This is a partnered post with Purina, but all opinions are my own.
“What’s Rio eating?” I asked one day as I saw my father sneaking him some food. “Is that a candy bar??? Stop giving him chocolate!” I’ve always tried to keep a close eye on Rio’s health, but the sneaky little dog tries to make sure he gazes longingly at us during dinner, pretending he has not been fed in weeks, instead of a few minutes before our meal. Inevitably I see someone trying to slip him “a little something from the table.” Recently, at a visit to the vet, the doctor lectured us on the importance of good nutrition. Here’s some of the tips I learned to help keep Rio healthy, happy and a member of the family for years.
1. Create a feeding schedule. Let’s face it, most dogs like to eat. Treats, table scraps, and an always full feed bowl can lead to some serious calorie consumption. Dividing your pup’s feeding schedule into a few times a day can help you notice if your pet is refusing to eat, which could be a sign of medical problems. Without a schedule it could be days before you notice the difference. Yes, I know this from experience! Plus, it helps create a regular bathroom schedule, something I appreciate since I used to spend what seemed like hours letting Rio out and into the house.
2. Cut out the table scraps. It’s tempting for us to sneak Rio a bite of what we’re having, but he has different nutritional needs; like no chocolate candy bars. I’m not sure if this is the case with all pets, but I have noticed when Rio eats table scraps, he is much less likely to eat his dog food. Finicky little dog!
3. Make sure he has a high quality food. We just found the new Purina Just Right Blend for Rio. Each blend is specially designed for your pet, based on your dog’s nutritional needs and taste preferences. We began by answering questions about Rio, including breed, age, weight, activity level, body condition and health. Then we selected the protein source – chicken, lamb or salmon – and whether or not grains and soy will be included in the food. Our blend then received a custom name and a photo of Rio. Because a dog’s needs change over time, Purina Just Right can be modified to support health at every life stage. They have a team of experts on call 24/7 to help with any questions you might have and, best of all, this personalize blend is delivered directly to your doorstep every month! Pretty cool, huh? We chose chicken for Rio, and he jumped right in, cleaning his plate on the first feeding.
4. Transition your pet to the new food slowly. Pets, like people, can be finicky with their food and resist change. Transition to new food over a period of seven to ten days, slowly mixing in more and more of the new food each day. If you want even more tips, click the infographic above to read all about how to help meet your dogs nutritional needs.
These are some great tips to make sure that pets get their right food to maintain proper nutrition level. I agree high quality foods like Purina Just Right Blend could be an ideal choice to make sure they are healthy enough.
My neighbor’s dog eat table scraps and more. She is so used to it. However, I do agree with you, it is very important for your dogs to get proper nutrition and I am glad Purina is out there.
This would be a great post for my Sister. She always feeds her dogs food from her plate. I will have to share this with her.
Proper nutrition is not only good for us, but for our furry family members as well! These are great tips!
Didn’t know that Purina offered this. We use a different food though and don’t want to make the switch right now.
These are great tips. Table food is a no-no. My neighbor’s dog got really sick after they fed him human food.
We are struggling with nutrition right now with my older dog. She has thyroid cancer and is having difficulty eatting solid food so we are pureeing soft food.
That is so cool that you have a hand in what goes into the making of the dog food. Good nutrition is so important.
We don’t allow our pets to have any human food. The odd time I make homemade treats for them and such but other than that, nope! This is great.
Great post! Pets need to be fed properly to stay healthy!
This is really good advice. It’s so hard to resist feeding them table scraps. Keeping them on a healthy food and sticking to a schedule is key.
We don’t have pets so I don’t know much about pet food, but this looks like a good choice.
Pet nutrition is so important, they need things so different to us and getting the right balance can help them so much. x
These are great tips. It’s so hard not to give your dog table scraps when they make that cute little face at you!
Nice. Proper nutrition is very important for everyone.
I try HARD not to give Milo any table scraps….he’s so cute, though. It’s hard.