Feeding Dogs Bones

For decades, images of dogs happily chewing on bones have been promoted on television and in motion pictures. As a result, pet owners have been feeding their dogs both raw and cooked bones, thinking that they are providing a natural form of nutrition for their pets. In reality, they are compromising the dog’s health and unintentionally risking the animal’s life. The consumption of bones by dogs has resulted in vomiting, organ puncture, and cancer. Feeding dogs bones is not a good thing to do!

Dogs are natural and instinctive scavengers. They might not be fed bones by their guardian, but they can find them in trash cans, on unattended plates, and when they find a dead animal, such as a bird or rat. This is very dangerous and must be prevented. One of the more common dangers of bone consumption is bone splinters. Bones from small birds, such as starlings, or medium-sized birds, such as chickens, as well as fish and other meats, can easily splinter when chewed and disperse inside an unsuspecting dog, leading to ripping and tearing of internal organs, and, possibly, death.

In addition to the intestinal danger that results from eating bones, dogs may experience cracking or breaking of teeth. This could result in prolonged periods of pain for the animal because tooth injuries are not as easily noticed as other physical ailments. When the problem is discovered, the dog may have to undergo oral surgery to remove infections, reconstruct a tooth, or extract teeth. This is painful and traumatic for the dog and can be very costly for the dog’s guardian.

If a pet owner is in doubt regarding proper nutrition for a dog, it is recommended that they consult a veterinarian, or, at the very least, perform cursory research on the internet. Food requirements vary, depending on a dog’s breed, weight, and size. If a pet owner can’t bear not to give the dog a treat, use rawhide or chew bones made of dog food purchased at the store or pet shop.

A proper diet for a dog contains a balance of nutrients that are low in fat and are easily digestible. Veterinarians do not recommend that dogs receive ‘table scraps’ or leftovers from the owner’s meals. Eating these foods can result in weight gain and a rejection of food specifically prepared for dogs. In particular, dogs should never be given chocolate, raw meats, or raw organ meats. These foods can cause skeletal problems and toxicity in dogs. They, along with real bones, are a “No, no!”

One of the best, and most easily accessible, sources of information regarding animal nutrition is the internet. A concerned dog owner can search the internet using words such as “feeding dogs,” “dog food,” or “dog nutrition.” The resulting information will include general nutrition information, feeding a specific a breed of dog, and training a dog to eat certain foods. Chew bones and other safe treats are also available on the internet.

Dogs can be fed properly, safely, and consistently when everyone in the home, or family and friends outside the home, are aware of the dog’s dietary needs. This information will help anyone who may be taking care of the dog in an owner’s absence. Dog owners should list the foods that the dog eats and the way in which the food is prepared. Also, there should be a prominent notation stating that feeding bones to the dog is prohibited. Since feeding dogs bones is very dangerous, be sure that no one, family, friend, or dog-sitter ever does!

Obesity in Today’s World

From 1988-1994 the number of Americans who were over weight or obese was 56%. That number rose from 1999-2000 to 64% according to NAASO.org. Oregon is one of the highest with 23% of its population being obese. There are many reasons why people become obese or over weight. Many times it is genetic but that is something you can not change. What you can change is the way you eat, what you eat and how much you eat. If our society as a whole does not change the way we eat, we will be at high risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks. In 2004 obesity related deaths ranked number two, smoking came in first. By 2005 obesity related deaths was expected to pass smoking as the number one cause of death, according to Medscape.com.

Americans lead busy lives and the cost of living is not cheep. In a typical family home, both parents work a forty hour week and arrive home late. Most of those families would rather relax than think about making a well balanced meal for everyone. Usually they will grab what it closest or easiest such as a microwave dinner, take out or the phone to order a pizza.

Often eating out is cheaper than making a home cooked meal. You can go to McDonalds and feed a family of four for fewer than twenty dollars. It is fast, easy and cheap. To feed a family of four a balanced meal, for example chicken with rice and a vegetable, costs more in both time and money. Foster Farms offers three chicken breasts in a package for around $9.00 at a local Fred Meyer here in Oregon. You would have to buy two in order to feed a family of four. One package of Uncle Ben’s instant wild rice only has two to three servings per container for $2.50 which means again you would have to buy two packages. For a bushel of broccoli can range in price from $1.00 per pound. Once you go to the grocery store, come home and make all this food, you evening is gone and so is over twenty dollars.

Lack of health choice at restaurants makes eating right difficult. According to Foodfacts.info, in 2005 fast food chain, Wendy’s, pulled their fruit salad option after only ten months on the menu, sighting low sales. Many fast food chains have started to offer healthier choices such as Subway which offers raisins and yogurt, and Wendy’s offers mandarin orange fruit cups in place of fries. Some sit down restaurants have followed suit such as Red Robin which will allow you to order either a petite hamburger patty or a Boca Burger substitute for any of their burgers. Unfortunately other places do not offer alternatives or the alternatives are not well advertised by the prospective restaurant. Red Robin might offer a Boca patty substitution but it is in fine print which is barley visible at the very bottom of their menu.

When eating out, often you do not have control over the serving sizes. For instance at McDonalds, e medium fry package now has nutritional facts listed on the side. It shows how many calories are in that amount of fries along with the sodium content. What they are not taking into account is the amount of salt added to the fries after cooking, and the person filling the container usually over fills. Therefore the nutritional facts and serving size information provided is inaccurate.

Gastric bypass surgery is the second only to breast augmentation, as the most common surgery among young adults. The time is now for us to start setting a good example for all people and start making smarter choices of food, make the effort to cook healthy meals, and rethink what a serving size is. Sure it might require more effort and more time and sacrifice but when you look at the health risks and concerns associated with obesity, it just makes sense to spend a few extra dollars, a little more time and make a few better choices in order to make a better future for you and your family.

Create Your Own Facial Masks

Treat yourself and your skin to some TLC. Give yourself a facial.
It’s not only good for you, if feels great too. You can make a facial from ordinary kitchen goods. Here are some recipes which are inexpensive to make and you probably have the ingredients right in your kitchen. A homemade face mask is a mixture of natural ingredients mixed together to make a mask for one’s skin at home itself. The face mask should be made according to one’s skin type. First of all there lies the need for one to recognize one’s skin type. Like for e.g. if one’s skin gets sticky, oily, itchy etc when one goes out in the sun it means one’s skin is oily. A homemade mask will take you no more than a few minutes to put together, and once you have the basic ingredients ready in a jar you can have your own instant facial mask ready for use. The best thing is that the mask is tailor made especially for you.

Normal, combination skin, oily and blemished skin
Mix one egg white, 1/2 cup cooked instant oatmeal, a teaspoon olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice until smooth. Spread on your face and neck, leave on for 15 – 30 min then rinse with lukewarm water. Few drops lemon juice will help to reduce blackheads while egg white will leave your skin feel “tight” after this mask application.

Honey Mask Recipe
The best facial mask is honey. Place a cloth in warm water and apply to your face to open the pores. Smear on honey, and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores. Use once a week.

Egyptian facial mask
A little egg, a little milk, a little olive oil and you have the makings of an ancient mask. Grape cleanser-split 2-3 grapes and rub the flesh over face and neck. Rinse with cool water. Massage into the face and neck . Leave on for 15 minutes and gently rinse off.

Dry Skin Mask
mix 1 tsp. of butter in 1 teaspoon of water. Apply it thoroughly into all the dry areas and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Another facial mask is oatmeal facial mask-take 2 tsp oatmeal and 1 tsp baking soda and add water to make paste. Apply to face and all over the skin and rub gently. Do not apply any type of facial mask just before a special occasion, the reason for this is the drawing power of the mask can flush the skin.

Moisturizing
Moisturizing morning and evening with a natural moisturizer hydrates, moisturizes and protects the skin from daily pollutants.
For a moisturizing and nourishing mask, blend a mashed banana with white cosmetic clay and apply.
For normal skin, mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and apply it on your face. Clean it off after 20 minutes.
For dry skin, use a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey; it is a very good moisturize and cleansing agent.

Banana-Avacado Mask ingredients 1/2 over-ripe banana ,1/2 over-ripe avocado ,2 Tbsp unflavored full-fat yogurt and 1 tsp olive oil ,Mash banana and avocado, combine with other ingredients, and mix well. Apply liberally to face and neck. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Lighten circles under eyes Recipe-to lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap a grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream. Ingredients 4-5 very ripe med-size strawberries ,2 tsp. heavy cream and 1 tsp. honey. Puree strawberries, cream and honey together in a blender. Apply to your face evenly. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with cool water or soft wash cloth.

Strawberry Mask
4 to 5 very ripe, medium size strawberries
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon honey
Rinse the strawberries in lukewarm water, and dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. In a small bowl, mash the fruit with a fork. Add the cream and honey, mixing well. Leave on for 20 minutes
People with sensitive or sunburned skin might find the strawberries irritating. Test on a small patch of skin first to assess your skin’s reaction.

Cucumber delight
Mix into a blender a combination of one mashed banana, and half of cucumber. Drop in a tablespoon of honey and half a cup of lemon juice. Spread over the face and rinse off after thirty minutes.