urinary tract infections is because kidney disease is more common in this age group and so these cats will have a more dilute urine which is not as hostile to bacterial growth.

Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are also more common in cats over 10 years of age and both disease render the patient more prone to urinary tract infections.

That said, only ~20% - or less - of all older cats that present with lower urinary tract signs (see Feline Urinary Tract Health - Cystitis) actually have an infection so ~80% of this age group exhibiting these clinical signs do not need to be put on antibiotics.

A urine culture and sensitivity (C & S) should be run to check for an infection, especially if the patient has a low urine specific gravity or is diabetic. It must be kept in mind that even with a low USG, most cases of cystitis are not due to an infection. This is why it is important to run a C & S before placing the patient on antibiotics.

Antibiotics are NOT harmless drugs and they need to be used with more critical thought than is currently happening in both human and veterinary medicine.

This is especially true of . Please do not allow that drug to be injected into your cat without reading my Convenia webpage first.

A C & S test identifies the bacteria (if present) and tells the veterinarian which antibiotic is appropriate. The urine for a C & S needs to be obtained by way of cystocentesis which involves using a syringe and needle to obtain urine directly from the bladder.

This is not a painful procedure for the cat and this method is the only way to obtain a sample for accurate information in order to properly treat with antibiotics. One problem, however, is that a sample may be difficult to obtain without waiting a couple of hours since cats with cystitis urinate frequently and often do not have enough urine in their bladder to get a good sample.

To get around this problem, your veterinarian can give the your cat a dose of subcutaneous (just under the skin) fluids. The patient is then put into a cage without a litter box. Within a couple of hours (or less), the bladder is usually full enough to obtain a urine sample via cystocentesis.

We have to stop treating all cases of cystitis with antibiotics without supporting evidence of an infection!

Cystitis will often recur in these patients and this painful health problem can be very frustrating to deal with. On a good note, most cats will have their clinical signs spontaneously resolve even without any treatment. In fact, it has often been said, jokingly, that a cat with cystitis will often stop exhibiting clinical signs within seven days with antibiotics and in one week without antibiotics.

Unfortunately, when people don't understand this issue, antibiotics often get the credit when they had nothing to do with the patient's improvement. When this happens, the abuse of antibiotics continues.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): IBD can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation in the cat. IBD can also present with weight loss as the only clinical sign. There are many unanswered questions with respect to this disease process, but it is logical to start to "treat" a gastrointestinal problem in the cat with a species-appropriate diet considering that it is food that 'bathes' the problem area.

Too often these cats are treated with a high level of steroids and a prescription grain-laden dry food diet. I feel very strongly that this common therapeutic regimen dismisses the very significant role that a proper diet plays in our IBD patients. There are an impressive number of anecdotal reports of cats that were terribly ill with IBD that exhibit dramatic improvement when all dry food was removed from their diet and a grain-free/low-carb canned food was fed instead.

Taking it even one step further, there are many reports of cats with IBD that improved tremendously on a balanced homemade diet. (See Making Cat Food for a balanced recipe.)

Some cats do need steroids (temporary or long-term) but we need to focus more heavily on feeding these patients an appropriate diet rather than simply relying on immunosuppressive medications.

Hairballs: The frequent vomiting of hairballs can be a symptom of IBD. "Frequent" is hard to define, in this case, but if your cat is vomiting hairballs on a weekly basis do not just assume that this is simply normal feline behavior.

I often receive emails asking what the best diet is to feed to cats suffering from hairballs. The bottom line is that as much hair as possible should be prevented from getting into the cat in the first place. This is accomplished with daily brushing or, in some cases, shaving the cat if hairballs are creating serious problems.

I understand that shaving cats is not an easy task and is, therefore, not a 'quick fix' for this problem but it is an option for serious cases.

Amber can only be shaved when she is under general anesthesia. Therefore, almost every summer she gets a dental cleaning and body shave to keep her comfortable during the hot summer months. She never had a problem with hairballs even with a full coat but she is a lot happier without her long hair when the weather is hot.

Hairball problems are not just associated with long hair coats. Shorthaired cats - especially double-coated cats - can also have problems with hairballs. However, a healthy intestinal tract should be able to deal with hair normally ingested by the cat.

That said, if we want to help our cats out in this area, we need to brush them daily.
Since animal-based protein (meat and organs) is more expensive than carbohydrates (grains/potatoes/peas), pet food manufacturers raise the carbohydrate levels in these foods making them very species-inappropriate and unhealthy.
Trying to 'chase' hair after it has gained entrance into the cat's intestinal tract is futile. Diet is not the answer and neither are any of the 'hairball remedies' on the market. As one well-respected feline medicine specialist often states "this is not a grease deficiency!"

Obesity: Obesity is an extremely common and very serious health problem in cats. Overweight cats are four times more likely to develop diabetes than cats that are at an optimal weight.

Obligate carnivores are designed to meet their energy needs with a high protein, moderate fat diet with little to no carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are minimally used for energy and those that are not used are converted to and stored as fat. The so-called "light" diets that are on the market have targeted the fat content as the nutrient to be decreased. The choice is then to raise either the protein or carbohydrate content of the diet, or both.

An optimal weight loss diet should be:

high in protein (over 40% of calories),

moderate in fat (under 50% of calories),

low in carbohydrates (under 10% of calories), and

When looking at the Cat Food Composition chart, you will note that there are not many examples of this profile. Why? Because fat is cheaper than protein. The calories from protein + fat + carbs must = 100%. If the carbs are kept below 10%, that leaves 90-95% of the calories to be divided between protein and fat.

Protein is expensive. Fat is cheap. Therefore, low carb diets are usually high in fat.

Examples of nice profiles include Friskies Classic Pates, some Fancy Feast varieties, Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken, Tiki Puka Puka Luau, and Tiki Koolina Luau.

You will notice that many of the higher protein diets are fish-based but it is not a good idea to feed fish to cats. Or, at least not as their main diet. Fish can be high in mercury, high in PBDEs (fire retardant chemicals linked to hyperthyroidism), high in phosphorus (not good for older cats' kidneys) and can be very addicting. It is best to feed poultry-based diets to cats.

Water content of the diet is very important. Studies have shown that cats lose weight much easier on canned food versus dry. Dry food is very calorically dense and is high in carbohydrates which are not as satisfying to a cat as protein is.

Many cats on the commercial 'light' or 'less active' diets either do not lose weight or do lose weight but also lose muscle mass along with the loss of fat. This is not our goal. The goal is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass.

In several studies, cats fed a high protein/low carbohydrate diet lost weight but maintained their lean body mass in comparison to cats fed a high carbohydrate/low fat diet.

Many caretakers feed very small amounts of these "light" diets hoping that their cat will lose weight. However, feeding a small amount of a diet that is inappropriate for the species is not the answer! The caretaker often ends up with either a crabby, overweight cat or a thinner cat that may have lost too much muscle mass.

See Molly's and Bennie's story of weight loss on this site's Feline Obesity page to read about how these sweet cats went from inactive obese cats that could barely walk or clean themselves to healthier, happier felines.

Molly's veterinarian had prescribed Hill's Prescription dry r/d for her and instructed her caretaker to feed Molly only very small portions - and to put a shock collar on her to keep her away from her housemates' food. This is obviously not sound - or humane - obesity management advice.

Hill's Prescription r/d is a very poor quality, high carbohydrate (35%) diet that contains the following inappropriate and unhealthy ingredients including a high level of fiber which a feline intestinal tract is not designed to process:

Previous formulation:

Chicken by-product meal, corn meal, powdered cellulose 18.5% (a source of fiber),corn gluten meal, chicken liver flavor, vegetable oil, taurine, L-carnitine, preserved with BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin

Current formulation:

Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil

Note that Hill's removed the BHA and BHT but a plant-based protein is now the predominant protein source instead of an animal-based protein. This diet is even more unhealthy than it used to be.

There are much more species appropriate - and less expensive - ways to address feline obesity. However, if you are contemplating the use of the grain-free, high protein/low carb dry foods, please understand that these diets are very calorie-dense and often lead to weight gain, in addition to being detrimental to urinary tract health because of their water-depletion.

Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver Disease): This is the most common metabolic liver disease of cats. Cats that go longer than ~3 days without eating, for any reason, are in danger of developing this serious, and often fatal, disease. Even though thin cats can end up with hepatic lipidosis, overweight cats are much more prone to experiencing this disease.

Feeding a high-protein, low-carbohydrate canned diet helps keep cats at an optimal, healthy body weight and, in turn, makes them less likely to end up with fatty liver disease.

Dental Disease: Long-standing claims that cats have less dental disease when they are fed dry food versus canned food are grossly overrated, inaccurate, and are not supported by studies. This frequently stated (among veterinarians and lay people) myth continues to harm cats by perpetuating the idea that their food bowls need to be filled up with an unhealthy diet in order to keep their teeth clean.

The idea that dry food promotes dental health makes about as much sense as the idea that crunchy cookies would promote dental health in a human.

First, dry food is hard, but brittle, and merely shatters with little to no abrasive effect on the teeth. Second, a cat's jaws and teeth are designed for shearing and tearing meat - not biting down on dry kibble. Third, many cats swallow the majority of their dry food whole.

There are many factors - known and unknown - that contribute to dental disease cats such as genetics, viruses, diet, and the fact that cats do not brush their teeth like humans do. There remain many unanswered questions concerning the fact that cats often suffer from poor dental health but one very obvious answer lies in the fact that humans feed cats a diet that does not even come close to what they would eat in their natural state.

When cats consume their prey in the wild, they are tearing at flesh, hide, bones, tendons, and ligaments. This is a far cry from the consistency of dry or canned food.

Neither dry kibble nor canned food comes close to mimicking a cat's normal diet of mice, birds, rabbits, etc. Given what a cat does eat in nature, it makes much more sense to be feeding part of the diet in the form of large chunks of meat (as large as you can get your cat to chew on) or gizzards (tough and fibrous) which a cat's teeth are designed to chew. Raw meat is 'tougher' to chew than cooked meat so I prefer to use raw meat - or lightly baked to kill the surface bacteria - to promote dental health. See Making Cat Food - Dental Health.

Notice the phrase "part of the diet" in the above sentence. It is very important to understand that plain meat (ie - without bones or another source of calcium) is very unbalanced since there is minimal calcium in meat. Remember that when a cat eats his normal prey, he is consuming the bones along with the meat.
Please pay close attention to the statement in the video regarding a thorough dental exam by your veterinarian before starting a brushing program.
When fed as a supplement to most commercial canned foods, it is safe to feed ~15 - 20% of the daily calories in the form of plain meat. For example, if a cat is eating 6 ounces of canned food per day, you could feed him 5 ounces of canned food plus 1 ounce of chunked muscle meat per day.

When people ask me "how often should my cats be fed chunks of meat?", I reply "how often do you brush your own teeth?"

And speaking of brushing teeth, this is, by far, the best way to promote your cat's dental health. See this video for more information.

Many cats have very painful mouths but show no outward signs of this pain. If you try to brush your cat's teeth in the face of a painful mouth, you will end up with a cat that is scared - along with developing a strong aversion to toothbrushes. If this aversion occurs, you may never get him to accept tooth brushing once you have addressed the painful mouth with your vet.

With regard to frequency, once-daily is optimal. By the time 72 hours have passed, the film on the teeth becomes permanent so shoot for at least every other day.

Please understand that I am not saying that canned food is necessarily better for teeth than dry food. For optimal dental health, a cat should not be eating either canned or dry food since neither food type promotes a healthy oral cavity but we have to work with what is practical in a typical home setting and feeding a cat a 'whole carcass prey' diet is not terribly practical - even if it would be great for their teeth.

The compromise is to at least give them some muscle meat to chew on, in addition to brushing their teeth if possible, and to stop fooling ourselves into thinking that dry food promotes dental health in our cats.

I am often asked about 'dental' diets such as Hill's t/d but if someone has read to this point on this webpage, it will be understood that these diets represent the epitome of 'tunnel vision' nutrition. All 'dental' diets are all dry (water-depleted), all are all high in carbohydrates, and all contain species-inappropriate ingredients, and as such, even if they do impart any measurable effect on dental health, they wreak havoc on the rest of the body.

It is wise to feed for the health of the *whole* cat, not just one part of him.

Hill's t/d (34% carbohydrates):

Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Whole Grain Corn, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor

Feline Asthma/Allergic Airway Disease: Many cats have had their respiratory symptoms (coughing/difficulty breathing) subside considerably, or disappear completely, once they were placed on a grain-free canned food diet, or a meat-based homemade diet. Some of these struggling cats may have been reacting to storage mites or cockroach antigens that are present in dry foods, or they may have been reacting to the gluten (protein fraction) part of the grains that are present in dry foods.

Sadly, many cats exhibiting debilitating lung disease are simply put on an immunosuppressive dose of steroids - while still being fed an inappropriate diet. While steroids are necessary in many cases of airway disease, they are not addressing the root of the problem which can, in many cases, be an allergy to proteins in the form of species-inappropriate grains, and insect antigens.

Steroids can cause diabetes in cats and also render them vulnerable to infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungal agents so it is very important to make sure you have ruled out diet as a cause of the cat's respiratory symptoms.

The Safety of Dry Food

Dry food is far from a clean, safe, and pathogen-free source of food for your cat. Please see this section on my Making Cat Food page which details just a few of the many pet food recalls due to contamination of commercial pet food with deadly chemicals, bacteria (salmonella, etc.), fungal mycotoxins, and storage mites.

The issue of rancid fats in dry food is also discussed on the Making Cat Food page.

Fungal mycotoxins are deadly chemicals produced by molds. Molds are very common contaminants of grains but molds can be found in many different food sources. In mid January 2011, 200 cows died from eating moldy sweet potatoes that were mixed into their feed.

There is no doubt in my mind that many cats and dogs have become ill from the contaminants that are often present in dry pet foods yet nobody (including the veterinarian and pet owner) puts 2 + 2 together and realizes that the diet is the source of the pet's illness.

Keep in mind that dry foods are not refrigerated and they sit in warm warehouses, on pet store shelves, and in your cupboards for weeks or months before your pets consume them leading to increased bacterial growth and rancid fats.

At the very least, dry food should be kept in the refrigerator but it is better to just refrain from feeding this type of food completely.
The transition process often involves much more than just plunking down a new food item. Time, patience and tricks are often required.
Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food

Printer Friendly - Tips for Transitioning section only.

This is the hard part. Cats, like children, often resist what is best for them. The two most frequent comments that I hear from people when trying to convince them to feed their cats a healthier diet are "my cat won't eat canned food" and "but my cat really likes his dry food." Children really like potato chips and ice cream but that certainly does not mean those food items constitute optimal nutrition.

One reason that cats like dry food so much is because the pet food companies do not play fair when manufacturing this sub-optimal food source. They coat the kibble with extremely enticing animal digest sprays which are very pleasing to a cat - making a poor quality diet very desirable to the target animal.

In addition to the aforementioned coating of dry food with animal digests, another issue is one of a crunchy texture which is very different from canned food. Cats are very resistant to such a drastic change in the texture of their food.

If you are convinced that getting your cat off of dry food is the way to go, read on for some tips on how to accomplish this.

The key is to do it slowly and with patience and incorporate various tricks for the stubborn cats. The most important issue is actually making the change, not how fast you accomplish it.

I must say that my cats tested every ounce of patience I had over a 3 + month period of time during their transition from dry to canned food. They had been on dry food their entire lives and did not recognize canned food as food. My cats ranged in age from 2 years to 10 years at the time of the transition.

The single biggest mistake I see people make time and again is to say that their cat "won't touch" the new food and then panic and fill up the bowl with dry food. In many cases, it is simply not that easy to get cats off of dry food. (See Molly's Story for a look at one very stubborn cat.)

There are two categories of cats - those that will eat canned food and those that will be extremely resistant to eating anything other than dry food. If your cat falls into the first category, lucky you. These cats will take to it with the attitude of "finally - an appropriate diet for my species." In this case, if your cat has been on all dry food, or only receives canned food as an occasional 'treat', start by feeding canned food in increasing amounts. Gradually decrease the dry, taking about a week to fully switch the cat over to 100 percent canned food.

Some cats may experience softer stools during the transition. I do not worry if this happens and tend to 'ride it out.' If diarrhea results from the diet change you will either need to experiment with different canned foods or slow the transition down and do it over a period of several weeks.

Note that in over 40 years spent in this profession, I have never met a cat that needed dry food to stay healthy but some need to be transitioned more slowly than others.

The average cat should eat ~180 - 220 calories per day which will be found in 5-6 ounces of the average canned food.

However, note that high protein/low fat/low carb foods like Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and some Tiki Cat varieties are very low in calories (see the Cat Food Composition chart - far right column) so you will need to feed much more than 5-6 ounces which can get quite expensive.

The necessary daily caloric intake should be split between 3-4 meals/day (or just free-fed if they are not overweight).

When determining how much you should be feeding your cat once transitioned to canned food, keep it simple. Too fat? Feed less. Too thin? Feed more.

Now....for the stubborn cats......

If you are unlucky like I was, and your cat does not recognize the fact that he is a carnivore and would live a healthier life if eating canned food, (or a homemade diet) then you will have some work to do. Some cats that have been on dry food for their entire life will be quite resistant to the diet change and may take several weeks or longer to make the transition to a healthier diet.

For 'resistant-to-change' cats, you will need to use the normal sensation of hunger to help with the transition. For this reason, it is very important to stop free-feeding dry food. This is the first, and very critical, step. You need to establish set mealtimes. They are not going to try anything new if their bowl of junk food is in front of them 24/7.
Hepatic lipidosis can also develop when a cat consumes 50% or less of his daily caloric requirements over a period of many days. The definition of "many" varies from cat-to-cat. For this reason it is important to understand that you need to have some idea of the calories from canned food combined with the calories from dry food that your cat is consuming on a daily basis while you are implementing the transition to canned food.
Cats do not need food available at all times. It really is okay for them to experience a hunger pain! That said, it was very hard for me to listen to my cats begging for food even though I was strong in my conviction that I was heading them in the best direction for optimal health. It truly was a stressful time for me and them. Actually, I think it was harder on me!

This is where many people fail and just give in and fill up the dry food bowl. There were a few times when I had to call my 'sponsor' and was instructed to "just leave the house if you can't take looking into those eyes!" I left the house. Those pitiful little cries of "I have not had food for two WHOLE hours!" were hard to take. But, lo and behold, they were just fine when I returned. Not one cat had died from hunger.

On the other hand, do not attempt to withhold food for long periods of time (greater than 24 hours) with the hope that your cat will choose the new food. You need to 'convince' them that a high quality canned food really is good for them, rather than to try starving them into it - which does not work anyway. Allowing a cat to go without food - especially an overweight cat - for a long period of time (greater than 48 hours) can be quite dangerous and may result in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).

I have never seen a cat develop hepatic lipidosis when consuming at least 15 calories per pound per day. This number is figured on lean body weight, not fat weight.

If your cat weighs 18 pounds but really should weigh 12 pounds, please make sure that he is consuming ~180 calories per day. (12 pounds lean body mass X 15 calories/pound/day = ~180 calories/day)

In reality, the cat in the above example would probably be completely safe at only 150 calories per day.

If you have a small female cat that should only weigh 9 pounds, please make sure that she is consuming at least 135 calories per day.

Canned foods never list the calorie content on the can but many dry foods do list this information on the bag. A rough guideline for the calorie content of most canned foods that are 78% moisture is ~30 calories/ounce but can range from 20 to 40 calories/ounce as shown by the chart linked above.

Most cats will lose some weight during the transition to canned food. Given that a very high percentage of cats are overweight to begin with, this is a favorable result of the diet change - as long as they do not lose too much weight too fast. A cat should never lose more than 1-2% of his body weight per week.

I highly suggest that all cat caregivers weigh their cats periodically especially if they are over 10 years of age. This will help ensure a safe transition to a healthier diet and, in general, weight loss is often the first sign of ill health for any reason. I make it a point to weigh my cats at least once each month especially since they are now over 10 years of age.

Here is a scale that is reasonably priced: Salter Baby and Toddler scale. It weighs to the nearest 1/2 ounce and has a 'hold' button on it that helps obtain an accurate weight even for a cat that is moving around a bit.

Here is another scale that may be even better because its base is as long as the scale. Red Cross Baby Scale. This is important for cats that are trained to walk onto it otherwise, scales like the Salter one linked above may tip. This would scare the cat and harm the scale.

All of my cats lost weight during the three months that it took to switch them to canned but none of them became too thin. They slimmed down to a nice lean body weight - losing fat while maintaining their muscle mass. They also became much more active.

If your cat is overweight, please see the Feline Obesity page.

Resign yourself to the fact that you will be very frustrated at times and you will be wasting canned food as they turn up their nose at it. Also, you may want to immediately switch your cat to a dry food that has fewer calories from carbohydrates than most dry foods. (e.g., EVO)

The low-carb dry foods are very high in fat and therefore are very calorie dense. These foods must be portion-controlled otherwise, your cat may end up gaining weight. Note that dry Innova EVO has 612 calories per cup. One quarter of a cup contains 153 calories so be very careful to pay attention to how much of these high calorie dry foods you feed.

The caloric needs of an average cat can range between 150 - 250 calories/day depending on their lean body weight and activity level.

The low-carb dry foods are also very high in phosphorus. This is especially detrimental for cats with compromised kidney function.

And, of course, these low-carb dry foods are water-depleted - just like all dry foods - putting your cat at risk for serious urinary tract problems. They are also cooked at very high temperatures in order to dry them out.

I do not recommend these dry foods for long-term feeding for all of the reasons stated above. Please use them only as transition diets.

Be sure to stay away from any "light" varieties since those types of foods are very high in carbohydrates.

Here are some various tricks for the stubborn ones.

Keep in mind that different tricks work on different cats:

If your cat has been eating dry food on a free-choice basis, take up the food and establish a schedule of 2 - 3 times per day feedings. I really do prefer just twice-daily feedings when trying to transition them. A normal, healthy hunger response after 12 hours goes a long way to convince them to try something new.

If you want to take the transition very slowly, you can feed the amount that your cat normally consumes in a 24 hour period - split up into two feedings to get him used to meal feeding. Many people, however, are unsure as to how much their free-fed cat really eats so I would start off by figuring out the calories that your cat needs to maintain his weight if he does not need to lose any weight.

Leave the dry food down for 20 minutes, and then remove any uneaten portion. Repeat in 8-12 hours depending on if you are feeding 2 or 3 times per day. During the first few days of transitioning to a set schedule, you can offer canned food during the dry food meals, or in-between meals. The stubborn ones, however, will not touch it. Do not despair - all cats will eventually eat canned food if their caregiver is determined, methodical, and patient enough. Once your cat is on a schedule you will notice that he is more enthusiastic about food during his proper mealtimes and will be much more inclined to try something new.

Again, most cats only need 150-250 calories/day. The dry food bag should tell you how many calories are in a cup of food but if it does not, you can call the company.

Once the cat has transitioned to canned food, I prefer to either free-feed them (if they are not too fat) or to put out a meal 3-4 times per day. Small cats in the wild eat 8-10 small meals per day. I do not worry about leaving canned food out for up to 12 hours at a time. Keep in mind that a lion is not going to eat his entire prey immediately.

Once you have established scheduled mealtimes, you will most likely need to start feeding a bit less at each mealtime in order to get the normal sensation of hunger to work in your favor. Again, we are trying to use the normal sensation of hunger to help us out. We are not trying to starve the cat into the diet change.

Once your cat is on a schedule of meal-feeding instead of free-feeding, try feeding a meal of canned food only. If he will not eat it - and the very stubborn ones won't - try not to get frustrated - and do not put down dry food. Try some of the other tips listed below. If he still will not eat the canned food, let him get a bit hungrier. Offer the canned again in a couple of hours - or just leave it out. Some cats will be more apt to try something new if they keep walking by it and seeing/smelling it. Try a different brand/flavor or a different 'trick.' Once it has been ~18 hours since he has eaten anything, give him just a small amount (1/4 of a cup - or less if it is EVO) of his dry food - keeping track of his daily caloric intake.

Remember to be patient.

Exercising your cat with a tassel toy before feeding can also help stimulate his appetite.

Cats' noses are much more sensitive than ours are. They can smell the dry food in the cupboards. I suggest either putting it in the refrigerator or putting it in a tightly sealed container. If they can smell it, they will hold out for it. Some people recommend getting it out of your house completely, but this is not possible when you are dealing with a very stubborn cat that needs a bit of time and patience to make the transition happen.

The following worked for my cats: Sprinkle a very small amount of tuna - or any other favorite treat (some cats do not like fish and would prefer cooked chicken) - on top of the canned food and then once they are eating this, start pressing it into the top of the new food. (The "light" tuna is better than the fancy white tuna because it has a stronger smell. Or, Trader Joe's makes a Cat Tuna that is very stinky.) Be careful to decrease the amount of fish as soon as possible. Health problems can occur with a predominantly fish-based diet. Plus, you do not want to create a situation where your cat will only eat very fishy foods.

Make sure that any refrigerated canned food is warmed up a bit. Cats prefer their food at 'mouse body temperature'.

Try offering some cooked (or raw - whole meats, rinsed well or partially baked) chicken or meat baby food. One of the goals is to get your cat used to eating food that does not crunch. He needs to get used to a different texture. Also, chicken is a great source of protein to point him in the proper direction toward a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. If he eats the chicken, he may head right into eating canned food. Then again....he may not.

Try sprinkling some parmesan cheese on the canned food. Most cats love parmesan cheese and this trick has been very successful for me.

Try a product called FortiFlora - feline version. Most cats LOVE FortiFlora and this has recently become my favorite trick. This is a probiotic made by Purina but you are not going to use it for its probiotic properties. You are just going to use it as a flavor enhancer. The base ingredient in FortiFlora is animal digest - the very substance that makes dry food so very enticing to cats. The directions say to use 1 package/day - and you can use this much if you want to - but this amount is not usually necessary. You may only need ~1/4 of a package - or much less - with part mixed into the food and part sprinkled on top of the food just as you would use salt and pepper on your own food.

FortiFlora can be purchased online but an easier product to find is Temptations treats. I trap a lot of feral cats for spaying/neutering purposes and this is one of the best baits that I can use. These tasty treats can be found at most pet stores. Put a few in a baggie and crush them with a hammer. Use the crushed treats as described for the FortiFlora above.

There are numerous freeze dried meat treats on the market that you can also sprinkle on top of the canned food. Halo's Liv A Littles is a popular choice.

Speaking of texture, a common question is "can I just soak the dry food in water?" I hedge more than just a bit at this question. Dry food often has a very high bacterial content. Mold is also often found in dry food. Both organisms flourish in moist environments. There have been many deaths of dogs and cats secondary to eating mold mycotoxins, vomitoxins and aflatoxins which often contaminate the grains found in dry food. If you want to try the trick of wetting down the dry food to alter the texture, please leave it out for only 20-30 minutes then discard it.

Try dipping some dry food pieces in the juice from the canned food. Some cats may refuse to eat it if the dry food even touches the canned food. But if he will eat it with a bit of canned juice on it, try the 'chip and dip' trick. Scoop up a tiny bit of canned food onto the piece of dry food. Put them on a separate plate from his small portion of dry food. Some cats will eat their small portion of dry and then go investigate the dry food with a tiny bit of canned on it.

Going one step further, try adding a few small pieces of the canned food to the small portion of dry food. Your cat may pick around the canned food but will get used to the smell - and texture - even if he does not eat any pieces of the new food.

Crush some dry food and sprinkle it on the top of the canned food.

If you do not think it will upset your cat, try gently rubbing a bit of canned food or juice on the cat's gums This may get him interested in the taste and texture of the new food - but do it gently. You do not want to make this a stressful situation and create a food aversion. (This trick is commonly used to get just-weaned kittens used to eating canned food.)

If you do not think it will upset your cat, use your finger to put a tiny bit of canned food or juice on his paw for him to lick off. This has not worked for me in the two cats I have tried it on but it is another idea. Make sure you do it without stressing your cat. Again, you do not want to create a food aversion.

If you have a multiple cat household, some cats like to eat alone in a less stressful environment, so you may need to take these cats into a separate, quiet room to think about the error of their ways - their carbohydrate/dry food addiction. Once in a quiet setting, away from the other cats, two of my cats would eat canned food/tuna 'meatballs' by hand. Not from a bowl, mind you, but only from my hand. I'm not sure who was being trained. They did eventually start eating from a bowl after a few hand feedings.

Try various brands and flavors of canned foods. Try Friskies, 9-Lives, Fancy Feast, etc. Many cats prefer the foods that are all by-products and turn their noses up when offered the by-product-free diets like Wellness, etc. You can worry about feeding a a different canned food later if you want to and you can always mix different types of food together. The initial goal is just to get your cat used to eating canned food and not dry kibble. And remember what I said above. I would much rather see a cat eating a canned food like Friskies, 9-Lives, or Fancy Feast rather than any dry food.

Syringe-feeding is also another option but has to be done with finesse and patience so as to avoid a food aversion. If you choose to syringe-feed, your goal is not to feed him a full meal. Sometimes just syringing a 1-2 cc's can 'jump-start' your cat into eating the canned food - maybe not the first time but it will at least get him to taste the new food and experience a foreign texture. The best way to syringe-feed is to kneel on the floor with your cat between your legs so he is facing the same way as you are. Then, using a small (1cc/TB) syringe, slip it in the side of his mouth and give about 1/2 cc at a time. He may spit it out but you are just trying to get him used to the taste and texture, not stress him.

Few canned foods will make it through the tip of a syringe but human meat baby food works well for this trick. You can also water it down a bit if you need to.

If you want to use canned cat food instead of baby food, you will need to cut the end off of the syringe so that the opening is as big as the barrel. Make sure that the tip is smooth. If you do not want to cut the tip of the syringe off, you will need to puree a pate (versus chunks) type of food. I puree Wellness for this. I run it through the blender with a small amount of water (~3-4 tablespoons/5.5 ounce can). Then I strain it to remove anything big enough to clog the small tip of the syringe. Wellness is also a balanced diet - unlike human baby food.

Even though human baby food is not a balanced diet for long-term use, it is a great tool that can be used to help transition a cat to a texture that he is not used to.

I did have to take drastic measures for a foster cat named Molly. She was dangerously obese (20 lbs - double what she should have weighed) and would not eat canned food even after two weeks of syringe-feeding her. She needed to go in for a dental so while she was under general anesthesia, I put in a feeding tube. This took the stress off of both of us. After two weeks of feeding her via the tube she started licking the canned food from my fingers then suddenly decided it was time to eat it. She then started to finally lose weight. Before the 7 lbs weight loss, she could barely walk, could not clean herself, and was quite possibly headed for diabetes.

Don't give up. One of my barn cats ate dry food for the first 12 years of her life. She would never touch the canned food that the other cats ate. Then, one day, she found her 'inner carnivore' and started eating canned food out of the blue! I was shocked. That was 4 years ago and she has been on a 100% canned food diet since she made the switch.

These are just a few tricks that you can try. Different tricks work on different cats. The key is to be patient. Remember, it took me three months to get my cats on 100% canned food. Most cats, however, will not take this long.

Homemade Diets and Commercial Raw Meat Products

Many people have a strong negative reaction to the idea of feeding their cat raw meat but this is what a carnivore is designed to eat. Keep in mind that there are no hibachis or stoves in the wild. Also, wild cats do not always consume their prey in its entirety immediately upon killing it so the meat that they eat is not always from a fresh kill.

Cats are very different from humans with respect to their susceptibility to 'food poisoning'. Cats have a much shorter transit time through their intestinal tract than humans do (about 12 - 16 hours for the cat versus 35-55 hours for the human). This is a very important point because the more time bacteria spend in the intestinal tract, the more they multiply, eventually leading to intestinal upset.

That said, not all sources of raw meat are created equal. For instance, I will not feed pre-ground supermarket meat in a raw form. I buy only whole cuts of meat which can be thoroughly rinsed prior to grinding or they can be partially baked to kill the surface bacteria.

Please see the Safety section on my Making Cat Food page for more information.

A properly handled and prepared raw or semi-cooked meat diet has much less bacteria in it than many commercial dry foods. Commercial pet foods may also contain high levels of mold toxins from grains which are never a danger in a grain-free raw meat diet.

Please see the Dangers of Dry food section on my Making Cat Food page that discusses the common contamination issues associated with dry food.
A few hours in the kitchen 4-6 times a year is a very small price to pay for having complete control over what goes into your cat's food bowl.
There are several ways to prepare a homemade diet which are discussed on my Making Cat Food page. My cats have been thriving for the past 11 years on a diet that I prepare using either ground whole carcass rabbit (fed raw) from a reputable farm, or whole meats (chicken thighs) from Whole Foods Market that I grind myself after partially baking. I add just a few supplements and water to complete the diet.

Note that the picture of the blue containers below is an old one. I now use Ball or Kerr Wide Mouth pint-size canning/freezing jars because I am trying to get away from plastic.
Always remember that calcium is not an optional 'supplement' but is a very critical component of the diet.
People are often overwhelmed or intimidated by the idea of making their cat's food but, in reality, it's quite simple - as long as you follow a balanced recipe. I make cat food once every few months and freeze it. Making your own cat food doesn't mean slaving in the kitchen every day-trust me, if it did, I wouldn't be doing it.

If you are interested in preparing your own cat food, see Making Cat Food. Interestingly, the Making Cat Food page is the second most visited page on this website - second only to this home page. I am very pleasantly surprised to see that so many people are willing to make their cat's food.

One common mistake people make when feeding a home-prepared diet is thinking that a cat can live on meat alone - without bones as a source of calcium. While meat must be the primary component of a feline diet, there is not enough calcium in meat (without the bones) to provide a proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

The bones must be ground with the meat (preferable), or bone meal must be added to the recipe. (I am a stickler for using fresh bone - not bone meal.)

Another way to feed a raw meat diet is to purchase ready-to-feed frozen commercial pet diets. Many people feed these diets with great results. Unfortunately, as is also true with canned foods, these products vary a great deal with respect to quality and ingredients.

Many of these products use only poultry backs and necks which have a very high bone:meat ratio and, subsequently, a very high mineral load.

Some products also contain items such as vegetables in a much higher quantity than would be found in a cat's natural diet. Plus, the vegetables in these diets are obviously not predigested as they would be if consumed with the cat's prey. This is a very important point that many people seem to forget when deciding to feed vegetables to carnivores. Cats do not have a physiologic requirement for vegetables and actually lack the enzymes needed to break down this food source for efficient utilization.

If you choose to feed a commercially prepared raw pet food, you must do some homework - including calling the company to see if they have had their food analyzed for things like phosphorus amount and the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

The Ca:Phos should not be any higher than 1.8:1.0 and the overall phosphorus level should not be above ~1.5% dry matter.

You should also look at the percentage of vegetables and fruits. Less than 5% is reasonable.

Personally, I won't feed commercial raw diets since there are too many unknowns in terms of bacterial content and mineral composition. I prefer to make my own.

Some Final Thoughts
Who? Me?? Crabby?
Congratulations if you have made it to this point in this article. You must really care about feeding your cat a healthy diet and are open to new ideas regarding their nutritional needs. This paper has outlined what constitutes optimal nutrition for an obligate carnivore in a home environment as well as discussed some diseases that a poor diet can cause.

The most common complaint that I hear from people is that their cat will NOT eat canned food and will ONLY eat dry food.

My cats fell into this category which was not surprising since they had been on a 100 percent dry food diet their entire lives and ranged in age from 2 -10 years at the time of the transition to a healthier diet. It took me several months to convince them that they are carnivores and need meat - and not in a dry, overly processed form that also includes far too many carbohydrates and too little water. It was a little rough, at times, since two of my cats get very crabby with their housemates when they are hungry. These boys were occasionally taken into a separate room during the transition period and fed some dry food because I do not like unrest in my home.

Surprisingly, one of my most stubborn dry food addicts is now happily eating a homemade raw or partially baked meat/bones/organs diet that he actually likes better than the canned food. To be very honest, it does my heart good to see my little carnivores gnawing on meat - eating a diet that was meant for their species. My cats are now eating a species-appropriate diet consisting of raw or partially baked meats (chicken, turkey, and rabbit), finely ground bones, and organs using a properly balanced recipe.

Some people feed part homemade and part commercial canned for variety and convenience. However, I prefer to stick to only what I make for them and do not feed any commercial food.

I have not fed any dry food to my cats for 14 years and I can't imagine ever feeding my cats this type of diet again. Cats do not need, or benefit from, any dry food in their diet. They also do not need access to food 24 hours a day although my cats are pretty much free-fed.

Many people who are at work all day worry that their cat will suffer without access to food continuously. A healthy cat will not perish if she does not have food available at all times. However, I routinely left canned food out for up to 12 hours at a time for my foster cats and kittens when I was involved in rescue work. Keep in mind that a cat's gastrointestinal tract is much different from ours.
PDF options for this paper:
If you are worried about leaving canned food out, you can always leave part of the food out at a normal ('mouse body') temperature and part of it frozen. The frozen portion will thaw within a few hours and will add some time to the freshness of the food. This is also a great trick if you need to be gone for 24 hours or if your pet sitter can only come every 24 hours when you go on vacation.

There is never any reason to revert back to putting out a bowl of dry food since cats should be checked on - including having their litter box cleaned - at least once every 24 hours anyway. Normally litter boxes should be cleaned at least twice-daily so if they are only going to be cleaned once-daily, you should consider adding another box or two....keeping mind that once there are more than 2-3 'items' in a box, it is dirty and needs to be scooped in order to be fair to your cat(s).

Everyone's lives are different and there are several ways to successfully feed your cat high quality nutrition. The goal of this paper is to arm you with knowledge regarding the special dietary needs of your cat so you can make an informed decision on how and what to feed while striking a balance that works for both of you.
La alimentación de su gato: Conozca los fundamentos de nutrición felina
English: Short version - 4 pages (updated November 2013)
UTFODRING AV KATT - GRUNDERNA I NÄRINGSLÄRA FÖR KATT
English: Full version - 18 pages (older writing - August 2010)
Nourrir votre chat : Connaître les bases de la nutrition féline
Spanish (short version) - 7 pages:
貓的飼養：了解基本的貓科營養學
Swedish (short version) - 13 pages:
Wat geef ik mijn kat te eten: de basisbeginselen van kattenvoeding
French - 28 pages:
Nutrire il vostro gatto: conoscere le basi della nutrizione felina
Chinese - 15 pages:
Nutrire il vostro gatto: conoscere le basi della nutrizione felina
Dutch (short version) - 4 pages:
إﺇطﻁعامﻡ قطك: أﺃساسﯿﻴاتﺕ تغذﯾﻳة اﺍلقطط دﺩ. لﯿﻴزاﺍ مﻡ. بﯿﻴرسونﻥ،٬ طﻁبﯿﻴبة بﯿﻴطرﯾﻳة
Italian (short version) - 5 pages:
Kedinizi Beslemek: Kedigil Beslenmesinin Temellerini Bilin
Italian - 20 pages:
Кормление кошки: основы питания кошек
Arabic (short version) - 11 pages:

Turkish (short version) - 6 pages

Russian (short version) - 6 pages

Updated May 2014
Updated November 2016
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

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Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

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Lisa A. Pierson, DVM If you do not want to read this entire webpage, please review this shortened version: Feeding Your Cat - Short version - 4 pages (updated November 2013) Many readers of this website have kindly donated their valuable time to translate this important information into various languages.

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Reference #18.58a4c017.1656707352.357101f

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Cat Nutrition: Guide to Cat Food Nutrients | PetMD

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Dr. Jennifer Coates provides a comprehensive guide about cat nutrition and what a cat food needs to be complete and balanced.

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© 2022 Veterinarians in Fairfield, CA | Barney and Russum Animal Clinic. Provided by ePet Websites | Powered by LifeLearn WebDVM

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We started vaccinating dogs against the Canine Flu (influenza) in early 2018 due to an outbreak in San Francisco that we anticipated to move north throughout the bay. Though there have not been any confirmed cases of the dog flu in Fairfield or surrounding cities yet, we are now getting reports of confirmed cases in Oakland and feel it is important to alert you to the possible risk of it spreading to our area. As of September 2019, there are approximately 140 confirmed cases of Canine Flu in California, the majority of which are located between the Bay Area and Sacramento.

​The Canine Flu is a "hardy virus" that can live in an environment, on leashes, or clothing for 12-24 hours. Though humans cannot contract the H3N2 influenza strain, it is transmitted in a similar fashion to the various strains of human flu: coughing, sneezing, close contact, and in the case of dogs, licking each other's faces. Symptoms of the flu are similar to other causes of kennel cough: sneezing, coughing, and lethargy. Most dogs recover in about 2 weeks; however, some dogs can experience more serious symptoms including high fever, pneumonia, and may require hospitalization. Rarely the flu can result in death. Infected dogs can still be contagious to other dogs for up to a month. Dogs that are believed to be at a higher risk to this infection are those that are more social: going to dog parks, groomers, classes, and boarding facilities.

The Canine Influenza Vaccine that we offer at Animal Hospital in Fairfield is a two-series-vaccine (one vaccine booster 3-4 weeks after the initial vaccine) that protects against the current strain (H3N2) as well as an earlier strain of the Canine Flu seen in other parts of the country (H3N8). We have seen very few reactions to this vaccine, but in general any vaccine has potential to cause localized swelling, tenderness, and possible lethargy. More severe reactions are possible but uncommon.

Please call our office to discuss your dog's risk for canine influenza or to make an appointment for the first vaccine. This is particularly important if you plan to board your dog in the near future or regularly send him or her to a grooming or daycare facility, or if you will be at a dog show, trial, or meet with a lot of other dogs. We'll answer all your questions about dog flu and help you decide whether vaccination is right for your pet. You can also visit Dogflufacts.com for more information.

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Animal Hospital in Fairfield Home Page offering veterinary services.

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We started vaccinating dogs against the Canine Flu (influenza) in early 2018 due to an outbreak in San Francisco that we anticipated to move north throughout the bay.

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Cal West Pet Hospital is a full service veterinary clinic that has served the Fairfield community since 1973.

Our experienced doctors and staff members treat your pets as though they were their own. We at Cal West dedicate ourselves to high quality and compassionate care for our patients.

We look forward to helping you and your pet today.

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Cal West Pet Hospital is a full service veterinary clinic that has served the Fairfield community since 1973. Our experienced doctors and staff members treat your pets as though they were their own. We at Cal West dedicate ourselves to high quality and compassionate care for our patients.

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fairfield animal hospital

* At this time, we are no longer accepting new clients, only new patients from existing clients.

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fairfield animal hospital * At this time, we are no longer accepting new clients, only new patients from existing clients.

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Progressive Medicine With A Personal Touch

Our mission statement captures the values most important to all of us here at All 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital. We strive for the highest quality care for our patients with a very personal touch for their owners in the process. We believe in offering the best medicine possible and will always work with you and your beloved pet to get them the care they need.

At All 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital, we are proud to offer brand new, top-of-the-line equipment to help care for and heal our patients. From digital x-ray with reviews by boarded radiologists at no cost to the client, to an advanced in-house ultrasound unit and ultrasound specialist availability, to state-of- the-art anesthesia monitoring equipment and advanced class iv laser therapy, we have spared no expense to offer you the best.

We serve Suisun City, as well as the surrounding communities of Fairfield, Vacaville, Cordelia, Rockville homes area, Green Valley homes area, American canyon, Vallejo, and the Bay Area.

Dr. Brandwajn always welcomes new or current clients. Anything from a first puppy package, to a very serious emergency, we want you to feel comfortable that we have the equipment and knowledge needed to help your pet. If it is in the best interest of your pet to be referred to a specialist, then we will always tell you that. We are very lucky to have specialists such as a very talented internal medicine trained dr doing more complex ultrasound scans for us as needed, and a very experienced board certified surgeon doing advanced or specialty orthopedic services at our hospital.

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Veterinary in Suisun City, CA | All 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital

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Our mission statement captures the values most important to all of us here at All 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital. We strive for the highest quality care for our patients with a very personal touch for their owners in the process.

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Cats are susceptible to a wide range of illnesses. Research common feline diseases and conditions, along with drugs, treatments, and home care.

1. Health Problems

1. Lower Urinary Tract Infection
Symptoms, causes and treatments for lower urinary tract problems in cats.

2. Upper Repiratory Infections
What to do when your cat is wheezing, sneezing, and coughing.

3. See All Symptoms
Look up all cat symptoms.

4. See All Conditions
Look up all cat conditions.

2. Aging

Behavior Problems in Older Cats
Problems can emerge as cats get older. Learn what to do.

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Common conditions and aging issues in cats.

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There are a number of reasons your dog can become sick. While taking good care of your dog can decrease their risk, there are still some health issues that can occur. Taking steps to keep your dog healthy can minimize the incidence of issues like these. In addition, seeing your vet for routine wellness exams can help you discover health problems before they get out of control. Always watch your dog for any signs of illness. There are many health issues that can affect dogs. The following are among the most common.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.

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10 Common Dog Health Problems You Should Know

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There are a number of reasons your dog can become sick. While taking good care of your dog can decrease their risk, there are still some health issues that can occur. Taking steps to keep your dog healthy can minimize the incidence of issues like these.

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What Is Kennel Cough?

Kennel Cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Dogs commonly contract kennel cough at places where large amounts of canines congregate, such as boarding and daycare facilities, dog parks, training groups, and dog shows. Dogs can spread it to one another through airborne droplets, direct contact (e.g., touching noses), or contaminated surfaces (including water/food bowls). It's highly treatable in most dogs but can be more severe in puppies younger than six months of age and immunocompromised dogs.

What are the Symptoms of Kennel Cough?

If your dog is affected with kennel cough, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:

a strong cough, often with a "honking" sound - this is the most obvious symptom

runny nose

sneezing

lethargy

loss of appetite

low fever

Although kennel cough is easily treatable in healthy dogs, Kevin Fitzgerald, DVM, a columnist for AKC Family Dog, explains that it's important to report a coughing symptom to your veterinarian because it could be a sign of a more serious disease.

"The canine distemper virus and canine influenza virus both start off with symptoms nearly identical to kennel cough," he said. Other conditions that can cause coughing include a collapsing trachea, bronchitis, asthma, and even heart disease.

How Is Kennel Cough Treated?

Typically, mild cases of kennel cough are treated with a week or two of rest, but a veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection and cough medication to ease the symptoms.

"Nebulizers and vaporizers utilizing inhaled antibiotics or bronchodilators have been reported to be beneficial but are usually not prescribed," Dr. Fitzgerald said. Speak to your veterinarian for treatment recommendations. Also, it's helpful for owners to use a harness rather than a collar to walk a dog with kennel cough because irritation of the tracheal can aggravate the cough and possibly even cause damage to the trachea. If you have a household with multiple pets and one shows signs of a cough, chances are all dogs in the home have been exposed.

Can Kennel Cough Be Prevented?

A vaccine is available for the bordetella bacterium, which is the most common agent to cause kennel cough. Dogs who are frequently boarded, visit doggie day care, compete in canine sports, or otherwise are exposed to large groups of dogs may benefit from the vaccine, and many training, boarding, and daycare facilities require proof of vaccination. The vaccine is available in oral, intranasal, and injectable forms, and depending on the form, it is usually initially given in two doses two to four weeks apart, followed by a booster every six months to a year.

Although most cases of kennel cough are caused by bordetella, some are caused by other agents, including the bacteria bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2, canine parainfluenza virus, canine respiratory coronavirus, and mycoplasmas, so the vaccine may not prevent your dog from catching the disease.

If you notice your pet coughing or if you plan to introduce your dog to large groups of animals, speak with your veterinarian.
It's helpful to have financial plan in should should your pet become ill or injured suddenly. Learn about AKC Pet Insurance and the AKC Visa card.

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Kennel Cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Dogs commonly contract kennel cough at places where large amounts of canines congregate, such as boarding and daycare facilities, dog parks, training groups, and dog shows.

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Your pup's actions tell you a lot about his mood. And although you may not be fluent in the canine tongue-short of what it means when it salivates-you do need to learn how to interpret dog behavior. Have you ever witnessed your dog licking certain textures or circling the same spot in front of you? There are many reasons a specific dog state of mind or health concern may cause him to do these things. Once you pay attention to his behavior, you'll be able to help him.

1. Bad Breath

Dogs aren't known for having wonderfully minty breath, but if you notice a marked change with even a little halitosis, it might be time to take a trip to the veterinarian. There could be something wrong with your dog's oral health.

A change in the smell of your dog's breath may also be a cause for concern with respect to his gastrointestinal tract, liver, or kidneys. If your dog's breath smells of urine, for instance, he could have a kidney problem. Sweet-smelling breath is a sign to vets that your dog may have diabetes (especially if he's drinking more water and urinating more often). His overall dog mood may appear happy, but if his breath has changed, pay attention - let your veterinarian know.

2. Biting

Puppies may nip at you as they learn how to communicate with their pet parents. This usually happens while playing, as young dogs often communicate with their mouths when they interact. It may also happen during training, or for simply no reason you can identify. If your young one is nipping regularly, though, it's important to stop it before it develops into a more problematic dog behavior down the line.

Dogs bite out of anxiety, fear, or aggression. Can you identify which is motivating your pet to do so? Is his mood influencing his actions? If you're having trouble teaching your dog not to bite, consider working with a professional trainer, or better yet, a veterinary behaviorist. Your veterinarian should be able to recommend one for you.

3. Circling

Dogs who can't stop walking in circles may have a health issue. Yes, sometimes it's fun to chase your tail, but if your pup can't shake the compulsion, there's a problem beneath the surface. Ear infections may cause circling, but compulsive tail chasing may occur with bull terriers

Of course there may be other reasons your buddy is circling. Older dogs may suffer from idiopathic vestibular syndrome, and, not to alarm you, but all dogs are at risk for poisoning or a brain tumor. Only your vet can determine the cause of your dog's circling, so get him in for a checkup.

4. Digging

Dogs dig in the ground for many reasons: to escape, to track animals, to make a cool spot to lie, or to hide something important to them. However, some dogs "dig" inside as well. Have you ever noticed your dog scratching at the blankets or couch in order to find the perfect place to lie down? This dog behavior happens most often at night and during nap times, and it is completely normal.

If your dog's digging starts to bother you, or damage your furniture, consider working with a professional trainer to reduce this stubborn habit.

5. Eating poop

Dogs eat feces for many reasons; it can be a normal (while distasteful to us) dog behavior. Young dogs may watch their mother clean them (who ingests feces as a result), and mimic her. Fear may even cause your dog to eat feces if he's afraid of the repercussions. Then again, your dog may just be curious. He may smell certain scents in the feces and wonder what it tastes like.

Eating poop can also be an instinctive solution to a nutritional deficiency. Make sure you feed your dog a well-balanced food like Hill's® Ideal Balance®, so you can completely rule out malnutrition as a reason for his eating waste. Contact your veterinarian especially if your dog is losing weight as well.

6. Head Pressing

If you notice your dog pressing his head against the wall or another firm object, there's a need for your immediate attention. Head pressing is a common sign of numerous serious problems, such as toxic poisoning or brain disease. Make an appointment with your dog's vet right away.

7. Panting

Dogs expel most of their body heat from their mouths. When your dog pants, he's probably too warm, so he is regulating his body temperature. However, it's important to pay attention to panting, as he may do it when in pain as well. Help your pal regulate his temperature and make sure he's well hydrated before any physical activity-especially as the weather warms up. If your dog was injured, get him to the vet immediately. Some other health problems may also show increased panting as a sign, so if you have a question, don't hesitate to contact your vet.

8. Sitting on Your Feet or Between Your Legs

This is often mistaken for possessive behavior, but is most often a sign of anxiety or nervousness. "Dominance" is rarely the problem; your dog is probably trying to feel safer by staying close.

Anxiety is often more than a dog trainer is qualified to help with so discuss the behavior with your veterinarian and see if your dog would benefit from a referral to a veterinary behavior specialist.

9. Scooting

Have you ever watched your dog drag himself across the floor . . . with his bottom on the ground? It may seem funny (or kind of disgusting). But it is also called scooting, and it means there's something irritating your dog's anus. It's possible that your pup's anal sacs are full and need to be expressed.

If your dog's anal sacs aren't backed up, the problem could be irritation for some other reason. Allergies may only show up as an itchy rear. While it's common to blame worms, it is an uncommon reason for the behavior. Check with your veterinarian to be sure your pal is on an appropriate parasite prevention program.

Finally, a dog who's a grass-eater, or likes to lick around the house, could have strands of grass or hair trapped in his anus that he's rubbing the ground to get out. This is the least-severe reason for scooting but the easiest for you to help him take care of.

10. Urinating

If your dog is house trained, it may come as a surprise if you see him urinating in your home. Dog behavior doesn't usually change without reason. Formerly reliable dogs who suddenly begin urinating inside need your attention! This is a sign that something may be very wrong with your furry friend, and when he relieves himself frequently-even if he is in the correct location-it can be a sign of a urinary tract, bladder, or kidney infection. In an older dog, it may even be a sign of dementia.

11. Yawning

Although you might think he needs some sleep, a dog yawn doesn't usually mean he's tired. He may be interested in napping, but he could also be showing a sign of fear or stress. If your dog appears to yawn at an increased rate around a new person, don't rush the introduction. He's either picking up vibes he doesn't feel comfortable with, or is fearful for a less-obvious reason. No matter what the case, a forced introduction isn't a good idea.

12. Anxiety Shows in Many Ways

Signs of anxiety include shaking, tail tucking, escapist behavior, defecating in the home, biting or injuring himself, barking, and many more, according to PetMD.

Because they're technically pack animals, your dog may become fearful when left alone. If separation anxiety is a chronic issue for your dog, you'll both need to learn how to create a relaxing environment when you leave the house. Consider taking your dog for a long walk or play a rigorous game of fetch in your backyard to tire him out before you go. Don't make a big deal out of your departure, either. If you're still having trouble with separation anxiety, consider involving a professional who can work on behavioral training.

If your dog is experiencing any of these behaviors, and it's not normal for him, don't hesitate to make an appointment with his vet to rule out any systemic medical issues. Your once social, extremely energetic dog won't suddenly become lethargic and withdrawn. If he does, he's asking for some help.

Contributor Bio
Erin Ollila

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12 Dog Behaviors & What They Mean | Hill's Pet

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Your pup's actions tell you a lot about his mood. And although you may not be fluent in the canine tongue-short of what it means when it salivates-you do need to learn how to interpret dog behavior. Have you ever witnessed your dog licking certain textures or circling the same spot in front of you?

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Dog behavior problems are often misunderstood or mishandled by dog owners. Perhaps you are new to dog ownership, considering getting a dog, or just wish to help your dog with a challenging issue. Thoroughly understanding the most common dog behavior problems is the first step to solving and preventing them. A solid foundation of obedience training will help you prevent or better control many of these issues.

Most dogs vocalize in one way or another. They may bark, howl, whine and more. Excessive barking is considered a behavior problem.

Before you can correct excessive barking, determine why your dog is vocalizing in the first place. The most common types of barking are:

Warning or alert

Playfulness and excitement

Attention-seeking

Anxiety

Boredom

Responding to other dogs

Learn to control excessive barking. Consider teaching them bark/quiet commands. Be consistent and patient. Address any underlying causes of barking. Dedication and attention to detail can go a long way to stop a dog from barking.

Chewing is a natural action for all dogs. In fact, chewing is an important activity for most dogs; it's just part of the way they are wired. However, excessive chewing can quickly become a behavior problem if your dog causes destruction. The most common reasons dogs chew include:

Puppy teething

Boredom or excess energy

Anxiety

Curiosity (especially puppies)

Encourage your dog to chew on the right things by providing plenty of appropriate chew toys. Keep personal items away from your dog. When you are not home, keep your dog crated or confined to an area where less destruction can be caused.

If you catch your dog chewing the wrong thing, quickly distract your dog with a sharp noise. Then, replace the item with a chew toy. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise so it can wear off energy and be stimulated in that way rather than turning to chewing.

If given the chance, most dogs will do some amount of digging; it's a matter of instinct. Certain dog breeds, like terriers, are more prone to digging because of their hunting histories. In general, most dogs dig for these reasons:

Boredom or excess energy

Anxiety or fear

Hunting instinct

Comfort-seeking (such as nesting or cooling off)

Desire to hide possessions (like bones or toys)

To escape or gain access to an area

It can get rather frustrating if your dog likes to dig up your yard. Try and determine the cause of the digging, then work to eliminate that source. Give your dog more exercise, spend more quality time together, and work on extra training. If digging seems inevitable, set aside an area where your dog can freely dig, like a sandbox. Train your dog that it is acceptable to dig in this area only.

Separation anxiety is one of the most commonly discussed dog behavior problems. Manifestations include vocalization, chewing, inappropriate urination and defecation, and other forms of destruction that occur when a dog is separated from his owner. Not all of these actions are the result of separation anxiety. Signs of true separation anxiety include:

The dog becomes anxious when the owner prepares to leave.

Misbehavior occurs in the first 15 to 45 minutes after the owner leaves.

The dog wants to follow the owner around constantly.

The dog tries to be touching the owner whenever possible.

True separation anxiety requires dedicated training, behavior modification, and desensitization exercises. Medication may be recommended in extreme cases.

Inappropriate urination and defecation are among the most frustrating dog behaviors. They can damage areas of your home and make your dog unwelcome in public places or at the homes of others. It is most important that you discuss this behavior with your veterinarian first to rule out health problems. If no medical cause is found, try to determine the reason for the behavior, which can come down to one of the following:

Submissive/excitement urination

Territorial marking

Anxiety

Lack of proper housebreaking

Inappropriate elimination is unavoidable in puppies, especially before 12 weeks of age. Older dogs are another story. Many dogs require serious behavior modification to rid them of the habit once it becomes ingrained.

Begging is a bad habit, but many dog owners actually encourage it. This can lead to digestive problems and obesity. Dogs beg because they love food. However, table scraps are not treats, and food is not love. Yes, it is hard to resist that longing look, but giving in "just this once" creates a problem in the long run. When you teach your dog that begging is permitted, you are sending the wrong message.

Before you sit down to eat, tell your dog to go to its place, preferably where it will not be able to stare at you. If necessary, confine your dog to another room. If it behaves, give it a special treat only after you and your family are completely finished eating.

A dog's desire to chase moving things is simply a display of predatory instinct. Many dogs will chase other animals, people, and cars. All of these can lead to dangerous and devastating outcomes. While you may not be able to stop your dog from trying to chase, you can take steps to prevent disaster.

Keep your dog confined or on a leash at all times (unless directly supervised indoors).

Train your dog to come when called.

Have a dog whistle or noisemaker on hand to get your dog's attention.

Stay aware and watch for potential triggers, like joggers.

Your best chance at success is to keep the chase from getting out of control. Dedicated training over the course of your dog's life will teach him to focus his attention on you first, before running off.

Jumping up is a common and natural behavior in dogs. Puppies jump up to reach and greet their mothers. Later, they may jump up when greeting people. Dogs may also jump up when excited or seeking an item in the person's hands. A jumping dog can be annoying and even dangerous.

There are many methods to stop a dog's jumping, but not all will be successful. Lifting a knee, grabbing the paws, or pushing the dog away might work in some cases, but for most dogs, this sends the wrong message. Jumping up is often attention-seeking behavior, so any acknowledgment of your dog's actions provide an instant reward, reinforcing the jumping.

The best method is to simply turn away and ignore your dog. Walk away if necessary. Do not make eye contact, speak, or touch your dog. Go about your business. When he relaxes and remains still, calmly reward him. It won't take long before your dog gets the message.

Dogs bite and nip for several reasons, most of which are instinctive. Puppies bite and nip to explore the environment. Mother dogs teach their puppies not to bite too hard and discipline them when needed. This helps the puppies develop bite inhibition. Owners often need to show their puppies that mouthing and biting are not acceptable by continuing to teach bite inhibition.

Beyond puppy behavior, dogs may bite for several reasons. The motivation to bite or snap is not necessarily about aggression. A dog may snap, nip, or bite for a variety of reasons.

Fear

Defensiveness

Protection of property

Pain or sickness

Predatory instinct

Any dog may bite if the circumstances warrant it in the dog's mind. Owners and breeders are the ones who can help decrease the tendency for any type of dog to bite through proper training, socialization, and breeding practices.

Dog aggression is exhibited by growling, snarling, showing teeth, lunging, and biting. It is important to know that any dog has the potential to show aggression, regardless of breed or history. However, dogs with violent or abusive histories and those bred from dogs with aggressive tendencies are much more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior towards people or other dogs.

Unfortunately, some breeds are labeled "dangerous" and banned in certain areas. However, it's not usually about the breed so much as it's about history. A dog's environment has a major impact on behavior. Also, regardless of breed, a dog may inherit some aggressive traits. Fortunately, most experts agree that breed-specific legislation is not the answer.

Reasons for aggression are basically the same as the reasons a dog will bite or snap, but overall canine aggression is a much more serious problem. If your dog has aggressive tendencies, consult your vet first as it may stem from a health problem. Then, seek the help of an experienced dog trainer or behaviorist. Serious measures should be taken to keep others safe from aggressive dogs.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.

Watch Now: Why Do Some Puppies Eat Poop?

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10 Common Dog Behavior Problems and Solutions

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Dog behavior problems are often misunderstood or mishandled by dog owners. Perhaps you are new to dog ownership, considering getting a dog, or just wish to help your dog with a challenging issue. Thoroughly understanding the most common dog behavior problems is the first step to solving and preventing them.

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Showing its belly

Here's an all-too-familiar scenario: Your sweet Max stretches out and shows off his fuzzy belly, which makes you want to reach out and give him a little pat or affectionate scritch. Only this is met with a rescinded offer-perhaps even a batting of the paw or a light bite. Strange cat behavior, indeed!

"When cats expose their bellies to us, they are saying they trust us. But when we take them up on this 'offer' by rubbing their bellies, they may retract it with a bite or a scratch, as it was only meant as a form of communication," explains Sam Meisler, DVM, a veterinarian and founder of PetWellClinic.

If you establish even more trust you may be able to go in for the pets without reprimand, but be gentle and keep in mind this is a physical expression of trust more than it is an invitation. You may not recognize these subtle ways that your cat is showing affection.

Napping

You might have noticed that your cat loves napping and seemingly sleeps all the time. "Generally, this trait has developed as an evolutionary advantage so that they can conserve energy for hunting. Of course, the domestic cat does not need to hunt, however the genetics are still there," explains Dr. Meisler. "And they do like to sleep in warm areas. Keep in mind that a cat's basal temperature is higher than ours by at least a couple of degrees." That helps explains why they like to soak up the sun or sleep on warm surfaces, like your laptop.

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Decode Your Cat's Behavior: 17 Cat Behaviors Explained

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Here's an all-too-familiar scenario: Your sweet Max stretches out and shows off his fuzzy belly, which makes you want to reach out and give him a little pat or affectionate scritch. Only this is met with a rescinded offer-perhaps even a batting of the paw or a light bite.

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1.0 out of 5 stars They WERE great. Not so much anymore!!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

We've had GREAT luck with past Kings. Never a durability issue. The reason we keep ordering more, is our dog loses (drops them while sniffing other things) them in the nearby woods.The most recent one we ordered was chewed up in less than a day! His older ones have made it years! What gives?

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Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2017

Since the only people reading a review of a Kong are likely new to owning a dog, I'll appeal to you with my review.
Kongs are to dogs what Candy Crush is to humans. No, seriously. You pull the Kong out and they get this crazed hyper-focused look on their faces and you know the fun is about to start! Stuff it with treats, peanut butter, cheeze whiz, or literally nothing at all - it doesn't matter, you're dog will go crazy for this toy, particularly if they're a chewer or chaser! They're great for fetch, and (shhh - don't tell my dog) I particularly like pulling ours out when I can see my Boston Terrier Xander wants to play but I'm too busy with housework (or Facebook) to throw the same ball over and over and over.

The magic of the Kong is its irregular shape and its smooth texture. Often times, the combination of sheer excitement and copious amount of slobber cause the Kong to come flying out of your pups mouth, only to bounce every which way, sending Fido into a frenzy as he tries to pin it down and pick it back up. This means a MUCH more challenging game for him and more time for your dishes (or Amazon shopping) all while challenging your dog's natural chase instincts.

A Kong bonanza (so affectionately called in our home) is yet another great use of this toy. Need to crate Fido for the day? Simply stuff the Kong with some treats and peanut butter and FREEZE the night before!! This is an especially helpful trick if you're trying to create a positive association with something too. For instance, my Xander HATED the car when we got him. After giving him his frozen Kong bonanza each and every time we got in the car, he now sees the car as a positive thing.

We own both the small blue puppy Kong and this classic medium Kong and he loves both. At just 5 months old he prefers the puppy Kong when he's in the mood to just chew but LOOOOVES dragging his "big boy Kong" around to play! We tend to use this Kong for the above mentioned Kong bonanzas we give him to create positive associations and to keep him quietly busy for a little while.

5.0 out of 5 stars Kongs are to dogs what Candy Crush is to humans.
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2017

Since the only people reading a review of a Kong are likely new to owning a dog, I'll appeal to you with my review.
Kongs are to dogs what Candy Crush is to humans. No, seriously. You pull the Kong out and they get this crazed hyper-focused look on their faces and you know the fun is about to start! Stuff it with treats, peanut butter, cheeze whiz, or literally nothing at all - it doesn't matter, you're dog will go crazy for this toy, particularly if they're a chewer or chaser! They're great for fetch, and (shhh - don't tell my dog) I particularly like pulling ours out when I can see my Boston Terrier Xander wants to play but I'm too busy with housework (or Facebook) to throw the same ball over and over and over.

The magic of the Kong is its irregular shape and its smooth texture. Often times, the combination of sheer excitement and copious amount of slobber cause the Kong to come flying out of your pups mouth, only to bounce every which way, sending Fido into a frenzy as he tries to pin it down and pick it back up. This means a MUCH more challenging game for him and more time for your dishes (or Amazon shopping) all while challenging your dog's natural chase instincts.

A Kong bonanza (so affectionately called in our home) is yet another great use of this toy. Need to crate Fido for the day? Simply stuff the Kong with some treats and peanut butter and FREEZE the night before!! This is an especially helpful trick if you're trying to create a positive association with something too. For instance, my Xander HATED the car when we got him. After giving him his frozen Kong bonanza each and every time we got in the car, he now sees the car as a positive thing.

We own both the small blue puppy Kong and this classic medium Kong and he loves both. At just 5 months old he prefers the puppy Kong when he's in the mood to just chew but LOOOOVES dragging his "big boy Kong" around to play! We tend to use this Kong for the above mentioned Kong bonanzas we give him to create positive associations and to keep him quietly busy for a little while.

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Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2017

I used some paracord to put this on my key chain and now my dog loves finding and retrieving my keys. I would absolutely recommend this technique for anyone that is training a service dog, or loses their keys frequently. It's helped me so much to have my dog look for my keys in the morning.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for key retrieval
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2017

I used some paracord to put this on my key chain and now my dog loves finding and retrieving my keys. I would absolutely recommend this technique for anyone that is training a service dog, or loses their keys frequently. It's helped me so much to have my dog look for my keys in the morning.

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Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017

These really are the world's best dog toy! It's a perfect slow feeder for dogs who bolt their food. It can be used with wet food, dry kibble, or a mixture of both. Stick it in the refrigerator or freezer to get a nice cooling effect for sore gums in teething puppies. It is a stimulating, problem solving puzzle for bored dogs, especially high energy dogs that always need something to do. The also work as a nice bouncy ball for fetch.
A note for dogs who get frustrated with the Kongs at first, many dogs need encouragement to keep going. Even my food motivated little cookie monster needs a personal cheerleader on the home stretch. When she gets really frustrated she'll bring to me to give it a good shake to loosen things up if it's packed too tight. So don't just throw your dog the Kong and then wonder why they're not interested. Start easy with loosely packed food and then get harder. You actually have to put a little effort into training your dog how to use the Kong to get the best results.

I bought 3 of these (large) for my 10 week old Staffweiler puppy who loves to chew and starts bouncing off the walls at 5:30am every morning. Less than 1 day and the 3 Classic Kongs I ordered have already been a lifesaver. She now takes half an hour to eat a meal instead of 30 seconds and she gets so into the meal that she chases the Kong all over the house, so she's running laps while eating her food. She's usually ready for a nap soon after a meal. If she's not, stuff some peanut butter in the Kong to get her going again and then she'll be tired out for sure. Love it!

When looking at sizing options, get at least 1 size larger than you think you need. My pup is a big girl, but at 10 weeks she's still around 20lbs. She loves the large, but gets frustrated with the puppy Kong. I don't recommend much smaller than medium for small dogs. It would be too hard to get the food out. As it is, my pup will probably need XL or XXL by the time she is grown.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for entertaining high energy dogs, but you do need to teach your dog how to use it to get the best results
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017

These really are the world's best dog toy! It's a perfect slow feeder for dogs who bolt their food. It can be used with wet food, dry kibble, or a mixture of both. Stick it in the refrigerator or freezer to get a nice cooling effect for sore gums in teething puppies. It is a stimulating, problem solving puzzle for bored dogs, especially high energy dogs that always need something to do. The also work as a nice bouncy ball for fetch.
A note for dogs who get frustrated with the Kongs at first, many dogs need encouragement to keep going. Even my food motivated little cookie monster needs a personal cheerleader on the home stretch. When she gets really frustrated she'll bring to me to give it a good shake to loosen things up if it's packed too tight. So don't just throw your dog the Kong and then wonder why they're not interested. Start easy with loosely packed food and then get harder. You actually have to put a little effort into training your dog how to use the Kong to get the best results.

I bought 3 of these (large) for my 10 week old Staffweiler puppy who loves to chew and starts bouncing off the walls at 5:30am every morning. Less than 1 day and the 3 Classic Kongs I ordered have already been a lifesaver. She now takes half an hour to eat a meal instead of 30 seconds and she gets so into the meal that she chases the Kong all over the house, so she's running laps while eating her food. She's usually ready for a nap soon after a meal. If she's not, stuff some peanut butter in the Kong to get her going again and then she'll be tired out for sure. Love it!

When looking at sizing options, get at least 1 size larger than you think you need. My pup is a big girl, but at 10 weeks she's still around 20lbs. She loves the large, but gets frustrated with the puppy Kong. I don't recommend much smaller than medium for small dogs. It would be too hard to get the food out. As it is, my pup will probably need XL or XXL by the time she is grown.

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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017

5.0 out of 5 stars 🐶 Dogs LOVE These Gifts 🐶
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017

The KONG is the go to for keeping dogs occupied with their treats. These work well with any kind of treats as long as they fit inside. We have been buying this as a care package for all the foster dogs that my neighbor is fostering. I want to adopt them all but we already have two rugrats at home! Our care package consists of this
🐶 a nice cushion handle dog leash for the new owner. [[ASIN:B01AERHMPY Strong Dog Leashes For Large Dogs | Comfortable Walks ~ Padded Handle To Hold Strong Dogs | Reflective Material for Safer Walks | for Medium & Large Dogs | 6 feet x 1 inch]]

🐶 a Kong
🐶 a treat like Dentastix [[ASIN:B0042GLVDI PEDIGREE DENTASTIX Large Dog Chew Treats, Fresh, 36 Treats (Pack of 4), Reduces Plaque and Tartar Buildup]]

Will be buying again !!

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Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

We've had GREAT luck with past Kings. Never a durability issue. The reason we keep ordering more, is our dog loses (drops them while sniffing other things) them in the nearby woods.
The most recent one we ordered was chewed up in less than a day! His older ones have made it years! What gives?

1.0 out of 5 stars They WERE great. Not so much anymore!!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

We've had GREAT luck with past Kings. Never a durability issue. The reason we keep ordering more, is our dog loses (drops them while sniffing other things) them in the nearby woods.
The most recent one we ordered was chewed up in less than a day! His older ones have made it years! What gives?

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Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Red or black, Kongs are my dog's best friend

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2019

My labrador has been with us for over 5 years. The photo attached was taken a few weeks after his arrival from the rescue. That is the moment I discovered that Kongs give us freedom. Our dog was extremely needy and followed me in every room, paniking when he was left alone even for a minute...Until we gave him a Kong filled with frozen yoghurt and kibbles. That day we were rewarded with 30 minutes of indifference. 5 1/2 years later, the Kongs are still my dog's best friend. I generally buy the black ones (for power chewers), unless sellers don't deliver them to Ireland. The red ones are almost as lasting though. The most important thing if your dog is able to destroy a Kong is to try a larger size. For my labrador I buy Xlarge.
My only regret: the golden retriever that joined our familly 1,5 year ago doesn't fully understand the principle of Kongs and we had to stop giving him any Kongs because the labrador always ended up 'stealing it'.
A last info: Kpngs are tough but they are not everlasting. We have 4 kongs in our freezer so our labrador uses each every four days and they last 3 to 4 months. That said, any toy he doesn't destroy in minutes deserves respect.

5.0 out of 5 stars Red or black, Kongs are my dog's best friend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2019

My labrador has been with us for over 5 years. The photo attached was taken a few weeks after his arrival from the rescue. That is the moment I discovered that Kongs give us freedom. Our dog was extremely needy and followed me in every room, paniking when he was left alone even for a minute...Until we gave him a Kong filled with frozen yoghurt and kibbles. That day we were rewarded with 30 minutes of indifference. 5 1/2 years later, the Kongs are still my dog's best friend. I generally buy the black ones (for power chewers), unless sellers don't deliver them to Ireland. The red ones are almost as lasting though. The most important thing if your dog is able to destroy a Kong is to try a larger size. For my labrador I buy Xlarge.
My only regret: the golden retriever that joined our familly 1,5 year ago doesn't fully understand the principle of Kongs and we had to stop giving him any Kongs because the labrador always ended up 'stealing it'.
A last info: Kpngs are tough but they are not everlasting. We have 4 kongs in our freezer so our labrador uses each every four days and they last 3 to 4 months. That said, any toy he doesn't destroy in minutes deserves respect.

Images in this review

5.0 out of 5 stars Important tool for learning/enrichment and slowing down fast eaters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2020

This simple design has so many different applications, it's unbelievable. I bought this for my lab puppy as an enrichment toy initially. You can stuff it with all their faves, freeze it and get yourself hours of peace if you keep multiple.
However as he got older and started to guzzle his food, we actually use it more of a way of slowing him down and making him work a little for his dinner. He gets super excited the moment he sees them coming out of the freezer and is quite content to take them outside and work on them on his own.

Best purchase i ever made. I have two of these for dinners and two blue puppy ones for puzzles.

5.0 out of 5 stars You Get What You Pay For!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2022

The Kong truly is indestructible. The only time you'll ever need to replace it is if your canine companion decides to bury it in the garden :)
Our Springer Spaniel adores it. *Especially* when (pro-tip alert) I smear the insides of Kong with Bovril or Marmite. Provides a good 30mins to an hour of licky licky joy.
All I have to ask is "Where's Kong?" and she's off like a startled rabbit, and back in a flash with it.
Thoroughly recommended!

5.0 out of 5 stars ECCEZIONALE e vi spiego perché!

Reviewed in Italy on December 11, 2018

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Il terzo che compro per una Labrador di 11 mesi (quella della foto)comprato in taglia M per quando era cuccioletta e successivamente due XL...praticamente indistruttibili, utili per tenere impegnato il cane riempiendolo con umido e crocchette (abbiamo portato kira ad una comunione ed è stata impegnata sotto il tavolo per tutto il pranzo).
Inoltre adora giocarci dato il rimbalzo imprevedibile dato dalla forma particolare del gioco... lo utilizza molto per sfogare i suoi bisogni di masticazione... un prodotto che a mio avviso va comprato se volete avere un gioco che il cane adorerà usare, con cui potrete giocare insieme o farlo giocare da solo e che vi durerà una vita... Paragonato a tutti gli altri giochi questo sta durando molto di più e nonostante lo abbia sempre a disposizione (giorno e notte) non presenta nessun segno di cedimento/usura se non un paio di graffi superficiali... credo che per un gioco per cani sia notevole come cosa, poi personalmente mi piace perché stimola il cane ad impegnarsi per riuscire a trovare il modo di arrivare al cibo al suo contenuto (attivazione mentale e problem solving) insomma lo straconsiglio... se avete domande su come lo utilizziamo scrivete pure ;)

5.0 out of 5 stars ECCEZIONALE e vi spiego perché!
Reviewed in Italy on December 11, 2018

Il terzo che compro per una Labrador di 11 mesi (quella della foto)comprato in taglia M per quando era cuccioletta e successivamente due XL...praticamente indistruttibili, utili per tenere impegnato il cane riempiendolo con umido e crocchette (abbiamo portato kira ad una comunione ed è stata impegnata sotto il tavolo per tutto il pranzo).
Inoltre adora giocarci dato il rimbalzo imprevedibile dato dalla forma particolare del gioco... lo utilizza molto per sfogare i suoi bisogni di masticazione... un prodotto che a mio avviso va comprato se volete avere un gioco che il cane adorerà usare, con cui potrete giocare insieme o farlo giocare da solo e che vi durerà una vita... Paragonato a tutti gli altri giochi questo sta durando molto di più e nonostante lo abbia sempre a disposizione (giorno e notte) non presenta nessun segno di cedimento/usura se non un paio di graffi superficiali... credo che per un gioco per cani sia notevole come cosa, poi personalmente mi piace perché stimola il cane ad impegnarsi per riuscire a trovare il modo di arrivare al cibo al suo contenuto (attivazione mentale e problem solving) insomma lo straconsiglio... se avete domande su come lo utilizziamo scrivete pure ;)

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2020

Can strongly reccomend kongs. The most durable toy we have found. We have a labrador who is almost 1, and chews as though hes trying to disembowl whatever the object is. Any tiny break in a toy and he appears to gain great satisfaction from going in for the kill. I can honestly say pur dog loves kongs because they can be stuffed with food, rolled around and chewed as much as he likes. We like them because although they do cost they last and keep him entertained.
The only thing I would say is make sure you choose the right rubber for your dogs age.

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5.0 out of 5 stars She stopped barking at her food!
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020

We have a sweet 4 lb toy Rusky and we live in a small 435 sq ft tiny modular house. As adorable as she my be, at times her bark is so shrill it could break glass. Especially while eating. No really. We know dogs bark to communicate and most of her barks are lower in pitch. But when she is bored she barks at her food with this sharp, high pitched chirp. The way our home is set up we really dont have any other place to put her food outside of in the living room which is outside the kitchen. So placing food in another location wouldn't help. We are with her nearly all the time. So, it was becoming bothersome. When I say shrill I mean once she barked so loud once my ears rang for around 45 minutes. It is litterally painful. We were getting frustrated with her and totally get she is just trying to occupy herself. We just thought we would have to find an alternative. Something to stimulate her better than the negative attention she was getting from us. We've tried spacing out feedings in hopes she would just eat her food. Not leaving food out beyond feeding times. Behaviorist type things like remove her food as soon as she starts barking then giving the bowl back after 20 minutes. Nothing worked... until now. She loves her Wood Snuffle mat and took to it immediately (I figured we would need to train her). We've had the mat two days and she just loves it and I can save my hearing haha8-26-2020 Update: she still loves her mat and I still have my hearing.

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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2019

I wanted an interactive treat game that wouldn't be too difficult for a 15 year old dog that's basically the furball version of a crotchety old man, screaming at kids to get off his lawn while throwing his cane in their general direction. I tried the stupid wooden puzzle games with sliding compartments that come with all the fancy bells & whistles... my dog basically snorted, licked the empty compartment, and went to sleep on top of it.
Stupid overpriced puzzle game: O, Dog: 1.

I got this one on a whim. It arrived and I quickly broke up some greenies and hid the pieces under several "leaves" on this toy while my dog sniffed at this weird cactus poof monster that smelled like his favorite crack. BINGO, by the time I blinked, my dog was face deep in this toy making snorting noises and rifling through the green things in search of food. He totally looked like a wild wolf to me, my significant other disagreed and said he looked and sounded like a truffle pig.

Not so stupid overpriced toy: 1, Dog: 1.

Word to the wise, WATCH your dog while (s)he goes on (her)his "hunt" with this toy. Seriously, what kind of person just drops a toy and walks away from their dog anyway? My dog mistook the green leaves on this thing for food and tried to eat a few pieces off. If I weren't watching him, I'd be dealing with green felt poop by now but I was so I'm not. If you've got one of those dogs who will eat cement, just keep an eye on him/her/it while it forages for treats hidden in this plant monster and you'll be fine.

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020

We have a sweet 4 lb toy Rusky and we live in a small 435 sq ft tiny modular house. As adorable as she my be, at times her bark is so shrill it could break glass. Especially while eating. No really. We know dogs bark to communicate and most of her barks are lower in pitch. But when she is bored she barks at her food with this sharp, high pitched chirp. The way our home is set up we really dont have any other place to put her food outside of in the living room which is outside the kitchen. So placing food in another location wouldn't help. We are with her nearly all the time. So, it was becoming bothersome. When I say shrill I mean once she barked so loud once my ears rang for around 45 minutes. It is litterally painful. We were getting frustrated with her and totally get she is just trying to occupy herself. We just thought we would have to find an alternative. Something to stimulate her better than the negative attention she was getting from us. We've tried spacing out feedings in hopes she would just eat her food. Not leaving food out beyond feeding times. Behaviorist type things like remove her food as soon as she starts barking then giving the bowl back after 20 minutes. Nothing worked... until now. She loves her Wood Snuffle mat and took to it immediately (I figured we would need to train her). We've had the mat two days and she just loves it and I can save my hearing haha
8-26-2020 Update: she still loves her mat and I still have my hearing.

5.0 out of 5 stars She stopped barking at her food!
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020

We have a sweet 4 lb toy Rusky and we live in a small 435 sq ft tiny modular house. As adorable as she my be, at times her bark is so shrill it could break glass. Especially while eating. No really. We know dogs bark to communicate and most of her barks are lower in pitch. But when she is bored she barks at her food with this sharp, high pitched chirp. The way our home is set up we really dont have any other place to put her food outside of in the living room which is outside the kitchen. So placing food in another location wouldn't help. We are with her nearly all the time. So, it was becoming bothersome. When I say shrill I mean once she barked so loud once my ears rang for around 45 minutes. It is litterally painful. We were getting frustrated with her and totally get she is just trying to occupy herself. We just thought we would have to find an alternative. Something to stimulate her better than the negative attention she was getting from us. We've tried spacing out feedings in hopes she would just eat her food. Not leaving food out beyond feeding times. Behaviorist type things like remove her food as soon as she starts barking then giving the bowl back after 20 minutes. Nothing worked... until now. She loves her Wood Snuffle mat and took to it immediately (I figured we would need to train her). We've had the mat two days and she just loves it and I can save my hearing haha
8-26-2020 Update: she still loves her mat and I still have my hearing.

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Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020

My dog can not be anymore obsessed with this snuffle mat! Scout has a tendency when we go for walks to sniff out anything and everything he can. I always said he was like a truffle pig. This mat gives me peace of mind that he’s only sniffing out dog treats and not poisonous berry’s or bones of dead cats (sadly that happens often). This mat entertains Scout and even when he has found all the treats he will go back and look for more. Great way to keep him busy but also give his brain a little work out!

5.0 out of 5 stars Snuffle Mat for the WIN!
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020

My dog can not be anymore obsessed with this snuffle mat! Scout has a tendency when we go for walks to sniff out anything and everything he can. I always said he was like a truffle pig. This mat gives me peace of mind that he’s only sniffing out dog treats and not poisonous berry’s or bones of dead cats (sadly that happens often). This mat entertains Scout and even when he has found all the treats he will go back and look for more. Great way to keep him busy but also give his brain a little work out!

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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019

My pup loves it! I have a 90 lb pitbull who usually loves treat toys. She got tired of the regular toy treat dispensers so I bought this hoping it would work. It's probably a little small for her size, but she eats her dinner out it each night and will spend at least an hour checking it over to make sure she didn't miss anything. I like that you can use the drawstring to make it smaller or bigger. It's a good mat to try out snuffle mats to see if your dog likes it or not, the price is great!

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019

Our dachshund is developing cataracts, so I decided to encourage use of his nose. I started with it flat, but soon discovered he prefers it in it’s bowl shape. He really gets in to it. And I enjoy watching him. If you have a scent hound, I recommend it. Also if you any kind of dog they will probably like it.

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2019

Good. Inception but not made durable enough. My 8 month pup tore it apart in minutes :-(

2.0 out of 5 stars Easy to destroy
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2019

Good. Inception but not made durable enough. My 8 month pup tore it apart in minutes :-(

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Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2019

I have a small Chihuahua terrier mix and she loves this rug!! It keeps her entertained for a while and she is obsessed with finding her treats. This is mostly for small dogs. A big dog will probably tear it apart because it is just too fun not to.
If I you are crafty with a sewing machine I think it would be fairly simple to make one. It is similar to a shag carpet from the 70's of you are old enough to remember those. For me it was worth every penny and will buy again.

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2019

I really like this product however, it’s not going to last. I’ve used it one time and it’s falling apart. All of the fabric is coming undone . As the dog forages for his food rooting around it has caused this product to come apart

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2019

I really like this product however, it’s not going to last. I’ve used it one time and it’s falling apart. All of the fabric is coming undone . As the dog forages for his food rooting around it has caused this product to come apart

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Top reviews from other countries

4.0 out of 5 stars Très sympa pour un chat

Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2021

J’ai acheté ce jouet pour mes deux chats d’environ 1 an et demi et je vous jure qu’ils ont adopté la salade! Seul problème, c’est qu’ils sont des brise-fer et que les morceaux comment à se décoller dans l’assiette. J’ai un peu peur de le passer au lavage… pas sûr que j’achèterais ce produit pour un chien.

5.0 out of 5 stars J’adore

Reviewed in Canada on November 6, 2021

J’ai un très petit chien et ce tapis lui conviens très bien. Lorsqu’il est sale, directement dans la laveuse. J’adore.

5.0 out of 5 stars My Gigi loves this

Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2021

Very pet friendly. Easy to use. With this, I can get my dog to eat her kibble, which is good for her but that she's not crazy about. My dog is 5 months old and had no difficulty figuring this out. I haven't washed it yet so I can't comment on that.

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend

Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2021

Our dog loved this... he is a big chewer with his toys... and the fact this lasted two weeks.. was amazing LOL. I do recommend this...

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusement

Reviewed in Canada on June 25, 2021

Pour relaxer mon chien et l'occuper

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AWOOF Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs, Interactive Feed Game for Boredom, Encourages Natural Foraging Skills for Cats Dogs Bowl Travel Use, Dog Treat Dispenser Indoor Outdoor Stress Relief

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Amazon.com: AWOOF Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs, Interactive Feed Game for Boredom, Encourages Natural Foraging Skills for Cats Dogs Bowl Travel Use, Dog Treat Dispenser Indoor Outdoor Stress Relief : Pet Supplies

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5.0 out of 5 stars Huskies approve!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020

I have two huskies, and it took less that one minute for them to both lay down on their own pad. Need I say more?

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Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020

I have two huskies, and it took less that one minute for them to both lay down on their own pad. Need I say more?

5.0 out of 5 stars Huskies approve!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020

I have two huskies, and it took less that one minute for them to both lay down on their own pad. Need I say more?

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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020

I previously purchased the non-fabric cooling mats, and I will never go back to those!
When I stored them for the winter they were permanently changed - the inside material shifted, some spots are lumpy and thick while others have nothing, completely flat. I only used them for one summer and now they are unusable in my opinion.

I am so happy I found this product, and wish I had found it first.

It's soft, always cool too the touch and more resilient. I am happy to fold and store this item without it being ruined. I love that it is washing machine safe (I always air dry it). It is thin so it's great for putting on a dog bed or on the couch, but my dogs still lay on it if it's on the tile floor.

I would highly recommend this product for your hot dogs!

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2022

I just over heat when sleeping, I tried this on a whim. It's wonderfully effective but I got too small a size. I'll definitely be buying the largest for sleeping and use the one I have now for work. I absolutely love it, it's made a huge difference in my sleep comfort.

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2020

I needed to cool my very hot chow chow this summer. He has been panting like he is dying to the point where my husband seriously thought we needed to take him to the vet to get tested. I decided to just implement some cooking measures first and I'm happy to say it has worked. This cooling mat and a dedicated fan has helped reduce his panting significantly. He likes to lay on it on top of our hardwood floors. It doesn't have much padding but chows usually prefer the cold floor to dog beds anyway. My other dog who refuses to have his butt ever touch hardwood floors also uses this to sit on and has deemed it worthy enough for his tush to touch. I would say it works for however much cooling it can do With the materials it uses.

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021

I just got this cooling pad in the mail today, so as far as durability and easiness to clean, we will see, but I'm assuming that it will be great, just judging by the good quality of the pad. Honestly, I wasn't super convinced that this pad would do that great of a job, but I figured why not, and I ordered it because I need something for my elderly pug that has breathing issues. As soon as I ripped it out of the packaging and laid it on my couch, I had both pugs already flopped onto it. I felt it and it was so cool and comfortable! You don't have to freeze it or add water to it or anything, and it's so smooth and soft! My pugs haven't gotten off of it unless it was time to go outside or eat, and then they are right back on it, snoozing comfortably! I'm actually thinking about buying another one to put in my bed! Haha. Seriously.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pugs are in love!
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021

I just got this cooling pad in the mail today, so as far as durability and easiness to clean, we will see, but I'm assuming that it will be great, just judging by the good quality of the pad. Honestly, I wasn't super convinced that this pad would do that great of a job, but I figured why not, and I ordered it because I need something for my elderly pug that has breathing issues. As soon as I ripped it out of the packaging and laid it on my couch, I had both pugs already flopped onto it. I felt it and it was so cool and comfortable! You don't have to freeze it or add water to it or anything, and it's so smooth and soft! My pugs haven't gotten off of it unless it was time to go outside or eat, and then they are right back on it, snoozing comfortably! I'm actually thinking about buying another one to put in my bed! Haha. Seriously.

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Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020

It arrived quickly. It definitely feels cool to the touch. It's thin and light. My boy seems to like it but as you can see he's not laying on it per se. Mostly he's pouncing on it and rolling it in a ball. I had him lay in it so you could see the size. He's 108 lbs and it's not as big as i thought it would be. It's supposed to be an XL but I'm not sure. I didn't measure it but if he stretched out only his body would be on it, legs and head would hang off.
My only issue is I bought it to sit on an area of hard wood by an AC vent to protect the floor and where he likes to lay to keep cool, but it's so slippery he falls over if he steps on it because it slides. I'm going to try a floor grip mat underneath. Overall I would recommend it for its purpose... to cool them off. My dog is just a goof! 😅

4.0 out of 5 stars Does what is supposed to do
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020

It arrived quickly. It definitely feels cool to the touch. It's thin and light. My boy seems to like it but as you can see he's not laying on it per se. Mostly he's pouncing on it and rolling it in a ball. I had him lay in it so you could see the size. He's 108 lbs and it's not as big as i thought it would be. It's supposed to be an XL but I'm not sure. I didn't measure it but if he stretched out only his body would be on it, legs and head would hang off.
My only issue is I bought it to sit on an area of hard wood by an AC vent to protect the floor and where he likes to lay to keep cool, but it's so slippery he falls over if he steps on it because it slides. I'm going to try a floor grip mat underneath. Overall I would recommend it for its purpose... to cool them off. My dog is just a goof! 😅

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2020

My pup is soo picky when it comes to beds he just likes to lay on my clothes or in the bed with me. But I actually caught him cozy on it the same day I got it! I’m planning to go to Palm Springs and there will be a high of 105 so we’ll see if he continues to take advantage of the coolness.

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021

I ordered this item, the next day I tried to cancel because I found something different. They said they had shipped it already and couldn’t cancel it. I thought, Ok that’s fine. I was supposed to get it about 2-3 days later after it was supposedly “shipped”. But didn’t get it for TEN days! Ridiculous! Then, to top it off, it’s very thin, very light, and small. It’s basically two thin pieces of material sewn together. Very cheap! Not worth the money!!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars No puedo creer que mi perra lo use

Reviewed in Mexico on August 5, 2021

Hace mucho calor donde vivo y mi perra ha rechazado cualquier cama, manta o cosa blanda en la que acostarse. Sigo probando nuevos productos porque ella es muy vieja, muy delgada y es obvio que ya no se siente cómoda en el suelo. He tenido este tapete durante dos días y aunque tuve que enseñarla a usarlo y ella no la usa todo el tiempo, ¡la usa! Me gusta cómo lo arruga para hacerse una almohada. El material es suave y parece de buena calidad. Le compré el más grande, mi perrita es de tamaño mediano (alrededor de 15-20 kg) y es un tamaño perfecto para ella. No creo que el tapete funcione para perros grandes.

5.0 out of 5 stars No puedo creer que mi perra lo use
Reviewed in Mexico on August 5, 2021

Hace mucho calor donde vivo y mi perra ha rechazado cualquier cama, manta o cosa blanda en la que acostarse. Sigo probando nuevos productos porque ella es muy vieja, muy delgada y es obvio que ya no se siente cómoda en el suelo. He tenido este tapete durante dos días y aunque tuve que enseñarla a usarlo y ella no la usa todo el tiempo, ¡la usa! Me gusta cómo lo arruga para hacerse una almohada. El material es suave y parece de buena calidad. Le compré el más grande, mi perrita es de tamaño mediano (alrededor de 15-20 kg) y es un tamaño perfecto para ella. No creo que el tapete funcione para perros grandes.

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1.0 out of 5 stars No Malgasten Su Dinero

Reviewed in Mexico on April 24, 2022

Tenía esperanza de que funcionará pero realmente no sirve.
Es ligeramente un poco mas fresco que el sofá por poner un ejemplo (pero casi no hay diferencia). Pero una vez que tu perro se acueste sobre ella se calentará.
No enfría simplemente es una tela fresca y ya. Ni siquiera vale la pena como para ponerla en el suelo porque no esta lo suficientemente acolchada. Tampoco cuenta con algun antideslizante por lo cual terminará todo desparramado.
No se dejen llevar por los comentarios positivos, este producto esta inflado en precio y no aporta nada realmente

4.0 out of 5 stars Es más delgado de lo que pensé

Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2021

Parece una sabanita más que un tapete, a mi perro le gustó pero en realidad no es el tapete que esperaba.

3.0 out of 5 stars No funcional para mi perro y el tamaño mediano, es como para perro chico

Reviewed in Mexico on July 25, 2021

El tapete no le gustó para nada a mi perro, en la primera noche, no lo quiso usar y prefirió el piso. Supongo que no lo encontró fresco. Quizás sirva para interiores climatizados

5.0 out of 5 stars BUENISIMOS TAPETES PARA CLIMA CALIDO

Reviewed in Mexico on April 21, 2022

Están un poco chicos pero resultaron muy buenos porque se mantienen frescos y durante la noche les gusta a los perros echarse ahi porque en Cancun hace mucho calor, Recomendables

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MICROCOSMOS Pet Cooling Mat, Keep Cool in Summe, Perfect Indoors, Outdoors or in The Car

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Amazon.com : Summer Cooling Mat & Sleeping Pad- Water Absorption Top, Waterproof Bottom, Materials Safe, Easy Carry, EZ Clean. Keep Cooling for Pets, Kids and Adults.（27″x 22″） L : Pet Supplies

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https://sunsetanimalhospital.com/

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Redwood Veterinary Hospital offers a modern and compassionate approach to veterinary medicine: excellence in service, advanced technology, sensitivity to individual needs of pets and their owners, and state-of-the-art veterinary care. With a focus on client service, we have designed our facility to meet your needs. Our veterinary service fits your busy schedule, and our separate waiting rooms for dogs and cats add to the safety of your visit. Every service is designed with our patients and pet owners in mind.

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Since 1991, our goal at Family Pet Hospital has been to provide high quality, compassionate, full service health care to our patients. We know your pet is a cherished member of your family, which inspires us to provide the best possible veterinary care. Our entire staff is committed to treating our clients with the consideration and respect we seek from our own health care providers.

Family Pet Hospital is proud to serve Vacaville, CA and surrounding areas. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of veterinary medicine along with friendly, compassionate service.

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Providing the best care for you and your pet. Caring for pets is our passion and something we look forward to doing every day. We believe it is important to get to know the personality of every animal so we can provide appropriate and relevant care.

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Can Dogs Get Heat Stroke? - Dogs Naturally

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If your dog overheats it can cause permanent organ damage. Here’s how to spot the signs of heat stroke in dogs and what to do about it ...

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Submissive Urination; What is it & how to stop it

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Submissive Urination; What is it & how to stop it

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Does your otherwise well-house-trained dog pee when you walk in the door and greet her, or when other people reach to pet her? Yikes! Submissive and excitement urination can be very frustrating behaviors to live with; having to constantly mop up puddles and spray enzymatic cleaners on your carpet can get old fast.

The three most important things to know about submissive peeing and excitement peeing are:

1. They aren't gender-biased; they happen with both male and female dogs.

2. Your dog can't help it!

3. Punishment (or even mild disapproval) will only make it worse.

What is excitement urination?

Excitement urination (also known as "glee pee") is most often found in happy, hyper, young dogs who may not yet have developed full bladder control. Dogs frequently outgrow this unfortunate peeing behavior as they mature, emotionally calm down, and gain better control of their bladders. Meanwhile, if the dog who exhibits lots of excitement behavior is well managed, it's usually just a matter of waiting a few months (or a few more) for him or her to mature.

Here's what good management of excitement urination looks like in this case to help stop your dog's excitement urination:

Provide plenty of aerobic exercise. This means off-leash running around, chasing a ball or flying disc, rough-and-tumble play with an appropriate canine play-pal, lots of "sniffari" opportunities, as well as ample time spent with toys and cognition games that provide mental enrichment. Boring old walks on leash, regardless of how long, just aren't going to do the trick. (For examples of good enrichment toys, see " The Best Food-Dispensing Toys" WDJ April 2019. For other ideas for games to play with your dog, see " Are Canines Cognitive? " October 2017.)

Train calm behaviors. Teach your dog behaviors that encourage calm, such as "Settle," "Relax," or "Go to Your Mat."

The "Karen Overall Protocol for Relaxation" is another great resource for helping your dog learn how to relax. Complete directions for the protocol can be downloaded at this link: https://bit.ly/Pryor_relax.

Set a calm example. The better you are at being calm with your dog, the easier it will be for her to be calm with you. Quiet, low-key greetings when you come home and an overall peaceful ambiance in the house can minimize glee-pee accidents. Save the excited, high-energy activities for outdoors, where an occasional excitement puddle won't matter.

No punishment, ever. Remember, your dog can't help it. If you lose your cool with her over her excitement urination you could end up with a dog who is afraid of you and submissively urinates, a behavior that can be a lot more challenging to modify than adolescent excitement urination. Count your blessings.

What is submissive urination?

While a challenging and frustrating behavior to live with, submissive urination is - among dogs, anyway - a valuable canine communication tool. A dog who feels threatened by another can often successfully deflect the threat by displaying submission or appeasement behavior, with a lowered behind-the-vertical body posture, flattened ears, squinty eyes, and tucked tail. Sometimes this includes rolling onto their back and submissive urination.

It stands to reason that any angry response or punishment on your part is likely to make the behavior worse, not better, as your dog tries even harder to appease you and deflect the threat. Here's how to respond appropriately instead to help stop submissive urination:

Approach in a non-threatening manner. Even if you don't intend to be imposing, if you stand tall, face your dog, stride forward, make direct eye contact and/or lean over her, you can be perceived as a threat. Instead, kneel sideways to greet your dog and let her approach you. And coach all your friends and family members to do the same!

Reach under, not over. Humans seem to have a predilection for patting dogs on top of their heads. A few dogs might actually like this, and a fair number of dogs tolerate it. However, for most dogs, reaching over their heads is at least somewhat aversive - and this is especially true for dogs who are prone to submissive urination because they are already concerned about humans.

Educate yourself to scratch dogs under the chin or on the chest instead of reaching for their heads. Many dogs will appreciate it - and any dog prone to submissive urination will be less likely to urinate.

Move calmly and slowly. The calmer you (and your friends) are around your dog, the less likely she is to feel the need to send that appeasement-pee message.

Manage the pee. Doggie diapers can be a useful stress-reducing management tool while you are working to help your dog overcome the need to pee when greeted. They may not stop the urination, but they can help prevent you from getting annoyed at your dog and minimize puddle clean-up.

Even if you don't punish your dog for inadvertently urinating, she can read any stressed or tense body language signals that you make in response to the mess; this will send her the message that she needs to be even more appeasing - and release even more pee!

Let your dog greet visitors outdoors. That way, if she does involuntarily urinates, there's no clean-up needed, and no human stress.

Use counter-conditioning and desensitization in the situations that trigger her urination. Begin by identifying situations that typically elicit submissive urination from your dog. Then, start counter-conditioning her to less-stressful approximations of those situations.

For example, if your dog often pees when you reach toward her, move your hand just slightly toward her, and feed (or toss) her a treat from your other hand. Once your dog is comfortable (with no urinating) with small movements, gradually increase the amount of your reach toward her.

You don't need to use a marker (such as the click of a clicker or the word "Yes!"); you are not reinforcing her behavior. Rather, you are working to change her emotional response to the stimulus from scared or apprehensive to relaxed and happy. Eventually, you'll be able to reach for your dog and even pet her (under the chin, not on the head) without a drop of pee on the floor.

Having trusted friends do the same thing so she generalizes her new association ("People reaching for me make treats happen!") to other people, too. Meanwhile, do the same to counter-condition her with any other human behaviors that prompt her to submissively urinate.

Stay positive to achieve success in preventing submissive urination

As challenging and frustrating as these involuntary peeing behaviors can be, you can help your dog overcome them. When we adopted Bonnie, our wonderful Scottie/Corgi/Poodle-mix at the age of 11 months (after her owners surrendered to a shelter because they "couldn't housetrain" her), she almost always urinated when greeting humans. My husband and I both worked to counter-condition and desensitize Bonnie to greetings and interactions with humans - and my dog-training academy students got extra credit points if they could greet Bonnie without making her pee! She stopped all submissive urination by the time she was 3 years old and never did it again for the remaining 10 years of her life. You and your dog can do this!

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What is Submissive Urination | How to Stop Submissive Urination

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Does your otherwise well-house-trained dog pee when you walk in the door and greet her, or when other people reach to pet her? Yikes! Submissive and excitement urination can be very frustrating behaviors to live with; having to constantly mop up puddles and spray enzymatic cleaners on your carpet can get old fast.