Stay Healthy From the Inside Out This Autumn

As the seasons change, so do the challenges facing our dogs. Autumn brings shorter days, central heating, muddy walks, wet paws and those irresistible piles of fallen leaves. It can be beautiful, but it also means adapting our dogs' routines to keep them healthy, comfortable and stimulated.

One of the simplest autumn habits is washing and drying paws after wet, muddy walks. Damp ground, mud and decomposing vegetation create an environment in which microorganisms thrive, while tiny abrasions to pads can provide an opportunity for infection.

There is also increased awareness at this time of year around Alabama rot, or cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV). It remains rare and its cause isn't fully understood, but cases have shown a seasonal association with wetter, colder months. Washing mud from paws and legs after particularly soggy walks is a sensible precaution.  It’s also an opportunity to check paws for cuts, irritation or anything unusual.

Autumn has other hazards hiding underfoot. Conkers may interest your dog, but horse chestnuts are toxic to dogs and, if swallowed, can also cause a potentially dangerous gastrointestinal obstruction. Plus, acorns, fungi and stagnant water deserve caution too.

Then we come indoors and turn on the heating, which can bring another unwelcome autumn visitor back to life.

Fleas aren't simply a summer problem. Eggs, larvae and pupae can remain in carpets, bedding and soft furnishings, and a warm centrally heated home provides favourable conditions for the flea life cycle. This is why pet parents can suddenly find themselves dealing with fleas just when they thought flea season was over.

Environmental control matters more than treating your dog. Interestingly 90 per cent of any flea population is living in your carpets, furnishings, and sofa crevices, not on your dog! So, vacuuming thoroughly with a pointy nozzle attachment, and washing bedding can help, alongside an appropriate household flea product.

I opt for a brand called FLEE, which is a physical-action product containing silicone compounds that work differently from conventional insecticides, coating and immobilising flea life stages rather than relying on a traditional pesticide action. 

But autumn health isn't only about what we encounter on the outside. Resilience starts on the inside!

I'm a longstanding advocate of feeding dogs a balanced and complete fresh raw diet. Fresh raw food is naturally moisture-rich, typically around 70% water, helping contribute to a dog's overall fluid intake. More broadly, providing a nutritionally complete diet supplies the protein, fats, vitamins and minerals the body needs to maintain skin, coat, immune function and everyday health. I recommend Naturaw, which is a brand that ticks all the boxes. It’s important to note that raw food brands are not all the same, but with Naturaw comes peace of mind for several reasons.

All the nutrient dense recipes are formulated and made at their Yorkshire based HQ – there’s no ‘white labelling’. The meats are sourced only from ethical high animal welfare standard farmers, and the company has a conscience off setting their business footprint with solar power whilst all the packaging is recyclable and home compostable.

I wouldn't claim that one food can make a dog immune to seasonal infections it can't, but good nutrition provides the foundations from which the body has to work to naturally create robust health. As I like to coin an old phrase: ‘Let medicine be your food, and food be your medicine”.

However, there is anecdotal evidence that dogs fed on a raw diet are less prone to flea bites than dogs fed on kibble, the reason is the fleas are sugar junkies, which is prevalent in starchy kibble foods. 

Dogs are also creatures of rhythm. Research shows that canine physiology follows circadian patterns and that melatonin varies both through the day and across seasons. Dogs are influenced not only by natural light and darkness but by the human routines around them. So, when daylight disappears at four o'clock and our own routines change, theirs can too.

For many pet parents the darker mornings and evenings inevitably mean shorter or fewer walks. That's where indoor enrichment becomes important. Scent games, hide-and-seek, short training sessions, chews and food puzzles can exercise the brain when an hour-long evening walk isn't practical.

Sometimes the internet can make indoor enrichment appear complicated or elaborate. It really shouldn’t be either! Keep it simple!  Just ten minutes spent asking your dog to use their nose, whether it’s in your garden or indoors can be remarkably satisfying, not just for your dog! Or a simple rope toy brings hours of fun if you’ve trained a perfect ‘fetch’ and how to play a robust game of tug!

Autumn doesn't mean wrapping our dogs in cotton wool. It means noticing that their environment has changed outside and inside and adjusting with it.

My simple tips are:

* Wash the paws. 

* Watch what they're picking up. 

* Keep their minds working. 

* Feed them well.

* Prepare yourself with wellies, and waterproofs and warm layers 

* Embrace the mud. There will be plenty of it.

If you would like find out more feeding fresh whole into the bowl, perfecting some training skills, or other wellness issues, please reach out!