In this blog, we're going to focus on the importance of hydration for our four-legged friends. With an ongoing pandemic, the second thing that you should focus on with your pup is reducing stress.
We'll share the simplest tricks we have found that help with hydration, stress and general health. Our last trick has many additional health benefits beyond the topics discussed in this blog post, such as improved gut health, increased collagen production in skin and joints, reduced inflammation and more!
These seven tips and tricks will help you keep your dog healthy all through Spring and into the Summer months. So, let's get started.
Keep your dog well hydrated. Remember that the restrictions of a lockdown may already be taking a toll on them, so make sure you keep up with their daily intake!
A balanced diet is key for keeping a healthy body weight and reducing stress on joints. A balanced diet will also keep your dog's pH levels in balance which is important for their digestive tract as well.
It's important to avoid feeding your dog too much salt. Human food often contains spices and added sodium, so as much as possible avoid feeding your dog table scraps.
Check the nutrition analysis of the treats and kibble you buy for sodium levels (keep in mind that most labels show sodium levels per serving). In ingredients, sodium can be found by different names, like salt, MSG (monosodium glucosamate), fleur de sel, disodium and trisodium. Salt naturally causes dehydration that can result in other health problems such as an upset stomach and affect how your dog feels during the day.
Bone broth provides many benefits when consumed by dogs including aiding digestion, improved skin & coat and increased access to collagen. It's also really easy to get started making it at home.
While dogs may seem to poke their nose in every nook and cranny they find, or lick everything within reach, this behaviour can cause them to ingest contaminants. It may be difficult but it's important for your dog to refrain from licking up whatever they find on the floor.
While hard floors and surfaces might be the best for your dog, not every house is made the same, and some houses may have lots of carpeted areas.
Our furry friends are naturally messier than their hoomans, and they tend to spread their mess without much effort. The best way to keep your house clean is by limiting the sources of potential mess – such as bringing in dirt from outdoors and/or their eating area.
If you don't already, get a mat for the entrance from outside to inside, so your dog doesn't track in dirt or rainwater that has collected on their paws and coat over time. For their eating area, we recommend placing a bat under their dishes that can be easily cleaned every few days.
As the weather gets warmer you’ll inevitably be spending more time outdoors and possibly in the woods. Some pests can pose a danger to your dog such as fleas and ticks. Clean their bedding frequently and look for signs like scratching, dermatitis, excessive licking, and chewing of paws. These are all indications that something is amiss in your pet's environment such as a flea problem or allergies to dust mites! A simple pest treatment can be purchased at your local pet store and be applied to help prevent any issues.
An active dog is a healthy dog. One of the most important things you can do to keep your dog's immune system strong is giving them plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.
Regular exercise helps with your pup's overall health and well-being. Keeping your doing on a regular exercise schedule will help maintain their weight, muscle strength, improve circulation and most importantly, reduce boredom. The best part? They'll love it because they'll get time with their hoomans! And we humans get some workout too - win/win!
Dogs should have regular veterinary check-ups for vaccinations, heartworm prevention and parasite control to keep them as healthy as possible.
Every dog is different, so talk with your veterinarian about what's best for your pup. Keeping up on these regular visits is important. Early detection of any issue will help ward off an array of health problems that may be difficult or expensive to treat!
A vet visit also includes routine blood work (which checks the liver function) urinalysis (urine tests), faecal exam, de-matting and a general physical examination which will tell you if any other medical attention is needed such as weight management suggestions, dental hygiene tips or medication recommendations.
You want to avoid getting them sick, so make sure you are practicing good hygiene habits such as avoiding contact with wild animals (birds, racoons, squirrels, etc.), keep their nails and toe hair trimmed (a very common area for dogs to pick up things), and train your dog to avoid scraps and food in public areas and on the ground, along with avoid eating bird seed and other animal faeces. 6. Provide plenty of fresh water at all times.
We're all probably aware that a dog needs access to fresh drinking water at all times. It's especially important on days when temperatures are hot outside or when you're exercising with your pet outdoors during warmer months.
If your dog is mainly fed kibble they will tend to need a bit more water then a dog that is on a raw diet, it might help to soften the kibble with hydration toppers. Bone Broth is a great example of a hydration topper - homemade or store-bought (more on this later).
Dogs are naturally drawn to water, but it's important no matter how much your dog wants access to the water that you provide fresh drinking water for them at all times. Avoid letting them drink water from streams, puddles, or other mystery sources as much as possible.
Dehydration can weaken the immune system and make animals more susceptible to stress and infection by pathogens, so it's important not only for their health but also yours! It also makes sure their digestive health stays at its peak.
And don't forget about ice cubes on a hot day! They'll help keep them cool while they drink too :)
Bone broth is a great way to hydrate the body, but it's even more helpful on hot days.
When it's summer time, dogs can get dehydrated really easily so don't forget about their hydration and improving immunity. Adding some bone broth to their daily diet will not only make their food more digestible, your pup will love the taste too.
For finicky eaters, or dogs that don't drink enough water, bone broth is a great solution; it's both tasty and good for them.
Bone broth is a great way to encourage your dog's digestive system and improve its immune system! But not all broths are made equal. Commercial bone broths might contain ingredients like onion, garlic and salt to enhance flavour, but these ingredients should not be fed to your dog.
If you're making your broth at home, don't add onion, garlic, salt or other spices that are flavour enhancers. If you are short on time, buy bone broth specially made for pets. BoneOlio is a great option!
]]>Getting ourselves through months of lockdowns and social distancing is a challenge in and of itself and making sure that our furry friends are well taken care of through the pandemic has a unique set of challenges – but there is lots of things we can do to help make sure we all make it to the other side better then ever.
Getting a dog during COVID is a great idea, and something that appears to be on the rise. It is a big commitment and is going to require your time, patience, and energy to train and teach your dog. … but when else are you going to have a government mandate to stay home with your pup?
My partner and I have wanted to get a dog for years but knew it was not a responsible decision with our lifestyle pre COVID lifestyle. We were waiting for an opportunity or change (we move cities or one of us start working from home). COVID has a LOT of downsides, but one silver lining has been allowing us to adopt our pooch (and finishing Netflix). We are both fortunate enough to be working from home now and being able to spend so much time training our dog has been great, but we have also had to work hard (and continue to work hard) to address a lot of things that could be potential issues in the future when COVID finally ends.
Our boy Stetson needed a new home – he is a 1.5 years old, long haired silver dapple dachshund. He had spent the first part of his life with a breeder and always had lots of other dogs around him. He had never been walked on a leash and was not house trained. We got him in the early fall of ’20 and have learned quite a bit firsthand about training a dog through a pandemic. Whether you are a new dog owner navigating their way through the training or a seasoned vet with a well-trained companion, I hope these tips and tricks will help you and your pup through the end of the pandemic.
This might seem odd since you are already home and it defeats the purpose of the getting a dog while you are working from home, but trust me, invest in a high-quality doggy daycare/dog walker to socialize your dog. Being able to socialize with other dogs is important and unless there are already dogs in your home, they might not get the chance until the pandemic is over. Things to look for in a doggy daycare include:
It is important for your dog to learn that there are lots of people in this world (with their own unique smells) and there is no need to be afraid of them (and/or protect their humans from them) – the best case here is that your dog does not bark at every stranger on the street. Taking opportunities to show off your dog to strangers while out for a walk or chatting with people at the dog park is a great way to address this concern, as well as give you the bonus opportunity to social distance socialize with someone not through a screen.
When we can have small social bubbles, choose strategically. Your bubble is also your dog’s bubble so ideally if your friends are ok with having dogs in their home, or if they have friendly dogs, then it will help you enjoy time with them and your dog. It also allows your dog to become familiar with a larger variety of homes, smells, and humans. It is also important to have humans and other dogs over to your house – it is important for your dog to understand that different people and dogs are allowed in your home.
Resist the urge to cuddle with them all day! This is difficult – believe me, I get it, but your dog must be comfortable being alone and separated from you. In the long term, you will both be happier if you put in the effort now. It is encouraged to spend the evening cuddling on the couch with your dog trying to find the end of Netflix. But maybe during the day, while you are on work calls, they do not have to be on your lap.
Dogs are pack animals and being alone does not necessarily come naturally. It is something we must work hard to teach the confidence needed to handle. The reality is, we are not always going to be able to spend 24/7 with our dogs – eventually we will have to leave them home for a few hours, so it is important that we make efforts now to normalize these types of events in the future. Work to spend time apart from your dog. This can include having them in a different room while you work, having a friend come by and take them for a walk without you, and/or incrementally leaving them home alone while you go for a walk. This needs to be a progressive approach, and you can use your laptop or camera or phone to record them while you are gone to see how they manage while you are out. Your goal here is to gradually build trust with them, so they know that you are always going to come home to them.
In some pandemic situations it might be weeks until you make another in-person purchase at the pet store. Meanwhile, your dog toys and treats might seem to expire their useful lifespan much sooner. Ideally, we should all be limiting our trips to the store, so if you would like to be able to give your dog variety, you will have to make sure you plan for it. Buying in bulk and then hiding things from your dog AND yourself will allow you to introduce new treats/toys in between your shopping outings and keep time at home interesting.
COVID sucks. And I get that with fewer pleasures in our lives we want things to be easier. But resist the urge to fill up a cart on Amazon, and instead call up a local company and ask if they do curbside pickup. It will be in all our best interests if the boutique pet stores are still there when things are back to normal. There are few better feelings than when a local store starts to recognize your dog and their preferences and personality quirks. They can be very knowledgeable and willing to share their expertise through advice or recommendations. It is also a great excuse for you to explore your neighbourhood/city.
Establishing a good routine is always recommended for new dogs – so that goes without saying. But doing this can also help you minimize your personal exposure. By doing the same things each day at similar times, we are minimizing the variety of possible points of contact we would each have. This might not be for everyone (some of us live for the spontaneity) but for those of us that can manage, there is a benefit.
Being able to spend time by themselves is important for your dog and you can help facilitate some of this by tapping into your crafty side. There are puzzle games you can get that hide a treat and your dog must figure out how to release it. But you can also make your own toys or puzzles, here is a great article to help get you started.
A tired dog is a good dog, and a good dog sleeps through the night!! Making sure your dog gets lots of exercise is always important and making sure you do is also equally important. It is easy to sit at our home offices all day without getting outside – this is not good for your mental or physical health. Regular walks will help keep you and your dog in better spirits through the end of COVID.
This helps keep energy levels up and the body feeling great. Lots of dark leafy greens for you, and BoneOlio for your pup. It is a great way to boost the nutrients your dog is getting, keeping them happy, healthy and ready to keep up with you!
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we can all finally start to imagine our world returning to normal. That world should include a new furry family member you have been thinking about for months! These 10+1 tips are what we learned during our COVID new dog experience. We hope you find some useful information in them and let us know what you have learned about getting a new dog during COVID.
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