Dogs are very caring and fun to have as companions, if you are someone who prefers an animal that likes to be quite clingy, dogs can be quite ideal. This is because they love attention and affection very often. If they do not get this attention, they are bound to get quite depressed and sad over time. Your responsibility is to keep your dog entertained at times of the day when you feel that it needs company and living engagement. Dogs can be the most lovely animals if taken care of the right way.
Dogs are animals that can be easily trained, this is why they are used for emotional support dogs very often. People who have some sort of mental illness and are prone to committing suicide may keep dogs as a sort of support. The dog may prevent some sort of harm that you may be inflicting upon yourself. It can actually make a difference if you keep a dog in your home if you are suffering from anxiety. This is because people suffering from anxiety may harm themselves more often than not and the dog may be able to prevent that.
Dogs can also be trained to protect you physically, this generally means that they can be trained to bark every time they see strangers nearby your house. This can actually make a difference in the level of security that you have. Also, it does not cost you much financially. It is simply a one-time investment, you buy the dog and you will have a dog that protects you all year round. What you have to understand is that you will have to train the dog and spend a significant amount of time doing so if you want effective results.
Dogs have a digestive system that differs drastically from the digestive of humans. You may not be able to feed it the same kinds of foods that you are eating yourself. There are many types of foods that we are easily able to digest but the dog might get quite ill if it eats those foods itself. For example, chocolate can actually prove to be fatally ill to the dog. The dog might also be deathly allergic to nuts and such. Your job is to make sure that the dog does not get these foods and does not fall ill.
Can dogs die from overeating?
Another issue can sometimes occur if you are a new dog owner and do not quite know how much you should be feeding your dog. Now underfeeding has its own set of negative effects, these tend to be very obvious because in simple terms, if you do not feed your dog enough, it will become weak and in some dire cases, it may also cause extreme starvation and this can prove to be quite fatally ill for the dog. Your responsibility is to make sure that your dog is eating enough and is living a healthy lifestyle.
The complete contrast to underfeeding is overfeeding. This may seem like something which is not as bad as the cases that might occur in underfeeding but that is not entirely true. While underfeeding can have some very obvious physical effects on the dog, so can overfeeding. There are many reasons as to why you should be keeping the food of the dog in a regulated amount. Doing either extreme can cause the dog to fall ill or have some sort of negative effect on the dog’s body. It is always better to be safe than sorry and do your research.
Overfeeding may lead to obesity
The most obvious effect of overfeeding your dog is obesity. If you continue to overfeed your dog on a daily basis, sooner or later, the dog’s appetite will also start to grow. It will no longer be satisfied by the amount that should be given to dogs on the regular. Another issue that comes with that is the dog will start to look for food on its own if you stop giving it the exceeding amount. It is very likely that the dog will get into your food or it may find something to eat which is not good for its health.
When the dog eats an exceeding amount every single day on a regular basis, sooner or later it will start to gain weight. A little weight can be good for the dog as it can act as an insulator for the dog during cooler weather. Your dog may be able to stay warm. But the negative side to that can be the dog becoming too overweight. An overweight dog will become quite lazy and lethargic. It will not want to walk around as much and it will start to fall ill more often for that very reason.
The dog might not be as active and it is less likely that the dog will play with you if it has reached that stage of weight gain. Overfeeding can be very bad for the dog.
Overfeeding may cause heart diseases
Heart disease is an imminent side effect of gaining weight. Once the dog has gained enough weight, the chances of the dog getting a heart attack increase. Your dog will begin to get lazy and will want to exercise less and less. What happens in that situation is that fat starts to accumulate on the heart and the arteries of the dog’s body. This will begin to restrict blood flow inside the dog’s body and the dog will begin to fall ill more often. Your dog will not want to move and its appetite will only grow. It will not reduce and it will make things quite hazardous for the dog. You will also begin to spend 25% more money on the dog’s healthcare cost simply because it becomes more likely that the dog gets sick. You will no longer be able to get the dog to play with you. Breathing problems are also something that dogs experience.
Overfeeding may cause breathing problems
When the dog has blood flow restrictions inside its body, it will also begin to experience a certain level of oxygen deficiency. The blood will not be able to reach every part of the dog’s body. This will make it difficult for the dog to breathe. Another issue that this will cause is that the dog will get quite tired after very little exercise. This means that making the dog lose weight will also become so much more difficult. The dog will not be able to do as much physical activity and the life span of the dog may also start to decrease.
Overfeeding also leads to slow healing
Slow healing is also an issue that arises when your dog begins to gain more weight. The decreased mobility that is caused when the dog gets quite fat leads to less flexibility within the dog’s limbs. This makes it all the more difficult for the dog to get better if it happens to have a fractured limb. The doctor will not be able to get back to its older self easily if it is overweight. It is important for the dog to heal quickly because its body might get used to it. You can not let it get to that stage under any circumstances.
How much should you be feeding your dog?
There are some factors that you should consider before you feed your dog. For example, the fact that not every kind of food is good for the dog. Nuts are not only allergy-inducing for your dog but they also contain an abundance of fat which can cause your dog to gain weight on a daily.
Giving the dog red meats can also be quite hazardous for the dog’s health because red meat contains more fats and more substances which can cause the dog to gain quite a bit of weight. Giving your dog red meat on a regular can prove to be quite hazardous to the dog’s health.
You should be giving your dog foods that are good for the dog’s health to a certain extent. The foods should give the dog energy as well as they should be able to have some sort of nutritional value that they should be able to pass on to the dog. They should not just be for the simple purpose of filling the dog up and holding the dog off for a while.
Giving the dog leftovers from your kitchen table can cause the dog to get fat as well. Simply give the dog meals from time to time and a few treats here and there and the dog is bound to be fine. Anything extra can be bad for the dog’s health and you should avoid doing so.
Conclusion
It is important to do your research regarding what you should be feeding your dog. Everything is not suitable for the dog’s digestive system and even if it is, it will not always be good for the dog’s health. Consult a professional and get a proper diet regime for the dog to stay on track.