Canine Health

Nutrition

With all of the concerns about pet foods on the market, and misleading commercials, it can be difficult to choose the proper nutrition for your dog.

Choosing a proper food takes much investigation, knowledge and an elimination process when solving a food related allergy situation. The dogs health and life can be greatly improved just by providing the proper food and measurement along with exercise. Many dog food bags may tell people a measurement of food that is actually larger than they need just so the dog eats more and they can sell more food. This results in uninformed owners having over weight and unhealthy dogs.

Then there are people who think they are loving their dogs by giving them human food and an over excessive amount of treats causing the animal to become obese. So much so the dog can hardly walk, play, or even breathe. This obesity causes serious health issues (heart disease, diabetes, joint problems, liver and kidney disease) and unhappiness for the pet because they are unable to run and play like a healthy dog. Feeding human food, excessive amounts of treats and too much canned food, all cause the dogs to have runny stools frequently, no respect for a higher pack member, and many become picky eaters toward their dog food. Imagine having diarrhea every day for years! That is how your dog feels when fed excessive amounts and/or poor quality food. On top of the digestive problems, the dog has trouble moving around.

Unfortunately, owners who over feed their dogs like this usually do not realize (or want to admit) that they are actually making the dogs life more difficult and shortening the dogs life span. This is NOT love! A dog does not know limits on its own, it will eat until it explodes! That doesn’t mean it should be allowed to. They need your help to provide the proper nutrition and exercise to keep them healthy! Love is giving your dog a high quality food, putting limits on your dogs food intake and treating in proper smaller amounts (one to two small dry treats per day). Combined with exercise (explained in our Exercise section) your dog will live a long, healthy and happy life.

Click here to see how your dog's weight scores!

Many dogs are also victims of allergies coming from environments and, yes, their own food! Most people are unaware that a lot of physical allergy symptoms can be the result of a food allergy. The most common food allergies for dogs are to corn, wheat, soy, chicken and sometimes beef. These allergies can lead to chronic ear infections, itching, licking and red, dry, irritated skin and hair loss. Poor quality of foods may also cause allergies because they do not have the proper balance of vitamins and nutrients the dog needs. There are “All Natural,” “Holistic” and “Organic” dog foods and all of these are good. If a product is labeled “Organic” it means the ingredients are human grade and that 95% of its ingredients are free of pesticides, growth hormones and herbicides and there will be the USDA’s organic logo on the package. If it says “Made with Organic Ingredients” it means 70% to 94% of the ingredients in the food are certified organic but the USDA’s logo will not be on the package.