Dog Health Questions

Pet owners who have dog health questions might want to first look at their dog’s lifestyle for the answer. Many dog health problems are not mysteries. Why? Because at a minimum, three things have a large effect on your dog’s health:

• your dog’s breed and heredity,
• what he eats, and
• his activity.

You can always get more information about your dog’s breed through your vet or knowledgeable Web sites. But you already know what’s going on with your dog’s eating habits and activity level. And better yet, you have control over it!

Killing with Kindness

My sister Janet had a beautiful Corgie named Rocky and, boy was he affectionate. Rocky showed her love greeting her at the door like she was a rock star, lots of wet kisses any chance he got close to her face, and keeping her feet warm when watching TV. Janet made sure to show her love with a beautiful dog bed, designer sweaters for the winter, and ham and eggs for breakfast. Sometimes, ground round for dinner. Janet liked living a good life and wanted her beloved pup to have one too, no common dog food for him. Maybe some IAMS or other premium dog food, but when Janet made steak and mashed potatoes from scratch, she made a little extra for Rocky.

What Janet didn’t figure on was Rocky liking his walks less and less, sweater or not. His vet confirmed that Rocky, age 7 at the time, had developed arthritis in his left rear knee. By then a whopping 50 lbs (let me tell you, huge for a Corgie), the extra weight was putting a strain on his joints. He absolutely had to lose weight fast to retain any hope of decent mobility. Even I could see that after a walk, Rocky was in pain. It was heartbreaking.

Human or Dog?

You can pamper your pet to death. People often treat pets as human beings, which is the start of many canine long-term health problems. Dogs have a different biology and psychology that we need to consider in their lifestyle. For instance, did you know that:

- a dog’s desire (not need) to eat more is a part of their evolution from wolves—who live in the wild and don’t know when the next meal will be

- many behavioral issues with dogs are just the result of having too much pent up energy and no active healthy outlet for this energy

When your dog’s eating habits and / or fitness level are not what they should be, you dog can develop conditions like

• diabetes
• arthritis
• heart problems
• joint injuries
• liver disease
• respiratory illnesses

So how do you keep your dog fit? Obviously, just like with us, good nutrition, a fitness schedule, and regular visits to the vet.

Then why is it so hard sometimes?

Because we lead busy lives and we love our pets. So we have to learn to

- schedule the right things in our day

- love our pups without treating them like humans.

The number of dog health questions dwindle for us loving dog owners when our pooch is fit and active.