Dog health – What is it all about?
Providing shelter and food for your dog is not your only duty as a dog owner. You need to take care of a whole lot of things to make sure your dog stays hale and hearty and enjoys a long, happy life. Basically, it is all about knowing what is good and what is bad for your dog’s health.
The need to know about canine health
As a dog owner, the last thing you want to see is your dog suffering from various health problems. Unfortunately, pet dogs are vulnerable to a lot of health problems – right from bacterial infections to cancer. Given below is a list of things you can do to prevent these health problems and keep your dog healthy for a long time.
Healthy Dog Diet
Feeding your dog a healthy, balanced diet is the simplest way to prevent most dog health problems. Be sure to provide your dog with an AAFCO certified food. According to Consumer Reports, who interviewed many veterinarians, price is less important than certification. If you dog is healthy and doesn’t require any sort of dietary restrictions, then a commercial diet from a known company is fine. In general, the average companion dogs need the following nutritional profile per pound of body weight.
Nutrient
Energy 10 kcal
Water 10 ml
Protein 1 gm
Sodium 10 mg
Phosphorus 20 mg
Water
Like people, have a constant supply of clean water to drink is essential. Give your dog the same water you give yourself (filtered etc.). To encourage drinking and urination, consider providing more than one water bowl in the house and take your dog for frequent walks if possible. Urination is natures way of cleansing the urinary tract and for keeping infection and stones from taking hold.
Exercise
Do not let your dog stay dormant all the time. Physical inactivity tends to affect its physical and mental health badly. So, make sure it gets enough physical exercise. There are plenty of good exercises for dogs like walking, swimming, fetching, and stairs climbing. Regular exercise prevents stress, makes your dog active, increases its metabolic rate, strengthens its joints, and improves its overall health. So, if you want to prevent dog health problems, make sure your dog stays active. Activity can be enhanced with a fetch ball or a kong toy that causes your dog to solve the puzzle of how to release food that is hidden inside.
Grooming
Contrary to what most people think, grooming is not just about making your dog look good. It helps prevent bacterial and viral infections that commonly affect dogs. So, make sure you bathe your dog regularly. Clean its ears from dog ear wax and teeth on a regular basis. Brush it at least twice a week and clip its nails regularly.
Cleanliness
According to pet health experts, exposure to harmful chemicals is one of the main causes of canine health problems. So, limit the use of pesticides, herbicides, and weed killers to the extent possible. Second hand smoke is harmful to your dog’s health as well. So, make your home a no-smoking zone.
Health supplements
Consider giving your dog a natural health supplement. According to homeopathic veterinarians, these types of products can be a helpful was to strengthen the body’s natural immune response to disease. You can give supplements that contain herbs like Huang Qi, Mistletoe, Milk Thistle, and Indian Ginseng that are known for their ability to treat and prevent various dog health problems.
These herbs can boost your dog’s immune system, improve the functioning of its vital organs, keep its blood pressure levels under control, increase its energy levels, and support a healthy appetite and vitality. Since these canine health supplements are 100% natural, there are no risks of side effects at all. To get the best results, you can make them a part of your dog’s regular diet.
Love and care
You didn’t think I was going to finish this article without mentioning this, did you? Dog health does not mean just physical health. It also means mental health. It is about keeping your dog happy. How do you keep your dog happy? It’s simple – by loving him. Your dog needs your love and attention more than anything else. Pat your dog. Reward him whenever he does something good. Make him understand that you love him. Pamper him and make him feel good. It is one of the simplest ways to keep your dog happy and active
