Cutest Pest of Porter County Magazine March 2020

5Ways
To Help Keep Your Dog
Happy & Healthy!
There are many emotional benefits to owning a
dog, such as companionship and unconditional
love, but a pet can also positively affect his or her
owners’ physical health, too.
According to studies from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, spending quality time with
a dog can help ease stress and anxiety for the owner
and can even lower blood pressure and cholesterol
levels. To be able to reap the health benefits of dog
ownership, it’s key to ensure you’re taking proper
care of your dog with quality nutrition and plenty
of exercise.
Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Werber offers these five simple
ways pet owners can take the best care of their
dogs, because when dogs are happy and healthy,
their owners can be, too. To learn more about how
dogs’ health is linked to their owners’, and for more
tips for feeding your pet, visit IAMS.com.
1. Check the Labels – Creating a healthier life for
your dog starts with the food you feed him or her.
For optimal health, provide your dog a balanced
diet with high-quality animal protein, like chicken or
lamb, a combination of grains and essential vitamins
and minerals. When shopping for dog food, look for
those things on the ingredient panel. Also keep an
eye out for the Association of American Feed Control
Officials certification, which indicates basic nutritional
requirements are being met with the food’s ingredients.
2. Give Them Grains – Grains are an important
component of dogs’ dietary needs. They are a source of
carbohydrates for healthy energy, as well as fiber, which
promotes gastrointestinal health. Some grains, such as
rice and wheat, provide “quick” energy, and others, like
barley and sorghum, take longer to turn into energy.
Dog food that has a combination of these grains, such
as IAMS dog food, can provide dogs a “time-release”
energy source, helping sustain their energy throughout
the day.
4 March 2020 | Cutest Pets of Porter County