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Best Guidelines to Your Dog’s Health

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Dogs age at approximately 7x the rate humans do. So it’s not surprising that your dog should have a physical examination at least every seven “dog years”–that’s every year in human terms. And as your pet becomes middle-aged–that’s over 40 in people years or over 6 in dog years–physicals are recommended twice a year.

“Not only do dogs get older faster than people do, but their ailments progress more quickly, too,” according to veterinary doctors.

A once-a-year physical gives your veterinarian a the opportunity to sit down and chat with your canine friend about what’s changing in his/her life. More importantly, yearly physicals let your pet’s veterinarian establish what is normal in your dog, so he or she will know when something is abnormal.

A yearly physical is good preventive medicine. According to the veterinaians, “Finding and treating diseases in the early stages gives your pet a much better prognosis than discovering a full grown disease,”. Your veterinarian may identify changes in your pet that you haven’t noticed.

During the physical examination, your veterinarian will look for systemic abnormalities. During physicals the veterinarian will move from the front to the back of your dog observing any abnormalities, starting with the eyes, ears, nose, and throat and moving to the lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. Always checking for new lumps or bumps as he/she moves along.”

Heartworm tests should also be done at the time of the annual physical. Heartworm is a serious disease, common everywhere mosquitoes live. The physical exam is a good time to keep up to date on vaccines. Our veterinarian also suggests checking whether your pet has worms or other parasites once a year. A simple fecal test can determine whether your de-worming protocol is working.

Between annual examinations, be on the lookout for signs that your pet is having trouble: not eating, changes in weight, vomiting, coughing, sneezing, elimination problems, or other changes in patterns. Any of these may indicate the need for an extra visit to your veterinarian.

If your dog is healthy, you will find that he/she becomes more active.Engaging your healthy dog in activities is a sure way to keep him happy and healthy. The Dog exercise pen you have packed away will once again become useful, once your dog feel better.

It is very important to take care of your Dog carriers in order to keep your dog healthier and happier.

Also learn how to house train a dog.