I often hear people say: "In nature animals would eat raw food!" Well, in nature they also eat the entire carcass, which would then justify some of the bi-products that many commercial companies put in their foods (which, by the way, have nutritional value!). Furthermore, remember that the intestinal flora (which aids in the digestive process) of our domesticated pets is not the same as their ancestors in the wild.
Here's another audience question:
Mosquitoes are a problem for dogs and cats, as they can transmit Heartworm disease, which can prove fatal. We can prevent Heartworm disease using Heartworm preventive medications (available from your veterinarian), but it is more difficult to prevent the mosquitoes from biting your pets. You can try some good old fashioned flea sprays, which might help repel mosquitoes. Make sure to check with your veterinarian before using any insecticides on your cats or small dogs, or using commercial products made for people...
Before beginning any Heartworm prevention program, it is important to have your pets tested by your veterinarian.
Some related reading for you: Are you taking a trip with your pet this summer? You may want to bookmark this helpful article with tips on traveling with pets.
Time for another question!
Typically, we feed puppies and kittens wet food. A) because they usually like it better, and B) because their teeth aren't necessarily ready to crunch on hard food. Having said that, I would recommend introducing some dry food slowly as soon as they seem to desire it (or to at least be able to chew it!)...
As they mature and enter "adulthood" or even young adulthood, continue adding dry food, decreasing wet food, until you achieve the perfect combination for your pet.
My recommendation would be to switch it, and feed the canned food as a meal (Whiskas or Iams are great) and feed the dry food as a treat. Why? The hydration aspects for cats is very important to prevent Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, which we refer to as FLUTD, as well as helping prevent Type II diabetes, which is more common in cats on dry food diets because they tend to not get enough water or pure meat (remember - cats are obligate carnivores - which means they need meat in their diets) and dry food is higher in carbs, which can lead to weight gain.
We have another poll for you. You’ll see it appear shortly at the top of the chat screen. Vote for the answer that best fits.
Be more vigilant in telling your guests and children to keep the table scraps away from pets. Or, remove her from the room while eating. But, more importantly, it's not that table scraps are so terrible (as long as they are not fatty), and dogs do love table scraps as treats, I would recommend saving the scraps and literally using them as treats later. That way, the dog will know that they aren't getting anything when they sit at your feet, but instead will get them later. Dogs need to "learn to earn their praise!"
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I'm thrilled that you're giving your cat a mixture of wet and dry food, knowing that cats do need canned food and less carbs, but follow the label instructions as a place to start. If you have a cat that is a big eater at 16lbs, but isn't getting any bigger, then continue feeding the way you are. If you have a 16lbs cat that is "thin" and can feel ribs, then maybe it is okay to increase the food ration. But remember, whenever you're making a change, whether in food type, brand or volume, always go slowly to prevent intestinal problems.
Here’s our last poll! You’ll see it appear at the top of this chat shortly.
Here's a great question for the audience.
Mixed feeding overall organ health. Certainly the portion of mixed feeding that will improve oral health is the dry part, but the wet food will improve urinary tract health, as well as overall health through additional hydration.
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Thanks everyone who participated in our live event. We’re very sorry if we didn’t get to all your questions and comments.
Thanks again to our special guest Dr. Werber.
For more information visit petmixedfeeding.ca
Thank you so much for having me on your Twitter chat. You can reach me directly at @DrWerber.
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