Dog Ailments Costing You a Fortune Five New Ways to Treat Your Pet for Long Term Health

How many times have you paid out Vet's Fees more than twice for the same ailment that your dog is suffering?

Chronic Dog and Puppy Ailments can be caused by allergies and toxin buildups that are not cured by drugs (which just relieve the symptoms), but can be improved by tackling the Root Cause.

If your dog suffers from a chronic skin condition, frequent stomach upsets or constipation, ear infections, stiffness or bad breath, you may have been spending a fortune on medication and drugs to relieve the symptoms while the cause goes unchecked. If your dog is hyperactive, anxious or aggressive have you been told there is little that your vet can do to help?

Many progressive Veterinary Surgeons now advise that poor diet can be the underlying cause of these dog ailments, and can be treated by making simple changes to your pet's diet.

Prepared dog food from the biggest manufacturers contains a range of artificial colours, preservatives and other additives. The link between additives and hyperactivity in children is already acknowledged, so you can see it is also likely to affect your dog or puppy.

The first thing you can do is look at the food you are giving to your pet by checking the list of ingredients: you do not need to memorize all the names and details. Unless the manufacturer clearly states that the food is free from colors, preservatives and additives, then it is likely to contain undesirable ingredients.

The nest step is to consider what changes you can make to your pet's diet. Ideally a dog's diet should comprise freshly cooked food, split as follows: one-third protein, one-third carbyhodrates, one-third fresh vegetables. This is the ideal basic diet for most dogs, but it may not be practical if you work full time with a busy lifestyle. At the very least, you can improve your dog's health by changing to a proprietary dog food that is free from chemical additives and artificial colors.

Next, check that your dog is consuming the correct amount of food. The dog food package should state the correct amount according to the dog or puppy's weight, if you are feeding dry food this may appear to be quite a small amount. Because we love our dogs it is tempting to give extra food, and most dogs will always eat it willingly.

Even if your dog is not visibly overweight, you may still be overfeeding him. If he needs to pass stools in two stages, and his motions are generally loose, this is evidence of overfeeding. When a dog or puppy is eating too much, or if his food contains excess protein or fat, there will be a build up of toxins in his body.

Even if your dog or puppy does not suffer from one of the chronic illnesses such as pruritus or atopy, there are a number of symptoms that are evidence of excess food intake or poor elimination of waste products that affect the dog's body. If your dog or puppy moults constantly, has a scurfy coat and itchy skin, his diet probably needs to change. If he has waxy ears, bad breath or an unpleasant overall smell, these can all be the body's way of eliminating waste. If his urine smells strongly and his anal glands become overfull, these are other routes for eliminating excess waste from the dog's body.

These are not illnesses in themselves, they are indications that changes to the dog's diet are needed. If they remain untreated, more serious illness or disease is likely to develop due to the strain on the dog's internal organs. Excess eating or or over-rich food makes the liver and intestinal tract work harder, and ultimately they will develop disorders which in turn require treatment.

If your dog continues to eat too much, he is also likely to gain excess weight. This will put a strain on his heart and joints, leading to separate illness and disease like arthritis and coronary problems. Long term impurities in the diet can also lead to the formation of tumours and growths. Overweight in dogs, as in humans, is also likely to cause diabetes, which can lead to many complications including blindness.

When making changes to the dog's diet, everyone in the family needs to be committed to the need to feed him differently. Dogs are natural scavengers and since domestication they are reliant on their owners to provide their nutrition. There is a problem with these traits: he is still going to try and steal food from the street or around the house, and to beg treats and food from the family. If you are feeding him a perfectly balanced diet in his main meals, all the good work can be spoiled if one family member continues to feed him cakes or biscuits.

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Your dog is a valued member of your family but owning a dog can be an expensive undertaking. The level of veterinary costs is a main topic when two pet owners meet. These simple but radical changes to the way you feed your dog can improve his everyday health and wellbeing, avoid long term health problems and save 000s in vets' fees.