Keeping an active lifestyle for your pet is one of the best things you can do for them. While it is great for your pet to be active, it is also important to remember that an active pet does require some additions and adjustments to their diet.
A study done by the University of Illinois found that hunting dogs which are performing unstructured exercise, like running, sniffing and walking daily. Needed additional antioxidants in their diet. They found that there is a lower concentration of oxidative stress among hunting dogs who were given a diet consisting of added antioxidants, versus a group of hunting dogs that were given the same diet but without the extra antioxidants.
We all know how important antioxidants are for our own overall health and long-term wellness, and this study helps to show us that our active pets also require more antioxidants than can be found in a conventional diet.
But when should you consider that your pet might need more than the average amount of antioxidants? And, how can you add this to your pet’s diet?
The study considered dogs that exercised a minimum of four hours a week as viable candidates. What this tells us, is that if you exercise your dog at least 4 times a week for 1 hour each time, they are likely to need more antioxidants added into their diet for proper functioning. If you are unsure whether you should supplement your dogs diet based on these guidelines, don’t sweat it. Your dog will benefit from more antioxidants in their diet either way. The problem is not in consuming too many antioxidants, it is not getting enough.
How?
Like with the majority of dietary needs, you can provide them to your pet two main ways:
- Whole Foods – You can always provide nutrition to your pet with whole foods that are safe for your dog to consume. Some examples of this for antioxidants are blueberries or beans.
- Supplements – To provide your pet with consistent antioxidants that are highly biologically available and convenient, use supplements. Baie Run provides two products that are focused on supplementing antioxidants into their diet.
Bright life - contains Canadian blueberries, Atlantic Canadian sea kelp, cranberries, and wild Canadian chaga mushrooms. This product is a great for any dog needing antioxidants.
Adding additional antioxidants to your pets’ diet may be an important addition to help with the extra oxidative stress caused by your pet being active. Baie run has always been an advocate for living an active pet lifestyle, and so we offer these products to help your pet live a longer happier and healthier life while being active.