As a dog owner, keeping your dog healthy is one of your most important tasks. In partnership with your veterinarian, you can take steps to prevent health problems altogether or to recognize them before they become serious.
The best way to do this is to watch for signs of good health as well as signs of illness. to know your dog’s normal appetite and habits. and to schedule regular veterinary exams. Preventive health care also includes regular vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery for dogs that aren’t used for breeding.
How to Preventive Diseases in Dogs?
Prevention is better than cure. It may be a cliche, but it’s true nonetheless.
Briefly, some of the preventive measures to keep your dog healthy are:-
- Use a high-quality dog food with meat protein as the first ingredient like IAMS Dog Food.
- Brush your dog’s teeth frequently.
- Make sure he gets plenty of exercises, dog-proof your home so he doesn’t hurt himself.
- And protect him from disease with vaccinations.
To keep your dog healthy throughout his life, you’ll also want to pay attention to his eating habits; the condition of his coat, skin, eyes, and ears; how much he plays; and how much he sleeps.
Familiarity with all your dog’s habits helps you notice sooner rather than later when something’s not right.
Monitor Your Dog’s Appetite:
Good dog health is one of the most obvious signs of a good appetite. The average dog is, well, a chowhound. Each dog is an individual, of course, and some dogs and even some breeds have a reputation for being picky.
In general, however, you can expect your dog to eat heartily twice a day (more often if he’s a young puppy)
Signs of Good Appetite:
What are the Signs of Good Appetite? A dog with a good appetite reminds you of when it’s mealtime. Here are the signs that you can assume your dogs having a good appetite:-
- Your dog dances excitedly around your feet as you prepare her food. If you’ve taught her good dinner manners, she sits impatiently, tail thumping, until you set her dish down and give the okay for her to dig in.
- She eats eagerly, and when she’s done she licks her chops and does the “happy dance,” rolling ecstatically on the floor and then thoroughly wiping her mouth on your favorite carpet or upholstered furniture.
Signs of Poor Appetite:
What are the Signs of Poor Appetite? There’s a difference between picky eaters and dogs that have lost their appetite. Picky eaters might “pick” at their food, only eating a little at a time, but they eventually finish it. Sometimes they eat well one day and refuse the same meal the next, having learned that they often get something different or special when they act this way.
Other dogs are picky eaters until the competition in the form of another dog is introduced; then they eat voraciously to protect their food from the newcomer.
Whether your dog is a chowhound or a picky eater, be concerned if you notice a lack of appetite accompanied by depressed or lethargic behavior, especially if it seems to come out of nowhere.
It’s not unheard of for dogs with healthy appetites to skip a meal occasionally—usually when the weather is hot—but if your dog turns up his nose at food more than once in twenty-four hours and just doesn’t seem himself, it’s time to take him to the veterinarian.
Loss of appetite is often a sign of disease or dental problems.
Dogs having Increased Appetite:
Sometimes dogs eat more simply because they have increased nutritional requirements. Show dogs, pregnant dogs, dogs that participate regularly in canine sports, and dogs that hike, jog, or hunt frequently with their people need more food than the average canine couch-potato.
They may also eat more in response to cold weather, especially if they spend a lot of time playing outdoors.
How Do You Know Your Dogs Have Increased Appetite?
Diabetes is among the diseases that can cause increased appetite. Others include diseases of the intestinal wall that interfere with food absorption and diseases that affect the hunger centers of the brain or that cause increases in hormones secreted by the adrenal glands.
On the other hand, some diseases can cause a dog to eat more than usual. That’s because the disease process interferes with the way the body digests, absorbs, or converts food to usable energy.
In other instances, it increases the rate at which the body uses energy. If your dog becomes starving. and the change can’t be traced to a factor such as increased activity, see your veterinarian. This is especially important if your dog is eating a lot but still losing weight.
Know Your Dog’s Habits:
Other clues to your dog’s good health can be found in her everyday actions.
Paying attention to how she spends her days. her level of play arid exercise, how she greets and interacts with family members. and even when and how often she potties can all help you keep a finger on the pulse of your dog’s health.
Consider keeping a diary of your dog’s days. You’ll find it’s easier to spot changes in behavior or to see patterns if you can refer to a written record.
Play and Exercise:
Sporting dogs (the group that comprises retrievers. setters. spaniels, and pointers) tend to enjoy high levels of exercise every day. The same is true of terriers, most herding breeds. and some of the hound breeds.
Most other dogs, including some of the toy breeds, usually have a moderate energy level. They enjoy daily walks and playtime, but to use an automotive metaphor, they run on gasoline, not rocket fuel.
Any unusual change in your dog’s behavior is something to be aware of and to mention to your veterinarian, especially if it occurs in conjunction with lethargy or a change in appetite.
Lethargy is defined as an unusual lack of energy or vitality.
How to know your Dog Is Lethargic?
You’ll know it when your high-energy dog is feeling lethargic. He won’t want to play his favorite games or go for a walk or run, and his eyes may seem dull.
Lethargy may be a little less obvious in a dog whose energy levels are moderate or low, to begin with. You might attribute his behavior to the heat or just to an off day. Even dogs have off days, after all. Whatever your dog’s energy level, don’t ignore lethargic behavior for too long.
If he’s uninterested in his usual favorite activities for more than a day, it’s a good idea to take him in for a veterinary exam. Lethargy is a common sign of many different diseases.
Actions and Interactions:
Changes in behavior and personality can also signal health problems. If your dog normally greets you happily at the front door when you come home from work, take note if he stops doing this. If your dog normally loves meeting people, be concerned if he suddenly shows no interest in them, or even seems aggressive.
Pay attention if your Labrador retriever turns away from tennis balls, your beagle stops sniffing anything and everything, your pug’s tail loses its curl, or your Cavalier King Charles spaniel stops seeking out a lap.
Potty Behavior:
It may not be what you thought you signed up for when you acquired a dog, but paying attention to a dog’s urinary output and fecal composition is a big part of dog ownership, especially when it comes to keeping a dog healthy.
Knowing your dog’s normal patterns of urination and defecation allows you to notice quickly when they change. That’s one of the many reasons it’s a good idea to take your dog out to potty on a leash instead of just sending him out into the back yard by himself to do his business.
How do you know your dogs are having normal urination and defecation?
The average dog will welcome the opportunity to urinate every four to six hours. That’s first thing in the morning, around noon, again later in the afternoon, and in the evening before bedtime. If need be, however, most healthy adult dogs can go eight hours between potty trips.
Male dogs tend to urinate in small amounts in different areas, marking their territory. Females usually empty their bladders all in one go, although it’s not unheard of for them to scent mark as well. Dogs normally defecate once or twice a day. Stools should be small and firm.
Symptoms of Dogs having problems in urination:-
Signs of possible problems include changes in the frequency of urination, the amount urinated. whether the dog seems to strain to urinate, and whether there appears to be:-
- Blood in the urine – Bloody urine is something you might miss unless your dog has an accident in the house and you see a pink tinge on the carpet.
- A constant need to go out. accompanied by straining during urination, which could indicate a bladder infection.
- A big increase in the frequency and amount urinated, accompanied by an increase in water consumption, could indicate diabetes or kidney disease.
Symptoms of Dogs having problems in defecation:-
- Loose or liquid stools (diarrhea) can occur after a sudden change in diet or after eating garbage. as a result of certain internal parasites. or as a symptom of a serious infection, such as parvovirus.
- If he’s straining to defecate and producing hard. dry stools, he may be constipated.
All of these conditions require veterinary care, so you can see why it’s a good idea to keep tabs on your dog’s potty habits.
If your perfectly house-trained dog suddenly starts having accidents in the house, don’t scold him for breaking training. He may be trying to tell you he doesn’t feel well. Take him to the veterinarian to rule out any health problems, such as a urinary tract infection.
Regular Veterinary Checkups:
Your veterinarian is your number-one partner in caring for your dog. If you’re looking for one, get recommendations from shelter staff, breeders, and friends with dogs. Possibly, go and check out the clinic and staff yourself.
You want a clean facility that provides emergency coverage, friendly staff who welcome your questions, and a reputation for good medical care. An annual veterinary exam (plus visits as needed for illness or injury) is the best way to keep your dog healthy from nose to tail.
Although you know your dog best, your veterinarian will often see or feel things that you might miss. Your veterinarian also has specialized instruments to fully examine your dog.
During the annual exam, you and your veterinarian should discuss the following aspects of your dog’s health:
- Physical condition
- Vaccination status
- Parasite control
- Dental health
- Nutrition
- Behavior
If you’ve been keeping a diary of your dog’s health and behavior, bring it with you. If your dog has been showing any signs of problems, such as discharge, redness, or itching affecting the eyes and ears, skin problems, or changes in exercise tolerance, the dates and specifics can help the veterinarian figure out what’s going on.
She may ask what you feed your dog, how often he eats, whether you give any supplements, and how much and what kind of exercise he receives. Be prepared to answer any questions about your dog’s habits. The better your veterinarian knows you and your dog, the better she can take care of him.
Behavior problems, especially housetraining issues or unusual aggression, sometimes indicate that something is physically wrong with your dog. Always be sure to mention them to your veterinarian, just in case.
During the exam, the veterinarian will listen to your dog’s heart and respiration rate; examine the eyes and ears; palpate (examine by touch) the body to check the condition of the internal organs and make sure there are no unusual lumps or bumps, and test your dog’s joint and muscle condition by moving his legs to check his range of motion.
You will also want to bring in a stool sample so the veterinarian can examine it for the presence of parasites. Once the physical exam is complete, you and the veterinarian can discuss how your dog is doing and whether any changes should be made in his care.
This is also a good time to mention any behavioral problems you might be having with your dog. If your veterinarian doesn’t find an underlying medical cause for the behavior. she should be able to refer you to a veterinary behaviorist or experienced trainer who can help.
Dog Vaccinations:
There are several different ways a dog’s body protects itself from the disease. When puppies are born, they become temporarily protected from disease by nursing from their mother. The first milk she produces, called colostrum, contains maternal antibodies that protect the pup during the first weeks of life.
Dogs can also acquire what is called natural, or active, immunity if they become ill with—and survive—a particular infectious disease. The antibodies formed from natural exposure usually last for life.
Are vaccines 100 percent effective?
Not always. Vaccines can fail if they are handled or stored improperly, if the dog’s immune system isn’t functioning well because of malnutrition or immunosuppressive drugs, or if maternal antibodies neutralize the effect of the vaccine. Nor will vaccines protect a dog that is already infected with a disease.
Vaccination provides what is known as acquired immunity. A vaccine is a substance. when injected, provides immunity against infectious diseases caused by bacteria. viruses. and other organisms. It does this by challenging the body with modified disease organisms, provoking the immune system to form antibodies against those particular organisms. Vaccinations don’t necessarily provide lifelong immunity and must be repeated at certain intervals.
Is Vaccination Necessary or Optional?
The decision to vaccinate a dog against a particular disease depends partly on the dog’s age, breed. and potential exposure to the disease. It also has a lot to do with the distribution and severity of the particular disease.
Certain canine diseases are widely distributed, highly contagious among dogs, and serious or sometimes even fatal. Once a dog has acquired them, no treatment other than supportive therapy can help.
These diseases are canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and rabies (which besides being fatal is also transmissible to humans, making it a public health threat). The vaccines against these diseases are referred to as core vaccines, meaning that they are recommended for all puppies and dogs.
Other vaccines are considered optional. When deciding whether to give them, you and your veterinarian should take into account the geographic distribution of the disease and your dog’s risk of exposure. For instance, if your beagle is a show dog that never sets foot in a field or forest, she’s not a very high risk for Lyme disease.
The non-core vaccines are those against the canine parainfluenza virus, Bordetella bronchiseptica (for canine cough, also known as kennel cough), leptospirosis, giardiasis, and Lyme disease.
The distemper-measles combination is also considered a non-core vaccine. According to the vaccination guidelines of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California at Davis, vaccination with these non-core vaccines is generally less effective in protecting against disease than vaccination with the core vaccines.
Some of these diseases are not common in many areas of the country, so there’s no reason to give them unless your dog is at risk. Your veterinarian can tell you which are necessary for your area.
When to Vaccinate Your Dogs?
Puppies receive vaccinations against parvovirus, distemper, and adenovirus-2 (canine hepatitis) at six to eight weeks of age, again at nine to eleven weeks, and at twelve to sixteen weeks, for the final series. A dog older than four months of age with an unknown vaccination history needs one dose of vaccine against these diseases. After a booster shot at one year, most authorities recommend revaccination every three years.
The first rabies vaccination is generally given at sixteen weeks (four months) of age. Boosters are usually given at three-year intervals, although a few states require annual rabies vaccination. Adult dogs with an unknown vaccination history need a rabies vaccination as well.
How Often to Vaccinate Your Dogs?
Most vaccine labels recommend that the vaccine be administered annually. No scientific studies support this frequency of vaccination, however, and there’s good evidence that the effects of vaccination last for much longer. While your dog still needs an annual exam, there’s usually no reason further to receive annual vaccinations.
Frequent vaccinations may be advisable under some circumstances. so be sure to speak to your vet. For example, the Bordetella vaccine (which is given nasally) does not appear to last very long. If you kennel your dog frequently. or she often comes in contact with strange dogs at shows or dog parks. she may need this vaccine up to twice a year.
Reactions to vaccines are rare, but they can occur.
- Keep a close eye on your dog for the first few hours after she receives vaccinations to make sure she doesn’t develop any serious allergic reactions.
- Keep Benadryl (diphenhydramine) on hand, and ask your veterinarian how much to give in case your dog develops hives, swelling, redness, or itchiness.
- The vaccines that are most commonly linked to reactions are those for leptospirosis, rabies, and parvovirus.
Why shouldn’t you vaccinate your dogs every year?
Too-frequent vaccination has been associated with autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and many veterinarians and dog owners are concerned that over-vaccination can have other ill effects that are not yet known or understood.
Before you schedule your dog for revaccination against distemper, parvovirus, or adenovirus-2, you may want to have her titer levels tested.
What is Titer?
A titer is the concentration of an antibody in blood serum. If these levels are still high, she probably doesn’t need to be revaccinated.
New Developments in Vaccines:
A new type of immunization, called a recombinant vaccine, is created by splicing gene-size fragments of DNA from a virus or bacterium. The recombinant vaccines that have been developed so far—for distemper, rabies, and Lyme disease—are safe and effective.
They work by delivering specific antigen material to the dog on a cellular level, reducing the risk of vaccine reactions, which sometimes occur with vaccines that contain the entire disease-causing organism.
When recombinant vaccines become more wide-spread, it may be necessary to reconsider the age at which vaccines are first given, as well as the interval between vaccines.
Spay/Neuter Surgery of Dogs:
If you don’t plan to breed your dog—and you shouldn’t, unless you have a superb example of the breed whose characteristics would improve the gene pool—you have two options for preventing puppies.
#1 The first is abstinence:
This requires a high level of responsibility and maturity on your part because it’s a sure thing that your dog isn’t going to show any restraint when it comes to satisfying those reproductive urges.
You’ll need to make sure your female is securely confined during estrus (heat). This is trickier than it sounds because she will make every effort to escape in search of male companionship—and every male for miles around will be trying to get to her as well. And, of course, you’ll need to make sure your male doesn’t have any opportunity to impregnate the local females.
Spay/neuter surgery can be safely performed as early as six weeks of age. It is often done this early on puppies adopted from animal shelters. Animals this young don’t require as much anesthesia as older puppies or adult dogs, and they recover rapidly from surgery.
#2 The second option is spay or neuter surgery:
Spay surgery or ovariohysterectomy is the removal of the female’s uterus and ovaries. Neutering is the removal of the male’s testicles, to prevent the production of sperm. Traditionally, spay/neuter surgery is performed just at or before the onset of puberty. Many veterinarians like to schedule spay/neuter surgery at four or five months of age when puppy vaccinations have been completed.
Benefits of Spay/Neuter Surgery:
Besides its main purpose of birth control. spay/neuter surgery has health benefits. Females that are spayed before their first estrus cycle are much less likely to develop breast cancer later in life than females spayed after one or more cycles. They are also spared the risk of developing ovarian cysts or uterine infections.
Most importantly, neutered males have no risk of testicular cancer and are at reduced risk for prostate enlargement and perianal adenomas, which are tumors of glands found around the anus.
Dogs that are spayed or neutered are also more likely to get along better with other dogs and less likely to roam (unless they are scent hounds. In which case they are genetically programmed to follow tantalizing scents).
What You Need to Know Before Surgery:
Before surgery.
- The veterinarian may recommend running a blood panel to make sure your dog is in good health.
- If your dog is young and has no known health problems, the only blood will most likely be a simple test for blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. total blood protein, and a hematocrit. which is the ratio of packed red blood cells to whole blood.
- An aging dog or one that’s not in tip-top health may need more extensive blood work.
Emergencies such as a reaction to anesthesia or a change in heart rate are rare. Thanks to improvements in anesthesia and monitoring equipment, veterinary surgery is very safe.
During surgery. the veterinarian or a staff member should monitor your dog’s breathing and heart rate. Ask if they take the precaution of placing an IV catheter in a vein. This safety measure allows drugs to be injected quickly in the event of an emergency
Make sure your Veterinarian does this:-
You’ll also want to make sure the veterinarian provides your dog with pain-relief drugs before. during. and after surgery. The use of these drugs ensures that your dog suffers as little pain as possible and recovers more quickly.
Some veterinarians don’t believe pain relief is necessary for routine surgeries such as a spay or neuter procedure, but more progressive veterinarians know that a dog who’s given pain relief will rest better and be at less risk of tearing an incision.
Recovery:
During the first few days after surgery, your dog may be tired and a little sore, even with pain medication. Other dogs are as frisky as ever, running around and bouncing off the walls.
Whether your dog feels well or not, it’s important to keep him as still as possible. Rest will help the incision heal more quickly. You can limit activity by keeping your dog on a leash or confining him to a crate.
To keep your dog from licking or biting at her stitches, you may need to use what’s known as an Elizabethan collar. This plastic, cone-shaped collar (which resembles a lampshade) fits around your dog’s neck, preventing her from reaching the sutured area. The drawback is that dogs hate wearing these collars and will shake their heads frequently in vain attempts to remove them. They may also be more likely to run into furniture while wearing the collar.
Some swelling at the incision site is normal, especially if the veterinarian uses absorbable sutures. Depending on the type of suture, swelling may last for six to eight weeks. This swelling may be more noticeable on a dog with thin, delicate skin.
Redness, obvious inflammation, or any discharge (other than a little pinkish stuff the first day or so) are signs of possible infection, and your veterinarian should take a look.
Dog Medications:
No matter how hard you work to keep your dog healthy, she’s sure to need medication at some time in her life. To make sure medication is effective, you’ll need to know how to give it, how much to give, and how long to continue giving it. Each is essential in ensuring your dog’s return to good health.
Your dog’s medication may come in the form of a pill, liquid, or drops for the eyes or ears. Before you leave the veterinarian’s office, make sure you understand when to start giving the medication, whether it should be given with food or on an empty stomach, and how often you should give it each day.
You should also inform the veterinarian of any herbal or holistic remedies or other medications your dog is taking. They might interfere with the effectiveness of the prescribed medication.
The safety margin of medication depends on such factors as the dog’s age and whether her liver and kidneys are functioning well. Young puppies have immature organs, so they don’t process medications as effectively as adult dogs. Senior dogs may have decreased liver or kidney function, which impairs the movement of drugs through the system.
Whatever form the medication takes, it is important to give your dog the full course of it, even if she seems to be better after the first few days. Her body needs to build up a certain amount of the drug in the bloodstream for it to be fully effective.
That’s also why drugs need to be given at specific intervals, such as every eight hours. So don’t assume that your dog is well and decide to save the medication for “next time.”
Easiest Way To Give a Dog a Pill(Oral Medications):
The easiest way to give pills is to hide them inside something tasty. Peanut butter. real cheese. and canned dog food is all excellent “carriers” for pills.
Before you follow this plan. ask your veterinarian if it’s okay to do this. Some medications shouldn’t be mixed with certain foods; for instance, tetracycline shouldn’t be given with dairy products like cream cheese.
If you have a dog that eats the yummy coating and spits out the pill, or if the pill should be given on an empty stomach, you’ll need to move to Plan B and give it by hand. (4 Easy Steps)
- Holding the pill in your dominant hand. use the other hand to hold the dog’s mouth open.
- Place the pill toward the back of the tongue, close the mouth, and stroke the dog’s throat to encourage swallowing.
- When you think she has swallowed, do a finger sweep inside her mouth to make sure she hasn’t tucked the pill in her cheek to spit out later.
- Then give her a small treat or a few minutes of play with a favorite toy. The reward will encourage her to look forward to pill time.
Don’ts
Don’t crush pills and sprinkle them on the dog’s food. Crushed pills can have a bitter flavor that might make her reluctant to eat, and you won’t have any way of knowing if she gets all the medication.
How to Give Liquid medications to Dogs?
Most liquid medications come with a dropper for dispensing them. If they don’t, you can use a plastic syringe (the kind without a needle), as long as it has the proper measurement markings.
- Fill the dropper or syringe with the appropriate amount of medication, and hold it in your dominant hand, using your other hand to open the dog’s mouth.
- Place the dropper in the mouth, aiming it at the cheek pouch, and pinch the lips closed.
- Slowly release the plunger and continue holding the lips closed until the dog swallows.
- Follow with a reward.
How to Apply Eye Drops or Ointment on Dogs(Eye Medications)?
Eye Drop application procedure:-
- Administer eye drops straight from the bottle.
- Tilting the dog’s head upward, hold the bottle in your dominant hand, and squeeze the prescribed number of drops into the eye.
- DO’ not touch the eye with the applicator tip.
Ointment application Procedure:-
- To apply an ointment to the eye, hold the head still with one hand, and pull the lower eyelid downward.
- Using your dominant hand, squeeze a small amount of ointment onto the eyelid, then release the eyelid and gently rub the surface of the closed eye to distribute the ointment over the eyeball.
Again, be careful not to poke the dog in the eye with the applicator. It may help to have someone else hold her head for you.
How to Apply Ear Drops or Ointment on Dogs(Ear Medications)?
Ear medications often need to go deep into the ear, so they usually come in a tube or bottle with along. narrow applicator.
- Place the applicator inside the ear and dispense the appropriate amount. Be sure you have a firm grasp on your dog’s head while you do this.
- Before he can shake his head and send the medication flying.
- Fold the ear over and gently massage it to make sure the medication is thoroughly distributed.