Since pets affect owner health, I believe, pet health is indirectly responsible for the owner's health as well. So taking care of your pet's health is like taking care of your own health. Pet health, like your own health, starts at home with the food you put in your and your pet's body. So how do we know which pet food to choose from the huge selection at the store?

When I first adopted Ed, I thought about it a lot. So I spoke with some of the employees at the shelter I adopted him from. Many of them had owned dogs for 20+ years and had years of experience with many different dog foods. I've also had many friends that used different kinds of food. Also, there is a list of ingredients on the back of the packages.

Nothing can really replace feeding a dog it's natural diet which would be raw foods, but that can get pretty expensive. From the research that I've done on dry dog foods, I have come to the conclusion that the best dog food brand is Eukanuba, followed by Natural Choice, Science Diet and Pedigree. Iams is a pretty good brand as well.

For my dogs, I feed them Natural Choice. While I think that Eukanuba is probably the best dry food currently on the market, Iunderstand that many people are looking to save money in this economy. I am as well, which is why I originally chose to feed them Natural Choice. At the time I adopted Ed, I was in the military and couldn't afford Eukanuba. I got more recommendations for Natural Choice than any other dog food when my lifestyle and situation were taken into account.

Mostly what I look for with dog food is that it doesn't have any dyes in it. Many dogs tend to be allergic to the dyes and will throw the food back up or have other allergic reactions. I actually did try to switch Ed to a senior dog food since he's around 10 years old now, but the food had dye in it, so he ended up not being able to keep it down. So I ended up switching him back to the Natural Choice weight management food.

So, if you're looking for a diet to keep your dogs happy and healthy for a long time, the best food for you pets would be raw foods. However, those being the most expensive route, many people lean towards dry foods. In that category, I would recommend Eukanuba as the first choice and from there Natural Choice, Science Diet and Pedigree. I am by no means an expert. This has just been my personal experiences wheile deciding what food to feed my own dogs.

Animals affect humans

So I had an assignment to do for class. I had to create a blog. I didn't really know what I was doing or what I was going to write about. I though and though about and finally decided to write about one of the most important things in my life--my dogs. First of all, I have two dogs. The first one is Ed. Ed is about 10 years old. He is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. I adopted him from the SPCA when I lived in Monterey, California. My second dog, Dixie Blue, is a purebred (although not registered...yet) Australian Cattle Dog. She is just over 3 years old. I thought, "Hey, it's a great idea to get another Australian Cattle Dog. I already have one so I know what their temperament is like." Famous last words, right? :) It was definitely a whole new learning experience. You couldn't leave anything lying around because when you weren't home, it would end up in shreds. Dixie got this "lovely" habit of chewing the crotch out of my dirty underwear and pants...not my husband's...not my step children's...just mine. She would knock over the clothes hamper to get to them. Luckily, she's not AS destructive as she used to be. However, I should get to my real point. I love my dogs to death. They're the greatest things in my world right now. And I think that any animal, not just dogs, are great for people to have around their home (unless they're allergic, of course). There have been studies done on the elderly on the effects of owning pets. These studies have shown that people who own pets live longer and are physically independent longer than people who don't own pets. Maybe it has to do with the exercise they get from walking their dogs. Maybe it's just that they're happier because they have someone or something that shows them unconditional love. I don't have that answer (yet), but I do think that animals have a definite positive effect on the lives of humans.