Whether you’ve just brought a pet into the family or you’ve been a long-standing dog owner, you have to know that, deep down, a healthy dog is a happy dog. Looking after a dog doesn’t just comprise of the basics, taking them for walks and giving them adequate care and attention, but it’s also about ensuring that what they eat is good. For so many pet owners, the overriding issue is money. After all, a big bag of dog food can be pretty cheap. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any good! You need to ensure that your dog is healthy, that they have the essentials, but also a little bit more than that. So what can you put into their diet, but also, what do you need to know to ensure you are raising a healthy dog?
Providing Them With The Trace Minerals
It’s not just about giving your dog the bare minimum as far as macro minerals are concerned. These macro minerals, such as phosphorus and calcium, need trace minerals to work with them. Iron, manganese, zinc, as well as copper, are just a handful of trace minerals that will make all the difference. Manganese is something that dogs need for their bone growth as well as ensuring their thyroid hormone is sufficiently produced. You can purchase dog antler chews that contain manganese, as well as calcium, zinc, and phosphorus. Just like us, if your dog lacks in sufficient trace minerals, this can result in a few underlying health issues. A deficiency in iron will result in poor growth as well as anemia, just like in us. So if you want your dog to be healthier, and have a good immune system, ensuring you provide them with these trace minerals will work wonders for their health. For a dog, organ meat like liver and lungs will provide an abundance of these trace minerals, but make sure they have a diverse selection, rather than just one organ. In addition to this, you can purchase proteins like turkey or chicken and ensuring that you don’t neglect the greens!
Sneaking The Essentials Into Their Meals
Granted, a lot of the essentials can be expensive. So if we want to ensure our dogs got a healthy or round diet, we can get a lot from supplements. In addition to this, if you’ve got a particularly fussy dog or one that is used to cheap dog food, it can be quite a change to introduce them to more upmarket foods. But sneaking the essentials into their meals is one of the best ways to ensure they’ve got the goods. The first supplement that needs to go into your dog’s diet is fish oil. Fish oil is an amazing source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These will work wonders for your dog’s coat and skin. But if you’ve got a fussy dog, there are dog chews that taste like a treat, but gives them the goodness they need.
The Rarer Supplements
Biotin is another supplement that you might want to consider, especially if you suspect a deficiency. It’s rare to see a dog deficient in biotin, but there is no harm in getting a supplement. Symptoms of a biotin deficiency include poor fur and skin. And as your dog gets older, you’ve got to focus more on their joint health. Glucosamine and chondroitin are great for dogs suffering from hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis, and you can either get a supplement or if your dog is picky and won’t take a supplement, you can make bone broth. And if you worry about parasites, Diatomaceous Earth, shortened to DE, will help to eliminate parasites of the internal type. There are two types of this substance, food grade, and pool grade. The pool grade is toxic for dogs, so be sure you get the food grade. You can also rub it into your dog’s coat to get rid of fleas or ticks. The great thing about this substance is that it’s incredibly cheap!
Following The Principles Of A Good Diet
It’s not just about ensuring they’ve got the essentials; it’s about making the sufficient changes to improve the health of your dog in the long run. Giving your dog the right supplements isn’t just a short-term solution; you have to keep this up! And if you’ve got a dog that’s used to a certain low caliber diet, you need to begin by getting rid of the processed foods in their diet. Dog foods that come off the shelf have no live enzymes, so as a result, they’re not as healthy as whole foods. Fresh whole foods, like fruit and vegetables, should form part of their daily intake. As a rule, when giving your dog meat, avoid cooking it. Humans are the only species on the planet that have evolved to eat cooked meats. By cooking them, you are getting rid of the essential nutrients your dog needs. And if you follow a low-fat diet yourself, and this is then imposed onto your dog, it might be time to introduce healthy fats, like coconut oil, into your dog’s diet. Raw coconut oil goes straight to the liver, which is converted into energy, which has a positive impact on their physical health because they will exercise more.
And the best piece of advice anybody can follow when it comes to their dog’s diet is to look at the labels. While a commercial boasts of nutrients in a specific item of food, it’s down to you do your research and see if there is enough in a specific item of food. Do some creative Googling and look at the ingredients on the back of the package and think, “would I eat this”? While there is nothing wrong with giving your dog a treat now and again, if you want them to have a healthy life, it’s time to take the initiative. Because if they are used to foods with minimal minerals, are they going to have a long and happy life? Because even if they’re healthy now, if they have a poor diet, this could severely impact their quality of life further down the line.