23 Jun PROVEN WAYS TO EXTEND YOUR DOGS LIFE

Did you know dogs have the potential to live much longer life’s than most are living right now?  Breed type and genetics play a role, however, just a few simple things you can do will add many years to their life expectancy.  Your dog’s totally at the mercy of the choices you make for their well-being. These choices decide how long they will be with you and the quality and comfort of their life. For the sake of your pet I highly encourage you do these 6 things.

1/ Dogs who eat less live longer. Healthy dogs should be lean. Studies show that dogs on restricted calorie diets live an average of 2 years longer than those who aren’t.   Less food is good for their joints and their overall well-being. Try and stick to healthy diet in moderate portions.

2/ Dogs with clean teeth get sick less and have better smelling breath. Many older dogs succumb to diseases of their vital organs due to bacteria and toxins resulting from poor oral hygiene. Some Vets believe that good oral hygiene alone can add 4 years of longevity to the average dog. One of the easiest ways to ensure good dental hygiene for your dog is to get them some bones made of raw pork hide, as this helps scrape their teeth. The other more obvious way is to brush their teeth with a toothpaste made especially for dogs. Don’t use human toothpaste as most of these contain artificial sweetener that is poisonous for dogs.

3/ Dogs neutered later physically develop better. If you must neuter your dog, don’t do it until they are at least one year old. Vet’s don’t usually tell you this as it’s much easier to perform surgery on a 6-month-old pup than a full-grown dog.  A dog should have fully physically developed before it is neutered as it needs the extra testosterone for the proper muscle development to support the skeleton properly. Large breeds that are neutered young develop noticeably differently and this can negatively impact on their health as they age, and they will have a much less muscular body.  The ideal time to neuter is between 12 months and 16 months of age. It’s not true that male dogs are more prone to cancer if left intact, so it’s actually better not to neuter your dog and leave them as nature intended.

4/ Read ingredient labels and avoid cheap fillers in shop purchased pet foods. Corn, white rice, wheat, canola, vegetable, sunflower oil and soy are all cheap fillers that pet food manufacturers love to fill pet food with. They play havoc on your dog’s health and are full of known cancer-causing agents. Try and stick to a diet of quality raw meat, vegetables and grain free premium dry food, in moderate portions.

5\ Too many medications will kill your pet. Just because your Vet prescribes or recommends something doesn’t always mean that it’s good for your pet.  Keep in mind that Vets are like Doctors and are mainly drug dispensers. They are taught to treat the symptoms and not the cause and most have very little knowledge of natural health and natural medicine. Drugs work by poisoning enzymes and/or blocking receptors in the body. With long term use your dog’s body simply cannot maintain good health if its enzymes are poisoned and receptors are blocked.

It’s a good idea to find a Vet in your area that also practices complementary medicine as opposed to one just prescribing toxic drugs.  In Brisbane, Dr Elaine Cebuliak owns and operates the Veterinary clinic ‘Animal Wellness’. She practices Complementary and Integrative Veterinary Medicine (CAVM), herbal therapies and Acupuncture as well as traditional mainstream Veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry.  http://www.animalwellness.com.au/

 6/ Supplement your dogs’ diet with good quality natural vitamins and minerals. Sadly, most supermarket purchased dog foods are now heat treated, full of preservatives and are so highly processed they lack many for the key vitamins and minerals essential for dog’s good health. In most cases we are unaware that are dog is vitamin deficient, until it’s all too late. It is recommended to give dogs a food and daily supplement combination. This is the best way to ensure they are getting the full spectrum of necessary nutrients. Make sure you source a good quality, all-natural vitamin and mineral supplement. Many pet vitamins are highly processed and full of chemicals, additives and fake vitamins that ally do more harm than good. Quality vitamins given daily can help not only extend your dog’s life but more importantly give them the quality of life they deserve.