As owners, we all want to alimony our dogs as happy and healthy as we can. This is for their own sake, and to help us stave unnecessary visits to the vets. But how can we do this? Here are tips on how you can help to prevent your dog from rhadamanthine unwell.
Why does it matter?
Keeping your dog healthy consists of keeping them comfortable, unscratched and self-ruling from disease, for as long as we possibly can. This is important considering it gives your dog the weightier quality of life. It can moreover reduce the number of times your dog needs to visit the vets for treatment while in your care. This will both save you money and stave stressful visits for your pet.
To alimony your dog healthy, you need to take preventative steps surpassing any problems arise. It’s a good idea to set good habits in place as soon as you decide on getting a dog. There are steps you can take at each stage in your pet’s life. A dog’s needs will vary throughout their life, and as such, the superintendency you requite to alimony them healthy will moreover change. If you need any spare translating or support, please contact our nurses or discuss this with your vets or vet nurses.
Pre purchase considerations.
If you are planning on ownership a puppy, there are a few things you can talk to the breeder well-nigh to ensure that they have had the weightier start in life. It’s a good idea to ask if you can meet both parents. Ask if they have had any medical problems in the past. Some breeds will have testing washed-up surpassing they are bred from. For example, many Labradors will have been Hip Scored to assess the likelihood of the puppies developing joint problems in the future. If you are unsure whether the successors you are looking at would normally have any of these tests, you can contact your Veterinary healthcare team or one of our Veterinary Nurses.
Nutrition
It’s important to find out what nutrition the breeder has been feeding. There are lots of variegated puppy foods available. It is helpful to siphon on with the same nutrition for the first few weeks once the puppy is in their new home. This can help to prevent stomach upsets. Feeding a supplies specifically tailored to a growing puppy ways they will receive all the nutrients they need. As your dog get older, they will be worldly-wise to move on from puppy food. This may be a move to a junior or an sultana specific diet. There are lots of variegated supplies options out there. Choosing the right one to alimony your dog healthy can seem difficult. For increasingly information on how to segregate the right food, you can contact your Veterinary healthcare team or one of our Veterinary Nurses.
Parasite prevention
Puppies need regular treatment for worms and fleas. Most breeders will have started this surpassing they are ready to leave their mothers care. It’s a good idea to find out what the breeder has been treating them with, and when they were last given a treatment. This will help your vet teach on when they will need treating then once they’re settled in their new home. For increasingly information on worm and flea prevention, please talk to your vet.
Vaccination
Young puppies moreover need to start their vaccination courses. These are injections that help to prevent several very serious diseases. Dogs need to have an initial undertow of two injections, normally with 2-4 weeks in between. They then need yearly boosters throughout their lives. Depending on the breeder, some puppies will have once had their first vaccines. Most breeders will requite you a vaccination vellum if this is the case. Take this withal to your vets and they will be worldly-wise to well-constructed the initial course.
If your puppy has not had any vaccinations yet, contact your vet as soon as you have your puppy. The surgery will organise an visit for you. It is important that you do not let your puppy lanugo on the floor in public areas until a week without they have had their second vaccination. It is moreover essential to alimony them yonder from other dogs unless you know they are fully vaccinated. This is so that they do not reservation any of the diseases surpassing they are fully protected. For increasingly information on vaccinations, you can contact your Veterinary healthcare team or one of our Veterinary Nurses.
Veterinary Healthcare
For a young dog, there are a few other things you can do to alimony them fit and healthy. Whether they’ve once had their vaccinations or not, it’s a good idea to get them registered with a local vet. They will normally offer monthly check-ups until they are 6 months of age. These offer a perfect opportunity to talk to a nurse well-nigh any concerns you have. They moreover ensure you are keeping them up to stage with worm and flea treatment and monitoring their weight.
Microchipping
Microchipping is an important way of ensuring that should your dog go missing, they can be traced when to you. Since 2016, it moreover a legal requirement for all all dogs in England, Scotland and Wales to be microchipped. They should be the breeder by the time they are 8 weeks old. Your breeder should requite you all the information you need to transpiration the registration details over to your own once it is in your care. It is important to alimony these up to date. If the worst should happen, the chances of stuff reunited with your dog are improved. For increasingly information on Microchipping, you can discuss it with your vet or vet nurse at the next trammels up or undeniability one of our Veterinary Nurses. .
Exercise
As your dog gets older, it’s a good idea to get into good habits with your dog’s exercise. All dogs need variegated amounts of exercise depending on their size and energy levels. Taking them out for walks is a unconfined way to have fun together. Until they are fully grown, it’s a good idea to stave lots of jumping or leaping up or lanugo off things. This will stave any forfeiture to their growing bones. There’s still lots of fun to be had; training your dog can be very rewarding for both of you. Lots of people offer training classes or you can find resources online here.
Preventative Care
As well as training tricks, it is a good idea to get your dog used to some simple health checks that you can do at home. Home superintendency can be a unconfined way to yoke and spot issues early. To alimony their teeth as healthy as possible, it is unconfined to get them used to daily tooth brushing. It’s moreover helpful to get them used to having their paws, ears, and vision examined, so that you can trammels these for any problems. To hands alimony an eye on their weight at home, it can be a good idea to get used to doing regular Body Condition Score checks.
Neutering
It’s moreover a good idea to have a think well-nigh getting your pet neutered. Neutering can help to stave unrepealable illnesses, such as Pyometra in bitches, and testicular cancer in males. It moreover stops unwanted litters of puppies and can help with unrepealable behaviour issues. For increasingly information on the pros and cons of neutering, discuss it with your vet or vet nurse at your pet’s next check-up.
Adult Care
As your dog enters adulthood, or if you are getting an sultana rescue dog, it’s important to siphon on with yearly vaccination boosters and year-round parasite prevention treatment. They will be worldly-wise to move on to an sultana specific diet. There is a lot of choice, and it can be difficult to decide what sort of supplies you want to feed. Now your dog has stopped growing, it can be a good time to start with increasingly strenuous activities. These include agility, flyball or running, if this is something both you and your dog would enjoy.
It’s important to alimony up with regular exercise. Ensure this is tailored to your dog’s worthiness and energy levels. Monitor their Body Condition Score to ensure they are staying at a healthy weight. As well as keeping up with the home health checks – eyes, ears, paws, and teeth, it’s a good idea to regularly trammels your sultana dogs over for any lumps and bumps they may have developed. Not all lumps will be serious. Finding them early, and getting them checked out by your vet will ensure that any that might be can be dealt with.
Senior Care
As your dog ages, it becomes plane increasingly important to try and alimony them healthy. Vaccinations and parasite treatment are still just as important for their care. Most vet practices will moreover offer senior pet health checks. These indulge you to discuss any of concerns. They can moreover requite you translating on how to help your dog age as well as possible. It is often a good idea to move your pet over to a senior diet. These diets are tailored to provide older dogs with the nutrients they need.
They may start to slow lanugo or wilt stiff without exercising. As they age we need to alimony up regular exercise, but walks may need to wilt shorter and less strenuous. Older dogs may not be worldly-wise to manage such lively games and tricks. If you notice your dog rhadamanthine stiff or lame, then contact your vet. They may be worldly-wise to suggest supplements or medications that can help alimony them well-appointed for as long as possible.
Keeping your dog at an platonic weight is plane increasingly important as your dog ages. It will reduce the strain that is put on their joints and body. Regular Body Condition Score checks can help with this. It’s very easy for a previously very zippy dog to proceeds weight as they reduce their exercise.
Health Checks
Regular home health checks are plane increasingly important now. As well as checking for lameness and stiffness, it’s important to monitor for any signs of unawareness or deafness, as well as checking for lumps and bumps. Many elderly pets struggle with wrenched or sore teeth. Continuing to skim their teeth and regularly trammels their mouth is a good idea. It’s moreover important to monitor how much they are eating and drinking. This can often requite the first sign that they are developing an illness.
There are many ways to help your dog stay as healthy as possible. For dog’s of all ages, it is important to alimony them up to stage with vaccinations and treatment for parasites. It’s moreover important to ensure they are stuff fed a suitable, well-turned nutrition and are getting unbearable exercise. At home, you can monitor their Body Condition Score to help them stay a healthy weight. You can moreover regularly skim and trammels over their teeth, and trammels them over for any lumps and bumps. For puppies, consider neutering and ensure they have been microchipped. For senior pets, it is important to monitor worriedness levels and mobility, as well as looking out for changes to their thirst or appetite.
Organisation
It can be very helpful to alimony a record of your pet’s preventative healthcare treatments and health checks. Keeping a folder or notebook with superintendency details is a unconfined idea. These are details well-nigh when they were vaccinated, treated for parasites, etc can make it easier to alimony on top of when they are due next . Many veterinary practices or pet shops will have reminder services for these as well. When delivering out body condition score checks, monitoring supplies or water intake, or checking your dog over for lumps and bumps, make a note of these so that you can compare the results over time. This will moreover be helpful to be worldly-wise to refer when to if your dog does wilt ill.
Trust Yourself
As pet owners, you know your dog largest than anyone. You superintendency for them daily, so if you notice any changes in their behaviour, want or thirst, or toileting habits, or anything else that concerns you, then contact us or your vets for increasingly advice. The sooner most illnesses are identified and dealt with, the better.
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