V is for...

We're in the final days so of the April A to Z Challenge.

"A Day at Rosie's Restaurant" may be nearing its end, but it's not there quite yet. After all, today is only the letter V. And what dessert does Rosie have to offer for this letter?

Vanilla cream pie, anyone? It's a nice and cozy moonlit night, and there's plenty of pie and milk to go around. So, eat up!

Happy Caturday to all!

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Tip of the Day

We've given a ton of tips this month on foods and how they might affect our furbabies. We've already mentioned to refrain from feeding your cats and dogs food with too much sugar. We've also mentioned being careful feeding your kitties or pups dairy, as some furbabies are truly lactose intolerant. These aforementioned tips can indeed relate to the food Rosie had to share for today's installment of the A to Z Challenge.

The ingredients themselves, however, are not the only reason why you should refrain from feeding foods like vanilla cream pie to your kitty or pup. Another aspect to consider is simply the calories. Most of our furbabies are significantly smaller than us, and that means they require significantly less calories than we do. For example, an average cat only requires roughly 200 to 300 calories per day. Dogs obviously vary in size more than cats do, and so their caloric needs will also vary. As a very basic idea, small dogs require roughly 30 calories per pound of body weight, medium dogs require  roughly 25 calories per pound, and large dogs require more like 20 calories per pound of body weight. These numbers will just give you a rough idea, though. After all, an individual animal's caloric needs can also vary based on age, activity level, health status, genetics, and so on and so forth.

The important thing to remember is that feeding too many table scraps not only poses risks of toxicity, but it also risks weight gain for our furbabies. Obesity is indeed a concern in any furbaby, so to help avoid this, reduce or completely avoid feeding table scraps. We'll also of course note that, as we're sure you're all aware, it's best to contact a veterinarian with any concerns you have regarding your furbaby's diet and weight.