Archive for the ‘Coat supplements’ Category

Easy At Home Dog Enrichment Ideas

Monday, March 6th, 2023

Enrichment is the process of providing animals with structured activities and experiences which enable them to perform and express natural behaviours. It is of vital importance that all animals are allowed to do this, especially those as intelligent and sentient as dogs. Owners can provide much of the enrichment a dog needs at home, and this blog will offer some easy ideas for how you can do this yourself.

As deeply social animals, dogs thrive off companionship with humans and other animals they have bonded with. A simple but often overlooked way to improve your dog’s quality of life is just spending more time together, and less time leaving it alone. Even if you feel that your dog does not suffer from separation anxiety, it would still benefit from and enjoy sharing more time with you. Having dogs live together goes some way in providing additional companionship, but is not a substitute for spending quality time with your pets.

Scent is a dog’s strong sense, which when engaged is incredibly mentally stimulating. Dogs should always be encouraged to use their scent and easy ways to do so at home include hiding treats which can be sniffed out and placing plug-in smell diffusers in rooms they spent the most time in. The mental stimulation scenting causes is as important as physical exercise, so if you can see your dog is interesting in sniffing something it is usually best to let it do so until its interest has passed.

Enrichment can also be tailored to a breed’s particular characteristics which reflect the work they were developed to undertake. For example, Labradors are likely to enjoy access to paddling pools and water features, whereas a Jack Russell Terrier would benefit from squeaky chew toys which mimic the rodents it was bred to hunt.

With a little imagination, owners can provide their pet and working dogs with a range of different enrichment activities without ever having to leave their home. This offers a range of benefits, chiefly happier and more fulfilled dogs. For more advice, please consult a dog trainer or behaviourist.

Best Supplements For Dogs

Wednesday, January 4th, 2023

The dog supplement industry is saturated and competitive. With so many options, it can be hard for owners to understand which products they should purchase and give to their dogs. However, following a few principles and knowing what to look for can make this process easier and less intimidating.

As a general rule, we would always advise sourcing supplements from smaller businesses. In contrast to larger corporations, a small family-owned business is perhaps more likely to be guided by genuine concern for animal health and wellbeing over maximising profit margins. A small dog nutritional supplement company will often sell products its directors have formulated for their own animals. This high level of personal investment tends to result in a superior product, and its importance should not be underestimated.

We would also recommend prioritising supplements with higher quality ingredients. As a rule, organic and all natural products are better. These are most likely to achieve the best results, as well as offer maximal benefit. Dogs find natural ingredients easiest to digest, so these will always be preferable to artificial or more processed alternatives.

Why Dogs Benefit from Nutritional Supplements

Thursday, December 29th, 2022

Nutritional supplements can be an easy and cost-effective way to improve a dog’s health and quality of life. They are made from ingredients which promote and wellbeing, but are not readily available in meaningful quantities in normal feeds. Supplements will not replace a healthy diet, but can add much when one is already being followed.

Supplements can also be used selectively. Targeted usage gives owners the ability to decide how to support their dog’s wellbeing on an ongoing or shorter-term basis. For example, a supplement which promotes joint health can be given to puppies well into their adulthood, or only once a dog is ageing and more at risk of arthritis or rheumatism.

In our experience, we have found that dogs can greatly benefit from being given nutritional supplements. While not a medication, supplements go a long way in promoting health and wellbeing. Why not see how your dog can benefit from them too?

Nutritional Supplements 101

Tuesday, December 27th, 2022

Nutritional supplements are products added to a normal diet to promote specific health and wellbeing benefits. Supplements are not medication, so can be freely purchased without a prescription. Generally speaking, a supplement aims to offer the consuming human or animal benefits which cannot be derived from their normal diet. For example, while red meat naturally contains some creatine, this is in such low amounts that it will not offer any performance benefits. Therefore, for creatine to be consumed in a meaningful dose without eating excessive amounts of red meat, it must be taken as a specially designed and concentrated supplement.

Nutritional supplements combine convenience with health benefits. While useful and potentially very beneficial, they should not be viewed as a replacement for health and wellbeing basics done well. We only recommend supplement use after we know that a dog is on a healthy diet, exercised regularly, and has a good overall quality of life. For a nutritional supplement to work, its baseline must be an overall healthy lifestyle. Having said that, the benefits they can bring are remarkable.

Supplements can come in a range of formats including pills, powders, and oils. There is no single right or wrong way to give a dog a supplement. Individual dogs have their own preferences, so trial and error is often the best way to encourage consumption. In our experience, strong scents can make a foodstuff or supplement more appealing to a dog, so a little fish oil can go a long way when incentivising consumption!

Supplements are made from inherently healthy and often naturally occurring ingredients. Dogs they are given to often enjoy a range of benefits including stronger joints, improved digestion, and better coat condition. If you would like to find out more about how our supplements could benefit your dog, please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected].

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