What are Some Preventative Healthcare For Your Dog Are you having a pet dog in your home? Well, the joy of having a four-legged furry friend around the home cannot be expressed in words. However, owning a dog also comes with certain responsibilities and as a pet parent, you cannot shy away from committing yourself for the welfare of your pet. Like humans, dogs have also got certain inherent needs and this doesn’t restrict itself to just feeding and playing. You have to look after the health of your dog. There is no doubt that pet parents are always forthcoming when it comes to looking after their pets. However, there is an old saying that, “prevention is better than cure”. The adage holds prominence in the present context. It is better to stay proactive when it comes to looking after the health of your dog than become reactive after your pet has been diagnosed with some health complications. There are several measures that you can initiate from your end that will help in preventing a host of diseases in your pet dog. Here in this article, we will delve deeper into the measures that can prevent various diseases in your dog.
Vaccinations The first thing that you must focus your attention on is vaccines for your pet. Vaccines play a critical role in building the immunity of your pet and these can be broadly divided into two groups: core vaccines and non-core that is optional vaccines. Most dogs irrespective of their breed need to be vaccinated against Canine adenovirus-2, canine parvovirus, distemper, and rabies. These are some of the common diseases that a vaccine can guard against. Apart from these, there are also some vaccines that are administered to dogs when they are exposed to certain diseases. Diseases like Kennel cough, canine influenza, Lyme disease, and Leptospirosis are recommended for dogs that are exposed to these diseases causing viruses.
Dental care Oral health has a profound impact on the overall health and wellbeing of your dog. Like humans dogs also suffer from similar dental issues and problems like periodontal disease sets in gradually and your dog will not show any signs of suffering from any oral diseases. Moreover, you must take your dog to a veterinarian immediately when you discover that he is suffering from periodontal disease. This is because periodontal disease doesn’t confine itself to the mouth and has the tendency to infect the bloodstream and travel to major organs like the kidneys, liver, and heart where they can cause serious health issues. A large part of preventative health care for dogs deals with maintaining proper oral hygiene that prevents the growth of bacteria in their mouth. You should take your dog to a veterinarian for cleaning its teeth once or twice a year. Many pet hospitals use dental radiographs for determining the extent of oral diseases.
Regular examinations Don’t you just stop taking your dog to the vet for the regular examinations thinking that he is healthy? Most experts opine that even healthy dogs should visit a vet once or twice a year for their examinations. However, if your dog is aged, then you might have to frequently visit your vet. There are many types of diseases that can be diagnosed with a physical examination by the vet. Diseases like skin tumors, abdominal tumors, kidney diseases, liver problems, spleen, and enlarged lymph nodes can all be diagnosed by the vet.
Similarly, diseases affecting eyes and orthopedic examinations can help in determining whether your dog is suffering from cataracts and arthritis respectively. A visit to the dermatologists will help you in determining whether the flea or tick control measures taken by you are working perfectly or there is a need for any changes in these methods.
Maintaining proper weight The nutritional need of your dog largely depends on the breed. There is no one size fits all strategy that you can adopt for your dog. Consulting a dietician for your pet dog is the most sensible thing to do under these circumstances. There are many examples of dogs suffering from obesity due to the improper feeding habits of their owners. Consulting an expert in pet nutrition can help you avoid the tricky problem of what and how much to feed your dog.
Finally The above-discussed factors come under preventative health care measures that need to be taken for the overall health and wellbeing of your canine friend. Whenever you are in doubt about something concerning your pet, it is better to consult a vet than taking any risks.
Reference https://www.7hillsvet.com/services/dogs/preventive-care-dog-health https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/preventive-health-care-guidelines-for-dogs