Every dog parent wants good health for their dog. If you are a newbie (or experienced) dog owner, there must be hundreds of questions about ensuring your dog’s best health. After all, no one likes doctor visits!
But just like any other member of the family, dogs need proper care and attention to stay healthy and happy. That’s why it’s important to understand all aspects of dog health care, from preventive measures to common health problems and how to treat them.
If you’re a new dog owner, you might be wondering what all this entails. Here we have answered everything you need to know about your furry friend’s health and preventive measures you can take at home.
Importance of Health Care
Health directly impacts the well-being of your pooch. It would not be an exaggeration to say that good health can do its magic in several ways that would promote longevity and quality of life.
Here are the reasons why health is essential for your dog:
1. Longer lifespan
Good health ensures longevity and extra belly rubs. Caring for your dog’s health gives their bodies the energy they require for a lifetime.
Regular healthcare allows you to detect diseases at an early stage and hence start early treatment. Especially when they reach a certain age, healthy dogs can survive better.
2. Stressful medical treatments
Preventive measures such as vaccinations help reduce stress in dogs and dog owners. If routine care is followed, it will reduce the future costs of expensive treatments.
3. Bonding
When you take care of your pooch, they see your efforts. Such efforts make dogs gain trust and feel comfortable with their owners. So health care helps with physical illnesses and strengthens the bond between the dog and pet parent.
4. Energy levels
With good health, dogs can be very active. They can roam around, wagging their tails if they have no accidents, illnesses, dizziness, or weaknesses. It also impacts the time duration of their exercise hours and makes them more disciplined.
What Does Dog Health Care Include?
Dog health care includes a vast range of techniques and measures that ensure your dog’s physical and mental health. Just like treats are essential for them to be happy, these healthcare measures add to their safety and happiness.
Let’s look into the measures!
1. Grooming
To maintain proper hygiene, grooming is necessary (study). It helps with everything from a shiny coat to the dog’s overall physical and mental well-being. There are multiple tools that you can use for grooming. However, every dog has its unique requirements when it comes to grooming.
Super furry pooches need hair brushing more than other dogs. Dog breeds with long hair might need more maintenance than those with shorter hair. Hence, grooming not only prevents dogs from getting infections but also helps to keep health issues at a distance.
Grooming makes the dog looks shiny, healthy, and neat. But, experienced dog owners are very well-known of this villain – Fleas and ticks.
a. Fleas and ticks
These insects can live on your dog, and not only do they suck all energy out of your dog, but they also cause harmful and irritating infections.
Hygiene can be maintained by grooming regularly, and your dog can permanently say goodbye to these bad boys.
b. Skin infections
This is no surprise that grooming not only helps your dog look fabulous but also helps keep their hair and skin clean.
Matted or scruffy hair, excessive itchiness, etc., are all indicators that your dog might have a skin infection. In order to avoid this, you can take them for professional grooming to get them cleaned.
Additionally, you can use pet-friendly shampoos and conditioners that are not harsh on the skin to wash and bathe your dogs on a weekly basis.
2. Exercises and training
Exercises are a significant part of a healthy lifestyle and healthcare for dogs. Primarily, help dogs in building muscles and body while boosting their confidence. When the dog is active and has the right skills, they feel more confident in facing a threat or being loyal to their owner.
Moreover, if consistency in the routine care is followed, dogs can develop positive behaviors over time with training (and treats of course).
3. Vaccinations and medical care
Timely vaccinations allow you to keep your dog safe from common illnesses and health problems. Early identification can help you take preventive measures on time, which protects your canine companion from deadly diseases.
In addition, fresh water and hygienic food also contribute to preventive care for your furry friend.
It is essential to ensure that your dog’s immunity is strong and its medical needs are being fulfilled on time.
4. Spaying and neutering
Contrary to the popular belief that spaying and neutering female or male dogs is a solution for overpopulation, it also has several advantages for the dog (article). Such as it prevents any reproductive problems or testicular cancer.
Not just this, spaying and neutering your dog at an earlier stage ensures positive and civilized behavior.
5. Dental care
Would you feel comfortable going out knowing your breath stinks? Dogs don’t like it too. Every dog loves to be neat and clean, so when they go on their next pooch date, they are confident and ready to groove.
Dental care is very important, as it can impact their eating habits. Cavities, broken teeth, plaque, or bad breath need immediate attention and prevention.
You must brush your dog’s teeth every day with doggo-friendly toothpaste. If there are severe dental problems and cavities, check in with your veterinarian for further advice.
6. Other health issues
Besides these, there are other health issues that are common in dogs. As a pet parent, we know you want the best for your pooch, so keeping an eye on these problems will save them from severe health conditions.
Timely intervention can protect your dog from getting jaundice, lethargy, hepatitis, and other liver diseases that can even be deadly. Sometimes there also can be hereditary conditions that can be managed too with the help of professional care.
Another common painful health condition is an enlarged prostate in older male dogs that makes urinating difficult, followed by discomfort and severe complications.
Moreover, tapeworms are also very common in dogs, which leads to nutritional deficiency in dogs. Caused by ingesting fleas, it is essential to be aware of the symptoms and deworming treatments, so there can be an early intervention.
Regular vet visits are essential to keep a dog’s health in check.
Health Care Tips
Now as you know the importance and areas of healthcare for your dog, here we have got you some care tips to make the whole process easier for you, so you can keep calm and cuddle your pooch.
Tip 1 – Regular vet visits are essential; if there are any early signs of diseases, they can be cured on time. Visiting your vet for emergency care should be followed with routine checkups and vaccinations.
Tip 2 – The availability of fresh water ensures the gut health of your pooch. Diarrhea is very common if a dog drinks contaminated water. Hence, hydrating your pooch with fresh water will keep their coat and gut healthy.
Tip 3 – Dental chews and toys are a fun way to keep your dog busy and their oral health at peace.
Tip 4 – Parasite control is essential to keep your dog away from being friends with fleas and ticks. Dogs can easily catch Lyme disease from ticks, so grooming and shampooing regularly ensure your pooch’s coat and skin health.
Tip 5 – Take your dog out for at least a 30-minute walking session. Having walks will keep your dog active with high energy levels. Walking also helps to balance your dog’s weight and keep them fit.
Lastly, as a pet parent, you should ensure that your pooch catches balls and toys, not diseases. If you are a newbie, you may require professional advice to understand how to care for your dog’s health. You can also do it yourself in multiple ways, like grooming, training, dental care, and overall hygiene.
