Good quality holistic pet foods are not cheap - at least compared to average pet foods we see at pet stores or grocery stores. But I wonder if it is actually fair to call them "pricy."

I was curious about exactly how much I spend a day to feed my dog - how much does it really cost per day? I buy an 8-pound bag of Life's Abundance dog food every two months. The price of the dog food is $14.95. This means that I spend about $0.25 a day for feeding my dog. With tax and shipping cost, the price will be slightly higher than this, but it is interesting to know that I spend less than a dollar a day to feed my dog - even using the dog food that is considered a little pricy.

I buy holistic level of pet foods for my dog and cat to keep them healthy for as long as possible. I want them to always have a high quality of life. I also hope that better daily health means I won't have to pay expensive veterinary bills in the future.

I believe that a healthy pet is a happy pet. A healthy pet makes his/her pet owner happy, too. If you agree that spending less than 50 cents a day to feed your dog or cat isn't a bad idea, I encourage you to buy good-quality holistic pet foods for the health and well-being of your precious furry friends!

Years ago, I didn't know much about how to read (and really understand) ingredients listed on pet food bags. People, books, and pet professionals all said that the first ingredient on pet food bags should be "meat" sources.

I've learned a lot more since then.

Life's Abundance pet food's primary protein is "chicken meal". To many pet owners, a food label that lists "chicken" first may sound more familiar because it is easier for us to imagine "chicken" as a dominant protein source instead of just "chicken meal".

However, there is a less apparent difference between "chicken" and "chicken meal" at least where the pet foods labels are concerned.

Raw chicken meat contains a certain amount of moisture. Chicken "meal" is a much more concentrated source of chicken protein because most of the water has been removed. You get a greater "protein content" in 1 pound of (dry) chicken meal, compared to 1 pound of chicken which also includes water weight.

As a source of protein, seeing "chicken" as the first ingredient doesn't make the food automatically better than a food that lists "chicken meal." If you choose a good holistic pet food company that uses "chicken meal" from reliable animal sources, your pets may actually get more protein, and more efficiently, for their optimum health.

Every dog training book teaches you how to give commands to your dog. Just like other dog owners, I wanted my dog to be a well-behaved pet. I read training books enthusiastically when I first got my dog as a puppy. Many books say that the most important command of all is "Come", because this command may someday save your dog's life from imminent danger (such as a traffic accident). So, naturally, I put a lot of focus on the command "Come" myself when training my dog.

For a while, I simply used only the word "Come", and kept using the single word to ask my dog to come to me when she was called. But I felt awkward just uttering the word "Come" to my dog -- the sound of the word by itself felt very abrupt to me. Since I was not a native English speaker, I always thought it was just an issue of pronunciation. I started to use two words ("Come here") instead, which was easier for me to say and felt more natural as a way to call my dog -- especially when I had to raise my voice a little. Until recently, I've been using "Come here" without giving it much thought.

One day, when I was reading the book The Tellington TTouch by Linda Tellington-Jones, I came across a very interesting paragraph on dog training and obedience.

Here is the quote of the paragraph from the book:

"... I stressed to Serena how important it is to state commands in a calm and fluid way rather than in clipped, single words that come out sounding like a shot. Try saying "sit" or "stand" or "walk" sharply. Can you feel the tension in your own body? We learned that the most effective way to tell a dog what you want him to do is to use commands of several words spoken slowly in a firm yet quiet voice --- "Walk on," or "Stand still" or "Sit down." ..."

After I read this paragraph, I realized that my two-word choice of "Come here" instead of just "Come" actually had some validity as a more effective way to train my dog.

A few years ago, I bought a fancy dog collar for my dog. I remember spending about 40 dollars (including shipping and handling). Although it was beautifully made and I received many compliments from my friends and neighbors, I started to wonder if it was worth spending so much for a dog collar -- especially for a miniature dog like mine who weighs only 11 pounds. Since then, I've wondered if I could make a dog collar myself at much lower cost.

One day, a friend of mine gave me a piece of beautiful trim, which she bought at an SCA (The Society for Creative Anachronism) event. I thought this would be a chance to make a dog collar. I went to a fabric store in my neighborhood and bought a nylon strap, a D-ring, and a buckle.

Using the dog collar I already had at home as a model, I sewed the parts all together with a sewing machine. Since I already knew my dog's neck size, I didn't have to worry about making my dog collar length adjustable. It probably took me about 20 minutes to finish making the collar.

I am happy with the result. If you take a close look at the collar I have made, it wouldn't look as professional as the one I bought in the past. But I like the idea that my dog wears the collar I specifically made for her. Besides, it cost me less than 10 dollars to make it.

If you have a sewing machine, you can certainly give it a try yourself.

HealthyPetNet now offers free samples of Life's Abundance Premium Pet Food for dogs and cats (you only have to pay for a small shipping fee).

If you are interested in our holistic pet foods, but not sure whether your pets will like the food or not, these free samples will give you a perfect chance to find out!

To order free samples, please click here.