Doggy health
By Marissa Hermanson

Boulder County dogs have it pretty easy, spending their time carelessly romping around Chautauqua, chasing squirrels and splashing through Boulder Creek. But all this time spent outside can cause health problems for your dog: ice melt cracks paws, the Colorado air dries out their skin and coat, and swimming leads to ear infections. Here are some suggestions on how to keep your dog healthy from digestion to skin and coat, ears and paws.

Digestion

A high-quality dog food is the foundation for your dog’s digestion. Dry and canned dog foods are processed at high temperatures, burning away essential nutrients that your dog needs, according to Carol Kuzdek, Whole Pets owner. Kuzdek recommends feeding Fido raw dog food, which has more nutrients and is easier to digest. She recommends Primal and Nature’s Variety, which are client favorites. Raw dog foods have raw meat with bone for calcium, and vegetables and fruits for antioxidants, which dry and canned foods lack.

If you feed your dog dry or canned dog food, Kuzdek recommends adding digestive enzymes like Opta-Gest, a tasteless powder, which is made by a company called In Clover.

“The processing [of dog] food destroys the enzymes that are crucial for optimal digestion and nutrient absorption,” says Meghan Hawkins, community relations coordinator at Only Natural Pet Store. “It is easy to supplement these enzymes with products such as Only Natural Pet Vital Digest, an all-natural digestive enzyme product made from a combination of four natural plant-derived enzymes — lipase, amylase, protease and cellulase. Along with a high-quality diet and healthy probiotics, this is one of the best ways to ensure your furry friends are getting the nutrients they need.”

Skin and coat

“Fish oils are a great way to support a lush, healthy coat for dogs or cats, especially in Colorado,” says Hawkins. “Because of the long, dry winters and overall lack of humidity in Colorado, animals are prone to dry, flaky skin. Fish oil, like Only Natural Pet Pure Icelandic Cod Liver Oil, is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to combat this common problem, especially for animals on a dry food diet whose moisture intake is already low.”

Kuzdek says that omega 3s and 6s are important for not only your dog’s skin and coat, but heart as well. Dogs can only absorb 10 percent of vegetable oils like flaxseed oil and olive oil, so she recommends fish oils, like salmon, cod liver or sardine oil instead. Also, to keep your dog’s skin and coat from drying out, avoid bathing your dog frequently, using people shampoo and blowing your dog’s hair dry on the hot setting.

“Keep in mind that itchy and irritated skin can also be a sign of food allergies, so fish oil may not solve the problem if your animal is still being exposed to allergens,” says Hawkins. “Dogs often develop allergies to foods they’ve eaten for a long time because repeated exposure to the same foods can create sensitivities to various ingredients. Minimal ingredient diets like Natural Balance, Only Natural Pet EasyRaw and frozen raw foods are great steps towards exploring and eliminating allergens from your dog’s diet.”

Ears

Dogs are prone to ear infections from swimming and food allergies, according to Kuzdek. And it’s more likely to find infections in our floppyeared friends. Kuzdek suggests cleaning and drying out your dog’s ears after swimming. Her shop carries Halo Ear Wash, which she recommends to her clients.

“Maintaining healthy eyes and ears is, from my perspective, part of the overall health of your animal,” says Hawkins. “Any immune deficiencies or allergies can tax the immune system and can manifest as irritations, infections and discharges in the eyes and ears. Chronic ear infections and yeast problems are frequently a sign of allergies to common food ingredients like corn, wheat, soy or other grains. Diet, digestive enzymes, probiotics and essential fatty acids are the basics for treating allergies and chronic ear/eye problems from the inside out.”

Paws

Between the harsh winter weather and romping around on open space, your pup’s paws can get quite a beating. Ice melt is terrible for paws, causing drying and cracking, so Kuzdek suggests sprinkling Safe Paw, a non-saltbased ice melt on your front walk (beware saltbased ice melt because dogs also can ingest them). Hawkins suggests Mutt Luks and RuffWear Grip Trex, which are protective dog booties for the snow. Other products: Musher’s Secret is an oil-based rub to prevent cracking, and Only Natural Pet Soothe & Shield Paw Balm to protect pads from hot streets, sidewalks, gravel, salt and ice.

Share this!