Keeping dogs healthy

A shiny coat, healthy digestion, lots of energy and best of all, no need to visit the vet – that’s what we want for all our pets.   So many dogs are abandoned because their owners can’t afford vet bills.   Keeping our dogs healthy is so important – it seems obvious but like humans, a lot of dogs eat nothing but convenience foods, as they get older they become less well and eventually they are ill – vet bills here we come!

We believe, and have proved over many years, that fresh, natural food is best for dogs.   A vet writing in the Sunday Times recently agreed with what we have been saying for a long time, dogs have been eating raw meat and bones for hundreds of thousands of years and done very well on this diet, thank you!   He went on to say that pet food companies have done a good job of convincing everyone that feeding your dog anything that isn’t out of a tin or packet is tantamount to abuse.   But we know that dogs are carnivores and in the wild they would hunt and kill and scavenge.   Their teeth are designed for this and their metabolism is perfect for a raw meat diet.

It’s quick, easy and your dog will love you for it.   Why give in to the advertising hype of buying pet food that has been made in a factory when you can get fresh food – it’s environmentally friendly too – just as easily.    Going to the vet every few weeks seems to have become the norm.  Dogs are endlessly on medication, this would have been unthinkable a few decades ago.

Good canine health should be normal.   Dogs are naturally fit and healthy and ours stay like this to a ripe old age.   The myth of ‘you mustn’t change your dog’s diet’ persists and is very advantageous in keeping you buying the same old same old.  How boring for your dog!   Scavenging is second nature to a dog and sometimes our dogs eat something different every day without any upsets, just a keen anticipation ‘what are we having today, mum?’

We add porridge oats to our doggy diets – not cooked, just raw oats.   A couple of spoonfuls on the meat is good, adjust according to size.   Some of our dogs like their oats in a dish on their own and wuffle them up in no time.

Oats are good for dogs, they help their digestion and we find that they calm the hyperactive dogs down.   You can pour hot water on and then a bit of goat’s milk if you like.   Some dogs prefer their oats in a gruel, especially the youngsters and the seniors.

We like to give the dogs a spoonful or two of yoghurt every day too.   This is especially good for a dog with a sensitive tummy, we find that they are soon put right.   Again, it’s trial and error to find out how your dog likes yoghurt, on his porridge maybe?    Or on the meat?   Lots of dogs just lick it straight off the plate, they love it.

Goats milk yoghurt is best for dogs and cats too, they slurp it up avidly and it keeps them fit and well.   Don’t feed cows milk yoghurt to cats because they don’t tolerate it so well.   But goat’s milk puts a shine on their coat and helps keep them fit and healthy.

We also offer a new laid egg occasionally, lots of dogs like them raw and will steal them from the hen huts if they are given the chance.  Otherwise a boiled egg makes a nice breakfast or even scrambled although that is a bit of a fuss, no problem if you are having scrambled eggs yourself though.

Convenience food is alright from time to time and Natures Menu, Robbies or Burns are our dog food of choice.   Dogs are what they eat, just like humans.   If you want to avoid skin problems, sores that won’t heal, dicky tummies and all the horrid problems that dogs nowadays are prone to, you need to check out the diet.   Dogs nowadays don’t have a choice, they have to eat what we give them, even if it’s a additive laden cocktail of processed pre-shaped nuggets.