Caring For Your Dog

By: Greencross Vets

An overview of canine health care

Everything you need to know about caring for your canine friend including vaccinations, worming, heartworm prevention, flea control, ticks, coat care, diet, desexing, teeth and dental care, ears, human medication, and identification microchipping.

 

Vaccinations
The diseases that vaccinations protect against are serious and often fatal (sometimes despite treatment), so vaccinations are very important. Complete protection can only be achieved if all vaccines are given and if your dog is kept away from public areas such as parks until after the 16 week vaccine.

 

• 6-8 weeks Distemper, Measles & Parvovirus
• 12 weeks Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza & Bordatella
• 16 weeks Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza & Bordatella
• Adults Annual boosters are required to maintain immunity.

 

Worming
Puppies should be wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 12 weeks), then every month until 6 months of age (4, 5 & 6 months), then every 3 months routinely. Worming should be performed regardless of whether worms are seen in droppings or not, as many worms are too small to be seen with the naked eye. A thorough allwormer should be used such as Drontal or Popantel tablets.

 

Heartworm Prevention
Start at 6-8 weeks of age, increasing the dose as your dog gets heavier. Heartworm prevention is available in several forms. Once yearly injections or monthly tablets are the easiest. Dogs over 6 months of age must have a blood test for heartworm before commencing prevention medications. If your dog misses its medication for any period of time, please phone the clinic for advice.

 

Once yearly heartworm injections give you the security and “peace of mind” of knowing it’s done. This can be started at 6 months of age.

 

Flea Control
All pets will be exposed to fleas at some stage so rather than letting an infestation develop, it is better to use a regular prevention treatment. Newer products that are very safe and easy to use are the Spot-on-drops applied to the skin once monthly and can be used on your pups at any age eg Frontline Top Spot drops applied to the skin once monthly and will also control ticks if applied every two weeks. Advantage Dropa are an option. Sentinel is a monthly tablet that controls both heartworm and fleas. All pets in the household must be treated.

 

Environment – If the flea numbers are large, Foggers inside the house and Baytex spray outside will help reduce numbers quickly, but fleas on pets must also be killed so eggs are not produced.

 

Paralysis Tick Control
Paralysis ticks are found in or near bush, scrubland and riverbanks. It is best to avoid these areas when walking your dog. The main tick season is August to January. If your pet is in a tick area, it should be searched daily for ticks.

 

Tick prevention is best achieved by using Frontline drops every 2 weeks plus tick collars or Proban tablets/liquid every 2nd day . No method of tick prevention is 100% effective, so you still need to manually search your pet.

 

Coat Care
Regular brushing is important – daily brushing is best particularly with long-haired dogs. Shampoo only when necessary and use a good quality dog shampoo (ask your vet which is most suitable for your dog). Don’t use medicated shampoos unless prescribed by a Veterinary Surgeon. Take care what you apply to the skin or fur of pets as they may have a reaction.

 

Diet
Correct food is important particularly during rapid growth time of the first 1-2 years. Types of diets include:

• Homemade diets of fresh meat, rice, pasta, vegetables, etc. it is very hard to achieve a ‘balanced’ diet when formulating at home.
• Commercial canned or dried formulated diets. Eukanuba & Hills Professional Foods for dogs and cats are high quality premium pet foods that have distinct advantages over supermarket type pet foods. Different types of food are required dependant on your pet’s age and lifestyle. Frequency of feeding also changes with age and medical conditions. Please ask the clinic staff for advice on feeding, as a good balanced diet is essential for a healthy happy long-lived pet.

 

Desexing
All pets should be desexed between 5 and 6 months of age. Desexed pets are healthier, and less likely to roam, fight or cause nuisance to neighbours. Many behavioural problems can be prevented with desexing. Plus unwanted litters are avoided. There is no advantage in allowing females to have a heat or litter first. Desexed pets are also significantly cheaper to register.

 

Teeth and Dental Care
Gum disease (periodontal disease) is very common in pets. It is a slow, progressive and painful condition caused by the build up of tartar (food, bacteria and mineral deposits) around the base of the teeth. Bad breath is usually the first sign noticed. The infected gums become red and swollen, and eventually recede from the teeth. This causes infection in the bone and tooth loss. The infection can spread into the bloodstream and damage the heart, kidneys and other body systems.

 

Prevention and treatment of dental disease involves appropriate diet, dental scaling (cleaning) by the vet, and dental hygiene. (Regular health checks allow prevention or early treatment of problems.)

 

Raw bones or fibrous, “chewy” meat (raw chicken wings, strips of skirt steak, brisket flaps of beef shins for dogs) give good ‘dental exercise’ and helps keep teeth clean of tartar.

 

Most dogs will need a teeth scale and polish occasionally throughout their life.

 

Ears
Healthy ears are clean and dry. Signs of ear problems include shaking the head, scratching at the ears, odour or discharge from the ears, and holding the head on one side. Ear problems should be checked by a Vet. Home remedies and supermarket-bought drops will do more harm than good.

 

Human Medications
Do not give unprescribed medications to your dog without checking with a vet first. Even aspirin and paracetamol can be dangerous if given incorrectly, especially if your pet is on medication or has a medical condition.

 

Identification – Microchips
All dogs should wear a collar with a name and phone number on it so you can be contacted if your pet is lost or injured. They should also be kept in their own yard and walked on a lead.

Microchip identification is a totally safe and permanent way of identifying your pet.
 

The microchip is painlessly injected under the skin and can be read by a special scanner. Your pet’s details are kept on a central computer only a phone call away, so you can be contacted and re-united with your pet.

 

Pet care products are being regularly updated, so when you are due to renew your supply it is best to ask your vet about what is best for your pet.