Owning a dog has several advantages, such as great companionship, for example. Moreover, taking them for regular walks can help you stay active and reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. People who suffer from stress or are experiencing loneliness often find comfort in their dogs.
It’s no wonder that there are currently 12.5 million dogs, within UK households alone. With all the benefits they provide their owners, taking care of your dog’s health is essential. Here are the best ways to ensure your furry friend stays fit and healthy.
The right nutrition is crucial
Nutrition is a substantial aspect of your dog’s health and involves feeding your dog the right meals to help them grow and stay active throughout their lives. The right nutrition improves your dog’s muscle tone and body while keeping their coat and skin healthy. Moreover, it boosts their immune system, prevents diseases, and increases their lifespan.
Therefore, you want to prioritise their nutrition. Like humans, dogs require a healthy diet. Therefore, you’ll find it helpful to purchase foods with the right amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fats, water, minerals, and vitamins.
You should note that not all dogs like the same thing, so it’s important to consult your vet for a more informed decision. However, you can opt for a pure kibble diet or include fish, vegetables, meat, and rice for a more diversified diet. Although dogs can eat raw meat, it’s important to invest in human-grade meat to prevent your dog from consuming harmful preservatives. You also want to factor in your dog’s age to determine the right food, so keep this in mind.
A daily dose of high activity
Petkeen research indicates that approximately 41% of dogs are obese. Indeed, obesity can harm your dog’s health. For starters, it shortens their lifespan and increases their risks of developing hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. It also causes osteoarthritis, joint degeneration, and urinary bladder stones. Fortunately, you can reduce obesity risks by keeping them active regularly. Also, exercise can reduce anxiety-related behaviours like excessive licking, chewing, digging, and barking. Fortunately, various exercises can keep your dog fit, so feel free to leverage them.
For instance, taking them for a 20-minute walk can be the best exercise for beginners. After your dog becomes familiar with it, you can switch it to jogging or running. However, a 60-minute walk is ideal if your dog doesn’t engage in other activities. Other workouts include stair climbing, playing fetch, nose work games, etc. Taking them to the park is also effective, so you can consider it.
Prioritise regular checkups
Unlike humans, your dogs may find it challenging to alert you of their feelings. Unfortunately, this can cause you to be oblivious to hidden health conditions until it causes significant damage. Therefore, it’s important to prioritise regular checkups to ensure that their health isn’t compromised, even if they don’t show signs of poor health. You can look out for certain signs to determine your dog’s health status regarding poor health. For instance, appetite loss, lethargy, and loss of interest in favourite activities can signify an underlying illness and require a visit to your vet. Since vet care is essential for your dog’s health, you’ll need to invest in dog insurance to give them the best care.
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