Ensuring a healthy lifestyle for your dog is a must if you do not want it to suffer from health problems. Besides physical problems, an inactive life can also lead to mental illnesses for your dog. Thus, you must leave no stone unturned to ensure your dog leads a healthy lifestyle.
To ensure that, here are a few tips.
Feed Your Pup a Quality Diet
The first step in ensuring a healthy lifestyle for your dog is giving him a healthy diet. When determining what to feed your dog, prioritize the ingredients, especially the main component. You will find many chicken or beef-flavored dog meals on the market. Pick the ones that use real chicken meal. You can find them on PetCareRx alongside other pet supplies like food and medication. Go through various types of dog food the site has to offer, and pick the ones you think will suit your pet the best.
You must try a few options before deciding which one to stick to. Not all dogs have the same preference. Thus, it is only logical that you experiment a little before sticking to a particular brand or type of food.
Also, avoid giving your dog treats regularly. Otherwise, your dog will lose appetite for regular meals and will only want treats.
Stay Consistent with Feeding Times and Locations
You must maintain a fixed schedule and location when feeding your dogs. Dogs need to know when and where they will be fed. That way, they begin to trust that it will happen. If your dog gets anxious because he is unsure of when or where he will get his next meal, it can lead to poor behavior like barking or excessive chewing and urination.
Monitor Your Dog’s Weight
When it comes to weight, there are two extremes you need to consider.
Firstly, underweight pets can be unhealthy and at risk for a host of medical problems. Secondly, overweight pets are also at risk for health issues that could affect their health as well as their lifespan.
Monitoring your dog’s weight is especially important if you adopt him from a shelter or rescue organization. That is because he may have been underfed in the past and then gained extra pounds when you started feeding him regularly.
Weight monitoring is also vital if your dog has already had issues with obesity (such as arthritis). These conditions can make it harder for him to lose weight once they grow older. Regular monitoring helps you spot any sudden changes in the dog’s body, which could indicate underlying health problems such as diabetes or cancer.
Keep Your Pet Active
A healthy lifestyle is more than just eating right and getting enough sleep. It also involves plenty of exercise. In addition to keeping your dog in shape, physical activity can help improve his mental health by releasing endorphins and giving him a sense of accomplishment.
Here are a few ways you can keep your dog active.
- Take him for long walks around the neighborhood every day, ideally off-leash if possible. This works especially well for puppies, whose bones are still growing rapidly and require lots of exercise to grow stronger.
- Play fetch with tennis balls outside. Using a tennis ball for fetch should be fine.
- Go swimming with your dog at a local pool or even a lake. Just make sure that dogs are allowed in the water wherever you plan to swim.
- Do not keep your dog indoors for long periods, like two-three days or more. Not only will it make them inactive, but it will also affect their mental health. Some dogs might even act aggressively if you do not take them out once or twice a day.
Do Not Forget About Dental Care
Brush your dog’s teeth regularly. You can do so at home with a soft-bristled toothbrush or an electric toothbrush. Your vet may recommend using a dental diet if you face difficulty in brushing your dog’s teeth. The dental diet will help reduce the buildup on their teeth.
Dogs need to be brushed at least once per week to prevent tartar buildup and avoid gum disease. Ideally, you should brush your teeth right after your dog has had his meal. Doing so allows you to get rid of the buildup without too much effort.
Schedule Regular Check-Ups With a Vet
Regular visits to the vet ensure that your dog is fit and healthy. At the same time, check-ups can help identify any unforeseen medical condition. These visits are vital for older dogs as they are more prone to diseases. Your vet can also advise you on your dog’s diet and exercise routine if necessary.
That is all for now. As long as you stick to these tips, your dog will lead a healthy and happy lifestyle.
