Tips to Maintain a Healthy Dog or Puppy for Life

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Tips to Maintain a Healthy Dog or Puppy for Life

fat dog Keeping your dog or puppy healthy for life is just like maintaining a healthy child, it takes a lot of work and love and compassion for your animal to make it a happy one for years to come. To begin on a great path of good doggie health, always stick to the guidelines your vet has laid out for your dog. This means taking them in to get regular checkups and staying afloat with all of their shots as well.

Certainly everyone is aware of dogs obtaining conditions such as fleas, worms and mites, but there are several other conditions that can affect your dog or puppy if you fail to see the warning signs. Some have eye conditions and others can develop a very scary ailment called bloating of the stomach. Try to keep worms from affecting your dog as well, they have many options for collars to help this from happening, but to always keep a clean area where your dog goes to the bathroom is just one great way to keep them from being invaded by worms.

When you pet the dog or puppy, feel their ears and their throat to ensure they have no lumps present and always check to see if they are warm or cold in temperature as well. If you have any reservations regarding your dog’s health, the sooner you get them to the vet, the better off you will both be. Keeping your dog at a healthy weight is another area of concern. Just as some parents do not see the harm in having a child that is significantly overweight, some pet owners do not see it in having a dog that is overweight also. Some feel having a chubby puppy or dog is cute or adorable with a little more meat on their bones, and while they may look different, it can be very dangerous to your pet’s health to be carrying around such excess weight.

When they begin to age, they can obtain arthritis which can be very painful and the more weight they are carrying around, the more severe the arthritis can become. This is simply due to the weight straining on the joints and tendons on the animal and it can be very painful. Instead of having to deal with the issue, make sure you are not overfeeding your dog or puppy and do not permit them to eat table scraps. This is a common issue many pet owners have they feel as if they are being a poor pet parent by not giving in to the dog temptations and allowing them just one or two bites of their food. This only hurts the dog in the long run as they will begin to beg for your food and it will become a dangerous habit that is hard to break. Stick to the dog foods you can get at any pet store and you can reward the fog with dog appropriate treats and snacks that are made just for their bodies.

Keeping your pooch happy and healthy isn’t impossible, but it does require a commitment on your end. But really, would you rather your canine friend be in the best shape, or would you prefer they deal with some serious medical issues later down the road? Make the right choice early on!