Dog Health

Ben Franklin asked:


Dogs make an excellent pet and have been considered since time immoral, men’s best friend. Since we love so much our dogs, we always want them to remain clean, healthy and fit. Dogs need very good cleaning and grooming for keeping them healthy. Some simple tips are given below:

To keep the teeth clean, you need to brush their teeth everyday, two times just like we brush our own teeth. We must avoid forming plaque on their teeth. This habit should start right when dogs are little puppies.

When you feed your dog in after noon you can give carrots. Carrots are hard food and act as teeth scraper also. Always try to give hard food to your dog, not the soft canned food. Soft food might look good but in fact spoils the teeth of pets very much.

Dogs suffer from various diseases like heartworms. Heartworms can be detected by doing simple blood test on the dogs. If you suspect that dog suffers from heartworms, always consult the veterinary doctor. Giving self medication to dogs is not a good idea. Pills are helpful for treatment.

Claws of dogs need special attention. Every six to eight weeks, the claws need to be trimmed. If your dog is very active then maybe a small term of two to four weeks is better. When you start trimming the claws, take it as dulling exercise not shortening exercise. This way you will not cut the claws too short thereby exposing the pink part.

Dogs get ear mites also. A proper grooming means that they should be free from, any pests. Ear mites infect dogs and suck their blood. To keep mites away, you need to clean the crusts off the ears regularly. Most vets recommend anything that contains pyrethrums which is an insecticide made from chrysanthemums as a good medicine. Once you have chosen what medication to give, pick it over the counter from any pet stores, simply drop a few drops into the dog’s ear (make sure you follow the instructions as per your particular medication).Now, massage the base of the ear for 5 minutes or so. The simple massage will saturate the ear well. To keep your dog healthy, you should give him lot of exercises. The more exercise you give him, easier will be it for you as he will be better trained and will spend less time digging your yards. To keep him clean start brushing him everyday. You must use a soft bristle comb. There are lots of brushes available in the market. These combs come in varied varieties like stainless steel comb, a soft bristle brush. The choice will depend on the kind of coat that your dog has. Buy a comb/brush that will suit the coat.

When you take your dog for a bath, wash the coat really well, preferably using a shampoo. You can use a tub wash or a shower depending whether you have puppy or a dog.



Danny

John Williams Dog Training asked:


An overweight dog is something many owners should be very aware of especially after the middle age of about 7 years of age (depending on dogs’ size). A dogs weight can seriously put your dogs health at risk and cut their life short as well as causing a unnecessary painful ending.

Dogs tend to be able to eat as much as we choose to feed them at times and feeding your dog till he/she is full is a bad idea at the best of times. A set amount should be given to your dog each day and some notification next to your dogs bowl might help the confusion of who’s fed the dog and who hasn’t.

As your dog becomes older, you will need to check their weight more often as their metabolism will slow down and overeating will become out of control and a problem for your dog. Obviously dogs come in different sizes and shapes so there is not set amount of food that has to be given to your particular breed of dog and a small amount of research or a trip to the vets will be needed to see how much your dog should eat.

Determine the weight of your dog is correct by checking that your dogs’ ribs can be easily felt with little pressure, and are not visibly noticeable. Your dogs’ hips should be easily felt and not are surrounded by too much flesh and fat, and from looking down on your dog the body curves inwards after the rib cage slightly.

If these are all in place then your dog appears to be a healthy weight and this should be maintained throughout their life. Always ensure your dog has plenty of exercise and play time to maintain a healthy dog. If your dog becomes too thin then a vet should be contacted for advice and support as well as if your dog is very overweight.



Brittney