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Coton Connection, Issue #014 - What is your Coton eating?
January 04, 2011
Welcome Coton Lovers:

Happy New Year

What should I feed my Coton?

I want to wish each of you and your beautiful Cotons a very happy and healthy 2011 ! I thought I'd start the year by sharing one of the most common questions I receive. Everyone wants to know what to feed their Coton.

Because of Luc's allergies, I have done a lot of research on dog foods and it is very shocking and disturbing to find out what's actually in a lot of the pet foods on the market. Confusing and misleading advertising can lead you to believe that your dog is eating healthy food, but that is often not the case. This could take years of your dog's life because low quality dog food can actually contribute to all kinds of health issues such as kidney disease, liver dysfunction, thyroid disease, pancreatitis, epilepsy, allergies, heart disease, auto-immune disease and more.

It's hard to imagine that the dog food manufacturers make food that is actually bad for our dogs, but unfortunately this is the case. The good news is that this is slowly starting to change and more are more companies are stepping up to provide higher quality food for our dogs.

It's also disconcerting that many veterinarians are not up to speed with which dog foods are best and will in fact sell low quality foods in their clinics. It's up to us, as dog owners, to become detectives and seek out the best nutrition for our pet.

Choosing healthy food is one of easiest ways to make sure your Coton is as healthy as possible, so here is some general advice when looking for the best commercial food:

  • Choose from a variety of high quality dog foods and rotate them every 2 or 3 months

  • The best dog food is actually home made food because you can control each and every ingredient and ensure your dog gets only the best

  • Let's face it, most of us use dry commercial dog food and want to know which ones are the best, so here are some things to look for:
    • Make sure the first ingredient (which is always listed in descending order) is an animal based protein like chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.

    • Avoid ingredients that list by-products

    • Look for natural preservatives such as Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Vitamin E, and mixed tocopherols and stay away from preservatives BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol which can be toxic.

    • Also stay away from artifical enhancers and artificial colors

    • Avoid foods that list corn in the first few ingredients


    I always get asked to identify which dog food brands are the best. This can be tricky since the ingredients often change and what's good today may not be so good tomorrow. BUT there are some web sites that are invaluable in helping you decide if your dog food is high quality and good for your precious Coton.

    These helpful sites give reviews on hundreds of dog food brands and categorize them by their quality. They list all the ingredients so you can check if your dog food lists any of the above "bad" ingredients.

    dogfoodanalysis.com
    dogfoodadvisor.com
    petfoodratings.net



    You may be surprised to find that your Coton isn't necessarily getting the best food even if your paying a lot of money for it. Or you may find a dog food that would be better for your dog based on his/her particular health needs. Certain foods are better for certain conditions such as allergies, heart disease, arthritis, kidney disorders, etc.

    There is a growing movement to help pet owners understand just how misleading many dog food manufacturers are and to help us become more informed to take care of our pets. You can add years to your Coton's life just by making better food choices. Watch this movie for very interesting information about your dog's food and learn how you can increase your dog's life span by 134% by making the dietary changes they recommend.

    Happy Birthday Cotons!

    Happy Birthday wishes go out to special Cotons who celebrated recent birthdays:

    • Bailey - 12/22
    • Tuffy - 12/26
    • Heathcliff - 12/27
    • Zoey - 12/30

    Upcoming January birthday best wishes go out to:

    • Truffle - 1/10
    • Barkley - 1/23


    Want your Coton to get special birthday attention? It's easy; just join our Birthday Club.

    Meet the Cotons

    Did you see the Christmas Cotons? Check out Tuffy, and Bailey, and and Casey & Cooper.

    We also had fun with Pouchie, Zero, Henry playing in the mud, Rocco running rings, beautiful Cinderella, JR's brother, Little Boy,and Gypsy who we think must be a Coton.

    And of course, we've just learned that Cotons may share a surprising characteristic. Is your Coton a thief?

    Stop by and meet the new Cotons here. You can brag about your Coton any time.

    NEW: Coton Videos

    Now we have another way to show off our Cotons. Do you have a video you'd like to share? You can submit videos here. Or just take a break and just enjoy videos that others have submitted.

    Do you have a question about your Coton? You can see all the Coton questions submitted here.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Wysong


    Join us on Facebook

    Don't forget to stop by and say hello on our Facebook page where you can share more pictures, stories, questions, and comments with each other any time.

    Cool Coton Products

    Check them out our "Cool Coton" products here.



    Send a F.R.E.E. eCard to a Coton Dog Lover

    Do you want to send any birthday, anniverary, or holiday greeting cards? Why not send a Coton dog e-card? Send as many as you like - it's fun, [f.r.e.e.], and easy!

    Click here to send an E-Card now.



    I love hearing from you! You can contact me any time here.

    Gale and Luc

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