What’s for Dinner?
What to feed your family for dinner is never an easy choice. How do you know they are getting the right nutrients? Are there any recalls you need to be aware of? What ingredients or additives should you be watching for and avoiding?
 The importance of diet cannot be over-emphasized for humans and animals. What you put into your body dictates the rest of your life and the state of your health. The same is 100% true for your canine companion. Cheap brands found in supermarkets use low-quality ingredients and fillers that have little nutrients. A healthy diet can make a huge difference in the well-being and longevity of your pet. The better quality food, the less you will have to spend on their medical care later in life.
It can be tough to find a high quality food that fits the bill. When selecting a dog food here are some ingredients you want to see on the back of the bag: Meal (such as chicken or lamb, not ‘meat’), this should almost always be the first ingredient on a nutrition listing. Other quality ingredients include: fruits and vegetables, whole grains such as barley and brown rice, prebiotics & probiotics, glucosamine and chondroitin, chelated vitamins & minerals, flaxseed oil, fish oil, grapeseed oil or powder.
 On the other side here are some things to look to avoid on a dog food ingredients list: Meat by-products, ethoxyquin, BHT/BDA, tallow, animal digest, unspecified meat source (such as ‘poultry’ instead of ‘chicken’) brewers rice, brewers yeast, corn, wheat gluten, hulls & middlings, ‘mill run’ ingredients, cellulose, salt, colors & dyes, sugar/sorbital/corn syrup/sucrose, natural & artificial flavors, soybean oil, vegetable fiber. These ingredients and fillers are low in nutritional value and can cause stomach upset.
Some quality brands that are readily available at most pet food stores are: Wellness, Back to Basics, By Nature, Castor and Pollux, Nature's Balance, Nature's Variety, Solid Gold, Taste of the Wild, and Timberwolf. For the complete list of the best brands visit dogfoodadvisor.com.
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Love Letters to Rescue
Dear NGPR, It’s been almost a week since we met Teddy (TJ) and every day is a joy. He is completely settled in here. He’s a pleasure to walk on a leash and my kids have already taken him out for extended walks, which he loves. He’s very playful and loves meeting new people. Our kids’ friends have voted him the “best dog ever." We’re so grateful that you made it possible for him to join our family. We’re especially appreciative of your policy to include Pyr mixes; such a gem would have fallen between the cracks of strictly breed-only rescue organizations.
In gratitude, Mark and Claudia.
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Neediest Pups
This pup and his three brothers came into rescue from a Tennessee kill shelter. They all came down with Parvo and spent a weekend at the emergency vet. Our Louisville, KY volunteers picked up the tab and put their credit cards on the line, hoping to get paid back through ChipIn. Our goal is to raise $1500, half of the estimated $3,000 vet bill for their care. NGPR will match the $1500 raised through ChipIn to pay the Louisville volunteers back. If you think these little guys are worth saving, please ChipIn to help pay down these adorable pups' vet bills. You can help us help the neediest Pups by clicking here.
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Making Time for Time's Up
He was starved, filthy and hurt. The shelter called him "Time's Up" because they didn't think anyone would take him. We did and made a video. His injury was much worse than an injured dew claw; the metatarsal bones in his foot were so damaged they required a bone graft and plate to repair. Time's Up is now Spiro, Latin for hope. He is making a remarkable recovery since his operation January 12. We are trying to recover some of the cost of his $3,500 surgery with a ChipIn that runs through Valentine's Day. Please help.
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