As pet parents, we always want to make the best choices to maintain our dogs’ health. Keeping our four-legged best friends around for as long as possible is one thing we have in common as animal lovers. Making informed choices for our pet’s health is paramount in ensuring they have a healthy and happy life.
If you need some extra guidance on making smarter choices for your pet’s health, keep reading this blog!
Feed Them A Nutritious Balanced Diet
Just like us, our dogs need a well-balanced diet to make sure their nutritional needs are met. There are so many different types of diets you can feed your pets. The most popular food for pet parents is kibble. Wet food or human-grade, fresh food are excellent options since they can be healthier and more palatable for your pup. Raw food is another popular diet choice with many benefits. Check out our blog here to review the pros and cons of feeding your dog a raw food diet.
Look Into Supplements
Adding additional vitamins to your dogs’ diet can be a great way to round out your pup’s diet. Just like we take multivitamins in addition to a healthy diet, our dog will benefit from added vitamins. Supplements can be crucial to maintain your dogs’ bone health and keep their hips and joints in tip-top shape, reducing the risk of issues like hip dysplasia and arthritis. When purchasing supplements, make sure you understand how they improve your dogs’ health. Read up on all the ingredients and what the product claims to do. Always do your research when you introduce something new to your dog.
Regular Vet Visits
Regular vet visits are a part of keeping up with your dogs’ health. With a new puppy, they must get their first round of vaccinations, as well as their boosters. Once that is complete, a vet visit once a year for a checkup is essential to ensure your dog is still doing well. Regular vet visits can help identify any potential health problems your dog may develop. Getting ahead of health issues can mean the difference between saving your pets’ life.
Regular teeth cleaning is also very important to maintain your dogs’ health. Whether you brush your dogs’ teeth yourself, or bring them to the vet or groomer, having their teeth cleaned regularly can help decrease the chances of oral problems and decrease bad breath.
Daily Exercise
Daily exercise with your dog is an integral part of keeping them healthy. Your dogs require daily walks so they can move their body, explore the outdoors and get some much-needed stimulation through sniffing. Don’t forget to work your pup’s brain through food puzzles, brain games, and focus exercises.
Flea and Tick Control
Fleas and ticks are pesky little bugs that can irritate your dog during the spring and summer months. If you like to go on hikes with your dog or walk through tall grassy areas, you run the risk of having ticks latch onto your pet. Fleas are also quite troublesome. Many dogs are allergic to flea bites causing itchy skin, hot spots, hair loss, and anemia. Fleas can also cause tapeworms. Too often, fleas will have infested your home by the time you notice one on your pet.
It is a good idea to put your pet on a flea and tick preventative treatment at the beginning of the spring season.
Spay and Neuter
Spaying and neutering your dog can be an integral part of maintaining their overall health. Spaying and neutering have many health benefits. Spaying can help prevent breast tumors and uterine infections. Neutering prevents testicular cancer and some prostate issues. Not only will it help control an accidental litter, it, in turn, helps reduce the overpopulation of pets.
There are behavioral benefits as well. Spaying your female dogs prevents her heat cycle from reoccurring every six months. During her cycle, she can mark more frequently and become more vocal to attract a mate. Intact males are more likely to mark their territory or run away.
We hope this blog was insightful and gave you some extra pointers on making smarter decisions for your beloved pets. As always, if you have any questions, consult your veterinarian for more information!
Part of maintaining your dogs’ health and safety includes making sure they have some basic manners and have had enough training to listen to you. If you need help with basic manners or just fine-tuning your dogs’ skills, contact Brea right here at Cosmic Home N Pet
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