After you put food in your dog’s bowl, he takes a mouthful, walks across the room, drops it onto your carpet and then munches away. And he repeats this curious ritual until his chow is all gone. It doesn’t seem like an efficient way to eat, not to mention that he's getting crumbs on your rug. So what gives? Possible Reasons Behind the Curious Mealtime Behavior The answer to this propensity lies in two words: pack mentality. When dogs in the wild make a kill, the outranked animals drag pieces of food away so they don’t have to fight the leader or a more dominant canine for it, says Dr. Julie Albright-Keck, DVM, MA, DACVB, an assistant professor of veterinary behavior at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/Pages/utcvm_home.aspx. “Fighting is obviously very risky, so most animals, especially subordinate ones, will go to great lengths to avoid an altercation,” says Dr. Albright. Although the competition in your house may not even be real, particularly if you only have one dog, it’s his evolutionary instinct taking over. Another possibility: If you use a metal bowl, the noise of the food moving around in the dish or even his collar tags hitting the side can be frightening or annoying, notes Dr. Albright, so he may be taking the kibble away from the trigger of the sound. How to Put the Kibosh on This Kibble Ritual If you want to curb this unusual eating behavior, Dr. Albright suggests swapping metal bowls for plastic versions or paper plates to rule out issues with noise. “If the dog still takes the food away, find a more secluded or confined area for him to eat,” she says. “And if there are other dogs in the house, separate them at feeding time to allow for privacy, so there’s no threat of competition, either real or imagined.”
Eric Love told FOX 5 News that his parents got into accident in Banks County on their way to Lake Hartwell around 5:00 p.m.. Monday. They say a driver hit them causing their Expedition to roll multiple times on Interstate 85. They were able to walk away safe, but their puppy Georgia went missing. He said the dog has a chip and hopes that if anyone in north Georgia finds Georgia that they will get the chip read. A post on Eric's Facebook page stated that a friend might have seen the dog Tuesday night underneath the Neal lane Bridge over Interstate 85. Eric Love shared this photo on facebook:
Evening all! We have continued to spread the flyers and word around exit 160. I'll be heading up midday tomorrow to start moving farther north, back towards my family's lakehouse. Anyone who wants to come out, drive the country roads, take a walk in the woods, spread the word, and hopefully put some eyes on Georgia is always appreciated! As a reminder, never drink and drive!
Houston, Texas - Are those drones buzzing over a Sunnyside neighborhood, in south Houston? "It's another amazing tool," said Tom McPhee, executive director of World Animal Awareness Society. It's a tool to track stray dogs. WA2S is shooting a new TV show, Operation Houston: Stray Dog City. It's an up-close look at Houston's serious stray dog problem and the men and women who try to save the dogs before it's too late.
Momma is a pit bull found by Emal's group. She was found in an abandoned
Tom McPhee
house. She hadn't moved for days and was rotting to death. "If we hadn't found her, she would have died," said Erika Emal, the founder of Southside Street Dogs. "It's touch and go," said Emal. She was rushed to a local emergency vet clinic. It's just one of several stories McPhee wants to highlight in Houston. "There's obviously issues and problems here," said McPhee. But to solve those issues you need to first know how big the problem is. It's why McPhee plans to launch his drones across Houston. "The drone allows us to draw a big circle in the air as we're filming in 4K. It's beautiful footage," said McPhee. He'll use GPS technology and volunteers on the ground. Together they plan to find and count just how many strays are in the Houston area. Estimates indicate it could be more than a million. "It's a first step to try and tackle a humongous problem," said Emal.
Drones, as low-cost flying machines, make great rescue tools. They can look and go places people can’t--or at least can’t go safely--and with infrared cameras, they can sometimes see beyond what human eyes can. In Houston, the World Animal Awareness Society plans to use them to track stray dogs, combining a drone's utility as a mapping device with its rescue abilities. However, the project, titled Operation Houston: Stray Dog City,” plans to film not just a stray dog map, but the pilot for a new show. The show started filming on March 20th and will continue filming through the 30th. World Animal Awareness Society is a media nonprofit that's made shows for National Geographic, Animal Planet, and others, though there's no announced broadcast information for Operation Houston yet. As for how the show will be structured, it's billed as a “cross between Pit Bulls & Parolees, Deadliest Catch, and Survivor,” which does not bode terribly well for the pups. Watch a video of them testing the drone in Detroit below:
With thousands of pet foods on the market, how do you make the optimal choice? Pet food labels are a good place to start. Understanding the label information can help you make informed decisions about what you are feeding your pets. Which Parts of the Label Help Assess Food Quality? The following key components of a pet food label can help you evaluate nutritional information:
A list of ingredients (in descending order by weight)
A guaranteed analysis
What Does the Nutritional Adequacy Statement Reveal? The AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement declares if the product or treat is complete and balanced, and whether it should be fed under veterinary supervision. The following types of nutritional adequacy statements can appear on a pet food label:
Animal feeding trials using AAFCO procedures show that the product provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages or a particular stage.
The product is formulated to meet the nutrient levels established by AAFCO for a particular life stage or for all life stages.
The product is intended for intermittent or supplemental use only.
The presence of either of the first two statements means that a food can be used as the sole source of nutrition. “Complete and balanced” means that a food has all the recognized, required nutrients in the proper proportions, when fed appropriately. In a feeding trial, a product is fed to a certain number of dogs or cats for a specified period of time to determine whether it provides adequate nutrition. By conducting feeding trials, pet food companies ensure that animals in a particular life stage (i.e., pregnant, nursing, growing, adult maintenance) will obtain proper nutrition from a food. Feeding trials also provide some assurance of palatability (how good the food tastes to pets) and the availability of nutrients. When a food is formulated by calculation or chemical analysis, the nutrients may meet the maximum or minimum levels established by AAFCO, but because the finished product is not fed to animals, availability of nutrients and palatability are not assessed. The nutritional adequacy statement regarding intermittent or supplemental feeding applies to treats, or to special diets that require a veterinarian to monitor the pet. What Should I Know About the Ingredients? Here are some important facts about pet food ingredients:
The ingredient list is of little practical use when determining nutritional value.
Each ingredient, including additives, must be listed in the ingredients statement.
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. However, this does not reveal the amounts of the ingredients. For example, wheat germ meal, wheat bran, and wheat flour are all components of wheat, but they may provide different nutrients. The ingredient list can be valuable when a pet has a confirmed food allergy and must avoid certain ingredients.
AAFCO defines how ingredients are named. For example, according to AAFCO, corn gluten is defined as the part of the commercial, shelled corn after removal of the larger portion of the corn’s starch and germ.
What Do the Percentages on the Label Mean? AAFCO regulations require pet food manufacturers in the United States to include a guaranteed analysis that lists percentages of certain nutrients on pet food labels. These percentages (i.e., minimum protein and fat; maximum fiber and water) are listed on an “as-fed” basis. That simply means the percentage of each nutrient, including water or moisture, contained in the final product consumed by the pet. To compare products on a level playing field, it is necessary to convert the information listed in the guaranteed analysis to a “caloric basis”. When not measured on a caloric basis, canned food appears to have a lower concentration of nutrients than dry food because dry food contains approximately 10 percent water, but canned food contains approximately 75 percent water. Even the comparison of the information in the guaranteed analysis of two products that contain the same amount of moisture can be inaccurate if the products differ in caloric density. What Are the Chemicals in the Ingredients? Pet owners may be concerned to see “phylloquinone,” “α-tocopherol,” “cobalamin” and “ascorbic acid” listed on their pets’ food until they learn that these are the technical names for vitamins K 1, E, B 12 and C, respectively. α-Tocopherol is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants are added to foods to balance the nutrient profile and preserve fats. Preservatives are not universally bad for pets and, in fact, help prevent foods from becoming rancid. What Are the By-Products on the Label? Many questions about pet food result from a misunderstanding of particular ingredients. Pet owners may incorrectly think that by-products are solely the undesirable parts of animals, such as hooves, feathers and beaks. However, as defined by the pet food industry, meat by-products are clean parts other than meat, such as lungs, kidneys and spleens. Therefore, by-products can be an excellent source of amino acids, protein, vitamins and minerals. Who Ensures the Quality of Pet Foods? Several governing agencies have a role in regulating pet food. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authority over pet foods. The FDA establishes certain labeling regulations for animal food and enforces regulations about contamination. Feed control officials from the state departments of agriculture work with the FDA to inspect facilities and enforce regulations within each state. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) defines ingredients and has an agreement to work with FDA scientists to ensure the safety of ingredients. Consumers can voluntarily submit reports using the FDA Safety Reporting Portal: www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov. Are Organic or Natural Ingredients Better? Pet food labels are factual, but they are also used to attract consumers. Terms such as organic and natural, and unregulated terms such as human grade, premium and holistic are of little use when determining nutritional value. As more pet foods are manufactured to meet the demand for organic and natural ingredients, pet owners need to understand these terms. AAFCO defines natural as “originating from animals or plants.” AAFCO has no regulatory definition for organic, which refers to the procedure by which organic ingredients are grown, harvested and processed. There is no evidence that organic food is more beneficial to animals than nonorganic food. Pet foods that meet the human standard for organic (at least 95 percent of the content by weight, excluding salt and water, must be organic) may display the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal on their packaging. The FDA uses natural to describe food, and organic to describe both the food and the way in which it was processed. Are the Feeding Guidelines Right for My Pet? Complete and balanced pet foods must include feeding directions on their labels. However, one set of feeding guidelines cannot account for the great variation in metabolic rates and nutritional needs among individual pets. In addition, breed, temperament, environment and many other factors can influence food intake. Feeding guidelines provide a good starting point but may overestimate the needs of some pets, leading to weight gain. Therefore, pet owners (with guidance from a veterinary professional) may have to adjust the feeding guidelines on a case-by-case basis to achieve a healthy, lean body condition for their pets. Why Aren’t Calories Listed on All Pet Food Labels? Caloric content is not included on most pet food labels, but that may be changing. The format of pet food labels was derived from large animal feed packaging, which does not legally require the inclusion of caloric content. AAFCO has voted to mandate the inclusion of caloric content on pet food labels. In January 2013, the rule was approved, and the transition to revised labeling will occur from 2016 to 2017, for full enforcement. For more information on pet food labels, visit the FDA website: www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/ucm047113.htm.
