6 Ways to Boost Your Dog’s Health

As pet owners, we make health decisions for our dogs every day by choosing what they eat. We’re also responsible for preventing our dogs from getting sick. Boost your dog’s health with these dog health tips! As always, partner with your veterinarian when giving your dog any type of supplementation, especially if your dog is scheduled to undergo surgery.

Fresh Diet

We know fresh whole foods are better for us than ultra-processed or packaged foods, but did you know this applies to our dogs too? Feeding your dog a raw or home-cooked meal is a pretty important step in improving your dog’s health. Raw and home-cooked meals are made with real food that contain nutrients and fiber as opposed to kibble, which is cooked at high temperatures and loses its valuable nutrients.

Feeding raw or homemade meals will drastically improve your dog’s well-being. Within 30 days, you’ll notice:

• Gleaming odorless coat
• Supple skin
• Odorless breath
• Less itching

When feeding your dog, remember that balance is key.

Digestive Enzymes

If your dog has any type of tummy issues, eats dog poop or dirt, or has allergy issues, then you should add digestive enzymes to your dog’s daily meals. Digestive enzymes help your dog digest his food and utilize the nutrients. Just sprinkle digestive enzyme powder on top of your dog’s food, stir and serve. There are hundreds of digestive enzymes for dogs. Check out my favorites here.

RELATED: Vegetables for Dogs: Why You Should Add Veggies to Their Meals

Probiotics

This is a big one! Your dog’s gut is a vital part of his immune system, so it’s pretty important to keep it happy and healthy. Probiotics introduce good bacteria into your dog’s gut to keep bad bacteria in check. Plus, many foods need good bacteria to assist in digestion.

Most digestive enzymes already include probiotics because it’s good for digestive health. Select probiotics made for dogs because a dog’s gut needs different strains of good bacteria than that of humans.

Multivitamins

For years, veterinarians and pet owners debated whether or not they should add multivitamins to dog food, and I can totally understand their concern. Vets were worried about over-supplementation, which can be harmful and downright deadly when specific vitamins are supplemented. Since kibble (dry dog food) is processed, many vitamins are added back into kibble to meet a dog’s needs. However, not all dogs are absorbing and utilizing those vitamins.

Many veterinarians are now recommending whole food multivitamins for daily use with meals. As opposed to synthetic versions, these multivitamins are made from real foods, which is better for the body. Think about whole food multivitamins this way: our bodies utilize more vitamin C when consuming it from oranges than tablets. Plus, consuming real foods prevents over-supplementation. By far, my favorite multivitamin for dogs is Standard Process Whole Canine Support.

Fish Oil

Omega-3 and DHA are powerhouses for our dogs’ bodies. Just like the human body, fish oil reduces inflammation in the form of arthritis, allergies and chronic pain. Fish oil is also important for brain function of puppies and senior citizens, and promotes healthy skin and coat too.

When choosing fish oil, look for oils containing wild caught fish in capsule or liquid form. Start adding fish oil slowly to your dog’s daily meals. If you add too much too soon, it will cause your dog’s stool to be loose. My favorite fish oils for dogs are Ascenta Fish Oil and Nordic Naturals Fish Oil.

Vitamin D3

We all know the power of vitamin D, but we incorrectly assume that sun exposure provides our dogs with plenty of this vital vitamin. Our holistic veterinarian had recommended checking our dogs’ vitamin D levels, and both dogs had very low levels. Low vitamin D levels can contribute to congestive heart failure, thyroid dysfunction and many other serious health issues.

We started supplementing our dogs with vitamin D3 twice a day with meals. We noticed they seemed to be more relaxed, yet full of energy. Check out this article on the importance of checking your dog’s vitamin D levels and how supplementation will boost your dog’s health.