Dog Care: Reasons to Pay More Attention to Your Pet’s Health
When welcoming a furry friend in your home, you commit to their health. As a dog owner, you are responsible for the well-being and happiness of your pet and keeping your dog in a good shape takes more than providing healthy food and regular grooming.
Dog care involves feeding, exercising, grooming and routine health care. Regular visits to the vet can help prevent illnesses and diagnose any problems early when they are easier to treat. Your dog’s health care needs will change over the years, evolving at each stage of their life. That’s why you need to feed your dog the right food for their age, do regular check-ups and follow your vet’s advice to raise a happy, healthy pup.
Routine Health Care of Dogs
General care for your dog includes routine veterinary care for vaccinations, parasite control, dental care, grooming and more. You should always watch your dog carefully for subtle signs of illness, including a lack of appetite or decreased activity, while more specific signs include diarrhoea and vomiting, urinating frequently, sneezing and coughing, or a discharge from the nose, ears or eyes.
Illness can show up as a loss of hair or itchy areas around the ears or on the skin. Problems with the musculoskeletal system are often seen as lameness or stiffness. If your dog shows any of these signs for a couple of days, make sure to visit your vet. The good news is that you can find a wide range of dog care supplies online and keep your furry friend healthy and happy.
Parasite Control
Ticks and fleas are some of the most unpleasant parts of dogs’ life. They are not just a nuisance, but also a real threat to your dog’s health. That’s why it’s important to ensure proper dogs and flea treatment in the form of a topical treatment or a flea and tick pill. Finding a safe and effective flea treatment for your dog is the responsibility of every dog owner.
To make sure your furry friend gets the protection they need with as little risk to their health as possible, you need to make sure you choose the right flea treatment for your dog. The following are a few factors you need to consider for a safe and effective dogs flea treatment.
- Age and breed;
- Health history and lifestyle;
- Living area;
- Oral vs. topical treatment (chews vs. shampoos and sprays).
Dental Care
Your don needs dental care throughout their life. To keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy, make sure to brush your dog’s teeth regularly, provide dry food and certain toys, like “flossie” style bones, for instance. Proper dental care will reduce the development of plaque and prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.
Taking care of your dog’s teeth can decrease their risk of oral diseases. It’s important because if left untreated, dental disease can cause painful infections in your dog’s body and even lead to tooth loss.
Grooming
At-home grooming and upkeep are some of the most important parts every dog owner needs to perform. Some dogs need daily brushing of the coat, while others need regular haircuts, but at very least every dog needs the occasional bath and nail trim. Most dogs don’t like the grooming routine, however, with the right grooming products, you can make the entire process more pleasant for your furry friend. The following are some of the essential dog grooming products you will need.
- Dog brushes and combs;
- Detangling tools;
- Dog shampoos;
- Nail trimmers;
- Dog hair clippers;
- Grooming wipes.
Ear Care
Ear discharge in dogs is often a symptom of an underlying issue, like an ear infection or mites. Routine ear cleaning can remove wax build-up, debris and sebum from your dog’s ears and prevent ear infections. You can choose from a variety of products for cleaning your doggo’s ears, but make sure you are using the right techniques, so your dog will not feel any pain or fear.
Eye Care
If your dog has eye discharge, it’s important to know the root cause of it, so make sure you consult your vet before you proceed with any treatment. If your dog has clear eye discharge, it may be caused by allergies or something physical, like dust or wind, while a watery discharge or mucus from one eye is often a sign of a foreign body that could indicate a serious infection, blindness or loss of an eye if not treated on time.
Anxiety and Stress Treatment
As a dog owner, you know how heartbreaking it is to see your furry friend’s sad eyes whenever you are leaving your home. Just like humans, dogs experience anxiety as well. Dog anxiety can have many different causes and some of the most common ones are separation, fear and ageing. It’s not easy to predict what will make your dog anxious, but also, it’s not easy to determine if your dog’s anxiety will develop into a more serious disorder.
The process of relieving anxiety in dogs is long and requires patience and a combination of behaviour training and the right tools, including supplements, collars and dog beds. If you ever wondered whether you should get your dog its own bed or not, this may be one more reason that will make you start looking for dog beds online.