I am always talking about having healthy, happy and well-adjusted dogs. Do you know how to keep your dog healthy? How do you know if your dog is in good health? These are questions that many dog owners ask.

If you want your dog to reap the benefits of the best possible canine health, then you need to know the ways to keep your dog healthy, happy and well-adjusted. Dogs with the correct health care and proper behavior creates a more positive lifestyle for both the dog and the owner.

Your dog’s health and behavior move conjointly and one right away influences the other. The unwell dog might show certain indications of illness or develop behavioral problems, while a healthy dog always shows a sign of good health through positive body language and learns faster and is more focused while training.

Let us look into what you need to be aware of to get your dog on the way to physical and mental wellbeing. Your dog deserves a healthy and happy life, right?

Is Your Dog In Good Health?

It is wise to know How To Keep Your Dog Healthy. The signs below show that your dogs are in good health.

Skin and coat: healthy skin of a dog is smooth and flexible. It is good to check for lumps and bumps white scurfy flakes, scabs or red areas, which are all possible warning signals. The healthy and normal color skin tones of your dog may vary from pink to black and may be a mixture of both.

Examine your dog for ticks, lice, fleas, and other external parasites. The indication of fleas may differ from no obvious signs to severe itching. It may include scratching of the lower back or tail base. Close examination shows small black dots. A healthy coat will be glossy and flexible, dandruff free and excessive greasiness.

Eyes: the healthy dog’s eyes are bright and shiny. There should be no swelling or inflammation of the lining eyelids. A little number of watery tears and mucus is good, but more watery eye discharge and any yellow-green pus are all signs of eye problem. For a healthy dog, the white part of the eyes should not be red or yellowish.

Ears: Another sign of good health in a dog is that the skin inside the ears should be light pink and neat. Some yellow or brownish wax is good, but it is not good with a large amount of wax. It is abnormal for the inside of the ear to swell or have redness. There should be no scratching of the ears or repeated shaking of the head in a healthy dog.

Teeth: Your dog’s teeth should be white and shiny. There should be no smelling of the breath. In addition, the gums should be firm and pink or spotted.

Nails: Another sign of good health in a dog is strong nails. Nails should be strong and held trimmed.

Nose: The nose of a healthy dog does not actually need to be moist and cold; however, it must not be dry or cracked.

Smell: A healthy dog should free from smell, well as much as possible as anyone that has owned a hound knows they have a distinctive hound smell. Your dog can get wet and stinky when they roll in substance. Nevertheless, a dog’s owner should visit the veterinarian when a clean dog has an  unusual odor from the eyes, ears or gender-specific parts.

Tail: Another sign of good health is that your dog’s tail should be wagging rather than a droopy tail, which indicates ill health.

Active, playful dogs are hardly overweight; they are agile and able to play around. The dog’s owner should ask their veterinarian for nutritional advice on how to maintain their dog’s healthy weight.

Is It Time To Visit The Veterinarian?

The veterinarian should be visiting regularly to ascertain your dog’s perfect health. If you are doubting whether your dog requires treatment a visit to the veterinarian to describe the situation may be in order. Your veterinarian should be able to let you know the state of the condition and may recommend that immediate treatment is required. Also, remember that a condition does not have to be life-threatening before you visit your veterinarian.

Now let us look at some emergency conditions that need quick veterinary attention in dogs.

Restlessness: unable to lie down easily, panting and abdominal distention. All these are symptoms of bloat, otherwise known as gastric dilation with volvulus. Bloat is one of the deadly conditions that can affect a dog. Most dogs usually exhibit all these symptoms while others will be panting and restless. Due to its emergency, any dog suspecting for the symptoms of bloat should be quickly rush to the nearest veterinary clinic.

Collapse or severe weakness: these can be as a result of problems of internal bleeding known as a condition called hemiabdomen pericardial effusion, failure of some organs, certain poisonings or Addison’s disease needs the advice of a veterinarian promptly.

Persistent vomiting and diarrhea: this condition requires quick veterinarian attention, especially if the liquid involved is bloody. A dog who vomits once may not need any veterinarian treatment rather than to rest for few hours or giving a bland food for a day or two. Nevertheless, protracted vomiting and diarrhea may lead to deadly dehydration. The symptoms may also be a condition of gastrointestinal obstruction.

Inability to eat or drink: the dogs that go a day or longer without eating might not be feeling well and is a distinct sign of sickness. They usually also refuse to drink enough water, to curtain their needs. This can also cause dehydration in our furry friends.

Difficulty breathing: This condition needs the quick attention of the veterinarian. If your dog seizes to breathe for like three minutes that is all. If the breathing of your pet seems somehow or creating scary noises during breathing you need to visit your veterinarian quickly.

Seizures: meanwhile solitary seizure may not be life-threatening. In some instances, seizures can be caused by toxins, which can cause deadly reactions.

Struggling to urinate: This may mean bladder infection. The bladder infection is painful but not deadly unless it goes untreated. The symptom could also be because of urinary tract obstruction caused by bladder stones and may cause toxicity.

Coughing: a cough may or may not be an urgent need of the veterinarian’s attention. This can be caused by simple something or pneumonia. When you are not sure of the reason for the coughing, the best thing is to visit your veterinarian for the best advice.

Severe pain: if your dog is panting, vocalizing and demonstrating other signs of agony. It is necessary to visit a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Is It Time For A Routine Visit To Your Veterinarian?

Routine visits play a big part in how to keep your dog healthy. Some of the dog owners always believe that they do not have a reason for visiting the veterinarian unless there is something wrong with their pets. However, routine visits help your veterinarian to determine how the health of your pet is improving and to discover any underlying conditions. Your dog may be disturbed with later on.

Imagine your dog has a serious condition that you are not conscious of, the problem can easily be pinpointed by your veterinarian and either it is corrected or slow the condition down. That is why it is very essential you take your dog for a routine checkup.

Physical examinations are conducted during a regular checkup exercise. This exercise usually consists of a nose to tail check. Inspection of the mouth, paws, coat, skin and even the tail and so on are done by your veterinarian. For example, it is very important to keep your dog’s mouth and teeth clean and healthy. It is been discovered that 8 out of 10 dogs that are disturbed with dental problems and mouth bacteria can be transmitted to other organs and cause infections.

Your pet skin and coat, which is the largest organ of the body, are mostly check by your veterinarian. A dull coat may be a sign of an issue in your dog’s body. Senior pets should be checked for signs of conditions like arthritis or joint problems that are faced in older pets. So more time may be spent by your vet observing the joints and bones and recommended necessary treatments for arthritis or joint issues.

Another reason why you should take your dog for the routine check is to be up-to-date on your dog vaccinations. Vaccination is very important because these protect your dog against deadly diseases, and help to keep other animals safe in your home.

What Should Regular Vet Checks Look Like?

The dog’s owner needs to take their dogs for regular checkups to stay healthy. Nevertheless, how regularly should he get them?

PUPPY: BIRTH TO 1 YEAR

The dog owner should bring their little one in for vaccines every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks old. The dog will be vaccinated for rabies distemper, parvo and other disease as recommended by your vet. They may also be vaccinated to protect against influenza, kennel cough, and Lyme disease. The vet will also examine your pup or kitten at this stage to make sure he is growing well and shows no indications of an illness. She will be observed again at around 6 months.

ADULT: 1 TO 7-10 YEARS (BASE ON BREED)

The vets recommended yearly checkup at this stage. The blood sample from your dog will be taking to check for heartworm. Other tests may be recommended based on any problems your vet see during the examination.

Rabies and distemper-parvo booster vaccines should be given during the first yearly checkup. Then like every 1- 3 years after that.

A stool sample can also be brought to your vet in order to check for intestinal parasites.

SENIOR: 7 TO 10 YEARS AND OLDER

Twice a year check-up for out senior dog is being suggested here by your vets for thorough physical examination along with some tests to follow up any problem know issues. Kidney and liver health can be tested for using blood and urine test and can let your vet know of problems you dog may undergo in the future.

Nutrition Counts

Nutrition is very important for the well-being of your dog. There is no fact that dogs gain from cereal free, exotic protein and all natural nutrition. The reality is that all pet foods that are sold have complete nutrients and are legally bound to meet dog’s nutritional requirements. Owners should choose a diet to enjoy by his pets that are easily available and affordable, bright eyes, shiny coat and more are good signs that the nutrition suits your dog well.

Regular Exercise Is Important

For your dog to enjoy life, regular exercise and usual interactions with their owner are important. On the average, a dog needs to be physically active relatively for half an hour, twice in a day, this may also be determined by the breed of your dog as some need more or less activity.

In addition, for your pet to be well-behaved, training for fifteen minutes is recommended every day. All these are necessary for your dog to fulfill its potential.

Remember for a well-behaved dog training and exercise is the key always enjoy time spent you’re your dog when training, walking, playing or hiking with your dog, as it keeps them healthy, happy and well-adjusted.

Dental Care Is Necessary

Your pet’s teeth are not different from humans in that if dissolved food is left on its surface, it metamorphoses to into dental calculus, which adds to periodontal disease and some oral hygiene problems. A home dental care regime can be implemented to avoid this issue, and this is achieved with daily tooth brushing. Otherwise, regular dental chew should be adopted alternatively, If your dog is unwilling to smiling and submitting to getting their teeth brushed.

Cleaning Your Dogs Ear Properly

Caring for your dog’s ears is essential for your dog to stay healthy. Dog’s ear should be cleaned frequently to avoid infections. Signs of an ear infection in dogs include ears odor, redness of skin inside ears, continuous shaking of the head, excessive ear discharge, and excessive scratching at ears.

Regular cleaning of your pet’s ear can help in the prevention of ear infections by using appropriate ear cleaner. Cleaning can be done in some dogs occasionally, while some dog’s need thorough cleaning like every week or two. Regular inspection of your dog’s ear is good and make sure you talk to your veterinarian regularly about your dog’s need. Too much cleaning can cause irritation, while under cleaning can cause excessive build-up.

Proper Eye Care

Canine eye care is important facts in determining the dog’s good health. Several diseases and hereditary problems affect the dog’s eyes. Most eye diseases if left untreated can lead to blindness. To prevent vision impairment and blindness in your dog, regular cleaning of your dog’s eye, eye examinations and visits to the veterinarian are necessary. Various eye problems common in a dog are blindness, cherry eye, chronic superficial keratitis, macro palpebral fissure syndrome cataracts, chronic corneal erosions, ocular trauma, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, and eyelid disease. A healthy eye is beautifully brought and shiny and should not show inflammation or swelling.

Household Dangers

Ensure that you keep away many household items from your dogs to keep them happy and healthy. Some examples of these household materials are.

•    Flowers and plants: For example, Easter lilies and poinsettias are dangerous for your dog.

•    Dangerous foods like chocolate might have several health advantages for humans, but it is a harmful food for your dogs. All kinds of candy, including candy wrappers, has too much of sugar which can give your dog bellyache and if swallowed can tear esophagus and intestine.

•    More harmful food; more harmful foods that your dogs should avoid are doughnuts, chewing gum, garlic, fatty foods, and onions to name a few.

•    Dangerous drinks like tea leaves and coffee are not good for your dog. Alcoholic beverages can cause diarrhea, depression of the central nervous system issues, breathing difficulty among others.

•    Small hazardous objects; several small items can result in choking. Be cautious of buttons, rubber bands, small batteries. Cotton swabs, hairpins, and dental floss should be kept out of reach of your dog.

•    Trash cans; your trashcan is hazardous, and its contents could be dangerous for your dog. Always remember to keep your trash covered or stored out of reach of our furry friends.

My Thoughts On How To Keep Your Dog Healthy

Keeping your dog healthy is an important factor when being a pet parent. There are times we cannot avoid the inventible, due to inheritable or mother nature, but trying to maintain your dog in good health is always a good choice in the care of our furry friends. Many people like us consider their dogs as family  members and will do everything possible to keep their dogs healthy.

When asking How To Keep Your Dog Healthy, always remember care starts at home, maintaining home routines through exercise, ears, teeth, skin, nails and nutrition, along with knowing the signs to watch for and getting your dog to the vet timely and keeping up with routine visits. 

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