Pet Insurance
Dog Advice
All the clichés about Dogs are true. They will be your faithful retainer and unconditional friend, member of the family and enthusiastic exercise partner.
For all of this, you need to take good care of them. Pet insurance helps, but there are number of other issues to think about which will help ensure the health and happiness of your canine friend.
There are some problems which you need to be aware of from day one. Worming is one of them. This should be undertaking at least twice a year. If you are paying attention to your dog, you will probably be astute enough to spot the tell tale symptoms of worm infestation in any event. You should look out for symptoms such as weight loss, increased appetite, poor coat condition, mucus in the eyes, lethargy or, in some cases, vomiting. To confirm your suspicions what you need to do is examine the faeces of your beloved dog (feel the joy).
The most common — round worm — is pointed at both ends and resembles small, yellow noodles. Treat the condition with worming twice a year. If your dog is particularly susceptible to worms, then it won’t harm them to occasionally worm more than the normal frequency. There are separate treatments available such as Panacur, Drontal Plus and Lopatol which are all worth consideration. You’ll need to check the ratio between dosage and the body weight of your dog to find out which is the best value option.
Keep your Dog’s teeth in good condition. With regular use of the many products that are available, a dog should never need to have dental treatment. Regular bones and raw-hide are the mainstays in protecting your dog’s teeth. We all like to give them a treat occasionally, but opinion is fairly clear on one issue: sugar is not advisable.
So aoid giving them chocolate; treats such as aniseed or cheese may be better appreciated (see your dog for further advice). For their teeth, your dog should be using a raw-hide based chew at least once a week; this helps clear the mouth of any food pieces or tartar. Throwing in a knuckle bone every now and again will always go down well (not literally one hopes) and is also good for their teeth.
On the subject of food, it helps to match up a dog’s diet with the amount of exercise he or she takes (useful in humans too). So you can buy high protein food created for your Great Dane, or St Bernard, as they charge around exhausting all but the fittest exercise partner; while serving other dog food more suitable for a Yorkshire Terrier, who may take the occasion stroll before lying down for rest.