So, why would you need to invest more time and money into your farm dog’s diet, I hear you ask?
I have had working farm dogs almost all my life, I have had everything from good-doers to dogs who need a lot of extra help to maintain a healthy weight.
For years and years farm dogs have been considered a vital tool in shepherding work particularly, but as our generation of farmers gets younger and younger, we are starting to take more notice of our incredible workforce companions, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll know, a good dog can do the work of four men, and really is worth its weight in gold.
So for me, besides actual working ability, there are three main things that influence the function of my farm dog:
- Performance and endurance
- Character / temperament
- Wellness / health issues / lameness etc
Performance isn’t really something that I’ve thought about in my working dogs until recently, we’ve had those hot days, or long days, where the dogs have been particularly sluggish, but I guess I didn’t really make the connection between performance of the dog, and nutrition.
Character and temperament, to me, is not a major factor, but I do struggle when I have a dog with a bad attitude, maybe because he’s not feeling his best, or he’s tired and grouchy.
One absolute nightmare scenario for people like me, is when my dog has to have some time off due to injury or illness – my God do I notice when he’s not there! My previous dogs seemed to have niggly little issues cropping up all the time, like lameness, teeth issues, lumps, cuts and grazes.
So back to my first question, why would you want to invest more time and money into your farm dogs diet? Because trust me, it can be one hell of an eye-opener when you delve a little deeper into the nutrition your dog is receiving.
I first contacted ProDog Raw when I was looking for a joint supplement for my collie dog. He had been pained for years with intermittent lameness, and I also had another dog (Gus, Huntaway) who was lacking in energy. At first, I started feeding Flexx and Maximus, two of their supplements, and within a few days, I was starting to notice a difference in both dogs.
After a couple of weeks, the condition of my dogs had changed so much decided to try the food – well that was three years ago and I’ve never looked back
Since feeding raw, I have dogs with a stable amount of energy, no peaks and troughs.
I have dogs who are happier because they feel good, and this shines through in their enthusiasm and character.
I have barely been to the vets. Those persistent vet visits seem to be a thing of the past. My dogs are healthier, and in glowing condition, and those niggly little issues just don’t arise anymore.
I look back now, and remember the time when I thought my dog was in his prime, and almost feel guilty for denying him the chance of good nutrition. We want these dogs to be helpful, and perform well, but for years and years we buy them the cheap working dog kibble from the local farm stores, now it just seems like madness.
If you want to enable your working dog to be at his prime, just take a moment to consider what fuel you are putting in his tank. Maybe you have a trialling dog? Well I can promise you, you will see such an improvement in your dog, you’ll wonder why it’s taken you so long to change. Ditch the dry, and try ProDog Raw’s raw dog food.
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