Pets

Dog Food Comparison – How Our Comparisons Work

Dog Food Comparison – Overview

Trying to find a healthy food for your dog used to be a test of faith. Fortunately, government standards and the internet have made it so that you can make an informed choice much easier.

There are several things to consider when choosing a food for your dog:

• Age Of Your dog
• Size Of Your Dog
• Activity Level Of Your Dog
• Current Weight Of Your Dog
• Any Allergies Your Dog May Have

Dog Food Comparison – Labels Tricks

Ingredients

By law (as created by AAFCO – The Association of American Feed Control Officials), all ingredients must be listed in order by weight from greatest to least. This means that if beef is the first ingredient, beef must be the most prevelant ingredient in the food.

Unfortunately, there are several tricks that many food manufacturers use to manipulate the perceived quality of their food. The good news is that we are aware of these tricks, and take them into consideration when rating our products.

Dog Food Comparison – Our Rating System

We use a 10 point rating sytem. A dog’s diet should consist mostly of quality proteins and fats, whic make up 7 of the 10 points. Balanced nutrition and fiber shoud come from fruits and vegetables which make up 2 points. Additives such as vitamins, minerals, supplements, and probiotics make up the final point.

Positive Points
Quality of protein – Up to 4 points
Quality and balance of fats – Up to 3 points
Quality of fruits and vegetables – Up to 2 points 
Additional Microbiotics and Probiotics – Up to 1 point
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Total – 10 Points

Negative Pints
Presence of "bad" grains – Up to -2 points
Presence of Byproducts – Up to -3 points
 

Dog Food Comparison

•  Adult Formula Dog Food Comparison

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Dog Food Comparison – Adult Formulas

Dog Food Comparison Overview:

Each of the following foods are high end, high quality foods. Depending on your dogs particular dietary constraints (fish, beef, lamb, poultry), either of these foods would be appropriate and very good for your dog.

The clear winner is the Orijen Adult formula. All of the proteins, fats, and veggies / fruits come from wild or organic sources. There are absolutely NO GRAINS or fillers in the food. Russet Potato is used to hold the food together, providing a low allergen, vitamin rich carbohydrate to provide your dog with energy.

Click on the bag of food to review it’s label information, and receive an instant 10% discount!

Solid Gold Wolf King

Quality of Protein – 3.5
Quality of Fats – 3
Quality of Fruits and Vegetables – 1.5
Additional Ingredients – .5
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Total – 8.5

Nutro Ultra

Quality of Protein – 2.5
Quality of Fats – 1.5
Quality of Fruits and Vegetables – 1.0
Additional Ingredients – .5
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Total – 5.5

Winner – Orijen Adult

Read Our Review
Quality of Protein – 4
Quality of Fats – 3
Quality of Fruits and Vegetables – 2.0
Additional Ingredients – 1
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Total – 10.0

Canidae for All Life Stages
 

Quality of Protein – 3
Qality of Fats – 2.5
 Quality of Fruits and Vegetables – 1.0
Additional Ingredients – 1
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Total – 7.5

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Dog Knee Injuries – The Most Common Cause of Dog Knee Problems

 

Dog Knee Injuries Overview

Due to the anatomy and biomechanics of a dogs knee, they are prone to specific types of knee injuries.

The two most common dog knee injuries are:

1. Cruciate ligament ruptures
2. Tears of the medial meniscus

Basic Anatomy of a Dogs Knee

Actually, the joint which most people call a knee is called the stifle on a dog. However, since most of us identify it as a knee, I will continue to call it out as such.

The knee is a joint that connects the femur (the upper leg bone), to the tibia (the lower leg bone).

There is a "cushion" between the two bones made of relatively soft cartilage called the meniscus.

The knee is stabilized laterally (side to side), and horizontally by  several ligaments.

Anatomical Causes of Dog Knee Injuries

As I said before, the most common dog knee injury is a rupture of one of the cruciate ligaments. The reason dogs are prone to this type of injury, particularly large dogs, and dogs who are over weight, is to great of a tibial slope.

If you have no idea what a tibial slope is, I have written an article about TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy), the most effective surgery used to repair cruciate ligaments tears and prevent future knee problems. To summarize, the upper part of the of the tibia know as the plateau is surgically cut, rotated, and then held in place by a steel plate, reducing the tibial slope.

Cruciate ligament tears lead to tears in the the meniscus (the cushion) 40 – 50% of the time.

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TPLO Surgery – Repairing Your Dogs Bum Knee

What Is TPLO Surgery?

TPLO Surgery, or Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy is procedure typically done to repair a repture of the cranial cruciate ligament in a dogs knee.

Unforunately for dogs, their knees are designed in such a way that there is constant stress on the cruciate ligament, which is the ligament which holds the joint between the femur (the upper leg), and the tibia (the lower leg) together.

As you can see in the image on the far left, the angle between the femur (the bone on top), and the tibial slope (the slighty curved top portion of the bottom bone) is not perpendicular to the tibia.

During activity the femur actually slides backwards down the the tibial slope, forcing the tibia forward, placing contact stress on the cruciate ligament.

The risk of cruciate ligament tear increases if your dog is overweight, has an excessively steep tibial slope, or during intense exercise such as jumping.

TPLO surgery relieves the tension on the cruciate ligament by chaning the angle between the femure and the tibial slope to an angle of approximately 2 to 14 degrees. This slight angle prevents the femur from sliding back on the tibial slope, reducing stress on the cruciate ligament.

When is TPLO Surgery Necessary?

Cruciate ligament ruptures typically in older, large breed, and overweight dogs, and any damage to the ligament or meniscus requires surgery. The severity of symptoms depends on several factors:

• If the meniscus is torn. Meniscal tears are very painful; if your dog tears his / her meniscus, it is likely the leg will be completely lame. In other words, your dog will hold the leg up and will not place any weight on the leg. If your dog has a high pain threshold (such as bulldogs), it is possible they will still be weight bearing. If you hear a persisten audible clicking noise comming from the knee, it is very likely your dog has torn their meniscus
• The severity of the cruciate ligament damage
• Your dogs overall weight and health

Signs of lameness can very from acute discomfort and disuse of the leg to intermittent signs of discomfort. If your dog occasionally holds their leg off of the ground and appears to be "searching" for the floor with his foot, this is a sign of ligament damage.

Definitive diagnosis of ligament and meniscus damage can only be done by physical evaluation by a qualified TPLO surgeon. The knee joint will be manipulated and tested for stability.

Upon diagnosis, your surgeon will schedule an appointment to take X-rays while your dog is under sedation. These xrays will be used to measure your dogs tibial slope and for planing the surgical repair.

What Is Done During TPLO Surgery?

TPLO surgery is generall a very techincal yet relatively fast surgery, lasting from 45 to 90 minutes

During TPLO surgery, the surgeon will

• Remove and repair the torn pieces of the curciate ligament
• Remove any torn peices of meniscal cartilage (fix the meniscus). Every attempt to save as much of the meniscus is made.
• Cut a curved portion in the top of the tibia, including the tibial plateau. This is the osteotomy portion of the surgey
• Based on measurments taken from xrays, the surgeon will rotate the tibial plateau, leveling the tibial slope.
• A stainless steel plate will be screwed into the tibial plateau and the base of the tibia to hold the osteotomy in place while the bone heals

A tear in the cruciate ligament typically results in some degree of lameness in the leg.  Early identification and application of TPLO Surgery can reduce the chance of arthritis, cartilage damage such as meniscal tears (the meniscus is the cartilage padding between the bottom end of the femur and the top end of the tibia).

How Much Does TPLO Surgery Cost

The cost of TPLO surgery can very to a large degree depending on the breed of your dog and the quality and experience of your surgeon. A highly qualified TPLO specialist generally charges around $2500 dollars.

You may find other doctors who will perform the surgery for as little as $1500. However, if you can afford it, using a TPLO specialist is recommended, as this will give your dog the best chance of having normal knee function, and reduces the possibility of really bad arhtritis.

Does Pet Insurance Cover TPLO Surgery

As long as there is no pre-existing condition, pet insurance should cover a portion of your dogs TPLO surgery.

I have direct experience with VPI pet insurance and TPLO surgery. My English Bulldog had TPLO surgery on his right leg, and VPI covered a little over 50% of the $3000 bill.

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Pet Care Insurance – My Experience with VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance)

VPI Pet Care Insurance – The Biggest Is The Best?

VPI is the largest pet car insurane provider in The United States.

We chose to use VPI because they came recommended by our veterinarian at VCA Alpine Animal Hospital. I thought I’d write about our experience with VPI, and give you and idea of what and how much they cover.

What Does VPI Pet Care Insurance Cover?

I copied the the following chart directly from VPI’s website. I will also talk about the things we have used VPI to cover in our Bulldog Rex

Treatments	VPI Superior Plan	VPI Superior Plan with WellCare Core	VPI Superior Plan with WellCare Premier
Accidents and Illnesses
MRI, CAT Scans and X-Rays
Surgeries
Cancer Treatments
Prescription Medication
Hospitalization
Vaccinations
Heartworm Preventive
Prescription Flea Control
Urinalysis or ERD (kidney test)
Dental Cleaning or Spay/Neuter
Total Annual WellCare Benefits	$0	$250	$400
Total Annual Medical Benefits	$14,000	$14,000	$14,000

Thing We Have VPI Pet Care Insurance To Cover

We decided to get pet care insurance the day after paying for Rex’s TPLO (knee) surgery. At a cost of over $3,000 (Bulldog legs are very tricky apparently), when the doctor said that it is likely he will damage the other knee, the need seemed obvious.

We chose the Superior Plan with Wellcare Premier, being that we use Sentienl as a heartworm and flea control which is covered by the insurance, we also have always paid for him to get his dental leaning, at a total cost of $22 / month.

The day did eventually come when Rex tore his meniscous in his right leg. We submitted the bill to VPI for $3100+ and 4 weeks later received a check from them for just over $1500. The insurance literally paid for itself almost for the rest of Rex’s life!

All of Rex’s yearly vaccinations are covered, including any fecal tests, and blood screening. We have also submitted claims for trips to emergency care for allergic reactions, which typically get covered at right around 50% of the total bill, including medication.

Last year, Rex started having issues with dry eye, a condition where the tear ducts become blocked, and the eyes fill up with puss. He is in need of daily medicated and regular eye drops which VPI also helps cover.

Also, as you may already know if you’ve read our dog skin health guides, Rex is fighting a persistent staph infection. Our trips to the vet and standard medication have been covered under the plan. We did do allergy and food trials on Rex, which VPI did not cover.

My Overall Impression of VPI Pet Care Insurance

From end to end, I have been completely impressed and satisfied with VPI. They pay for the things they say they cover, and the check usually arrives within 4 to 6 weeks.

Submitting claims is very simple. I always fax in the claim form and then mail in a copy of the form along with copies of all of my reciepts.

If your claim is denied, they give you a reasonable explanation and enough detail so that the decision doesn’t seem vague.

One thing I should mention is that if your vet doesn’t have experience with VPI, make sure they do a good job of filling out the claim form. There should be a complete diagnosis of the problem, and hopefully written in a way targeted for insurance coverage. For instance, with Rex’s skin problem, the doctor wrote a diagnosis of persistent staph infection caused by unknown irritant. At no point did he mention anything about allergies.

Pet Care Insurance for Canadian Residents

While I don’t have any experience with them, Petplan pet care insurance is available for Canadian residents, and is recommended by VPI.

Here’s the link: www.petplan.com

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