Keeping their pet dog happy and healthy is the primary concern for many pet owners. Havahart® brings you the following tips to keep your pet dogs free of any health concerns! Fleas It's hard to believe but the flea is only on your dog for a very short time. One way to tell if your pet is infected is to check for flea droppings (shiny black specks) in your dog's fur or around their bedding area.
Essential tools in a complete flea control program are:
- insecticides
- flea shampoos
- powders
It is very important to wash and treat your dog's bedding that prevents fleas from hatching. Vacuuming the home thoroughly is also an important step.
Pet Dog Grooming
Grooming should be done daily or weekly. Routine grooming is necessary to keep your dog's skin, coat, teeth, gums, and nails healthy.
It also allows you to reassert your authority over your dog.
Finally, pet grooming should involve a reward for your dog. The physical contact is often enough, however, it does not hurt to give your pet a food treat.
Avoiding Disease
Make sure you give your dog all of its recommended vaccinations. Dogs are susceptible to 60 types of diseases and can transmit 20 of them to humans.
Since dogs are often outside, they have the opportunity to interact with wildlife. This exposes them to the diseases that wildlife carries. Exposure can result from direct interaction or animal droppings. Fleas are also a major concern for pet owners. A program to combat fleas is typically recommended. The program can consist of flea collars, flea powder of spray, prescription tablets from your veterinarian are also available.
Parasites and Ticks
Common signs of infestation on your dog are persistent scratching, and irritated skin. The tick is a parasite that buries their mouthpiece into the skin of your dog.
To remove a tick:
- Swab the tick and the surrounding area with rubbing alcohol
- Using tweezers, grasp and "unscrew" its mouthpiece from the skin with a rotating action
- Treat the area with antiseptic
Pet Dog Toys
A variety of toys are fun for your dog. Toys such as chew bones (gnawing on a nylon bone exercises the jaws and cleans teeth), a rubber toy that is chewable and bounces, a dog pull for tug-of-war games, and squeaky toys appeal to a dog's hunting instincts.
source: ASPCA
Havahart® offers a variety of pet supplies including pet doors, dog fencing solutions, and electronic pet dog training products to help you train and care for your pet dog.
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