What Your Dog Needs to Live a Long Life
If you want your pet dog to live a long and healthy life then what your dog needs is pretty much the same as you a healthy diet and lots of exercise!
How old your lives too will also depend on the breed of dog, the world record was for a dog called Bluey who was an Australian Cattle Dog he lived to 29 Years and 5 months old. There does seem to be some other contenders for the title but this is the one that the Guinness Book of Records mentions.
One thing to factor is that commonly the smaller the dog the longer the life, Cancer can also be common in certain dog breeds for instance boxers, golden retrievers, and Rottweiler’s.
Obviously if your dog has some genetic traits that might shorten its life there is little you can do to prevent this but if you feed your pet good food, give it lots of love and attention and regular exercise then you be sure that your dog lives as happy and healthy a life as you can possibly give it.
Exercise
Most dogs will enjoy a walk but sometimes due to ill health or adverse weather you might not be able to take your dog on a walk. Your pet still needs the exercise so that way round this is to find exercises for them to do indoors.
Indoor activities could include hiding treats and getting them to sniff and search for them around the house. Using a cheap lazer pointer for them to chase around.
The Best Foods for Your Dog
Dogs are omnivore which means they can eat a variety of different foods including meat, vegetables and grains. How much food your dog will need depends on its size of course and more importantly how active it is. With a pampered lap dog you might think that it is healthy eating lots of nutritious food but if it isn’t active enough it will soon put on weight and yes dogs can get diseases like diabetes too.
My best advice to you would be to visit a local vet or animal clinic and discuss with them what sort of food would be best for your dog.
Always check the ingredients on the package, you will want to feed your dog mainly meat or protein, while dogs can eat vegetables they are predominate meat eaters and this is what they will thrive on. If you can afford it chose premium brand dog foods over the economy versions and also look out for added preservatives as well as these could contain chemicals that in the long term are not good for your pet.
Foods You Should Never Give Your Dog
Chocolate – Dogs love the stuff if they can get hold of it but they certainly shouldn’t! Just a few ounces can kill a dog and even in smaller doses can cause dogs to vomit. Coffee and caffeine also contain dangerous chemicals that are similar.
Grapes and Raisins – Even though the experts are not totally sure why they these fruits are dangerous, they are and can lead to kidney failure.
Other food stuffs to avoid are Macadamia nuts, Avocado and the sweetener Xylitol.
In conclusion, looking after a dog is pretty simple a good diet, lots of exercise and regular trips to the local vet or animal clinic for health checks and vaccinations.
Filed under: Dog Related Articles
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!