Your pet dog is a part of your family and your best friend. He occasionally eats your leftovers and he is you morning walk companion and soulmate. But your dog can not complain, and he cannot tell you when he needs medical help.
You must know that your pet needs regular checkups to stay healthy. Here is the answer to how often to take your dog for regular medical checkup:
You should ideally take your dog to vet, once every 3-4 weeks until he is sixteen weeks old. The vet will check if your dog is growing well. Your dog will get distemper-parvo and rabies vaccinations etc. . The vet will check if there are any signs of illness. He will give your dog worming and flea treatments too. The vet will also check how socialization, housebreaking and training are going on. This also gets your puppy used to going to your vets and get him or her to meet the team. In many cases you can just call in and get your puppy weighed free of charge.
From one to ten seven years, yearly medical checkups are recommended. The vet will sometimes take a blood sample eg, to check for heartworms. In case of other problems doctor will recommend further tests. Your dog will get distemper-parvo and rabies-booster every three years after he is one year old. Your dog may get other vaccinations to prevent illnesses like kennel cough and Leptospirosis annually.
From 7-10 years you should take your dog twice a year to the vet for medical checkup. Vets will take a few tests such as blood and stool test to check the health wellness of your dog if applicable.
Apart from these regular checkups there are some situations when you must take your dog to the vet.
- Unusual Eating Habit: Your dog may skip the odd meal but not eating for minimum two days is clear sign that your dog should be examined by the doctor. Some diseases may causes your dog develop unusual eating habits.
- Dry Coat: Your dog’s coat should be soft shiny and thick. If it becomes dry and rough there is something not right with your dog. A wrong kind of food, allergy or a skin disease can cause dry coat. In such situation your dog must be taken to the dog.
- Excessively thirsty dog: Dogs usually do not need to drink mush because they produce a lot of saliva. If your dog is drinking too much water, there can be a kidney disease or diabetes. You can tell that your dog is drinking too much water there is a big amount of urine being passed.
- Tiredness: If your dog is sluggish and lethargic most of the time, there must be something troubling him. If symptom remains for two or more days you must take him to the doctor.
- Vomiting: Animals vomit more often that humans do, so occasional vomiting is fine. If your dog vomit several times in a row or vomits blood and has a fever you should call the vet immediately.
- Sudden weight loss: if your dog is losing weight suddenly and quickly, even if he is an overweight dog, you must take him to the doctor.
Never compromise on the health of your pet. They love you and look forward to you for their healthy life.
