Natural Ways to Extend Your Dog’s Lifespan

What I Changed to Support Longevity, Health, and a Better Quality of Life

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If you’re anything like me, your dog isn’t just a pet, they’re family. You want as many healthy, happy years with them as possible. That’s exactly what led me down this path.

My Goal: Longevity & Whole-Body Health

For myself, I’ve always been interested in foundational health - taking a whole-body approach to prevent problems before they start. So naturally I started thinking about doing the same for my dog. My goal for both of us was simple: live longer, stay active, avoid chronic issues, maintain energy and mobility. I didn't want to wait until something was wrong. I wanted to build a strong foundation early.

What Impacts Your Dog’s Lifespan?

From everything I researched, a few key areas kept coming up:

• Nutrition

• Inflammation

• Weight management

• Daily supplementation

• Movement and activity

So I focused on those first, starting with making changes to the dog's diet.

Add Healthy Fats

One of the easiest changes I made was adding salmon oil to my dog’s daily food. Salmon oil is packed with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which play a huge role in supporting your dog’s body from the inside out. Omega-3s have natural anti-inflammatory properties, which can help support joint health -especially important for aging dogs or those with stiffness.

Salmon oil contains DHA, which supports brain function. This is helpful for growing puppies and senior dogs alike.

It also supports overall heart health and helps strengthen the immune system, keeping your dog more resilient.

Salmon Oil also helps promote a healthier skin and coat - reduces itching, dryness, and flakiness while promoting a soft, shiny coat and even less shedding.

Chronic inflammation can show up in many ways, from joint pain to allergies. Salmon oil helps support the body in managing that inflammation naturally.

We chose to use liquid salmon oil and pumped it directly onto the dog's food each day. Our dog loved it! He had always loved fish (would run into the kitchen upon hearing me open a can of tuna) so I figured he would enjoy the liquid fish oil. We chose:

Wild Alaskan Omega-3 Blend Pollock + Salmon Oil for Dogs & Cats: https://amzn.to/4ejp81n

Within days of using the supplement, our dog's coat was noticeably shiny and incredibly soft! I couldn't believe how quickly it started working and showing results.

Rethinking Dog Food

I started researching the ingredients in dog food, which ingredients are beneficial and which are just "filler" products. I also wondered if some ingredients in kibble were actually bad for my dog. Many sources pointed out that:

• Kibble is heavily processed

• It’s cooked at high temperatures

• Important nutrients can be lost

• It often contains fillers and low-quality ingredients

That didn’t align with my goal of foundational health. I decided to try raw dog food.

Raw dog food is definitely a shift! It can be a little messy (although its come a long way with frozen sliders and freeze dried options), and can't be left sitting out like you would with kibble. But the benefits are numerous. While every dog is different, many dog owners notice some common benefits when switching to a more natural, unprocessed diet:

• Better digestion and nutrition absorption: Because raw food isn’t heavily processed, it may retain more natural nutrients. I noticed my dogs seemed to digest their food more efficiently overall.

• Healthier skin & coat: Raw diets often include naturally occurring fats that support shinier coats and healthier skin.

• Natural dental benefits: Helps reduce buildup on teeth and keeps teeth clean.

• Healthy weight & energy levels: Real protein helps maintain a lean, healthy weight and consistent energy.

• Smaller stools: Almost immediately the dog's stool was smaller & less smelly!

Things To Consider

Raw diet isn't one-size-fits-all. The raw food you choose should be properly balanced with the right blend of meat, bone, organs, nutrients. A high-quality diet should be built from thoughtfully sourced ingredients, featuring clean meats without hormones or antibiotics, non-GMO produce, and carefully selected supplements. We have used Stella & Chewy's and smallbatch brands linked below. Our dogs loved the freeze-dried patties and because its freeze-dried, the food was easy to store. A good way to introduce this into your dogs diet is to start slowly by adding a small amount to their existing food (easy with the "meal mixers" below).

Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties - Chicken Recipe: https://amzn.to/4trNvit

Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw Chewy’s Chicken Meal Mixers – Dog Food Topper: https://amzn.to/3NXVPXK

smallbatch Pets Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food, Chicken Recipe: https://amzn.to/4u4scU3

smallbatch Freeze Dried Dog Treats, Superfood Food Topper Beef Bites for Dogs & Cats: https://amzn.to/4vr1NRJ

Sample New Food Introduction Plan:

• Days 1-3: 75% old food, 25% new food

• Days 4-6: 50% old food, 50% new food

• Days 7-9: 25% old food, 75% new food

• Day 10: 100% new food

In Summary

Making these changes didn’t just improve my dog’s health, it gave me peace of mind. I knew I was doing everything I could to support their longevity and keep them feeling their best.

If you’re considering raw dog food, the best approach is to do your research. Start slowly, pay attention to how your dog responds. Consider talking to your vet to make sure the diet is balanced and appropriate.

We all want the same thing - more great years with the dogs we love!