Posts Tagged ‘Bottom Of The List’
We all want what is best for our pet. Yet sometimes because of your hectic schedules, we tend to put our dog’s care at the bottom of the list or it just becomes a habit of chores we perform every day without giving it much thought.
We stumble out of bed in the morning, let the dog out, fill the water bowl, dump some food in the dish and go on with our daily routine. Are we really thinking about ways to make our dog healthy and happy?
There are no hard and fast rules to maintain your dog’s health but essentially it comes down to 3 main rules you need to follow:
1. A good diet
2. Plenty of fresh water
3. Exercise
A good diet is essential to your dog’s health. Be careful of what you feed your dog! Your dog has very little sense about what’s good and what’s bad for him to eat. So you have to take charge. An all natural dog food is what you should be looking for, try to avoid reconstituted foods that are packed with fillers and by-products. Remember you get what you pay for.
Although an all natural dog food may be more expensive, studies have shown that your dog will in almost all cases eat more of the “bargain brand” than the all natural, nutritious dog food. The “bargain brands” will pass through your dog more quickly because they do not contain as much of the daily nutrients your dog requires. This leads to your dog being hungrier more often and thereby eating more. Your dog will retain more of the nutrients contained in the all natural food which means they will be less hungry, have healthier coats, more energy and better overall health. Do not over-feed your dog – do not feed him between main meals, except for those small treats you reward your dog during training. Avoid feeding your dog with small bones of any kind from chicken, fish, chops etc as they can splinter in the throat or intestines and seriously hurting your dog in the process. Instead, give your dog a very large marrow or knuckle bone to chew on.
Give your dog plenty of fresh water. Change it as often as you can. A good rule to follow is that every time you get yourself something to drink, add new water to your dog’s bowl.
Exercise your dog daily. Most dogs love having playtime with their owners, take long walks, throw a ball or stick around the backyard or park. Remember your dog’s cardiovascular system, heart and muscles need exercise just like yours.
Also it is important to take your dog for regular checks and treatments with the veterinarian including things like worming, proper vaccinations and teeth cleaning. There are many diseases that you dog could face – fleas, ticks, worms, ear mites and infectious pests or parasites. While most of these afflictions are fairly common, preventative techniques and new treatment methods will reduce the discomfort or pain that your dog suffer from and ensure it leads a healthy life.
It is wise to spay or neuter your dog if you are not a breeder or do not wish to deal with a pregnancy. Neutering your male dog will make him less aggressive towards other male dogs but this reduced aggression does not mean you have impaired his ability to be a guard dog. A trained guard dog will do his job irrespective of whether he has been neutered or not. Other health benefits include eliminating crying, whining and irritability, eliminating the vaginal discharge that accompanies heat for a female dog, reducing territorial marking, minimising dominance issues with your family and reducing sexual mounting behaviour (leg-humping) in your dog.
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
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You are what you eat. We have heard this saying so many times. It can even be applied to our dogs. A dog that eats a healthier diet will in fact be healthier.
But, what is a healthy diet for a dog? Many of us don’t have a clue. If you walk into a store to buy dog food, you will find hundreds of choices. So, how do we pick the best one and what makes one brand better than another. The simple answer is “read the label”.
The label will hold the most information available to determine what your dog is eating. The average person probably wouldn’t think to read the label ingredients, but if you have done research into this and want the healthiest food for your dog, this is your starting point. By reading the label you will learn a lot about foods.
First of all, you want to see some type of meal listed in the ingredients. It doesn’t matter if it’s chicken meal or lamb meal, although chicken is considered the best choice since it is most easily digested. Make sure it doesn’t just say meat meal, but an actual meat name. Whole meat without meal is mainly water. Also make sure the ingredients include a variety of vegetables and fruits.
You don’t want to see a lot of filler ingredients. Grains should be at the bottom of the list. Some dogs may have problems with corn. Wheat and soy are also common irritants and allergens. Try to avoid labels with chemical preservatives. Food should be preserved with mixed Tocopherols, which is Vitamin E.
Also look for AAFCO (Association of American Feeding Control Officials) and feeding trials. This will mean the food was actually fed to dogs to see if they meet nutritional needs. It will mean the food is complete and balanced for adult dogs. Also, be aware that a manufacturer has up to six months to notify the consumer that it has made a change in its ingredients. So, keep checking the label even if you have been using a particular brand for a while. If you notice your dog is having problems with the food, there may very well have been a formula change.
If you obtained your dog from a breeder, then this is your best source of information regarding the best, healthiest food to feed your dog. If this is not the case, then you are pretty much on your own in finding the best food and your dog will be the food critic. When you feel you have found an appropriate dog food for your pet’s diet, buy small bags at first. Test it on your dog and see how he reacts to it. If it doesn’t sit well with him, then you aren’t throwing out a large package that cost a lot. Once you have found the right food for your pet, avoid switching to different brands. Their systems take time to adjust to new foods and this will wreck havoc on their digestions.
Highest priced foods do not always mean they are the best. Remember, the best foods contain real whole familiar ingredients. It is always wise to avoid foods that contain many by products and preservatives. And, a dog food company is not required to list preservatives they did not add. In the end, studying labels, and trial and error, will be the best indicators of what is healthy and nutritious for you pet.
Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com
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