Natural dog health made easy

If you have the basics of natural dog health covered, you might be looking for more advanced tactics to keep your dog healthy. Sort of like advanced dog training, taking a more advanced approach to dog health includes those things that are really good for your dog but aren’t things you’re already doing.

1. Schedule health screenings with your vet. As your vet gets older, there are specific checks your vet needs to perform. By keeping on schedule with them, you’ll often find that you can prevent future problems with natural dog health options instead of having go straight to medications (because you catch problems early).
2. Use essential oils like those by Young Living Oils to optimize your dog’s health. They offer blends for everything from anxiety to good health.
3. Keep your dog’s mind occupied. Just like with people, keeping your dog’s brain active keeps your whole dog naturally healthy. Interactive dog toys are a great tool to use to keep your dog busy.

What do you use for natural dog health?

Dog health products: The right hairbrush

When you brush your dog, what kind of brush do you use? The FURminator is a popular dog health product that pulls out the dog’s undercoat and reduces shedding.

This can help keep your dog cooler in the summer, which will make your dog happier.

We tried a Furminator for about two weeks with our dog Vance and he hated it, despite our best efforts to get him to like it. I’m not sure if I wasn’t using it right (I watched the video, but maybe I held my wrist wrong).

The dog health product hairbrush we wound up using is the Zoom Groom from Kong. It’s easy to hold and does a good job of removing loose undercoat fur. With Vance’s short coat (he’s a yellow Lab), the Zoom Groom keeps him looking clean and tidy and has definitely cut down on his shedding. As an added bonus, the Zoom Groom is a lot cheaper than the FURminator, though it’s probably not quite as effective.

Which dog health product hair brush do you use? Have you tried the FURminator or the Zoom Groom?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Dog Treat Giveaway!

Free Dog Toy Giveaway Update

Hey guys, I’m so excited to see the entries rolling in for the free dog toy giveaway! Remember, you have to comment on the giveaway post with your dog’s favorite toy to be entered the first time and then you can either subscribe to the site by RSS/email (the links are in the sidebar at the right) or help me promote the contest by linking to it on your blog or at Twitter. With these bonus entries, it’s possible to have four entries in all, but please only enter once per household (so, one household, up to four entries).

I especially loved the comment Clenna in NH left about her Golden Retriever loving to play with rocks. Vance is a big rock fan, too, and he knows the difference between “inside toys” and “outside toys” ;-). So, keep those favorite dog toy entries rolling in and make sure to check back on the 7th to see who won the first drawing.

Oh, also because a couple people have emailed me to ask asked, the prize is the Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball in the *Large* size. This one:

So, remember: Comment on the Free Dog Toy Announcement post to enter and then you can also subscribe to the site by rss/email, Tweet the contest, and/or post it to your blog. And check back on the 7th to see if you (and your dog) won!