Simple Tips For Improving Your Dog’s Health

It’s safe to say that I’ve spoken extensively on the benefits of pet ownership, and dogs certainly take the cake as the most lovable of fluffy additions to any family. The amount of love and laughter Chewie gives to our three kids can’t really be matched by anything else. But just as he loves and takes care of us, we need to make sure they’re always the best that they can be too. Here are a few ways we show our pup some TLC.

Clean eating

We feed our pup Orijen dry dog food twice daily, often mixed in with some lightly steamed chicken. The reason why we don’t just bring home generic grocery store kibble is simply that, when it comes to pet food, it’s surprisingly easy to find yourselves inadvertently settling for fatty, imbalanced dog food with ‘meat by-products’ over ‘biologically appropriate’, nutrient-rich foods. Orijen praises themselves on delivering wholesome, grain-free dry dog food that’s actually around 85% meat, with the remaining 15% comprising their necessary daily dose of fruits and veggies! Their dry food is essentially made with respect to what dogs need biologically in order to live long and healthy lives.

Another fantastic benefit of Orijen is that because Orijen is only made with wholesome ingredients like free-range chicken, fresh fish, and whole eggs, their food is naturally rich in glucosamine, a natural substance which promotes healthy bone and muscle growth in dogs. As Chewie grows older, glucosamine is vital to ensure she stays fit and active well into her golden years.

Schedules

Something that might surprise any dogless families out there, is that dogs really love having a daily schedule. They actually thrive off of adhering to a set timeline of events throughout the day, from mealtimes and playtimes to walks, toileting, and naps. In this regard, they’re essentially like toddlers, and anybody who’s had a toddler or two may know all too well how life-saving developing a schedule can be! Similarly, if you and your family are able to fall into the habit of taking your dogs out at specific times every day, chances are incredibly high that your dogs will be walked regularly, and the numerous physical and emotional health benefits of regular exercise will keep your pup young and happy for the majority of their life!

Medicine and vaccination

Chewie takes an all-wormer tablet once a month to protect them from heartworm, ringworm, fleas, and ticks. They also have a pre-scheduled annual appointment with our family vet to ensure their core vaccinations stay up-to-date. Nasty viruses like parvo are incredibly preventable, but are often quite difficult and costly to treat, and can oftentimes be fatal to smaller dogs. So it’s in both you and your pup’s best interests to always make sure that their vaccinations stay up-to-date. It’s also a good rule of thumb to keep all your dog’s medical records in one folder and in chronological order for ease of access.

Finally, dogs are animals with simple pleasures. They really don’t need a lot to keep them happy, just a big family to love them and some space of their own. Every now and then, we’ll take the whole family to the beach or to a big national park, and have a nice big run around. Or we let the kids treat the pups to some other glucosamine-rich snacks like chicken feet and pork tails. So long as you keep fulfilling your responsibilities as a pet owner and prioritising family fun wherever possible, your dogs will be sure to live full and happy lives.