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Happy, healthy Christmas with your dog
Whilst we love to include our furry friends in our Christmas celebrations, we do need to watch their waistlines as much as our own during the festive season. It’s all too tempting to share the love and find that they’ve added a few pounds come January and according to vets, pet obesity is as common a problem as human obesity with its associated health issues.
So, these are our top tips for December to help keep your dog as happy and healthy as possible.
- The run-up to Christmas is a busy time for everyone, by making time for regular dog walks, you’re not only doing your dog a favour, it will keep you healthy too!
- Watch how many treats you feed your dog on top of their daily dog food – remember, particularly with several members of the family around, treats can easily add up.
- Extra fuss and attention when you have some leisure time will be more appreciated by your dog than scraps of turkey.
- When Christmas food is around, take extra special care not to leave food accessible to your pets, many a dog has ended up with a visit to the vet after scoffing all the chocolate Christmas tree decorations, or the Christmas cake or a tray of mince pies.
- Do not allow your dogs access to human food that’s toxic to them. Here’s a checklist of what to avoid:
- Raisins
- Grapes
- Onions
- Garlic (we do use garlic in our food but to an extremely carefully prescribed quantity, do not do this at home)
- Macadamia nuts
- Cooked bones
- Alcohol
- Sugar-free products using Xylotol such as chewing gum
- Chocolate
- Avocado
- Corn on the cob
- Coffee
In short, keep feeding your dog with Healthy Paws dog food and Healthy Paws fruit cookie treats, you can be confident that all the ingredients they contain are designed to keep your furry friend fit and healthy all year long. We wish you and your pet a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!