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I often get asked "How long will my dog live? Because they are smaller, don't they die sooner because of health complications?" My answer is yes and no. Yes that does happen to some dogs, but no it doesn't have to happen. It really depends on how healthy you keep your little one. Because they are a smaller breed their organs are smaller also. They can't handle the toxins and junk that is in a lot of dog foods like the larger breeds. It's not good for either size but the smaller ones it seems to affect earlier. The solution? Only give them healthy puppy and adult food.
I recommend 2 different diets. It depends on the time you have on which one is better for you. The best diet is called a BARF diet. It stands for Bones And Raw Food. Animals in the wild are very healthy for the most part. They don't get together and say, "Lets have a BBQ." They don't cook or process their foods. They eat what their bodies were designed to eat. Then man came along and said, "Hey, we can market food for them and make some serious money. It's more convenient and people will love it." So the dog food industry began and the vet business started booming with sick dogs. They started getting joint problems, organ problems even diabetes. Our grandparents used to scrap off their plates and gave fido the table scraps. They were much healthier dogs back then. So what to do about it?
Either feed the dogs a BARF diet or close to it. Or a high quality puppy/dog food. Personally I don't have the time to do a BARF diet. I do give my dogs a treat once in awhile of raw meat, usually chicken or buffalo. I like to put olive oil and or a raw egg over their food once in awhile. That makes the coat shine and they love it. I buy raw bones in bulk from someone who raises buffalo naturally and you talk about a happy dog when they get that! I buy the bones, cut them down to a reasonable size and freeze them. Dogs want to chew especially puppies when they are teething. Let them chew on something that's healthy and good for them and they will tend not to want to chew up your slippers when they are older. They don't really know the difference between a stuffed toy that you gave them and slippers.
I don't recommend raw hides. Most of them are from another country and have heavy chemicals they are soaked with. The other reason is that a piece can get chewed off and swallowed and it's not digestible in the stomach. It can be fatal if not passed through. You could have a sick and weak puppy and not really know what happened. I stick to raw bones ( never cooked). Yes all bones are good even chicken bones. I give them the whole thing, the important fat on the skin, the meat and the bone. Thats what momma does in the wild when she brings food for her little ones. Their bodies are designed for it. The more you learn about it the more exciting it is and you realize it does make sense.
Like I said there are two ways I recommend feeding puppies and dogs. The best is the BARF diet the other is a high quality and digestible dry dog food. Hopefully you'll have time to at lease do a little of the BARF along with the dry dog food.
Here's the kind I've found that I feel is one of the best. It's called Vets Choice Health Extension. I go to all the industry seminars and conventions I can and learn extensively about canine health. You could say it's a passion of mine. It started in learning about how to keep human bodies healthy and then naturally I wanted to find out how to keep our "other" family members healthy, the four legged ones!
Although you may think all pet food manufacturers have your pet’s best interests in mind, this is not always the case. Current pet food regulations allow manufacturers to use ingredients that you would never knowingly give to your pet. In fact, you may be shocked to learn what some brands of dog food really contain. For example: the use of by-products (feet, bones and intestines, etc.), chemical preservatives (BHA and BHT) and grains that are often difficult to digest (corn, wheat, gluten and soy), which are often used as a protein source instead of meat. Trust me you would be shocked in what some of the dog food companies (especially the ones that have the cute puppies on TV commercials) put in their puppy and dog food. Fortunately people are using the internet to find out what's being put in dog and puppy food.
I won't even talk about the terrible pet food recall that happened recently. Oh the things we unknowingly give our poor four legged family sometimes! Then we wonder why they are losing or gaining weight, why they are hyper (from all the sugar and cereal that goes into some foods) why their bones and joints ache when they get older, the list goes on and on.
To me they are family and I only want the best for them. They depend on us, pretty much, 100%
of the time for their food/diet. I strongly suggest feed them the best you can afford and
you'll find later on your going to have a dog that lives a long happy and healthy life.
So here's my suggestions
Having said all that, I'm sure there will be people reading this and thinking to themselves. Well I fed Fido cheap XYZ brand and he's doing ok. I say that's great and keep up the good work. Often the results of poor food don't start until the dog gets a little older. Their immune system is weak or destroyed and different health problems begin.
These are just my personal recommendations after doing research and I feel I'm responsible for my canine family.
click here for Foods to Avoid