The Alternative Health Gazette

Natural Ways to Keep Dogs Healthy

Keeping a pet dog healthy is done very much in the same way keeping humans healthy is. Dogs need regular exercise and activity, healthy nutritional foods, and plenty of water too. Unfortunately, many dogs have adopted human lifestyle habits, and because of this we’ve seen increasingly more health problems occuring in dogs too. And the bad news is, even dog owners who think they’re feeding their pet healthy nutritional foods often find out that it’s not as good for them as they thought it was.

You see, many ready made standard dog foods and snacks have a lot of filler added to them. These fillers are not good for the dog to eat, and they reduce the amount of solid protein, fats, vitamins and minerals the dog is eating too. Many people don’t realize this though, so they feed their dogs foods based on what the commercials say, or how the bags and cans look.

The recent pet food crisis is an excellent example of how dog foods often have misc fillers added to them. Many people thought they were feeding their dogs canned beef, but they soon found they were feeding them wheat gluten and other products that aren’t overly healthy for dogs to begin with. In fact, over 100 pet food brands were involved in the spring 2007 pet food recall crisis that killed an unknown number of pets across the nation. And many dog owners are now wondering what they should feed their pet instead.

The answer lies in human food. But not quite what you might be thinking of. Truely healthy human food is rich in vitamins, minerals, good fats and protein. Dogs should not be fed fillers, junk foods, sugars, and starches though. These things can make them fat, and even cause internal damage to the organs and digestive system too. Dogs need to eat much more protein and fats than humans do though, because their bodies are made up of almost pure muscle mass, and they burn fat very fast.

One of the best foods you can feed your dog are raw meats and ground bone meal. Bones are extremely healthy for a dogs teeth, coat, eyes and muscles, but some types of full sized bones can tear or injure the dog’s stomach or intestinal tract, particularly if the dog swallows pieces of bones whole instead of chewing them up.

Cooked meats are a better dog food than store bought processed version too, so if you’re reluctant to give the dog raw meats then simply cook enough meat at dinner time to share.

Some types of vegetables are excellent sources of nutrition for dogs too. Like humans though, certain types of foods may give the dog gas or indigestion, so introduce new human foods a little at a time to be sure nothing is making them feel ill.

One of the best ways to add additional nutrition to your dogs meat based diet is to simply give them supplements. Kelp for instance, is packed with minerals and nutrients that are essential for any animals health. Garlic and onion are also packed with vitamins and nutrients, plus they have the added benefit of helping keep fleas and ticks away.

Giving your dog omega 3 fatty acids in supplement or seafood form will do wonders for both his skin and his coat too. The skin becomes softer, dryness and flakiness problems clear up, and the coat shines beautifully.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

Other Alternative Health Topics...
Arthritis Candida Colon Health Constipation Depression Diabetes Fungus hemmeroids hemmoroids hemoroids Hemorrhoids hemroids Herbal Basics Herbs Insomnia Joints Kidney Health Liver Health Menopause Metabolism piles Skin Care Womens Health Yeast Yeast Infections