Archive for the ‘Healthy Dog Treats’ Category
Healthy Oils for Your Dog’s Skin and Coat
Your pet’s skin and coat are a reflection of his overall health. A soft, shiny coat indicates that your dog is healthy, but dry skin and a lusterless coat is often a sign of an underlying medical condition.
One easy way to improve your dog’s skin and coat is to boost the level of healthy oils in their diet. This can simply be achieved by adding a healthy serving of unrefined coconut oil or olive oil to your pup’s food. A serving size of about 1 teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight is a good starting point. Coconut oil can also be applied topically to dry skin areas but adding it to your dog’s food will help their skin from the inside out.
In addition to supplementing the food, you can choose treats that are rich in coconut or coconut oil such as Max & Ruffy’s treats. Five-Star Blueberry, 24 Carob Gold: Strawberry & Carob, 327 BC: Banana & Coconut and Tree of Life: Molasses & Coconut are made with coconut oil. Tree of Life also contains flax seed to boost your pet’s intake of healthy oils. All Max & Ruffy’s treats come in two sizes, so you can choose the option that best meets your dog’s size and needs.
How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight
Recent studies have indicated that up to 50% of dogs can be classified as overweight or obese. Your vet should be looking for weight problems at every checkup, but one easy way to do this on your own is to feel around your dog’s ribs and spine. If you can’t easily feel your dog’s ribcage, she needs to lose a few pounds.
Sometimes, dogs can be overweight because of a medical problem such as hypothyroidism. Certain breeds, such as Scottish Terriers, Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, and Rottweilers, also have a genetic propensity to heaviness. In most cases, however, a dog’s weight gain is related to poor feeding practices.
Food Does Not Equal Love
If your dog is overweight, you must first recognize that your love for your pet does not need to be expressed only in terms of food. Just as emotional eating can cause you to go up a jean size, equating love with food can create an overweight pet. Make a conscious effort to show affection for your dog by taking her out for a walk or playing a game of fetch. She’ll get the exercise she needs and you’ll burn a few extra calories yourself in the process! All you need is 10 to 15 minutes of activity two or three times per day to help bring your pooch’s weight back to a healthy level.
Use Treats Wisely
Another common mistake dog owners make is reinforcing unhealthy behavior with improper use of treats. If you give your dog a treat every time she’s noisy or fussy, she’ll discover that begging produces results. If your dog is overweight, treats should be limited to times when they have a specific purpose — such as using positive reinforcement training to teach your dog to obey commands. The treats you select should also be chosen to provide an added nutritional boost for your dog. For example, Max & Ruffy’s Powerhouse (Sweet Potato & Alfalfa) dog treats are rich in beta-carotene and packed with fiber.
Get Everyone On Board
Finally, make sure that everyone in your household is on board with your plan to help your furry friend lose weight. When a dog has more than one caregiver, it’s common for problems to arise when multiple people are offering her extra food and treats several times per day. This would be the equivalent of you snacking between every meal and then wondering why your diet isn’t working!
Healthy Dog Treats
When we launched Max & Ruffy’s we set forth many goals and one of them was to never compromise on offering healthy dog treats. Our treat recipes will always be crafted to offer a treat that will appeal to your dog’s taste buds while offering nutritional benefits that will lend to your dog’s health and well-being. For example, our Powerhouse: Sweet Potato & Alfalfa treat is packed full of nutrition. Sweet potatoes are a known powerhouse (this is how we named this treat) that offer the immune boosting properties of beta-carotene, phosphorous, vitamin C, B-complex & iron. Alfalfa, commonly known as the “father of all foods,” is one of the richest mineral foods. This immune boosting plant contains all known vitamins, digestive enzymes, eight amino acids and chlorophyll, which promote proper digestion and fresh breath. The antibacterial, antioxidant and antifungal properties of alfalfa have been said to help provide relief from arthritis pain and aid in healing intestinal ulcers, gastritis, liver disorders and cancer.
Like the Powerhouse sweet potato dog treats, all of the Max & Ruffy’s healthy dog treats are crafted to offer exceptional taste and healthy benefits to lend to your dog’s overall healthy body and mind. Our commitment to quality and nutrition is why Max & Ruffy’s organic dog treats are your choice for healthy dog treats.
