This is a question that my friends often ask me. They all want to know why their dog is tired, weak, and unhealthy despite eating properly. They want to know if they could do something to improve their dog’s health naturally. So, I am going to answer a bunch of questions that dog owners often ask me. If you have a dog and if you are wondering how you can improve its health, make sure you read this article.

What is the most important thing I should know about improving my dog’s health?

The most important thing you need to know is that there are three factors that play a major role in your dog’s health – diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements. It is very important that a pet dog is fed a proper diet, exercised every day, and given proper health supplements.

Of course, this assumes that there isn’t an underlying dog health problem such as a heart condition that may result in lethargy, or natural declines in energy such as when a dog has a virus or that is a normal part of the aging process. Even boredom can cause a decline in dog energy levels and the appearance of a healthy dog.

How can I improve my dog’s health with diet? Don’t I already feed him every day?

Yes, you do feed him every day. But have you ever wondered what kind of food you feed him? Now some would argue that a home made meal or organic food is the way to go. While organic, additive free foods may be important, I don’t necessarily feel this approach (and expense) is necessary for a healthy dog.

In my mind, as long as a dog food says AAFCO certified on the label, the body that certifies dog food, and if the food comes from a reputable manufacturer, then it should be fine. This includes lower cost dog foods that you might find at Wal Mart etc.

How can I improve my dog’s health with exercise? He looks so small and fragile. Won’t strenuous exercise affect his health?

I am not saying that you should make your dog do military presses and superman squats. Simple exercises like walking, climbing the stairs, ball fetching, and swimming can go a long way in improving your dog’s health naturally. Regular exercise improves blood circulation, reduces stress, strengthens your dog’s limbs, and boosts his metabolic rate. So, it is important that your dog stays physically active.

Do keep your dog’s mind strong, consider a KONG toy, where a treat is hidden inside the dog. This will keep your dog busy and cause the mind to stay active.

Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Clean

Like in human health, bacteria can build up on a dog’s teeth. This could not only have an effect on dental health, but allow harmful bacteria to enter the body. Daily brushing combined with professional cleaning at the vet will go a long way to sustaining the health of your pet.

What role do health supplements play in improving my dog’s health?

How do you think animals in the wild stay so healthy and energetic? They eat certain medicinal plants to flush the toxins out of their system and cleanse themselves. Since your dog, or any other pet dog for that matter, does not have access to these herbs, they are not able to cleanse their system as often as they should. This leads to a toxin buildup in their body which affects their health in the long run. To avoid this, you need to give your dog health supplements that contain herbal extracts and natural remedies that can keep your dog healthy.

What are the herbs that can improve my dog’s health?

Huang Qi is an herb that can boost your dog’s immune system and make him healthier naturally. It is used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine. Mistletoe is known to support natural immune responses and normal blood pressure. Echinacea is known for its ability to strengthen the lymphatic system of dogs. Mistletoe is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen the liver, prevent the damage caused by free radicals, and support a healthy immune system. All these are powerful herbs whose medicinal properties have been well documented with the help of clinical trials.

What else should I know about improving my dog’s health?

Apart from a healthy diet and regular exercise, your dog needs lots of love and care. Spend some time with him every day and take good care of him. Give him a small dose of herbal supplements every day. Avoid exposing him to pesticides, herbicides, weed killers, and other such substances that are harmful to his health. These are some of the simple tips you can follow to keep your dog healthy and happy for a long time.

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Choosing the right dog food for dogs with bladder stones can be quite a difficult task.

Almost all the commercial dog food manufacturers today boast that their kibble is the best of the best. Apart from this, you can also find different types of organic kibble on the market today. With this being the case, choosing the right kind of food for your dog can be quite confusing.

For a healthy dog, any AAFCO approved dog food, which is the dog food manufacturers certification group, is more than fine and recommended by most veterinarians. The thing to be aware of is that there are two levels of certification. The preferred and recommended level is “tested and found to be adequate.” Even lower cost foods found at leading national chains are fine as long as they meet his requirement. Avoid the lower level rating which states that the dog food is just “formulated to meet AAFCO standards.” If a major ingredient is listed such as beef, and the food is AAFCO certified, than you can assume the food has industry acceptable levels of the ingredient. Other descriptive phrases are often more marketing, than anything that will have a meaningful impact on your dog’s health.

Short of having a veterinary nutritionist design a diet with 40 needed nutrients in there proper balance, the AAFCO approach to food selection is fine. Of course the advantage of a home cooked meal, is that fillers, artificial ingredients and other foods you wouldn’t feed yourself, will also not be fed to your dog.

If a dog is susceptible to stone formation, then a dog food for bladder stones may need to be a prescription diet. Here there are two types. One that is formulated to help dissolve stones, which is recommended is your dog has what is called a struvite stone. The other common type, oxalate, cannot be dissolved with diet. Once the canine bladder stone problem as been resolved, there is a Prescription Diet that can help avoid future stone formation such as Hill’s Prescription Diet s/d.

If a dog’s urine is acidic, bacteria will not be able to multiply in that environment. This greatly reduces the risk of bacterial infections and bladder stones. So, the food you give your dog should not make its urine alkaline or neutral. Urine content is a function of diet, so you can see the role this plays in a dog’s health.

You should also give dogs plenty of clean water to drink. If your dog drinks lots of water, it will be able to flush out bacteria and small crystals present in its bladder by urinating frequently. This greatly reduces the risks of infections and bladder stones. Take your dog on 1 extra walk per day as well. Increased urination is the way nature cleans the urinary system.

Consider adding a berry based juice such as cranberry to your dog’s water. Berries have properties which keep bacteria from clinging to the walls of the bladder. Infection causes inflammation, which constricts the urinary passages, causes calculi to accumulate, the building blocks of bladder stones.

To lower the risks of bladder stones, you can give your dog a small amount of natural herbal supplements every day. Herbs like cantharis and berberis vulg are known for their anti inflammatory and anti immunosuppressive properties. They boost your dog’s immune system, strengthen its urinary bladder, and support urogenital health. So, a small dose of these supplements can make a big difference to your dog’s health in the long run.

By giving the right kind of dog food for bladder stones, you can not only treat bladder stones effectively, but can also prevent them. So, feed a dog right and he or she will be healthy and active for a long time

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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Grill