Mary Allen
Just as we humans have routines to take care of us, we need similar routines to see that our four-legged friend is healthy. Lotta Moller, the small animal veterinarian at Agria Djurforsakring, shares some simple everyday tips that can help keep the doggy healthy.
1) Vaccinate the dog
All puppies should be vaccinated against parvo, puppy disease, and HCC, contagious hepatitis, through a triple vaccination. Kennel cough vaccine can be given in conjunction with these vaccinations. The triple vaccine should be given at 8 weeks of age and after 12 weeks of age, thereafter at 12 months of age. Agria then recommends vaccination routines every four years.
2) Brush your dog’s teeth
Take care of your doggy’s teeth as well as your own. Daily toothbrushing is based on healthy oral health and the dog avoids problems such as pain and tooth loss. You also do not have to pay expensive money to extract the dog’s teeth.
3) Keep track of the weight
A reasonable dose of food combined with healthy walks at least three times a day, a run or bike ride from time to time keeps the dog in shape. A reasonable weight also reduces the risk of diabetes. On a normal important dog, you should feel the dog’s ribs, see a clear waist, and just enough fat over the ribs and tail root.
4) Brush the coat & cut the claws
How often you should brush your coat depends on the type of coat your dog has. A guideline may be to brush through the entire dog at least once a week, but a really furry dog breed may need a ride with the brush every day. The claws should be cut often and a small piece each time. Here, too, there are differences between different types of dogs and individuals – some wear down the claws themselves while others may need regular, weekly grooming.
5) Deworming
Adult dogs should not be dewormed regularly as this may cause the worms to become resistant to the agents. However, it is important to check if the dog has a worm if there are suspicious signs such as diarrhea, weight loss, dull coat, vomiting, and coughing. According to SVA, no parasites are detected in 95 percent of the adult dogs in Sweden.
A puppy, on the other hand, should be dewormed regularly, including against roundworms, which is very common in puppies. Worm remedies can be bought without a prescription at a pharmacy, but consult your veterinarian about which preparation you should choose for your particular dog.
6) Daily review
Create a daily, cozy routine on the TV couch or other fixed point to feel through the dog’s body. In addition to the fact that you can find ticks, lumps in the females’ udders, or other body parts, the chance of noticing if the dog is in pain increases.
7) Save the dog from the most common dangers
The dog’s greatest danger is the risk of being hit – good everyday obedience, in combination with leashes and reflexes, increases the dog’s chance of survival. Poisoning also affects many dogs every year. The most common causes are rat poison, drugs, too much feed, glycol, and fungi.