When we accept the responsibility of bringing a dog into the family, we’re committing to providing them a safe shelter and also keeping them as happy and healthy as possible. While routine trips to the vet will keep your pet healthier and disease-free, here are some great things that you can implement at home to keep your dog in top health.

 Keep Your Pet at a Healthy Weight

To keep your pet’s weight in check, make sure that you are feeding them a healthy, nutritious diet and making exercise a part of their daily routine. When pets are overweight, it could actually reduce their life expectancy by two years. Even a slight weight loss for an overweight pet can make a big difference in their overall health. Additionally, maintaining a healthy weight for your pet will reduce chronic illness such as kidney disease, heart disease, or even cancer. It will also lessen the risk factor of diabetes, and alleviate joint pain associated with arthritis.

Here’s a great infographic from the AVMA to determine what a healthy weight looks like for your pet:

Keep Your Pet Free from Parasites

A parasite is defined as “an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host’s expense.” In dogs, common parasites include heart worms, fleas, mites, and ticks. Your veterinarian can advise you on which treatment will be the most effective for your pet.

If you’re looking for a natural remedy to prevent fleas and ticks try this recipe for natural flea & tick repellant made with:

• 8 oz of Apple Cider Vinegar

• 4 oz of warm water

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Keep Your Dog Hydrated

Dogs should always have access to a constant supply of water. Especially in extreme hold or cold, it is important to make sure that your dog is not exhibiting symptoms of dehydration, which may include sunken eyes, dry gums, lethargy, loss of skin elasticity, weakness or collapsing. Water should be changed every day, and the bowl should properly cleaned and sterilized once a week to prevent growth of bacteria.

Check and Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Dog are extremely prone to ear infections and ears also provide a warm spot to hide for the parasites mentioned earlier. Check your dog’s ears regularly (once a week), and daily for dogs that have floppy ears. An easy way to clean your dogs ears are by using equal parts vinegar and rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or swab. Strong smells, excessive scratching or irritation or discharge are all signs of an ear infection, and should be treated by a medical professional.

Keep Those Teeth Brushed!

Pros recommend that dog’s teeth are brushed everyday to get rid of plaque and built up bacteria. This will also help reduce “doggy breath” and give you a good opportunity to examine the mouth and make sure everything is looking good (no loose teeth, sores, or bleeding). Use a toothpaste made especially for dogs or you can make this DIY Toothpaste for Dogs using:

• 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 2 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil

By following these easy at-home tips like these and taking your dog to the vet regularly, your pet will be happy and healthy for a long time to come!

The team at ZenCrate is committed to providing a resource for ending your pet’s anxiety. With that being said, we recognize that while ZenCrates are a great way to do this, there are also many other methods of treatment that may aid in alleviating your dog’s anxiety before you resort to prescription medications from your veterinarian.

If your pet is experiencing anxiety, either from loud noises, separation,or storm phobia, you can try these natural remedies to alleviate pet anxiety.

Try A Little Extra Exercise

In the same way that exercise can help humans relieve stress, using up extra anxious energy through a vigorous walk, long game of fetch, or jog will help lessen pet anxiety.

Give Your Dog a Calming Massage

Modern Dog Magazine has an awesome article on how to properly massage your dog for a variety of circumstances including daily “mane-tenance,” calming a stressful dog, warming up for a doggy workout, and relieving joint stiffness or soreness.

To administer a calming massage to your dog, lay the palm of your hand flat on the base of your dog’s head. Use a long sweeping stroke down their spine and along the length of their tail. If they respond positively to the massage, add a little pressure (but not too much). Make sure that you never press down in the middle of the dog’s spine. To end your massage place one hand at the base of the skull and one hand above their pelvis. These areas correspond to calming reflexes and will help your dog calm down and reduce pet anxiety.

In case you need a step by step tutorial, check out this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Lv0oJrGyQ

And while you’re at it, give them a hug.

You may have seen other compression-based products on the market created to reduce pet anxiety. The philosophy behind these products is that it allows your dog to feel continuous pressure, which in turn relaxes their nerves. Holding your dog close to your body and giving them a prolonged “hug” will not only calm them down, it’s proven to calm you down as well.

Create a calming playlist.

The science behind stress-relieving playlists comes down to psychoacoustics, the branch of psychology concerned with the perception of sound and its physiological effects. Psychoacoustics tell us that the sounds that we hear influence the way that we feel, therefore calming music can help us feel calm. It’s the same for your pets.

Here’s a great 6-Hour calming playlist to try with your dogs. When you combine a calming playlist with one or more of the other modalities in this post, your results should be even better.

Lastly, go herbal.

There are many essential oils and herbs that are proven to reduce anxiety and stress. Lavender is probably the most popular, but anxious pets can also benefit from chamomile, lemon balm, and valeria. For the most part, essential oils can be applied directly to the skin, but just the scent of the aromas can also have the same calming effects on dogs. Try using an essential oil diffuser or scented candle to see how it effects pet anxiety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysy6XLnHzNE

Although here at ZenCrate, we know how great a welcome home kiss from our dog can be at the end of a hard day, science now backs up the fact that therapy dogs, and even just having a dog as a pet can actually help you feel better.

This practice dates back to 1976 when a registered nurse, Elaine Smith, began implementing the systematic use of therapy dogs with her patients. She noticed the positive response to visits from her local chaplain and his Golden Retriever, and the demand for therapy dogs has continued to grow since then. Therapy dogs, in particular, are widely used to treat post traumatic stress, and help children overcome speech and emotional disorders.

Interestingly enough, there is also a scientific link to pets keeping their owners in better heart health by reducing risk factors including high blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides. This is mainly due to the fact that pets help us to deal with stress and recover from stress faster. Pets also help you stay more active; studies have shown that dog owners that regularly walked their dog were much less likely to be obese.

In addition, dogs help with emotional support, especially after the loss of a friend or family member. Dogs are a great companion to help overcome loneliness, worry, and fear. For many people, especially the elderly population, relationships with their pets may be the primary relationship in their lives.

So what happens in our brain when we see or pet our dogs? When we interact with our pets, oxytocin levels rise in both species. Oxytocin is a hormone that aids in social bonding, and is also released post labor when a mother is making first contact with her new baby. This explains that “Awwwww” moment you feel when you see a puppy, or your dog cuddles up to you on the couch.

If your dog aspires to be a therapy dog one day, the AKC has a list of criteria that they need to meet, and helps walk you through the process of certifying your pet. Therapy dogs can then volunteer at retirement homes, schools, and hospitals to help people coping with traumatic or stressful situations. It’s important to note that Therapy Dogs and Service Dogs are very different, so make sure you know the difference!

Want to share how your pet has helped you through a stressful situation? We would love to hear about it!