Dwarf Beagle Steals Your Heart❣️

<sub>What greater gift is there,
than the love of a cat?
- Charles Dickens</sub>

❣️ Dwarf Beagle Will Steal Your Heart

🏡 A Neighborhood of Dogs

🐕 The Truth about Kibble

💰 Find Out if You Won $75!

^Heartwarmers
Scotch, The Beagle with Dwarfism
 

• After 2 months as a flip flop-sized pup, Scotch’s owner noticed he wasn’t growing.

• It became clear that Scotch had dwarfism, and wouldn’t grow much larger than a stuffed animal.

• Despite his small stature, Scotch’s personality shines through in goofy, loving, and amazing ways.

^News
Front Page Pets

Shelter Provides Dogs with Their Own Tiny Houses

• This shelter supports its dogs by housing them in unique mini-houses.

• Each house is colorful and set up in a neighborhood of other apartments occupied by dogs.

• This helps dogs wait for their forever homes without some of the stress that comes with living in a traditional shelter, mimicking home life and providing socialization to prepare dogs for healthy home lives.

^{More Cuteness}
Our Favorite Finds This Week 

^{Hot off the press!}
More Pet News
 

“No Dog Pee” Signs Hold Very Little Weight

• If you’ve seen an increase in “no dog pee here” signs recently, you’re not alone.

• These signs are meant to ward off dogs whose urine could damage the property owner’s grass, shrubs, or plants — it’s reasonable to want to keep your lawn in good condition.
  

• Still, dogs have an undeniable desire to pee on shrubs, plants, grass, and pretty much anything else they can lift a leg to. What are you supposed to do when nature calls?!

• Fortunately for us, “no dog pee” signs can’t be held against you unless the property owner can prove that their grass was damaged by your dog’s urine.
  

Larry The Cat Causes Royal Mischief

• Larry has been “Chief Mouser” to the Prime Minister of The United Kingdom since 2011.

• He is famous in England, more for his antics than his work as a professional mouser.

• The video below details a few of his recent escapades as the mascot at 10 Downing Street.

Seven Pallas Cat Kittens Born in Russia

• The Pallas Cat is a near-threatened species found across central Asia.

• They are rare, but you may have seen their cutely grumpy faces before.

• Take a few minutes to enjoy this video of 7 Pallas kittens who recently entered the world to help this threatened species stay alive.

^{Dietary Dilemmas}
What is Your Kibble Really Made of?
 

Should we feel guilty for feeding our pets dried food? Some advertisements make us think so, but is kibble more or less healthy than some of the new wet foods on the market?

In recent years, there’s been some seriously negative press directed towards kibble. A Facebook post last year by one fresh pet food manufacturer started with this rather melodramatic statement:

“no living being should eat dry, ultra-processed food for every meal.”

The implication is obvious – you’d have to be a bad owner to feed your pet dried food every day. But most of us feed our pets kibble, does that mean we’re bad owners?

Not at all.

Does That Mean Kibble isn’t Safe?

FDA regulations state that kibble must be balanced and meet an animal’s nutritional needs, so you’re certainly not guilty of neglect by putting down dried food! Some vets recommend it while others demur based on their personal opinion. Either way, kibble is perfectly safe, offering a balanced diet for cats and dogs alike.

What’s in Kibble?

 
There are a variety of essential ingredients in any kibble, regardless of who manufactures it:

• Protein sources (which can include eggs, fish, red meat or poultry)

• Cereals (from wheat and barley to rice and maize)

• Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, in varying quantities.

Some brands include live probiotics which aid digestion and immune systems – but don’t assume all kibble incorporates this. Similarly, good brands will include vegetables like sweet potatoes and peas, but there’s no legal requirement to do so. 

Read the label to determine what ingredients your chosen brand contains, and compare labels in the grocery store to see the differences between rival products. Kibble may also contain ingredients aimed at specific subsets (cats who are prone to hairballs, older dogs, etc.)

How is Kibble Made?

Like wet food, kibble is made using a variety of ingredients which are processed and blended together and then cooked in batches. Unlike wet food, it’s formed into a heated dough which has fats and water reduced before being pushed through an extruder that cuts it into pellets. These dehydrated pellets are baked in an oven before being spray-coated with oils and vitamins to preserve them, along with surface-coated flavorings for taste.

Because kibble doesn’t include the gravy and water often used to bulk out wet food, it’s far more condensed. Wet food might be 75 per cent moisture, making it relatively poor value per pound, whereas kibble rarely contains more than ten per cent moisture.

Is Kibble Good for My Pet?

Provided your pet is well-supplied with fresh water (and doesn’t mind drinking it!), a well-made kibble offers many benefits over wet food:

• Its crunchy nature leads to increased saliva production while eating, which reduces dental plaque and leads to healthier gums.

• The long life of most dry food ensures it won’t spoil, whereas wet food goes off more quickly, especially once it’s been served up for a few hours.

• As well as minimizing wastage, kibble is cheaper to buy and easier to store, which is beneficial for buyers on a budget.

• Whereas wet food can only really be served in a bowl, kibble may be deployed in puzzles, slow feeders and mentally stimulating toys or devices.

• Because it has a far lower moisture content, it’s more filling than the equivalent weight of wet food, most of which is likely to be water.

How to Choose The Right Kibble

If you’re unsure which kibble brand to buy, your veterinarian can offer advice and recommendations. They’re likely to point you towards well-known brands like Royal Canin, Purina and Science Diet, though smaller independent manufacturers produce some outstanding dried food. Look for trusted online review sites and read testimonials from pet owners.

We’d recommend avoiding any kibble which doesn’t list a protein source as the first ingredient. Grain-based kibble tends to be low quality, and dogs in particular need plenty of protein to retain their vitality. Also avoid kibble with added sugar – it really isn’t necessary.

The Best of Both Worlds

The ideal scenario may be to mix wet and dry food over the course of a day – one in the morning and the other at night. Like us, pets get bored of eating the same food over and over, though cats may be more content with a repetitive diet than dogs. 

Wet food has unique benefits of its own. It’s easier to chew and comes in more flavor varieties, while its higher water content is advisable if your pet has ever had urinary issues or isn’t keen on drinking water. Take any anti-kibble claims by wet food manufacturers with a pinch of salt, though – they’re generally just trying to drive uptake of their own products.

Whatever combination of food you stock up on at the supermarket, you’re not failing your beloved pets by putting down kibble.
 

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