Having a furry companion with you can bring happiness to your life. Apart from having someone to greet you whenever you’re home, a dog can keep you entertained as you play with them for the whole day. However, having a dog doesn’t just mean all fun and games as you also need to look after their health. Doing so will allow them to live longer and happier.
Dog life expectancy is shorter compared to humans, so to keep your companion stay with you as long as they can, you need to take care of their health. To make that happen and boost your dog’s health, you can follow the tips below.
1. Bring Them Regularly To The Vet
Dogs should have regular visits to their veterinarian. Apart from the routine vaccine and flu shots, a veterinarian can also see your pet’s condition and prescribe any medicine or treatment they should receive.
Ideally, you should bring your dog to the vet annually for a check-up. Also, you should prep your dog for the visit as their vet may conduct blood and urine tests. These tests can help identify what’s happening with your dog’s health if they’re feeling queasy or unwell.
2. Consider Getting A Calming Bed
If you notice that your dog is unusually anxious, you should immediately try to look for ways to help them calm down and feel better. While therapy and professional help would do, you should consider giving your dog a calming bed to reduce anxiety and promote tranquility.
There’s plenty of calming bed that you can choose from the market. Ideally, look for ones that veterinarians approve of so that you can ensure their effectiveness. You can look for calming beds online, like from the Calming Dog or other similar sites, and you should be able to find the right one for your pet.
3. Promote Proper Hygiene
While it might sound obvious, poor hygiene can affect your dog’s health. To prevent your furry companion from contracting any illnesses or diseases, you should ensure that they are clean all the time. You should make sure that they get their regular weekly baths, grooming, and trimming. If you don’t have much time to groom them yourself or you’re not too confident with your cutting and shaving skills, bringing them to a pet groomer would be a great choice.
As you promote proper hygiene, you can prevent your dog from getting skin infections, infestations, and poor hair and skin quality. Ideally, only take your dog for a bath once a week and bring them for a good grooming session every three months or once their hair grows too long. Also, make sure that you always restock all the dog supplies you need for cleaning and grooming them and brush their hair regularly to keep their furs shiny and healthy all the time.
4. Promote A Healthy Diet
No matter how cute a chubby dog looks, put your dog on a strict diet to prevent them from getting overweight. Having them follow a diet can allow your dog to continue to be healthy and prevent them from catching illnesses such as heart disease and obesity.
Ideally, you should check first what’s the ideal weight for your dog. Their target weight can depend on their age and breed. Then, only feed them with healthy and nutritional dog food. You can even add safe fruits and vegetables. However, make sure to limit those as dogs are not efficient at digesting plant matter.
If you’re having trouble making them lose weight, never hesitate to consult your veterinarian to know some diet tips.
5. Exercise With Them
Apart from feeding your dog the right kind of food, you should also ensure that you make them perform regular exercise to keep their bodies, muscles, and joints moving. Bring your dog out for their daily walks for at least 30 minutes a day. If you don’t have the time to take them out, consider hiring a dog walker.
As you take your dog out for a walk, you should consider bringing them out to the park every weekend for other physical activities such as running, ball catching, or even going for a hike. Doing all of these won’t only improve their health but will also strengthen your bond with them.
Conclusion
No matter how busy you are, always look after your dog’s health all the time. Doing so will help them live longer lives, allowing you to share more memories with them. Not to mention that giving all your best for them will prevent you from regretting not doing it when it’s time for them to go.