JUST as there is a large concern world-wide right now for the number of overweight and unhealthy humans in our populations, there should also be concern for the increasing number of overweight dogs and cats.
Diet is certainly the key to good health and by that I don't mean eating enough for a bird until you reach goal weight, then putting it all back on again when you go back to your normal eating routine. I mean eating a healthy diet, for life. And so it is with dogs.
Let me say here I don't like feeding dogs anything that is manufactured - extruded and puffed-up meats, mixed with well cooked (and sterile) vegetables in gravy full of colour, preservatives and artificial flavours is not going to help your dog's fitness and well-being. Neither is it helpful if you give your dog sweets, biscuits (cookies, the human kind), sticky sweet puddings and cake, ice cream or milkshakes, and especially not chocolate ... all of which I have seen being given to pet dogs. And the dogs, of course, love it all. But it will not make them healthy.
First for snacks: most dogs, if given the option before being fine-tuned to sweet junk food, prefer healthy and solid foods. I have given broccoli stalks, carrot sticks, cauliflower stalks, apple slices (leave the skin on please), most stone fruit slices, avocado, orange and mandarin segments, cottage cheese, buttermilk, hard cheese (small amount), yoghurt (natural unsweetened acidophilus with perhaps grated apple in it), I am sure you could add to this list over time and make your dog's snack time interesting.
Biscuits - make these yourself. Use wholegrains, rolled oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, grated vegetables, eggs and milk. No sugar please, but to make some semi sweet ones your dog will love, throw in a cup or two of grated apple or a combination of fruits, or a little honey. Or for some more solid fare boil up a lamb's fry (liver) in a small amount of water. Mash it all well when cooked and put into the basic biscuit mixture. You can do the same with any real meats but please do not use mince (full of preservative), sausage meat, or any other prepared form of meat. Keep a couple of tins of sweet and savoury biscuits in the house and your dog will love you for it.
And for a main meal - there are a large number of books I have seen with lovely recipes that your dog will adore, some quick and some taking a long preparation time. Basically I would say cook your dog a lovely meal on special occasions, but for the rest of the time there is nothing wrong with fish fillets (if you go fishing bring home the non-preferred species for the dog), pork bones, chicken necks, or for larger dogs chicken carcases, large lamb or beef bones (only RAW green bones please, NEVER cooked bones that can splinter), or gravy beef, or any cut-up fresh meat straight off the bone. But no ham or bacon please as these are either sugar or salt cured (both not good) and usually the ham we get in markets today is reconstituted leftover meat with preservatives added.
All going well in the food department, that is only one part of health - your dog must also get plenty of exercise according to size, and continuing positive mental stimulation. The size of your dog should tell you how much exercise to give - small apartment dwellers (toy dogs) may get enough exercise just playing with their toys, running between rooms, playing in their outdoors areas and playing games with you, but for larger breeds a good run is essential daily. Even better if you live near a beach, lake or river, or even the village pond - most dogs love to swim! The good thing about walking and playing with the dog is that you are getting some exercise too!
And finally, mental stimulation. This is easily as important for health as food or exercise! The best way to make sure your dog is achieving its full potential is to take him or her along to try out interesting clubs and disciplines to see what your dog really enjoys. Clubs such as obedience, search and rescue, sled dogs, orienteering, agility, sheep trials, retrieving, tracking, hunting and many others all give the dog a chance to exercise its own special abilities and widen its view of the world. It may hate some of these clubs, but will show great enthusiasm for one or two favourites. With just a little effort you will soon be made aware of what your dog wants to do.
And a note on training - begin early with good health habits and you will never have problems later. From the puppy stages make sure you handle your dog's feet often and clip the nails often - even if you take just a tiny clipping it gets your dog used to being handled and clipped. The same applies to the teeth - handle your dog's mouth a lot so that checking the state of teeth is never a problem. Brush the teeth with a wet toothbrush often - you will never regret that. The same with the coat, whether long or short, brush daily.
I do not favour chemical flea liquids or powders - if you wouldn't put it on your own skin, then don't put it on the dog! If you brush with a flea comb every few days, and daily in the flea season, then you should have no problems. Make sure you kill any fleas you find though - they would love to just get back on your dog, There are, of course, many areas where you MUST use a chemical for the sake of your dog's health, such as where there is heartworm, or paralysis ticks and other such nasties. Mainly, if your dosing is restricted to only essential situations, your dog will be healthier than most and should achieve a long and healthy life. - Liz Peters
