Rocky’s Viewpoint
When you walk down the pet food aisle of your local grocery or pet supply store, one of the first things you may notice is how many different types of dog food there are available. How do you know which one to choose? While most dog foods contain the basic ingredients that dogs need to fuel their bodies, there are some specific things that can help your dog receive the best nutrition possible. Considerations to make are:
Diets for every dog should include a balance of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats. Checking the label on the dog food you are purchasing is a great way to make sure that your dog’s diet includes a healthy amount of nutrients at every stage of their lives.
If you have a puppy at home, look for food that is made specifically for their age. Puppy food is easier on young stomachs and contains the right amount of essential fats, protein, and vitamins that will allow them to develop properly. If your dog is aging, finding dog food that is optimal for their age and knowing how much to give is a great way to help them stay healthy.
Dogs can even benefit from taking supplements. A couple of common supplements include glucosamine, which helps treat arthritis, and fish oil, which helps improve their mental functioning, contributes to better skin health, and gives them a healthy coat.
At Rocky’s Retreat, we help keep your pet’s health regimen on-track by providing them with regular meal times and physical activity. If your dog will be staying for an overnight boarding session at our Lockhart dog boarding facility, we require that their food be brought from home to avoid any upset stomachs.
You can find more information on our boarding policies page, which we recommend you check out, especially if your pup is looking forward to their first visit with us.
Proper nutrition helps to provide a healthy lifestyle for any animal, dogs included. Not only can proper nutrition help to sustain your dog in their daily life, but it can also help relieve the symptoms of health conditions, improve their experience if they participate in a service or working role, and help them continue to live their best lives overall.
Changes in modern lifestyle also affect differences in the dietary habits and supply of food for dogs. In the wild, dogs may only eat every one to two days. Since wild dogs rely on the availability of prey in order to enjoy a meal, they will not be able to eat unless they have the opportunity to do so.
Domesticated dogs generally have food available to them at all times. This modern convenience has the ability to impact the lives of our beloved pets both positively and negatively. One positive benefit is that it is easier for us to make sure our pets receive the best nutritional balance in their diets.
On the downside, when our pets have access to an overabundance of food or habitually consume the wrong kinds of foods (including table scraps), the likelihood increases that they could develop health problems related to their diets. These problems include obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and digestive issues.
Not all dogs will over-consume, but weight-management is something that dog owners should keep in mind when deciding how to balance their pet’s mealtimes and exercise. Obesity is a concern for modern dogs, and it is reported that 56% of domestic dogs are classified as overweight or obese, according to the American Kennel Club’s website.
The services we offer at Rocky’s Retreat take your dog’s physical fitness into account. This is one reason why our facility offers so many opportunities for your dog to receive proper activity levels during their stay.
Our doggy daycare and overnight boarding sessions include plenty of opportunities for maintaining healthy activity levels. Here are just a few:
After you’ve gone on a long run or played a game of basketball, you probably feel like you could eat an entire pizza on your own. Keeping your dog active is a huge part of keeping them healthy, and they also need to refuel at the end of a long day of play!
Dogs need extra food in order to supplement an especially active lifestyle. This could apply to dogs that are employed in services and other canine jobs that require them to perform at a high level and demand physical and cognitive fitness.
Working dogs include those involved in military and police work, detection dogs, herding dogs, and dogs that are involved in athletic activities such as obstacle course work. The level of physical exertion that these activities require means that your canine companion will need sufficient and highly nutritious fuel to keep him going.
Dogs serve and contribute to the well-being of their human family in so many ways. It’s the least we can do to return some of the love and help them live the longest, happiest lives possible!
We want to help your pet live their best life in every possible way – mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Contact us to send your pooch on a fun retreat of their very own at our Lockhart dog boarding facility!
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