Dog health
Dog health is your main concern after you have acquired a pet.As a dog owner, you are fully responsible for the life and health of your pet. From what conditions and care you will provide your dog directly will depend on his state of health.
Certainly the health, endurance and strong immunity are also influenced by the heredity of the dog, which is why it is so important when choosing a puppy to pay attention to who his parents were, whether they have pedigrees, what kind of health they have. A strong puppy from birth has the best chances of survival, full growth and development.
However, even a strong puppy needs good living conditions for the normal development of his body. And to maintain good health over the course of his life, the dog also needs the right conditions for its maintenance.
Full dog care conditions have several components, including proper nutrition and good nutrition, veterinary services, hygienic grooming procedures, regular daily dog walking, active games and host communication with your pet, lack of stress and maintaining the correct moral and psychological conditions of the dog.
In order to notice the first manifestations of the disease in your dog, any dog owner needs to know the main signs of their pet’s good and bad state of health.
The appearance and behavior of a healthy dog
A healthy dog has certain characteristics.
A special feature of dogs is their cheerful and active lifestyle. They charge their joy and positive owner, they are very playful and mischievous, always not averse to play, run, the dogs burst with energy and enthusiasm. If the dog has a drooping and tired look, she has lost interest in games, does not react to what you call her, clogs herself in secluded corners, or lies on her litter all the time – these are the first signs of indisposition in the animal.
An important indicator of a dog’s health is the condition of its coat. A healthy dog has a clean, shiny, shiny hair, strong hair, and no dandruff. If the dog is sick, the coat may become excessively greasy, ruffled, dull, hair loss, dandruff, scratching, rashes, etc. may be observed. These are clear signs of health problems.
Frequent manifestations of the disease are also deviations in appetite and digestion. The appetite either disappears completely, or the dog is too hungry when it cannot get enough to eat, the same is observed for thirst. Either the dog doesn’t drink anything, or lapping water in large quantities. Also, the dog may begin to eat foreign objects unsuitable for food. There may be problems with swallowing.
Impaired digestion manifests itself in vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, change in urine’s color and quantity, the appearance of foreign matter and worms in the feces.
Mucous membranes change their color. In a healthy dog, the mucous membranes of the eyelids and mouth are pale pink in color. In the case of a disease, the color of the mucous membranes may turn blue, or completely pale, bloodless, sometimes a jaundice appears.
A healthy dog’s nose is a bit wet and cold. With the disease, the nose becomes dry and hot. Sometimes there are excessive discharge from the oral cavity and other mucous membranes.
Irregularities in the pulse, its quickening or slowing down (normal 60-120 beats per minute, and a puppy’s pulse rate can reach up to 200 beats per minute), breathing problems, if it is difficult, intermittent, wheezing can also be signs of the disease.
An important indicator of a dog’s health is its body temperature. The body temperature of a healthy puppy is 39-39.5 ° C, the body temperature of a healthy adult dog is in the range of 37.5-39 ° C.
The body temperature of the dog is measured rectally. To do this, you can use a conventional alcohol thermometer, and a special veterinary.
As a rule, with an illness in a dog, combinations of only two or three of the above signs of disease are observed.
In any case, when the slightest signs of illness in the dog appear, it is imperative that you come to the vet for an examination. The sooner the correct diagnosis is made and the treatment prescribed, the more effective and easier the dog’s recovery will be.
Examination of the dog at the vet
Prevention of diseases of dogs and consists in the health of the dogperiodic examinations at the veterinarian, about once every three months. Even if it seems to you that the pet is healthy, there are a lot of diseases that do not have clear signs and are not particularly manifested in external changes or deviations in the dog’s behavior. It is difficult for an ordinary person to notice small deviations or small nuances of the dog’s behavior, only a professional can make correct conclusions about the condition of the animal.
In addition, there are particularly important periods in the year when a dog is required to be shown to a veterinarian for examination. This, for example, is the spring period, when all sorts of parasites in the form of ticks, fleas and helminths become more acute. To protect the dog, you need to see the vet, he will prescribe drops and special means of protection.
