Avoid Health Problems By Following These Dog Care Tips!
This is how I feed my dogs and many of my friends feed their dogs. The focus is on doing what you can in everyday life to make your dog as healthy as possible and avoid your dog becoming ill.
Feed adult dogs once a day! I know many people feed twice a day and some people let their dog’s graze. Firstly… Grazing is bad. Your dog isn’t a cow or sheep. If your dog was in the wild it would eat sporadically. It would hunt on an empty stomach. Make a kill and eat. It would then rest. On a large kill a wild dog may rest and not eat for days.
A Dog’s Body Is Designed to Chase Down a
Meal On An Empty Stomach, Eat and Then Rest.
So here is the tip, take your dog for a walk before feed time whether it’s in the morning or evening. Allow your dog to recover from the walk before you feed. (Some dogs can recover in minutes some will need half an hour.)What does this do? When a dog exercises on an empty stomach it simulates going hunting, certain hormones are released to help your dog run faster and have more stamina. Plus, processes are starting in the intestines to get ready to accept food. These processes create extra acid and enzymes to help break down food. [WARNING: Some breeds (usually larger breeds) are prone to bloat, I would not feed these dogs unless they have been settled and calm for at least one hour. Best to consult your vet.]
By doing this your dog will get more out of his or her meal after a big day running around than if he or she sleeps all day. When a dog eats, a large percentage of their blood goes to the stomach area to pick up nutrients and help the intestines digest the food. (This is why it’s a bad idea to feed your dog BEFORE a walk!) The opposite happens to the blood supply when a dog has an empty stomach and is doing exercise; a large percentage goes into the muscles and organs to improve running performance to help ensure they catch their prey.
After feeding, allow your dog to rest. Some people recommend a few hours. I would say the longer the better. I like to walk my dogs in the evening when it’s cool and feed them after the walk. That way they get all night to rest and digest their food, the way nature intended.
That’s why grazing is bad, it doesn’t allow the intestines to go through that natural process of being empty, exercise building the acids and enzymes. Then being full and allowing time to digest the food. The intestines of grazers are always full not allowing them to rest. It’s ok for cows but bad for dogs, and cats for that matter.
Next tip is what to feed. I recommend a high quality grain free dog food. However that’s not all I feed my dogs. I feed and I recommend to all our customers to feed Raw Meaty Bones to your dog 2 times per week. The meatier and fattier the better. Bones like Lamb Shanks and brisket, Chicken frames and necks and wings. All have to be raw and make sure they are not too rancid (fresh is best but you will be surprised at what they can eat when you feed this way, the acid in their guts is capable of killing bacteria even in very rotten food).
Why do I recommend meaty bones? Two reasons, the first is that meaty bones are the best teeth cleaning dog product out there. Oral hygiene is crucial to your dog’s health and longevity. Second reason is that it varies their diet enough so feed time is more interesting. Please note: You may want to supervise your dog while eating the bones because bones can get stuck in places on the way down. It’s rare but it does happen. The benefits meaty bones bring far out-weight the risk.
My dogs look the best and seem the healthiest when I follow this procedure. I have tried feeding a completely raw diet and never could get my dogs looking as good as on the raw meaty bones for two days and Stay Loyal the other days.
This article is continued in- Avoid Health Problems By Following These Dog Care Tips Part Two.
