Feeding your pets a balanced diet is essential for their health and vitality. Many believe that improving their pet’s diet requires a lot of money, but that’s not the case! Here are five simple ways to enhance your dog’s diet…
Avoid Feeding Kibble
Marketing has led us to believe that shelf-stable foods offer everything dogs need for a long and healthy life.
However, the reality is quite different.
The industrial cooking processes used to make these products destroy live enzymes, resulting in lifeless foods that depend on synthetic supplements to meet so-called “balanced” nutritional standards.
These foods deteriorate your pet’s health, causing systemic issues that necessitate vet visits and medications, which can further negatively impact their body.
Introduce Whole Foods
Fresh whole foods like raw meat, organs, and bones are rich in live enzymes that can greatly enhance your dog’s health. They are also packed with nutrients that aid digestion, promote regular bowel movements, and improve stool quality. Additionally, whole foods help combat bad breath and enhance your dog’s skin and coat.
Many of these nutrients are destroyed during the cooking processes used to create shelf-stable foods, leading manufacturers to add synthetic nutrients back into their products. These synthetic nutrients are mere imitations of those found in nature.
Unlike most synthetic nutrients, whole foods contain nutritional co-factors that work synergistically, helping the body absorb, assimilate, and utilise nutrients more effectively. If you want to learn more about raw feeding, click here.
Feed a Variety
Get creative with your dog’s meals!
Adding air-dried treats like sprats, chicken feet, and even pig ears can elevate your dog’s dining experience. These natural treats not only add variety but also provide additional nutrients to your dog’s diet.
Having treats that are crunchy and take longer to eat can also help with anxiety and over-energetic dogs.
Also, feeding your dogs different meats is extremely beneficial. Single protein meals can get boring, would you eat the same meal every day? Probably not, so don’t do that to your dog! Try feeding white meats, red meats and fish.
Teeth and Gum Health
Some commercial treats claim to benefit teeth and gum health, but their unhealthy ingredients and cooking processes can lead to other health issues.
Just as any dentist would recommend brushing to maintain plaque-free teeth and healthy gums for humans, the same principle applies to dogs.
Bones are as effective as toothbrushes. Gnawing on raw bones helps keep your dog’s teeth sparkling white.
Don’t Overfeed
Dogs know when they’re hungry. If you set down a bowl and your dog doesn’t eat, leave it for 5 minutes, then take it away and try again at the next mealtime.
Sometimes, dogs may go a few days without eating, but this is usually not a cause for concern. As long as they are playing, drinking, and acting normally, they are healthy.
Adjust your dog’s feeding schedule based on whether he needs to gain or lose weight.
For weight loss, feed earlier in the day so he has more time to burn off calories.
For weight gain, feed more frequently, especially before bedtime, to prevent calorie burn-off.
Don’t worry too much if your dog is very slim, especially when young and active. As he ages, he will naturally gain weight more easily, so avoid trying to make him heavier too soon.
