Wednesday 13 August 2008

Dog Health Tips

Dogs are called a man’s best friend. They are an important part of the family and there more often then not happy attitude can lift your spirits even in the dullest of times. For this reason our dog’s health should be of great concern to us and should be taken extremely seriously. A healthy dog is a happy dog and by taken good care of the dog’s health and diet you are not only acting responsibly but also going a long way to preventing illness and suffering in your dog life.

Just as human beings are susceptible and vulnerable to illness and disease so are dogs. Viral diseases, bacterial disease, food allergy, skin allergies and even cancer are all ailments know to effect dogs. Just like humans, dogs are affected by the environment they live in. A bad or unclean environment can cause a lot of damage to the dog’s health. Keeping the dogs surrounding clean, hygienic and safe is the simplest but most effective defense in maintaining your dog’s good health.

Nutrition also has a major effect on a dog’s health. It is vital that your dog’s diet contains a nutritional balance of food stuffs that are known to promote good health in dogs. Don’t make the mistake and assume what is good for a human is good for a dog they are different to us and require different balances of nutrition. The mistake people often make regarding there dogs nutrition is that they assume buying dog food from a supermarket and feeding the dog on that day in and day out will suffice. The reality is that most of the time these style foods contain a lot of chemicals and are not completely nutritionally balanced and can therefore cause a lot of damage to a dog’s health. The best thing to do is to feed your dog with a healthy balance of freshly prepared food like meat and vegetables and to supplement this with the odd portion of specially designed dog nutritional pouches or packs. This will ensure your dog maintains a balanced diet without too much exposure to dangerous chemicals and over processed food. It is important to never over feed your dog. Obesity in dogs is becoming more and more of a problem and it is guaranteed to not only decrease your dog’s enjoyment in life but also to decrease its life expectancy dramatically. There are a few foods to avoid feeding your dog, these are; grapes, raisins and onions for some or another reason they do not agree with a dogs digestion.

Vaccinations and regular dosing with medication that can prevent common illnesses in dogs is also vital. It is also good practice to take your dog to the vet or animal clinic every so often to make sure they are in perfect health. Once again a healthy dog is a happy dog and if your dog is happy they will bring you hours of joy.

It is also important to take care of the dog’s hygiene. Bath your dog two or three times a week using a special dog shampoo, not human shampoo, if possible. This will help in keeping the dos coat and skin shinny and healthy, remove excess hair and also get rid of any bugs that would try and live in your dogs coat. More then 3 times a week is not recommended as you can lose too much of the dogs natural oils that also aid in keeping the dogs skin healthy. If your dog has a particular problem with flees or another pestilence, it is recommend that you get a natural and non-toxic repellant available at most pet shops.

Keep your dog well fed and hygienic and you should manage to escape most of the ailments that can plague dogs if they are not looked after properly.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

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