Expert tips to keep Your Pet Healthy

To keep your pet dog happy and healthy, there are a variety of factors to keep in mind. These factors include:

• Exercise
• Training
• Play
• Attention
• Regular Health Checks
• Annual Vaccinations
• Neutering/spaying
• Grooming
• Food

If you stick to the following pet health advice, you should have a happy and healthy dog on your hands.

Exercise

Dogs in particular need a certain amount of exercise. It all depends on the breed of the dog and its size. A Bulldog for example, really doesn't like going on walks in general. They need coaxing outside a lot of the time, but luckily they do not need too much exercise. A collie dog on the other hand, needs a lot of exercise and so they will need at least two walks a day.

If you don't exercise your pet, it could lead to obesity which can bring problems such as:

• Joint problems
• Heart trouble
• Severe behavioral problems
• Shorter life span

Most behavioral problems stem from not having enough exercise. They could chew furniture, run backwards and forwards from room to room constantly chase tails and in some rare cases they could mutilate themselves.

While exercising may be a necessity for adult dogs, puppies cannot have the same amount of exercise. This is because too much exercise can stop their growth as their joints get damaged. It all depends on the breed and smaller dogs mature faster than larger ones. The general rule is that smaller dogs can have as much exercise as possible when they are around 8 months old, and larger dogs can exercise properly when they are around 12 months old.

Training

Training your dog is essential if you are to have a happy dog. This is because they need to know what they can and cannot do. If you let a dog roam around freely, it has no guidance and therefore it can become extremely confused and start to show unsavory behavior. There are dog training schools which can be really helpful.

If your pet is not trained it can:

• Use your home as a toilet
• Bark excessively
• Chew everything
• Become aggressive

Play and Attention

Playing with your dog stimulates his/her brain and keeps their mind active. Most dogs thrive on attention and they are really eager to please their owners. Little games such as 'hide and seek' can be fun and dogs really love to find things. The most popular game to play with your dog is 'fetch'. Dogs love to chase things such as a stuffed toy or a ball and it also gives them exercise. If a dog doesn't get the right amount of attention or play, it will become bored.

Regular Health Checks and Annual Vaccinations

Pet health care includes checking your pet to see if they hurt themselves or if they have any sign of illness. Worms and fleas can be a common health complaint with dogs. It is important to provide regular treatments to stop them from occurring. Worming should be done every 3 months and flea treatments such as a collar could be worn every day.

Neutering and Spaying

Pet health questions are important. If you are not planning on breeding your dog, it is sometimes a good idea to get him/her spayed or neutered. This is because later on in life, if your dog has not been spayed or neutered, there is a chance it could contract cancer. It can also stop aggressive behavior in male dogs.

Grooming

It is important to groom your dog every day, depending on its breed. Some short haired breeds may only need brushing every couple of days, whereas a longer haired breed may need grooming twice a day.

Food

A dog needs the right diet to remain healthy. Just like with humans, a healthy diet needs to be combined with regular exercise to keep the dog fit and healthy. Anybody whot gives out pet health advice will tell you that the diet is one of the most important aspects of keeping your dog healthy. A bad diet can affect the following:

• The coat
• The digestive system
• The dogs behavior

There is a wide variety of complete dry dog food which is idea for all breeds of dog. The best thing to keep in mind is that a dog is a dog and they should eat dog food, not human food. Some human foods are dangerous to dogs including chocolate. While it may seem like a nice idea to give your dog leftovers, it can cause an upset stomach which will be really unpleasant for the dog.

It is possible to give some fruit and vegetables toy our dog and they can really help keep your dog healthy. However, always research what you can and cannot feed your pet before you actually do so.

If you follow the above pet health care advice, you should have a healthy happy dog.

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