A pup’s nutrition, fitness, and safety needs are all essential for pet health. Making sure that your puppy is getting a balanced meal and exercise each day should be a priority. As you know, “A Healthy Puppy is a Happy Puppy.”
We all want our puppies to live a healthy/long life. Failing to take care of their nutritional needs can wreak havoc on their lives. Unbalanced diets without key nutrients may lead to pet health problems and a shorter life span for your pet. Balance in our lives is so important, but for our pets, the most critical aspect is their nutrition.
Let’s talk about Safety! Keeping your puppy safe during their developmental stage is of the uttermost importance! As you know, puppies love to run around and explore, because of this, they need to be protected while they become familiar with the new environments that they’re exposed to. The first 30 days are the most vital when bringing your new pup home. Puppies are not aware of what is safe and what is dangerous. Below are a few helpful tips that will keep your pup safe during these times…
Your #1 responsibility when bringing your pup home should be to keep them healthy. Good nutrition, exercise, and proper sleep as well as safety habits are just a few things that should be of your concern when it comes to keeping your puppy happy and healthy.
Also, If you are considering the thought of having pet insurance for your furry pal, here are some great resources provided by money.com and lendedu.com to help you decide what you need and who can provide you with the best fit of insurance.
Like people, puppies need regular exercise to feel their very best. How much exercise should your puppy be getting each day? That’s a great question, all in all, this varies from pup to pup and is dependent upon your pup’s age, health, and breed. Have you ever noticed your puppy getting a case of the “zoomies” throughout the day? Yes, you read that right. “Zoomies” are a real thing! Zoomies are easily identified and symptoms include running madly around the house and collapsing afterwards in a puppy pile, usually on someone’s lap.
Puppies have way more energy than adult dogs so they require more exercise, preferably in shorter bursts. Some things to consider are taking your puppy on short walks or even engaging in play sessions. This is a much safer choice because puppies are constantly growing. Choosing to go on much longer walks will most likely be too hard on its developing body.
Every puppy is different and each come with their own instruction manual. Well maybe? Ultimately, it is up to you to figure out how much exercise they need to keep them content. The more time you spend with them the easier it will be to figure this out. Some things that you might want to consider investing in to keep your pup active are listed below.
Let’s talk food! When buying/making your puppy food, remember to purchase key nutrients like protein (from an animal), vegetables, whole grains, fat, and micronutrients (omega 3 fatty acids for skin and brain functions; and glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for large breed puppies and those older dogs.
Remember to look for words like this on your label:
Puppies require more than 50 key nutrients. The most vital out of these are Vitamin C, Minerals Magnesium, Calcium, and Phosphorus. The bodies of puppies are very complex and within your puppy, biochemical reactions are taking place. Making sure your puppy is getting these essential vitamins is so important! Choosing the best food for your pup is one of the most consequential decisions that you’ll ever make. If a puppy would happen to absorb too much calcium, he/she has a much greater risk of developing hip dysplasia and other crippling bone diseases. This is especially true for certain breeds.
Listed below are some of the Best Puppy Foods out there:
Who loves DIY projects? These 5 homemade dog food recipes are sure to give your pup the nutrition its body is craving! On the plus side, your pup should feel extra special because they will think that they’re getting to eat human food.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions (note: use raw brown (organic if possible) rice instead of minute rice. Minute rice does not contain the needed nutritional value). Wash the yam and pierce using the line of a fork. Microwave on high for 7 minutes (rotating once halfway through) or until tender. Set yam aside and cool. Once cooled, cut yam into cubes. In a large soup pot, add oil and brown chicken over medium heat until cooked through (do not drain the fat). Remove from heat. Add cooked rice, tomato sauce, yams, and raw spinach. Mix with a large spoon until well incorporated. Using a submersion blender, blend until well incorporated (no large chunks of any one ingredient should resemble the appearance of canned dog food). Let cool for 1 hour.
Place in the refrigerator overnight to help set. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 2-inch diameter ice-cream scoop, scoop individual servings onto the paper. Place trays in the freezer until frozen. Take frozen dog food portions and divide them into gallon-sized ziplock bags. Store in the freezer. Keep a week’s worth of food in the fridge that has already been thawed for quick access. Makes 1 month’s worth of food (2 servings per day) for a 5-8 pound dog.
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large saucepan of 3 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks. Stir in spinach, carrots, zucchini, peas, and brown rice until the spinach has wilted and the mixture is heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool completely.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º F and line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Combine the egg, banana, carrots, peanut butter, oil, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix the flour, baking soda, and oats in another large bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Frost with creamy peanut butter (optional).
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat oven to 350º F. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Add remaining ingredients and mix well until combined. Knead dough into a ball. On a well floured piece of waxed paper, pat dough ball out until flat, then place another piece of wax paper on top of dough and roll out to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Use cookie cutter or glass to cut out treats, place on unlined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. (Note: Serve on top of food, in a bowl, or frozen) Makes approximately 4 small servings.