I love dogs, always have done and always will do. I think it’s their natural friendliness that wins me over as it seems that they never have a care in the world – they just always smile! It’s the same with my new dog, Alfie, as he’s always picking up the nearest squeaky toy and willing us to play catch with him. But one of the most important things I take into account when it comes to owning a dog is the responsibility that I have, as it becomes my job to ensure that it leads a natural healthy life and lives carefree.
As a pretty healthy person myself, I’m of the reasoning that if you treat your body healthily then the way you feel and the way you react to illnesses improves as a direct result to the lifestyle you lead. Being healthy is important to me and I know how great it makes me feel, and this is the same for my dog because if he is properly taken care of then he will lead a healthy life like me and reap all the benefits that come with it. Alfie was an abandoned dog; someone had left him in a box in a car park of our local supermarket so it’s safe to say he didn’t have the best start in life. We couldn’t believe that he’d been left like that and so we took him to the vet and gave him the best treatment possible, because otherwise he wouldn’t have lasted the week such was the condition he was left in.
If you want your dog to be naturally healthy, then here are some hints and tips that I have picked up that could be useful to you:
• Prepare for their environment – if it’s particularly warm or cold you may find that they are expending more energy than they normally would and this means you might have to up their intake of food
• Variety in food – rather than giving your dog the same old packet or tinned food, why not give it some natural food like fish? As bizarre as it sounds, foods like tuna, salmon and sardines can be brilliant for your dog’s health and coat as they are rich on omega-3 oils
• Know what your pet needs on a daily basis – there are a number of key nutritional elements that a dog needs as part of their diet: protein, fat and carbs all make up these elements and it’s important that you incorporate these into your dog’s diet on a regular basis
• Age – take into account your dog’s age as it will need different diets depending on how old it is, just like humans do.
Don’t over feed or under feed your dog and make sure that you take this into consideration If you’re looking for pain relief for your dog, then look no further than Dog Gone Pain .
Paul James is a freelance writer from the UK. Follow him on Twitter @pauljamestm
