How to Keep Your Dog’s Heart Healthy
1. Feed your dog a balanced diet
There is a lot of different school’s of thought when it comes to what sort of diet is best for your dog and I don’t know that there is one right answer. I think the right diet for your dog depends on the individual dog in question. No matter what you ultimately decide to feed your dog make sure that you don’t try and balance their diet on your own. I think that is the biggest piece of advice I can give you. Find a Veterinarian or even better a Veterinary Nutritionist that subscribes to your thinking and follow what they deem to be a balanced diet. They will know more about portion sizes and food ratios so that you can keep your dog healthy. Trying to do it on your own can and will lead to stomach upset, pancreatitis from too much protein or fat in your dog’s diet, or nutritional deficits.
Just because the food you feed is healthier does not mean it will not make your pet overweight. I see this so often that people say I feed the best of the best I can. Often times the higher the quality of food means higher protein levels which means you need to cut back on serving size. Healthier food does not equal a healthier dog if they are overindulging. 2, 3, 10 lbs overweight can make their heart work that much harder plus it increases stress on joints and ligaments.
Treats should only be 10% or less of your dog’s overall diet!
In order to maintain a balanced diet and not allow your pet to become overweight which ultimately puts a bigger strain on their heart. 10% of calories in a day is a very small amount. Instead of wasted calories consider using part of their daily meal as treats. Whether you offer single pieces of kibble or pieces of fruit or vegetables or pieces of meat make sure that you consider that when making their dinner ready.
Exercise
Regular exercise of your dog’s body and mind is important in heart health. Not only does it get their heart pumping and make it stronger but it keeps your dog happier. A healthy heart is a happy heart. You don’t need to run a marathon with your dog or go from couch potato to agility star overnight but keeping their body and mind active helps their overall health in major ways.
Know Your Dog’s Breed or Mix of Breeds
As they say knowing is half the battle. By knowing what to look out for and how it presents you can be a greater advocate for your dog. Mutts are awesome they make great companions but unless you know exactly what breeds make up your dog you and your vet cannot keep an eye on things as well as you could have with more information. It seems silly but the tests that tell you what breeds your dog is can help save or even extend the life of your dog because your vet can keep a more careful watch on things. Knowing might also help you in choosing the appropriate diet for your dog.
How to Keep Your Dog’s Heart Healthy?
Visit your vet regularly so that that they can monitor your dog’s heart! Yearly and twice yearly visits can mean the difference between catching the situation early so that you can make the necessary changes and being too late. Part of regular visits to the vet is getting your dog used to going in the car, visiting the vet, and not getting upset. In order to best hear your dog’s normal heart rhythm your dog needs to be happy and calm when the vet goes to check. When you see the National Dog Show or Westminster on TV it might seem silly that the judges poke and prod the dogs or that some go up on the table but it actually helps the dog get used to a stranger touching them and checking them over so that at the vet they remain calm and allow the vet to do what is necessary in order to keep them healthy. It is an easy thing to practice at home with your dog! Depending on the size of your dog you can practice on the ground or a table and make sure you have healthy treats. Reward your dog for standing nicely while you touch their entire body.
What do you do to keep your dog’s heart healthy?
My dog is very active, so he gets lots of exercise. These are all great ideas.
It’s been hard getting our regular exercise in this winter with all the snow, can’t wait for it all to melt! Great ideas, thanks for sharing!!
Miley’s Daily Scoop recently posted..Snow Mischief
what a beautiful dog you have. Great tips for keeping your dog healthy we should all take good care of our pets they are after all family.
becca recently posted..Music Monday #Music
We feed our little guy dog food exclusively. Absolutely no table food. We also only give him carrots, bell peppers, blueberries, and green beans as treats. Our vet said those foods are great for him, and they won’t make him fat!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle recently posted..Beautiful Puerto Rico is Calling!
we try to excercise her as much as possible but also limit her dog and human treats. Sometimes the kids have to be reminded of this.
maria @ closetohome recently posted..Cat Litter You and Your Cat Will Love
I agree with all these Tips especially Exercise. It could be as simple as letting the Dog out for a few minutes to run in the yard ( if you have one ) Or take him on a walk with you
Lorane recently posted..Guys Take On : Can A Girl and a Guy be Friends?
Heart health is always important to keep up with, especially when it comes to our furry friends. Thanks for sharing these wonderful tips on canine heart health!
Stacey- Travel Blogger recently posted..Cinderella 2015 Costumes: Girls Dresses, Shoes & Jewelry
We always try to feed our dogs a balanced and healthy diet. We love them too much to ever let something like this hurt their health.
Dawn recently posted..Cinderella 2015 Costumes: Girls Dresses, Shoes & Jewelry
So many great ideas here. It’s so important to keep your dog healthy.
Lois Alter Mark recently posted..the second best exotic marigold hotel giveaway!
Is that your husky? *swoons* That’s my husband’s dream dog. They are soooo beautiful!
Brittany recently posted..Becoming A Better Writer – By Reading
Great tips, and always a good reminder to make sure our pets are healthy as well 🙂
AJ @ NutriFitMama recently posted..Diet, Exercise, and Motivational Monday
These are great tips for caring about your doggie’s health. i would also like to add be sure to know what plants are poisonous. I almost lost a pup who ate my son’s Kindergarten project (a planted daffodil!). I had no idea they were dangerous.
Anita Breeze recently posted..How to Make Money Writing Blogs
I can only imagine how important it is to learn about your own dog’s breed. It could definitely help you prepare for common problems.
Liz Mays recently posted..Behind the Scenes and on the Set of The Longest Ride Movie #LongestRide
We do not have a dog but these sound like great tips. Definitely a healthy diet!
Awe I have a husky! We have to take care of our pets, they are our furry babies
Ashley @irishred02 recently posted..Frozen Birthday Party Decorations, Games, Food, Free Printables and More!
Lots of good tips – we have a 7 year old Black and Tan Coonhound at home to take care of!
Heather recently posted..A Cat Owners Must-Have Item: Litter Genie
I dont have a doggie. I know plenty of people with them so I will make sure to let them know some of these helpful tips!
Kiwi recently posted..How to #SaveTheUndies And Be Your Own Superhero!
Good information that every dog momma should know about! Thanks for sharing – I’ll be sharing this on TLPB FB page soon!
Christina Berry recently posted..Adopt-A-Bull of The Week – Catiana
Our family pooch is a very young and active. These are great tips!
It is hard to limit the treats – they look so happy when they get it
Lena recently posted..5 Easy Ways to Eating Well
Good points. Sadly My dog passed away a couple weeks ago. Not quite ready for another yet.
Debbie Denny recently posted..Entrepreneurs Shine as Philanthropists!
We make sure they eat right and get lots of exercise.
Melissa Vera recently posted..See How Easily You Can Make A One of Kind Journal
I am so into the right food for my dog. I only feed natural food with no additives. Framms is our dog food of choice
Debbie L. recently posted..How to Get Smoke Smell Out of Your Home
Thanks for this wonderful information! We always strive to keep our dog’s health at it’s very best.
Jennifer B recently posted..CloSYS Oral Health System #Giveaway
Our dogs get yearly visits to the vet for checkups and eat a diet special for their needs. We also try to walk them as often as we can.
lisa recently posted..Big Hero 6 Ryan Potter and Daniel Henney Interview #McFarlandUSAEvent #BigHero6Bloggers
What great tips. Too many treats can be bad for all of us! So important to go for yearly checkups.
Kerri recently posted..New York Moms Perfect Baby Sprinkle #MomsTrustHuggies #CollectiveBias
I’ll have to share this with my fur baby owning pals!
This is a wealth of great information, thank you. I am sharing it with some of my dog owning friends.
Danielle recently posted..Transforming the Psyche (Free Recording)
It is important to watch what we feed our pets like we watch what we feed ourselves.
Janeane Davis recently posted..First – Love Yourself
Healthy diet and lots of good exercise – walking, running, playing, dog sports.
Emma recently posted..Purple
Heart health is so important when it comes to my little fur babies! I try not to ever feed them too many treats, I know that is never good for them.
Stacey- Travel Blogger recently posted..Crepe Erase First Impression
We BOTH keep our hearts healthy by walking every day!
Robin Zebley recently posted..Custom Pet Portraits from Photos by me, Artist Robin Zebley
I want my little puppy to live a long, healthy life, so thanks for the tips. I have no idea what a balanced diet for my dog would be, so I will definitely find a vet to help me. I will also not feed her too many treats!