How to Keep Your Dog Healthy

As a dog owner, you will want to care for your dog so that he can live with you for years. Luckily, there are many things you can do to take care of him. In fact, it’s important to learn how to maintain a good diet for him, provide him a healthy environment, and get preventative veterinary care. For further information, please check out this article to learn more about how to keep your dog healthy.

How to Maintain a Good Diet

Feed your dog quality dog food

There are many options for dog foods to choose from such as wet dog food, dry dog foods, raw foods, cooked foods, and so on. When choosing the best dog foods for your pet, it’s important to pay attention to the first five ingredients by looking at the list on the label. You should choose ones with vegetables and meat listed as the first ingredients in the dog foods. Avoid choosing the foods with grains and meat by-products. There are some harmful filler ingredients, including Ethoxyquin, BHT, Propylene Glycol, Corn Syrup, as well as animal by-products. Some dogs have health problems such as diarrhea or vomiting. Some of them may suffer from skin conditions. That’s why you should talk to your vet to know the food you can feed your pet and cannot give.

Be careful when giving your dog human foods

Some types of human foods can hurt your dog. Some of them even can kill him. There are some foods you can’t feed your dogs such as grapes, avocados, chocolate, raisins, nuts, yeast dough, onions, alcohol, chives, garlic, and sugar-free gum. These foods are actually toxic to your furry friend. If you want to make your dog food yourself, it’s important to consult with an animal nutritionist so that you can give your dog a nutritionally balanced diet.

Maintain a healthy weight for your dog

If your dog is overweight, he may get a shorter life span. In fact, obese dogs can easily suffer from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, urinary bladder stones, and osteoarthritis. Therefore, we advise you to ask your vet for the ideal weight for your dog. After that, you can determine how much food you can feed your dog accordingly. Many dogs become overweight because of lacking exercise while they get too many foods.

Provide your pet with healthy treats

Just like people, you can add your dog’s diet with snacking or treats. They can help to add a few calories to him. However, they may put on your dog extra weight. So, it’s best to give him homemade treats. There are some treats that are low in calories such as canned green beans, carrots, and cooked sweet potatoes.

Give him fresh water constantly

You need to give your pet lots of fresh water for his activities. Also, fresh water is important for him to digest foods. You should give him the clean and fresh water. So, make sure you clean your dog’s water bowl every once. Before you add the container with fresh water, don’t forget to rinse and dry it. It’s also important to avoid freezing because it can lead to bacteria growing in the bowl.

How to Groom Your Dog

Groom your pet regularly

If you want to give your dog a shiny and healthy coat, remember to brush his coat regularly. By this way, you can also get good circulation. Pay attention to any new lumps, cysts bumps on your dog’s skin. Then, take your dog to your vet. In addition, you need to note scabs, itchy skin, as well as redness. By giving your dog a groom, you can check for many skin problems such as ticks, fleas, or mites.

Clip his nails only when you know how to do

In order to clip your dog’s nail, you will have to take a little time to make him get used to the clippers. This task should be considered as a routine part of grooming. However, avoid trimming too quickly to avoid hurting sensitive areas. If you don’t know how to clip your dog’s nail properly, it’s best to ask your vet for help. He will show you guiding clip on how to clip his nails.

Brush his teeth every day

This task is to remove any bacteria on your dog’s teeth. Also, this allows you to check the loose teeth, the mouth for sores, as well as other odd conditions. However, you only can use a dental toothpaste that is specially made for dogs. Otherwise, he can get serious health problems.

Check his ears

If you don’t check his ears, they may become smelly. In order to inspect it, it’s essential to flip them over. Your dog’s ears should be kept clear of debris, dirt, as well as parasites. However, be careful when doing this. Otherwise, you may hurt his ears. If you have dogs with floppy type ears, it’s important to check his ears daily.

Clean his ears

You need to purchase a special product for cleaning your dog’s ears. Besides, you can also consider a solution of haft white vinegar. Use a cotton ball. Then, saturate it with the fluid. Next, remember to wipe out his ear on a gentle moving. Once you notice or think that your dog is suffering from an ear infection, it’s time to take him to your vet.

Conclusion

Last, I want to recommend you to provide your dog with routine health care. Take him to your vet for yearly examinations. Then, you can get essential vaccinations, as well as tests, done. Your vet can help you determine wrong things to your dog’s health. Thanks to regular check-ups, you can protect your dog from getting many treatable diseases. For a puppy, it’s important to take him to your vet around 6-week old to check for heart, hernias, eyes, lung, and ear problems. If needed, you may have to give him vaccinations. That’s all I want to share with you when it comes to keeping a dog healthy. Hopefully, they can help you care for your pet with ease.