Oats for Dogs

As we all know how oats are very beneficial to humans, they are also very good for dogs in many ways.   Ever heard of oatmeal shampoo n conditioner for dogs with skin problems or even bathing them with real oats or applying the oats directly on affected skin? 

Today, I am going to introduce oats as food for dogs.

Oats generally helps digestion and has a natural calming effect to the body.  Some hyperactive dogs actually calm down a little after adding oats to their diet.  It also explains why oatmeal baths are recommended for dogs with itchy skin as it helps to calm the itchiness.   

Did you know that oats:
* are best known as a strength-giving cereal
* are an excellent source of antioxidants
* are low in starch
* are a valuable source of minerals, including potassium and phosphorus
* have a high silicon content, making them beneficial to our dogs’ bones and teeth
* soothe the gastrointestinal and nervous systems

More importantly why we choose to give our doggie oats for breakfast daily is because oats promotes a heart-healthy dog as it helps to lower cholesterol in the dog’s body.  Oats are loaded with a soluble fiber called beta-glucan.  Beta-glucans are incredibly viscous and help to thicken the membranes of the intestines when broken down.  This thickening prevents the absorption of bile acids, which are made up of cholesterol.  If the body has no bile acids to use in digestion, it must take up the cholesterol in the blood to replenish the bile acid, therefore reducing the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.  Over time, enough of the cholesterol in the blood is removed to show a significant reduction or maintain healthy levels.  Low cholesterol in the bloodstream means reduced risk of heart disease.  The high fiber in oats may also contribute to colon health and act as an aid to combat constipation.  In addition to the benefits of a whole lot of fiber, these tasty grains also boast high protein levels and good sources of magnesium, iron, zinc as well as several B vitamins.  In humans, oats have also been linked to controlling blood sugar levels, which could also benefit dogs with diabetes.  Not to mention that oats are packed with selenium, a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to heart health, DNA repair and colon cancer prevention.

Some dogs prefer raw oats while some prefer cooked oats like oats porridge.  We made for our doggie porridge oats from instant oats by The Quaker, as we are also having the same for our own breakfast, hee.  It’s easy to make, just have to add hot water n mix.  And they are easily available from supermarkets.  =)

We usually give 2 to 2.5 spoonfuls of oats to our doggie for breakfast daily.  For this instant oats, we just add some hot water and stir it, then its ready.  We will always add some sweet potatoes / bananas / steamed or fresh apples / fresh blueberries, etc, to the oats together with 1-2 spoonfuls of yogurt and some supplements.  We do sell some of these foods that you can add to the oats for your dog’s breakfast (freshly prepared n put to freeze), will talk more about these in the next few posts.

Besides all the nutritional facts about oats and how beneficial are oats to dogs, the best thing is that oats are not really that expensive.  Together with what you may add to the oats for more flavour, it is still very affordable.  Do consider adding oats to your dog’s diet!  I don’t know about your dog, but ours just loves it!  =D

Reference : http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/diy-eat/20326

Home-Cooked Food for Dogs with Skin Problems

Turbo’s skin had been well eversince when he was a puppy until he was 2+ years old, about half a year after spaying him.  It got better after some medications but kept coming back again and again throughout these 4 years, the time between one flare-up and another was also getting shorter and shorter.  He was on anti-biotics at times when he got really bad flare-ups, good thing is that he reacted well to steroid cream but it is not good for him to take too much steroids, it made him thirsty and have bald patches, and it only treats the symptoms but not the root of the problem.  So these 4 years he has been having skin problems on an on-off basis but it never really go away.  In fact, it got worse last year and we were applying cream for him a few days a week, then it got better for a few days and started coming back again.  The constant cream-applying drills, days and nights on the e-collar, and the cream/ointments on him is making our floor very oily and sticky (btw, we are clean freaks!), it’s just so sad and heart-breaking to see him suffering and itching like this.  =(

See how inflamed they could become, he must be feeling terribly uncomfortable.  :(

We also brought him to do food allergy testing but it showed he wasn’t allergic to any food apparently, which is uncommon.  We were really helpless.  We thought he might be allergic to something in the environment, so we bought a S$500+ Air Ionizer which is said to help reduce the allergens in the air, which might have helped a little, we are not sure, but no harm trying.  We also started to shower him more frequently to keep him clean, which was recommended by a doctor during one of his visits to the vet.  As much as we can, we would shower him every day or every alternate day with water and twice a week with the medicated shampoo, we then slowly stopped the medicated shampoo and used an organic Neem oil shampoo instead (this one we are using smells pretty nice, not smelly at all).  We think the frequent showering does help to keep him clean so as to avoid environmental allergens even though it’s a lot of work, but it does not exactly prevent flare-ups.

We also thought he might be allergic to the preservatives used in Dog kibbles and snacks if the food allergy test is hmm... accurate?  So we decided to start him on a home-cooked diet where we know exactly what he eats.  Usually they are ok with most veges, so it was mainly the meat we were closely monitoring.  After about one month of home-cooked diet, his skin has improved tremendously!  We realised we were not applying cream and ointments for him anymore and he wasn’t licking his body already.  I continued with the home-cooked diet for a few months or coming to half a year now and his skin is so nice and stable now.  His coat is also getting denser and he doesn’t seem to shed as much anymore.  You can also rest assured if you order our home-cooked diet because our own dog is taking the exact same food.  ;D

Cheeky Turbo showing off his good skin for photo-taking, kekeke!  ;P

See the difference!  Even the old scars are gone!  =D

 

We still give Turbo doggie treats but we are very selective what to give him.  We try to only give him those all natural or organic ones or those freeze-dried from original food kind, so no preservatives, usually those only have less than 5 ingredients kind, so he still gets to enjoy treats!  Sometimes we just give him fresh raw vegetables like celery and carrots to chew on or some fresh fruits like blueberries (anti-oxidants good for skin) or papayas (heard from a friend that it’s good for the skin), even better than commercial snacks!  Fresh and natural!  Try that!  ;P

We hope that your dog will also benefit from our home-cooked diet, actually we would also be happy if your dog benefits from your own home-cooked diet, what is important is the dogs are healthy and happy.  ;D