Pet Health Insights: Nutrition & Preventative Care for a Healthy Dog

Today, for Part 2 of the Pet Health survey, I’m taking a look at nutrition and preventative health because, really, the two go hand-in-hand.

I asked: What kinds of preventative health measures do you take for your dog(s)? (Select up to 3.)

• An annual checkup at our vet, plus additional visits if something comes up. (91%, 42 Votes)
• Healthy food, including snacks and treats. (83%, 38 Votes)
• Lots and lots of exercise. We’re in great shape! (48%, 22 Votes)
• Mental stimulation. My dog’s a veritable Einstein! (35%, 16 Votes)
• I brush my dog’s teeth regularly. (20%, 9 Votes)

Really, these answers weren’t too shocking except… 20% of you brush your dog’s teeth regularly! My jaw dropped at that one. I am seriously, honestly impressed. And here’s where I confess: I can’t brush Emmett’s teeth. Lucas, maybe a little. Cooper, we’re hoping to start down the right path with him. But Emmett? Nope. No can do. He clamps down on that toothbrush so firmly the second I head towards his mouth. Instead I use this oral rinse stuff and he chews on dental bones, but for those 20% of you: How do you do it?? Any tips or tricks? And how regularly do you brush your dog’s teeth? I know anyone who struggles with this as much as I do would LOVE to know!

I also asked: What do you primarily feed your dog(s)?

• Commercial dry kibble (54%, 25 Votes)
• A mix of dry and wet (17%, 8 Votes)
• Homecooked (11%, 5 Votes)
• BARF or raw diet (11%, 5 Votes)
• Something else entirely (7%, 3 Votes)
• Commercial wet food (0%, 0 Votes)

The first thing I noticed is that no one feeds a solely wet food diet. In a lot of the puppy stuff I’ve been looking up, it seems to be recommend for puppies, but… my guess is that it’s too cost prohibitive to continue long term. I’m also guessing (from the comments) that everyone who voted for “something else” feeds a dehydrated diet.

As far as raw or BARF diets, there was a lot of interest from commentors in moving to a raw diet… check out the super helpful comment left by Nichole on tips for making the transition.

Someone pointed out in the comments on yesterday’s post that these results indicate that the people who read dog blogs are people who take really great care of their dogs. That is so incredibly true! I wanted to pose these questions because I constantly find myself asking: Am I feeding them the right things? Are we getting enough exercise? Am I doing enough to ensure that my guys are happy and healthy?

I sort of wanted to take the temperature of pet health, and I’m incredibly impressed with the results and very thankful to everyone who took the time to answer the questions! Plus, I’m inspired to tackle some of the areas in which we fall short (New Year’s is right around the corner, after all!) like adding in more exercise and finally nailing down a tooth-brushing habit!

Are these results what you would have expected? Did they bring up any more questions for you? Or are there any pet health survey questions you wish I would have asked?

Image: Tobyotter