Tag: food

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Melody of Memories

In times of tragic loss, several people reach out for their friends and family for comfort, while others keep to themselves. Teejay Raj writes a letter to his most loved Pixie to express his love and share the bereavement.

My heart throb Pixie, It’s been only a month since you left us and crossed over the rainbow bridge. I am writing this letter to try and let you go. For some reason, I am unable to find peace. Sometimes it feels like a dream, but I don’t know what kind, good or bad. Half the time it’s like I’m in the middle of a nightmare, but maybe I’ll wake up and see you on my bed. Or maybe I’ll look over right now and see you lying by my chair where you’d always be when I am home.

Sometimes it’s like you were just my imagination. I want to fall asleep again and hope that I re-start that same dream. Was it really nine years ago that I first saw you? We were supposed to have another two or three or even five years to hang out and go on walks, talk, travel, or play, or was that all just a happy dream?

I wept when you passed away, I still cry everyday although I loved you deeply, I couldn’t make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, Tiny little paws at rest. God broke my heart to only prove he takes the best. You came to my life when I was struggling with a shocking discovery of a lifelong disease with no cure in medical science. This hit me hard. It was difficult for me to come to terms with the unwanted developments. What was more dreadful was the fact that I cannot lead a normal healthy life anymore. My dependency on medicines, constant vigilance on day-to-day simple activities, brought fear and insecurity which gradually led to massive bouts of depression and suicidal tendencies.

During the whole process, I didn’t even realise when I isolated myself from the world. Eventually it led me to attract strong tendencies to hurt myself.

I still remember the feeling when I first saw you as a teenee weenie pup at the adoption centre in Delhi. With you, the conversations were magical – someday I might have to leave this world without getting a chance to tell you goodbye so I just want you to know that all my happiest memories are with you. Promise me, you will never forget all the time we spend together and promise me no one will ever take my place in your heart ever.

The day I adopted you, I found my missing piece – you completed me and made a better person out of me. Thank you for coming into my life and making me happy and content every single day. Maybe I wasn’t the perfect father for you- but I did everything in my power to make you happy.

In a world where everyone is overexposed- you have always taught me to enjoy life in private. If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realise how special you were to me. Time has made me realise, choosing you was one of the best decisions of my life. You made me believe in myself when everyone gave up on me. You taught me compassion, love without condition or boundaries and caring and sharing. Maybe someday, somewhere we will meet again.

But for now, I will keep you safe in my thoughts like a gem well-kept in a treasure. I will always see you as long as my heart beats. When I walk around the house, I feel like something is missing. You aren’t there to greet me, No tail wagging, no tongue lolling. Life will never be the same. It is a quiet empty home- my tiny little girl now sleeps peacefully. And it hits me at random throughout the day. I went over to the terrace of our block last Tuesday to look for something, and my dear girl, I was thinking of you. I had to sit down and gather myself before I could get back to looking. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, thank you for the nine years of being the best girl. It was a joy to grow up with you and it still breaks my heart that I won’t be seeing you anymore.

I want to read you the best quote I have ever heard, “You don’t know what you have, until it’s gone.” Truth, is you know exactly what you have but you just never thought, you would lose it. You have given me all your love and for staying as long as you possibly could. I never thought it was possible to love someone so deeply and so selflessly. You’ve taught us so many things without saying a word. You’ve changed me into a completely different human being. and now that you’re gone, I feel so lost and confused about my very own existence.

As far as I can see, grief will never truly end, it may become less shearing over time. Some days the pain does feel sharp. Grief will last as long as love does forever simply the way your absence pains my heart. A deep longing, along with deeper love…..someday the heavy rains lash and the next day the tide may recede. It will be an ebb and flow, the constant dance of pain, sorrow and sweet love.

I don’t often ask for help; I handle my own healing. When I do need someone that’s when you know it’s bad and I am literally struggling emotionally and mentally. You were so little when we got you and I was so young. Your passing symbolizes the end of an era, the end of very sweet memories. I love you Pixie, may you find happiness and lots of time to run and play on the rainbow. I miss you so much already. I am hoping this last letter to you gets rid of my heartache but it’s not working. Hopefully, I will find you in my dreams and thoughts and heal from this loss. You will always be “Daddy’s Little Girl”. I promise to see you on the other side when the time is right.

Unexpected Goodbye Forever in My Heart my baby.

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Truth About Dog Food

It would be more appropriate for the pet food companies to advertise their products as convenient feed, instead of calling it healthy, complete, balanced and optimum health food, says Canine Nutritionist Manssi SK Saha

 

New Delhi, December 14, 2019: Canine Nutritionist as a profession and qualification was not something most of us as dog owners are aware of. A very interesting one also since vets are not taught a lot of nutrition in veterinary college and they get most of their information from the food product companies. As a dog owner for over 30 years, I was not aware of a specialized and niche area of study that focuses on correct and balanced nutrition for dogs. I didn’t know that such a study teaches you about micro-nutrients and deficiencies and illness management and natural healing. My biggest surprise was that it was not a study about packaged foods and which brands are better and which are not; which “dog food” will serve my dog’s health more than the other. It was a study about fresh foods and clean food. In fact, it was about “food” not dog food! As I began my journey in canine nutrition, I quickly realized that absolutely everything I had been told, I had read and I knew about good nutrition for my dog was not true.

I began to learn that what the commercial pet food industry cleverly markets as food is, in fact, animal feed. Not food at all. And by the end of my diploma I was absolutely certain about the path my life had to take. I needed to educate as many pet parents as possible about this mass brainwash that the big pet feed companies have been carrying out for about six decades now. I realised holistic healing and health relies on fresh food and correct balance and manipulation of nutrients to maintain health for to aid recovery from specific illness. The results have been great. Dogs show amazing vitality differences within two weeks. People often ask me, “If you are so busy, why don’t you just feed kibble instead of a fresh diet for your dog?

It comes in large bags at a low cost, and what can be more convenient than digging into a bag and putting the food in front of the dog?” And that is a good question for most people. I have fed kibble (commercial processed foods) to many of my dogs before I found out what was in the kibble, what grows on kibble, and how little kibble supports my dog’s health. At times the driving factor was the price, and at times the ease, convenience and shelf life of dry food. I now know exactly what is in the kibble and what’s wrong with it and the things it does inside my dog’s body. I know all of these things from my profession as a Canine Nutritionist. But, not everyone gets a job that immerses them in nutritional information about their pets. So let us help you know more about it. I had the opportunity to learn in detail all of the above, as
a part of my job, I make it my business to educate people on the making of processed foods, and the ugly truth behind it.

Each species has a species appropriate diet and dry dog feed is simply not species appropriate! The convenience factor still remains, and if the food companies were to advertise it as convenient feed for dogs, it would be more accurate than calling it healthy, complete, balanced and optimum health food. I cannot imagine any of us going on a 100% fast food, processed packet food diet for the rest of our lives and still expect to have a wonderful, fit and healthy life. But essentially, we are expecting our dogs to be able to do exactly that! We are expecting them to eat fatty, high sugar, low quality, compromised ingredient food heavily laced with preservatives and flavours and colours; for the whole of their lives, and we are expecting them to be healthy. Nothing makes me happier to see that more people today are questioning the quality of food they feed their dogs than ever before, and a good number of them understand and see the need to feed fresh food to their dogs. A few years ago people needed to do their own research, filter out the nonsense from the logical, make some guesses about what is right and wrong.

Today, there are professional nutritionisst that can do that for you and give you a personalised customised plan for your dog! What makes the world of difference to your dog’s health and longevity is the food you feed them. What goes inside the body surely must be of the uttermost importance and deserves some thought, not to mention science. Nutrition can be of paramount importance in growth and development, in prevention of illness, chronic illness management and healing. Convenience of feeding fresh has also been taken care of: various services are available that provide fresh cooked meals for your dogs delivered to your doorstep. Doggiellicious is one such “all under one roof” service.

 

-Exclusive story by Buddy Life Magazine

 

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Your dog’s food may be linked to canine heart disease

16 Dog foods have been linked to heart disease. 

New York, June 30, 2019: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning dog owners of a possible link between certain dog food brands and a serious form of canine heart disease.The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain types of food, according to their statement. DCM is a condition that effects a dog’s heart and results in an enlarged muscle. Dogs with DCM tire easily, cough, and have difficulty breathing.

When the FDA first alerted the public in 2018 to cases of DCM, the agency didn’t mention specific brands; only foods labeled as “grain-free” and containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds and/or potatoes as the main ingredients. As part of that investigation, the FDA has now identified 16 brands of dog food which had the most frequent reported cases of DCM.

 
 
As per the data 77 million dogs in the U.S., 0.5% to 1% have DCM, and of those dogs with DCM, fewer than 0.1% are speculated to have DCM related to diet, although that is not scientifically proven. In the recipes Champion makes, we emphasize fresh and raw meat with total animal-derived ingredients ranging from 60 to 85 percent of the finished product. If DCM is caught early, heart function may improve in cases that are not linked to genetics with appropriate veterinary treatment and dietary modification, according to the FDA. If a dog is showing possible signs of DCM or other heart conditions, the FDA encourages you to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. In extreme cases such as sudden weakness or collapse, you may need to seek emergency veterinary care.
 
(Story by CNN)
 
 
 
 

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Feeding Pets with Vegan Food May Have Complications, Experts Warn

Nutrients come combined with thousands of others, interacting, complementing each other, changing the way they work.

New York, June 2, 2019: Matthew Grant tried diet after diet to help lessen the food allergies of Cooper, his old English bulldog. “Raw diet, novel protein, kangaroo, venison, we tried just about everything,” he says. Nothing worked, until he went vegan.Now his three dogs are on plant-based diets, and he says their coats are shinier and softer. Cooper’s allergies are completely gone. So remarkable was the change that Grant says he’s now thinking about going vegan himself.

As more vegetarian kibble shows up in pet stores, switching Fido and Fluffy to plant-based nutrition may seem like a good idea. According to a study published this year in PLOS One, over a third of pet owners in English-speaking countries, the United States included, have considered putting their pets on plant-based diets.Yet experts warn to be cautious. The science is sparse. While going plant based or at least forgoing meat, may be  healthy for humans, it’s not necessarily so for our furry friends,and for cats in particular. Lisa Freeman, veterinary nutritionist at Tufts University, believes the answer to whether cats can be healthy on a vegetarian diet is an “unequivocal no.”Unlike dogs, cats are obligate or “true” carnivores, meaning they rely entirely on animal flesh for some important nutrients.

Take vitamin A: dogs and humans can convert beta carotene from plant foods into active vitamin A. Cats cannot — they need to ingest the vitamin directly with meat. “There are also some fatty acids, like arachidonic acid, which is essential for cats and only found in animal fats,” says Jennifer Adolphe, animal nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan. Other challenging nutrients are vitamin D, vitamin B12 and taurine, an amino acid found in mammalian tissues (humans and dogs can synthesize it from plant sources). Taurine deficiency in cats can cause heart disease and vision problems. Yes, it’s possible to whip up a cocktail of supplements and sprinkle it over your cat’s porridge. But, Adolphe warns, “you wouldn’t want to just simply add those ingredients and hope for the best.”Unlike dogs, cats are obligate or “true”

It’s therefore likely that dogs digest starch more efficiently than wolves,” says Erik Axelsson, geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden, who led the study.But this does not mean you can put Fido on vegan chow without a second thought.“There are some amino acids that are essential for dogs, that are not so for people,” says Heinze, adding that plants tend to be poor in these particular amino acids.

(Story by Washington Post)

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Study Suggests Mercury Not a Risk in Dog Foods

Levels of methylmercury was investigated in a small sampling of commercial dog foods.

San Francisco, April 20, 2019, 11.30 P.M.: Dog food often remains in news for some or other reason, however mostly due to the bad one. However recent research may bring little relief to the dog parents. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, recently investigated levels of methylmercury in a small sampling of commercial dog foods and found good news for dog owners. Of the 24 diets tested, only three were positive for low concentrations of total mercury, and only one of those contained detectable methylmercury. The study was published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine.
“The concentrations detected are unlikely to pose a risk to healthy adult dogs,” said lead author Rae Sires, a nutrition resident at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. “These results should be reassuring to dog owners.”

According to the report published in Science Daily, excess mercury exposure is a health hazard for people and animals. Depending on the method of exposure — such as skin contact, ingestion or inhalation — it can lead to respiratory and gastrointestinal disease, kidney injury, impacted fetal development and neurologic issues. While previous studies have measured total mercury in commercial pet foods, additional testing for methylmercury had not been done.

“That is the form where we worry about bioaccumulation or the ability to become more concentrated in animal tissues as it moves through the food chain,” Sires said. “We know there is some level of total mercury in commercial dog foods based on recent studies, but we didn’t yet know whether it is cause for concern.”

Because methylmercury is known for its presence in aquatic species, Sires said the researchers evaluated diets containing fish — mostly salmon — and control samples, which didn’t have fish-based ingredients. Out of the 24 diets tested, only three were positive for low concentrations of total mercury, and only one of those contained detectable methylmercury. Surprisingly, Sires said they found two of the three positive samples among the non-fish diets, suggesting that common sources of mercury in pet foods may not originate from seafood.

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