Caring For Your Dog
Congratulations on getting your dog! You’ve got yourself a loyal companion for life. Not your life-you will most definitely outlive the dog. But to the dog, you’re there for the entirety of its life. A dog is the one pet that you can be sure will be with you through thick and thin, till death does you part.
Whether you get it when it’s a puppy or a fully grown canine, it is dependent on you for its survival. Sure, it does offer you protection and companionship, amongst a wide array of other benefits. However, like a child, it relies on you for everything from nourishment and medical attention to exercise and safety. Any negligence on your part will definitely have adverse effect on your beloved dog. As such, you’ll want you ensure that you take the best care of it as possible.
Again, like a child, all dogs are different. There isn’t a unique formula for taking care of all dogs. Each comes with its bodywork, blood-work, attributes, allergies, strengths and weaknesses. As the owner, you have to be in tune with your dog’s needs and understand them fully. So, how will you take care of your dog? How will you lengthen the lifespan and increase the comfort of your loyal companion?
Caring for Puppies
Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve finally gotten that beautiful adorable puppy. Yes, it’s cute, but taking care of it is far from being a light matter. First off, puppies are usually weaned when they are 8 weeks old. It is unhealthy and downright wrong to take them away from their mothers before then. After you get your pup, be prepared to give it a lot of attention.
Let’s start at selecting the right pup and bringing it home. It’s more than just a matter of how cute the pup is. Will its size allow it to live in your house or apartment? Will its fur coat allow it to survive in your climate? Are you mentally and financially prepared to look after it? Are you or any members of your household allergic to dog fur? Once you’ve sorted these out, you can go ahead and bring home your new friend.
Puppies and babies have one thing in common-they use their mouths to explore, test and confirm everything. So, like you child-proof your house, you need to puppy-proof your house. Remove breakable and fragile items from here you’re planning on keeping your puppy. Take away all electrical cords from that vicinity (you can raise or keep them covered). Close any and all low windows, or your pup will bolt right out, and good luck finding it. Keep all chemicals, cleaning supplies, drugs, out of the puppy’s reach. Get a trash can that is both to tall to be jumped into and heavy to be knocked over by your new resident. A fold-gate is advisable to keep your puppy in one region of the house.
What will you need to keep your Puppy?
Usually, at the very least you’ll require two metal bowls. Why metal? Unlike glass, it doesn’t chip off. Why two? One is for water, and the other is for food. Naturally, if you have other pets like cats around you should give them separate bowls. Otherwise, every meal time will be domestic warfare.
Your puppy’s got to sleep somewhere right? This is where the puppy beds come in. There are various options for you to use, from a crate with its very own crate pillow to a wicker basket laden with towels. What is important is that the bed it dry, soft and comfortable. Again, give your pup its own bed to avoid conflict with other household pets.
Kids play, puppies do too. They are filled with energy, and this energy has to go somewhere. Buy your puppy some toys. A lot of them, in fact, from chew toys to soft toys. Make sure the toys are built such that they can be destroyed, or else parts will chip off and choke your puppy.
Don’t only give the Puppy a House, Give it a Home
When you’re in a new environment, you tend to be scared and apprehensive. This is more intense when you’re a child. It is amplified when you’re a puppy. Getting introduced into a new home will get the pup all jittery. Sure they get over it and excitedly begin running all over to explore the new surroundings. But it’s a different situation at night, when all is quiet and there no lights around. More so if the pup’s mother is not around. Show some concern and allow the little puppy to sleep in your room for a couple of nights. This will help with acclimatization with the new surrounding, and prevent your puppy from feeling lonely.
Go for walks with the puppy during the day to show it around and help it get used to its new home. Also, ensure that your puppy wears a collar. It should be comfortable and loosened gradually in order to accommodate growth. Put a tag on the collar with the dog’s name, and your contact details. You can go as far as having a microchip implanted in the puppy. This is a protective measure in case it gets lost. That way, locating it will be easier. Also, be sure to protect the area around where the puppy plays in your yard. For instance, you can secure it with a fence.
Bond with you pup. How? Simple acts of stroking its body and legs and petting its head are enough. Do this a few times a day and you’ll create a strong bond with the puppy.
Another important thing to note is that puppies are fragile. They don’t have very strong bones and muscle. Handle them with care. When picking them up or laying them down, do it gently. For instance, hen scooping them up, ensure that one hand is kept under the chest always.
Nutrition for Dogs
Any aspect for caring for dogs has to involve food. This is in all stages, from the puppy to the adult dog to the senior dogs. The rule that diet should be complete and balanced applies to all dogs. The key is not getting satisfied, but getting the right nutrients. That is why there are numerous cases of over-caloried but under-nourished dogs. And just because a pet food label says ‘Complete and balanced’ doesn’t make it necessarily so for your dog. What works for one does not work for the entire spectrum of dogs. That is why you should understand your dog, its patterns, its breed, age and size, how its body operates, its medical conditions and just how much nutrients it needs to thrive.
When choosing dog food, don’t jump onto the cheap stuff. When you go for less in cost, you usually get less in quality. What you basically need is the right blend of proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. This is when your dog is a puppy to when it’s an adult. By the way, for those asking, you know your dog is an adult when it reaches 90% of its expected body weight.
Look for foods that incorporate proteins of very high quality, like from fish and chicken, lamb and eggs. The ratio of omega-6: omega-3 fatty acids in the do feed should be about 5:1. You can provide this through food or supplements like salmon oil that have been especially designed for feeding dogs.
For those giving their dogs meat, ensure that your do gets regular intense exercise. If not, use lean meat. Typically, diet from meat and animal products should make up at least half of the dog’s diet. For fruits, anything from bananas, berries and apples to melons and papaya are very good choices. However, you should avoid raisins and grapes, which can kidney failure in the dogs.
For puppies, feed them several times a day, in small amounts of foods that have been specially formulated for puppies. The number of feeding times per day reduces as the pup ages.
Home prepared dog food is rising in popularity, because the owners can control and give a wide range of nutrients. However, it’s important to consult a pet nutritionist, because some people may provide diets missing in some ingredients, or providing others in excess.
Waiting to give your dog a lot of food when it’s hungry is not advised. It will lead to a poor feeding regimen and nutrient absorption.
How to know if You’re Feeding your Dog Right
Observe its behavior, body and coat. If you’re giving the dog a good diet, it will have a glossy coat, a fit appearance and lots of energy.
Also, you should watch it feed. As you’re watching it eat, you’ll see if it’s interested in its food. If it’s not, something is definitely wrong. Either the food’s spoilt, or the dog is not healthy.
Common Health Problems
There are those health issues with dogs that commonly arise. Like the flu in man. However, they should all be treated before they spiral out of control.
Take ear infections for instance. They pop up ever so often. They are caused by anything from allergies and yeast to ear mites and bacteria to many more causes. You can know if your dog has an ear infection if it persistently shakes or tilts its head, vigorously scratches it ears, and has redness in the ear canal or even ear odor. Should you even suspect that your dog has any ear infections, rush it to the vet. Usually, cleaning and medicating the ear canal is all that is needed. However, at times surgery may be required, as is the case for chronic infections or ruptured vessels due to vigorous head shaking.
Worms are another problem that dogs experience. In fact they are so prevalent that drugs have been designed to prevent dogs from getting worms. Which worms? Roundworms, heartworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms and the like are very common internal dog parasites. Usually they just make the dog uncomfortable, but some like heartworms are fatal to all dogs, and hookworms can kill your puppy. You can know if your dog has any worms through signs such as: diarrhea, rapid weight loss, a rough and dry coat and a general poor, weak appearance. However, you need to schedule an appointment with a vet in order to get a concise diagnosis. Also, get to know what medication is best.
Fleas have been carried around by dogs since time immemorial. In fact, chances are that your dog will get a flea infection at least once or twice in its life, no matter how well you try to prevent it. One single flea can turn into 100 annoying bugs in just under 3 weeks. Those little bugs are persistent. But just as they are easy to get, they are easy to treat. How will you know if your dog has fleas? First of course is the excessive scratching, biting and licking of the skin. You may also witness hair loss and hotspots. Treatments for flea infections include oral medicine and shampoos to sprays and topical liquids. Just because fleas are easy to treat doesn’t mean you delay the process. They not only make your dog very uncomfortable, but they can also bring about allergic reactions and infections, and cause anemia.
In case of any issue, be sure to visit the vet. In addition, ensure that your dog is immunized whilst still a puppy against infections like distemper, rabies, parainfluenza, canine hepatitis, and parvovirus. It’s also crucial to get deworming medication as early as possible. Additionally, ask any questions you may have pertaining to your dog’s current and future health on your visits to the vet.
Grooming your Dog
If you groom your dog right, you can save tonnes of funds from medical bills. Well, that and it makes you dog comfortable and pleases everyone around it. Usually, it’s a simple DIY process. Regular grooming keeps your dog healthy, clean and manageable. It prevents yeast build up from mated hair, dental problems from neglected teeth, ear infections from dirty ears and a whole lot more. So, how do you effectively groom your dog?
Brush your dog. Do this throughout its life from its days as a pup to its senior years. Brush the coat, from the neck, down its body, under its belly and even on its tail. You can use a curry brush for shorthaired dogs or a slicker, pin brush or undercoat rake for their medium-long haired counterparts. The goal is to remove loose hair and effectively distribute skin oil throughout the dog’s coat.
Bath the dog. Most dogs only require you to do it once or twice every week. Use lots of warm water and ensure that the soap has sunk deep into the dog’s fur and skin. Protect the dog’s eyes by putting a drop of mineral oil around each eye, and the ears by putting cotton balls in them. When you’re done washing the dog’s body, you can wash the eyes and ears last. As you do the washing, check for cuts, ticks, fleas, injuries or irritated skin. Next, rinse the dog well. If the dog has skin issues, use shampoo designed for sensitive skin. Let your dog drip dry for some minutes in the tub, then grab a towel and dry him. Alternatively, you can use doggie driers available in the market. Brush out the dog as you do the blow drying for faster drying and a superb finish. Don’t forget the feet!
Brush its teeth. Yes, you’ve read that right. Dogs also need to have their teeth brushed. In fact, over 80% of dogs have periodontal disease. Dental problems lead to kidney and liver troubles. Brush your dog’s teeth at least twice a week, to prevent them from rotting through its head. You can use a toothbrush or a gauze draped over your finger. Use products designed specifically for dogs. You don’t want to poison it n the name of cleaning out plaque in teeth.
Give your dog a haircut. This is best done right after a bath. How you go about it is really up to you. You can keep all hair at the same length or trim specific parts. You don’t need complicated tools. Clippers or scissors will do. Get someone to help out in keeping your do still to prevent squirming and accidents.
With your love and commitment, in addition to proper care, your dog will grow up healthy and safe. More than that, it will enrich your life and you’ll enjoy the moments you have together. When caring for your dog, ensure you do it right.