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5 Things You Absolutely Should be Doing to Keep Your Dog Healthy

We’re all busy, I get it. We work so hard during the week, only to use our ‘free’ time on the weekends to clean and do food prep. We’re lucky if we can squeeze in a bit of time for ourselves. It is hard to fit anything else into our busy schedules, but there are some things you may want to consider doing for your dog, especially since these things are easy to do.

Brush your dog’s teeth at least three times a week. Did you know that 99% of dog owners don’t brush their dog’s teeth? This is sad, considering how awful it is for us to go without brushing our teeth for more than a day. Dogs’ mouths are more alkaline than humans', so they form plaque more easily. Even though your dog’s teeth may look healthy, don’t assume everything is fine. By the time the signs of gum disease are noticed, it will already be advanced. Gum disease leads to destroyed tissue, inflamed gums, loss of bone, and chronic pain (which dogs hide instinctively to avoid showing weakness). Make it a part of your routine to brush your dog’s teeth before you start getting ready for bed at night.
Exercise with your dog, even if you don’t feel like it. I know you know why this is important. When it’s cold outside, chase your dog around the house. When the sun comes out, go for a walk. You will feel better, and your dog will too. Exercise=better health=a longer life for your dog=being happy together.
Feed your dog top-quality dog food. I’m not trying to scare you (OK, maybe I am), but what you may be feeding your dog will shock you. Never, and I mean NEVER feed your dog food that contains: animal by-product meal, meat by-product meal, or animal fat. What lurks in these vaguely-described ingredients? Euthanized animals from kill shelters (some with their flea-collars still attached), skunks, rats, raccoons, maggots, pesticides, mercury and other heavy metals, insecticide-laced patches from the skin of slaughtered cattle carcasses, road kill, restaurant grease, dead zoo animals, spoiled supermarket food, distiller fermentation waste, diseased farm animals, antibiotics, surgical pins, and even plastics. Horrific, I know. Look for food made by conscientious companies that take pride in producing high-quality pet food.
Get pet stairs for the couch, a pet ramp for your car, and an emergency pet rescue harness. All it takes is one imbalanced jump down from a high surface, and your dog could break bones or slip a disc in their back. Some dogs require surgery as the result of a slipped disc, and some even have permanent paralysis. Did you know that fire injures over 500,000 and kills over 40,000 pets a year? If you live in a 2-story house, also invest in an emergency pet harness that will allow you to safely lower your pet out of the window in the event of a fire.
Use a harness when walking your dog. This is especially important, because the pulling of a collar on a dog’s neck can injure their trachea. Even if your dog is small or doesn’t tend to pull, enter a squirrel that needs to be chased, and all of a sudden the collar starts choking your dog. No-pull harnesses are the best, because they put evenly distributed pressure on the dog’s chest or back to eliminate the desire to pull.

Sources:
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/perlis-gum-disease-dogs#1 2/9
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/shocking-truth-about-dog-food/
https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CVM/CVMFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/ucm129131.htm
https://www.x-itproducts.com/baby-pet-escape-bag/?v=7516fd43adaa