Our fluffy friends are important members of our families and a big part of our everyday life. Our dogs are always there for us, providing love, companionship, friendship, and endless loyalty, unlike some other pets.
Most caring dog owners realise that paying close attention to their dog’s behaviour and health is essential as we want our pups to live a long and happy life. While knowing the basics of dog care is only a small part of a dog’s wellness, there are simple things every dog parent can do to maintain his or her dog in optimal health. Learn with these six tips on how to do your best as a dog owner, provide a healthy, loving environment for keeping a dog by your side for years.
Provide Proper Nutrition
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The same way it’s fundamental for humans to watch what food they eat, pet nutrition plays a significant role in good health. A dog feeding high-quality and well-balanced food has a shiny hair coat, bright eyes, and healthy skin, while pets feeding on junk food are likely to become listless and overweight.
Try to make the right choices for your dog and opt for best-quality foods and healthy dog treats made by a reputable company. Before purchasing dog food, be sure to look at the first components listed on the label, which makes up most of the food. Meat and vegetables should be the first ingredients in pet food and then might be meat by-products, grains, and others. However, avoid common filler ingredients that can actually harm your dog’s health, such as animal by-products, ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, BHT/BHA, corn syrup, and corn.
Maintain Healthy Weight
A good diet can help to strengthen your pet’s immune system, intestinal health, increase mental acuity, keep joints and muscles healthy, and improve dog’s skin and coat. In contrast, pets that are overweight are at increased risk for a myriad of health issues, including joint disease, heart disease, and diabetes. Being overweight or obese can even shorten a dog’s life span by as much as two years.
To help your fluffy friend lose weight, your vet might recommend a mix of exercise and replacing food to a low-calorie brand, or gradually reducing the daily amount of food intake.
Additionally, some pet owners prefer to give CBD oil for dogs to improve their pets’ diet. CBD has been proven to support the endocannabinoid system of dogs, while its nutritional profile may help to complete the dietary requirements of animals. By influencing the body’s endocannabinoid system, CBD might help to maintain a healthier appetite, improve metabolism, burn fat, enchase mood and energy, increase heart health, regulate levels of their blood sugar, and reduce inflammation and pain. Of course, always consult your veterinarian prior to making such adjustments in your pet’s diet and choose only the best CBD oil from proven sellers and brands.
Offer Regular Exercise
An active dog is always a happy and healthy dog! Just as with humans, daily physical activity promotes both mental and physical health for your pet. Exercising your dog can be as simple as taking a walk for at least 15 minutes or playing fetch for an hour in the park, depending on your dog’s breed. The specific activity doesn’t matter as long as your pet is using energy and moving.
Exercise helps in various ways, including sustaining your dog’s weight moderated, supporting muscles in good shape, and keeping bones healthy. Physical activity is also great for preventing your dog from getting bored, which may end up with pillows gutted, furniture chewed up, and tearing things up around the house.
Groom & Brush
Dog grooming and brushing is more than just about your dog’s appearance. Grooming every 3-6 weeks is a good habit for monitoring your dog’s health and ensuring your pet has healthy teeth, skin, and paws. If you notice any changes, inconsistencies, or a splotchy appearance on the dog’s coat, be sure to consult your vet to identify if all is well.
Furthermore, trimming of long-haired dogs will allow your pet to see well and prevent eye irritation, which can occur in case its fur becomes too long. Grooming also helps to inhibit ear infections, which are particularly widespread in floppy-eared dogs. Keep your dog healthy with brushing on a regular basis, which will take out the dead fur and provide a fluffy and beautiful coat.
Pay Attention To Dental Care
It’s easy to forget about dental care for your pet until you get a whiff of bad breath. Although there is a popular opinion that bad breath in dogs isn’t bad, this is actually an alert about problems in the mouth. Plaque and tartar build-up can lead to pet pain, making it hard for him or her to eat. Also, oral health issues may even contribute to heart and kidney disease and negatively impact lungs, liver, bones, and joints if left untreated.
You can brush the teeth of your dog with toothpaste, use oral rinses, feed special dental treats, or all options together. It’s never too late to focus on dental care, yet best not to wait until the dental disease becomes severe and can threaten your dog’s health. Of course, make sure to talk to your vet about your dog’s teeth as professional cleanings can be necessary from time to time.
Proper and regular brushing can help to prevent dental disease and keep your pet healthy. However, don’t use human toothpaste and brush only with a toothpaste specifically developed for pets, which is safe for dogs and doesn’t irritate their stomach.
Visit Your Vet
Schedule yearly vet examinations so your dog can receive all necessary tests and vaccinations done. Regular check-ups can also help to prevent various treatable diseases and uncover health issues of which you are might be unaware of to save your pet’s health.
In most cases, early diagnosis of a pet’s illness improves the chances of successful treatment, and it’s likely to be less costly than waiting until it has to turn into serious disease.
