Many common questions come up more often when we talk about proper dog nutrition. This page will act as a quick reference for you.

Of course you are more than welcome to ask us any questions you have on our "Ask Us Your Nutritional Question" page.

"How do I choose the right dog food?"

With all the great marketing companies out there, it's hard to figure out who to trust with one of the most important aspects that will effect your dog's longevity.

The best answer is, a holistic vet or an independent natural pet food retail store. Holistic vets are few and far between. By the time most veterinarians graduate, they've had enough schooling and they want to get to work and earn some money. So they practice medicine and go on from there.

Holistic veterinarians go on after graduating with there degree and study nutrition. They approach nutrition from a holistic (whole body) approach. They believe that food is the most powerful medicine. They will help you feed properly to enable your dog to be with you disease free for a long time.

The small independent pet food store (not the big chain pet food stores) are very much in tune with the proper feeding techniques as well. Many store owners have taken extra schooling and/or work with holistic vets. They typically have knowledgeable staff that can help you pick out the right food for your situation.

We explain the different foods from raw, homemade, processed in our pages. A good place to start is with our About Dog Food page.

Is raw dog food a healthy choice for my dog?

The dog has been thriving for thousands of years before man came out with a dry processed dog food. It is not there natural diet, it was made for our convenience not for there best health.

Nature didn't make many mistakes. She enable the dog to live very good on the prey model for food. The dog has not adapted to eating a dry processed food. We have only adapted to the convenience of feeding this to them. Serious health consequences will come about with this continued regimen.

For more information, please see our Raw Food For Dogs page.

Will dry food keep my dog's teeth clean?

This is another myth passed down by the big grain based dog food companies. They would have you believe this so you continue to feed there crappy dog food.

The truth is, when the dog bites down on a dry kibble, the kibble explodes into many little pieces. The dog crunches these small pieces and swallows them. There is no teeth cleaning from this. Can you expect to clean your teeth by crunching on granola or corn nuts? I don't think so.

Teeth cleaning requires rubbing action on the top, sides, and front teeth. Kibble does not do this. Nature's tooth brush for the dog comes from chewing on the bones of there prey.

Many people do not like to give bones to there dog. That is a shame. But sometimes it is not practical. Good companies have come out with dental chews, tooth brushes and tooth paste for dogs and even sprays and gels that are working good.

My dog is scratching all the time, is this a sign of an allergy?

This is a very popular question. Of course there are no quick easy answers. It is a process of elimination. By far the most common cause of constant scratching comes from food allergies.

First, do you see any fleas on your dog? If so, treat the dog, his bedding and the carpets where he travels with proper flea treatments. We give you some help with this on our Dog Flea Allergy page.

If no fleas are present, look at the ingredients of your dog's food. If it contains one of the following, wheat, corn, soy, by-products or chemical preservatives, this is what's more than likely causing the problems. For more information on dog food allergies, please visit our Dog Food Allergies page.

There could be other issues like airborne allergies, contact allergies, etc. For more help, please start with our Dog Allergies page.

My dog is overweight, what can I do?

This is a very serious problem facing many dog owners today. It's hard to resist the look from your baby when they ask for more food, more treats and snacks.

Being overweight can severely reduce your dog's life span. With the high carb diet the dog's are receiving, they face the same problems us humans do associated with this type of diet. We become dependent on convenience of quick easy options and thus, have to suffer the consequences.

There are several things you can do. First, make sure your feeding a premium food that is mostly protein and less carbs. There are many reduced calorie dry foods to use as a base. Portion control is king, make sure to only feed the recommended amounts.

Keeping a moist food in his diet is also extremely important. This can be in the form of raw, fresh cooked by you or canned foods. This moist food is much easier on there digestive system and they can assimilate much more. Thus, more absorbed nutrients and less wastes.

Many people have had good luck on the green bean diet for dogs. Just reduce his dry food and replace with ground up green beans. You can also use a mixed vegetable as well. Lightly blanch or microwave the vegetables and grind them in a food processed. This way they can utilize the nutrients instead of just passing them through.

This reduced calorie intake will help get rid of the pounds. Also watch the treats, look for good low calorie types. Sweet potato chews are a good substitute.

The other important step to reduce weight is exercise. A little playing around the back-yard is hardly enough to do the job. With bus life styles, closed-in neighborhoods, weather conditions, it's hard to get your dog out for a run.

One thing we recommend and utilize ourselves is a treadmill. If you don't have one, you can get a standard treadmill fairly inexpensively out of the paper or Craig's List.

With a leash on, straddle the dog on the treadmill while going real slow. Your feet should be on the outside of the belt. This keeps him from going off one of the sides. The leash will keep him from going off the back or front.

After a short time or two of doing this, you will be able to stand off to the side and slowly work up the speed and distances.

Daily, or several times a week on the treadmill will burn up those calories very quickly. You will see the pounds drop off fast. These exercise sessions will also help with many behavior issues associated with lack of exercise.

These are the most common type questions we get. Of course, there are many more depending on your situation. Please feel free to ask your questions on our Ask Us Your Nutritional Question page.