3 Tips To Improve Your Dog’s Overall Health
Everybody wants a healthy four legged friend. Many dog lovers go as far as treating their beloved pooches as a child – or at the very least an important member of the family. And this is the way it should be!
But many dog lovers can fall victim to letting their dog overindulge which can have adverse effects on their overall health. This could be anything from enabling a lazy routine to facilitating the few extra pounds that your pet doesn’t need.
In this article we will be covering 3 tips you can use to improve your dog’s overall health.
Begin with Diet
Any sports athlete or workout coach will tell you that putting in the hard work when it comes to improving your health is only some of the battle. The real changes come from changing up your diet habits. The same is true for dogs.
Your dog’s diet is probably the most important aspect of keeping them healthy and fit throughout their lives. While processed food and things like kibble give them everything they need to live off of, they aren’t exactly too healthy.
Fast food is the human equivalent of processed dog foods. You could live off fast food, but you wouldn’t be particularly healthy.
So, what’s the alternative? The BARF Dog Food diet. This diet is brilliant for dogs as it replicates what their doggy ancestors were eating when roaming around in the wild. As most modern, domesticated dogs are very biologically similar to their ancestors, they will get all the things they need from a diet like this.
Digestive issues and health side-effects they cause can also hamper your furry friend. If these appear, using your veterinarian’s choice of dog probiotics can restore balance, alongside a good diet.
It includes things like raw dog food, berries, and vegetables – owning a dog’s omnivorous nature.
That being said, always consult a pet nutritionist before making diet changes.
Give Them A More Active Routine
This is one that may seem pretty obvious, but many owners won’t sculpt a regular routine with spaced out exercise intervals for their dog due to work or other life commitments.
Yes, a dog should be walked a minimum of three times a day. But having two of these walks at night, for example one when you come through the door and one just before bedtime, isn’t a good routine.
If anything, taking your dog for a walk before settling down for the night can make it more difficult for them to shut their eyes for bed.
Forging a stable routine with spaced out exercise intervals will not only be better for your dog’s mental health it will allow them ample time to rest between each walk.
Having a walk in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening tends to be the best option. If you’re at work during the day, then hiring a dog walker or having a family member walk your dog during lunchtime would be a way around this. This type of routine is especially vital if you buy or adopt a high-energy breed, such as a chocolate lab, boxer, or border collie.
Take Them To Dog Aquarobics
This is a more common method dog lovers are using to get their slightly overweight dogs back into a healthy margin.
Aquarobics is great as it not only keeps them moving using all their muscles, but it can also be relaxing and fun at the same time.
Dogs love to go for a wee swim, so why not make it a weekly thing to keep them in shape?