Have you given much thought to dog wellness?
Recently, I started running several days per week. My toy fox terrier–who is now 12 years old–used to pull and beg me to keep up with him. Now, I’ve noticed that he can hardly keep up with my brisk pace. In fact, I have needed to carry him home a time or two. Poor old buddy.
This situation has had me start thinking about what I can do to help him as he enters his senior years. His vet assures me that he’s in good health for his age and the exercise is beneficial. But what more can I do?
We know how to keep ourselves in shape, even though most of us should be trying harder to actually put knowledge into practice. You know what kind of level of fitness is required to do certain things like running 3 miles every day.
But what about your pet? How do you know if your pet is in a healthy, fit, and overall strong dog wellness? There are plenty of health tips for human beings, which we have access to online. There are also a lot of fitness tips for dogs out there too.
Some of them you can merge together or just do on your own. Spotting the indications that you have a healthy dog is not hard at all and after a closer look in various areas, you’ll know if you do.
Lackluster playing time
It might sound odd, but if your dog cannot finish a session of running around in the park like they how they started, you might have a problem. Some dogs that are unhealthy will run around for a few minutes, they’ll play fetch with you but soon they will tire and begin to slow jog everywhere.
If by the end of a 15 to 20-minute playtime in the park they are so tired that they are hard to pull with the leash then clearly they aren’t fit enough. It’s common for dogs that are tired to sit or lie down and not respond to calls to heel. Take your dog out to the park more often and change their diet to combat early fatigue.
Thick and shiny
Human beings develop poor circulation the more and more unhealthy we get. We can also develop blotchy, red skin which is due to high blood pressure. Dogs also have signs of having an unhealthy state such as their coats not being so lustrous as it once was.
A fit and healthy dog will have a thick coat, as well as their growth of that fur being quick. The natural oils their glands secrete will also make their coats shiny. If your dog has thin hair, it doesn’t grow or shed that often, and or is not that shiny then you need to take them out to be more active.
Have a look around
We as pet owners have to do the best we can to keep our dogs healthy and strong. However we’re not experts so getting some good advice from someone who is, would greatly improve the life quality of your pooch.
For example, if you contact a cheap vet and book a check-up appointment that should cost no more than $15, you’ll be given a detailed report on the dog’s health in-person. You can find out what kind of strength the dog has in their hips. That’s necessary because many dogs develop issues in this part of their body.
It’s hard enough for us to keep in tip-top condition, keeping your pooch in optimal dog wellness is a challenge. However, the signs of an unhealthy dog are there. You just need to look a little closer and take action to prevent it from getting any worse.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
This blog celebrates all things home.
