The vast majority of dogs could be saved if given preventative care. Emergency and specialized veterinary clinics get cases that may have been handled locally. It is best for your dog’s health to use preventive medication. Preventing the need for emergency or specialist therapy to repair difficulties that may have been avoided by preventive measures saves you money in the long run.
What dog health problems are preventable?
A broad range of events and circumstances may be deemed preventable. The following are a handful of the most commonly mentioned issues.
1. Dental Disease and Gingivitis
In addition to causing bad breath, plaque and tartar buildup have been linked to dental decay and eventual tooth loss. Germs from diseased teeth can also travel through the bloodstream and harm organs like the heart and kidneys, which is especially true in older dogs.
Any dental disease in a dog may be prevented by frequently brushing the dog’s teeth. Learn more about complete dental care for your pet here.
2. Obesity
Poor nutrition and lack of exercise are two of the most common culprits. A high-carbohydrate, high-grain diet is provided to dogs fed low-value dog food, which aids in their weight growth. With all the table scraps and extra treats, it has no chance. Because of our increasingly sedentary existence, our dogs’ lives are becoming less active.
Dogs require frequent exercise to keep their weight in check and keep their overall health in check. A lack of exercise is often the root cause of many behavioral issues that dog owners bring in for training. Providing them with high-quality food and taking them for frequent walks and exercise makes it possible to prevent diabetes, joint pain, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems in dogs.
3. Obstructions
Objects such as socks, cardboard, towels, clothing, and toy stuffing may cause obstructions in a dog’s digestive system. An emergency necessitating surgery occurs when these things get lodged in the dog’s gut. There is no way that the dog can get it through his digestive system. Always supervise your dog; make sure he’s getting enough exercise; never leave anything on the floor, and provide him with the proper chew toys.
4. Vaccinations
Dog vaccinations should begin at eight weeks of age and continue until 20 weeks of age. This initial injection regimen protects against a potentially fatal infection like Parvo. Your veterinarian will tell you how often you should give your pet a booster vaccine. A rabies shot is a must-have for any canine traveler.
Consequently, he has a far greater probability of developing a deadly illness. If an unvaccinated dog is exposed to a disease like Parvo, it will become sick quickly. In addition to being expensive and unsuccessful, treatment is complicated. Infectious diseases are less likely to spread when your pet is immunized against them.
5. Heartworm
A veterinarian’s heart breaks when they see a dog with an advanced case of heartworm infection as a patient since heartworm prevention is so straightforward. Mosquitoes transmit heartworms. Untreated heartworms may spread throughout a dog’s body and eventually reach its heart. Their growth and spread will impede the heart, change the blood flow, and finally damage organs. Treating a dog with advanced cancer is both expensive and hazardous. The development of heartworms may be avoided by using monthly heartworm preventive measures.
6. Tick-borne Infections
It’s possible to get tick-borne infections from a variety of sources. Ticks transmit these diseases to dogs when they cling to them and secrete venom in their saliva. As the disorders worsen, they may cause lameness, lethargy, illness and neurological difficulties, renal disease, and abnormal blood levels.
Preventing these diseases is as simple as treating your dog with a monthly flea and tick control medication and regularly checking your dog for ticks. During your dog wellness exam, your veterinarian will inform you whether your pet is due for any of their usual immunizations or if they need preventative treatment.
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How to Deal with Common Dog Health Issues that can be Prevented
The majority of dogs may be saved by preventive treatment. It is very uncommon for cases that may have been handled quickly in a general, specialist, or even an emergency veterinary facility. For your dog, healthcare that focuses on prevention is preferable. Preventing the need for emergency or specialist therapy to treat problems that may have been avoided by immunization and routine checkup which saves you money in the long run.
What dog health issues may be avoided?
A broad range of circumstances may be regarded as preventable. Here are a few of the most common issues that dogs have but can be prevented.
1. Dental Caries and Gingivitis
Plaque and tartar buildup results in bad breath, but they may also result in tooth decay and eventual tooth loss. Older dogs’ organs are more vulnerable to infection by bacteria from diseased teeth, which may spread throughout their circulation.
Regular brushing of a dog’s teeth may prevent dental problems. FAQs About Dental Care for Pets read here to learn more.
2. Obesity
Several factors are at play, including a lack of activity and a bad diet. Dogs fed with low-quality food have a diet heavy in carbohydrates and grains, making them fat. Despite being surrounded by table leftovers and extra treats, it has little hope of surviving. Sedentary lifestyles for our dogs have grown increasingly as our own lives have become more sedentary.
In addition to keeping their weight in check, dogs require frequent exercise to keep their overall health in check. There is a strong correlation between a lack of exercise and a dog’s behavioral issues. High-quality pet food and frequent walks and exercise will help your dog stay healthy and prevent diabetes, joint pain, and other organ problems.
3. Obstructions
Objects like socks, cardboard, towels, clothing, and toy stuffing may cause obstructions in a dog’s digestive system. Consequently, surgery is required to remove these things from within the dog’s body. Dogs can’t get foreign things out of their systems on their own. This could have been avoided at any cost. Always supervise your dog, make sure he gets enough exercise, never leave anything on the floor, and always supply him with suitable chew toys.
4. Viral Infections
From the time they are eight weeks old until they reach the age of 20, dogs should get their first round of vaccinations. This initial injection regimen, for example, protects against the Parvovirus. Your veterinarian will tell you how often you should give your pet a booster immunization.
Your dog should never be left unprotected from disease. Consequently, his chances of developing a deadly illness are greatly increased. Diseases like Parvo are very contagious, and if an unvaccinated dog is exposed to them, it will get ill very quickly. It’s pretty challenging to treat, and it’s both expensive and unsuccessful.
To keep your pet safe from illness, vaccinations are recommended. Dog and cat vaccinations can protect your pet from serious and dangerous diseases.
5. Heartworms
Being confronted with a dog with an advanced heartworm disease case is very upsetting for a veterinarian, given how easily heartworm can be prevented. Insects like mosquitoes carry heartworms. Not treating an infected dog will only result in the worms multiplying and eventually entering the heart. They will clog the heart, change blood flow, and ultimately damage organs as they grow and spread. Treatment may be expensive and dangerous, especially if the sickness is advanced and some dogs die due to the treatment.
6. Tick-borne Infections
Tick-borne infections may manifest themselves in various ways, depending on the specific disease. They’re all transmitted by the saliva of a tick that bites a dog and transmits the disease. Lameness, fatigue, disease, neurological difficulties, renal disease, and blood abnormalities are all possible side effects of the disorders. Tick checks and monthly flea and tick treatments may help keep your dog healthy and free of these diseases.
Related: What to Expect During Annual Wellness Cat and Dog Exam