7 Important Dietary Tips To Maintain Your Dog’s Health

As a dog owner there are a number of measures you need to put into place to protect the health and wellbeing of your dog. This includes everything from taking your pooch for inoculations and boosters through to ensuring he gets plenty of exercise.

Another vital area that can have a huge impact on the overall health of your pet is his diet.

With the right dietary tips you’ll find it easier to maintain your dog’s health and avoid future issues.

1. Don’t Go Overboard With Human Scraps

Many dog owners feed their pets regular dog food and then throw them unlimited scraps from their own plates. This can lead to obesity, which is a condition that many breeds are prone to. Occasional scraps are fine but don’t make a habit of it.

2. Don’t Buy Low Quality Food

It may be tempting to choose the cheapest dog food on the market.[mnright] However, low quality food has nowhere near the amount of nutrients as a quality product. This means that you’ll need to feed your dog more of it for the same benefit, which could end up costing you more.

he same principles apply to dog food as to human food.

No matter where you are shopping, cheaper food is usually lower in quality.

You should think about the long term effects of what you are buying before deciding to opt for the cheapest possible food for your dog.

Feeding your dog cheap food increases the chances of having health problems in the future, which is an added expenditure that you could avoid by giving him high quality food regularly.

3. Make Sure He Has Kibble

Giving your dog wet food as part of his daily diet is fine. However, in order to boost the nutrients he gets and aid his dental health, you should complement this with a good quality kibble.

4. Ensure He Has Plenty Of Water

Making sure your pup has access to fresh water at all times is vital for his health and wellbeing. Always ensure there’s a bowl of fresh water that he can easily access.

5. Use Omega 6 oils

According to veterinary experts, adding a little fresh sunflower or safflower oil to your dog’s meals will help to give him a glossy coat and nourish the skin. For small dogs, one teaspoon per meal is recommended and for larger dogs one tablespoon.

7. Don’t Be Afraid To Put Him On A Diet

If your dog becomes overweight, it can have a serious impact on other areas of his health. You should therefore get him on a diet to lose those excess pounds before things spiral out of control.

Don’t be nervous that you are upsetting your dog by putting him on a diet – he’ll thank you for it in the long run.

[mnleft]With a proper, nutritious diet and careful monitoring your dog will benefit from good health, plenty of energy, and an improved quality of life.

6. Switch Foods Gradually

If you’re considering switching your pooch’s food for another brand or type, make sure you do it gradually.

By suddenly switching, you could cause stomach upsets and digestive problems for your pet.

Start mixing some of the new food in with the old, gradually increasing the quantity of the new one over time.

It takes time for dogs to get used to the food that they are eating.

Humans are the same way.

If you take someone from Japan who mostly eats a diet based on fish and vegetables and you give them American style burgers and hot dogs for a week, they are going to be feeling the effects of this change.

Dogs and their stomachs function in very much the same way.

Also, if you change the food completely right away, there’s a chance that the dog will refuse to eat it.

So that’s another reason for implementing the chance gradually.