Let’s be honest; a happy dog is a happy owner. There’s nothing better than seeing your 4-legged friend living their best life. Not only that, making sure your dog is happy and healthy is part of being a responsible owner. While different dog breeds and ages will require different needs, we’ve put together a few general ways to keep your dog happy. Let’s get some tails wagging, shall we?

Let’s go on an adventure

We all know that regular walks are key to keeping your dog physically healthy. However, this is also a great opportunity to provide some mental stimulation and bond with your pup. Discovering new places such as parks, woods or trails and giving them plenty of time to sniff and explore will give you a very happy dog. Packed full of essential protein and nutritionally complete, OMNI is the perfect affordable healthy dog food to fuel your pup on their adventures.

Keep the praise coming

Praise and rewards are key to keeping a positive relationship with your dog. Dogs are sociable animals and love interaction so both physical and verbal praise is one of the ways to keep your dog happy. This positive reinforcement training will also benefit you as it puts you on the path to a well-behaved doggo. OMNI is a great reward for your pup as it is top-rated healthy dog food, whilst being absolutely delicious.

Make inside fun

Does your pup love toys? Maybe they like playing with you. Toys and play are a great way to keep your dog entertained when they are in the house. Enrichment activities are also key to keeping your pup mentally stimulated. Why not try hiding OMNI around the house for your pup to sniff out? Teaching your dog a new trick is also one of the ways to keep your dog happy and stimulated. Remember to keep training sessions short and engaging with lots of yummy rewards like OMNI and you’ll have one happy dog.

Quality time

We get it, life can be busy, but make sure you're putting some time into your schedule to spend with your dog. Petting your dog actually can decrease any stress or anxiety whilst increasing oxytocin strengthing the bond that you have. Not only will you have a happy dog, it will make you feel good too as stroking a pet is proven to release oxytocin in humans. That’s a lot of love this International Day of Happiness!

Up your knowledge

One of the ways to keep your dog happy and healthy is all about knowing what they need. Being a responsible owner means getting clued up on how to take care of your dog and keep them safe. Need some extra tips? Check out the knowledge hub for all your doggy needs.

All about the food

We all know that food is the key to a happy dog. But to keep them happy and healthy, it has to be the right food. OMNI is the perfect healthy meal plan for dogs. Just choose from our Puppy, Adult or Senior range and you can get OMNI delivered straight to your door. As a plant-based dog food, we keep your dog healthy whilst keeping the planet happy too! Give your pup the food they deserve.

What makes your dog tick?

Do you have more tips on what makes your dog happy? As always we’d love to hear them. Join the community of dog parents on Instagram @omnipetfood and share your wisdom with fellow dog lovers.

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FAQs

But aren’t dog’s carnivores?

Dogs are in fact nutritional omnivores as demonstrated by a robust scientific study published in the reputable journal Nature (1,2) in which it was shown that they have 30 copies of the AMY2B gene responsible for digesting plant-based foods.

They have also evolved relatively long intestines (21) (almost as long as humans) and relatively flat surfaces on their molars (31, 22) which they use for digesting and chewing a whole range of foods.

The common misconception that dogs are carnivores probably arises from the fact that they are classified in the order Carnivora but so are plenty of other species like bears, skunks, racoons who are omnivores and even the giant panda who thrives on a plant-based diet (20).

Is plant protein digestible to dogs?

Absolutely yes, studies which have looked at how much protein dogs can absorb from plant-based and fungi-based foods like soya and yeast demonstrated over 75% digestibility which is on par with meat-based foods (23, 24, 34, 35 & 25).

Both these protein sources also contain all 10 essential amino acids (36, 37) that dogs need to thrive.

Isn't there too much fibre in plant-based food?

The average amount of fibre in a commercial dog food diet is between 2-4%. omni’s plant-powered recipe has a fibre content of 3% which is on par with meat- based diets.

In our survey with over 200 dog owners, 100% reported that their dog’s stool consistency was either ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ and there were no reports of any digestive upsets (data on file).

Can I mix omni with other meat-based diets?

We are proud that our recipes are nutritionally complete and so include everything your dog needs to thrive. This means omni can be fed as a sole ration. We also fully support a 'flexitarian approach' like meat free lunches or using omni as a mixer.

Every little helps to bring some of the health and environmental benefits of plant-power to meal times. Mixing omni with meat/fish will help to add variety into your dog’s diet whilst adding in healthy ingredients with a relatively low carbon footprint.

Can plant-based food provide the essential fatty acids dogs need?

All the essential fats and oils that dogs need, including omegas 3 and 6 are found in a variety of both meat and plant-based foods (31, 28).

omni’s recipe is rich in plant-based sources of these nutrients so your dog will get all the essentials they need.

I hear a lot about feeding raw meat, isn’t that better?

Feeding raw meat to dogs has become a very popular trend in recent years, but most vets will warn against this practise. This is because the cooking process is vital to help kill off dangerous bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter (9) that have necessitated several food recalls from the market and caused serious illness and even death in both dogs and their owners (40, 41, & 42).

There are also several worms and parasites that are only killed off when raw meat is cooked. Dogs are dogs, not wolves and thanks to their domestication over thousands of years, thankfully don’t need to hunt to get their grub nor do they need to eat raw meat, it's just not worth the risk.

References

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