Give your dog a healthy life

Some illness in dogs are not very apparent and the symptoms are noticed when it is too late.

Dog owners should consider the following to ensure your dog stays fit and healthy :

1. Old Age: You should know when your pet is getting old. It also depends on the breed and size of the dog. A medium sized dog (21 to 50 pounds) lives around 9 - 11.5 years, large dogs (51 to 90 pounds) live around 7.5 to 10.5 years and giant dogs (more than 90 pounds) have a life span of 6 – 9 years. Smaller breed dogs therefore have a longer life span.

2. Wellness Examination: These examinations help to identify any disease or other problems at an early stage. The examination includes a physical examination and revisions can be made to any medicines prescribed to the dog.

3. Illness watch: Pet care is extremely important. Dogs can hide their illness very well, sometimes until it is too late. Keep a look out for indications like weight loss, eyesight loss, coughing or difficulty breathing, changes in activity level, vomiting, diarrhoea and skin lumps or masses. Early diagnosis is the key to manage illnesses.

4. Weight Control : The fatter the dog the shorter their life span. Excess weight puts stress on the heart and it can lead to other diseases like malfunctioning of the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys.

5. Safe Environment : Keep toxic chemicals and cleaning fluids out of your dogs reach. Common toxins are: antifreeze, rat poison and slug bait.

6. Nutrition and Diet : Give your dog premium high quality diet supplements such as Hill's Science Diet, Iams or Eukanuba. A low fat and high fibrous diet is good for you dog.

7. Exercise : Essential to all dogs to maintain a healthy body . It helps to keep weight down, strengthens joints and muscles and provides mental stimulation for your dog.

8. Spay and Neuter: Spaying is the removal of the ovaries and uterus in dogs. It is discovered that spayed and neutered dogs tend to have fewer health problems. Moreover without these organs, ovarian cysts, uterine infections and cancer of the reproductive tract are no longer a concern.

9. Studies have shown that dogs spayed before puberty have a significantly lower chance of developing breast cancer than un-spayed dogs, or dogs spayed later in life. Health problems that can be associated with birthing are also eliminated with spaying.

10. Mental Stimulation: Give your dog some toys and play with them. Let your dog enjoy quality time with you. Remember to encourage mental stimulation. It keeps your pet fit as well.