There are various choices to make in food regarding our four-legged friend. For the correct nourishment of your dog there are many needs to be considered regarding size, age, race and health condition.

As of today, the most common food is industrial based, in other words, croquettes. When a nutrition of this type is chosen for our four-legged friend it is good to carefully check the nutritional values written on the product’s label: very often, as a matter of fact, the cheapest brands contain low quality raw materials that may hurt our pet.

There are 2 aspects to be careful of when we’re choosing the dry food for our dog: meat’s presence (and so protein’s) and the cereal quantity.

Regarding the first aspect, we know that dogs are former carnivorous, because of this it is important to plan a protein-based diet. An advice: check that the writing “meat” is listed on the label instead of similar writings that may trick us.

The second aspect regards the cereal percentage: these are accepted in the canine diet but in a moderate quantity. Often, instead, the percentage of cereal present in the food is very high because its price is inferior than meat’s.

Luckily the pet food market keeps moving towards the product’s higher quality and a better integration of all the nutritional substances that the dog needs to live well, longer and stay healthy.

Choosing the homemade nutrition for your dog doesn’t mean to give them left-overs, instead it means to dedicate part of our time to prepare meals for our four-legged friend.

When this type of nutrition is chosen above dry food it must be considered that it is very important to keep the same diet throughout all the dog’s life, obviously considering the right adjustments related to age, race and weight.

But how much food do I have to prepare for my dog? The answer is simple. The dog must consume about 40gr of wet food multiplied for his weight in Kg, so if your dog weighs 5 kg you should prepare 200gr of food every day. It is of course, a general formula that must be adjusted on our dog’s metabolism and lifestyle.

In homemade nutrition many ingredients can be used like meat, fish, but also vegetables like zucchini, carrots, fennels or pumpkins. The advice is that half the meal is composed of meat, and the other half of vegetables or carbohydrate like pasta or rice. The food needs be cooked without adding oil or other fats, it is ideal the steam cooking for vegetables for it maintains intact all the nutritional elements, for the food containing carbohydrate is advisable a long cooking, to make them easily digestible for the dog.

Your dog, other than a healthy nutrition, exercise and medical care also needs to stimulate concentration and mental capabilities.

The various mental activation games found in the shops are made to stimulate the dog’s mental activity and to ensure that is serene, equilibrated and reactive to the stimulus it receives from the outside. So, the game, is not only a recreational activity, it becomes a growth situation for the dog which learns to relate to other animals and humans. Not only: the game becomes a pastime for the dog that spends much time alone and it is advised for hyperactive dogs, who will find it a way to run out of the excessive energy.

The ball is the ideal equipment for the game, it teaches in a very easy and natural way to bring back the objects establishing a relation of trust with the owner. There are many other games, ball aside, to be used: rubber frisbee, rubber bones, various rope games, the kong and many more. We always advise to be careful about the materials, to check them to be… puppy-proof!

The number of instances where dogs display allergies and nutritional intolerances are rising. Here you will find indications on how to recognize those who can be the first alarm bells. First, we must divide allergies and intolerances that, commonly are considered as synonyms, but they actually present very different symptoms. The allergy is a reaction to a specific ingredient which is identified by the organism as harmful, while, the intolerances represent an issue related to the digestion of a particular substance. The ingredients which are often the cause of allergies or intolerances of our four-legged friends are: beef and steer meat in general, eggs, milk products, soy and gluten.

But what are the symptoms which can lead to think about an allergy or to an intolerance? The most common symptoms shown on a cutaneous level (skin and hair) come with redness, rash, brittle coat or dry skin; symptoms related to the digestive system as puke or diarrhea that remark a problem in the absorption of the nutrients and general symptoms, like inflammation on many parts of the organism like otitis, conjunctivitis, cough and so on. It is good to say that skin-related symptoms are more common than allergies, whilst intestinal ones involve the digestion and so it is more likely they are caused by an intolerance.

The holidays are getting closer and it is necessary to think about our four-legged friend. As of today, there are many structures who are arranged to host our animals but it’s important to always have presence of mind.

If you decide to spend your holidays with your dog, it’s important to make sure that the destination is fit to host it. If you decide to go to the sea or to a lake, chose the beaches where your dog is allowed to enter, it is easier if you go to the mountain, where your four-legged friend will be very happy to join you in long walks. Another important point to be considered are the means of transport. If you move by car you need to place an internal divider so that the animal won’t create any distraction while you are driving, you can also let it stay on the back seats. Also consider the chance that your dog may suffer from car sickness, especially if it’s not used to travelling by car. Your veterinary can prescribe you a specific medicine.

If you travel by train, it’s necessary to keep your dog on a leash and in some cases make it wear a muzzle. Inform about the fares because our four-legged friends have to be equipped with ticket. In airplane the situation is a bit more complex: the little sized animals can travel in their carrier and are allowed to travel with their owner. The bigger animals may fly in the cargo hold, but keep in mind this is not allowed by all airlines… maybe in this case it’s better to place your animal in some kennel, at your return you will find it relaxed and happy to see you!