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As we know, we are all living longer healthier lives and the good news is, so are our furry friends. It’s important if we are going to spoil them with a treat, we should know exactly what we are giving them.
My number one go to treat for dogs of all ages and stages of life: Puppy right thorough to Senior, would definitely be a raw meaty bone. They are so full of goodness, they are a must. Part of a nutritious diet and will even have positive phycological effects of your dog’s health and wellbeing.
- A raw bone a day not only keeps the dentist away, bones are a natural toothbrush for dog’s teeth and gums.
- Bones aid dog’s digestion.
- They remove toxins and promote general bowel health.
- Raw bone eating dogs are healthy dogs, often free of the degenerative diseases of old age.
- Plenty of bones in your dog’s diet results in hard faeces, that cause the anal sacs to empty.
- Bones are packed full of high-quality protein, minerals and essential fatty acids along with many other health enhancing factors, including antioxidants and enzymes.
The old saying eat your greens, applies to dogs as well, it’s important to chop them finely (Approximately: 1 – 2 cm) for easy digestion. Adding them to their evening meal is a great and healthy way to get veggies into their diet.
Raw veggie scraps make wonderful treats – Any cruciferous vegetables such as the end of the broccoli stalks, chopped up is not only a healthy snack, it can make for a wonderful training treat and packed to the rafters with goodness such as is a great source of vitamins K and C, a good source of folate (folic acid) and also provides potassium, fibre. Vitamin C – builds collagen, which forms body tissue and bone, and helps cuts and wounds heal. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and protects the body from damaging free radicals.
However, if you are wanting to give a store-bought treat, it’s important that you know and understand what the actual ingredients are, a few years of bad diet with cheap low-quality ingredients, added salt and added sugar can lead to a pup easily stacking on the weight, just like us humans, if we don’t keep check of our diet. This can easily lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, skin irritation, tooth decay, poor mobility or just feeling lack crap and with no energy.
Protein is essential in a dog’s diet and making chicken jerky is a very tasty, popular and healthy treat. Dust with some kelp or seaweed which is packed full of vitamins A, B C calcium, potassium, magnesium and benefits coat, claws and kills bacteria which causes plaque and tartar build up causing tooth decay.
You could try dehydrating other proteins such as:
- Beef
- Fish
- Kangaroo
- Goat
- Venison, etc.
Other flavours to add:
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Parley
- Sage.
Adding useful additives such as turmeric, brewer’s yeast and kelp sprinkled over your dog’s evening meal enhances nutrition.
- Turmeric is great for joint health.
- Brewer’s yeast is a great source of B complex group of vitamins.
- Kelp is a valuable source of minerals, most particularly iodine.
It’s quite simple, to keep that tail wagging, sweet smelling breath and for a healthy dog diet to combat weight gain,
Keep it natural
Keep it mixed up.
Variety is the spice of life! (who would want to eat the same thing day in day out 365 days a year for their life span – even in dog years)!
Melbourne based food Stylist Fiona Rigg is the founder of pawdinkum. Fiona has over 20 years experience in the food styling and food photography industry. Fiona is an award winning blogger along with working on award winning cook books.
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