Dog Health Care

What You Should Know About Dog Health Care – The things they don’t tell you on the packet of dog food.

All dogs need grooming regularly, especially those with long or curly coats.  Don’t think you can get away without brushing your short-coated dog, as they still shed hair and benefit from a frequent rub-down with a hound brush.  True, you can leave it for a bit longer, but your dog will look and feel better for the brushing and it is a good idea to handle him/her in this way from puppyhood to make sure he or she is used to it.

Dog health care also involves looking for parasites whilst grooming, and particularly grass seeds in the feet, which can cause painful abscesses if left.  The feet should be examined daily, particularly in long-haired dogs, for thorns and grass seeds.  Dogs can get boils in the feet, skin allergies on the pads, and interdigital cysts.  The more often you check for this, the more suffering you can prevent your dog.

Claw trimming is also important, especially if your dog spends a lot of time walking or running on soft surfaces like grass.  Urban dogs may well manage to keep their nails in trim by walking on hard ground like sidewalks, but it pays to keep an eye on the claws.  It is important to get the dog accustomed to this from an early age, as some dogs do become very reluctant to have their feet handled this way.  It is understandable, as it is too easy to cut the sensitive quick of the claw and make it bleed, which is painful for the dog.  You know yourself how much it hurts if you break a nail into the quick!  Some owners find this task very difficult, particularly with black-clawed dogs where the quick is not visible.  A visit to a dog health care professional like a vet or grooming parlor might be the answer.

Ears should also be looked at as part of your routine health care checks on your dog.  They should be cleaned if you can see a lot of dark, mucky wax in there, and if your dog is shaking its head, that could indicate ear mites or grass seeds in the ear.  If in doubt, take him to a veterinarian, especially if the ears smell nasty in any way.

It’s a great idea to get your dog used to having his teeth brushed from being small.  You can get special dog toothbrushes, some of which are like thimbles you put on your finger with rubber knobbles on them, and also doggy toothpaste which tastes good to the dog so he doesn’t hate the experience too much.  It’s good to examine the teeth to check if anything has become lodged in them, and if any teeth might need dental attention from the vet.  We have managed to avoid any dental problems in our dog by giving her dried food and two dried pigs ears every day (she is a Great Dane!)  Touch wood, she has never needed dental treatment and her teeth look great for a nine year old (elderly for a Dane).

These are just the basic elements of routine dog health care and maintenance you might have to think about before getting a dog.  If you have a more detailed dog health care question, you might find information on sites like this, or if it is a serious matter you should consult a vet.