Keeping Your Dog Healthy and Happy

Your schedule is busy and you make time to feed, walk, and play with your dog, but are slacking on other things? If you want to keep your dog healthy and happy, try to make a goal for yourself and make more time for your furry best friend. This article will discuss ways of keeping your dog healthy and happy throughout the next year.

Your dog may seem healthy, but don't forget to take your dog to the veterinarian for its annual checkup.  You're not trained to know all the symptoms and signs of health problems in pets. Plus, some medical issues don't even have noticeable symptoms. Taking your dog for an annual checkup is a way to make sure your pet is healthy as well as keep them healthy, by getting vaccinations. If you never take your dog to the veterinarian you may end up having to pay an expensive vet bill that costs much more than the checkups would have.

Take some extra time for your dog. Don't just let them outside in your fenced in yard for 10 minutes alone while they do their business. Take them for a walk around the block, take them to the park or the beach. Doing this is not only great exercise for your dog, but great exercise for you as well. Keeping your dog active is likely to give them a longer life.

If your dog is not spayed or neutered it may be time to once again consider it. If you don't plan on breeding your dog, they should be fixed. This prevents them from reproducing without you wanting them to. It can also help stop your dog's urge to run away or mark its territory.

If you don't already have identification for your pet, stop procrastinating and get it now. You can get a simple id tag, with the dog's name as well as your name and address. Also, many pet owners are now getting their dogs microchips. It's a small microchip that is painlessly planted in your dog. Your dog can lose its tag or someone can simply take it off and try to keep your dog, which is why a microchip is a great choice.

Your dog is always there for you with unconditional love. Take some more time to keep your dog healthy so it can be in your life for many more years. 

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.