Author: World Arabia

Key points

• Blueberries are a low-calorie product that has a lot of health benefits. These berries are rich in minerals and vitamins, and they have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Be careful with how many blueberries you feed your dog, as they contain sugar which can cause cavities. Their small size may also cause dogs to choke.
• You can feed your dog raw, dried, frozen, or mashed blueberries. You can combine them with other fruit and vegetables, add them to your pet’s meal, or simply feed them as a snack.
• Giving commercially prepared blueberry yogurts, pancakes, muffins, or anything with artificial blueberry flavoring to your pet, may cause indigestion and nausea.

It’s important to carefully examine the benefits and potential dangers of every product you give to your dog. Blueberries are known to be good antioxidants, plus they have a strong anti-inflammatory effect in humans. Interestingly, these berries have the same impact on dogs, making them one of the top products to add to your pet’s diet. The scale of health benefits that blueberries can have on your dog is precisely the reason why so many dog food manufacturers add them to their dog food formulas.

Key points

• Vets widely use phenobarbital to treat dogs suffering from seizures and epilepsy.
• Generally, pets that suffer from epilepsy need life-long therapy with phenobarbital. 
• While the drug is usually well-tolerated, it can cause adverse side effects, including vomiting, lethargy, agitation, anxiety, frequent urination, and even kidney damage.

Key points

• It can be challenging to determine when your pet needs to start eating a senior dog diet. It’s different for all breeds, but according to most vets, dogs are considered seniors when they’ve reached half of their life expectancy.
• Including a lot of fiber in your dog’s diet will help prevent constipation and maintain healthy glucose levels in the bloodstream.
• Adding fructooligosaccharides (FOS), vitamin E, beta-carotene, and Omega-6 fatty acids such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) can help boost your elderly pet’s immune system, keep its skin and coat healthy, and prevent indigestion.
• For dogs with liver or kidney problems, it’s better to follow a low protein diet.
• Dogs’ metabolism tends to slow down with age; therefore, elderly pets need 20% fewer calories to maintain the same weight as younger dogs. If your senior dog has lost weight, check with your vet to eliminate the possibility of underlying health issues, such as liver and kidney disease, diabetes, dental problems, and cancer.

Key points

• Since dogs are extremely sensitive to noise, light, and smell, fireworks can easily terrify them.
• You can get your dog ready for a fireworks display by sound training the pet and doing a session of pre-fireworks exercise, as well as scheduling the pet’s meals in advance.

New Year’s Eve and Independence Day present a real challenge for many dog owners. While the sky, lit up by beautiful fireworks, might seem breathtaking to humans, but most dogs will be terrified. It goes without saying that you should not take your dog to fireworks displays. However, even at home, our four-legged friends can get frightened by the noise. But don’t worry, with a bit of planning, you can prevent your pet from getting scared and anxious during celebrations.

Key points

• Scientists and vets don’t know precisely why grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs, but if your dog ingests grapes or raisins, it’s essential to seek help right away.
• Many symptoms may indicate grape poisoning in dogs, including nausea, vomiting, indigestion, lethargy, decreased urination or complete lack of urination, lack of appetite, and diarrhea.
• The main goal of the treatment is to prevent the absorption of the toxins, which means inducing vomiting and administering activated charcoal up to 6 hours after ingestion.
• If your dog ate raisins, it’s essential to call a vet and get instructions for further actions. You may be able to treat the pet at home, but the dog may need to be hospitalized in many cases. 
• No set amount of grapes is safe for your dog. Some pets can tolerate small amounts just fine, and others may get poisoned after ingesting just a few grapes.

Many pet owners love to eat granola, bagels, and cereals and sometimes share a little of their meal with their pets. Giving your dog a piece of your bagel may seem harmless, but it can pose more danger than you can imagine. This is because a lot of human food contains raisins and dried currants. But few pet owners know that grapes, currants, and raisins are some of the most toxic things a dog can eat. If your dog ingests even a tiny amount of these foods, it can cause many health problems, including kidney failure.

Key points

• There are two types of cinnamon, namely Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon. Generally, Ceylon cinnamon is considered to be safer for dogs;
• Cinnamon is a very concentrated source of antioxidants that can lower blood sugar and improve your dog’s heart health. Moreover, it might help your pet deal with joint pain and muscle soreness;
• Although nutmeg is often seen as a supplementary spice to cinnamon, you should never give it to your dog. Nutmegs can cause life-threatening intoxication in dogs.

Cinnamon has many benefits in a human diet. It is a powerful antioxidant with an abundance of anti-inflammatory properties, and the spice can even help lower blood sugar levels. Moreover, cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity in those who have diabetes. It can also aid patients with neurodegenerative diseases and much more! Cinnamon is also delicious, which is why it is a common staple food in pantries worldwide. But is it actually safe for your dog to consume cinnamon?

The short answer is yes. However, the type and amount of cinnamon you can feed your dog play an important role.

Key points

• Choosing the right diet for a cat during pregnancy is crucial to guarantee the correct development of the kittens;
• Generally, a high-quality kitten food formula is recommended during feline pregnancy;
• A diet with a higher caloric content and added nutrients is vital when a cat is breastfeeding since she is the only source of food for her kittens;

Are you getting ready to breed your cat and want to know how to take good care of your pregnant pet’s health? Or is your cat already pregnant, and you want to make sure that you feed her correctly? When your cat is pregnant, it’s crucial to provide it with a specialized diet to give the newborns a healthy start in life and to support the cat through the physical challenges of pregnancy, labor, and breastfeeding. In this article, we will discuss all the details regarding pregnant cats’ diets. But first, let us answer the question:

Key points

• Once a dog gets pregnant, its nutritional needs change. They also become different once again as the pet starts nursing her puppies;
• Dry food is a good choice for feeding a pregnant dog since it provides all the necessary nutrients without taking up a lot of space in the stomach;
• A nursing dog has to drink enough water to produce milk and increase metabolism.

When your dog is expecting puppies, it is an exciting situation for you and your four-legged friend. However, one thing you should pay extra attention to in the coming period is your pregnant pet’s food.

After all, the future mother has to look not only after herself but also after her unborn offspring. Therefore, the better you adapt the diet to the needs of your pregnant dog, the more likely it is that the pregnancy will go smoothly and that the puppies will have a good start to what will hopefully be a long and happy dog life.

Key points

• Cats naturally consume bugs as part of their diet, so eating insects is not new to them.
• Cat food made from insects is the best option for vegan and environmentally conscious cat owners.
• Cats can thrive on well-formulated insect-based diets that contain a lot of protein and other nutrients.

Even though insect-based pet food has been on the market for a few years now, many pet owners still haven’t tried it. Some people worry that their cat won’t like eating food made from insects, others find the idea of giving insects to their pet a bit strange, while a third group has concerns about the nutritional value and quality of insect-based diets for pets. At the same time, thousands of pet owners have already tried and loved Petcan’s nutritious and eco-friendly kibble. In this article, we will talk about all the benefits of insect-based pet food and put your concerns to rest.

Key points

• In theory, prescription dog foods are considered to be medications, and they have to get approval from the FDA.
• Although prescription dog foods are a very controversial topic due to their low-quality ingredients, they usually work well for sick pets if prescribed correctly.
• You can use prescription foods to address your pet’s digestive problems, urinary tract issues, skin irritation and sensitivity, weight problems, etc.

Prescription dog foods are scientifically formulated to meet your pet’s health requirements. You can buy these foods only if you have a prescription from a veterinarian.

It is worth noting that prescription food is a very controversial topic even among vets. Hill’s Pet Nutrition was the first brand to offer specialized pet diets, and it remains the largest player on the market. Other brands that manufacture veterinary diet formulas include Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Innovative Veterinary Diets, Purina, and Waltham. All of these are created by giant corporations. To formulate prescription dog food, they need to spend lots of money, hire a large staff of researchers, pay for facilities, and so on. Although small and innovative pet food companies could, in theory, produce prescription pet foods, they rarely have so much money to invest in the endeavor.