Dogs' Ailments - Tackle the Cause Not The Symptoms
How many times have you paid out Vet's Fees more than
twice for the same ailment that your dog is suffering? Chronic Dog and Puppy Ailments can be caused by allergies
and toxin buildups that are not cured by drugs, but can be improved
by tackling the Root Cause.
If your dog suffers from a chronic skin condition, frequent
stomach upsets, ear infections, stiffness or bad breath, you
may have been spending a fortune on medication and drugs to
relieve the symptoms while the cause goes unchecked. If
your dog is hyperactive, anxious or aggressive have you been
told there is little that your vet can do to help?
Progressive Veterinary Surgeons now agree that poor
diet can be the underlying cause of many of these dog ailments, and can be
treated by making simple changes to your pet's diet.
Prepared dog food from the biggest manufacturers contains a
range of artificial colours, preservatives and other
additives. The link between additives and hyperactivity in
children is already acknowledged, so you can see it is also
likely to affect your dog or puppy.
The first thing you can do is look at the food you are
giving to your pet by the list of ingredients in commercial dog food: you
do not need to memorise all the names and details. Unless
the manufacturer clearly states that the food is free from
colors, preservatives and additives, then it is likely to
contain undesirable ingredients.
The next step is to consider what changes you can make to
your pet's diet. Ideally a dog's diet should comprise
freshly cooked food, split as follows: one-third protein,
one-third carbohydrates, one-third fresh vegetables. This
is the ideal basic diet for most dogs, but it may not be
practical if you work full time with a busy lifestyle. At
the very least, you can improve your dog's health by
changing to a proprietary dog food that is free from chemical
additives and artificial colors.
Next, check that your dog is eating the right amount of
food. The dog food package should state the correct amount
according to the dog or puppy's weight, if you are feeding
dry food this may appear to be quite a small amount.
Because we love our dogs it is tempting to give extra food,
and most dogs will always eat it willingly.
Even if your dog is not visibly overweight, you may still be
overfeeding him. If he needs to pass stools in two stages,
or his motions are generally loose, this can be evidence of
overfeeding. When a dog or puppy is eating too much, or if
his food contains excess protein or fat, there will be a
build up of toxins in his body. Even if your dog or puppy does not suffer from one of the chronic illnesses such as pruritus or atopy, there are a
number of symptoms that are evidence of excess food intake
or poor elimination of waste products that affect the dog's
body.
Thousands of dogs and puppies get constipation, and owners are often seeking help with this problem.
If your dog or puppy moults constantly, has a scurfy coat
and itchy skin, his diet probably needs to change. If he
has waxy ears, bad breath or an unpleasant overall smell,
these can all be the body's way of eliminating waste. If
his urine smells strongly and his anal glands become
overfull, these are other signs that the body needs to eliminate excess
waste.
If your dog is intolerant or allergic ingredients in his dog food this can be a common cause of many chronic dog ailments. When the vet prescribes antibiotics for a skin allergy in your dog, he is often just relieving the dog's symptoms temporarily - not curing the cause. They types of conditions we are talking about include persistent moulting; itchy skin, ears and feet; bad breath; unpleasant body odour and full anal glands. These chronic conditions show that changes to the dog's diet could be needed - they are evidence that the dog's body is building up and discharging waste products. If they remain
untreated, more serious illness or disease can
develop due to the strain on the dog's internal organs.
Excess eating or over-rich food makes the liver and
intestinal tract work harder, and ultimately they will
develop disorders which in turn require treatment.
If your dog continues to eat too much, he can become overweight, putting a strain on his heart and
joints, leading to separate illness and disease like
arthritis and coronary problems. Long term impurities in the
diet can also lead to the formation of tumours and growths.
Overweight in dogs, as in humans, is a cause of
diabetes, which carries many complications including
blindness.
When making changes to the dog's diet, everyone in the
family needs to be committed to the need to feed him
differently. Dogs are natural scavengers and since
domestication they are reliant on their owners to provide
their nutrition. There is a problem with this: he
is still going to try and steal food from the street or
around the house, and to beg treats and food from the
family. If you are feeding him perfectly balanced organic food in
his main meals, all the good work can be undone if one
family member continues to feed him cakes or biscuits.
Your dog is a valued member of your family but owning a dog
can be an expensive undertaking. The level of veterinary
costs is a main topic when two pet owners meet. These
simple but radical changes to the way you feed your dog can
improve his everyday health and wellbeing, avoid long term
health problems and save 000s in vets' fees.
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