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With the launch of a new website I thought it might be good to get back to basics here too.  So some of the information I'll be covering has be previously published, but I wanted ot make sure everyone got some good info right off the bat.

Latest Recalls:
Menu foods had another recall in May. See the recall section for a complete list of all recalled foods.

Top 4 allergens for dogs:
Corn, Soy, Beef, and Wheat

Ingredient	Symptoms	Treatment
Corn	Itching, dry flaky skin, a dull coat, and too much gas	Feed something without corn
Soy	Itching, dry flaky skin, a dull coat, and too much gas	Feed something without soy
Beef	Typically causes skin and coat problems	Feed something without beef
Wheat	Causes dog to lick feet and legs also could cause runny stools	Feed something without wheat

Understanding Ingredients
Ingredient Form

The best way to explain form is to use examples, let's start with liquid water, ice and steam. Which one of these can a dog best absorb in to their bodies? Of course the answer is liquid water. They are all forms of the same thing, but liquid water can be used immediately when a dog is thirsty. The next example is minerals, chelated* or non-chelated. When minerals are chelated they are allowed to breakdown and absorb in to the body easier. The last example is iron, would you feed your dog iron oxide or iron sulfate? Both are forms of iron, but iron oxide is rust and iron sulfate is a mineral.

*Chelated minerals are minerals coupled with, or bonded to, various amino acids and/or oligopeptides.
Absorption rates are:
Chelated Minerals - around 95%
Non-chelated Minerals - around 35%

*Flint River uses Chelated Minerals

Ingredient Break down
Ingredient: Alfalfa

    Provides: Vitamins and amino acids
    Description: Very high in vitamins, plus N-P-K-Ca, Mg, and other valuable minerals. It also includes sugars, starches,     proteins, fiber and 16 amino acids.

Ingredient: Alpha-Linolenic Acid

    Provides: Fatty acids
    Description: An omega-3 fatty acid which may be an essential fatty acid

Ingredient: Amino Acids (Generic Definition)

    Provides: Amino Acids
    Description: Amino acids are smaller sub-units of protein or protein building blocks. There are about 20 amino acids         and they can be arranged in almost infinite sequences resulting in a wide variety of proteins. These are found in hair,         skin, muscle, antibodies, enzymes and hormones. Lack of amino acids in the proper amounts, or when the chain is not     complete or interrupted, leads to health problems. When amino acids are not formulated correctly they will pass as         stool.

Ingredient: antioxidants

    Provides:antioxidants
    Description: A diet containing polyphenol antioxidants from plants is required for the health of most mammals, since         plants are an important source of organic antioxidant chemicals. Antioxidants are widely used as ingredients in dietary     supplements that are used for health purposes such as preventing cancer and heart disease.

Ingredient: Arachidonic Acid

    Provides: fatty acid
    Description: An omega-6 polyunsaturated acid found only in animal tissue. Arachidonic and linoleic acid are essential     fatty acids for cats. Dogs only require linoleic acid.

Ingredient: Ascorbic Acid

    Provides: vitamin
    Description: Vitamin C

Training Tips

1. When you train your dog, remember that you are asking it to do something that does not come natural. So don't get frustrated, just be consistent with your commands.
2. When training use small pieces of their food or any soft treat. (I use their food and bologna)
3. Don't forget to sound excited when training

Hot Weather Tip

Make sure your dogs have plenty of fresh water and a cool place to escape the heat. I have two plastic kiddie pools to provide fresh water and a cool place to soak, and when it gets over 100 everybody comes in the house.

Brought to to by: Flint River Feed, Pure Stock Aussies and Good Foundations Dog Care and Training