Intelligent K9

One easy way to boost dog nutrition.

mQuaranta — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:53:03 +0000

An easy and cost-effective way to boost dog nutrition is to become aware of foods you can buy for yourself that are safe and nutritious for dogs, and add small amounts to their kibble. Watch for allergic reactions like paw licking and excessive scratching. Diarrhea or vomiting can result from too fast of a diet change or an intolerance for the food you are trying. If you see diarrhea or vomiting go back to feeding just kibble and wait a week before trying something else. Never replace more than half of the recommended kibble amount.

Always avoid foods that have added salt or chemicals and never add any yourself.

Here is a short list of some foods to try;

Eggs: You can feed eggs raw or cooked, but the whites are more easily digested when cooked.
Eggshells: Adding 1/2 tsp. of ground up eggshells is equivalent to 1,000 mg of calcium, essential to bone health.
Muscle meat: You can add any kind of muscle meat including the heart, either ground or in chunks, as long as they are small enough not to be a choking hazard.
Organ meat: Liver and other organ meats are rich and can lead to diarrhea if overfed, but they are a great source of beneficial nutrients.
Canned fish with bones: Salmon, mackerel, or sardines packed in water are full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and trace minerals. The bones have been pressure cooked so they are very soft.
Green tripe: Adventurous owners can try unbleached (and stinky) green tripe. Dogs love it and it is full of beneficial nutrients. Click here for a list of green tripe providers.

Other foods to try are yogurt, vegetables, fruit, and bones but always make diet changes slowly and in small amounts.

I have tried mixing in several different foods with kibble and have found that mixing a few ingredients together like ground beef or chicken with yogurt and some diced spinach leaves makes for a very tasty and healthy addition to kibble. Imagine only eating Cheerios for the rest of your life, which is essentially what we are doing by feeding our dogs the same cereal-like dog food for every meal. Yes, kibble sustains a dogs life, but if it hardly costs any extra time or money to improve the quality of a dogs diet by adding some fresh ingredients then why not do it?

Dog Training Obedience

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:05:31 +0000

“Ali’s training has not only given me a sweet obedient dog, but a companion for life. I love hearing from people about how well behaved, and smart Paisley is! I know she wouldn’t be this way without the help of Nashville K9.”

Kati P. Nashville, TN

German Shepherd in Brentwood

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:54:13 +0000

“I have a 6 month old german shepherd who was beginning to develop bad habits. I contacted Ali and was reassured these problems could all be fixed. “Nate” spent two weeks with Ali and has started his transformation into the perfect dog. He no longer pulls with his leash and is constantly looking at me for further instruction. He would follow simple commands before meeting Ali, as long as a “treat” was involved but became distracted afterwards. Now he is doing 40-50 foot stays! Ali also kept me updated every couple of days on Nate’s progress, as well as, sending me pictures of his training. He also does a wonderful post-training class with the owners. The only wish I had about nashville k9 is that I would have contacted them sooner!”

Drew M., Brentwood, TN